Xinhua - Boao Forum for Asia annual conference 2007 opens

BOAO, Hainan Province, April 21 (Xinhua) -- The Annual Conference 2007 of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) opened Saturday in Boao of southern China's Hainan Province, focusing on integration of the whole Asia.

China's top legislator Wu Bangguo attended the opening ceremony and delivered a keynote speech.

Wu spoke highly of the BFA and showed confidence that the forum will grow into an important regional platform of dialogue for promoting business cooperation and common development in Asia.

Asia's gross domestic products (GDP) grew by over 6 percent annually in the past seven years, contributing to 20 percent of the world economic growth. Asia's economy, trade and foreign exchange reserves respectively takes up one fourth, one third and three fourths of the world's total, said Wu, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislative body.

Sustained development in individual Asian countries has led to increasingly closer economic links within the region, expanding common interests and heightened awareness of the Asian identity, he said, adding that development and cooperation in Asia are enjoying unprecedented momentum.