Chinese president to address opening ceremony of 2018 Boao Forum

Aerial photo taken on March 23, 2018 shows the permanent site of Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) in Boao Town, south China's Hainan Province. The BFA annual conference will take place in Hainan in April, and focus on reform and opening-up. (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu)

Chinese President Xi Jinping will deliver a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the 2018 Boao Forum for Asia (BFA), State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday.

The forum, scheduled for April 8 to 11 in Boao, a coastal town in the southern island province of Hainan, will be themed "An Open and Innovative Asia for a World of Greater Prosperity."

Xi will meet with foreign heads of state and government, and officials of international organizations, collectively meet with BFA directors, and hold discussions with entrepreneurs, Wang said.

It will be the third time for Xi to attend the BFA annual conference as Chinese president, indicative of the importance attached and the support given to the forum by President Xi and the Chinese government, Wang said.

Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, Mongolian Prime Minister Ukhnaa Khurelsukh, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Christine Lagarde are expected to attend the forum.

In addition to attending the forum, Austrian president, Dutch prime minister, Mongolian prime minister, Singaporean prime minister and UN secretary-general will also pay a visit to China.