Boao Forum Consolidates Asian Cooperation Consensus, Leaders Call for Regional Solidarity to Navigate Global Turbulence

From March 24 to 27, 2026, the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2026 took place in Boao, Hainan, drawing approximately 2,000 delegates from over 60 countries and regions. Themed “Shaping a Shared Future: New Realities, New Opportunities, New Cooperation,” the conference marked the 25th anniversary of the forum’s founding. At the plenary session on March 26, China’s Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress Zhao Leji delivered a keynote speech, emphasizing that Asia must reject confrontation, exclusion, and hegemonism, while pursuing common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable security, as well as deeper regional integration.

Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong stated that Asia’s future depends on choosing open cooperation, and that Asia will continue to serve as a source of global stability. South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok called on nations to deepen exchanges and dialogue in technological innovation, institutional coordination, and infrastructure connectivity. The conference released the “Boao Forum for Asia Initiative on Promoting Regional Cooperation,” with participants widely agreeing that in the face of geopolitical tensions, rising unilateralism, and protectionism, Asia will strengthen its internal economic circulation and regional cooperation mechanisms, using the certainty of regional cooperation to counter external uncertainties.