BOAO, Hainan province, April 21 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Gloria
Macapagal Arroyo arrived here early Saturday morning to attend the 2007 annual
conference of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) and will give a keynote speech at
the formal opening of the annual event.
This is Arroyo's first appearance at the BFA, according to the secretariat
of the forum.
The Philippines is one of the 26 founding members of the forum which was
established in 2001. Since the first annual conference held in 2002, the forum
has developed into a platform for leaders in government, business and academia
in Asia and other continents to share visions on the most pressing issues in
this dynamic region and the world at large.
With the theme "Asia Winning in Today's Global Economy -- Innovation and
Sustainable Development", the 2007 annual conference is held from April 20-22 in
Boao, a coastal town and the permanent BFA site in Hainan Province, south
China.