PHOTO: Boao Forum for Asia.
The 2019 Annual Conference of Boao Forum for Asia commenced on March 26 in Boao, Hainan Province, China. This year’s theme was “Shared Future, Concerted Action, Common Development”.
About 2000 people, including government officials, entrepreneurs and scholars from over 60 countries attended the conference.
The participants explored issues such as growth drivers and uncertainties in a sustainable world economic expansion, cross-border e-commerce and challenges of globalization, China’s development in retrospect, cross-border investment, data technology and capability, World Trade Organization (WTO) reform, the era of AI+, marine resources and biodiversity, emerging economies, Belt and Road Initiative, opening up of the service sector, reform and cooperation for mutual benefits, and China-Japan and China-US dialogue among other topics.
Premier Li Keqiang delivered a speech on Thursday. In the speech, he said that “I believe that the Boao Forum for Asia is an open and inclusive platform, which welcomes policy-makers, entrepreneurs and scholars to freely discuss problems we all face and share their ideas and suggestions on the global economy and international relations.”
In addition, Premier Li said that China will cut “real interest rate levels” and lower financing costs for companies. He did not elaborate on which interest rate he was referring to, but said China has enough policy tools to cope with economic slowdown.
PHOTO: VNA. Vietnamese President Nguyen Phu Trong (R), who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, shakes hands with visiting Sultan of Brunei Haji Hassanal Bolkiah in Hanoi, Vietnam, March 27, 2019.
Vietnam and Brunei decided to upgrade their bilateral relations to the comprehensive partnership on March 27, 2019.
The decision was made at the meeting between Vietnamese President Nguyen Phu Trong and visiting Sultan of Brunei Haji Hassanal Bolkiah. The two leaders stressed that the establishment of the comprehensive partnership renews motivation to enhance bilateral collaboration in a more effective and practical manner, especially in politics, defense, security, trade, investment, education, and people-to-people diplomacy, Vietnam News Agency reported.
Both sides agreed to strive for 500 million U.S. dollars in two-way trade at an early date, through trade and investment promotion as well as business connectivity activities.
Following their meeting, they issued a joint declaration on the establishment of the Vietnam-Brunei comprehensive partnership and witnessed the signing of a government-level memorandum of understanding on the use of a hotline to deal with illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
BY MSEAP Cyber Secretariat (mseap@assembly.go.kr) |
