Brief Introduction
The Preparatory Committee of the Asia Forum, a high-level non-governmental regional conference, has chosen Boao, Hainan Province in southernmost China to be its permanent conference location.

The inauguration conference of the forum will be held in Boao, a scenic spot on the tropical island, on February 26-27 to mark the founding of the conference body. Initiated by Robert James Hawke, former Australian premier, Fidel Ramos, former Philippine president, and Morihiro Hosokawa, former Japanese prime minister, the Asia Forum has been tuned as an occasion of dialogue for government officials, industrial entrepreneurs and experts in Asia on accelerating the construction of an unified Asian trade, investment and technological market.

The first session of the forum slated for 2002 will be open for trade groups and interested companies, said sources with the preparatory committee.So far, more than 20 Asian countries have become members of the forum, including Pakistan, the Philippines, Kazakhstan, the Republic of Korea, Japan, India, and Singapore.