The prominence of the participants and the sheer scale of this year's Boao Forum for Asia make it unprecedented. Running from Saturday to Monday in Boao, a coastal town in China's southern island province of Hainan, the BFA is poised to assume a greater role as an international platform for discussing important regional and global issues.

With the theme of "Asia seeking development for all: Restructuring, Responsibility and Cooperation", the forum has broadened its agenda this year to not only focus on Asia, but also include issues from other regions such as Africa, Latin America and Europe. It epitomizes China's vision in promoting cooperation among Asian countries and enhancing interaction with other regions of the world.

The steady growth of the BFA shows China, as an emerging economy, is willing to contribute more to resolving the burning issues the world is facing today. This was also the message of President Xi Jinping in his address to the BFA on Sunday.