The Boao Forum for Asia, initiated by China in 2001, is modeled after the World Economic Forum held in Davos, Switzerland.
Every year, the Boao Forum invites leaders from government, business, and academia from Asia and beyond to the southern Chinese province of Hainan. The forum is now one of Asia’s biggest annual economic meetings. The agenda doesn’t limit itself to just Asian economics – the politics behind the economics are also a big factor in discussions.
Taiwan has sent delegates to the forum since its founding. But a special moment came when then Taiwan’s Vice President-elect Vincent Siew attended the forum in 2008. His special status as future Vice President made his participation significant. His meeting with then Chinese President Hu Jintao was the highest-level exchange between Taiwan and China since the end of the Chinese Civil War in the late 1940s. The meeting was seen as setting the stage for a move towards closer ties between the two sides.
In this year’s forum, titled Asia's New Future: Towards a Community of Common Destiny, Siew once again led the Taiwanese delegation. He met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and discussed the possibility of Taiwan joining the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), a proposed multilateral fund that was initiated by China last year.
Siew said a main purpose of his trip is to learn more about China’s new economic strategies, including the AIIB, the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road projects.