HONG KONG: With the successful conclusion in April of the annual Boao Forum for Asia, a gathering of 1,600 prominent political, financial and academic leaders, the focus now shifts to the Boao Youth Forum, which will have Hong Kong as its next venue.

Named after the Hainan town of Boao, where this year's BFA was held, the 2009 Boao Youth Forum (Hong Kong) will be held in the city next Monday, when some 800 young leaders from the region will discuss important issues with high-ranking Chinese officials and experts, including former Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing.

The speakers will address the forum on topics about China's foreign affairs, economy, and culture amidst the financial crisis. They will analyze the relevant policies, the current situation and new developments in these areas, as well as offering their intuition on the future trends.

Other prominent speakers include Zhou Heping, vice minister of the Ministry of Culture; Hu Huaibang, chairman of Bank of Communications; Tie Ning, chairwoman of the Chinese Writers Association; and Li Jiange, chairman of China International Capital Corporation Ltd.

The event is jointly organized by the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) and the Y. Elites Group, which comprises young business leaders in the city.

"The event will signify two major breakthroughs - the first time that the topic of foreign affairs will be discussed here in Hong Kong, and the first time that a local youth group has the honor to organize the reputed forum," Sze Wine Him, founding Chairman of The Y. Elite Group, told media yesterday at a briefing on the event.

The organizers have sent out invitations to around one thousand potential participants, with the goal of securing 700 to 800 participants, the youth leader said.

The Y. Elite Group, a private think tank whose members include younger family members of Hong Kong's most prominent businessmen, has been actively involved in research and consultation work on social, economic and livelihood affairs, with the aim of providing the government of the Special Administrative Region constructive advice and problem solutions.

Boao Forum for Asia is a non-governmental, not-for-profit international organization modelled after the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

The forum was initiated in 1998 by Fidel V. Ramos, former President of the Philippines; Bob Hawke, former prime minister of Australia; and Morihiro Hosokawa, former prime minister of Japan, and was formally inaugurated in February 2001, with a commitment to promote regional economic integration and to bring Asian countries closer to their development goals.

The forum will be the second event that the BFA has organized in Hong Kong and the first of its kind to be organized by a local non-governmental organization (NGO).

(HK Edition 12/02/2009 page4)