From April 12-13, 2002, the first annual conference of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) was held in the town of Boao, Qionghai city, south China's Hainan province. The theme of the conference was "New Century, New Asia, New Challenge: Asian Regional Development and Cooperation."

Around 2,000 government officials, including leaders from Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam and China, as well as scholars and entrepreneurs from Asia, Europe and North America attended the event and exchanged views on Asia's economy.

Established in 2001, the BFA is an international organization jointly initiated by 29 member states. Its founding purpose was to promote economic integration in Asia.

Headquartered in China, the BFA holds its annual conference in Boao on a regular basis. Its mission now is to gather positive energy for the development of Asia and the world.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the forum. The annual conference in 2021 is scheduled to take place from April 18-21, under the theme "A World in Change: Join Hands to Strengthen Global Governance and Advance Belt and Road Cooperation."