The Bo'ao Forum for Asia (BFA) annual conference will be postponed
in view of uncertainty of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
(SARS), sources with the BFA said in Beijing Monday.
The BFA board of directors, in the interest of ensuring the health
and safety of all participants, has made the decision to postpone
the meeting, which will be re-scheduled after further consultations
with the relevant parties.
The BFA's second annual conference was originally scheduled for May
18-19 in Bo'ao, a resort town in south China's Hainan island
province.
The conference had been well-prepared with the support of the host
government and special efforts made on the part of numerous towns
in the province. But the BFA would like to extend its gratitude to
the governments of Asian countries for their attention, all-out
support and preparations for the conference. The BFA also hopes the
relevant parties will continue to support the forum and that they
will join hands to promote unity and cooperation among Asian
countries.
According to the organizers, the BFA will hold a series of other
events before the re-scheduled conference.
The BFA, a non-government, non-profit international organization
focusing on major economic issues, is the first international
conference organization to be based in China. More than 1,000
delegates, including former Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji, attended
the BFA's first annual conference in Bo'ao in April 2002.
(Xinhua News Agency April 29, 2003)