Updated: 2008-04-04 11:45

Beijing - China's President, Hu Jintao, will join other ten State/Government leaders including Prime Minister Kevin Rudd of Australia, President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan and a host of world leaders from industry and at this month's Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2008, it was announced recently.

At a press briefing in Beijing, the Secretary General of the BFA Secretariat Mr. Long Yongtu, revealed the latest additions to the line-up of speakers for this year's conference, which will be held in the picturesque seaside town of Boao, Hainan Province, from April 11th to 13th.

“I think the strength of the line-up for this year's event is a testament to the ever-growing importance and influence of the Boao Forum for Asia,” said Mr. Long at the press briefing. “This has now become the definitive platform for discussion of Asia's political, economic and social future, and we will see that reflected in the dialogue and debate between these global leaders at Boao next month.”

Now in its eighth year, the BFA Annual Conference has become the pre-eminent international economic forum in Asia, hosting over one thousand high profile pacesetters from across the globe.

The theme for this year's event is Green Asia, Moving Towards Win-Win Through Changes. This topical theme will offer participants a chance to discuss the challenges and opportunities influencing the region's environmental future. Over the three days of the 2008 Annual Conference participants will debate the move towards energy efficiency, how to secure Asia's future through renewable energy sources, and how the private sector can contribute to improving the environment.

In a statement, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said he was looking forward to contributing to these discussions. “I have a strong personal connection to China, and I'm delighted to have this chance to return there. But beyond that I'm excited about taking part in this dialogue. The fact is that all of us in Asia are more connected now than ever before, and our futures are increasingly intertwined. That makes it all the more vital that we engage each other and talk through our strategies for the road ahead.”

President Hu will be joined by some of the most prominent figures in global politics and business, including:

Kevin Michael RUDD, Prime Minister, Australia

Michelle Jeria BACHELET, President, Chile

Karim K. MASSIMOV, Prime Minister, Republic of Kazakhstan

Nambar ENKHBAYAR, President, Mongolia

Pervez MUSHARRAF, President, Islamic Republic of Pakistan

Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabor AL-THANI, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, the State of Qatar

Mahinda RAIAPAKSA, President, Sri Lanka

Fredrik REINFELDT, Prime Minister, Sweden

Jakaya Mrisho KIKWETE, President, the United Republic of Tanzania

Siaosi TUPOU V, King of Tonga

Colin Powell, Former US Secretary of State

Donald Tsang, Chief Executive, Hong Kong SAR

Edmund HO Hau Wah, Chief Executive, Macao SAR

Donald Tsang, Chief Executive, Hong Kong SAR

Colin Powell, Former US Secretary of State

Edmund HO Hau Wah, Chief Executive, Macao SAR

James Quigley, Chief Executive Officer, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu

Jiang Jianqing, Chairman, ICBC

Michael Trescow, Chairman, Ericsson Group

FU Chengyu, President, CNOOC

Jianzhou Wang, Chairman, China Mobile Communications Corporation

Chey Tae Won, Chairman, SK Group

Tianpu Wang, President, China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation

Leif Johansson, President of AB Volvo

Klaus Engel, Chief Executive Officer, Evonik Degussa

About the Boao Forum for Asia

The Boao Forum for Asia was established in 2001 as a platform for high-level interaction between thought leaders from Asia and across the world, with the goal of promoting the development goals of Asian countries through greater regional economic integration.

The original inspiration for the forum can be traced back to September 1998. Noting that Asia as a whole lacked an economic forum led by Asians and guided from perspectives of Asian interests and views, former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke, former Japanese Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa and former Filipino President Fidel V. Ramos put forward a proposal to establish a Forum for Asia. Three years later, the first BFA Annual Conference was held in Boao, Hainan Province, China. In the intervening years, the Boao Forum for Asia has gone on to become the most active and influential forum of its kind in the region, driving dialogue and debate on Asia's future.