International Observation: Starting from Boao, what should the future look like?

Ask AI · How can the Boao Forum help Asia maintain stability amid turmoil?

Zhou Xin

In March 2026, the world has fallen into unprecedented division and unrest: fighting continues to spread across the Middle East, the Russia-Ukraine conflict has dragged into a stalemate, global energy prices are roiling violently, the monetary system has been hit, and global industrial chains and supply chains are repeatedly torn apart. Human society seems to be standing at a critical crossroads of “conflict or cooperation, division or unity, regression or progress.” Where will the world go in the future?

In a world of intertwined upheaval, Asia writes a “bright scene here” story with stability and vitality. A few days ago, the Boao Forum for Asia 2026 Annual Conference was held. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Boao Forum for Asia—also the first annual meeting held after the full-island closure operations of Hainan Free Trade Port. Around 2,000 representatives from political, business, and academic circles from more than 60 countries and regions gathered together to jointly sketch out a picture of future development:

Here, conflicts can be resolved peacefully. When fighting continues to burn in some regions, the signals conveyed by the Boao Forum for Asia are clear and strong: dialogue instead of confrontation, consultation instead of coercion—this is the right way to resolve differences. After the 1997 Asian financial crisis, Asian countries came to recognize the importance of building communication platforms and responding to challenges together, and the Boao Forum for Asia emerged. Over the past 25 years, Asia has achieved historic rise, but it has also faced many crises and challenges. Thanks to mechanisms such as the Boao Forum for Asia, Asian countries have stood united to meet crises, maintained overall basic stability, and also created the “Asian miracle.” Asia’s practice shows that even when contradictions are complex and institutional differences are significant, peaceful coexistence is not an impossibility. As long as all parties practice a shared, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable approach to security, and resolve differences through peaceful means, they can find the greatest common denominator for cooperation.

Here, cooperation can deliver win-win outcomes. A report released at the Boao Forum for Asia 2026 Annual Conference shows that the share of GDP of Asian economies in the world is expected to rise from 49.2% in 2025 to 49.7% in 2026. Intra-Asia trade dependence increased from 56.3% in 2023 to 57.2% in 2024. This means that despite uncertainties facing global trade, such as the rise of protectionism, Asian countries are proving with actions: regional cooperation is still an important engine for advancing common development. The opening of the China-Laos Railway has turned Laos from a “landlocked country” into a “land-linked country.” Over the decade of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation, China’s trade with the five Mekong countries has grown by more than 150%. These vivid examples continue to demonstrate: development is not a zero-sum game for any country, and the shared cake can be made bigger and bigger.

Here, order can be fair and just. In today’s world, unilateralism and protectionism are on the rise. The persistence in genuine multilateralism advocated by the Boao Forum for Asia is all the more precious. Here, rules are not unilaterally written by a small number of countries; development rights are not attached with political conditions. No matter whether a country is big or small, every country’s voice deserves to be heard. Today, the Global South accounts for 80% of the world’s economic growth, yet it is still not sufficiently reflected in the global economic governance system. This year’s forum has specifically set up a sub-forum titled “Improving Global Economic Governance: The Role of the Global South.” True multilateralism must ensure that the Global South participates in rule-making—not simply passively accepts rules.

Here, civilizations can exchange ideas and learn from each other. Asia is an important birthplace of human civilizations, where diverse civilizations meet and coexist. Historically, some countries promoted “the superiority of civilizations,” causing conflicts in ideology and values, and even used “civilizational conflict” as a pretext to launch aggression and impose hegemonic sanctions, leading to war, poverty, and turmoil. China, by contrast, advocates the Global Civilization Initiative, whose core message is that there is no distinction between superior and inferior among civilizations; every civilization deserves respect and inheritance. At the Boao Forum for Asia, representatives from various countries discuss on an equal footing the paths for the transmission and innovation of civilizations, expand consensus through exchanges, and help guide Asian civilizations toward a more inclusive and more prosperous direction.

The 25 years of the Boao Forum for Asia—25 years of unity and striving forward in Asia. As this year’s grand gathering comes to a close, what remains are humanity’s expectations for the future world: with peace as the underlying tone, we discard the rule of the jungle; with win-win cooperation as the path, we reject zero-sum games; with fairness as the foundation, we break the monopoly of hegemony; with inclusiveness in our hearts, we bid farewell to civilizational conflict.

This is Asia’s answer to the world—and also a vivid picture of a community with a shared future for mankind. From Boao, we hope that Asia and other regions of the world will move forward together to jointly build a beautiful world of lasting peace, universal security, common prosperity, openness and inclusiveness, and cleanliness and beauty—so that the stars of human civilization will shine brilliantly forever.

(The author is an international affairs observer.)