Boao summit discusses smart city and Asia development

The 2017 Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Development Summit (Macau) was held yesterday with the theme “Smart city construction and the development of Asian region.”

Secretary-General of BFA, Zhou Wenzhong, said at the opening ceremony that the MSAR is one of the most open trade and investment economies, and also that it is an important platform for communication and cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries.

The Secretary for Economy and Finance, Lionel Leong, said in his opening speech that all countries and regions have to choose to open up to realize sustainable development. The rapid development of Asian countries and regions has shown that the economic globalization and regional integration are the engine for economic and social advancement. The local government will speed up the smart city construction to assist the development of Macau, he added.

The one-day summit set up three sessions: “Smart City and the Development of Asia”, “Young Talent and the Future of Asia” and “The Belt and Road Initiative and the Specialized Financial Services”.

The summit attracted over 1,600 heads of government bodies, industry representatives, experts and scholars from Macau, the Chinese mainland, Britain, Australia and the United States. This was the second development summit held by BFA in Macau. The first version was held in 2015.

MDT/Xinhua