"The Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) 2009 annual conference provides a golden opportunity for China and other Asian emerging economies to express themselves and to let the world hear from them under the haze of the unprecedented global financial crisis in the history," said Long Yongtu on Friday in Boao, south China's Hainan Province.

Delegates to the Boao Forum for Aisa 2009 have found a focus, which was jointly agreed upon by every party, to work on during the sessions, added Long, the Secretary-General of Boao Forum for Asia (BFA), during an interview with Xinhuanet.

Many international summit meetings or sessions have been held to deal with the crisis in the past months, including intergovernmental and non-governmental meetings. The G20 London Summit was a turning point, reversing the chaoic situation in which countries accused each other for being responsible for the cause of the current crisis into one relatively constructive to dialogues, said Long.

Boao forum with such important beginning provides an opportunity for delegates to have a constructive dialogue on many issues related to the financial crisis, said Long, adding, specifically, the difference between Boao forum and the G20 Summit is that BFA is a forum mainly held by the emerging economies.

"Apparently, the emerging economies are playing a much bigger role in the world economy," he said, but their voices have not been heard by the media and the people around the world clearly, distinctly and comprehensively. "So we hope this time we will hear more from the emerging economies."

It is indeed the time for the world to hear more from China, from Asia, and from the emerging economies as, in the past, what we have heard was mostly from the Western and the developed countries, stressed Long. "That is the reason why BFA has attracted great attention from all over the world."

Namely, the forum deals with the crisis from a new angle, from point of view of the developing countries, from perspective of China and other emerging economies, he added.

Boao Forum for Asia held its first annual conference in April 2002. This year, under the theme of "Asia: Managing Beyond Crisis," delegates will deal with issues of challenges and prospects brought to Asia by the global economic crisis from April 17 to 19.

(Xinhua News Agency April 17, 2009)