Girls stand ouside the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) International Conference Center greeting guests attending the BFA Annual Conference 2009 in Boao, south China's Hainan Province, on April 17, 2009. More than 1,600 officials, business leaders, intellectuals and journalists from around the globe gathered here for the three-day conference which kicked off here on Friday. [Xinhua]

Staff members prepare garlands for greeting VIP guests upon their arrival at the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) International Conference Center in Boao, south China's Hainan Province, on April 17, 2009. [Xinhua]