Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping (2nd R) attends the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2010 Saturday morning in Boao, south China's Hainan Province. [Xinhua]

The Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2010 officially opened Saturday morning in Boao in south China's Hainan Province, with a focus on Asia's sustainable recovery from the economic downturn.

Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping attends the opening ceremony and will soon deliver a keynote speech.

Long Yongtu, BFA's secretary-general, said the world economy still faces huge challenges despite strong signs of recovery.

The biggest challenge is to ensure quality, efficient and green growth rather than to have only strong economic data, Long said at the opening ceremony.

Fidel Ramos, former Filipino president and chairman of BFA's board of directors, said all Asian nations should explore different ways on the way to recovery to ensure sustainable growth.

The nations should strive to achieve green recovery no matter how painful the economic transformation is, Ramos said.

Some 2,000 political and business heavyweights and experts from Asia and around the world gathered in the island resort for the conference, which will conclude on Sunday.

The BFA, established in 2001, is a pan-Asian platform of dialogue for key issues affecting Asia and the world. The theme of this year's meeting is "Green Recovery: Asia's Realistic Choice for Sustainable Growth."

(Xinhua News Agency April 10, 2010)