The Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2026 opened this week, with experts stressing its importance amid rising geopolitical tensions and expressing hopes for greater global cooperation.

Boao, a coastal town in the province, is hosting the conference from Tuesday to Friday. The event, themed "Shaping a Shared Future: New Dynamics, New Opportunities, New Cooperation," features four core topics and more than 50 sub-forums, roundtables and dialogue sessions.

The year's BFA carries added significance as 2026 marks the first year of China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030), which sets the country's development agenda for the next five years.

Analysts say the timing gives the forum extra weight, aligning with the launch of the new plan and offering a platform for dialogue on global development and stability.

"It's very important because its inside the framework of the first year of the 15th Five-Year Plan. This forum is very important to exchange opinions on economic development. This is a continuation of the Global Governance Initiative. China at the moment acts as a stabilizing force, collecting different geopolitical parties and working for global development, global peace. And in this matter, China acts like a global stabilizer and that is good in a time in which we have a conflicts not only military conflicts but as well economic conflicts," said Neven Cveticanin, principal research fellow at the Institute of Social Sciences in Belgrade.

"This Boao Forum meeting is also important in the context of the recently declared and accepted 15th Five-Year Plan of China. The 15th Five-Year Plan will also be helpful on the global level, for other countries in Asia and also the other countries of the Belt and Road Initiative. This Five-Year Plan and also this forum's mandate and also agenda, I hope will make sure that we will have a kind of detailed discussion so that we can bring back peace and stability," said Tawfique M. Haque, director of the South Asian Institute of Policy and Governance at the North South University in Bangladesh.

Amid rising geopolitical tensions and ongoing conflicts, experts expect the Boao Forum to foster consensus and promote improvements in the global landscape.

"This year's meeting holds significant meaning as we are currently going through a very turbulent time, marked by several ongoing armed conflicts. It's expected that the participating countries and individuals from all walks of life will reach positive agreements and jointly promote the improvement of the current international environment," said Manuel Fernandez, a Spanish international relations expert.

Pakistani scholar Hassan Daud Butt praised the forum as a vital platform for cooperation, one whose influence now extends far beyond Asia.

"Boao speaks about development, cooperation, shared prosperity in Asia. But this time I think this year's forum will provide a larger canvas for talking about not just Asia, but the whole world, and I think many positive outcomes will come," said Hassan Daud Butt.

Founded in 2001, the BFA has grown into a key platform for addressing Asian issues and strengthening cooperation both within the region and globally.