Original article courtesy of The Manila Times

House Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo will spearhead the first Boao Forum for Asia on Monday and Tuesday, April 22 and 23, in Manila.

A board member of the forum, Arroyo extended the invitation to hold the conference in Manila to “foster deeper ties between the Philippines and China.”

The forum, which will have the theme “Concerted Action for Common Development in the New Era,” will be held at Bonifacio Global City in Taguig.

President Rodrigo Duterte and forum secretary general Li Badong will deliver keynote speeches at the event, which will be attended by members of the Cabinet and several Chinese officials.

The conference will bring together approximately 300 participants, including business leaders from China and the Philippines and some executives from Chinese enterprises in the Philippines.

The event aims to assist visiting Chinese entrepreneurs to better understand the business environment and related policies of the Philippines, as well as the consensus reached by leaders of the two countries.

It also aims to strengthen the alignment of Beijing’s “Belt and Road” initiative with the development strategies of the Philippines and other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Arroyo’s camp said.

The conference will be held in cooperation with the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Inc., the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. and the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines.

The Boao Forum for Asia is a nonprofit organization convening government leaders since 2002 to promote regional economic integration, and was named after the town of Boao, located in China’s Hainan province.

It is headed by former United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon.