BOAO, Hainan, April 21 (Xinhua) -- Boao Forum for Asia (BFA)Secretary General Long Yongtu expressed here Thursday his high expectation for the success of the BFA annual conference 2005, due to open Friday in Boao, a scenic coastal town in southernmost province of Hainan.

    Briefing a news conference here Thursday night, Long said that he expected this BFA annual conference to be the most successful since the establishment of the non-governmental organization in 2001. More than 1,200 representatives would participate in the conference and most of them are VIPs in political and economic fields in the world, he said.
Besides Jia Qinglin, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, five foreign heads of state or government and three vice prime ministers will present themselves at the conference, Long said.
Long said many world-renowned entrepreneurs will also take part in the conference, including over 100 senior executives from Asian headquarters of multinational companies and many heads of prestigious firms in China.

    The economic integration and political unification in Asia had been discussed at each of the annual conferences, said BFA Board Chairman Fidel Ramos, adding the discussions would be conducted from the new perspective of harmonious development of society and culture in Asia.

    The forum will release the first-ever report on Asian integration since the BFA establishment. "The report is expected
to give analysis on the integration process and solution to some obstacles," said Long.

    "The report has become the most important intellectual contribution to the forum," said Long, stressing that the regional
integration relies more on the fast-growing Asian market than governmental free trade.

    The secretary-general said all the Asian leaders hold identical ideas on integration, but reserving differences on ways, procedure and speed of the process. Ramos attributed the slash Asian integration process to economic and cultural diversity, hoping Asia could turn into a harmonious family with its role increasing. Enditem