Asia’s Common Forum
HIS MAJESTY King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev,
while addressing the inaugural ceremony of the Forum for Asia at Boao, Hainan Province of
the Peoples’ Republic of China the other day, observed that it has now become
incumbent on Asia to chart a definite course to reduce the disparity in the level and pace
of development and achieve equitable and sustainable development so that our future
generations can live with honour and dignity. His Majesty was the Guest of Honour at the
inaugural function of the Boao Forum for Asia. Of late, the world’s economic scenario
has been witnessing far-reaching progress in almost all spheres. So much so that within
the last decade and a half, economic models, not to speak of barriers, have been made
obsolete and redundant. For this, the world may have to give due credit to the waves of
economic globalisation which, in turn, can be said to have been unleashed by the strong
forces of economic liberalisation. Asia, the home to more than half the world’s
population, too is now undergoing drastic chances in its overall economic sphere. Or,
better still, in its economic models since some Asian nations have started off their
economic developments with varied models. However, the inherent resilience that Asia in
general and the Asian nations in particular is well noted for, has once again come to the
rescue. Now, regardless of their former economic models, some Asian nations are not only
reaping the fruits of economic globalisation but relentlessly forging ahead in their
respective economic developments. But needless to point out, some Asian nations are still
struggling hard to mesh their economies with this recent global phenomenon. Especially by
those nations which are cash-strapped, resource-crunched and geographically land or sea
locked. Further compounding their current woes is the unpalatable fact—that these
nations are still being overlooked by foreign investors. That too, despite coming up with
foreign capital and investment-friendly economic policies. As such, the present economic
scenario in Asia, a continent having vast human and natural resources, is also marked by
pockets of poverty, economic stagnation and inequality in an ocean of economic prosperity.
In such an economic development situation, the formation of the Boao Forum for Asia has
obviously come at a most opportune time. Particularly for least developed nations like
Nepal in that it is, as His Majesty succinctly noted during his inaugural address, a
common forum founded for and by the peoples of Asia. In keeping with this laudable
Asian-specific initiative, Nepal, as an Asian nation, should not hesitate to fully explore
this ready option to expedite her economic development endeavours.
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