BEIJING, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping will deliver a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the 2018 Boao Forum for Asia (BFA), State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday.

The forum, scheduled for April 8 to 11 in Boao, a coastal town in the southern island province of Hainan, will be themed "An Open and Innovative Asia for a World of Greater Prosperity."

Xi will meet with foreign heads of state and government, and officials from international organizations, collectively meet with BFA directors, and hold discussions with entrepreneurs, Wang said.

It will be the third time for Xi to attend the BFA annual conference as Chinese president, indicative of the importance attached and the support given to the forum by the president and the Chinese government, Wang said.

Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, Mongolian Prime Minister Ukhnaa Khurelsukh, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Christine Lagarde are expected to attend the forum.

In addition to attending the forum, the Austrian president, Dutch prime minister, Mongolian prime minister, Singaporean prime minister and UN secretary-general will also pay a visit to China.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of reform and opening-up in China, and the beginning of the implementation of the decisions taken at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

Wang said Xi's attendance at the BFA annual conference at this historic moment is of great significance in further promoting major country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics in the new era, building a community with a shared future for Asia and humanity, and advancing the cause of peace and development of human beings.

The BFA annual conference is the first major diplomatic event to be hosted by China this year, Wang said, adding its highlights will include revealing new prospects for reform and opening-up, interpreting the new era of China's development, making new proposals for the future, promoting new progress of partnership, and injecting new impetus for BFA development.

Xi will expound on China's achievements and experience in reform and opening-up, and the significance to and influence on the world. Xi will also announce new measures to expand reform and opening-up, Wang said.

President Xi will also explain China's stance on further promoting building a community of a shared future for Asia and humanity, and jointly creating a better future for Asia and the world.

According to Wang, more than 2,000 participants from around the world are expected to gather and offer advice on cooperation, development, and prosperity.

The BFA has been expanding both in scale and influence since its establishment 17 years ago, and has played a unique role in building consensus, deepening regional cooperation, boosting common development, and resolving Asian and global problems, Wang said.

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BEIJING, April 3 (Xinhua) -- This year will be a big one for China's home-court diplomacy, with the upcoming Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) the first major diplomatic event the country will host in 2018.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will deliver a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the forum's annual conference, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Tuesday.Full Story