有那么多经济论坛，究竟是干什么用的？

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4月8日至11日，一年一度的博鳌亚洲论坛将在海南省博鳌拉开帷幕。届时，来自亚洲及世界各国的权威经济专家、政界领袖、商界精英将齐聚中国南方海滨小城，共同就亚洲及世界经济、政治、科技发展热点进行剖析，展望未来发展趋势。

对于政商界的大咖们来说，经济论坛可谓是高手交锋、华山论剑的平台。然而，无论是博鳌亚洲论坛，亦或是达沃斯世界经济论坛，都似乎只是专业人士间的思想盛宴，与我们普罗大众似乎并没有什么关系。

说到底，经济论坛的价值和意义是什么？当各界意见领袖们齐聚一堂、各抒己见时，他们在说什么，而我们又在听什么？

Economic forums today may not be like The School of Athens, where ancient philosophers gathered 500 years ago to exchange ideas that revolutionized human history, but participants still share common concerns, shape mindsets and push for collective action. 

对于政商界领袖来讲，经济论坛是他们推动政策实施、把脉社情民意的好地方。当重大举措或创新意见初具雏形时，他们背后的策划者、推动人会选择在经济论坛上“抛出绣球”，试探是否有同道中人愿与其共同领导变革。

Business leaders and politicians show up with a dash of celebrity and different agendas to advance. But more often than not, they are there for the same reasons — they want to seek out public support and interest for their decisions. They drop hints and explore ideas, to test reactions or lay the groundwork for the future. 

2008年全球金融危机爆发，美国、日本、欧盟等发达国家经济增速放缓，消费者信心暴跌。在这一背景下，亚洲及世界各国政商领袖反观包括中国在内的新兴和发展中经济体，于2010年博鳌论坛首度提出“新兴经济体11国”这一影响深远的概念。

Take the Boao Forum for Asia as an example. After the 2008 financial crisis shook up the world with chaos and uncertainty, global influencers gathered in Boao to discuss the Asian response, and in 2010 the concept of the E11 was introduced - tracking the progress of the world’s 11 major emerging economies.

阿里巴巴创始人马云也是博鳌论坛的参与者之一。2016年博鳌论坛上，他首次提出建立世界电子贸易平台，帮助中小企业、妇女和年轻创业者更方便进入全球市场。马云的这一理念在当时获得博鳌论坛嘉宾们的一致点赞，并于去年成功落地，首个“试验区”在马来西亚正式启动。

At the 2016 Boao forum, Chinese e-commerce tycoon Jack Ma first advocated his idea of establishing a cross-border trade platform. The proposal of the Electronic World Trade Platform, or eWTP, has drawn global attention. In 2017, the first e-hub was established in Malaysia.

经济学家通常在论坛中扮演了中间人的角色。他们为当政的决策人献策，同时帮助受政策影响的民众、企业家们理解政策实施背后的缘由。

Economists, on the other hand, fill gaps between decision-makers and the public, between officials and entrepreneurs. By introducing fresh perspectives, scholars can broaden horizons for policymakers.

经济论坛上，经济发展趋势和问题自然是讨论的焦点，但各界领袖们也会借此机会探讨其它全球性热点话题。第四次工业革命、区域安全、卫生资源、教育、性别平等等问题均在经济论坛讨论范围之内。

What’s more, the discussions often expand beyond economic affairs. Topics at Davos and the upcoming Boao forum range from the fourth industrial revolution to regional security, from healthcare resources to education and gender equality. All are issues that directly affect the general public.

当然，仅仅几天的论坛无法立竿见影地改变你我的生活，专家领袖们的观点、建议亦不会立刻令世界经济发展产生翻天覆地的变化。但可以确定的是，世界风云变幻，我们需要运筹帷幄。一场成功的经济论坛可以促进各界交流、分享发展经验、提高决策水平，从而最终促进区域间和平合作，促进全世界人民共同繁荣。

Of course, a single forum can’t solve increasingly complex global economic challenges – or flick a switch to make things a little better for us. 

But by bringing influencers from different groups together to talk face-to-face, successful forums encourage communication and improved decision-making. And in the long-run, that can help make things better for everyone.

From April 8 to 11, global powerbrokers will arrive in Hainan for this year’s Boao Forum for Asia to talk about healthcare, education and how technology will revolutionize human living. Stay tuned to CGTN to learn more about the annual conference.

Planning and anchoring: Li Jingjing

Writing and editing: Wang Quan, John Goodrich

Video editing: Zhang Wanbao, Zhao Yuxiang

Filming: Qi Jianqiang, Huang Yichang

Visual effects: Ran Boqiang, Gao Hongmei

Boao 2018

近期，CGTN陆续推出【南中国故事】等一系列博鳌亚洲论坛的报道。我们将带您探寻改革开放40年海南的发展变化，展示海南建省30年来的重要历史变迁； 我们将立足亚洲，放眼世界，发现中国和其他亚洲国家在全球发展中所起到的关键作用。                 

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