The Bo'ao Forum for Asia (BFA) annual conference will be postponed in view of uncertainty of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), sources with the BFA said Monday.

The BFA board of directors, in the interest of ensuring the health and safety of all participants, has made the decision to postpone the meeting, which will be re-scheduled after further consultations with the relevant parties.

The BFA's second annual conference was originally scheduled for May 18-19 in Bo'ao, a resort town in south China's Hainan island province.

The conference had been well-prepared with the support of the host government and special efforts made on the part of numerous towns in the province. But the BFA would like to extend its gratitude to the governments of Asian countries for their attention, all-out support and preparations for the conference. The BFA also hopes the relevant parties will continue to support the forum and that they will join hands to promote unity and cooperation among Asian countries.

According to the organizers, the BFA will hold a series of other events before the re-scheduled conference.

The BFA, a non-government, non-profit international organization focusing on major economic issues, is the first international conference organization to be based in China. More than 1,000 delegates, including former Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji, attended the BFA's first annual conference in Bo'ao in April 2002.

(Xinhua News Agency April 29, 2003)