BOAO, Hainan, (Xinhua News) — Digital transformation is becoming a major driver of sustainable development across Asia, according to a report released by the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA).
The report highlights Asia’s proactive efforts to adopt forward-looking development models using digital technologies, aiming to convert its diverse economic systems into stronger overall competitiveness and regional resilience. Titled “Sustainable Development: Asia and the World Annual Report 2026 — Sustainable Development in Asia amid Global Transformation,” it outlines key trends shaping the region’s future.
According to the report, the digital economy has become a central force behind Asia’s economic expansion. By 2025, it had grown to an estimated 27 trillion U.S. dollars, representing 46 percent of the region’s GDP.
Artificial intelligence is identified as a crucial contributor to both social and economic progress. Its widespread adoption across industries in the Asia-Pacific region is transforming productivity structures, enhancing the performance of small and medium-sized enterprises, generating employment opportunities, and strengthening resilience in public services.
The report also points to digital resilience as a key factor in advancing sustainable development. Green digital technologies are playing a leading role in supporting low-carbon transitions, with digitalized manufacturing and smart factories driving industrial upgrades, improving energy efficiency, and promoting sustainable growth throughout the region.
Established in 2001, the Boao Forum for Asia is a non-governmental, non-profit organization dedicated to fostering regional economic integration and supporting Asia’s development goals.
Under the theme “Shaping a Shared Future: New Dynamics, New Opportunities, New Cooperation,” the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2026 is being held from March 24 to 27 in Boao, a coastal town in China’s southern island province of Hainan.
