On September 15, 2026, the Boao Forum for Asia hosted a roundtable on regional cooperation in the Asia-Pacific titled «Toward an Asia-Pacific Community: Vision and Action».
The
event brought together representatives of government agencies,
internationa.organizations, think tanks, academia, and the business
community.
Participants
discussed deeper economic integration, strengthening the region’s
resilience to external risks, enhancing regional connectivity and
supply chains, energy and economic security, as well as cooperation
in the digital economy and artificial intelligence. Particular
attention was paid to trade openness, infrastructure connectivity,
and the green transition.
Birzhan
Batkeyev, Chairman
of the Management Board of the Economic Research Institute JSC, took
part in the roundtable and spoke at the session «Strengthening
Regional Connectivity and Supply Chain Resilience for Energy and
Economic Security».
The session also brought together representatives from China,
Bangladesh, Thailand, Vietnam, and other countries.
In
his remarks, Birzhan Batkeyev noted that energy shocks affect not
only the energy sector but also transport, food systems, industry,
and the financial sector. Strengthening resilience requires managing
the risks arising from interdependence through route diversification,
alternative supply channels, and stronger critical infrastructure.
He
also highlighted the growing role of Central
Asia in shaping a
more diversified energy architecture across Asia. The region has
significant mineral resources and considerable renewable energy
potential, creating opportunities to expand its role in regional
supply chains and transit, as well as to develop processing
industries, cross-border energy infrastructure, digital systems, and
green technologies.
Participants
emphasized the importance of strengthening regional connectivity,
coordinating energy policies, and enhancing supply chain resilience.
The Institute expressed its readiness to continue cooperation with
the Boao Forum for Asia and think tanks on regional risk assessment,
scenario analysis, energy security, and the development of practical
mechanisms for economic cooperation in the Asia-Pacific.
