Boao (Hainan), March 28 -- moon, Chairman of the Boao Forum for Asia and the eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations, on Thursday called upon leaders from Asia and around the globe to step forward, speak the truth to power and take decisive actions to shape the future through words and deeds, and to live up to the high expectation of the people.

He said this at the the formal inauguration of annual conference of the Forum for Asia held in the resort town of Boao, located in the southern Chinese province of Hainan.

This year's theme has bern set as "Asia and the World: Common Challenges, Shared Responsibilities."

Ban Ki-moon reviewed the challenges facing the world today and encouraged the participants to think about reality with...