The Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) said on Thursday that its 2020 annual conference, originally scheduled for March 24-27, has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The forum's Board of Directors said on its website that it has made a difficult decision of not holding this year's conference as the raging COVID-19 pandemic across the world is threatening human health and the global economy.

However, despite the disruptive times, the forum will continue preparation for three major thematic conferences scheduled in the latter half of 2020, including the first conference of the International Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation on November 9 in Macao, the first Global Economic Development and Security Forum in September in Zhuhai, both in south China, and the second Conference of Global Health Forum in October in Qingdao, eastern Shandong Province, according to its statement.

In addition, under the COVID-19 pandemic, the forum will organize a series of online activities to discuss the impact of the pandemic and explore solutions for recovery.