"To break through the mist and embrace a bright future, the biggest strength comes from cooperation, and the most effective way is through solidarity," said Chinese President Xi Jinping during the opening ceremony of the annual conference of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) on Thursday.

Noting that humanity is a community with a shared future where all people rise and fall together, Xi, who delivered his speech via video, called on all countries to follow the trend of the times and focus on peace, development and win-win cooperation.

"Move in the direction of building a community with a shared future for mankind, and rise to challenges and build a bright future through cooperation," he said.

"Countries around the world are like passengers aboard the same ship who share the same destiny," Xi said. "For the ship to navigate the storm and sail toward a bright future, all passengers must pull together."

"It is unacceptable to try to throw anyone into the sea," Xi said. 

The 2022 BFA annual conference is held from April 20 to 22 in Boao, Hainan Province, under the theme  of "The World in COVID-19 & Beyond: Working Together for Global Development and Shared Future."

(With input from Xinhua)