At the recent Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2026, Robert Koopman, the former WTO chief economist and a Hurst senior professorial lecturer at the American University, told China Daily that amid global economic turbulence, Asia can play a central role in stabilizing the world economy.

He emphasized that to amplify this role, governments in Asia should enhance transparency by clearly explaining their strategic economic objectives and how these impact other economies. Koopman also noted that with Asia's increasing cooperation and integration, the region could serve as an example of this model.