"President Xi is giving a new direction in terms of taking China to next level," said Ahsan Iqbal, Pakistani Minister of Planning National Reforms and Development, during an exclusive interview with People's Daily on the sideline of the ongoing Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2018 in South China's Hainan Province.

The four-day conference, running from April 8 to 11，is themed as "An open and Innovative Asia for a World of Great Prosperity."