ASTANA, May 21 (People's Daily Online) -- The VII Astana Economic Forum kicks off this morning in Astana, capital of Kazakhstan under the theme of "Risk management in the era of challenges in the format of G-Global". The II World Anti-crisis Conference is also held on the same day as an important part of this Forum.

Astana Economic Forum is one of the top economic gatherings in the world. Over 250 high rank speakers have confirmed their attendance to this year's forum, including six deputy prime ministers, 40 ministers and governors of central banks, as well as 14 Nobel Prize laureates, 40 leaders of international organizations and more than 50 heads of research organizations.

Besides risk management, other hot topics are also high on the agenda, such as energy resources, green economy, investment in Kazakhstan and the Silk Road Economic Belt.

As a high-end international economic summit, Astana Forum attracts more than 7,000 participants from 150 countries every year since its inception in 2008.