Forum summit chairman Michael Yeoh said that Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak had been invited to deliver the keynote address at the event.

The theme of the summit is ‘China-ASEAN: realising opportunities, strengthening partnerships', said Yeoh, who added that the program would "bring together policy-makers, entrepreneurs, researchers and thought-leaders from around the globe to discuss how China, the Chinese diaspora and ASEAN can forge closer business partnerships and relationships that will be the foundation for shared prosperity and mutually beneficial economic growth".

A special session of this year's program will commemorate 25 years of dialogue partnership between China and ASEAN.

"China has had 25 years of close and harmonious relations with ASEAN as a dialogue partner. Following the China-ASEAN free trade agreement that came into force in 2002, China has become ASEAN's biggest trading partner through bilateral relationships that has further strengthened ties between China and the countries of ASEAN," Yeoh said.