The World Economic Forum is an international non-governmental organization founded by Professor Klaus Schwab of Switzerland in 1971 with its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. It is regarded as the "non-official international economic summit ". Its purpose is to study and discuss problems in the world economy and promote international economic exchanges and cooperation. It holds its Annual Meeting in the mountainous city of Davos, Switzerland.

China maintains close relations with the Forum. Since 1979, the Chinese delegation has attended every Annual Meeting. On 20 January 1992, Premier Li Peng was invited to make the keynote speech at the Annual Meeting entitled "China's Economy in the 1990s". He is the highest-ranking Chinese leader to attend the Annual Meeting. On 28 January 1995, Vice Premier Zhu Rongji was invited to the Annual Meeting and made the keynote speech entitled "Reform and Development in China". From 29 January to 3 February 1998, Vice Premier Li Lanqing was invited to the Annual Meeting, at which he made a speech entitled "China' s Economy in Steady Progress". He also took part in the symposium on China's economy. Mr. Wang Daohan, Chairman of the Association for the Relations Across the Taiwan Straits, and a delegation of senior entrepreneurs participated in the 29th Annual Meeting from 28 January to 2 February 1999, whose subject is Responsibility Globality.

In addition, the Chinese delegation was invited to the East Asia Summits sponsored by the Forum in 1993, 1997 (Hongkong), 1994 and 1998 (Singapore).

Since 1981, the Forum held, together with the China Enterprise Management Association, 17 annual Senior Business Leaders' Symposium (now known as the China Business Summit since 1996) in China.