Business China will hold the 17th FutureChina Global Forum in Singapore on September 24 and 25, with this year’s program adding a dedicated artificial intelligence track alongside discussions on economic resilience, regional cooperation and China’s next phase of development.
The bilingual forum will take place at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre under the theme “Strengthening Resilience, Rebuilding Trust.” Organizers said the agenda will bring together government officials, business leaders, investors, academics and technology executives from Singapore, China and the wider region.
Forum puts resilience and regional cooperation on the agenda
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry (Trade) Gan Kim Yong is scheduled to be the guest of honour for the main forum on September 25. Coordinating Minister for Public Services and Minister for Defence Chan Chun Sing will participate in a fireside chat the same day, while Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information and Health Tan Kiat How is scheduled to be the guest of honour for the September 24 program.
Other Singapore government participants named by the organizer include Second Minister for Foreign Affairs and Home Affairs Sim Ann, Senior Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Desmond Tan and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and National Development Alvin Tan. The three are scheduled to lead invitation-only segments.
Business China said the forum will examine how countries and companies are adjusting to geopolitical and economic uncertainty, rapid technological change and diverging approaches to growth and governance. It will also discuss China’s 15th Five-Year Plan period, including priorities around innovation, industrial upgrading and domestic demand, and how those shifts may affect China, ASEAN and the wider region.
The regional cooperation discussion comes as ASEAN also moves from negotiation toward implementation of the Digital Economy Framework Agreement. TNGlobal recently reported that businesses continue to see DEFA as important to the region’s digital economy, while also calling for more structured private-sector engagement during implementation.
Dedicated AI track focuses on adoption at scale
For the first time, FutureChina Global Forum will include a dedicated AI Track. According to Business China, the program will focus on the transition from rapid AI development toward adoption that organizations can scale while maintaining trust and resilience.
The AI sessions are expected to draw on perspectives from China, Singapore and the broader region. Rather than focusing only on model development, the agenda is framed around how AI can be deployed in ways that support innovation and business growth while addressing the institutional and governance questions that emerge as adoption spreads.
Technology speakers named for the broader forum include representatives from Amazon Web Services, Tencent, the NVIDIA AI Technology Center, the Infocomm Media Development Authority of Singapore, Partex AI, Black Lake Technologies, Lark, Patsnap, Temus, UISEE Technology and UniX AI.
The program also includes investors, academics and business leaders such as Granite Asia managing partner Foo Jixun, Banyan Group founder Ho Kwon Ping, Trip.com Group chief executive Jane Sun, Peking University professor Jia Qingguo, National University of Singapore professor Wang Gungwu and former Indonesian foreign minister Marty Natalegawa.
China’s transition remains a central theme
The forum was launched in 2010 as Business China’s flagship platform for dialogue on China’s development and its engagement with the region and the world. The 2026 edition keeps that focus while placing more emphasis on how economic and technology transitions intersect with business strategy and regional policy.
“The global economy is no longer operating from a single playbook. For Singapore, China and the region, resilience will depend not only on adapting to different systems and models, but also on building trust and finding practical ways to work together,” Business China chairman Lee Yi Shyan said in the announcement.
He said the forum is intended to bring different perspectives together and identify practical areas for cooperation as governments and businesses adjust to uncertainty.
Event runs September 24 and 25
The AI Track is scheduled to run from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on September 24. The main FutureChina Global Forum program will run from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on September 25.
Business China said the detailed program remains subject to change. Registration and updated agenda information are available through the FutureChina Global Forum website.
Automation review notes
Source: https://fcgf.businesschina.org.sg/
Prepared from Business China’s Sept. 14, 2026 press release supplied by AlphaStory. No approved directly downloadable featured image was supplied, so the draft needs a featured image before publication.