中国发展论坛最初由前总理朱镕基 — — 中国最有战略眼光的现代改革家之一 — — 决心举办，并很快成为中国高级决策者和国际学者、官员和商界领袖的高规格交流平台。
Originally conceived by former Premier Zhu Rongji – one of modern China’s most strategy-minded reformers – the CDF quickly became a high-level platform for engagement between senior Chinese policymakers and an international lineup of academics, foreign officials, and business leaders.