Ban replaced Japan's Yasuo Fukuda at the annual conference, known as the "Asian Davos", reports Efe news.
Former governor of the People's Bank of China Zhou Xiaochuan was appointed vice-chairman.
Both the appointments took place during the second session of the Boao Forum, which began on Sunday and will end on Wednesday, but will not officially begin until Tuesday when Chinese President Xi Jinping will deliver the keynote address.
More than 2,000 political and economic leaders, including heads of large multinational firms, attend the forum each year.
This year, the forum is also to be attended by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, International Monetary Fund's Managing Director Christine Lagarde, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte and Austrian President Alexander van der Bellen.
(This story has not been edited by Social News XYZ staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
