In May 2017, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced at the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation that China will hold China International Import Expo (CIIE) starting from 2018.

It is a significant move for the Chinese government to hold CIIE to give firm support to trade liberalization and economic globalization and actively open the Chinese market to the world. It facilitates countries and regions all over the world to strengthen economic cooperation and trade, and to promote global trade and world economic growth in order to make the world economy more open.