Western China International Fair was originated from the development of Western China in May 2000 with Chengdu as the permanent host city. Upholding the principle of co-hosting, sharing, and mutual benefits, WCIF is a national and international comprehensive fair hosted and supported by 15 ministries and commissions including the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Commerce, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 12 western provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, together with the Boao Forum for Asia, and organized by the People’s Government of Sichuan Province. So far, WCIF has been successfully held for 16 years, and has become an important window and the best platform for western China’s opening up to the outside world, and an important platform for investment promotion, trade cooperation and diplomatic service for Western China, and an important carrier for Western China to realize western cooperation, east-west cooperation, and Sino-foreign cooperation. In 2014, WCIF was included by the Chinese government as a national large-scale institutional foreign-related forum and exhibition project. In March 2015, WCIF was included in the Belt and Road Initiative Government White Paper, and became one of the top 10 major exhibitions in China to promote the Belt and Road initiative.

 

WCIF actively promotes investment and economic development, focuses on serving the development of Western China, and insists on highlighting characteristics of Western China, internationalization, economic and trade achievements, and investment promotion. In the previous 16 WCIFs, more than 11,000 investment cooperation agreements were signed with a total investment amount exceeding 6.01 trillion yuan. 

 

WCIF focuses on deepening trade cooperation and achieving mutual benefit. In the previous 16 WCIFs, there were a total of 1,005 overseas participating countries (regions), exhibition areas of 1.804 million square meters, 55,800 exhibiting companies, more than 404,000 guests (including 115,000 overseas guests), and trade transaction of 1.31 trillion yuan.

 

WCIF promotes high-level diplomatic interaction and enhances international exchanges. Li Keqiang, Wang Qishan, Wang Yang, Wu Bangguo, Wen Jiabao, Ma Kai and other Party and state leaders, 54 foreign dignitaries (former dignitaries) and more than 500 ministerial officials and heads of important international organizations have attended the previous 16 WCIFs.

 

The 17th WCIF will be held in Chengdu, Sichuan from September 20 to 24 this year, with Italy as the guest country of honor, Chongqing as the rotating presidency, and Meishan City as the themed city. This year’s WCIF will have two exhibition venues, which will be located in the International Exhibition Center of Western China International Expo City and Chengdu Century City New International Convention and Exhibition Center with a total exhibition area of about 260,000 square meters. During this year’s WCIF, major events including the 9th Western China International Cooperation Forum, the 10th Western China Investment Promotion Fair & Contract Signing Ceremony of Economic Cooperation Projects, the 11th Western China International Sourcing Fair, the 13th EU-China Business & Technology Cooperation Fair, the 6th Sichuan Agricultural Cooperation Conference and “the Belt and Road” Series Events will be held.