On December 11, 2018, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended and addressed the opening ceremony of the Symposium on International Developments and China's Diplomacy in 2018.

Wang Yi said that expanding opening up is the constant theme of China's diplomacy in 2018. This year marks the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening up. Further expanding opening up is a banner held high by China on the basis of deepening reform. Facing the rise of protectionism and the backset of unilateral bullying, China supports the process of globalization, maintains the free trade system and upholds the rules of multilateralism. Throughout the year, from home-field diplomatic events to international conferences, from policy announcements to practical measures, China keeps sending a clear signal of opening wider to the outside world and firmly stands on the right side of historical progress.

At the beginning of this year, the Boao Forum for Asia sounded the horn of China's new round of opening up to the outside world. President Xi Jinping delivered an important speech at the forum, solemnly announcing that China's door of opening up will not be closed and will only open even wider. He also announced a series of major measures to expand opening-up, including significantly broadening market access, creating a more attractive investment environment, strengthening protection of intellectual property rights and taking the initiative to expand imports. President Xi Jinping's speech was consistent with the speeches he made in Davos and Geneva in 2017, demonstrating China's firm determination to continue to deepen reform and expand opening up to the outside world in the new era.

In November, China successfully held the first China International Import Expo. It is the world's first national-level exposition taking import as the theme and is a major innovation in the history of international trade. The splendor of the import expo is unprecedented. 172 countries, regions and international organizations participated in the expo, with more than 3,600 overseas enterprises present, and more than 400,000 purchasers enjoying the event. Within just a few days, the volume of transaction reached nearly 60 billion US dollars. At the Expo, President Xi Jinping announced personally five major measures to expand opening up. China once again demonstrated through actions its firm support for building an open world economy, showcasing its sincere willingness to open its market to the world and let all parties share development opportunities.