（November 4, 2019）

Xi Jinping, President of the People's Republic of China

Your Excellencies Heads of State and Government,

Your Excellencies Heads of International Organizations,

Your Excellencies Heads of Delegations,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Friends,

Good evening! It gives me great pleasure to meet all of you by the Huangpu River on this beautiful autumn evening before the opening of the Second China International Import Expo （CIIE） tomorrow. On behalf of the Chinese government and people, on behalf of my wife and in my own name, I wish to extend a warm welcome to all the distinguished guests.

Shanghai, a bustling hub in southeast China at the meeting place of the Yangtze River and the sea, has been a major coastal city in China since the modern times. It has been at the forefront of China's opening-up and, in the last few decades, emerged as an international metropolis. We welcome all our friends to Shanghai and experience first-hand the special charm of the city. We welcome all our friends to visit the nearby Yangtze River Delta region and enjoy the poetic scenery unique to the south of the Yangtze River. We also welcome all our friends to visit the rest of China and see up-close the diverse cultures and customs the various provinces have to offer.

Over the past 70 years since the founding of the People's Republic of China, especially since the start of reform and opening-up a little over 40 years ago, we have made phenomenal progress and seen sweeping changes across the country. This journey has taught us that China will prosper only when the world prospers, and the world will be better off when China does well.

In May 2017, I announced at the First Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation that the China International Import Expo will be held starting from 2018. In a few years' time, the CIIE has started from scratch and seen the extensive participation of countries and businesses from around the world. It is indeed a major innovation in the history of global trade and yet another model of international cooperation in the new era.

The CIIE is an important platform for China and other countries to expand their complementarity through consultation and cooperation for shared benefits. China has taken the initiative to increase imports through the CIIE. It is a proactive step to launch a new round of high-standard opening-up, deepen Belt and Road cooperation at the international level, and build an open world economy. The CIIE enables not just trade in goods and services, but also exchanges between cultures and ideas. With our arms wide open for guests from across the world, we hope the CIIE will advance the global good and meet nations' aspirations for a better life.

Around 1,300 years ago, Chinese poet Wang Wan of the Tang Dynasty wrote a poem in Zhenjiang, a town not far from Shanghai, anticipating the early arrival of spring south of the Yangtze River. The poem reads:

From shore to shore, the river's wide at high tide.

Before fair wind, a single sail is lifting.

Toward the close of night, fair looms the sun,

The passing year urged on by riverside spring.

Together, let us set sail and ride the tide in this era of cooperation, and pilot the ship of the world economy toward a spring of hope and prosperity.

Now please join me in a toast:

To the success of the Second China International Import Expo;

To the prosperity of our countries and happiness of our people; and

To the health of all the heads of state and government, all the guests and your families.

Cheers!