General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that "The WCIF is an important window for China’s opening up. It has created an important platform for western China to participate in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and deepen exchange and cooperation with the rest of the world."

The WCIF adheres to the principle of “co-hosting, sharing, and mutual-benefits”. As a national-level and international comprehensive fair, it is co-hosted by National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Science and Technology, State Administration for Market Regulation, All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, the People’ s Government of Sichuan Province, supported by Boao Forum for Asia, and organized by the People’s Government of Sichuan Province. The member units of the organizing committee include the hosts and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, All-China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives, All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, the People's Government of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the People's Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Chongqing Municipal People's Government, the People's Government of Guizhou Province, the People's Government of Yunnan Province, the People's Government of Tibet Autonomous Region, the People's Government of Shaanxi Province, the People's Government of Gansu Province, the People's Government of Qinghai Province, the People's Government of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, the People's Government of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. The WCIF originated from China Western Development Program and officially commenced in May 2000, with its permanent venue located in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. The event has been successfully held for 18 sessions.

After more than 20 years of development, WCIF has become an important window and one of the best platforms for the opening-up of Western China. It serves as a crucial platform for investment promotion, trade cooperation, and diplomatic services in Western China, and as a significant carrier for Western China to realize cooperation within China’s western regions, between eastern and western regions. In 2014, WCIF was included by the Chinese government in a major institutionalized international forum and the exhibition program plan. In March 2015, WCIF was included in the White Papers of the Chinese government on the “Belt and Road” Initiative, becoming one of the ten key national exhibitions promoting the “Belt and Road” Initiative.

It actively serves investment promotion and builds a foundation for economic development. Focusing on serving Western China Development Program, WCIF highlights the characteristics, internationalization, economic and trade achievements, and investment promotion of Western China. It strives to deepen trade cooperation for mutual benefits and win-win results. According to incomplete statistics from the 1st to the 18th WCIF, there have been more than 1,000 times overseas countries (regions) participated in the exhibition, with an accumulated exhibition area of 2.26 million square meters. WCIF invited more than 60,000 exhibiting companies, with a total investment of ¥7.4 trillion yuan.

WCIF also promotes high-level diplomatic interactions and enhances international exchanges. In the previous 18 sessions, Party and State Leaders of the CPC including Wu Bangguo, Wen Jiabao, Li Keqiang, Wang Qishan, and Wang Yang, and heads of various states, government leaders, relevant dignitaries from Slovenia, Laos, Cambodia, Cote d'Ivoire, Kenya, East Timor, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Macedonia, Australia, Canada, Mongolia, France, the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, and other countries, as well as more than 600 ministerial-level officials and heads of important international organizations, attended WCIF events. Mongolia, France, Germany, Italy, and Singapore have successively served as the Guest Countries of Honor for the 14th to 18th session of WCIF. Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Yunnan Province, Shaanxi Province, Guizhou Province, Chongqing City, and Tibet Autonomous Region have successively served as the rotating presidency for the 11th to 18th WCIF.

The 19th WCIF will be held in Chengdu, Sichuan Province from June 29 to July 3, 2023, with the theme of “New Era of China, New opportunities for Western China”. It will have Thailand as the Guest Country of Honor and Gansu Province as the rotating presidency. Additionally, it will set two theme cities for the first time, namely Mianyang City and Ziyang City in Sichuan Province. The main exhibition venue for the 19th WCIF is the Western China International Expo City, with a planned exhibition area of 200,000 square meters. It will consist of four major sections: Theme Exhibition, Professional Exhibition, WCIF Stage, and WCIF Lifestyle Market. During the 19th WCIF, several key events will be held, including the Opening Ceremony of the 19th WCIF & the 11th Western China International Cooperation Forum, the 12th Western China Investment Promotion Fair & Contract Signing Ceremony of Economic Cooperation Projects, the 14th Western China International Sourcing Fair, the 17th EU-China Business & Technology Cooperation Fair, the 12th China (Sichuan) South & Southeast Asia Business Leaders' Summit, and the 2023 "Belt and Road" Overseas Chinese Business Summit, which will comprehensively showcase the new momentum of opening-up and development, and new opportunities for investment cooperation, contribute to global economic recovery, and promote the stabilization and revitalization of China’s economy.