The first Expo Development International Forum was held in Shanghai on December 13-14, organized by International Exhibitions Bureau (IEB), the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), and Shanghai municipal government. Officers from Astana Expo 2017, Dubai Expo 2020 and Osaka Expo 2025 were invited to participate the forum for promotion and experience sharing.

Dubai Expo 2020 will be the first global Expo hosted by an Arab country. Najeeb Mohammed Al Ali, executive director of the Dubai Expo 2020 Bureau, said that over 190 countries have signed to participate in the Expo and China's pavilion will be one of the largest. Also, for the first time since 1851, the six-month 2020 Expo event will take place in the winter due to weather concerns. This change makes the Dubai Expo the first to cover the Chinese New Year holiday, which may lead to more visitors from China.

The emirate of Dubai expects up to 25 million visitors in 2020, which is double the number who visited the Gulf city in 2015. The Expo venue sits beside Dubai's new Al Maktoum International Airport in the southwest of the emirate.

Gao Yan, the chairwoman of CCPIT, said in her opening speech that China has long been a strong and steady supporter of the World Expo by actively participating the Expo in various fields and sectors. China will build a 4,636 square-meter pavilion in the "Opportunity Pavilion" at Dubai Expo.