China International Import Expo (CIIE), which kicked off on November 5 in Shanghai with the theme of "New Era, Shared Future," wrapped up on Friday with great success. It was the first-ever national trade fair focused on imports.

During an exclusive interview with CGTN's Liu Xin, Arancha Gonzalez, executive director of the International Trade Center, used three "S"s to describe the messages China sent by holding the CIIE.

"Share" is the first "s", Gonzalez indicates, because according to her, the CIIE is about creating a shared future. "We know about exports. Countries export what they know how to do best, but they also have to import, and importing is what the world knows how to do best. At the end of the day, sharing means that trade is a win-win game. It's not one where some lose but some win, but where everybody can win if we do it the right way,” said Gonzalez.

The second "s" is "Sustainability". Gonzalez stated that trade needs to be beneficial to all parties involved. "That has a lot to do with the small and medium-sized enterprises, which are a big focus for the trade center,” she added.

Gonzalez summed up her three "S"s with "Signal". According to her, through the CIIE, China is sending out the signal of furthering opening-up. "It (China) wants to make sure that it continues not only to be the factory of the world but becomes the market of the world. Again, this is a nice bridge between imports and the Belt and Road Initiative. Hence these three S's apply very well to both of them,” she concluded.

Gonzalez believes the CIIE is also sending a very clear signal to other countries about the importance of trade. According to her, the CIIE contributes to creating opportunities and allowing other countries to enter the Chinese market.

She also pointed out that if trade in some countries is not doing well, it's because their domestic policies are not conducive for trade, but that international trade, at the end of the day, is good for all countries in this global market.