HAIKOU - The inaugural China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE) kicked off on Thursday in Haikou, capital of the southern island province of Hainan, pooling global high-end consumer brands to tap into the second-largest economy's market potential.

Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to the expo. He said the expo, serving as a global platform of displaying and trading high-end consumer products, is conducive to all countries sharing opportunities provided by the Chinese market and conducive to global economic recovery and growth.

The CICPE will also enable China to offer the world more quality consumer products, Xi said.

China is ready to give play to the advantages brought by the Hainan free trade port in comprehensively deepening reforms and putting up the highest-level opening-up policies on a trial basis, he added.

From the Canton Fair in Guangdong, the import-themed expo in Shanghai, the fair on trade in services in Beijing, to the CICPE, China has taken holding high-end international expos as one of the most effective ways to share its development opportunities with the rest of the world.

The CICPE, the first-ever expo focusing on consumer goods held by China, is expected to attract more than 200,000 visitors from home and abroad.