On April 25, the Thematic Forum on Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone was held in Beijing as a special event of the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. The Thematic Forum on Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone was hosted by Ministry of Commerce of People's Republic of China, co‑organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of People's Republic of China and the All‑China Federation of Industry and Commerce, and organized by CCCME.

With the theme of "working together to build foreign economic and trade cooperation zones to promote the Belt and Road international investment cooperation", the forum attracted more than 200 representatives from both China and foreign countries including government ministers from more than 30 countries and regions, representatives of relevant UN agencies, investment promotion agencies, well-known enterprises and embassies in China. 

 Vice Minister of Commerce Qian Keming stated in the keynote speech that as an innovative model of foreign investment cooperation, the overseas economic and trade cooperation zones have been practically committed to the Belt and Road Initiative. The 2nd stage of the thematic forum was chaired by CCCME President Zhang Yujing. The United Nations Assistant Secretary‑General and Director of Regional Bureau of Asia‑Pacific of UNDP Xu Haoliang released the "Report on Fostering Sustainable Development through Chinese Overseas Economic and Trade Cooperation Zones along the Belt and Road ". The leaders of four representative overseas economic and trade cooperation zones, including the Sihanoukville Special Economy Zone in Cambodia and China‑Egypt TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone, exchanged and shared their experiences and models on the construction, operation and development of the cooperation zones. More than 10 leaders of Chinese and foreign governments and investment promotion agencies discussed such topics as "promote high‑quality development of overseas economic and trade cooperation zones" and "jointly discuss and build economic and trade cooperation zones".