BEIJING - President Xi Jinping said on Thursday that the country has proactively shouldered its responsibilities and brought benefits to the world since it joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) 20 years ago.

Xi made the remarks when addressing the opening ceremony of the fourth China International Import Expo via video.

Since it entered the WTO, China's continuous efforts in widening opening-up have injected new vitality into the country's development and world economy, Xi said.

Over the past two decades, the global ranking of China's economic aggregate has risen to the second from the sixth place. Its ranking of trade in goods has risen from the sixth to the first, while that of its trade in services has jumped from the 11th to the second.

China leads developing countries in terms of the actual use of foreign investment while its ranking of direct outbound investment has jumped to the top of the world list from the 26th place, he said.