In 1990, the specialized exposition Osaka World Gardening Expo, the first large-scale international gardening exposition in Asia, was held in Japan from April 1 to September 30.

China was among the 82 countries and 55 international organizations that participated.

In 1992, the universal exposition took place from April 20 to October 12 in Seville, Spain.

As a nation with a long history of inventions, China displayed its ancient and modern innovations, including the four great inventions of ancient China—the compass, gunpowder, paper, and printing—the Terracotta Warriors, the rocket launch tower model, and strap-on rocket models, to demonstrate "The Age of Discovery," the theme of the Seville Expo.

In the same year, the Ship and Ocean World Expo was held from May 15 to August 15 in Genoa, Italy, with the purpose of celebrating Christopher Columbus's discovery of the New World. During the Expo, the China Pavilion received more than 1.5 million visitors.

In 1993, Taejon City in the Republic of Korea held the specialized exposition from August 7 to November 7, with "The Challenge of a New Road to Development" as its theme.

More than 3.5 million people visited the China Pavilion to learn about Chinese aerospace technology, the Three Gorges water conservancy project, traditional Chinese culture, and handicrafts.The China Pavilion was rated as one of the five best pavilions.

In 1998, a specialized exposition with the theme of "The Oceans—A Heritage for the Future" was held in Lisbon, Portugal.

To give a panoramic view of the immense Chinese culture, the China Pavilion was divided into four exhibition areas. In the context of the maritime Silk Road, the China Pavilion introduced the story of the great Chinese navigator Zheng He, who led a fleet across the ocean seven times some 600 years ago.

In 1999, the specialized exposition World Horticulture Exposition was held in Kunming, capital city of southwest China's Yunnan Province, from May 1 to October 30.

With the theme of "Man and Nature—Marching into the 21st Century," the Expo attracted 95 participating countries and 9.5 million visitors.