Located at Changle City, a gateway to Fuzhou, a historical city and a seaside culture center, Fuzhou University of International Studies and Trade was established and funded by Fuzhou Yingte Investment Group Co., Ltd. and its Chairman Mr. Wu Qinming in 2004. It was upgraded to a full-time public undergraduate institution of higher learning upon the approval of the Ministry of Education in 2011 and granted undergraduate degree program in 2015. It became one of the pilot schools transforming as a whole to application-oriented universities in 2016.

Now the University has 436 full-time teachers and 425 part-time teachers, including two State Council Experts for Special Allowance, one nationally outstanding teacher and 16 teachers in total honored as Outstanding Teachers of Fujian Province, Famous Higher Education Teachers of Fujian Province, Fujian “New Century Talents Project”, Academic Leaders of Fujian Province, “New Century Excellent Talents” of Fujian Province and “Outstanding Young Scientific Research Talents Training Program” for Higher Education in Fujian Province. The University attaches importance to supporting and improving teaching with scientific research. It has set up two provincial research institutes of humanities and social sciences: “Zheng Zhenduo and Fujian Coastal Culture Research Center” and “Open Economy & Trade Research Center” and 11 school-level research institutions including “Research Center for Socialism Theory with Chinese Characteristic”. According to Chinese Private Higher Education Research Institute and Research Center for China Science Evaluation, the University ranked 19th in terms of scientific research competitiveness among Chinese private higher education institutions and remained top in Fujian for the second time in 2016.

The University pays great attention to open school running in inclusive manner to embrace all sorts of experience. As the first private higher education institution to obtain overseas student recruitment qualification, the University now has 32 international students. Moreover, the University has partnered with 13 world-known universities or scientific research institutes such as University of Plymouth and Stony Brook University. Among first pilot schools to cooperate in school running with Taiwan higher education institutions and boasting great regional advantage located near Taiwan, the University has established a long-term partnership with 18 higher education institutions in Taiwan since 2008 and engaged actively in exchanges, joint training programs, innovation & entrepreneurship programs and social practice programs for students and teachers from both sides of the Taiwan Straits. To enhance intensive development, the University also established counterpart-assistance relationship with Fujian Normal University and signed memorandum of understanding in running school or strategic cooperation agreements with Southwestern University of Finance and Economics and Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University and therefore obtains great support in respect of talents training, disciplines & majors, scientific research & innovation and building of teaching staff.