diff --git a/Source/cmExportFileGenerator.cxx b/Source/cmExportFileGenerator.cxx
index a51fb2a00..094ad4f76 100644
--- a/Source/cmExportFileGenerator.cxx
+++ b/Source/cmExportFileGenerator.cxx
@@ -23,11 +23,27 @@
 #include "cmVersion.h"
 #include "cmComputeLinkInformation.h"
 #include "cmAlgorithms.h"
+#include "cmOutputConverter.h"
 
 #include <cmsys/auto_ptr.hxx>
 #include <cmsys/FStream.hxx>
 #include <assert.h>
 
+//----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+static std::string cmExportFileGeneratorEscape(std::string const& str)
+{
+  // Escape a property value for writing into a .cmake file.
+  std::string result = cmOutputConverter::EscapeForCMake(str);
+  // Un-escape variable references generated by our own export code.
+  cmSystemTools::ReplaceString(result,
+                               "\\${_IMPORT_PREFIX}",
+                               "${_IMPORT_PREFIX}");
+  cmSystemTools::ReplaceString(result,
+                               "\\${CMAKE_IMPORT_LIBRARY_SUFFIX}",
+                               "${CMAKE_IMPORT_LIBRARY_SUFFIX}");
+  return result;
+}
+
 //----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 cmExportFileGenerator::cmExportFileGenerator()
 {
@@ -608,7 +624,8 @@ void cmExportFileGenerator::GenerateInterfaceProperties(cmTarget const* target,
     for(ImportPropertyMap::const_iterator pi = properties.begin();
         pi != properties.end(); ++pi)
       {
-      os << "  " << pi->first << " \"" << pi->second << "\"\n";
+      os << "  " << pi->first << " "
+         << cmExportFileGeneratorEscape(pi->second) << "\n";
       }
     os << ")\n\n";
     }
@@ -1112,7 +1129,8 @@ cmExportFileGenerator
   for(ImportPropertyMap::const_iterator pi = properties.begin();
       pi != properties.end(); ++pi)
     {
-    os << "  " << pi->first << " \"" << pi->second << "\"\n";
+    os << "  " << pi->first << " "
+       << cmExportFileGeneratorEscape(pi->second) << "\n";
     }
   os << "  )\n"
      << "\n";
@@ -1223,7 +1241,7 @@ cmExportFileGenerator
     ImportPropertyMap::const_iterator pi = properties.find(*li);
     if (pi != properties.end())
       {
-      os << "\"" << pi->second << "\" ";
+      os << cmExportFileGeneratorEscape(pi->second) << " ";
       }
     }
 
diff --git a/Tests/ExportImport/Export/Interface/CMakeLists.txt b/Tests/ExportImport/Export/Interface/CMakeLists.txt
index 00a53756d..fd55c423c 100644
--- a/Tests/ExportImport/Export/Interface/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/Tests/ExportImport/Export/Interface/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -39,7 +39,11 @@ install(FILES
   DESTINATION src
 )
 
+add_library(cmakeonly INTERFACE)
+set_property(TARGET cmakeonly PROPERTY INTERFACE_COMPILE_DEFINITIONS [[DEF="\"\$\B"]])
+
 install(TARGETS headeronly sharediface use_auto_type use_c_restrict source_target
+                cmakeonly
   EXPORT expInterface
 )
 install(TARGETS sharedlib
diff --git a/Tests/ExportImport/Import/Interface/CMakeLists.txt b/Tests/ExportImport/Import/Interface/CMakeLists.txt
index 51d518e99..c850508e5 100644
--- a/Tests/ExportImport/Import/Interface/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/Tests/ExportImport/Import/Interface/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -99,3 +99,14 @@ add_executable(interfacetest_exp interfacetest.cpp)
 target_link_libraries(interfacetest_exp exp::sharediface)
 
 do_try_compile(exp)
+
+foreach(ns exp bld)
+  get_property(defs TARGET ${ns}::cmakeonly PROPERTY INTERFACE_COMPILE_DEFINITIONS)
+  if(NOT defs STREQUAL [[DEF="\"\$\B"]])
+    message(SEND_ERROR
+      "${ns}::cmakeonly property INTERFACE_COMPILE_DEFINITIONS is:\n"
+      " ${defs}\n"
+      "not\n"
+      " " [[DEF="\"\$\B"]] "\n")
+  endif()
+endforeach()