This photo taken on Sept. 10, 2025 shows the mascot of the 2025 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing, capital of China. [Photo/Xinhua]

Amid global trade headwinds, China is sending fresh signals that it will further advance trade in services, providing strong momentum for its own development and creating more room for global economic growth.

This message resonated strongly at the ongoing 2025 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing, which gathered exhibitors from over 80 countries, regions and international organizations.

As China steadily opens its service sector and consumption shifts toward services, the fair provides a crucial meeting point for global companies to access new opportunities, find solutions and share in the benefits of China's high-quality development.

Surging demand

Now in its 12th edition, the fair serves as a platform for China to showcase the development of its service industry and highlight its market potential. The core exhibition area alone spans over 100,000 square meters -- equivalent to approximately 14 standard football fields -- covering a wide array of service sectors such as culture and tourism, education, transport, health, finance, environment, sports and information technology.

This year, CIFTIS offers a unique opportunity for visitors: a one-stop tour of Beijing's most iconic cultural sites, all within the walls of the culture and tourism services hall.

Among many exhibitors, the Summer Palace, the Temple of Heaven, and some other renowned destinations in Beijing have set up a collective booth, bringing their popular cultural and creative products to the event. This setup offers international visitors an efficient way to experience the highlights of Beijing's cultural creativity without having to travel all over the city.

"The fair offers a key platform for us to communicate and collaborate with potential partners across various industries," said Wang Fang at the Beijing Zoo booth, who had just discussed potential cooperation on eco-friendly souvenirs with a visiting company.

"Our goal is to provide both domestic and international tourists with higher-quality services and added value," she added.

Instead of hunting for traditional goods, visitors at the CIFTIS are browsing for experiences. As China enters a stage where the service sector takes up more than half of the economy, the demand for high-quality services is on the rise, creating space for domestic industries to lift standards and for international companies to tap into this opportunity.

China's consumption pattern has evolved into a stage that combines goods consumption with services consumption, said Chinese Vice Commerce Minister Sheng Qiuping, noting that from January to July this year, service retail sales grew by 5.2 percent year on year, with services accounting for a rising share of total consumption.

Sheng pointed out that the challenge lies in the insufficient supply of high-quality services to meet the rising demand. In this context, CIFTIS plays an important role in expanding imports of quality services.

The fair, gathering nearly 2,000 exhibitors, including close to 500 Fortune Global 500 companies and industry-leading enterprises like Walmart, AstraZeneca and KPMG, offers a glimpse into some of the world's most innovative service offerings.

Chinese-made humanoid robots drew significant attention by demonstrating capabilities such as delivering food, preparing coffee, playing football, and even engaging in boxing matches.

Honson To, chairman of KPMG China and Asia Pacific, noted that China's development of new quality productive forces, including cloud computing, big data, and artificial intelligence, will drive progress in knowledge-intensive services trade.

"As a window of China's high-standard opening-up, CIFTIS will continue to optimize the services trade structure and inject robust resilience and vitality into the Chinese economy," he added.

Deepening opening-up

Paul Bateman, chairman of J.P. Morgan Asset Management, has visited China for more than 150 times over the past 30 years. "With each visit, I'm more impressed by the vitality and growth of China's market," he said while addressing the Global Trade in Services Summit of the CIFTIS.

Noting that the company's footprint in China has expanded in recent years thanks to China's decision to open up its service sector, particularly the removal of foreign equity caps in certain financial services, Bateman said the growth of trade in services is creating significant opportunities for the industry.

China has continued to advance the opening-up of its service sector. Last year, the country established a nationwide negative list management system for cross-border trade in services. In certain pilot free trade zones, overseas residents can now open securities or futures accounts to engage in businesses such as securities investment consulting or futures trading advisory services.

These policies have contributed to a notable rise in trade in services. In the first half of this year, China's total services trade reached a record 3.9 trillion yuan (about 549 billion U.S. dollars), marking an 8 percent year-on-year increase.

During the fair, officials pledged efforts to further open up the sector. China will promote pilot opening-up programs in the fields of telecommunications and medicine, while steadily advancing opening-up in the education and culture sectors, Sheng said.

The country will also deepen alignment with high-standard international economic and trade rules, and foster a transparent, stable, and predictable institutional environment, he added.

"China is willing to work with all countries and parties to strengthen opening up and cooperation in services trade, and promote growth in global trade and world economy," said Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang at the fair.

Shared opportunity

For international participant at CIFTIS like Australian vocational education provider Chisholm Institute of TAFE, China's growing demand for high-quality services represents a tangible opportunity.

"We're looking to find partnerships that allow us to deliver Australian vocational qualifications in the Chinese market," said Christopher Hogg, global business development manager of the institute, highlighting education as a key area of services trade collaboration between the two countries.

Over the years, CIFTIS has become a key platform that promotes global collaboration, encourages the exchange of advanced services, and creates shared opportunities for global businesses.

Norway's national pavilion, featuring nine companies across sectors like health, nutrition and aquaculture, exemplifies how China's changing consumption pattern is creating opportunities for foreign enterprises.

Henning Kristoffersen, commercial counselor of the Norwegian Embassy in China, noted the alignment between Norwegian offerings and rising Chinese health consciousness. "The Chinese consumers are very health-conscious. And for the products that we have in Norway, this is great," he said, seeing "great opportunities" for Norwegian businesses to find partners and introduce products to Chinese consumers.

Andre Haspels, ambassador of the Netherlands to China, pointed to sports services as a vibrant area for cooperation, citing examples like collaborations in swimming safety and cycling infrastructure. "Sports, of course, is very important for health, mental and physical health," he said, emphasizing the importance of cooperation in the health sector.

As Sheng noted, by deepening integration with global markets, strengthening industrial collaboration and expanding open cooperation in trade in services, "China will inject stronger momentum into global economic prosperity."