Holding High the Banner of Opening-up and Leading Trade in Services, Beijing Is Setting a New Benchmark for Opening up the Chinese Services Sector: Through the Lens of CIFTIS

BEIJING, CHINA - Media OutReach Newswire - 11 September 2025 - On September 10, the 2025 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS), themed "Embrace Intelligent Technologies, Empower Trade in Services," opened as scheduled.

More than 80 countries and international organizations have brought distinctive exhibits and events; nearly 500 Fortune Global 500 companies and global industry leaders have set up offline exhibitions; over 170 forums and business matchmaking sessions are underway; and more than 190 new products and achievements are making their debut... After 13 years, CIFTIS has evolved from a simple sector-specific exhibition into a major global platform for "Global Services, Shared Prosperity." Beijing, the capital city of China, is leveraging this momentum to raise high the banner of opening up and set a new benchmark for opening up the services sector.

The Evolution of CIFTIS: From Industry Showcase to a Global, Open Platform

Inside Shougang Park, the exhibition spaces complement the industrial aesthetic of the Big Air and steel furnaces. At Australia's Guest of Honor pavilion, spanning over 300 square meters, a miniature model of the Sydney Opera House, lifelike representations of kangaroos and koalas—national treasures of Australia, and interactive screens create an immersive experience that draws visitors in. This year, nearly 60 Australian institutions and businesses have brought their latest achievements to Beijing.

"CIFTIS offers a platform to raise brand visibility, expand institutional cooperation, and explore new partnerships," said Dale Pinto, Global President and Chair of CPA Australia, who is attending for the second time. "Participation has not only increased our visibility but also strengthened relationships with our Chinese partners. We look forward to deepening cooperation and offering our expertise in areas such as digitalization."

Such feedback reflects the growth of CIFTIS and China's steady progress in trade in services. In 2012, the total value of China's trade in services was USD 482.9 billion; by 2024, it had surpassed the 1-trillion-dollar mark. Once reliant on conventional sectors like logistics, China's trade in services is now shifting toward high-value-added, knowledge-intensive, and innovation-driven fields. In 2023, knowledge-intensive services already accounted for 41.4% of the total.

Over the past 13 years, as China's trade in services continued to expand, CIFTIS has undergone its own remarkable transformation: from an initial focus on outsourcing, it has fully embraced digital and intelligent technologies while integrating green and global development into its gene. The exhibition space has expanded from 50,000 square meters at the inaugural edition to a 3-square-kilometer "city showcase" today. What began as foreign businesses bringing products into China has evolved into dynamic Chinese companies taking AI algorithms and green solutions global. Discussions have shifted from logistics and exports of cultural products to digital trade, smart healthcare, and low-carbon services... To date, over 1.1 million exhibitors and professional visitors and more than 900 overseas institutions from 198 countries and regions have become regular participants.

Adapting to the latest global economic developments and trends, this year's CIFTIS has proactively upgraded and readied itself with cutting-edge technologies and sharp industry insights to meet a new wave of international cooperation and competition.

First, cutting-edge technologies are employed to deliver "immersive experiences" for visitors. According to Sima Hong, Vice Mayor of Beijing, this year's CIFTIS will highlight specialized fields such as artificial intelligence, healthcare, and smart logistics—showcasing not just products, but the services behind the technology. Interactive features include a digital avatar promoting "Beijing Solutions" and a full-process demonstration of AI-enabled biopharmaceutical R&D.

Second, debuts and launches showcase the strength of "China Services." More than 190 new products and solutions are being unveiled, including a 3D-printed polymer fatigue-resistant absorbable vascular stent and a professional-scale optical quantum computer exceeding 1,000 qubits. Demonstration cases in AI and green innovation will also be released, further enhancing the reputation of "Beijing Services" and "China Services."

Third, idea exchanges chart a "roadmap" for global cooperation. Thirteen thematic forums and over 80 specialized sessions will address hot topics such as technological innovation, digital services, and eco-environmental protection. More than 200 ministerial-level guests and heads of international organizations will gather to discuss trends and tackle challenges. A guide on trade in services data and policies for developing countries, co-developed by China's Ministry of Commerce and UNCTAD, will be released during the fair.

By aligning with the latest trends of digital, intelligent, and green development in trade in services, CIFTIS has achieved a historic leap over the past 13 years. With its high level of professionalism and openness, it has grown into a truly international and open platform.

Beijing's Breakthrough: Pilot Reforms Drive Leap in Trade in Services

CIFTIS exemplifies China's commitment to high-standard opening-up. In recent years, a series of pioneering policies have delivered tangible benefits, driving the opening-up of the services sector, improving the business environment, and turning blueprints displayed at exhibitions into market reality.

In May, inside a temperature-controlled warehouse at Beijing Tianzhu Comprehensive Bonded Zone operated by Beijing Kyuan Pharmaceutical, Co., Ltd., a batch of vosoritide—a drug used to treat a rare pediatric disease—was quickly inspected by customs officials and transported to Beijing Children's Hospital.

These critical medicines, which had not yet received formal market approval in China, reached patients swiftly thanks to special policies under Beijing's pilot zone for rare disease drug access. The Work Plan for Supporting Beijing in Developing the Integrated National Demonstration Zone for Opening Up the Services Sector, approved by the State Council, supports the city in establishing this zone, using a "white list" system to help patients access urgently needed treatments. So far, more than 10 rare-disease drugs have been temporarily imported through this "express channel."

This case reflects the potential of institutional opening-up: well-designed policy innovations can elevate the entire services sector. In recent years, Beijing has been advancing the development of the Integrated National Demonstration Zone for Opening Up the Services Sector and the China (Beijing) Pilot Free Trade Zone. Focusing on technological innovation, services opening-up, digital economy, and coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the city has built a tiered system of institutional innovations, testing new systems for the nation, pursuing regional development, and improving the business environment.

First, Beijing is exploring the path forward for the nation and sees its opening-up upgraded across fields. Beijing has introduced a number of groundbreaking policies: preferential corporate income tax for technology transfers, instant filing-and-approval for high-tech enterprise certification, the first pilot program for equity and venture capital share transfers, and pilot equity investments for financial asset investment companies... These measures act like magnets, attracting technology, capital, talent, and other innovation-enabling factors.

Second, Beijing is accumulating strength for its development and opening up more areas. As one of China's first pilot cities to seek institutional opening-up and align with high-standard international rules, Beijing has implemented over 30 pilot measures and established a diverse opening-up structure encompassing the Pilot FTZ, comprehensive bonded zones, and key parks for opening up the services sector. Over the past five years, actual utilized foreign investment in Beijing reached USD 66.18 billion, accounting for 8.4% of the national total. More than 90% of this went into the services sector, highlighting the resilience and vitality of Beijing's open economy.

Third, Beijing is optimizing its business environment for multinational corporations. Setting up a foreign-funded enterprise in Beijing is no longer a time-consuming process. The city was among the first to enable online processing for the opening of foreign-funded companies, reducing the incorporation timeline from two to three months to just one day. Nearly 7,900 foreign-funded companies have been set up in Beijing over the past five years, with international pharma giants like Pfizer and AstraZeneca opening their new R&D innovation centers. "Beijing offers vast growth space and strong R&D capabilities. That's why we continue to invest in China," said AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot, echoing the sentiment of many multinationals.

"When the China (Beijing) Pilot Free Trade Zone was first established, its actual utilized foreign capital accounted for less than 10% of the city's total. Now the figure has risen to 30%. Since 2021, the average annual growth rate of trade in services in Beijing reached 9.4%, and the scale had remained above RMB 3.6 trillion for three consecutive years by 2024," said Vice Mayor Sima Hong.

According to Xu Chen, a research fellow at the Beijing Opening Economy Research Institute, University of International Business and Economics, Beijing's "Two Zones" Initiative is not merely about stacking policies. Instead, it involves systematic institutional innovation that breaks bottlenecks restricting the opening up of the services sector and cross-border flow of factors, creating a replicable "Beijing Model."

Global Services: Building a New Benchmark for Opening up in Trade in Services

At Airbus China in Shunyi, Beijing, technicians analyze airline data for health monitoring to improve flight punctuality. As one of the first foreign companies in Beijing to obtain a value-added telecommunications service license, Airbus China can now expand into Internet access, online data processing, and information services, broadening its business scope.

Airbus's expansion reflects how Beijing's opening-up policies attract multinational companies. Since the "Two Zones" Initiative was launched five years ago, Beijing has recorded 33,900 projects in its database, with 22,900 already implemented. With the "Two Zones" as the engine and CIFTIS as the window, Beijing is advancing opening-up at a deeper and higher level with a broader vision and more effective policies.

Since 2024, policies such as the Regulations of Beijing Municipality on Foreign Investment have been introduced, aiming to keep the city's trade in services among the top three in China by 2030, with digital service exports accounting for 70% of the total. Beijing is also implementing high-standard international economic and trade rules on a trial basis, such as expanding cross-border use of RMB and optimizing international talent mobility, contributing "Beijing proposals" to global trade in services.

"Via the CIFTIS platform, we have expanded from Beijing to the whole country," said Xu Shaofeng, Senior Vice President of Schneider Electric. "Supported by Beijing's opening-up policies, we are driving growth through innovation and talent, expanding our cooperation ecosystem, and deepening the integration of services and industries."

As a key platform for China's high-standard opening-up, CIFTIS serves as a bridge for international display and cooperation in Beijing's "Two Zones" development: it helps Beijing showcase the achievements of "China Services," attract high-end international resources, and support domestic enterprises in expanding into overseas markets.

Amid a complex and changing global economy, trade in services faces challenges despite scale expansion and structural optimization. Beijing is accelerating institutional opening-up by implementing the latest version of the plan for opening up the services sector and advancing reform in key areas to empower development.

Through reform-driven endogenous growth, Beijing is promoting open development in industrial parks with tailored guidance. Beijing Daxing International Airport Economic Zone, a comprehensive bonded zone spanning Beijing and Hebei, saw its total import-export value reach RMB 9.892 billion in 2024, a fourfold year-on-year increase. "We aim to fully leverage the zone's favorable policies to attract more businesses," said Zhang Jizhou, deputy head of Beijing Daxing International Airport Customs.

Accelerating regional coordinated opening-up, Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei are strengthening synergy: they have harmonized 230 government service items across pilot free trade zones. They will strengthen collaboration in institutional innovation, industrial development, government services, and port cooperation, to enhance the flow of benefits generated by opening up across the region.

"Beijing will focus on building the 'Beijing Services' brand, promoting digital, green, and intelligent services," said Pu Xuedong, Director of the Beijing Municipal Commerce Bureau. "We will consolidate our strengths in modern services, enhance the supply of high-quality services and the level of service facilitation, create international consumption scenarios, and help more high-quality 'Beijing Services' go global."
Hashtag: #CIFTIS

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