news

On August 12, reporters learned from the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) media briefing titled "Meet the Future at CIFTIS" that the CIFTIS will be held at the National Convention Center and Shougang Park from September 12 to 16. 72 countries and international organizations have decided to set up offline exhibitions in the name of national governments or headquarters, of which 12 countries and international organizations will set up independent offline exhibitions for the first time.

The China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) is an international, comprehensive, large-scale exhibition and trading platform specially built for trade in services. Since 2012, CIFTIS has been successfully held for ten sessions and has become the world's largest comprehensive exhibition for trade in services. In 2020, the CIFTIS has upgraded its quality and internationalization rate, increasing by 120%. The CIFTIS has continuously enhanced its international competitiveness, attracting more than 900,000 exhibitors and visitors from 197 countries and regions, and more than 800 overseas business associations and institutions to participate in the exhibition, negotiate cooperation, and achieve fruitful results.

The 2024 CIFTIS will be held at the National Convention Center and Shougang Park from September 12 to 16, with the theme of "Global Services, Mutual Benefit and Sharing". During the period, the Global Services Trade Summit, exhibitions, negotiations and promotions, results releases and supporting activities will be held.

The Global Services Trade Summit will invite foreign dignitaries and heads of international organizations to attend and speak, exchange policies and experiences, build consensus on global services cooperation, and jointly promote world economic recovery and growth.

The exhibition will hold comprehensive exhibitions and special exhibitions, closely focusing on cultivating and developing new quality productivity, giving play to the advantages of clustered and chain exhibitions, connecting and integrating high-quality service trade resources, and focusing on displaying the latest development achievements in various fields. The comprehensive exhibition will be set up in the National Convention Center, with achievement exhibitions, country exhibitions, provincial and municipal exhibitions, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan exhibitions, and theme areas. The special exhibition will be set up in the Shougang Park, focusing on industry hotspots and development trends, and setting up telecommunications, computer and information services, as well as financial services, cultural and tourism services, education services, sports services, supply chain and business services, engineering consulting and construction services, health and hygiene services, environmental services and other special topics.

In terms of negotiation and promotion, relevant countries and regions will be invited to promote development policies, advantageous fields, cooperation projects, etc., to promote international investment and trade cooperation. At the same time, domestic and foreign business associations and other industry organizations and key enterprises will be invited to hold special promotion, demand release, project matching, contract signing and exchange activities to promote high-quality service import and export and investment cooperation.

The conference will set up offline and online press conference halls to hold launch events, authoritative releases, service demonstration case releases and other activities. The launch event will be held by Fortune 500 companies and industry leaders to release the latest technologies, products, achievements and applications. The authoritative release will be held by relevant international organizations, industry organizations, etc. to release policy white papers, industry standards and specifications, development indexes, development reports and other authoritative information. The service demonstration case release will select a number of outstanding cases such as scientific and technological innovation, business model innovation, and green development for release.

Supporting activities will invite exhibitors and merchants to participate in business inspections, investment promotion, cultural experiences, etc.

How is the preparation for the Services Trade Fair going? Zhou Ling, deputy director of the Beijing International Services Trade Affairs Center, introduced that at present, the preparations for the Services Trade Fair are being steadily and efficiently promoted as planned, and the results of attracting investment and exhibitions are remarkable. This year, the promotion and investment attraction of the Services Trade Fair at home and abroad have been intensified, and more Fortune 500, specialized, new and unicorn companies have been invited to participate in the exhibition. At present, 93% of the exhibition area for comprehensive exhibitions and special exhibitions has been completed. 72 countries and international organizations have decided to set up offline exhibitions in the name of national governments or headquarters, of which 12 countries and international organizations will set up independent offline exhibitions for the first time. 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, 5 independently planned cities, Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps and Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan will continue to set up exhibitions.

At this year's Services Trade Fair, France will set up a national pavilion around the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France, and hold a series of activities around themes such as fashion industry, sports, medical care, and investment to promote the deepening of cooperation between the two countries. The design of the French Pavilion will reflect elements such as the Arc de Triomphe and the Bir Hakeim Bridge, highlighting France's service industries such as culture, tourism, sports, and fashion. It will also hold three special events on investment, sports, and medical care to further promote the exchange and development of service trade between the two countries.

The guest provinces of Sichuan and Hainan will both hold theme day promotion activities. Sichuan will focus on high-end manufacturing, digital culture, artificial intelligence, satellite remote sensing and other fields, create a naked-eye VR experience for Sanxingdui, and sign a memorandum of cooperation on trade in services with Hong Kong. Hainan will highlight the characteristics of the free trade port, focus on high-tech products and services such as deep-sea exploration, southern seed breeding, and satellite commercial development, and showcase digital trade development opportunities and achievements such as digital processing trade, overseas game exports, artificial intelligence, digital culture, and international data centers.

The convenience of exhibitors and visitors will also be further improved. This year, focusing on the actual needs of exhibitors and exhibitors in handling entry and exit business, the city launched 8 entry and exit facilitation measures for "Setting Sail·CIFTIS". At the same time, in cooperation with the Bank of China, all-round payment consultation involving transportation, payment, catering, etc. is provided to foreigners attending the CIFTIS at the CIFTIS, and customers are guided to handle financial services such as foreign currency exchange by themselves, so as to solve the diversified payment needs of foreign guests in a one-stop and intensive manner and provide convenient payment services. The CIFTIS also cooperated with Tencent WeChat Pay to set up an "Entry Payment Service Consultation Desk" on site, so that foreigners can experience more convenient mobile payment at the CIFTIS.

Highlight openness and cooperation and build an international public exchange platform. During this session of the Services Trade Fair, the Global Services Trade Summit will continue to be held to convey China's unswerving determination to expand opening up to the world, widely invite foreign countries and regions, international organizations, and well-known enterprises and institutions to set up exhibitions and hold conferences, and strengthen exchanges and discussions on services trade policies, standards, and rules.

This year's CIFTIS also upgraded and renovated the Shougang Park venue, making the layout of functional facilities more efficient and intensive, and further improving supporting facilities such as road traffic, landscape, and toilets. The functions of the CIFTIS digital platform were optimized and improved, and the transaction negotiation scene was further strengthened, with new functions such as offline appointments with merchants, personal event recommendations, and schedule calendars.

Source: Beijing Daily Client

Reporter: Ma Jing

Process Editor: u028