The 2020 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) will officially open on September 4 in Beijing. Over 18,000 international and domestic companies from 148 countries and regions have signed up for the service trade fair, and over 100,000 have registered to attend the six-day event.

The CIFTIS is the first major economic and trade event being held in China since the coronavirus outbreak in January. The service trade fair will have both online and offline platforms to provide a safer environment for participants, considering the fickle nature of the coronavirus.

The organizers have built a digital platform for the CIFTIS, where exhibitors can showcase their products, build a 3D immersive online showroom, host virtual meetings and seal the deals with their customers online.

The trade fair demonstrates to the world China's unwavering efforts in continuing economic opening-up and promoting global economic cooperation, said Wang Bingnan, deputy minister of China's Ministry of Commerce.

Combination of online and offline

The service industry is now the main driving force behind the global economic growth and is taking up a larger share in global economic and trade cooperation. China is willing to deepen its cooperation with countries around the world in the service trade sector and promote economic globalization towards a more open, inclusive, balanced, and win-win direction, said Wang.

Wang said partly in consideration of pandemic control, the trade fair will move many of its signature activities online. He said that the fair that will run in a combination of online and offline events.

"We found participants are embracing the change, as more are joining this year," Wang said.

Jiang Qiqi, founder and chairwoman of the art bidding platform ePaiLive.com, said she saw great interest from her global partners; many of them would join her in online art bidding sessions as well as industry dialogues over the week. The company also plans to debut several of their new global-customer-minded services over the week.

"We have to attend the fair," Jiang told CGTN, "It's a global trade event and it will bring benefits to both domestic and global businesses."

She was not wearing a mask when adding the finishing touches to the showcase stand. "Well, here in Beijing we're very safe," she reasoned.

Ha Jun, director of the Museum Department at the Beijing Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage, said his field of study, the study of cultural relics was also moving many of their data and services online. 

As an exhibitor, he had taken a swab test several days before taking part in the fair. "We are providing services to incoming visitors, and we make sure that we deliver safely and nicely," he explained.

(CGTN's Sun Ye contributed to the story.)