Attendees of the 2023 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) have lauded the speech delivered by Chinese President Xi Jinping via video at the Global Trade in Services Summit on Saturday.

Some said Xi's speech has demonstrated China's confidence and determination to promote the development of trade in services and high-standard opening up, while others added that it will inject new impetus into the world to share the opportunities of open development and create a future of prosperity and development.

On high-standard opening up

Noting that this year marks the 45th anniversary of China's reform and opening-up policies, Xi, in his speech, reaffirmed the country's commitment to promoting high-standard opening up and advancing Chinese modernization on all fronts through high-quality development, thereby providing all countries with new opportunities for openness and cooperation.

Li Tao, vice president and head of government and public affairs at Philips Greater China, said Xi's speech is encouraging, adding that it has strengthened confidence and determination to further tap the potential of the Chinese market.

Impressed by Xi's remarks on mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, Ramiro Cruz, minister counselor at the Embassy of Nicaragua in China, said CIFTIS is an important platform for China to expand opening up, deepen cooperation and usher in innovation.

"China's deepening of cooperation in trade in services and digital trade with countries along the Belt and Road will help the development of trade in services in relevant countries," he said.

"Openness is a key word from President Xi's speech," said Qian Kun, senior vice president of Qualcomm, adding that China continues to expand its opening up, which will give multinational companies confidence in the development prospects of the Chinese market.

On sharing development opportunities

At the end of his speech, Xi underlined the importance of openness in the world economy and the risks of seclusion. He called on all parties to uphold the hard-won free trade and the multilateral trading regime, share the historic opportunities in the development of global trade in services, and unite for an even brighter and more prosperous future for the world.

Jiang Liqin, head of clients and markets at KPMG in China, said Xi's speech has again demonstrated China's sincerity in sharing its development opportunities with the world.

After listening to Xi's speech, Pakistani Ambassador to China Moin ul Haque said Pakistan looks forward to deepening economic and trade cooperation with China in transportation, logistics, tourism, education, finance and other fields.

"President Xi has called for the integrated development of the services trade with modern services industries, high-end manufacturing and modern agriculture to unleash more vitality for innovation, which provides a huge space for the innovation of trade in services, and also strengthens the confidence of our enterprise to embark on the road of innovation-driven development," said Xu Kai, founder of the Beijing Surgerii Robotics Company.

Noting that Xi pledged support for the services sector's role in green development in his speech, Zhao Bingdi, president of Panasonic China, called on the company to seize green and low-carbon business opportunities and continuously expand the application areas of its products and services.

(Cover: The 2023 China International Fair for Trade in Services opens in Beijing, China, August 31, 2023. /Xinhua)