Inside CIFTIS 2025: From handshakes to horizons

The first thing that struck me when stepping into Shougang Park was the sheer weight of the space itself – an old steel plant repurposed into a stage for global partnerships in trade and innovation.

The whole park, once echoing with the roar of fire and the pounding of machines, now buzzed with handshakes and conversations in dozens of languages, as over 2,000 global companies showcased their latest ideas at the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) 2025 – the world's largest comprehensive event of its kind.

CIFTIS 2025, held on September 10–14 at Beijing's Shougang Park, has brought together nearly 70 countries and more than 2,000 enterprises under one roof. I visited not just as a media representative, but as someone curious about how global service ideas are turned into tangible reality.

This year's fair spans nine service sectors – from science and technology to tourism, healthcare and green finance. But that magnitude is only the backdrop. The real story, for me, was found in small sparks: the personal exchanges, the moments where ideas, culture and commerce intertwined.

From Iran, Ava Bayat, a commercial manager attending her fourth CIFTIS, emphasized the practical gains. "Every year it gets better – the location, the management, the opportunities. The fair has really connected Iranian and Chinese companies, making cooperation possible. If I had to describe the fair in one word, it would be the best 'opportunity'."

Levan Tavadze, a Georgian entrepreneur who has lived in Beijing for three decades, echoed the sense of continuity. "It's our sixth time in a row, and every year CIFTIS gets bigger and more valuable. Here we can meet Chinese customers, who in turn discover small countries like Georgia. It's a window into the Chinese market – a way to clearly understand what local people want and need." He summed it up with a single word: "Friendship."

Tourism, too, carried its own cultural symbols. Zuzana Medvedova, a Slovak travel promoter dressed in the traditional suit of the Helpa region, called the fair "phenomenal," noting how each village's attire tells its own story. Another Slovak participant, Jan Kerekes, attending for the first time, said he was struck by the level of organization and the connections made. "The Chinese market is huge, the second largest in the world. Everyone wants to come here and cooperate with Chinese counterparts. This kind of platform is priceless." The one word he chose to describe his feelings about the fair was "gratitude."

Zimulinda Victorien, a Rwandan exhibitor promoting tourism and culture, described tangible benefits. "This is our second year, and already we've received more Chinese tourists. Tourism brings not only opportunities but also investments. For me, the fair is a colorful world."

By the time I left Shougang Park, what lingered was not the numbers of people, sectors or companies, but these conversations with strangers who now felt like part of the same story. Taken together, these voices carried a quiet message: openness is not abstract policy, but a practice built person by person, booth by booth.

China's over four decades of reform and opening up have shown that openness creates momentum and growth. The same principle applies to services trade, which thrives when markets expand and access deepens. According to official data, in the first seven months of 2025, China's services imports and exports reached 4.58 trillion yuan (about $640 billion), up 8.2 percent year on year. 

Behind the numbers is a steady commitment to high-level opening up, to creating opportunities for China and partners worldwide.

CIFTIS itself embodies this spirit. More than a trade fair, it acts as a bridge connecting China with the world, and as an engine driving global services exchange. At a time of global uncertainty, openness and cooperation are not slogans but necessities – keeping the gears of international trade turning and offering fresh paths to shared progress.

And in the old steel heart of Beijing, that practice is alive.