As the 2026 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) gets underway, a global online survey by CGTN shows strong international confidence in China's services trade opening up. 

The poll found that 89.6% of respondents believe CIFTIS has grown into an important platform for promoting high-level opening up in China's service industries.

This year's fair features a dedicated "China Services" exhibition area for the first time, showcasing the latest achievements in digital services, cultural services and modern logistics.

Among respondents, 93.8% say CIFTIS is not just a display platform but a core trading platform driving the high-level opening up of China's vast market. 

In the "China Services" showcase, nearly 40% of the featured cases are powered by AI, large language models and intelligent agents, with many new technologies and products making their global or domestic debut. Some 90.3% of respondents said China's services trade is rapidly enhancing its technological sophistication, and they look forward to better service experiences empowered by technology.

China's services trade has continued to grow in both scale and quality. Services imports have ranked second globally for years, surpassing $620 billion in 2025, according to the State Administration of Foreign Exchange. Transport services imports recorded the world's fastest growth, while exports of knowledge-intensive services exceeded $118 billion in the first half of 2026, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

In the survey, 90.6% of respondents said this demonstrates the resilience and vitality of China's services trade, and that China's vast market continues to unlock opportunities for the world.

This year's CIFTIS has attracted 90 countries and international organizations, with over 1,800 enterprises participating offline. The survey found that 81.8% of respondents said CIFTIS will help enterprises in their home countries engage in services trade cooperation with China, while 88.5% believed it will encourage more foreign-invested enterprises to enter China’s services market.

As the world's first comprehensive and international exhibition platform dedicated to services trade, CIFTIS has attracted a cumulative total of 1.47 million exhibitors and visitors from nearly 200 countries and regions.

Among respondents, 87.6% said China's continued hosting of the fair demonstrates its confidence in expanding high-standard opening up and meets the general expectations of the international community, while 83.8% said that, amid rising protectionism, China's growing services trade sector is injecting much-needed confidence and stability into global economic recovery.

The survey was released on CGTN's English, Spanish, French, Arabic and Russian platforms, with 2,406 people voting within 24 hours.