Why China keeps widening its door, as seen at CIFTIS

Editor's note: Lyu Yue, a special commentator for CGTN, is the vice dean of the School of International Trade and Economics, University of International Business and Economics (UIBE), and the director of the Lab for Global Innovation & Governance, UIBE. Chen Yanbing, a special commentator for CGTN, is a PhD candidate at the School of International Trade and Economics. The article reflects the authors' views and not necessarily those of CGTN.

Held from September 9 to 13, 2026, at Beijing's Shougang Park, the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) is highlighted by its "innovation and warmth," making targeted efforts to build a full-lifecycle service ecosystem for global participants. As a premier state-level platform dedicated to expanding opening up, CIFTIS has continuously demonstrated China's resolute commitment to fostering global economic integration.

Having achieved remarkable breakthroughs in enhancing international participation and systematically upgrading its forum architecture, CIFTIS 2026 is accelerating its evolution into an innovative platform for aligning international service trade rules and a high-efficiency hub empowering Chinese enterprises to go global.

Amid complex changes in the global economic landscape, the fair continues to play an irreplaceable role in broadening high-standard openness, deepening multilateral industrial cooperation and driving technological and institutional innovation across the service sector.

First, the simultaneous rise in both the scale and caliber of international participation provides clear evidence of China's solid progress in expanding openness in services trade. This year's fair attracted institutional and business delegations from 90 countries, regions, and international organizations to host exhibitions and hold high-level events. Over 1,830 offline corporate exhibitors participated, including 473 Fortune Global 500 companies and industry-leading enterprises across diverse sectors, driving the fair's internationalization to a new record high.

Notably, Norway made its debut as the Guest Country of Honor, highlighting advanced expertise in high-end services and sustainable technologies. At the same time, top-tier international bodies, including the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, engaged deeply as co-hosts for core summits on cutting-edge global issues such as green low-carbon transformation and digital trade upgrading. This steadily expanding network of global partners, alongside China's "strong magnetic pull" of opening up, clearly shows that deepening open cooperation remains a broad consensus among international market participants.

Moreover, the fair has expanded substantially in industrial coverage, with greatly enhanced professionalism and overseas service capabilities. For the first time, the flagship thematic forums of the "Services Trade Development Series" were systematically categorized into four major pillars: openness and integration, win-win cooperation, digital and intelligent innovation, and green development.

Covering 15 high-value sessions, these forums delved into key fields including cultural tourism, healthcare, construction services, cross-border digital trade and sustainable green development. During these sessions, a batch of authoritative industry research outcomes were released, including the Annual Report on the Development of China's International Service Trade (2025), the Digital Trade Development and Cooperation Report 2026, the 2026 Report on High-Quality Development of AI-Powered Live-Stream E-Commerce, among others, providing critical empirical insights and policy benchmarks for global industry practitioners.

In a bid to better empower market entities, the fair has rolled out a host of targeted service measures. It has launched the first-ever "Going Global Service Enterprise Exhibition Area," offering one-stop, full-process professional services for enterprises seeking international expansion. Supporting facilities such as cross-border policy consultation services and country-specific service windows have also been set up, building a customized, efficient platform for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to connect with global resources.

In terms of industrial innovation, the Health Service Exhibition unveiled a cutting-edge exhibition area for future medical technology industries, showcasing achievements in smart healthcare and precision medicine. Additionally, a comprehensive service platform supporting cross-border data flow for embodied intelligence industries made its official debut, further strengthening the event's digital depth and elevating its industry leadership.

Consistent with its long-term opening-up commitment, CIFTIS 2026 continues to implement preferential tax policies for imported exhibition goods to tangible commercial effect. Exhibitors are exempted from import tariffs, import-linked value-added tax (VAT), and consumption tax for imported exhibits sold within specified duty-free quotas. First introduced in 2021, this favorable tax framework has been extended twice, creating a stable, transparent, and highly predictable policy environment for international businesses.

This sustained policy backing has effectively translated the fair's platform advantages into tangible development dividends for enterprises at home and abroad, demonstrating China's concrete dedication to sharing its massive domestic market opportunities with global industrial stakeholders.

The systematic upgrading and innovative breakthroughs of CIFTIS 2026 offer profound insights into the broader trajectory of global economic development. Openness and cooperation remain the irreversible trend of the times, and mutual benefit and win-win results represent the shared aspiration of all nations. There is no viable path to sustainable global prosperity and development other than inclusive, high-standard opening up.

Adhering to its time-honored vision of "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," CIFTIS has, over its 14 years of development, consistently delivered China's firm commitment to advancing economic globalization and structural reform. Even amid the rise of trade protectionism and unilateralism worldwide, China's resolve to expand opening up, foster joint development and share growth dividends with all international partners remains steadfast and unwavering, injecting continuous stability and dynamism into global economic recovery.

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