CIFTIS aims to attract wider intl participation

With preparations progressing steadily, the 2023 China International Fair for Trade in Services, or CIFTIS, is expected to continue to serve as a platform for promoting opening-up, deepening business cooperation and boosting innovation, officials said on Sunday.

Zhou Ling, deputy director of Beijing International Trade in Services Center, said the fair will run online and on-site simultaneously from Sept 2 to 6, "with the goal of becoming a trade in services fair that attracts wider international participation and brings a greater sense of gain to all participants".

She said this year's fair, which will be held at two venues in Beijing — the China National Convention Center and Shougang Park, will comprise the Global Trade in Services Summit, exhibitions and displays, forums and conferences, promotional business talks, achievements release and supporting events.

Thematic exhibitions will cover a wide range of sectors including telecommunications, culture and tourism, education, sports, construction, healthcare and environmental services, Zhou added.

Zhang Yi, deputy head of the China International Center for Economic and Technical Exchanges of the Ministry of Commerce, said the fair this year will host 202 meetings, including 10 summits, 107 themed forums and 66 promotional business talks, which is a notable increase compared with last year.

"Hosting the 2023 CIFTIS successfully is expected to demonstrate the country's determination in realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and its confidence in firmly promoting high-quality opening-up," he said.

A total of 27 countries and international organizations will set up exhibition booths during CIFTIS, while 1,868 enterprises, including 424 Fortune 500 companies, will participate in the fair, according to the latest data from the organizers.

Lu Yuan, deputy general manager of the marketing and government affairs department at Kylinsoft, a domestic operating system provider, said:"This will be the first time that we showcase our technology at an independent stand during CIFTIS. The fair will not only offer us an opportunity to demonstrate our services to visitors and business partners, but will also help us have a better knowledge of the industry."

Sang Xinzhu, a professor at Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications' State Key Laboratory of Information Photonics and Optical Communications, said: "The fair offers us more opportunities to exhibit our latest progress in autostereoscopy (creating a 3D effect for the naked eye). In the past, people who wanted to learn about our technology had to come to the university."