Nation to ease market access, pursue new forms and models, CIFTIS gathering told

China will further open its services sector, ease market access and expand imports of high-quality services as it seeks to create new growth drivers for trade in services and share the opportunities of its vast market with the world, government officials said on Wednesday.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 2026 China International Fair for Trade in Services in Beijing on Wednesday, Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang said China will further refine the negative list for cross-border trade in services, widen market access in the services sector and foster a more favorable business environment.

Ding, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said the nation will accelerate the development of new business forms and models such as digital services trade, develop knowledge-intensive services and expand exports of producer services.

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The 2026 CIFTIS, which runs through Sunday, has drawn participants from 90 countries, regions and international organizations. More than 1,800 companies, including Honeywell, McDonald's and Schneider Electric, are exhibiting on-site.

More than 100 new products and services will make their debut at the fair, covering fields such as information and communications, financial technology, and digital and intelligent healthcare.

Against a backdrop of growing uncertainty in the global trading system, officials from international organizations and foreign governments said during the fair's opening ceremony that services are set to play an increasingly important role in global trade and supply chains.

Johanna Hill, deputy director-general of the World Trade Organization, said services are becoming an increasingly important part of global supply chains, supporting not only production but also design, management, logistics and distribution.

She said China can contribute to global services trade by demonstrating the benefits of more competitive services markets and sharing its experience with developing economies.

Highlighting the opportunities for developing economies, Constantino Chiwenga, the Zimbabwean vice-president, said automation and digital innovation are reshaping the global economy and creating new opportunities for trade in services.

Zimbabwe is seeking deeper services cooperation with China through investment, technology transfer and skills development in areas including healthcare, financial services, transportation and professional services, he said.

Alexander Poulev, Bulgaria's deputy prime minister and minister of economy, investments and industry, said trade in services is a key pillar of Bulgaria-China economic ties, with the country seeking stronger long-term partnerships with Chinese businesses.

"Stronger investment cooperation could create new supply chains and add greater value to bilateral trade," Poulev said.

Policy push

Advancing the high-quality development of services trade is a key task outlined in China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), which calls for intensified efforts to optimize negative list management of services trade, ease cross-border restrictions, encourage services exports and foster knowledge-intensive services trade. Digitalization and emerging technologies are expected to play an increasingly important role in reshaping the services sector and expanding cross-border trade.

Yin Li, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and secretary of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee, said Beijing stands ready to work with global partners to facilitate trade flows, expand services trade and share the opportunities of China's vast market.

China's trade in services totaled nearly 4.45 trillion yuan ($663 billion) in the first seven months of this year, up 8.3 percent year-on-year, data from the Ministry of Commerce showed.

The expansion of services trade is also translating into new opportunities for companies across a range of sectors.

James Evans, general manager of Cathay Cargo, a business unit of the Hong Kong-based Cathay Group, said the company sees the Chinese mainland's continued industrial upgrading, expanding global trade links and increasingly diversified import demand as important drivers.

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"On the import side, temperature-controlled cargo is performing particularly well," Evans said. "We are seeing increasing demand for the transportation of fresh produce and pharmaceuticals into the Chinese mainland, reflecting rising consumer demand for high-quality imported goods and the growing importance of reliable cold-chain logistics."

State-owned Shenyang Northern Aircraft Maintenance and Engineering Co in Shenyang, Liaoning province, handled 46 million yuan worth of imports and exports between January and August under the bonded maintenance model, a customs arrangement that allows companies to import faulty or damaged foreign-made products without paying import duties, provided they are repaired and then reexported. Five auxiliary power units, or APUs, were repaired and delivered during the period, according to Shenyang Customs.

Wang Lulu, the company's president, said the company will seek more orders from foreign airlines and expand high-end producer services, including APU testing, maintenance and overhaul, particularly in Central and Southeast Asia.

Contact the writers at zhongnan@chinadaily.com.cn