CIFTIS 2025: Promoting win-win cooperation through high-level opening up

An unmanned passenger electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft is exhibited at the 2025 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS), Sept. 10, 2025. (Photo/Tang Ke)

On September 10, Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the 2025 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS). He said that China is ready to work with all parties to jointly promote open and innovative cooperation in global trade in services, build an open world economy, and continuously inject new impetus into building a community with a shared future for humanity.

As a major contributor and anchor of stability for global economic growth, China is unswervingly committed to expanding high-level opening up. It continues to share its development opportunities with the world and inject more positive energy and certainty into global development.

Since 2019, Xi has delivered important video addresses or sent congratulatory letters to CIFTIS each year, announcing a series of concrete measures to deepen China's opening up and foster greater cooperation in service trade. These consistent efforts underscore China's steadfast resolve to enhance its global economic engagement.

CIFTIS is a vivid reflection of China's high-quality development in the service sector and service trade. This year's fair, themed "Embrace Intelligent Technologies, Empower Trade in Services," has attracted participation from 85 countries and international organizations, with nearly 2,000 companies exhibiting on-site. The proportion of international participants exceeded 20 percent, reinforcing China's continued commitment to opening up and win-win cooperation.

In a global economic environment characterized by both challenges and opportunities, CIFTIS has become a significant platform for dialogue, consensus-building, and the achievement of tangible outcomes that foster the prosperity of global trade in services.

The tremendous popularity of CIFTIS underscores the strong appeal of Chinese opportunities. With a population of over 1.4 billion and a steadily expanding middle-income group, China is the world's most promising consumer market.

In the first half of this year, the service sector accounted for 59.1 percent of China's GDP, making services and services trade a vital driver of the nation's economic and social development. From January to July this year, China's total imports and exports of services reached 4.578 trillion yuan ($643.1 billion), up 8.2 percent year on year.

A man experiences a driving simulator at the 2025 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS), Sept. 10, 2025. (Photo/Tang Ke)

China's enormous market, complete and efficient production and supply chains, rich innovation ecosystems, and proactive development of new drivers in service trade not only provide strong momentum for its own development but also align with the global shift toward digital and green development, creating new development opportunities for world economic growth.

By maintaining its commitment to open development, China ensures that its vast market serves as a "powerful magnet" for global trade, while positioning its modernization efforts as a tremendous opportunity for global development.

CIFTIS epitomizes China's commitment to high-level opening up. The opening-up measures proposed during previous sessions of the fair are steadily taking root. Over the past year, China has implemented a negative list system for managing cross-border trade in services, expanded comprehensive pilot programs to accelerate the services industry's opening-up, and steadily promoted the phased opening of cross-border trade in services and related industries.

In his congratulatory letter, Xi pointed out that China will remain firmly committed to expanding high-standard opening up, actively align with international high-standard economic and trade rules, accelerate the opening of its service market in an orderly manner on platforms including pilot free trade zones, and national demonstration zones for the innovative development of trade in services, and promote high-quality development of service trade. These measures will create more opportunities for enterprises worldwide to access China's vast service market.

In recent months, China has hosted a series of major international economic and trade events, strengthening global ties between businesses, markets, and resources.

Audience members watch a performance presented by robotic dogs at the 2025 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS), Sept. 10, 2025. (Photo/Tang Ke)

The seventh China-Arab States Expo reported cooperation agreements with contracts totaling 107.75 billion yuan. The World Smart Industry Expo 2025 presented new products, technologies, and achievements in smart industries, culminating in 298 major project signings. The 25th China International Fair for Investment and Trade hosted more than 100 investment activities.

Against the backdrop of mounting unilateralism and protectionism, which pose risks to global economic stability, China has steadfastly kept its doors open, consistently advanced high-level opening up, and actively fostered the development of diverse cooperation platforms.

These efforts reflect China's determination to promote trade, encourage mutually beneficial cooperation, and create a more interconnected global economy. The dynamic scenes at CIFTIS serve as a clear demonstration that opening up and cooperation represent the prevailing trends and the collective aspirations of the people worldwide.

The world economy thrives on openness and stagnates in isolation. China will work hand in hand with all international partners to pursue open development, unswervingly promote the building of an open world economy, uphold the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core, and oppose all forms of protectionism.

Through high-level opening up, China will continue to share opportunities, pursue mutually beneficial cooperation, and create a brighter future of shared prosperity and sustainable development for all.