Xi returns to Beijing after SCO summit, state visits to Kyrgyzstan, Egypt

The 2026 China Culture & Tourism Industries Expo opened Thursday in north China's Tianjin Municipality, attracting more than 2,500 culture and tourism enterprises from 20 countries and regions. The four-day event, hosted by China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism has also drawn 10 international organizations and national-level industry associations.

The 15th China Intellectual Property Annual Conference (CIPAC) will be held from Sept. 8 to 9 in Beijing, highlighting the high-quality development of the IP sector during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), the country's top intellectual property regulator said on Wednesday.

This year's China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS), set to be held from Sept. 9 to 13 at the Shougang Park in Beijing, will bring together exhibitors from over 90 countries and international organizations, along with more than 1,800 companies.

In 2026, the first year of China's 15th Five-Year Plan period, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has remained firmly committed to its strategic roles and accelerated the transition toward greener, smarter and more effective energy development and utilization.

Data released by China's Ministry of Commerce indicated that the country's total trade in services reached nearly 3.78 trillion yuan ($562.47 billion) in the first half of this year, up 8.3 percent year on year. Service exports totaled 1.50 trillion yuan, an increase of 17.6 percent. Behind these figures is the steady improvement in the quality and efficiency of China's services sector.