A range of new services and products including unmanned retail cars, robot bank tellers, simulated concerts and virtual reality (VR) dressing mirrors have been amazing thousands of visitors at the ongoing 2020 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS), which serves as an ideal platform for boosting confidence and promoting cooperation.

Photo taken on Sept. 6 shows a humanoid robot (right) interacting with a woman at the 2020 CIFTIS. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

With its sleek appearance, professional manner and ability to give cordial greetings, a 5G-based humanoid robot bank lobby manager brought to CIFTIS by China Construction Bank (CCB) attracted a great deal of attention from visitors at the event.

The robot is a result of the integration of key technologies related to cutting-edge achievements such as 5G network, Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), remote interaction, and biological recognition.

It is equipped with a high-frequency knowledge base and a professional knowledge base, and has a bionic control system to help it match answers with communication scenarios.

Under CCB’s brand new service scenarios such as remote assistance, remote examination, and remote marketing, the humanoid robot bank lobby manager can help clients enjoy full self-service more efficiently when undertaking banking transactions.

AI-based services and products of Chinese tech giant Baidu, including artificial neural network Baidu Brain, deep learning platform PaddlePaddle, the Apollo autonomous driving system, Xiaodu voice assistant and smart speakers, and smart mini programs, have also been dazzling visitors at CIFTIS with their extraordinary functions.

Based on its AI vision and speech recognition capabilities, Baidu’s mini program for waste sorting allows users to get information on up to 10 types of waste through the program’s innovative voice search function.

Visitors ask a staff member about Swiss watches at the 2020 CIFTIS, Sept.6. (People’s Daily Overseas Edition/Xu Peiyu)

“Digital trade is constantly injecting a new driving force into and opening up new space for global trade development,” said Wang Haifeng, chief technology officer of Baidu.

Sanofi Pasteur, the world’s largest vaccine company and also one of the earliest multinational pharmaceutical companies to enter the Chinese market, showcased multiple world-leading influenza vaccine technologies and products at CIFTIS.

The event not only provides an important platform for exchanges between various parties for joint efforts to build international “protective screens” for epidemic prevention, but allows enterprises to witness China’s determination to promote higher-level opening-up, encourage innovation, and optimize its business environment, said Zhang Heping, general manager of Sanofi Pasteur China.

“We’re greatly encouraged and feel more confident about our development in China,” Zhang said.

CIFTIS offers various companies a platform and opportunity for expanding cooperation and exploring new markets, noted Zhang Jindong, chairman of Chinese retail giant Suning Holdings Group.

While playing an active role in the value chain of global services and making full use of its ability to provide all categories of goods for all scenarios and all customers in serving consumer markets around the globe, the group will closely follow the development and upgrading of the digital economy, make full use of its smart retail ecosystem, and increase investment and intensify efforts to speed up the construction of new infrastructure so as to boost transformation and high-quality development in the industry, according to Zhang.

This year’s CIFTIS offers a great opportunity for openness, cooperation, as well as efficient dialogues among enterprises, said Chinese digital technology firm JD Digits, which rolled out a smart city operating system that helps manage various resources for smart cities, support applications related to fields such as public security, energy resources, and transportation, facilitate top-level design, and build open ecosystems.