Commentary: Services opening-up unlocks more China opportunities

BEIJING, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- What makes the Chinese market an opportunity for the world? The answer is increasingly found not only in its sheer size, but also in the country's expanding strengths in services, innovation and cooperation.

Part of that answer lies in the 2026 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS), the first edition in the country's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) period, which opened its doors at Beijing's Shougang Park this week.

With greater international participation, this year's event underscores the growing role of services in global trade and China's resolve and confidence in advancing high-standard opening up.

Today, services have become an increasingly important engine of the global economy, accounting for 65 percent of global GDP and more than a quarter of world trade, according to UN Trade and Development. Services exports are also growing at more than twice the pace of goods exports.

Meanwhile, with services now forming the bedrock of the Chinese economy, China has placed services trade high on its economic agenda. In the first seven months of 2026, China's services trade expanded 8.3 percent year on year to nearly 4.45 trillion yuan (about 656.9 billion U.S. dollars).

Advancing high-quality development of services trade is a key task set out in China's 15th Five-Year Plan, which calls for efforts to ease cross-border restrictions and foster knowledge-intensive services trade.

Digitalization and green development are emerging as key drivers of China's services development, with advanced technologies like AI and big data increasingly integrated into services trade. This year's CIFTIS has put innovation front and center, highlighting the latest breakthroughs and practical applications.

The fair offers more than a marketplace for services. Norway, this year's guest country of honor, presents a 260-square-meter pavilion featuring a wide range of exhibits, providing a platform for Norwegian companies to pursue practical cooperation in China.

For U.S. pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly, the fair means opportunities to tap China's policy and research strengths and become more deeply integrated into the country's pharmaceutical innovation ecosystem, according to Huzur Devletsah, the company's vice president and China general manager.

The opportunities created by China's expanding services market do not come at the expense of others: as the sector opens further, its growing capacity is opening up new avenues for international cooperation and shared growth.

Reflecting this trend, this year's CIFTIS debuts an exhibition of over 140 cases spanning 12 categories of services trade, including those involving AI, large language models and intelligent agents, offering a glimpse of where China's services sector is headed.

The fair also sets up a new roadshow area that provides Chinese companies with one-stop professional support to expand their global footprint in services.

The country's expanding services capacity is also bringing tangible development opportunities to the Global South. According to Zimbabwean Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, the CIFTIS is expected to help his country identify opportunities for trade in services, build export capacity, and attract credible partners in areas of technology, finance, tourism, education and health care.

As services become an increasingly important arena for global economic cooperation, China's continued opening-up is creating more channels for businesses around the world to connect, cooperate and grow. The "China opportunities" offered by a more open services market are becoming part of a broader landscape of shared growth.