President Xi welcomes delegates to CIFTIS

Editor's note: President Xi Jinping sent a welcome message on Thursday to the Global Trade in Services Summit of the 2021 China International Fair for Trade in Services. Following is the full text of his message:

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dear Friends,

Good evening. On behalf of the government and people of China, and also in my own name, I wish to extend a warm welcome and cordial greetings to all the distinguished guests of the 2021 China International Fair for Trade in Services.

This year's CIFTIS is themed "Towards Digital Future and Service Driven Development". I believe that the active participation of you all will make the year's event a special and productive one.

Trade in services is a key component of international trade and an important area of economic and trade cooperation between countries. It has a big role to play in fostering a new development paradigm. We will work with all other parties to uphold openness, cooperation, mutual benefit and win-win, share opportunities in the growth of services trade, and promote world economic recovery and growth.

We will open up at a higher level, by implementing across the country a negative list for cross-border services trade and by exploring the development of national demonstration zones for the innovative development of trade in services. We will create more possibilities for cooperation, by scaling up support for the growth of the services sector in Belt and Road partner countries and by sharing China's technological achievements with the rest of the world. We will further improve rules for the services sector, by supporting Beijing and other localities in piloting the alignment of domestic rules with the ones in high-standard international free trade agreements and in building demonstration zones of digital trade. We will continue to support the innovation-driven development of small and medium-sized enterprises, by deepening the reform of the New Third Board (National Equities Exchange and Quotations) and setting up a Beijing stock exchange as the primary platform serving innovation-oriented SMEs.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Friends,

Let us join hands to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic and get through these tough times. Using peace, development and win-win cooperation as the "golden key", we will be able to address the challenges facing the world economy and international trade and investment, and create a brighter future for all.

Thank you.