Advancing cooperation in global service trade urged

China is committed to advancing the opening-up of its service market in an orderly manner, and is willing to work with all parties to promote openness, innovation and cooperation in global trade in services, President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday.

Xi made the statement in a congratulatory message sent to the 2025 China International Fair for Trade in Services, which opened in Beijing on Wednesday with the theme "Embrace Intelligent Technologies, Empower Trade in Services". The fair runs through Sunday.

He pointed out that global development is facing both challenges and opportunities amid profound changes in the world economic landscape.

Xi reaffirmed China's commitment to expanding high-standard opening-up, saying that the nation will actively align with international high-standard economic and trade rules and accelerate the opening of its service market in an orderly manner on platforms such as pilot free trade zones and national demonstration zones for the innovative development of trade in services, in order to promote high-quality development of service trade.

China stands ready to work with all parties to build an open world economy and continuously inject fresh impetus into building a community with a shared future for humanity, he said.

Hosted by the Ministry of Commerce and the Beijing municipal government, the CIFTIS is the world's largest comprehensive fair for trade in services.

A total of 85 countries and international organizations, including Australia, Germany and the World Intellectual Property Organization, have set up booths at this year's fair, according to the Beijing municipal government.

Nearly 2,000 companies, such as Walmart, AstraZeneca and KPMG, are using exhibition space during the fair. Australia is the guest country of honor, and nearly 60 Australian companies and institutions are participating in the fair.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang said that amid rising unilateralism and protectionism, China has been striving to steadily advance institutional opening-up in service trade and enhance facilitation, making new achievements in promoting high-quality development of service trade.

Such achievements not only provide strong momentum for China's own development, but also create more space for global economic growth, he said.

Ding called for reducing barriers to service trade to foster a favorable environment for its development, and emphasized the need to strengthen international cooperation in fields such as artificial intelligence and big data.

It is important to negotiate more high-standard free trade agreements to promote common prosperity through mutually beneficial cooperation in service trade, he added.

The value of China's trade in services reached 4.58 trillion yuan ($643 billion) in the first seven months of 2025, up 8.2 percent year-on-year, data from the Ministry of Commerce showed.

In the meantime, trade in knowledge-intensive services increased 6.8 percent year-on-year to over 1.77 trillion yuan.

Nie Pingxiang, a researcher specializing in trade in services at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation in Beijing, said the steady expansion of China's service trade highlights a structural transition toward higher-value industries, driven by policy incentives, rising consumption and industrial upgrading.

At a time when protectionism and unilateralism are adding uncertainty to global markets, advancing trade in services has become a vital buffer for China to mitigate external risks, sustain economic momentum and attract global capital, said Nie.

Xu Shaofeng, senior vice-president of French industrial conglomerate Schneider Electric, said the service sector and trade in services have become core components of China's economy. As a comprehensive international platform dedicated to trade in services, the CIFTIS provides domestic as well as global businesses with a vital window to showcase innovation and expand ecosystem cooperation, Xu added.

The French company, also a six-time CIFTIS participant, unveiled an upgraded service system during the trade fair this year, showcasing how its service capabilities are now more deeply integrated with the needs of multiple industries.

"The fair also demonstrates China's firm commitment to opening-up, offering multinational corporations, including Schneider Electric, greater opportunities for growth," said Xu, adding that the group launched an innovation center for low-voltage power distribution products in Shanghai earlier this month.

Poh-Yian Koh, president for China at FedEx Corp, the United States-based express transportation service provider, also sees strong growth potential in China's service trade sector. She said that as the global trade landscape evolves, FedEx will further expand network capacity, digital and automation capabilities and reliable services in China and other parts of the world.

"We are expanding our footprint in China's third-tier cities, enriching inbound flight services, and strengthening connections with Europe and Southeast Asia," she said, noting that by leveraging big data, artificial intelligence and other technologies, the company will be able to deliver sustainable, smarter logistics solutions for Chinese exporters and consumers.