On the afternoon of September 1, the Forum on Emerging Trends in the Opening-Up and Development of Trade in Services of the 2022 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) was held. Wang Shouwen, China International Trade Representative and Vice Minister of Commerce, Wang Anshun, Vice President of the Development Research Center of the State Council, and Chen Jining, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and Mayor of Beijing, addressed the forum.

Wang Shouwen said that the service industry and trade in services are playing an increasingly important role in the global industrial chain and value chain. The vigorous development of China's trade in services is attributed to the ever wider opening-up of the service industry. China is willing to work with other countries to promote higher-level opening-up and the recovery and development of global trade in services. We will open wider to the outside world by easing market access with the introduction of negative lists of pilot free trade zones and a nationwide negative list for cross-border trade in services. Work will be done to build open platforms, add more cities to the pilot program for opening up the service sector and introduce new measures to promote the opening-up of the service industry. We will innovate the development model, support the development of emerging business forms in bonded areas and build bases for featured services export. Efforts will be made to deepen international cooperation , including measures to support eligible localities to build international cooperation parks for trade in services, and provide better services for global enterprises as they carry out economic and trade cooperation and trade in services transactions, which will contribute to greater inclusiveness and facilitation of trade in services.

Wang Anshun said that since the 18th CPC National Congress, China has paid more attention to expanding the opening-up of the service industry, deepening international cooperation, and promoting innovative development and enhancing international competitiveness of trade in services, and remarkable results have been achieved. China has attached great importance to the development of trade in services and has promoted greater openness in the sector. With active efforts to explore and innovate, pilot areas have driven the rapid growth of global trade in services, and have contributed to economic structure improvement and consumer market upgrade. The opportunities presented by the digital technology revolution have injected new impetus to development. China's service industry and trade in services have broad prospects and numerous opportunities. This year's CIFTIS is an initiative to share China's development opportunities and a platform for promoting shared benefits for global services, which will strongly advance the cooperation and development of trade in services. Using peace, development, and win-win cooperation as the "golden key" and leveraging the role of the CIFTIS, we will be able to build consensus, deepen cooperation, and create a brighter future for all.

Chen Jining said that Beijing will step up efforts in reform and innovation, advance the building of the "Two Zones" with high quality, and raise the city's opening-up to a higher level with wider coverage and scope, with the aim of creating a new pacesetter for the opening-up and development of trade in services. We will focus on institutional opening-up, accelerate efforts to build institutions and systems for investment and trade that are in line with international standards and enhance the international influence of "Beijing Services". Focused on scientific and technological innovation and the enabling role of digital technology, Beijing will accelerate the innovation of business forms and their integration in application, promote the digital transformation and upgrading of trade in services, and enhance the competitiveness of the digital trade industry, by fully utilizing its endeavor to build itself into the national innovation center as a driver. The city will attach importance to smoothing domestic and international circulation and improving services, build itself into an international consumption center, and develop global networks of trade, investment and financing, production, and services. Efforts will be made to pilot the management practice of negative lists for cross-border trade in services and improve ex ante, ongoing, and ex post oversight, so as to create a world-class business environment.

Zhang Xiangchen, Deputy Director-General of the World Trade Organization, and Ulrik Vestergaard Knudsen, Deputy Secretary-General of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development delivered speeches via video links. Long Guoqiang, Vice President of the Development Research Center of the State Council, and Dai Binbin, Secretary-General of the People's Government of Beijing Municipality, attended the forum.

(Written by Yang Qi)