The five-day 2025 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) has offered global companies a gateway to fresh opportunities, highlighted by a vibrant array of cultural and creative products that have drawn strong visitor interest.
Held from Sept. 10 to 14 at Beijing's Shougang Park, this year's fair showcases a wide range of popular cultural and creative offerings.
Canadian exhibitor Brian Jamieson has a small booth of about two to three square meters in the "International Innovation Zone." He has brought a patented mat specifically designed for human rehabilitation training. Previously, this product was primarily sold in over 10 countries, including Europe and the United States.
"There's some pretty foolish stuff going on in terms of geopolitics and global trade right now. In the country we're actually manufacturing, so we don't have to export into the U.S. or Europe or whatever," Jamieson said.
Although this is Jamieson's first time attending the fair, he has participated in two sessions of China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE) since 2023. The vast Chinese market has helped his products reach institutions such as nursing homes and rehabilitation hospitals, bringing nearly a tenfold increase in sales.
At this year's CIFTIS, Jamieson has also attended multiple promotional events in hopes of discovering more business opportunities.
Meanwhile, British exhibitor Satoshi Ohashi is attending CIFTIS for the second time, aiming to foster deeper cross-industry communication and integration.
Ohashi represents Zaha Hadid Architects, a British architecture and design firm that has been expanding into the Chinese market for nearly two decades. The firm has contributed to over 20 major public building projects and delivered more than 10 million square meters of architectural design across China.
"And not just the design or engineering and building construction industry, but actually, more importantly, crossover to other digital industries, even financial industries as well as the cultural tourism industry," Ohashi said.
At this year's CIFTIS, industry giants, international organizations, and trade associations all found pathways to engage with the Chinese market. The fair has become a "key interface" for them to understand Chinese demand and connect with global resources.
"Ireland is a country whose external trade is made-up of two thirds is services, so of course, it makes a lot of sense for us to be here at CIFTIS," said Derek Lambe, Economic Counsellor at Ireland's Embassy in China.
"It's not just those sort of big commodities. We're actually seeing quite a lot of services export. So architecture, for example, is becoming quite a significant field of cooperation between Australia and China. What I love about the Australia-China relationship is that we're so complementary," said Daniel Boyer, deputy CEO of the Australian Trade Commission (Austrade).
"Because this is our second time participating. Nigeria is now no longer a trading partner, but development partner," said Babagana Wakil, Nigeria's charge d'affaires in China.
As the world's first and largest comprehensive exhibition dedicated to service trade, CIFTIS has welcomed nearly 1.19 million exhibitors, traders, and participants from 198 countries and regions, alongside more than 800 international business associations and institutions.
Over 13 years of steady growth, it has become both a key window into China's achievements in service trade and a vital platform for advancing global cooperation.
CIFTIS 2025 opens gateway to global service trade, creative exchange
