All the preparatory work for the 2026 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS), to be held from Wednesday to Sunday in Beijing, has been completed ahead of the opening.
It will bring together exhibitors from over 90 countries and international organizations around the world, and has attracted more than 1,830 enterprises to set booths in the venue, including 473 Fortune Global 500 companies and leading industry players.
It will also witness release of more than 200 new achievements, of which over 100 will make their debut.
"The fair will launch 11 inspection tour routes and host 74 supporting events, with greater emphasis on synergizing trade in services with services consumption, and synergizing trade in services with services investment," said Wan Weiwei, deputy director at the Beijing International Trade in Services Affairs Center.
China's services trade posted a solid performance in the first half of 2026, with total services imports and exports reaching 3.8 trillion yuan (about 560 billion U.S. dollars), up 8.3 percent year on year. Services exports, in particular, rose 17.6 percent, emerging as a key driver of foreign trade growth, according to the Ministry of Commerce.
All preparation work for 2026 CIFTIS completes ahead of opening
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Monday that the deployment of a medium- and short-range missile launch system by the United States in Norway represents yet another seriously destabilizing step taken by NATO countries.
The spokesperson pointed out that NATO has made no secret of its intentions in advancing the regional deployment of land-based short- and intermediate-range missiles: to acquire the capability to launch large-scale missile strikes deep into Russian territory, while seeking to control sea lanes of significant military and commercial transport importance.
Zakharova noted that the MK-41 launch system deployed in Norway is capable of firing multi-purpose missiles against both land and sea targets. The system can launch Tomahawk long-range cruise missiles, and their placement in a Nordic country puts vast swathes of Russian territory, including Moscow, within striking range.
She warned that, in response, the deployment sites of the U.S. missile system and their control facilities, as well as related infrastructure, will become objects of special attention for Russia's strategic deterrence forces - including in the planning of the operational use of corresponding strike weapons in the event of armed conflict.
Zakharova said Russia has repeatedly explained in detail that favorable conditions for substantive strategic dialogue with the United States have not yet materialized, and that steps such as deploying land-based intermediate-range missiles in Europe that threaten Russia have "zeroed out" the premises for constructive dialogue on U.S.-Russian strategic issues.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on the same day that Norway's formation of an artillery battalion near the Russian border and its plans to deploy missiles with a range of up to 500 kilometers constitute military buildups that threaten Russia and give Moscow grounds to take additional security measures.
Earlier, Russian Ambassador to Norway Nikolay Korchunov said that Norway had deployed an artillery battalion near the Russian border consisting of four South Korean self-propelled howitzers with a maximum range of 40 kilometers.
Russia slams US deployment of missile launch system in Norway as deeply destabilizing move
