A wave of cutting-edge technologies and new achievements took center stage on Thursday, the second day of the 2026 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) at Beijing's Shougang Park.
Forty-six new tech products were released on the day, spanning advanced industrial gear, cross-border logistics and smart healthcare, as participants looked to turn breakthroughs in Chinese services into blueprints for global cooperation.
"This is my first time in China. I'm here to learn, and I have with me some companies from Norway, and we are visiting some new companies here in Beijing. We have a lot to learn from both the new markets and the new companies here. And so we hope to get some new contacts," said Sverre Krogh Hjelmeland, an exhibitor from Norway.
Advanced tech has also breathed new life into traditional culture.
An immersive digital art display uses artificial intelligence to reinterpret natural landscapes through the brushstrokes of master painters, while the global debut of the digital sand table of "three hills and five gardens" allows visitors wearing augmented reality (AR) glasses to virtually explore the historic Changchun Garden.
"I didn't know that I'm in another environment. It felt so real, like I'm close to nature. It's a way of teaching culture to the people. You feel the culture, and you experience the culture," said Goodness, an exhibitor from Nigeria.
Thursday's packed agenda also included six major thematic forums, alongside 19 specialized sessions and 46 business-matching events.
The day featured a full schedule of cooperation negotiations and matchmaking events. The "Investing Beijing" promotional event was held, the China-Europe Innovation Industrial Park was officially launched, and several major projects were signed. In addition, eight global expansion service promotion roadshows highlighted strategies for entering Southeast Asian markets.
"I have been [to] many exhibitions, but the size [of this one] and the number of people sometimes is shocking. China is extremely big. One of the aims we are here [is] to also see how it works in China," said Zoltan Tuba, business director of HRT Spedition Kft., a Hungarian transport and logistics company.
This year's CIFTIS has drawn more than 1,830 enterprises from 90 countries and regions to exhibit offline, including 473 Fortune 500 companies and industry leaders, surpassing last year's international participation.
New tech debuts, global cooperation drive CIFTIS Day 2
