The 2026 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) welcomed crowds Saturday as its public open day kicked off at Shougang Park in Beijing, drawing visitors with free reservations and hands‑on access to the latest global service trade innovations.
The five-day fair opened on Wednesday, bringing together participants from 90 countries, regions and international organizations, with more than 1,800 companies exhibiting on site.
This year’s CIFTIS showcases tech innovations woven into everyday living. From fast‑charging platforms that make green travel easier to VR headsets that drop visitors courtside for a basketball try‑out, the fair turns new technology into hands‑on experience.
"This year, a great deal of VR and digital technology content has been incorporated, offering a refreshing experience that is truly immersive, allowing us to more deeply appreciate the technological innovations and changes that have taken place over the years," said a visitor.
Beyond numerous achievement releases and a rich lineup of forum activities, this year's CIFTIS also features 74 supporting events running throughout the fair. Whether local residents or foreign guests who have traveled from afar, everyone can find their own way to experience the event.
"We were looking for new technologies to implement in our country. We really need this kind of new services, new ways of implementing things," said Jaime Almanza, director general of international affairs of the Foundation for the Management and Development of Colombia, an Bogota-based organization focused on sustainable territorial development.
2026 CIFTIS opens to public, showcases service trade innovations
A Canadian House of Commons petition calling for the removal of U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra has garnered more than 260,000 signatures, the latest sign of increasingly strained ties between the two neighboring countries.
Trade rows between the U.S. and Canada escalated Tuesday as U.S. President Donald Trump announced new import bans and tariff adjustments on Canadian products.
Trump had imposed 50-percent tariffs on about 20 billion U.S. dollars' worth of Canadian goods on Aug. 22, prompting Canada to retaliate with tariffs on an equivalent value of U.S. imports, which took effect Tuesday.
Amid heightened trade tensions, Trump signed an executive order last month directing the Department of the Interior to rename Lake Ontario "Lake America."
"It is shocking, it is draining, it is exhausting, to wake up every day and see that your home country is the source of most of the world's breaking news and generally not in very positive ways," said Tyeshia Redden, a U.S. citizen now living in Toronto.
Views of Trump and the U.S. administration are also not sitting well with people in Canada. In July, a petition calling for the expulsion of U.S. Ambassador Hoekstra was submitted by a Calgary resident and sponsored in the House of Commons by Green Party leader Elizabeth May. The petition accuses Hoekstra of making repeated statements "undermining the Canada-U.S. diplomatic relations" and normalizing U.S. administration's threats to annex Canada as the "51st state."
It calls on the Canadian government to formally declare Hoekstra persona non grata and request his removal as U.S. ambassador to Canada, while urging a parliamentary committee to review "U.S. diplomatic interference in Canadian domestic affairs." The petition is scheduled to close on Nov. 18.
Jon Allen, a former Canadian ambassador to Israel, said the U.S. ambassador could have been much more diplomatic.
"His job is to promote the policies of his President and of the administration in the United States. But in the normal course, a diplomat does what diplomats do, tries to make the best of a complicated, difficult situation, tries to understand the other side without frankly giving up the positions that he's paid to advance," said Allen.
Allen conceded that the chances of Hoekstra being removed from Canada due to the petition are near zero, but he expressed hope that Hoekstra will receive the message and tone down the rhetoric.
"We had thought the Prime Minster had made that clear in the White House when he said 'Mr. President, you are a real estate developer. You understand sometimes you can buy property and sometimes you can't. Well Canada is not for sale,'" said Allen.
As for Redden, despite the tension between the two countries, she said she still feels welcome in Canada.
"I find that many Canadians are very empathetic and understanding and I haven't experienced any friction with anyone," she said.
Over 260, 000 Canadians sign petition to expel US envoy
