The 2026 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) closed in Beijing on Sept. 13 with more than 1,200 outcomes spanning signed deals, new products and partnership agreements between Chinese and global firms. Over the five-day run, CIFTIS hosted 200 forums and matchmaking sessions, 15 thematic forums, 51 special-topic forums and 134 negotiation and promotion events, with more than 1,830 companies exhibiting on site.
A total of 103 companies and institutions released 233 new outcomes, 119 of them debut products, spanning fields from smart digital production and cell therapy to sci-tech finance. The fair drew 116,000 registered trade visitors, up 3.7 percent year on year.
"It's a massive market with great solutions and especially I would like to highlight the AI solutions that the Chinese [companies] offering," said Yunis Guliyev, an exhibitor from Azerbaijan.
Norway, attending as guest country of honor for the first time, saw its delegation conclude six cooperation agreements with Chinese companies and institutions, while 36 key projects were signed on site at the "Invest in Beijing" promotional event.
Its national pavilion focused on the maritime economy and sustainable development, with exhibits and service solutions spanning green energy, nutrition and health, and creative design.
At the pavilion, Henning Kristoffersen, commercial counselor of the Norwegian Embassy to China, pointed to high-tech pairings between the two countries as a route into new markets.
"Just sell this product in Northern Europe. So then you have a Norwegian-Chinese high-tech cooperation to enter a third country. So you have a lot of opportunities," he said.
Ole J. Rugset, CEO and managing director of the Kristiansund and Nordmore Business Association, a regional chamber for companies in western Norway, said the fair had changed what his members consider reachable.
"I think China is a very important market for us and now China is opening for us," he said.
For Bora Gumusel, an American exhibitor, the fair only reinforced a choice his company had made earlier.
"It looks very well organized, the professional one. China is the biggest supply chain. We already work with the Chinese companies," he said.
Liboire Bigirimana, governor of Gitega Province in Burundi, said the value of the fair for his country lay in what its delegation could carry home.
"This summit, organized in Beijing, China, I think it's really a pretty important platform for the various participants who come from several countries around the world to learn from China's experience in trade and different services. We also have several opportunities. This summit is an opportunity for Burundi," he said.
This year's fair also set aside a special space for Chinese companies going global, a services zone in the newly built Hall 2, where providers covering finance, law, human resources and accounting sat alongside the firms that needed them.
The zone ran roadshows with a negotiation area beside them, where companies worked through their export problems on the spot. Tables in the area from walk-up seats to private rooms carried "reserved" signs throughout.
Wan Weiwei, deputy director of the Beijing International Trade in Services Affairs Center, described how the space took shape.
"This year, we have integrated all professional services essential for overseas expansion, including finance, law, human resources, accounting, into a single zone, effectively creating a one-stop service station for enterprises going global," he said.
Digital production solutions drew the greatest interest from trade visitors across the fair's sectors, and many of them have already entered overseas markets.
Lu Xin, an exhibitor, said the product was built with foreign users in mind.
"This is the first AI large model for general courses that we launched this year. It essentially functions as an interactive courseware. For an overseas teacher on the topic, he or she can project the webpage in the classroom to carry out corresponding interactive activities," said Lu Xin, an exhibitor.
China services fair closes with deals linking Chinese and overseas firms
