Forthcoming Fair

By Li Xiaoyang

Amazon Web Services （AWS） will par- ticipate in the China International Fair for Trade in Services （CIFTIS） for the first time this year. The global provider of cloud computing services， which is a subsidiary of U.S. online retailer Amazon， made the decision after the organizers established the events inaugural exhibition zone for digital services. The fair is scheduled to be held in Beijing from September 2 to 7.

According to Li Xiaomang， General Manager of AWS China Commercial， China is a major market in the companys global business network. The AWS has been operating in China since 2016， focusing on technological support to foreign-funded companies and on helping Chinese companies go global in industries such as finance and manufacturing.

“By attending the CIFTIS， we hope to promote our digital services， such as cloud computing， the Internet of Things and virtual reality（VR）， and to boost global cooperation on the digital economy，” Li told the media. In addition to the AWS， another 47 tech firms， including Chinese firm Alibaba and Japan-based camera maker， Canon， will participate in the fair.

Trade in services involves the sale and delivery of intangible products such as transportation， tourism， telecommunications and computing.

Sun Yao， Deputy Director of the Beijing Municipal Commerce Bureau， told a press conference on August 1 that the CIFTIS 2021， with an exhibition area of about 130，000 square meters， will take place at the China National Convention Center and the Shougang Industrial Park， a former industrial site.

With the theme Toward Digital Future and Services-Driven Development， it will cover eight sectors， including digital services， healthcare and sport. Over 100 forums， conferences and business negotiations on trending and emerging issues， such as the digital economy and carbon neutrality， will also be convened. Enterprises such as Alibaba and U.S. biopharmaceutical company Pfizer are expected to release new technologies and services.

As of July 28， 165 organizations from 108 countries and regions had confirmed their participation through both offline and online channels. Of these， 81 countries are cooperating with China on the Belt and Road Initiative. The number of participating enterprises will exceed 700， Sun said.

Through the promotion of domestic products to overseas markets and the introduction of foreign brands to Chinese consumers， the CIFTIS plays a significant role in the development of cross-border e-commerce in China. It also provides a platform for exchanges on digital technologies that will assist China to transform from a global manufacturer to a global power in the trade in services， Pan Helin， Executive Director of the Digital Economy Academy at the Wuhanbased Zhongnan University of Economics and Law， told Beijing Review.