Service connects you and me to light up a better future

　　[Economic Interface]

　　In 2023, the service trade fair was brilliant, with more than 1,100 achievements and a number of new products and technologies launched.

Service connects you and me to light up a better future

Guangming Daily reporter Yao Yaqi

　　Cultural tourism, finance, education, engineering consulting, computer and information services … When the services closely related to people in life meet the latest business trends, what kind of sparks will they collide? What surprises will people get? With the in-depth development of global service trade and service industry cooperation, the process of digitalization, intelligence and greening has been accelerating, and new technologies, new formats and new models have emerged one after another.

　　On September 6th, the five-day China International Fair for Trade in Services 2023 ended in Beijing. By 12 noon, nearly 280,000 people had entered the venue, and more than 1,100 achievements were achieved, including 125 new products and technologies in the fields of artificial intelligence, medical care and health. A grand service trade event lit up people’s expectations for a better future.

　　Highlights emerge, and the trend of digitalization of service trade is becoming increasingly obvious.

　　"Check the pulse" of the building, inspect the construction site carefully, and install all kinds of electromechanical pipelines … At this year’s service trade fair, the "intelligent construction robot" launched by China Construction No.1 Bureau showed how intelligent construction can become a reality. In front of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China exhibition area, the newly-released digital RMB hard wallet with the theme of Chengdu Universiade and Hangzhou Asian Games covers bracelets, badges, key chains and other carriers. The application results of digital RMB provide users with rich consumption choices.

　　The latest digital products exhibited at the service trade fair are not limited to this. Walking in various exhibition areas, you can feel the application of a series of new technologies, such as digital Chinese medicine meridian therapy robot diagnosis and treatment, naked-eye 3D orbital cinema, AR/VR special effects Dunhuang tour, and bring a refreshing experience to the audience.

　　Wang Shouwen, deputy secretary of the Party Group of the Ministry of Commerce, international trade negotiator (minister level) and vice minister, pointed out that service trade is the most dynamic and important part of international trade, and the trend of service and digitalization of the global economy is becoming increasingly obvious. New business modes such as digital service, remote service and shared service have flourished after the epidemic, and service trade has become an important driving force of globalization.

　　In recent years, with the accelerated innovation of technologies such as big data, cloud computing, Internet of Things and artificial intelligence, the pace of digital transformation of service trade has been accelerated. According to the forecast of the World Trade Organization (WTO), by 2030, digital technology will increase the growth rate of global trade by 1.8 to 2 percentage points every year. In 2022, the import and export volume of digitally deliverable services in China reached 2.51 trillion yuan, ranking fifth in the world, and the scale reached a record high. Among them, the export of digitally delivered services was 1.42 trillion yuan, 9.6 percentage points higher than the import growth rate, and the international competitiveness of China’s digitally delivered service organizations was further enhanced. In the first half of this year, the import and export scale of digitally deliverable services in China continued to increase by 12.3%, and the digitalization process of service trade was further accelerated.

　　"The importance of service trade has become increasingly prominent, especially the momentum of digital service trade has not diminished." Park Zhishui, chief economist of the Asian Development Bank, said that in the past 20 years, the development speed of digital service trade has greatly exceeded other trade types, and the digital transformation of service trade has promoted innovation and productivity. Although many economies are still in the early stage of developing digital services and digital service trade, this field is full of vitality, and how to release these potentials in the future needs policy priority. It is very important for trade liberalization and facilitation to continuously promote reform and eliminate trade barriers. For small and medium-sized enterprises, digitalization can significantly reduce the fixed cost of entering foreign markets and the variable cost of trade.

　　Wang Dongtang, director of the Department of Service Trade and Business Services of the Ministry of Commerce, said that the Ministry of Commerce will continue to focus on optimizing the digital business environment, improving the level of trade digitalization and accelerating the cultivation of new kinetic energy for the digital development of service trade. It will strengthen the top-level design, promote the introduction of policy documents on the reform, innovation and development of digital trade, strengthen the coordination of promotion policies and regulatory policies, and create a good digital business environment; Actively promote the digital high-end service outsourcing, actively develop productive service outsourcing such as R&D, design, testing, maintenance and leasing, and vigorously support the development of new service outsourcing models such as crowdsourcing, cloud outsourcing and platform subcontracting; Build a national digital service export base with high standards, further implement various policies and measures to support the development of the base, and promote the expansion of digital service exports; Accelerate the digitalization of service trade, support the digital transformation of traditional service trade such as tourism, transportation and construction, and vigorously promote the development of emerging fields such as smart logistics, telemedicine and online exhibition, and continuously improve the tradeability of services.

　　Developing resilience: China’s service trade keeps growing.

　　Walking into the service trade fair venue, the exhibits with the latest scientific and technological achievements are dizzying, and the booths are crowded. In the special exhibition hall of cultural tourism service, in the immersive multi-scene experience space, naked-eye 3D, satellite remote sensing, digital twins, cloud rendering and other technical means present the grand narrative of "the most beautiful central axis"; In the special exhibition hall of health and hygiene services, the application of 3D printing customized orthopedic implants in orthopedic clinic shows the integration of 3D printing technology and medical treatment … The exhibition area is 155,000 square meters, and nine special exhibitions in Shougang Park and National Gymnasium provide visitors and merchants with a big platform to understand service trade and establish cooperation.

　　A set of data shows the attraction of this year’s service trade fair-more than 2,400 offline exhibitors and more than 6,700 online exhibitors; Eighty-three countries and international organizations held exhibitions in the name of government or headquarters, an increase of 12 over the previous session, among which eight countries and international organizations held exhibitions for the first time, and their international participation was further enhanced.

　　The service trade fair has maintained a large volume and scale, highlighting the development potential of global service trade and service industry. This is also a microcosm of the development effect of China’s service trade.

　　Facing the complicated and severe external environment, China’s service trade has shown strong development resilience and maintained rapid growth. In 2022, the total import and export of services was nearly 6 trillion yuan, up by 12.9% year-on-year, reaching a record high, ranking second in the world for the ninth consecutive year. From January to July this year, China’s service trade continued to grow. The total import and export of services was 3,666.91 billion yuan, up 8.1% year-on-year.

　　Shu Yuting, spokesperson of the Ministry of Commerce, said that in the first half of this year, the development of China’s service trade showed the characteristics of an increase in the proportion of knowledge-intensive service trade and a significant recovery in travel services. Among them, the import and export of knowledge-intensive services was 1,583.87 billion yuan, up 11.7% year-on-year, accounting for 43.2% of the total import and export of services. The import and export of travel services was 768.13 billion yuan, up 66.2% year-on-year, and it continued to be the fastest growing service trade field.

　　"Trade in services is an important driving force for sustainable development and shared prosperity, which is conducive to promoting the inclusiveness and inclusiveness of development." Regarding the significance of service trade development, Long Guoqiang, deputy director of the State Council Development Research Center, said that expanding and deepening cooperation in service trade is of systematic and overall significance. At present, promoting the development of service trade is facing new opportunities, and at the same time it is necessary to balance the relationship between development and security.

　　At present, with the weakening of external demand, increasing risk challenges and prominent competition in rules, the development of China’s service trade still faces certain pressures and challenges. However, it should be noted that the foundation of China’s service industry has been continuously consolidated, the opening up of the service sector has continued to deepen, and the digital and green "two-wheel drive" service trade has been innovated and developed, and favorable factors are accumulating. Chen Chunjiang, Assistant Minister of Commerce, pointed out that it is expected that China’s service import and export scale will maintain growth throughout the year and the trade structure will continue to be optimized. In the next step, the Ministry of Commerce will work with relevant departments to speed up the introduction of policies and measures related to service trade, promote the high-quality development of service trade, play a greater role in the construction of a trade power, and contribute to the promotion of Chinese modernization.

　　At this service trade fair, a series of gratifying achievements have brought more expectations for the future development of service trade. 75 enterprises and institutions released 139 achievements, of which 66 launched 125 new products and technologies in the fields of artificial intelligence, financial technology, medical health and cultural creativity, and a number of outstanding achievements such as digital maps of industrial belts and digital solutions of smart laboratories emerged. Authoritative interpretation of China’s opening-up policy in intellectual property and other fields by the promotion conference of "Investing in China Year", 11 pilot demonstration provinces and cities held 35 project negotiations with domestic and foreign investors, releasing a strong signal of opening-up of service industry to the world.

　　Deepening Opening-up and Expanding the "Friends Circle" of Service Trade

　　In the exhibition activities of national characteristic culture along the "Belt and Road" of the Service Trade Fair, a series of activities, such as special cultural performances, cultural promotion and passport punching, show the cultural characteristics of each country. In the UK exhibition area, the guest country of this year’s Service Trade Fair, exhibitors such as HSBC and Pearson brought AI robot games and other products to drive the audience to watch the exhibition interactively. In the online exhibition, 12 countries and 13 international organizations, including France and the Netherlands, set up distinctive and rich cloud exhibition halls. In addition, Norway, Thailand, the World Intellectual Property Organization and other countries, regions and international organizations have also held forums and meetings on digital technology programs and green circular economy.

　　"At this year’s service trade fair, various exhibition countries and organizations concentrated on the latest development achievements in the fields of digital economy, cultural services, tourism services, educational services, medical services and other national special services. The audience can negotiate cooperation opportunities in national special zones and get the latest developments in the development of service trade in various countries." Ding Yong, director of Beijing Municipal Bureau of Commerce, introduced.

　　Service trade is a "bridgehead", which not only allows people all over the world to enjoy the most cutting-edge and high-quality services, but also allows enterprises from all over the world to benefit from service trade. Chang Qide, United Nations Coordinator in China, said that more vitality should be injected into service trade in the future. Developing service trade is not "behind closed doors". Countries should further strengthen international cooperation and achieve symbiosis and common prosperity in a more standardized and fair service trade environment. Countries should form a harmonious, unified and standardized framework consensus on service trade facilitation, so as to create a better external environment for the development of service trade.

　　How to further promote global economic recovery is a key issue at present. Barnett, the chief representative of the International Monetary Fund in China, believes that the opening of the market and the modernization of the global economy can further promote trade growth, and the cross-border flow of services, commodities and capital is irreversible. In the future, some restrictions and barriers in trade must be further broken.

　　Chen Chunjiang said that China will improve the level of opening up, take the initiative to connect with high-standard international economic and trade rules, steadily promote the opening up of the service trade field, promote the introduction of the negative list of cross-border service trade in the national version and the pilot free trade zone version, and initially form an institutional system for the gradient opening of cross-border service trade in China; Give full play to the three platform functions of the Service Trade Fair, namely, opening wider to the outside world, deepening cooperation and leading innovation, continuously deepen international cooperation in service trade, and constantly expand the "circle of friends" in service trade.

　　In 2023, the Service Trade Fair attracted more than 2,400 companies to participate offline and more than 6,700 online. By noon on September 6th, nearly 280,000 people had entered the venue, and more than 1,100 achievements had been achieved.

　　At this trade fair, 75 enterprises and institutions released 139 achievements, of which 66 launched 125 new products and technologies in various fields.

　　From January to July this year, China’s service trade continued to grow, with the total import and export of services reaching 3,666.91 billion yuan, up 8.1% year-on-year.

　　Eighty-three countries and international organizations held exhibitions at this trade fair, 12 more than the previous one, of which 8 countries and international organizations held exhibitions for the first time.

　　(Yao Yaqi finishing)

　　Guangming Daily (September 7, 2023, 15th edition)