EconoScope | Opening-up fuels innovation, growth in China's service sector

(ECNS) -- China's services trade expanded in the first half of 2025, with value-added services driving 60.2% of economic growth, the National Bureau of Statistics said.

China is continuously expanding trade in services, from healthcare to green energy, and to new forms of cultural and tourism experiences, offering local solutions to global challenges.

Visitors watch a robot dance performance at the 2025 China International Fair for Trade in Services in Beijing on Sept. 14, 2025.(Photo: China News Service/Jia Tianyong)

At last week's China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS), a domestic team unveiled AI-assisted joint replacement surgery simulation software that generates surgical plans from patients' preoperative CT data. The product has been approved for marketing in China and has also received U.S. FDA and EU CE certifications, clearing the way for entry into global markets.

Since 2015, China has expanded pilot programs to open its services sector in areas including technology, finance, telecommunications, and culture. A series of institutional measures including the adoption of a negative list for cross-border services trade and the expansion of China's visa-free circle of friends have enhanced the liberalization and facilitation of its services trade.

This year's CIFTIS attracted participation from 85 countries and international organizations. At the venue, Cecilia Chirita, counsellor of the Moldovan Embassy in China, said CIFTIS is vital for many countries, particularly in the Arab world and Latin America. She noted that China is leading in areas such as electric vehicles and logistics, and that exhibitions like CIFTIS create opportunities to expand cooperation.

Openness has also fostered technological exchanges and imports of services such as patents, helping traditional industries upgrade. Xing Houyuan, an expert from the Global Alliance for Trade in Services, noted that China's 1000-100-10 Project, launched in 2006 to promote service outsourcing, nurtured talent, spurred digital industry growth, and laid the foundation for many major internet companies.

At this year's fair, digital supply chain platforms showcased integrated warehousing and distribution systems designed to improve logistics efficiency. Overseas games adopted AI-powered translation tools to cut costs and enhance localization. Emerging fields such as quantum technology are also reshaping service models, which officials say highlight how innovation is boosting the efficiency of openness in the sector.

"As a member of the global service trade industry system, China will calmly respond to challenges such as trade protectionism and geopolitics while pursuing a higher level of openness and deeper international cooperation," Xing said.