CAIRO, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- China is leading a global trend in making trade in services green and smart, and holding the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) is a key step in this direction, said an Egyptian expert.
"CIFTIS attracts visitors from all over the world, gaining greater international interest, popularity and turnout year after year," said Abdel-Sattar Eshrah, secretary-general of the Cairo-based Egyptian-Chinese Business Council, in a recent interview with Xinhua.
The five-day fair, which kicked off on Saturday in Beijing, serves as an important platform due to its diversity of exhibits, which involve many important economic sectors such as transportation, logistics, tourism, and artificial intelligence (AI), among others, he said.
"The fair will offer very large investment opportunities and future visions for joint cooperation," said Eshrah, who is also a counselor of the Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce.
It will be "a valuable opportunity," especially for the Egyptian side, to learn about the most important technological developments in the field of trade in services, to forge relevant partnerships with the Chinese side and to benefit from the Chinese technological progress, said the expert.
"It provides an opportunity for Egypt to engage in relevant various projects with China that benefit both sides, such as AI-related projects and others," he added.
Noting that there is a global tendency to dispense with fossil fuels and replace them with new and renewable energy sources, such as green hydrogen, Eshrah said that China possesses very advanced technology in this area.
The volume and income of trade in services are likely to surpass those of merchandise trade in the near future, according to the expert.
"China is leading this trend due to its importance, the low cost of services and their very high returns," said the expert. "China seeks to make this trade smart, clean and green."
The China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which seeks win-win partnerships among participating states via mega joint infrastructure projects in various fields, is among the most important elements of trade in services at this year's fair, the Egyptian business leader told Xinhua.
"The BRI is of paramount importance to trade in services because it combines services related to transport with logistics and technological progress so that these services are green, clean and sustainable," he said.
"I visited China several times and toured many of its factories. I was impressed by China's success in using advanced technology and preserving the environment by keeping industries smart and green," Eshrah recalled.
He said that China has tremendous capabilities and advanced technologies in this field, which provide great partnership opportunities for those planning to attend the fair.
China has always shown "great and unprecedented cooperation with all countries of the world," and has launched many cooperation initiatives with countries to achieve progress and prosperity for all, said the expert.
It is "a golden opportunity" for participating countries to learn from China's expertise in the field of trade in services and the Chinese development experience in general, he added. ■
