* "Nestle always has confidence in the Chinese market," said David Zhang, CEO of Nestle Zone Greater China.
* China's door is opening wider in services sector, which is an important part of the high-quality development of the Chinese economy, said Jacky Zou, chairman-elect of KPMG China.
* "We attach great importance to the CIFTIS, as it's an excellent platform for idea exchanging and cooperation," said Liu Ling, president of Philips Greater China.
By Xinhua writers Wang Siyuan, Zhang Zhongkai and Gao Zhu
BEIJING, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- China is gearing up to make its services trade a bright spot in the global arena, creating new opportunities worldwide in its opening-up endeavors and innovation-driven development.
During the hustle and bustle of the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS), which runs from Sept. 12 to 16, foreign exhibitors, introducing new products, exchanging ideas, and seeking new cooperation, expressed their optimism in the Chinese market.
"Nestle always has confidence in the Chinese market," said David Zhang, CEO of Nestle Zone Greater China. He stated that the global food giant hopes to use the services trade fair to strengthen cooperation and exchanges further and better meet the demands of Chinese consumers.
Themed "Global Services, Shared Prosperity," this year's CIFTIS has attracted 85 countries and international organizations and over 450 Fortune Global 500 and leading enterprises.
SHARED DIVIDENDS OF SERVICES TRADE
At the Kyrgyzstan exhibition area, Kaparova Kunduz, general manager of Askunay Tour, is describing to the visitors how they can have a good holiday in the country: hiking around beautiful lakes hidden in valleys, visiting cultural heritages along the ancient Silk Road and spending the night in a tent under the starry sky.
"Our company can receive over 50 Chinese visitors each month, more than double that in 2023, and I hope the figure can double again next year," she said, adding that she has felt China's efforts to propel cross-border travel and business opportunities brought by it.
China's travel services trade has rebounded rapidly, significantly promoting international economic and trade cooperation. In the first half of the year, China's travel service export value soared 131.9 percent year on year, while import value rose 41.5 percent year on year.
At a forum of the CIFTIS, Beijing Mayor Yin Yong said the city will continue to enhance its tourism infrastructure and service quality. In July, the Chinese capital introduced the Beijing Pass, a multi-purpose card for international visitors that facilitates payment for transportation, tourist sites and shopping centers.
Travel services trade is the epitome of the country's robust trade development in services. During the past decade, the average annual growth rate of services trade stood at 6.2 percent in U.S. dollar terms, higher than the global average growth rate, said Wang Dongtang, an official with the Ministry of Commerce.
A succession of policies this year makes China more attractive among the "circle of friends." In March, the country unveiled national and pilot free-trade zone versions of negative lists for cross-border trade in services to boost opening up.
Before this year's CIFTIS, a set of guidelines, which listed 20 significant tasks in five aspects, was issued. The guidelines were expected to expand the scale, optimize the structure, improve efficiency, and enhance the strength of trade in services.
China's door is opening wider in services sector, which is an important part of the high-quality development of the Chinese economy, said Jacky Zou, chairman-elect of KPMG China.
Zou said KPMG hopes to take advantage of the services trade fair, its own professional services, and its international networks to better help foreign companies expand in the Chinese market and assist Chinese enterprises in going global.
SWEET SPOTS IN HIGH-QUALITY DEVELOPMENT
Multinationals are looking to tap new growth areas in China's high-quality development, which also gained significant traction at the CIFTIS, from low-carbon industries to digital technologies.
Eyeing business opportunities in China, Ajlan & Bros Holding Group, one of Saudi Arabia's largest enterprises, is attending the fair for a third straight year, showcasing its cooperation achievements with Chinese partners.
Mohammed Al Ajlan, deputy chairman of the company, said China is sharing development dividends in various areas, including infrastructure, energy, green development and digital economy.
"We have seen vast opportunities in the Chinese government's tangible endeavors in the green transition," said Grant Rong, China government relation director of Wilo Group, which exhibits energy-saving smart high-efficiency pump products, technologies, and solutions at the fair.
"Wilo highlights sustainable development, which is also in accordance with China's dual carbon goal," said Rong, noting that the company's two production bases in Beijing and Changzhou realized carbon-neutral production.
Royal Philips, a leading health technology company based in the Netherlands, brought AI-supported medical facilities and personal care appliances to the fair.
"We attach great importance to the CIFTIS, as it's an excellent platform for idea exchanging and cooperation," said Liu Ling, president of Philips Greater China, adding that the country's emphasis on developing new quality productive forces and promoting high-level sci-tech innovation made her bullish on opportunities in the Chinese market.
Featuring digital and green transition, China's pursuit of developing new quality productive forces injects great impetus to the global economy, said Michael Bi, managing partner of EY Greater China Markets, adding that EY hopes to make use of the CIFTIS to actively embrace opportunities brought by it and tighten the win-win cooperation bond.
(Video reporters: Li Ziwei, Zheng Qingbin, Wang Pu, Chen Xu; Video editors: Li Ziwei, Zheng Qingbin, Liu Xiaorui) ■
