The first thing that struck me upon entering Shougang Park was the sheer size of the space - an old steel mill transformed into a place for global partnerships in business and innovation.
The entire park, once abuzz with the roar of fire and the rumble of machinery, now buzzed with handshakes and conversations in dozens of languages as more than 2,000 global companies showcased their latest ideas at China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) 2025 - the largest comprehensive event of its kind in the world.
CIFTIS 2025, held from 10 to 14 September in Beijing's Shougang Park, brought together nearly 70 countries and more than 2,000 enterprises under one roof. I attended not only as a media representative, but also as someone who is curious to see how global service ideas are being turned into tangible reality.
This year's fair covers nine service sectors - from science and technology to tourism, healthcare and green finance. But this size is only a backdrop. The real story for me was found in the small sparks: the personal exchanges, the moments when ideas, culture and business intersected.
Ava Bayat from Iran, a business manager who is attending CIFTIS for the fourth time, highlighted the practical benefits. "Every year it gets better - the location, the organisation, the opportunities. The fair has really connected Iranian and Chinese companies and enabled them to work together. If I had to describe the fair in one word, the best would be 'opportunity'."
Levan Tavadze, a Georgian businessman who has lived in Beijing for three decades, echoed the sense of continuity. "This is the sixth year in a row we have been here and every year CIFTIS gets bigger and more valuable. Here we can meet Chinese customers who in turn discover small countries like Georgia. It's a window into the Chinese market - a way to clearly understand what local people want and need." He sums it up in one word: "Friendship."
Even tourism had its own cultural symbols. Zuzana Medvedová, a Slovak tourism promoter dressed in the traditional costume of the Helpa region, described the fair as "phenomenal" and noted that the clothing of each village tells its own story. Another Slovak participant, Jan Kerekes, who attended the fair for the first time, said he was impressed by the level of organisation and the contacts made. "The Chinese market is huge, the second largest in the world. Everyone wants to come here and work with Chinese partners. A platform like this is priceless." The only word he chose to describe his feelings about the fair was "gratitude".
Zimulinda Victorien, a Rwandan exhibitor promoting tourism and culture, described the tangible benefits. "This is our second year and we have already welcomed more Chinese tourists. Tourism brings not only opportunities but also investment. For me, the fair is a colourful world."
When I left Shougang Park, it wasn't the numbers of people, industries or companies that stuck in my mind, but these conversations with strangers who now seemed like part of the same story. Together, these voices carried a silent message: openness is not an abstract policy, but a practice built person by person, stall by stall.
More than four decades of reform and opening up in China have shown that openness creates dynamism and growth. The same principle applies to trade in services, which flourishes when markets expand and access deepens. According to official data, China's imports and exports of services reached 4.58 trillion yuan (about $640 billion) in the first seven months of 2025, an annual increase of 8.2 percent.
Behind these numbers is a strong commitment to high-level openings, to creating opportunities for China and its partners around the world.
CIFTIS itself embodies this spirit. More than just a trade fair, it acts as a bridge connecting China to the world and as an engine driving the global exchange of services. In a time of global uncertainty, openness and cooperation are not slogans, but necessities - they keep the mechanisms of international trade running and offer new pathways to common progress.
And in the old steel heart of Beijing, the practice is alive and well.
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