The 16th International Service Trade Forum of the China International Fair for Trade in Services was held in Shougang Park, Beijing on Sept 3.

The forum had the theme “Economic Resilience and Global Cooperation: Service Trade in Digital Times”.

Jointly hosted by the Beijing International Studies University (BISU) and the China Association of International Trade, the forum was attended by representatives from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) as well as experts from Hungary, Switzerland, the United States, France and many other countries.

They shared ideas and discussed innovation and the development of service trade in the digital era.

Liu Peng, honorary president of Beijing Institute for International Communication and honorary chairman of the Chinese Olympic Committee, delivers a speech.

Service trade is an important component of international trade as well as a major field of international economic and trade cooperation.

It promotes world economic development, cultural exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations. The forum had two sections of “economic resilience supports the development of global service trade” and “competition and cooperation of service trade in the era of digital economy”.

Chen Jian, general counselor of the China Institute for Service Trade and former vice-minister of Commerce, delivered a keynote speech on “Economic resilience and global cooperation”.

Chen said he believes that China’s economy is resilient and the prospect of economic structural adjustment and optimization has not changed.

As to the future development of service trade, Chen suggested promoting the professional and high-quality development of producer services, providing internationally competitive service industries; pushing forward the diversified development of producer and consumer services; deepening opening-up in the service sector; improving policy system for service industry development; and boosting digital and intelligent transformation and upgrading of the service sector.

Representatives and scholars from various countries shared cases of innovative practices and thinking, laying a foundation for international service trade and cultural trade.

Five research results in the three series were released at the forum, such as service trade blue book series China's International Trade in Services Development Report 2022 and cultural trade blue book series China's International Cultural Trade Development Report 2022.

The unveiling of research findings

At the forum, researcher Li Gang, former vice president of Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation of the Ministry of Commerce and vice-chairman of China Association of International Trade unveiled awards for 2022 “Economic Resilience and Global Cooperation: Service Trade in Digital Times” special essay collection.

The winners of the special essay award are announced.

Professor Li Xiaomu, president of the China Institute for Service Trade, said the forum is an important platform for communicating academic ideas, releasing think tanks' findings, sharing cases of innovation practice and facilitating cooperation among the government, the industry as well as educational and research institutes.

The forum was hosted by the BISU's international cultural exchange (cultural trade) and research base, the China Institute for Service Trade, the Professional Committee on Trade in Services of China Association of International Trade and Beijing Research Institute for International Service Trade and Cultural Trade.

The forum received great support from the China Institute for Cultural Trade Research, the National Institute for Cultural Development and many other institutes and enterprises.