Spotlight on Cross-border Flows of Data as a Key Production Factor and Free Trade Zone Linkage to Support Beijing in Building a New Benchmark for Open Cooperation

BEIJING, Sept. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The 2026 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) officially opened in Shijingshan District, Beijing on September 9, 2026. On the opening day of the fair, the Open Cooperation Forum took place at the Shangri-La Shougang Park, Beijing. The forum drew nearly 300 participants from government agencies, international organizations, multinational corporations, industry associations, as well as universities and research institutes, who gathered in west Beijing for the event. Attendees engaged in in-depth discussions on a range of priority topics, including cross-border flows of data as a key production factor, linkage development of free trade zones, international cooperation on artificial intelligence (AI), and innovation in the exhibition and convention economy. Over the course of the forum, participants jointly explored pathways to build the capital into a new highland for international open cooperation.

This year marks the second consecutive year that CIFTIS has operated under its “one permanent venue” model at Shougang Park, and the first year that the core area of this venue has been fully opened following renovation and upgrading. Shijingshan District has consistently upheld the core working philosophy of ensuring the success of CIFTIS, actively participating in the fair, and leveraging its spillover benefits. Pooling resources across the district under the guidance of “top-tier standards, innovative mindset, and whole-region coordination”, it has delivered high-quality local service support for the event to high standards. As a key component of the series of thematic forums held during the 2026 CIFTIS, this forum is designed to foster cooperation through openness and pursue mutual benefits via collaboration. It aims to drive in-depth exchanges, deliberations and practical implementation of outcomes in key areas of trade in services.

Pool Wisdom from All Stakeholders to Jointly Discuss Open Cooperation

In the session of addresses, guests shared profound insights from multiple dimensions including policy guidance, global perspectives, and industrial empowerment, focusing on themes such as deepening international open cooperation and promoting high-quality development of trade in services. Amid the global trend of digital, intelligent and green transformation of trade in services, deepening international open cooperation is the inevitable path to advancing high-quality development. Against this backdrop, Shijingshan should leverage its unique location at the intersection of the Chang’an Avenue West Extension and the Western Hills-Yongding River Cultural Belt further. It should adopt a more open posture to connect with global resources and promote deeper cooperation to stimulate innovation.

Wan Long, District Mayor of Shijingshan District People’s Government and Deputy Secretary of the CPC Shijingshan District Committee of Beijing Municipality, delivered the welcome address, stating that as the permanent venue of CIFTIS and a coordinated development zone of the Beijing Pilot Free Trade Zone, Shijingshan stands ready to work with global partners to explore new pathways for open cooperation in the digital-intelligence era, and kick-start cooperation from this very spot.

In his address, Tang Wenhong, Vice Mayor of Beijing, noted that the “Two Zones” initiative has delivered remarkable results and that the CIFTIS platform has undergone continuous upgrades. As the permanent venue of CIFTIS, Shijingshan is undergoing a stunning transformation from an industrial rust belt to an urban showcase. He sincerely invited global partners to invest in Shijingshan and Beijing, and share new opportunities in the trade in services sector.

Michael Parker, President of the Ireland China Friendship Association, delivered a video address at the event, noting that CIFTIS is a key platform for showcasing China’s steadfast commitment to opening-up and promoting shared development. He added that Ireland is ready to take the 47^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Ireland and China as an opportunity to deepen cooperation with Shijingshan District and Beijing in areas including green development, economic and trade investment, and other relevant fields, and jointly forge a bridge for China-Europe cooperation.

During his address, Xu Liang, Deputy Secretary-General of the China Chamber of International Commerce (CCOIC), stated that CCOIC is poised to build on its existing cooperative foundation with Shijingshan District in order to jointly weave a denser global cooperation network. The aim is to seize opportunities in emerging sectors, integrate into global industrial and supply chain collaboration, and focus on signature industries such as AI and the sci-fi cultural and creative sectors. This will help Shijingshan District to seize the initiative in the new round of industrial transformation.

Focus on Frontier Tracks to Jointly Chart Development Pathways

The keynote speech session saw guests from the government, industry, academia, and research sectors forge a broad consensus and evoke strong resonance under the shared theme of “open cooperation”. Topics discussed included Shijingshan District’s digital practices and the empowerment afforded by global network linkages. Other topics included global AI cooperation trends, open financial services geared towards the real economy, and conversion pathways for transforming event-driven visitor flows into sustained urban economic gains. The deep integration of AI with the exhibition and convention industry was also discussed.

Li Wenhua, Executive Deputy District Mayor of Shijingshan District People’s Government and Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Shijingshan District Committee of Beijing Municipality, delivered a speech titled Digital Intelligence Shijingshan • Linking the Future: Building a New Benchmark for Open Cooperation in the Capital. In his speech, he systematically presented Shijingshan District’s new open development landscape, led by digital trade and driven by data as a key production factor. This landscape is also underpinned by coordinated linkage with the pilot free trade zone.

Murat Seitnepesov, Chairman of the Greater Caspian Association (GCA), gave a themed presentation titled From Geneva to Shijingshan: Leveraging Global Networks to Build a New Benchmark for Open Cooperation in the Capital, in which he shared insights on pathways and best practices for regional open cooperation from the perspective of international organizations.

Cai Xinghua, Secretary of the CPC Committee and President of the Bank of China Beijing Branch, delivered a speech entitled Leveraging Open Finance to Boost High-Quality Development of Trade in Services, introducing innovative practices of empowering trade in services through financial opening-up.

Qian Kun, Global Senior Vice President of Qualcomm, delivered a keynote presentation on the theme of Open Cooperation: Driving Global AI Innovation and Development. He noted that AI agents are being rapidly deployed in end-user products and real-world application scenarios, and collaborative innovation across industry stakeholders is essential for the development of this technology.

Jin Hongli, Deputy General Manager of Shougang Group, shared insights in From Exhibition & Convention Footfall to Urban Value Retention: Forging a New Paradigm for Exhibition & Convention-Led Urban Renewal, detailing Shougang Park’s transformation from industrial heritage to an international exhibition and convention town.

Jiang Huai, Vice President and Secretary-General of the China Convention/Exhibition/Event Society, Member and Secretary-General of the Exhibition Industry Standardization Technical Committee at the Ministry of Commerce, explored AI + Exhibitions and Conventions: Driving Global Openness and Collaborative Innovation Through Intelligent Integration, analyzing frontier trends in AI’s deep fusion with the exhibition and convention industry.

Debut of Data as a Key Production Factor Platform, Customized Sci-Fi & Gaming Insurance to Bolster Industry Development

The achievements release segment of the forum featured a host of highlights. A new Services Trade Platform for Cross-Border Flows of Embodied AI Data as a Key Production Factor, jointly built by Beijing Shijingshan Science and Technology Innovation Group Co., Ltd. (a state-owned enterprise in Shijingshan District) and Beijing Telecom, made its official debut at the event. As China’s first industry-level comprehensive service platform dedicated to cross-border flows of embodied AI data as a key production factor, the platform is also the first landmark outcome of the Shijingshan Coordinated Development Zone under the Beijing Pilot Free Trade Zone to advance full-chain collaborative reform tasks for cross-border data flows in the AI sector. The platform has already established a complete transaction closed loop spanning from data product listing to cross-border delivery, significantly boosting the convenience of cross-border export of embodied data and the efficiency of compliance management. Its debut at CIFTIS marks a critical step for China’s embodied AI data as a key production factor to enter the global market and seize the initiative in setting relevant international standards and rules. It will also provide a replicable and scalable “Beijing model” for institutional innovation in data flows.

A new Sci-Fi & Gaming Insurance Solution, jointly released by PICC Beijing Branch and the Western Beijing Game Innovation Alliance, made its official debut at the forum. Customized exclusively for enterprises operating in the sci-fi, gaming and esports sectors, the solution integrates three core insurance products: R&D risk insurance, startup operation insurance, and intellectual property infringement liability insurance. As a comprehensive risk coverage package, it is designed to safeguard the high-quality development of the west Beijing sci-fi industry cluster.

Six Landmark Partnerships Formalized, University-Government Synergy Unlocks New Development Opportunities

Six high-impact cooperative projects were formally inked at the signing session.

1. Digital Embodied AI Performance Service Platform: Signed by Beijing YMATE Co., Ltd., the Zhongguancun Zhongheng Culture and Technology Innovation Service Alliance, and Chongqing Xingweishi Technology Co., Ltd., the platform will drive innovative deployment of embodied AI technology across the live performance and entertainment industry.
2. International Innovation Center for Biomedicine Industry Chain: Signed by Beijing Fuhua Kangtai Biomedicine Technology Co., Ltd. and Beijing Zhongguancun Industrial Internet Industry Development Co., Ltd., the center will focus on cross-sector integration between biomedicine and industrial internet industries.
3. AstroWit Global Expansion Strategy and Series B Financing Cooperation: Signed by Beijing Zhihui Hengxing Technology Co., Ltd. and its Series B investment partners, the initiative seeks to expand the global footprint of AI technology applications in the digital cultural sector.
4. “Yangyishu” Digital Art Asset Operation Platform: Signed by the Administrative Commission of Zhongguancun Shijingshan Science Park and ZK Trends (Beijing) Technology Service Co., Ltd., the platform aims to advance digital art assets from content creation to a fully closed value loop, infusing new growth momentum into the development of Shijingshan District’s digital cultural industry.
5. Strategic Cooperation Agreement between Shijingshan District Government and Beijing Jiaotong University: Signed by the Shijingshan District People’s Government of Beijing Municipality and Beijing Jiaotong University, the agreement will see the two parties carry out in-depth cooperation across key areas including talent cultivation, sci-tech innovation, and achievement transformation.
6. Inauguration Ceremony of the Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) Technology Transfer Center Beijing Branch: Prior to this event, the HIT Beijing Research Institute was jointly established by HIT and Shijingshan District. This comprehensive university-local collaborative institution integrates scientific research, innovation, achievement transformation and talent recruitment and cultivation. The inauguration of the Technology Transfer Center Beijing Branch marks a further deepening of bilateral cooperation, and will continue to drive the organic integration of HIT’s technological and talent strengths with Shijingshan’s industrial landscape and development opportunities.

Exhibitions and Conventions Converge in West Beijing for a Brilliant Showcase of Outcomes

As the forum drew to a close, Hu Hao, Deputy District Mayor of Shijingshan, presented the following cooperation initiative on behalf of the district government: “Initiative on Exhibitions and Conventions Converging in West Beijing for a Brilliant Showcase of Outcomes: Building a Globally Connected City Parlor”. The initiative aims to collaborate with multiple stakeholders to advance the construction of the Shougang Park International Exhibition and Convention Town, continuously amplify the spillover and driving effects of CIFTIS, transform the short-term traffic generated by exhibitions and conventions into long-term growth drivers for the district’s development, and jointly build a globally connected and opening-up serving city parlor.

Standing at the new milestone marked by the full commissioning of the permanent venue for CIFTIS and the official approval of the Coordinated Development Zones of the China (Beijing) Pilot Free Trade Zone, Shijingshan District will adopt a CIFTIS-focused three-pronged strategy: ensuring the fair’s smooth hosting, actively engaging in CIFTIS activities, and maximizing its spillover benefits. Leveraging the institutional advantages of these coordinated development zones, the district will designate cross-border flows of data as a key production factor as a breakthrough, and prioritize distinctive industries such as AI as strategic focal points, to fulfill its mandate as the core functional area of west Beijing within Beijing’s overarching strategic framework for international open cooperation.

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