A total of nearly 280,000 visitors, over 1,100 deals done, exhibits shown on a sprawling 155,000-square-meter premise, 10 summit forums, 102 themed forums, 18 side events and 72 promotional negotiations held, over 2,400 enterprises from 59 countries along with 24 international organizations in attendance, over 20% of the exhibitors from overseas - The China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) completed its five-day journey in Beijing on September 6, laden with numbers elaborating the continued expansion of its club membership, and the worldwide recognition and desire to join.
Trade in services is an important engine of China's external trade while IP is a must-have cog powering innovation development and a standard feature for international trade. The successful organization of this year's CIFTIS not only showcases the amazing highlights and outstanding achievements of innovation development of Chinese services trade and wider opening up of its service industry, but also presents the extraordinary results from China's actions in heightening IP protection to the world while exhibiting China's unwavering stance and absolute resolution in advancing high-level opening up and upholding open cooperation.
New gadgets make new play
A host of new technologies and products armed with self-reliant IPRs vied for visitors' attention while delivering Created in China solutions to the world. Intangible cultural heritage (ICH) skills and cultural/creative products rocketed to stardom while displaying the results of the creative transformation and innovation development of traditional Chinese culture. Chinese geographical indication (GI) products made a grand entrance. All these ubiquitous IP elements shone at the fair.
At an exhibition of innovations in the National Convention Center, a set of rocket and engine models commanded visitors' attention. "These are the models of a liquid oxygen-methane fuel engine and the Zhuque-2 carrier rocket, both of which were developed in China. The engine has unique functions of refurbishment and reuse, a loud statement for our creativity," Huang He, a LandSpace Corporation's sales and delivery executive stated the successful research and launch of the engine and the rocket marked the country's first time in gear-shifting controlling technology of low-temperature liquid rocket engine and large-scale ejector intelligent laser welding technology, both of which had vaulted China's aerospace technology to new heights and earned international recognition. By the end of July, LandSpace had filed over 800 patent applications involving carrier rockets, engines and other technical fields.
At the International Conference on GI and Brand Distribution Service, GI products from Danjiangkou City of Hubei, Jingning County of Gansu and other places debuted on the stage, exhibiting the charm of Chinese rural specialties. The budding GI sector has been constantly empowering modern agriculture to allow more quality GI products from China to the world.
In the exhibition halls of this year's fair, many cultural/creative products represented by Fu Yan - mascot of the event became must-buys. Wei Mingqian, Vice General Manager of Beijing North Star Company and Chair of Beijing Capital Group Exhibitions & Events said CIFTIS's cultural/creative derivatives combined traditional Chinese culture and exhibition peripherals, uplifted the creative ideas and carved more categories to allow the global businessmen to attend this fete and bring the mascot home, along with the CIFTIS memory and results.
Innovative services integrate into international system
Over 100 professional forums at the fair brought insights and wisdom on the development of services trade and service industry. IP, among other things, was in the spotlight.
"The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) appreciates China's efforts in enhancing IP protection and global governance, and looks forward to continuing cooperation with China to advance innovation and improve global IP framework," Wang Binying, WIPO Deputy Director General stressed in her congratulatory letter to the 2023 Summit on Fighting Against IPR Infringement and Counterfeiting that China has been performing well consecutively in the Global Innovation Index (GII) reports and playing an instrumental role in combating infringement and counterfeiting.
The open cooperation of the IP service industry props up China's compliance of international trade rules and integration into the international services trade system while venturing out. According to a statistics and investigation report of IP service industry in China 2023 announced by the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) at the International Forum on IP Services Development, the Chinese IP service industry had been continuing its expansion, improving its service system, bolstering its capability in serving regional economic development, giving birth to new modes and business types and solidifying its role in supporting innovation development.
At the CIFTIS fair, Chinese innovations and Chinese brands have been leading the profound development of the global services trade and service industry cooperation with the quick formation of the new concept, new trend, new route and new consensus, contributing to the Chinese modernization on all fronts and continued recovery of the world economy.