40 countries, over 250 companies, a new zone for promoting services: finance, law, accounting, intellectual property, advertising and HR management

As reported by CCTV+, the 2026 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) will open in Beijing in 100 days, the city government announced on Monday.

The fair will be held at its permanent venue – Shougang Park, located on the site of a former steel mill in western Beijing. This year, CIFTIS will run from September 9 to 13.

Norway will be the guest of honour at the 2026 fair, presenting a national pavilion focused on green energy, digital technologies, healthy home products and high-quality food.

For the first time, CIFTIS will set up a promotion and roadshow zone for services aimed at expanding business abroad. It will bring together service providers in finance, law, accounting, intellectual property, advertising and HR management. In this zone, presentations, professional consultations and business matchmaking will be offered.

More than 40 countries and international organisations, including Norway, Australia and the International Bamboo and Rattan Organisation, have confirmed their plans to organise exhibitions or hold events at the fair. Over 250 companies and institutions are expected to participate, including China Mobile, Bank of China, Tencent, Walmart, Siemens, Eli Lilly and Johnson & Johnson.

 CIFTIS is one of the world’s largest trade fairs for services. Shougang Park is a former steel complex converted into a modern cultural and exhibition centre – a symbol of Beijing’s industrial transformation.

One hundred days to go. Beijing is once again hosting a global services fair. But the venue is different – not glass and concrete, but the workshops of a former plant. Shougang Park is not just a park. It is a statement: industry has left, knowledge has arrived. Norway will bring green energy. Dozens of countries will bring their best services. And the new promotion zone will help Chinese companies go global. Lawyers, accountants, advertisers, HR professionals – now they, too, are export goods. The question is not how many deals will be signed at CIFTIS. Many will. The question is how quickly the world will understand that China trades not only in goods, but also in ideas. And consultations. And intellectual property protection. A former factory has become a bridge. And that bridge leads to the future.