中文
A view of Shougang Park, the venue of CIFTIS, in Beijing, September 10, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
By Timothy Kerswell
The China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) is being held from September 10-14 in Beijing. Organized since 2012, CIFTIS is one of the world's largest and most vibrant services economy platforms. As a global forum, the annual event gathers governments, businesses, and investors from around the world to witness first-hand how trade in services is driving digital innovation, greening growth, and spurring new models of economic growth. Nearly 2,000 companies are exhibiting onsite, including almost the entire Fortune Global 500 firms and industry leaders such as Walmart, AstraZeneca and KPMG. This year's most important presence will be that of Australia, which is serving as the guest of honor for CIFTIS 2025. With nearly 60 institutions and companies participating at the Australian pavilion, it is also the largest Australian delegation in the history of the fair. There can be no mistaking the message being sent by this signal of intent: China and Australia want to expand their economic ties, deepen their cooperation, and build their partnership on the most practical, forward-looking, and mutually beneficial areas of shared interest.
To be sure, the Australian presence at CIFTIS 2025 has significance beyond what it means for Australia-China trade in services. Recent months have seen small but understandable signs of pragmatism and shared interest in the relationship between China and Australia. The Australian government has signaled its desire to find common ground on issues of trade, development, health, climate, and green technology. The large Australian business presence at CIFTIS shows similar willingness on the part of Australian businesses to engage with China. It also serves as a signal to both business and policy circles in Canberra that long-term prosperity requires stable and diversified partnerships.
Australia is strong in a range of areas, including education, healthcare, financial services, tourism, and digital innovation. Each of these service sectors reflects the needs and priorities of the China of the future. The country's middle class is on track to reach more than 70 percent of its population by 2030, a large and sophisticated domestic market with demand for high-end services. Australian strengths in training, technology, and professional expertise in many of these same fields are a natural complement. CIFTIS is a chance to advance cooperation in areas of shared interest that will not be derailed by short-term political changes.
The expansion of foreign access to China's markets in finance, professional services, healthcare, and digital platforms is already happening on the ground in China and is one exemplified by CIFTIS. China is Australia's largest trading partner. In 2023, China bought $145 billion of Australian exports, worth 32.5 percent of Australia's total exports to the world. The growth of these sectors and others in recent years demonstrates the potential for cooperation to deepen and broaden into new areas.
China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS), Beijing, capital of China, September 10, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
In contrast to China's trend of openness, the U.S. under the "America First" policy agenda has been moving in a protectionist direction for the last decade. The resulting tariff regime and shifting trade rules are a constant source of unpredictability and make long-term business planning difficult even for U.S. allies and partners. Over-alignment with U.S. priorities also carries the additional risk of exposure to volatility that can change with each electoral cycle. China offers a different business environment, and by keeping its markets open to foreign firms and encouraging competition, the country is not just offering near-term opportunity but also a degree of predictability for long-term investment. The stability it offers is as important as short-term returns for Australian companies in emerging sectors such as agritech, clean energy consulting, higher education, and medical research.
CIFTIS 2025 places special emphasis on green and digital services. China has emerged as a global leader in the deployment of renewable energy and climate tech and in digital platforms. Australia in turn has developed capabilities in environmental services, climate science, and digital innovation. The complementarities are clear in each of these areas. For example, Australian fintech companies can partner with Chinese fintech and tech companies to build sustainable finance systems, universities on both sides can collaborate on AI-powered climate monitoring systems, and tourism companies can use digital platforms to connect eco-travel in Australia with Chinese consumers. For firms looking to diversify and strengthen their engagement in China, CIFTIS 2025 is a venue to launch projects and develop long-term cooperation frameworks.
Beyond green and digital services, healthcare and education will be two other key areas of cooperation. China's aging population is creating strong demand for age care, health management, and biotech, creating an opening for Australian service providers with recognized expertise in hospital management and medical research to enter the market. Australian universities are also well placed to play a role in meeting the growing demand for both higher education and professional training in China. Cooperation in these sectors has not only commercial benefits but clear social value for both Australian and Chinese societies.
Tourism and cultural services will also be a field of potential expansion. As Chinese outbound tourism recovers, Australia will remain one of the top destinations for Chinese travelers. CIFTIS can be a venue for tourism boards, airlines, and cultural institutions to better adapt their offerings to Chinese preferences while also looking to open new avenues of Chinese investment in Australian cultural industries. This two-way engagement in tourism and cultural services would deepen not only economic ties but also people-to-people connections.
Financial services represent another area of clear potential. China's gradual opening of its own capital markets and its emergence as a center of green finance create an opening for Australian banks, insurers, and consultancies. With sustainability a core concern of global investment today, this is a space where Australian expertise and Chinese scale have the potential to create new benchmarks.
All these factors combine to make CIFTIS 2025 more than just another trade fair. It is both a demonstration of China's role in global markets and a platform for its partners such as Australia to position themselves strategically in these key growth sectors. At a time when protectionism and political volatility are rising in many parts of the world, CIFTIS offers an example and an opportunity for openness and practical cooperation.
In Australia's case, CIFTIS also comes at a key inflection point. Australia now has a choice: to remain locked into the uncertainties and unpredictability of U.S. protectionism, or to deepen engagement with China and its stable role in the global services economy. This year's large Australian delegation to CIFTIS 2025 is a sign that the business community at least understands the answer to that question clearly. For long-term prosperity to take hold, Australia needs to align itself with the predictable and not the volatile. CIFTIS 2025 is a symbol of that calculation, which is why Australia's role as guest of honor also marks a potential future direction for the Australia-China relationship.
Timothy Kerswell, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, is a Distinguished Research Fellow at the Development Watch Centre in Kampala, Uganda.
