Nations unite at the trade in services fair

The 2017 Beijing International Fair for Trade in Services, held from May 28 to June 1, will offer thematic activities focusing on important strategies such as the Belt and Road Initiative, said Yan Dong, director at the China International Center for Economic and Technical Exchanges.

Yan is also director of the fair's organizing committee. He said 23 countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, including Thailand, Switzerland, Hungary and South Africa, will host displays and other activities at the fair.

A cultural and creative industry forum between China and central and eastern European countries will invite related cultural organizations from 16 central and eastern European countries such as Poland and the Czech Republic to discuss cooperation and development.

Centering on collaborative development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the fair will organize three conferences. One conference will focus on integrating the region's traditional culture into vocational education and training of innovative professionals. Yan said the fair will also highlight innovation and integration. It will organize online and offline auctions for intellectual property projects. The design services and intangible cultural heritage sections will select some projects to provide road shows.

The health service field will promote integration among medical treatments, the internet and insurance at the fair. The performing arts service section will integrate artistic performances with tourism resources.

Interactions are another focus of the fair, Yan said, adding that representatives from 16 central and eastern European countries will be invited to visit cultural companies and areas in Beijing, such as Huayi Brothers Media Corp and 798 Art Zone, for cultural communication.

The sports service exhibition area will offer an ice rink for visitors to have a try while intangible cultural heritage masters' works will be auctioned at the fair. In total, 42 countries and regions have agreed to hold exhibitions or thematic activities at the fair.

Eight countries and regions, including Japan and Brazil, will set up exhibition areas while a joint display area featuring African countries will also be found at the fair.

songmengxing@chinadaiy.com.cn

(China Daily 05/29/2017 page12)