At the second China International Import Expo, held from Nov 5 to 10, Beijing launched promotional events and attracted participants from 13 countries, including Germany, France and Japan and more than 200 representatives from Swiss digital technology giant ABB, German drug manufacturer Bayer and other companies.

City expanding opening-up in services

Beijing is China's only comprehensive pilot city to expand opening-up in the service industry and has explored more than 400 opening-up and reform measures since 2015.

At a promotional event, Yan Ligang, head of Beijing's Commerce Bureau, introduced opening-up policies in the service industry.

Focuses of opening-up in the sector include science and technology, finance and cultural tourism. The city government has launched eight three-year action plans beginning from this year, which together consist of 190 innovative measures.

The capital is revving up preparations for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, including competition planning, and venue and facility construction, which is creating huge business opportunities and attracting a host of participants.

Beijing's districts presented themselves and promoted their advantages during the city's event at the second CIIE.

Chaoyang district, home to more than 70 percent of the regional headquarters of multinational corporations in Beijing, has established a reputation for its high-level internationalization.

More than 90 percent of international press organizations in Beijing are located in Chaoyang district, making the district an important window and a calling card of the capital's foreign exchanges.

Haidian district showcased Zhongguancun Science Park's innovation strengths, entrepreneurial environment and resource advantages.

The district aims to become an ideal destination for scientists, inventors and entrepreneurs from all over the world.

Ten projects were signed with Beijing at the CIIE, covering the sectors of electronic equipment, procurement of medicine covered by the national basic insurance system, and environmental protection.

The comprehensive pilot project of Beijing's service industry opening-up expansion, together with its free trade experimental area, constitutes an important exploration in a new round of the country's opening-up, Yan said.

Driven by the pilot program, the service sector accounts for more than 82 percent of Beijing's GDP.

The city's trade in services surpassed 1 trillion yuan ($142.11 billion) in 2018, accounting for 20 percent of the country's total.

The paid-in foreign capital is nearly two times that before the pilot program. Currently, more than 90 percent of the foreign capital, went to the service industry.

Beijing will continue to expand opening-up and cultivate new advantages in international cooperation and competition, strive to build itself into a center of international exchanges, improve international services and increase international influence, the local government said.

"Beijing hosts the China International Fair for Trade in Services every year, which is the first national comprehensive trade fair for service. Since 2012, the fair has attracted participants from 184 countries and regions and witnessed deals worth more than $500 billion signed," Yan said.

He added the 2020 CIFTIS will be held from May 28 to June 1 next year and welcome all guests from across the world.