Visitors explore Qingdao's pavilion at the 2026 China International Fair for Trade in Services, showcasing the city's latest innovations in this area. [Photo/Guanhai News]

A total of 38 Qingdao companies are showcasing their latest products and solutions at the 2026 China International Fair for Trade in Services, highlighting the city's growing strengths in digital trade, producer services, cultural tourism and healthcare, as well as marine and international shipping services.

The five-day fair opened at Shougang Park in Beijing on Sept 9, bringing together exhibitors from about 90 countries and international organizations.

This year's event marks Qingdao's first appearance at CIFTIS since it was selected in April among China's first national demonstration zones for the innovative development of trade in services. Qingdao is the only city in Shandong province included in the program.

Digital trade takes center stage at the city's 100-square-meter pavilion, with 16 companies presenting related technologies and services. Qingdao Unicom is showcasing its token aggregation platform, which recently handled the city's first overseas "token export" order, providing AI model training and inference services for a Singapore-based company.

Further support is expected from Qingdao's international communications gateway, which is scheduled to begin operation later this year. The facility will enable more direct cross-border connectivity with Japan, the Republic of Korea and other Northeast Asian markets.

Qingdao's service trade reached 54.03 billion yuan ($7.6 billion) in the first half of 2026, up 19.7 percent year-on-year and accounting for nearly half of Shandong's total.

The city has also rolled out a development plan covering 61 tasks in 17 priority areas as it seeks to foster new growth drivers and strengthen its international competitiveness in service trade.