Photo: Xinhua

Washington ( People’s Daily) -“While the conference and exhibition industry is slowly recovering, with a lot of uncertainty around the world, the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) 2021 is an important signal and vote of confidence in this sector, which contributes to local and regional economies as well as the global economy,” Robin van Puyenbroeck, executive director-business development of the World Trade Centers Association (WTCA) told the People’s Daily in a recent written interview.

Extending congratulations on the opening of CIFTIS 2021, Puyenbroeck said that it is very significant to hold such a large-scale expo amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, and a demonstration of China’s confidence about effective epidemic control.

This is the second time for Puyenbroeck to attend CIFTIS since he took the position of executive director-business development at WTCA last year. From his point of view, the world is entering a new phase of “digital globalization,” and the theme of this year’s CIFTIS, “Towards Digital Future and Service Driven Development,” is an excellent way to summarize some of the major trends of global trade in the post-pandemic era. “Without any doubt, the theme is very much in line with global development and digitization trends that accelerated during the pandemic.”

For the past seven years, China has been the second-largest country in trade services. Due to numerous restrictions on the movement of goods and people during the pandemic, the global volume of trade in services has been in a slump, and China is no exception. However, Puyenbroeck expressed his confidence in the Chinese service trade sector. “China’s growth in service trade had been quite steady throughout the pre-pandemic years, and I see no reason why that pace of accelerated growth would not pick up again,” he said.

Photo provided to People's Daily

Puyenbroeck stressed that China has some of the most successful digital technology enablers in different areas, which gives it a competitive edge in digital globalization and could become one of the core competitive factors for China in global trade.

Last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping stated at the UN General Assembly that China aims to have CO2 emissions peak before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. “Action on climate change is urgently needed, and the fact that CIFTIS assigns great importance to it is a meaningful step forward and of great symbolic significance,” Puyenbroeck said. He spoke highly of the integration of the concepts of peak carbon and neutrality into this year’s CIFTIS.

Puyenbroeck deeply appreciates the development of China in the past four decades, judging it as phenomenal in history. “China has lifted 770 million of its people from poverty and greatly improved the living standard of the population.” He believes that China’s view on open trade policy and accession to the WTO has played a critical role in this development. “We see it is very positive that China has made major headway in multilateral and bilateral trade and investment agreements, such as the signing of RCEP and the completion of negotiations for the EU-China investment agreement last year.”

The WTCA is participating in both CIFTIS and the China International Import Expo this year, both of which offer excellent access to the vast Chinese market. As a firm supporter of free and fair trade, the WTCA advocates for a global trade infrastructure inclusive for all, as China takes a leading role in stabilizing global trade relations between all major trading blocks. Puyenbroeck has firm confidence in China’s role in global trade. “The world counts on China’s support for inclusive reform of the global trade infrastructure, especially at the WTO, so that the system can work for everyone, and create prosperity and stability for everyone around the world.”