Xiamen, China, October 16, 2026 -- Xiamen's Bureau of Commerce held a press conference on Sept 21 to present its plan for building a national pilot zone for the innovative development of trade in services. Leveraging its industrial and geographic strengths, Xiamen aims to develop the zone into a national hub for talent, innovation, and other resources that support trade in services.

A view of Xiamen in Fujian province. [Photo provided by chinadaily.com.cn]

In April, the Ministry of Commerce named 16 cities, including Xiamen, Beijing, and Shanghai, as the first group to pilot a new national program for innovative development of trade in services. Xiamen followed in July with its own implementation plan, setting out its overall approach, goals, and 19 key tasks.

Xiamen's plan stands out in several ways. It is demand-driven, promoting coordinated development across related industries, and it advances reforms and high-level opening-up — piloting measures such as cross-border mutual recognition of electronic signatures and contracts.

The plan also promotes the use of AI in international supply chains and aims to make Xiamen a major base for Chinese AI service providers expanding overseas. It expands international cooperation through a dedicated BRICS service trade zone and stronger BRICS ties. Finally, it highlights Xiamen's distinct role in trade with Taiwan.

Xiamen has stepped up innovation in trade in services in recent years, with 10 practices recognized as national firsts and four as national best-practice cases.

From 2020 to 2025, the city's trade in services expanded at an average annual rate of 14.2 percent. In the first half of 2026, total services trade rose 9.8 percent year-on-year, with exports up 25.9 percent.

Xiamen's trade in services has become increasingly diversified, with aircraft maintenance, transportation, tourism, and telecommunications, computer, and information services as its core sectors.

In the first half of 2026, knowledge-intensive services trade grew 6.9 percent year-on-year. Aircraft maintenance revenue reached 11.35 billion yuan ($1.69 billion), up 28.3 percent — a record high for the period. Xiamen ranked first among Chinese cities in servicing foreign-registered aircraft, handling more than 4,000 planes in total.

Xiamen's digital companies are also expanding their global reach. As of June, Meitu Xiuxiu, the beauty-enhancing photo-editing app, had 195 million monthly active users across BRICS countries. Game developer Mechanist Games has brought its titles to more than 180 countries and regions, with 20 million registered users in Russia alone.

Contact Info:
Name: Huang Junyao
Email: Send Email
Organization: Xiamen's Bureau of Commerce
Website: https://swj.xm.gov.cn/

Release ID: 89206293

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