The 2023 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) will be held in Beijing from 2 – 6 September 2023. Approx 2200 companies representing all parts of the world are participating at the event. The guest of honour in the education services sector this year is the United Kingdom. This indicates the level China values education and how the UK reciprocates the honour. China’s willingness to use all available soft tools to develop individuals to expand trade services is a lesson for SL struggling to provide efficient trade services to attract investors since 1978. China started reforms in 1979 and is on the 45^th year forging ahead despite being the world’s 2^nd largest economy. The energy China emits is an opportunity never to be missed by SL located on the 21^st century Silk Road equipped with infrastructure such as the Hambantota sea and air ports and the Colombo Port City. Other than China, India being the 5^th largest economy is also in the race giving more opportunities for crisis recovery for SL. If properly managed it shall resolve the ethnic issues flagged by conflict provocative elements in the south and north.

President Xi Jinping announced the Belt and Road Initiative (China’s global trade initiative) during a visit to Kazakhstan in September 2013 & this year marks its first decade. Every step China took to develop efficient trade services along the BRI with the partners have left footprints. Due to the efficient systems developed by individuals with better education, global economic recovery in the COVID aftermath wasn’t a serious challenge for many. However, states such as SL with no focus on; developing individuals with a sense on ground realities and controlling bribery and corruption failed despite being partners of the BRI. At a time the BRI is passing the 10^th year Chinese President on 2^nd September vowed to work with all stakeholders to advance inclusive development through openness, promote connectivity and integration through cooperation, foster drivers for development through innovation, and create a better future through shared services, in a bid to jointly get the world economy onto the track of sustained recovery (Ref. Chinese sources). Individual interested in crisis recovery and salvaging the country should study the Chinese leader’s key points;

1. Expanding the globally-oriented network of high-standard free trade areas by actively engaging in negotiations on the negative lists for trade in services.
2. More investment to open more services as telecommunications, tourism, law and vocational examinations.
3. Align the policies of eligible pilot free trade zones and free trade port with high-standard international economic and trade rules.
4. Widen access to China’s services sector, advance opening up of cross-border services trade in an orderly manner, improve the level of standardization of services trade steadily expanding institutional opening up.
5. Encouraging international firms and their R&D centers to undertake major sci-tech projects, facilitating the travel of senior executives, technicians and their families, and enhancing the expertise of personnel in local government offices handling foreign investment.
6. Continue to deepen opening up and optimize its business environment, expanding its "friend circle" in trade services (China has service trade relations with nearly 240 countries and regions and has signed bilateral service trade cooperation agreements with 14 countries).
7. The digitalization of trade in services shall be further accelerated.

Concluding his speech, President Xi invited all to join in upholding the hard-won free trade and multilateral trading regime, share in the historic opportunities in the development of global trade in services, and work together for an even brighter and more prosperous future of the world (Ref. Chinese sources).

Hard work grinds an iron rod to a needle – Chinese proverb.

(Views expressed are personal).