BEIJING, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- China will intensify policy support for trade in services, which is expected to maintain growth throughout the year, Vice Commerce Minister Sheng Qiuping said on Wednesday.

The ministry will continue to expand the opening up of the service sector and broaden pilot initiatives in areas such as telecommunications, healthcare and education to boost the supply of quality services, Sheng added.

New measures to support services exports will soon be introduced, strengthening fiscal, financial and trade-facilitation support, thus continuously improving the policy environment, he said.

The total value of China's service trade climbed 8 percent year on year to 3.9 trillion yuan (about 548.46 billion U.S. dollars) in the first half of 2025 -- hitting a historic record, Sheng said.

Sheng was speaking on Wednesday at a press conference about this year's China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS), scheduled to take place in Beijing from Sept. 10 to 14.

Themed "embrace intelligent technologies, empower trade in services," the fair will be held at Shougang Park.

A total of 51 countries and 24 international organizations have already confirmed their participation, while Australia, the guest country of honor at the 2025 CIFTIS, will assemble its largest-ever delegation for the fair this year.

Over 500 Global Fortune 500 companies or industry-leading enterprises are now poised to showcase their accomplishments at the event -- while nearly 2,000 enterprises are gearing up to participate in offline exhibitions.

In addition to various exhibitions, the 2025 CIFTIS is expected to see a global services trade summit, over 170 forums and promotional business talks, and more than 40 supportive activities.

Over 100 enterprises will launch more than 190 new products and achievements at the 2025 edition -- spanning the fields of artificial intelligence, healthcare and smart logistics, as well as the integrated development of business, tourism, culture, sports and wellness.

"Efforts will be made to improve the functions of the CIFTIS, helping it to become a more influential global fair for trade in services while actively advancing an open world economy," said Sheng. Enditem