China plans to further open up its service sector to meet growing consumer demand for higher-quality services, said a senior official of the Ministry of Commerce at a press conference in Beijing on Friday.

Tang Wenhong, assistant minister of commerce, attends a press conference in Beijing on Aug. 9, 2024. [Photo by Liu Jian/China SCIO]

Tang Wenhong, assistant minister of commerce, said that attracting top-tier international service providers to the Chinese market will enhance the availability of high-quality services for consumers, stimulate business vitality, strengthen the synergy between domestic and international markets, and drive high-quality economic growth.

China's State Council, the country's cabinet, issued a guideline recently to boost consumer services to support high-quality economic development. The guideline pledged to expand opening-up of various service sectors including telecommunications, education, elderly care, and medical care, and ensure the implementation of opening-up measures in areas like technology services and tourism.

The guideline also provided direction for the country to optimize entry policies and consumption environments, speed up the resumption of flights, provide diversified payment services, and study the possibility of granting visa-free entry to more countries.

The Ministry of Commerce will collaborate with relevant departments to align with international trade standards, focusing on areas with high demand and limited supply, Tang said.

He noted that China will steadily expand the catalog of encouraged industries for foreign investment, appropriately shorten the negative list for foreign investment, and promote wider opening with regard to telecommunications, the internet, education, culture, medical services, and other sectors in a well-conceived way. 

Efforts will also be made to enhance the effectiveness of open platforms, and leverage key events like the China International Import Expo and the China International Fair for Trade in Services to introduce new service industry models, Tang added.

In the first half of this year, service-related consumption accounted for 45.6% of China's per capita consumer spending, an increase of 1.1 percentage points compared to the same period last year.