My CIIE Story • Great Opportunity: Intangible services create tangible benefits

Editor's Note: The fifth China International Import Expo will open in less than 20 days. In October, several participants of the CIIE will tell their stories themed around "great opportunity" to showcase the positive changes the expo has made to the world and how it has helped build a community with a shared future for mankind over the past five years.

The services trade is an important part of foreign trade and a new economic growth engine. The CIIE has had a trade in services exhibition to promote international cooperation since its inaugural edition in 2018. So four years ago, my colleagues at Savills and I already regarded the expo as an opportunity for our company to develop business in China.

Savills specializes in providing real estate services. We used to attend exhibitions focused exclusively on trade in services rather than comprehensive ones like the CIIE. But seeing the CIIE has six exhibition areas and a host of exhibitors, we knew that opportunities would be abound there. We also saw how many services companies had reaped enormous benefits during the first two editions of the expo.

At our CIIE debut in 2020, Savills launched a solution that leverages intelligent and environmentally friendly property management to help with the sustainable development of China's real estate market. At the fourth edition last year, we presented the Savills 360° Smart Matrix and helped establish the sustainability committee of the Shanghai Property Management Association, the first one of its kind in China.

During the last two editions of the CIIE, our technologies that can reduce buildings' carbon emissions received much attention and recognition. Among them was the photovoltaic and solar thermal system that enables buildings to generate power, the wall insulation technology that protects against heat loss, and other digital and internet of things technologies that improve property management and save energy.

Due to the expo, we have forged cooperative ties with many Chinese governments to undertake projects including the building of the Hainan Free Trade Port, the Shanghai Zizhu National Hi-tech Industrial Development Park, and the Yangzhou Biodiverse and Sci-Tech City.

At the upcoming fifth CIIE, Savills will continue to showcase sustainable city-related innovative solutions. We also hope to work with more Chinese governments and real estate companies to make the best of the opportunities offered by the expo.