The 2025 China International Fair for Trade in Services has concluded, featuring a supply chain and business services themed exhibition under the motto "Smooth Travel for People, Efficient Flow for Goods." Multiple enterprises showcased popular industry products including digital transportation, intelligent manufacturing, and green low-carbon solutions. New technologies, equipment, and services are profoundly transforming people's travel experiences and lifestyles through various explorations and practices. The internationalization, personalization, and intelligentization trends emerging from the exhibition represent the industry's development direction.

**Hotspot 1: AI Empowers Full-Process Cost Reduction and Quality Enhancement in Logistics**

Artificial intelligence became a buzzword among exhibitors at this Service Trade Fair. "AI has been applied across all SF Express operations," according to an SF Logistics representative. SF Express showcased its "SF Super Brain" at this year's fair, integrating big data and AI algorithmic technologies. Covering multiple scenarios before and after order entry, it has helped improve delivery efficiency for billions of packages through comprehensive optimization of human resources, vehicles, goods, and facilities scheduling.

YTO Express has developed the "YTO Intelligent Agent" based on general large model technology, achieving deep applications in customer service, route planning, and package visualization, significantly improving operational efficiency. YTO also displayed digital management tools including AI assistants, regional operation managers, customer managers, and outlet managers.

AI visual recognition technology is playing an important role in express sorting. According to Mu Yu, Brand Deputy Director at STO Express, STO has deployed approximately 120,000 cameras across its network, incorporating self-developed AI visual large models. When packages are missorted or damaged, the system immediately alerts management personnel while preventing safety incidents.

Currently, logistics companies are comprehensively embracing AI. According to the "Research Report on AI Applications in China's Logistics and Supply Chain Sector" published by the China Federation of Logistics & Purchasing, AI penetration in logistics and supply chain continues to climb with accelerating trends. Overall AI technology penetration exceeds 37%, with transportation scenarios showing the highest penetration rate at nearly 80%.

"With the implementation of the State Council's 'Opinions on Deeply Implementing the AI+ Action,' artificial intelligence may drive logistics system restructuring, further achieving intelligent upgrades across the entire chain from warehousing and transportation to final delivery, promoting cost reduction and efficiency improvement in logistics," said Xie Xiaowen, special researcher at China Society of Logistics and Deputy Secretary-General of the Express Logistics Branch of China Transportation Association.

He noted that the logistics industry currently faces deficiencies in AI applications, including lagging intelligent infrastructure transformation, significant gaps between central-western and eastern regions, uneven digitalization progress at traditional logistics hubs, non-unified data standards across transportation modes, prevalent information silos, and data privacy and security issues. He recommended that industry authorities and relevant associations should strengthen infrastructure development, promote data sharing and cross-entity cooperation, establish industry standards, and improve regulatory mechanisms.

"Logistics companies should continuously enhance technical capabilities, strengthen data quality management, clarify AI application scenarios and value positioning, and actively collaborate with research institutions to jointly advance AI technology development and applications," Xie said.

**Hotspot 2: Express Delivery Going Overseas - Industry Accelerates International Market Layout**

As "Made in China" accelerates its global expansion, more Chinese express companies are embarking on overseas journeys seeking market growth. Cross-border logistics services became a key exhibition focus at this Service Trade Fair.

"Currently, Cainiao operates over 40 overseas warehouses, with cross-border networks covering more than 200 countries and regions, and conducts localized express operations in 9 countries and regions. Approximately 70% of global business relates to e-commerce, serving mainstream cross-border e-commerce platforms and overseas brands," said a Cainiao representative.

YTO highlighted its Zhejiang Jiaxing Oriental Sky Harbor project, expected to be completed and operational by 2026, integrating air cargo, bonded logistics, multimodal transportation, and international trade functions. YTO representatives explained that in recent years, the company has leveraged cooperative port resources and proprietary aviation capacity through multimodal transportation including air, rail, sea, and road to provide one-stop, full-chain logistics supply chain services for multiple high-end consumer electronics brands.

Looking ahead, YTO aims to integrate proprietary aviation capacity with port resources to provide end-to-end cross-border logistics solutions for cross-border e-commerce, high-end manufacturing, and fashion consumption enterprises, supporting efficient overseas expansion of "Made in China."

Cainiao and YTO are not alone in going overseas. The "2025 China Express Industry International Development Index" released by the China Express Association shows China's express industry international development index at 77.9, up 10.5% year-on-year, accelerating international layout and playing an increasingly important role in supporting cross-border e-commerce and international trade development, leading high-quality development in the global express market.

Express overseas expansion faces short-term changes and challenges. According to Cainiao CEO Wan Lin, affected by geopolitical and tariff policies, leading cross-border e-commerce orders to the US decreased 45% month-on-month by May this year. Conversely, this brings new development opportunities for the express industry.

"Against the backdrop of increased trade environment uncertainty, e-commerce platforms have more urgent demands for logistics service certainty," Wan Lin noted. This trend is driving logistics demand transformation from single modes to combined models of "cross-border direct mail + overseas warehouses + local delivery." In this context, logistics companies with global network layouts and stable fulfillment capabilities will build more significant service advantages and stronger risk resistance.

**Hotspot 3: Unmanned Delivery Moves from Pilot Demonstration to Large-Scale Application**

Various unmanned vehicle models were the most popular attractions at the exhibition. These intelligent devices are no longer conceptual products but practical tools ready for or already in large-scale application.

"Forward," "backward," "turn around"... At the Meituan booth, the "Meituan Little Bee" unmanned vehicle quickly responded to voice commands from visitors, simulating meal pickup and delivery processes. According to Meituan representatives, the "Meituan Little Bee" unmanned vehicle is designed for closed and semi-closed scenarios in last-mile instant delivery, providing efficient, precise, and safe unmanned delivery services in comprehensive supermarkets, apartments, airports, residential communities, and parks.

Currently, "Meituan Little Bee" has completed over 10,000 trial deliveries at locations including Shenzhen Bao'an Airport and Shanghai Internet Treasure Land, providing solutions for robot food delivery directly to boarding gates within airport restricted areas.

Beyond meal delivery scenarios, express unmanned vehicles are widely used for package delivery within communities and connections between outlets. SF Logistics representatives told reporters that SF currently operates over 2,000 express unmanned vehicles in normalized operations across more than 50 cities nationwide. ZTO has also deployed nearly 3,000 unmanned vehicles across its network.

Road access authorization, cost control, and technical safety remain challenges for unmanned delivery development. Hong Yong, an expert at the China Digital-Real Integration 50 Forum Think Tank, believes that with further scale expansion and cost reduction, low-threshold, replicable intelligent delivery services are expected to achieve truly inclusive and large-scale implementation.

Regarding cost reduction, Jiushi (Suzhou) Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. offers FSD (Full Self-Driving) monthly subscription services alongside vehicle sales, with fees as low as 1,800 yuan per month. Users can choose subscription durations based on actual needs without bearing high initial investment costs, significantly lowering usage thresholds.

Concerning road access authorization, according to a report by Soochow Securities, over 200 cities nationwide have opened road access approvals, with the full process from application to testing shortened to 3-6 months. As technology continues maturing and application scenarios expand, unmanned delivery will certainly bring consumers more convenient and intelligent logistics experiences.

**Hotspot 4: Foreign Card Direct Payment - Convenient Payment Optimizes Travel Experience**

"Beijing Metro now accepts international bank card payments for station entry, very convenient!" exclaimed a foreign business visitor at the exhibition booth. "Beijing Metro's clear foreign language signage and enthusiastic staff helped me smoothly purchase tickets, enter stations, ride, and transfer."

Fast gate passage, currency exchange, multilingual translators, luggage storage... Beijing Metro showcased the international character of this mega-city through "smart operations" and rail transit measures for optimizing service efficiency, ensuring service supply, and enriching travel experiences.

To further optimize Beijing's urban rail payment convenience services and enhance inbound tourism service quality, Beijing's urban rail system added support for overseas-issued JCB credit cards and domestic and overseas-issued American Express cards for gate tapping and ticket purchasing/supplementing functions starting June 15 this year. This followed support for MasterCard and Visa cards in September 2024, representing another major upgrade in Beijing's transportation sector payment convenience for domestic and international passengers.

Beijing's urban rail system has become the world's first to provide full network coverage of payment services from all five major card organizations: China UnionPay, MasterCard, Visa, JCB, and American Express. This service upgrade covers all 29 operational lines across the network, 523 stations, and the suburban S2 line, supporting network-wide, full-time, all-gate card tapping.

Passengers need no advance ticket purchases or app downloads - simply holding cards near gate sensor areas enables instant passage. Beyond payment convenience, Beijing Metro has comprehensively upgraded its multilingual service system, equipping important stations with multilingual translators to facilitate communication between staff and foreign tourists.

Besides Beijing, cities including Shanghai and Chengdu have also implemented foreign bank card direct payment for metro rides. Starting June this year, passengers using Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and other international bank cards can directly tap cards to enter and ride across Shanghai Metro's entire network.

Starting July 28, Chengdu Metro and Chengdu Public Transport Group's regular bus lines, BRT gates, airport lines, and tourist lines officially launched bank card tapping functions. Passengers holding UnionPay cards and overseas-issued Visa, MasterCard, and American Express cards can directly tap to ride with automatic fee deduction according to unified billing rules. Passengers can also use domestic and overseas-issued bank cards at metro ticket machines to purchase single-journey tickets and day passes.

**Hotspot 5: Cultural Creative Updates - Transit Cards Become New Media for Cultural Dissemination**

"Beep." With a gentle wave of a "magic wand," metro gates respond and open. Beijing Municipal Transportation One Card Payment Co., Ltd. (Beijing One Card Company) exhibited nearly 100 cultural creative transit card products, with many young people eagerly trying these innovations.

Since 2023, Beijing One Card Company has focused on the "Fun Travel Cultural Creative - Making Travel More Interesting" development concept, upgrading transit cards from payment tools to "Beijing Gifts" and cultural business cards with both practical value and collection significance.

In July this year, Beijing One Card Company partnered with Alipay to launch Linglong Pass PLUS, featuring core advantages of "zero-cost card opening, no pre-charging required, nationwide travel, contactless payment, and personalized renewal," comprehensively enhancing smart transit card user experience.

"Currently, all Beijing One Card cultural creative products, including smart application products, support card usage across 330 cities nationwide for public transportation including buses and metros," said Du Meiying, Beijing One Card Service Trade Fair booth manager. The company's "Remembering History, Great Victory - 80th Anniversary of Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and World Anti-Fascist War Victory" commemorative transit cards have sold over 2,000 sets through online stores.

From the traditional "one city, one card, pay first then travel" model to today's "travel first, pay later + nationwide travel + personal expression" experience, technological iteration is driving public transportation payment systems toward deep upgrades in "contactless, scenario-based, and nationwide" directions, providing more convenient and flexible travel choices for daily commuting and cross-city tourism.

"Getting excited? Using the 'jade seal' to ride the metro" and "With these metro cards, I definitely have to go to work" - recently, five cultural creative transit cards from Xi'an City Investment Chang'an Pass Company - Empress Seal Transit Card, Giant Wild Goose Pagoda Transit Card, Dugu Xin Seal Transit Card, Tiger Talisman Transit Card Premium Edition, and Persimmon Good Fortune Transit Card - were selected for the "China Good Gifts" 2025-2026 recommended product catalog.

As early as 2019, Xi'an's "Empress Seal" transit card, created based on the national treasure Western Han Dynasty empress seal, became wildly popular. Cultural creative transit cards are uniquely becoming not only convenient urban transportation tools but also "mobile business cards" carrying urban memories and spreading regional culture.

Industry experts suggest that cultural creative transit cards could collaborate with e-commerce platforms and offline retail stores, or partner with local cultural tourism attractions to launch co-branded transit cards or themed exhibitions, attracting more attention from tourists and citizens.

Du Meiying revealed that Beijing One Card Company will also establish deep cooperation with internationally renowned IP "Harry Potter" and famous Chinese band Mayday this year, launching series-themed cultural creative transit cards, making small cards new media for cultural dissemination and injecting more trends and fun into citizen travel.