As the only comprehensive demonstration zone for the expanded opening-up of the service sector in China, Beijing is now speeding up its pace as a front-runner. Over the past year, the city saw a record high of over 2,400 newly established foreign-invested companies, and its service exports grew by 11 percent, both reaching historic highs.

In 2025, Beijing continued to expand market access, with a focus on modern service industries such as those related to technologies, digital economy, culture, and finance. By implementing nearly 300 pilot measures across two rounds approved by the State Council, it has become one of the first cities in China to carry out pilot programs for expanding opening-up in sectors such as value-added telecommunications and healthcare. Meanwhile, Beijing also saw the establishment of the first foreign-invested company dedicated to human gene diagnosis and therapy in the country, with over 60 foreign-invested companies participating in the pilot program so far.

These new opening-up measures have also brought new investment opportunities to Beijing. Companies such as Pramerica Insurance Asset Management and Cardif Airstar Insurance were both approved for operation. AstraZeneca has also officially launched its global R&D center here, and Medtronic has established here its first digital healthcare innovation base in China. Over the past year, more than 2,400 foreign-invested companies were set up in Beijing, marking a record high.

In the meantime, Beijing has been deepening reforms in key areas. It took the lead in piloting WTO's Agreement on Electronic Commerce, strengthened cooperation with the members of the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA), and launched numerous pioneering initiatives, including the world's first joint project of interoperable digital D/P (documents against pay).

In addition, Beijing issued China's first comprehensive reform document aimed at facilitating cross-border/boundary data flow, and introduced the first scenario-based and field-specific negative list for data export within its pilot free trade zone. This list has since been expanded for implementation across the entire city. It is also China's first city to introduce a catalog of recognized international professional qualifications, which has been regularly updated. These institutional innovations have effectively improved the market, with the city's service exports growing by 11 percent last year, another historic high.