The upcoming 2021 China International Fair for Trade in Services in September will accelerate the recovery in trade and promote economic and social development, a senior Beijing commerce official said on Aug 1.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has not been fully controlled, which will lead to limits on transportation and logistics. However, the fair, or CIFTIS, will make good use of digital technologies both online and offline," said Sun Yao, deputy head of the Beijing Municipal Commerce Bureau.

"We will build platforms for companies to communicate face-to-face or screen-to-screen in order to help them expand business opportunities," he said, adding that this shows the "huge potential" of the digitalization of the economy.

This year's CIFTIS will be held from Sept 2 to 7 in Beijing, with the theme of "Toward a digital future and services-driven development".

The fair will have an exhibition area of 130,000 square meters and host more than 100 forums, meetings and promotional events.

By July 28, 716 companies had confirmed their plans to attend, including 45 enterprises on the Fortune Global 500 list and 285 leading companies, organizers said. Overseas companies make up 23 percent of the companies that have committed to attending.

In addition to the companies attending, 165 organizations from 108 foreign countries and regions have confirmed their online and offline participation in the exhibition.

According to the organizers, the fair will be held at two venues in Beijing, which is a first for the annual event.

Shougang Industrial Park will co-host the fair with the China National Convention Center, which is where the event is usually held.

"The Shougang venue has finished all construction work and entered into the preparation and operational stage," said Liang Jie, deputy general manager of the Shougang Group, on Aug 1.

The park will host eight themed exhibitions and related conferences during the fair, with the aim of showcasing urban renewal and innovation in the traditional industrial area.

There will be 15 exhibition venues in Shougang Industrial Park covering an area of 94,000 square meters, Liang said.

Original industrial buildings have been renovated or integrated into new structures at the park to provide facilities such as meeting rooms, catering areas and offices.

"Shougang took into consideration the sustainability concept. The main body of the venue is a steel structure that can be recycled later," Liang said.

Shougang was once home to a steel factory, but it was closed when production was moved to Hebei province as part of efforts to lower carbon emissions in the capital. Now the site functions as a cultural and innovation park.