Chongqing - China’s next wave of global expansion may not come only from factory floors. In Chongqing, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), digital content and biopharmaceutical companies are taking the city’s growing service economy into international markets.

At the recently held 2026 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS), three Chongqing cases from Taiji Group, Maiya Media and Porton Pharma were selected as national service trade demonstration cases, covering healthcare services, digital cultural content and life sciences.

These examples point to a broader shift in Chongqing’s service trade toward technology solutions, cultural experiences, digital products and original intellectual property. In 2025, the city’s service trade rose 7% to 57.03 billion yuan (about 8.5 billion U.S. dollars), with exports increasing 9.6% to 23.95 billion yuan.

The TCM services trade booth at the Chongqing Pavilion during the 2026 China International Fair for Trade in Services. (Photo/Taiji Group)

TCM is emerging as one of Chongqing’s new service-trade offerings. Earlier this year, more than 30 French teachers and students visited Liangjiang New Area to make herbal products and traditional sachets while learning about Chinese wellness practices.

French students sample Huoxiang Cola, experiencing the unique flavor of this traditional Chinese herbal beverage. (Photo/Taiji Group)

The program is part of Chongqing's national pilot initiative integrating TCM services, consumption and trade. Taiji Group has built a more than 700,000-square-meter experience platform combining medicinal plant cultivation, intangible cultural heritage, health education and cultural consumption.

In 2025, the platform hosted 436 study tours and received more than 8,600 visitors. Chongqing has also introduced multilingual signs in pharmacies and shopping areas and launched wellness tourism routes to improve experiences for international visitors.

Chongqing's digital companies are also using online platforms to reach global audiences.

The digital services trade exhibition area at the Chongqing Pavilion during the 2026 China International Fair for Trade in Services. (Photo/Maiya Media)

The overseas short drama market has grown rapidly, with monthly active users exceeding 258 million and market value reaching 6 billion U.S. dollars.

Maiya Media has produced more than 2,000 short dramas, with over 100 titles surpassing 100 million views. The company has also developed more than 500 localized overseas productions covering Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

Its service platform, selected as a CIFTIS demonstration case, uses artificial intelligence-generated content (AIGC) technology to improve production efficiency and accelerate overseas distribution.

Other Chongqing companies are expanding global services as well. Porton Pharma provides research and manufacturing solutions for global pharmaceutical companies, while Pathea Games' My Time at Portia has been adapted into 12 languages and released in more than 160 countries and regions, generating annual revenue of over $10 million.

Many of the Chongqing cases showcased at CIFTIS came from Liangjiang New Area, which has become a major hub for the city's service trade development.

The area has attracted nearly 4,000 digital trade-related companies and launched 25 public service platforms covering digital content, cross-border e-commerce, and technology trade. It has also developed 13 nationally replicable innovation practices.

This year, Liangjiang New Area was selected for the first group of national digital trade demonstration zone candidates, providing further support for digital service development.

From traditional culture and healthcare experiences to digital content and technology solutions, Chongqing's service trade is expanding globally through new products, platforms, and business models. The city's development reflects a shift from providing supporting services to creating internationally competitive solutions.