On January 24, 2024, the Fifth Meeting of the First Council of the Global Alliance for Trade in Services (hereinafter referred to as the GATIS) was held in Beijing, both in-person and virtually. Chaired by GATIS Council President Mr. Jiang Zengwei, the meeting was attended by all the nine Council members.

During the meeting, Secretary-General Ms. Li Weiwei made a comprehensive summary of the work done by the GATIS in 2023 and looked back on the work progress in membership development, activities and exhibitions, foreign cooperation, and think tank research. She put forward five suggestions on the working ideas for 2024: Firstly, recruit and serve members in a high-quality manner, and provide basic and value-added services for them based on their needs; secondly, focus on relevant entities and projects to strengthen the research in the field of trade in services; thirdly, take the initiative to promote exchanges and cooperation at home and abroad, thereby continuously enhancing the influence and driving force; fourthly, fully leverage the advantages of the GATIS, and hold high-level conferences and thematic exhibitions during the 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) to forge brand activities of the GATIS; fifthly, strengthen the self-building of the GATIS to further reinforce the governance system.

The meeting adopted the Measures for the Management of Membership Dues of the Global Alliance for Trade in Services (Trial) upon deliberation, approved the applications of 28 new members to join in the GATIS, and agreed with the timely convening of an extraordinary general meeting. The participating Council members recognized and affirmed the work done by the GATIS in the past year, and put forward constructive suggestions.

In the following stage, the GATIS will earnestly study the suggestions proposed by the Council members. According to the working ideas for 2024, the GATIS will focus around the “Nine Initiatives” to move forward in a comprehensive manner, making positive contributions to the sound development of the GATIS.