In the maintenance hangar of the Hainan Free Trade Port's one-stop aircraft maintenance industrial base, technicians are servicing a plane. China's large AI models are seeing continuous growth in global downloads and API calls, the Hainan Free Trade Port is repairing aircraft and automotive engines from around the world, and an AI clinic from Shanghai has been established in Saudi Arabia... In recent years, the global expansion of "China's Services" has accelerated, becoming a prominent new hallmark in the international market.
The State Council recently issued guidelines to foster more "China's Services" brands, aiming to significantly enhance the global competitiveness and influence of the service sector. In 2025, China's total service trade import and export volume exceeded 8 trillion yuan for the first time, a year-on-year increase of 7.4%. Service exports grew by 14.2% year-on-year, indicating continuous optimization of the trade structure. In the first quarter of this year, China's service exports reached 704.52 billion yuan, an increase of 11.2% year-on-year.
Chinese large AI models are gaining favor among overseas users, with download volumes and API call counts steadily rising. An engineer from Singapore has trained a popular Southeast Asian language model based on an open-source Chinese large model. An American director used a Chinese video generation model to create a 1-minute 24-second movie trailer with cinematic-grade special effects. Chinese large language models are making continuous breakthroughs, significantly enhancing their global competitiveness and being frequently utilized by overseas users. Their practical feedback is becoming a crucial evaluation metric.
Data shows that from May 4 to May 10, the weekly API call volume for Chinese large models reached 7.941 trillion tokens, ranking first globally. On the open-source platform Hugging Face, China has become the largest source country for model downloads, demonstrating deep integration into the global open-source ecosystem.
The appeal of Chinese large models to overseas users stems from multiple advantages. Their API pricing and inference costs are generally significantly lower than comparable products. A company CEO noted heavy reliance on a Chinese model due to its unique value in response speed and business integration. In terms of engineering capabilities and model architecture, Chinese models are also narrowing the gap with top global models. On a global ranking focused on AI programming capabilities, a Chinese model ranked second, surpassing models from other major tech companies.
An academician stated that China has progressed from deep integration into the international open-source community to a state poised for leadership. The explosion in AI video creation and the accelerated adoption of AI agents are driving rapid growth in large model usage. Experts note that overseas developers primarily use Chinese model services deployed on overseas cloud platforms, with data not flowing back to domestic data centers. This represents an export of technology and capability rather than a cross-border delivery of domestic computing power via tokens. Therefore, experts recommend shifting from mere API traffic usage to deeply cultivating overseas developer ecosystems, establishing more comprehensive developer communities and technical support systems abroad to meet real-world overseas AI needs.
Leveraging professional services and policy advantages, the Hainan Free Trade Port's aviation maintenance sector has attracted over 50 airlines. In the base's maintenance hangar, an aircraft from South Korea is undergoing modification services. A customer remarked that servicing aircraft in Hainan is as convenient as visiting a 4S car dealership, saving time, effort, and money.
Aircraft maintenance is a high-tech, high-value-added productive service. Utilizing bonded policies, the Hainan Free Trade Port has established an "overseas aviation parts supermarket" involving aircraft manufacturers, stocking over 2,200 types of consumable parts locally. A manager stated that parts that previously took two to three months to arrive are now available within a week. Combined with policies like exemption from deposits and tariffs, these measures can save foreign airlines 10% to 15% in maintenance costs. To date, the industrial base has cumulatively serviced over 2,800 aircraft, collaborating with more than 50 airlines globally.
An engineering representative from an airline praised Hainan's substantial policy incentives, streamlined customs procedures, fast parts supply, and professional, international maintenance teams.
Building on policy strengths, Hainan's maintenance business is continuously expanding. In a workshop, used automotive transmissions shipped from overseas are lined up for disassembly, cleaning, and reassembly. A company director explained that upon identifying substantial overseas market demand, the group proposed bonded engine maintenance services, leading to rapid collaboration between government and enterprise. Multiple departments conducted thorough research, and engine bonded maintenance was included as one of 38 exceptional measures in Hainan's list of prohibited and restricted import/export goods.
An engine production line manager noted that a mining truck engine weighing over 20 tons must be disassembled to its smallest components, with repaired equipment meeting or exceeding new machine standards. Leveraging the "zero tariff" policy, the cost of important parts procured from overseas can be 40-50% lower than domestic market prices. Combining China's mature technical workforce with policy advantages, maintenance costs are about half those of European counterparts, with faster delivery times. Within months of the port's official operation, the company has imported over 1,100 remanufactured core components, with an annual maintenance capacity of 12,000 to 20,000 units, expanding orders to regions like Dubai and South America.
In 2025, Hainan's maintenance and repair service exports grew by 110% year-on-year, and the province's total service exports increased by 81%, with its service network covering 63 countries and regions.
A Shanghai-developed AI clinic has been launched in Saudi Arabia, with new technologies aiding the global expansion of medical innovation services. On a tablet screen, a doctor-like digital avatar greets a patient. An overseas patient experiencing the AI consultation describes having a cough. The AI doctor asks follow-up questions about other symptoms like fever. After the patient responds negatively, the AI doctor suggests further checks, such as temperature measurement and throat imaging via camera.
Developed by a Shanghai company, this AI doctor can communicate in English or Arabic. It can handle 30 common respiratory diseases, completing tasks from medical history inquiry and symptom analysis to preliminary reporting. This medical service began trial operations in Saudi Arabia last year, becoming the region's first AI clinic. The clinic is equipped with a specialized "medical digital matrix": a digital stethoscope converts heart and lung sounds into spectral data, a smart laryngoscope automatically captures inflammation features, and an AI imaging system analyzes X-rays in real-time, transforming traditional examination actions into structured data streams.
A company representative explained that the AI doctor handles initial diagnosis, with human doctors conducting reviews, potentially significantly boosting consultation capacity. Tailoring to Saudi medical practices and culture, the R&D team built a database containing 300,000 localized medical terms. The company's chairman stated that strict rules and clinical pathways are set for the AI doctor to ensure diagnostic behavior complies with medical standards and minimizes error risks.
In recent years, with the deep integration of technologies like AI and the medical industry, a batch of medical innovation services from Shanghai have appeared on the international stage. At a world health expo in Dubai, six smart healthcare achievements from a Shanghai hospital were exhibited. Another hospital shared clinical translation progress on brain-computer interface technology for functional reconstruction in paralyzed patients.
A manager from a comprehensive service center supporting enterprise globalization stated the focus is on integrating resources from finance, law, human resources, and other fields to form an overseas service network covering key regions like Europe, America, and Asia-Pacific. To date, over 3,000 enterprises from the district have established overseas branches, with outward investment exceeding one hundred billion US dollars.
Comments