Customers browse the shelves for cosmetics at a CDF duty-free shopping mall in Haikou, Hainan province, on Friday. During the three-day New Year holiday, sales of duty-free goods in Hainan reached 442,000 items, a year-on-year increase of 52.4%, according to Haikou Customs. SU BIKUN/FOR CHINA DAILY
China's new pro-consumption drive will attract more inbound shoppers through a series of policy incentives, along with higher-quality products and services, anchoring growth more firmly in household spending nationwide, said government officials and business executives.
Speaking on Saturday at the official launch ceremony of the 2026"Shopping in China" and New Year Consumption Season in Shanghai, Commerce Minister Wang Wentao highlighted that the campaign will focus on three themes — goods consumption, services consumption and new consumption scenarios.
The campaign will feature a series of nationwide events, including a premium consumption month and an international consumption season, he said.
"We will also support provinces in hosting their own locally tailored events and organising dedicated city-level programs in 15 pilot cities, in order to build an internationalised consumption environment," Wang added.
The shopping campaign, launched in April 2025, aims to create an internationally friendly consumption environment and enhance China's appeal as a consumption hub through measures such as streamlining visa procedures and improving departure tax refund arrangements.
At Saturday's event, government officials from Shanghai, Hangzhou in Zhejiang province, Wuhan in Hubei province and Shenzhen in Guangdong province announced a series of local activities and consumer-friendly measures tailored for their respective cities, and launched the "Spring Festival Consumption Season" initiatives that are designed to benefit residents and stimulate spending.
Cheng Shi, chief economist at ICBC International Holdings, said the "Shopping in China" initiative is not a short-term effort to boost inbound consumption, but a key catalyst for upgrading China's consumption system.
Noting that international consumers have higher expectations for product quality, brand diversity, service standards and convenience, he said that such policy measures will "push the domestic commercial system to accelerate its alignment with international rules in areas such as payments, tax refunds, language and information services".
Since China is generally viewed as a global manufacturing hub and supply chain centre, Cheng said a broader push to upgrade the consumption environment would help the nation reposition itself as a destination that offers not only competitive prices, but also higher-quality products and a world-class consumption experience.
The expansion of domestic demand is set to top China's major economic priorities this year, according to the annual Central Economic Work Conference held in December. The tone-setting meeting outlined special initiatives to boost consumption, while the supply of higher-quality consumer goods and services will be expanded.
The changes are resonating with multinational companies. Foreign business leaders said the "Shopping in China" initiative is not only a key step to boost inbound consumption, but also a channel for their businesses to take China-specific products and experiences to wider global markets.
The preferences and sophistication of Chinese consumers have become a key source of ideas and innovations for many global brands, they noted.
Liliana Lucioni, president for China at Coach, a United States-based luxury brand, said that China's latest policy measures to drive consumption underscore the long-term potential and strengths of the Chinese market and provide a stable and predictable development environment for global companies.
"We will add 100 new stores in China between 2026 and 2028, extending our presence to more than 100 cities and serving local consumers and foreign visitors in ways that better reflect their needs," she said.
"For us, China is not only an important market, but also a source of inspiration for our continued innovation," she added.
While welcoming China's efforts to spur domestic consumption, Lee Chee Kong, president for China at Danish beer brewer Carlsberg, said that initiatives like the 2026 "Shopping in China" and New Year Consumption Season will continue to strengthen consumer confidence and foster a stable foundation for sustainable economic growth.
"In China, a clear and sustained trend toward 'premiumization' is underway," Lee said, adding that consumers are increasingly seeking higher quality, greater variety and more meaningful experiences — a shift that aligns perfectly with both the evolution of the beer category and Carlsberg's long-term strategy within the country.
Seeking to broaden its footprint, the company launched over 30 new products in China last year, spanning large-format 1-liter beer cans, tea-infused brews and beyond-beer offerings.
Data from the National Bureau of Statistics shows that consumer spending has become the main driving force behind China's economic expansion. In the first three quarters of 2025, final consumption expenditure contributed 53.5 percent to the country's economic growth, up 9 percentage points from a year earlier.
China Daily launches platform to promote drive
China Daily officially launched an international communication platform on Saturday in Shanghai to further promote the "Shopping in China" initiative.
Facilitated by the Ministry of Commerce, the platform adopts an integrated communication matrix of "one newspaper, one website, three social media accounts", to further boost the initiative among overseas readers.
The English-language website will highlight must-buy Chinese products, distinctive neighbourhoods, time-honoured brands, culinary specialties and cultural landmarks.
Social media accounts on Facebook, X and TikTok are designed to share compelling stories about China's consumer market with international audiences through visually engaging content.
The platform will strengthen policy interpretation, particularly on topics of keen interest to overseas audiences, such as visa-free transit and tax refunds for departing travellers.
China Daily will organise a range of activities, including dialogues between Chinese and foreign CEOs, on-site "Shopping in China" tours, and various local resource promotion events. - China Daily/ANN
