Steady growth in nation's consumer spending

China's consumer market continued to expand in the first eight months of the year, while structural upgrading and new growth drivers gathered momentum, latest official data showed.

China's total retail sales of goods and services, a major indicator of the country's consumption strength, increased by 2.5 percent year-on-year in the first eight months of 2026, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

Despite volatility in international energy markets, domestic market adjustments and extreme weather in some regions in August, China's consumer market showed strong resilience, with pro-consumption policies continuing to take effect, NBS spokesperson Fu Linghui said at a news conference.

The data showed that the consumer market continued to undergo structural transformation, with services and higher-quality consumption accounting for a larger share. Retail sales of services rose 4.9 percent year-on-year during the January-August period, outpacing the 1 percent growth in goods sales.

Among service categories, retail sales of communication and information services, tourism consulting and rental services, and cultural, sports and leisure services posted relatively rapid growth.

In the first eight months, retail sales of consumer goods, including sales of goods and catering revenue, totaled 32.76 trillion yuan ($4.88 trillion), up 1.1 percent year-on-year, the data showed.

New consumption models also developed rapidly. Online retail sales of goods and services reached 13.48 trillion yuan, up 4.6 percent. Of the total, online goods sales rose 4.3 percent to 8.42 trillion yuan, while online service sales increased 5.1 percent to 5.06 trillion yuan.

Consumption in rural areas also gained momentum as commercial and logistics infrastructure improved. Rural retail sales of consumer goods rose 2.3 percent year-on-year in the first eight months,1.3 percentage points faster than in urban areas.

Meanwhile, China's expanded visa-free policies and other measures facilitating cross-border travel helped boost inbound tourism, with overseas visitors showing stronger demand for shopping, cultural tourism and experience-based consumption.

Looking ahead, China has considerable room for further consumption growth, supported by rising demand for services and higher-quality products, as well as increasingly diverse consumption scenarios, Fu noted, adding that household purchasing power and willingness to spend still need strengthening, while the supply of high-quality goods and services requires further improvement.

China will continue efforts to raise incomes, improve supply and stabilize expectations, advance consumer goods trade-in programs, tap the potential of services consumption, and improve production and supply to promote the healthy and sustained development of the consumer market, Fu stressed.

XINHUA-CHINA DAILY