Shopping campaign to unleash market potential

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 organizing dedicated city-level programs in 15 pilot cities, in order to build an internationalized 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 center, 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.