BEIJING: China has set out a host of measures to accelerate the transformation of five cities into international consumption centers, with the aim of creating a globally appealing consumption environment, expanding domestic demand and elevating the international influence of China’s consumer market.
The measures were set out in a policy document released by the State Council, China’s Cabinet, last month, which outlined eight key initiatives to be piloted in Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Tianjin and Chongqing.
The initiatives include promoting the “debut economy”, refining entry policies, enhancing the consumption environment, hosting large-scale consumption promotion events and improving supply quality.
This aligns with the 2025 Government Work Report, which prioritizes vigorously boosting consumption, improving investment efficiency and comprehensively expanding domestic demand.
It explicitly calls for a focused campaign to stimulate consumption, with a strong emphasis on advancing the development of cities to become international consumption centers.
Officials and experts emphasized that this policy decision reflects the Chinese government’s strong dedication to elevating these pilot cities to new levels, significantly contributing to enhanced consumption and high-quality development.
Wang Peng, a researcher at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, said that as the global economic landscape shifts, consumption has emerged as the primary engine of economic growth.
“As the world’s second-largest economy, China is moving from an investment-driven model to one fueled by consumption. Developing international consumption center cities is a critical strategy in this shift,” he said.
Wang highlighted that it’s hoped this effort will not only boost consumption and domestic demand but also enhance consumption quality and structure, paving the way for high-quality, diversified consumption. Against the backdrop of a complex global economic environment and domestic challenges, he added, this initiative could help ease downward economic pressure.
The five cities were first designated as international consumption centers in July 2021. Over the past three years, these cities have improved their consumption environments, attracted high-quality global consumer resources and pioneered diverse consumption scenarios.
Li Gang, director-general of the department of market operation and consumption promotion at the Ministry of Commerce, said in March that foreign arrivals in these cities roughly doubled in 2024 compared to the previous year, making up about 30 percent of the national total. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
