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China consumption

China consumption
The latest news, analysis and opinion on China consumption. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Chinese leaders will hold the central economic work conference in December, a closed-door meeting to discuss the top policy goals for 2026.
China GDP

China’s economic focus in 2026: what to expect as leaders prep for major meeting

Growth of ‘around 5 per cent’ may be revised to between 4.5 and 5 per cent, analysts say, as leadership gears up for tone-setting conference.

China exports

How Chinese lifestyle brands are finding fans abroad with toys, tea and trends

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Banking & finance

China’s finance chief calls for fiscal firepower as Beijing weighs 2026 goals

Mainland China

China delivers record 180 billion parcels in 11 months as shoppers chase deals

Express deliveries have reached as high as 777 million per day in 2025 as China’s consumers turn to cut-price online platforms.

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Parcels are piled up near an apartment building in Beijing during the Singles’ Day shopping festival in November 2020. China’s consumers continue to turn to e-commerce platforms to find cut-price deals. Photo: AP
China inflation

Pursuit of hoppiness: how China’s cash-conscious drinkers embraced craft beers

As discerning alcohol consumers seek ‘wallet-friendly’ products, premium beers are winning out over higher-end options.

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China travel

China turns to school ‘snow breaks’ to warm up winter tourism industry

Ahead of next year’s record-long Spring Festival, local governments roll out short holidays to lure families to winter getaways.

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China economy

Opinion | How China could solve its consumption conundrum

Beijing’s priority should be bold short-term countercyclical action: issuing US$400 vouchers and stabilising the property sector.

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People shop at a supermarket in Zaozhuang city, in Shandong province, on August 9. Photo: Xinhua
China's economic recovery

Explainer | What’s next for China’s economy in 2026 – and how it plans to tackle challenges

Top investment banks forecast moderate growth next year amid trade, property and structural challenges.

China-Japan relations

Why do Chinese no longer feel the need to boycott Japanese products?

A seismic shift in the market has resulted in people preferring Chinese fashion, locally branded appliances and domestically made cars.

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China economy

China names ‘hotspot’ sectors in 19-point plan to spur consumption

Beijing identifies products for the elderly, fitness equipment and pet food, among others, as potential sources of consumption growth.

The consumer goods exhibition area at the China International Import Expo in Shanghai earlier this month. Photo: Xinhua
China-EU relations

After peaking, decline of China’s European wine imports worries makers

Chinese drinkers are spending less amid an economic slowdown, diluting the profits of Europe’s fine wine producers.

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Illustration: Brian Wang
China's economic recovery

Why China’s film industry is banking on Zootopia 2 being a smash hit

After a tough few months, Chinese cinemas are hoping that a string of imported animated releases can offer some relief.

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Wine and Spirits

China’s liquor capital faces long march to rebirth as ‘liquid gold’ glory wanes

In Maotai town, baijiu producers diversify offerings while expanding to markets such as Hong Kong and Southeast Asia amid a culture shift and economic challenges.

Consumers

Rising down jacket sales offer cushion against deflation in mainland China

Bosideng and other retailers expect winter wear sales to boom for three more months, buoyed by strong demand for high-end products.

A Bosideng outlet in Shanghai. The company is China’s largest down jacket maker. Photo: CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images
China travel

Snowcapped prosperity: China’s winter sports market glides upwards

Growing participation and government support are fuelling innovation in equipment, expanding domestic resorts, and creating new jobs in China’s ice and snow economy.

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Team China freestyle skier Wang Xindi trains in Arxan, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, on November 6. Photo: Xinhua
United States

Pop Mart’s Labubu balloons to debut at Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade in New York

A brown Labubu and a pink Mokoko will appear alongside characters such as Skullpanda, Dimoo and Molly on the toymaker’s Pop City float.

China GDP

Chinese economist calls on Beijing to add consumption target to long-term goals

Cai Fang of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences said Beijing’s benchmarks for 2035 should include a quantitative figure for consumption.

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China economy

800 million: how a new target indicates a shift in China’s economic strategy

China projects it will have 800 million people living on middle incomes in 10 years, as it pledges to ‘invest more in people’.

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Shoppers walk the streets in Beijing. China projects its middle-income population will reach 800 million within the next 10 years. Photo: EPA-EFE
Labubu

Is the bubble surrounding Pop Mart’s Labubu about to burst?

Labubu dolls have been all the rage, but experts project that the trend may be on the verge of collapse – like the Beanie Babies before them.

Consumers

Open Questions | Chinese economist Lu Feng on why the time is ripe for a consumption rebalance

Peking University professor says China’s next five-year plan could provide the necessary momentum to shift more public resources to households.

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China technology

Shanghai dreams of a new era of ‘AI restaurants’. But can diners stomach it?

The Chinese city aims to pioneer a new age of ‘smart dining’, where automated kitchens, robot servers and data-driven menus are the norm.

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A server robot waits tables at a restaurant in China’s eastern Zhejiang province. Automation is rapidly spreading in China’s vast catering sector, with Shanghai aiming to accelerate the rollout of new technologies. Photo: Xinhua
US-China tech war

Rokid’s AI eyewear joins the quest to be the biggest thing since the smartphone

Start-up Rokid is teaming up with eyewear brand Bolon on lightweight AI glasses as competition heats up to deliver the next ‘iPhone moment’.

The Rokid AI glasses (left) and the newly launched Bolon-branded AI glasses without a display. Photo: Wency Chen
Open Questions series

Open Questions | China’s weak consumption and how economist Lu Feng would fix it

With 15th five-year plan promoting consumption, Peking University expert spells out imbalances and contradictions in Chinese economy and ways to resolve them.

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China manufacturing

China’s growth softens in October as property drags investment further down

Official data points to uneven recovery last month, but analysts do not expect major stimulus as annual growth target within reach.

China property

China’s property sector needs stronger stimulus: Citigroup economist

Citi is the latest international bank to call for more aggressive policies from Beijing to jolt the country’s ailing property market.

A construction site in Huaian, Jiangsu province. Photo: CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images
China’s fourth plenum

China’s 15th five-year plan

The approved outline for China’s 15th five-year plan highlights efforts to spur domestic consumption, boost technological self-sufficiency and further raise the nation’s industrial competitiveness. The plan will come into effect in 2026.

China’s 15th five-year plan
China's economic recovery

Tax reform in China’s 5-year plan aims to protect budgets without crushing firms

Officials propose boosting direct and local levies, curbing tax breaks and tapping new sectors to shore up local revenues and fund social spending.

China economy

Huge subsidy scheme in China’s most populous province falls flat with consumers

The Chinese province has launched its biggest ever consumer subsidy programme to revitalise its economy, but shoppers remain cautious.

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