BEIJING, July 15 (Xinhua) -- China's total retail sales of goods and services, a major indicator of the country's consumption strength, increased by 2.7 percent year on year in the first half of 2026, official data showed Wednesday.
The retail sales of services increased by 5.3 percent in the period from a year ago, and that of goods increased by 1.1 percent, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
"As living standards improve, service consumption has increasingly become a key area for unlocking consumption potential," Mao Shengyong, deputy head of the NBS, told media.
In terms of services consumption, the categories of communication and information services, tourism consulting and leasing services, and cultural, sports and leisure services saw fast growth, the NBS data showed.
In the first half of this year, the total retail sales of consumer goods, which include the sales of physical consumer goods plus the income generated from the catering services, reached 24.87 trillion yuan (about 3.66 trillion U.S. dollars), up by 1.3 percent year on year, the data showed.
Retail sales of consumer goods in urban areas rose 1.2 percent while that in rural areas increased 2.5 percent, the data showed.
Highlighting an upgrade in consumption, Mao said in the first half of the year, digital consumption and green consumption accelerated as people turned to smart and green products. In June, the retail penetration rate of new energy vehicles reached 62.8 percent, remaining above 60 percent for the third consecutive month.
Inbound tourism contributed to consumption due to optimized visa-free transit policies and measures to improve departure tax refund and payment services for overseas visitors, Mao noted. In the first half of the year, approximately 17.82 million foreigners entered China under visa-free arrangements, up 30.6 percent year on year.
"In the next stage, conditions are favorable for expanding and upgrading consumption," the official said, pointing to a vast consumer market home to 1.4 billion people, people's rising demand for high-quality goods and services such as leisure, culture and entertainment, and pro-consumption policies.
According to a government plan on expanding consumption during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), China will strive to raise total retail sales of consumer goods to around 60 trillion yuan by 2030 as it seeks to further strengthen consumption's role in driving economic growth.
Efforts should be made to enhance residents' willingness and ability to consume and improve the consumption environment, making better use of the consumption potential of China's supersize market, Mao said. Enditem
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