Remarks by Chinese President Xi Jinping at welcoming banquet of opening ceremony of 9th Asian Winter Games For more details, click the link below:

Q: During the recent Spring Festival holiday, local governments launched a variety of activities to boost consumption, and major commercial districts reported strong foot traffic, reflecting the robust vitality of the domestic market. Could you please share how the consumption market performed during the holiday and what highlights there were? Additionally, what is your forecast for the consumer market in the first quarter? (MOFCOM Regular Press Conference February 6) A: During this year’s Spring Festival holiday, the consumption market across China was vibrant, with bustling crowds and strong sales. Notable highlights were observed in both goods and services consumption, providing innovative and expanding experiences for consumers. According to MOFCOM’s big data monitoring, sales from key retail and catering enterprises nationwide during the holiday increased by 4.1% compared to the same period last year, marking a stable start for the consumer market. The main characteristics of the market were as follows: 1. A Rich Variety of Activities: Local commerce departments organized various consumption promotion activities with regional characteristics, such as Spring Festival fairs, Chinese New Year online shopping festivals and time-honored brand carnivals, creating a strong festive atmosphere and stimulating holiday consumption. For example, Heilongjiang Province leveraged the opportunity of hosting the Asian Winter Games to launch a series of consumption promotion activities under the theme “Celebrating the Asian Winter Games, Shopping in Heilongjiang”. Sichuan Province hosted the Spring Festival consumption month under the theme “Flavors of Tianfu, A Festive Atmosphere”, coordinating over 100 commercial districts to meet the diverse consumption needs of the public. 2. Dynamic Goods Consumption: During the holiday, products such as food, traditional Chinese New Year goods, eco-friendly smart home appliances, mobile phones and tablets saw strong sales. Key monitored retail enterprises reported a year on year sales increase of over 10% in household appliances and communication devices. 3. Vibrant Services Consumption: Services consumption, such as dining, travel, movie-going and theater performances, surged during the holiday season. Key catering enterprises reported a 6.2% year-on-year increase in operating revenues. The popularity of ice and snow tourism, as well as cultural and historical tourism, remained high. Domestic travel expenditures during the holiday reached 677 billion yuan, up 7.0% year on year; 500 million domestic trips were made, up 5.9% year on year. Box office revenue for films during the Spring Festival period reached a record 9.51 billion yuan. 4. Innovative Consumer Scenarios: The integration of commerce, tourism, culture and sports accelerated, with digital, immersive and interactive consumption experiences gaining favor. On Chinese New Year’s Eve, Chongqing adorned the “Two Rivers and Four Banks” area with light show displays and launched activities such as Spring Festival Gala sub-venue IP events, mascot flash mobs and photo-taking sessions. In Jiangxi Province, intangible cultural heritage inheritors hosted live-streaming sessions, offering innovative consumption scenarios for traditional crafts. In Jiaxing City, Zhejiang Province, humanoid robots were introduced in the Wuzhen Scenic Area, where tourists eagerly “shook hands” and took photos with the robots, adding a technological touch to the Chinese New Year celebrations. Looking ahead, China’s consumer market remains resilient, with significant potential and vitality. The fundamental trend of recovery and improvement remains unchanged. With the enhanced implementation of policies promoting the consumer goods trade-ins and the orderly rollout of various consumption promotion activities, the consumer market is expected to maintain steady growth in the first quarter.

Q: Does MOFCOM have any further response or statement regarding the U.S. raising tariffs on goods from China? Have there been any communications between China and the U.S. on tariff issues in the past week? (MOFCOM Regular Press Conference February 6) A: China will not proactively initiate trade disputes and is willing to resolve issues through dialogue and consultation. However, in response to unilateral bullying actions, China will take necessary measures to firmly safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.

Q: The U.S. announced that it would suspend accepting postal parcels from the Chinese mainland and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region starting from February 4, but resumed accepting those shipments a few hours later. What is China’s response to this? (MOFCOM Regular Press Conference February 6) A: Cross-border e-commerce directly meets consumers’ personalized needs, offers quick delivery, and reduces costs, giving it a unique advantage. It is an important trend in the development of international trade. The U.S. recently imposed an additional 10% tariff on goods imported from China and canceled the duty exemptions for low-value shipments, which will undoubtedly increase the cost for U.S. consumers and diminish their shopping experience. Regardless of changes in a country’s trade policies, the inherent advantages and characteristics of cross-border e-commerce remain unchanged. It continues to maintain strong competitiveness and the broader trend of digital development in international trade will not change. At the same time, we hope that the U.S. will align with the trends in international trade development, optimize its regulatory framework, create a fair and predictable policy environment for cross-border e-commerce, and provide domestic consumers with a more convenient and higher-quality shopping experience.

Q: On March 3, U.S. President Trump decided to postpone the imposition of additional tariffs on Canada and Mexico for 30 days. What is China’s comment? (MOFCOM Regular Press Conference February 6) A: The U.S. unilateral imposition of additional tariffs severely violates WTO rules and is a deeply harmful act of unilateralism and trade protectionism. It seriously damages the rule-based multilateral trading system, disrupts the stability of global industrial and supply chains, and escalates global trade tensions. China is willing to work with relevant countries to steadfastly advocate for free trade and multilateralism, to jointly confront the challenges posed by unilateralism and trade protectionism, and to maintain the orderly and stable development of international trade.

Q: We have noticed that China recently announced the implementation of export controls on tungsten and other items, as well as the inclusion of U.S. companies PVH Corp. and Illumina, Inc. on the Unreliable Entity List. Could you provide more details on this? (MOFCOM Regular Press Conference February 6) A: On February 4, MOFCOM, together with the General Administration of Customs, issued an announcement that, effective immediately, export controls will be implemented on 25 rare metal products across five categories: tungsten, tellurium, bismuth, molybdenum and indium, as well as related technologies. On the same day, the Unreliable Entity List work mechanism also issued a notice adding U.S. companies PVH Corp. and Illumina, Inc. to the List. The export controls on tungsten and other items are consistent with international practices. The listed items possess certain dual-use properties, with a higher risk of military application in downstream products. This control measure reflects China’s consistent stance on maintaining world peace and regional stability. Enterprises from all countries should strictly comply with Chinese export control laws, regulations and relevant announcements. Export license applications that meet the necessary conditions will be approved by the Chinese government. Regarding the Unreliable Entity List, PVH Corp. and Illumina, Inc. have violated normal market transaction principles, disrupted normal trade with Chinese companies, and implemented discriminatory measures against Chinese enterprises. As a result, China has added these two entities to the Unreliable Entity List in accordance with the law. Going forward, China will take appropriate measures based on relevant laws and regulations against these entities. China has always approached issues related to export control and Unreliable Entity List with caution. The Chinese government remains committed to enhancing communication and cooperation with countries around the world to jointly safeguard the security and stability of global industrial and supply chains. We welcome companies from all countries to invest and do business in China, and we are committed to providing a stable, fair and predictable business environment for law-abiding foreign enterprises.

China sees surging culture, tourism market during 2025 Spring Festival holiday For more details, click the link below:

China’s annual trade in services exceeds 1 trillion USD, boasting significant potential For more details, click the link below:

China remains key market for British carmakers, says auto industry leader For more details, click the link below:

MOFCOM Spokesperson’s Remarks on the Inclusion of Two U.S. Companies on the Unreliable Entity List For more details, click the link below:

MOFCOM Spokesperson’s Remarks on the Implementation of Export Controls on Tungsten and Other Items For more details, click the link below:

MOFCOM Spokesperson’s Remarks on China’s WTO Lawsuit against U.S. Additional Tariff Measures For more details, click the link below:

Time to celebrate! The Year of the Snake has begun, just weeks after UNESCO inscribed #SpringFestival as a heritage of humanity. Check out its fun folk traditions at the China National Arts and Crafts Museum in Beijing! #YearofSnake #China

Happy Chinese New Year

Q: Recently, the policy for replacing old electric bicycles with new ones has been very well received by the public. What are the conditions for consumers to apply for subsidies, and how can they receive these subsidies more easily? (MOFCOM Regular Press Conference January 23) A: On January 20, MOFCOM, along with four other departments, issued the Circular on Implementing the Electric Bicycle Trade-in Program for the year 2025, confirming that the electric bicycle trade-in program will continue in 2025. The subsidy standards will be reasonably set by local governments under the guidance of MOFCOM, which will be consistent with the previous year, for a smooth transition. I would like to remind consumers of the following conditions: 1.Consumers must trade in their old bicycle that contains a battery in order to apply for the subsidy. 2.The amount of subsidy for purchasing a new bicycle does not include the amount at which the old bicycle is sold; the "traded-in" old bicycle will be bought back at the market value for scrapped bicycles. 3.Consumers should make sure that the new bicycle has a quality certification and China Compulsory Certification (CCC), and is accompanied by a valid invoice. To help consumers receive the subsidies more easily, we encourage vendors to provide “one-stop” services, including the sale of old bicycles, the replacement with new ones and assistance with registration, thereby enhancing the consumer experience. We also encourage local governments to provide instant discounts on payment, so that consumers get direct, real  benefits.

Q: Recently, Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang said at the World Economic Forum that China will promote trade balance by importing more competitive quality products and services. How will MOFCOM support imports this year? How do you assess the outlook for imports in 2025? (MOFCOM Regular Press Conference January 23) A: Actively expanding imports is not only an important initiative for China as a responsible major country but also a significant contribution to global economic development. In 2024, China’s total imports amounted to a record 18 trillion yuan, up 2.3% year on year. It is expected that China will remain the world’s second-largest importer for the 16th consecutive year. This fully demonstrates the opportunities presented by its supersize market and its determination to expand opening up. Expanding imports is also a key component of China’s strategy for high-standard opening up. The characteristics of China’s market—its vast size, diversity and immense potential—remain unchanged, and our commitment to implementing effective and proactive import policies remains steadfast. We will steadily open up China’s commodity market, and give all least-developed countries with which China has diplomatic relations zero-tariff treatment for 100% tariff lines. We will continue to leverage major trade platforms such as the China International Import Expo (CIIE), the China International Consumer Products Expo and the International Pavilion of China Import and Export Fair to increase imports. We will also work on developing national demonstration zones for import trade promotion and innovation, continuously facilitating import trade, tapping into the potential of imports, and making China’s huge market a shared global marketplace, to inject new momentum into global economic development.

Q: In 2024, the actual foreign direct investment (FDI) used in China amounted to 826.25 billion yuan. What measures will MOFCOM take in 2025 to further attract foreign investment? Will the “Invest in China” campaign continue? (MOFCOM Regular Press Conference January 23) A: In 2025, MOFCOM will resolutely implement the plans set by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, and make greater efforts to attract and stabilize foreign investment with the following actions: 1. Expanding openness and further easing market access: Currently, market access restrictions for foreign investment in the manufacturing sector have been completely removed. We will steadily open up the service sector through pilot projects in areas such as telecommunications, healthcare and education. We will also revise and expand the Catalogue of Encouraged Industries for Foreign Investment to enhance the attractiveness of our investment promotion policies. 2. Building a brand and organizing high-quality “Invest in China” events: We will continue to organize activities for investment promotion, project matchmaking, policy advocacy and thematic seminars both domestically and abroad. We will also make the China International Fair for Investment and Trade a signature event for “Invest in China”. 3. Improving services and fostering a world-class business environment: We will make roundtables for foreign-invested enterprises more professional and relevant, focusing on what businesses are concerned about and how they can be addressed. We will support both domestic and foreign enterprises as equals in large-scale equipment renewal, consumer product trade-in, government procurement and bidding activities, and ensuring that foreign enterprises compete on a level playing field. In summary, we will shorten the negative list and further improve the business environment, so that foreign enterprises feel secure, confident and comfortable in China, and that “the next ‘China’ is still China”.