Wang Quanzhong, director of the NBS Department of Trade and External Economic Relations Statistics, said the combined effects of various policies to boost consumption have continued to take hold this year, driving further expansion of the consumer market and strong growth in service retail.
China's retail sales of services rose 5.3 percent year on year in the first half of 2026, 4.2 percentage points faster than the growth in retail sales of goods, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
An NBS official said services consumption has become an important driver of expanding consumption, as household spending shifts from being dominated by goods toward a more balanced focus on both goods and services.
Wang Quanzhong, director of the NBS Department of Trade and External Economic Relations Statistics, said the combined effects of various policies to boost consumption have continued to take hold this year, driving further expansion of the consumer market and strong growth in service retail.
Retail sales of communication and information services maintained relatively rapid growth in the first half of the year, Wang said.
