BizChina

 During the 2026 Spring Festival holiday, service consumption in medium-to-small cities across China saw robust growth, driven by reunion gatherings, social activities, and immersive cultural tourism. This trend highlighted a significant shift in consumption patterns towards lower-tier markets.

According to data released by Meituan on February 21, leisure and entertainment orders in these cities increased by nearly 30% year-on-year. Young consumers aged under 30 accounted for over 60% of spending, reflecting vibrant youth-led demand. Top 10 small cities leading the trend included Handan, Nanyang, Baotou, Liuzhou, Jinghong, Dali, Hengyang, Fuyang, Nanchong, and Anqing.

"The integration of AI technology with grassroots consumption is redefining county-level economies," said a Meituan spokesperson. The platform’s AI assistant "Xiao Tuan" saw millions of users—nearly half from returning migrants—searching for local leisure options during the holiday.

BEIJING, Jan. 10, 2026​ – In a landmark achievement, China's automobile industry shattered previous records in 2025, with both production and sales volumes reaching unprecedented levels. According to data released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), the nation produced 31.02 million​ vehicles and sold 30.68 million​ units throughout the year, marking a significant increase from the previous year and reinforcing China's dominance in the global automotive arena.

The explosive growth was overwhelmingly fueled by the new energy vehicle (NEV) segment, which includes battery electric vehicles (BEVs), plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), and fuel cell vehicles. NEVs accounted for a remarkable 55%​ of total passenger car sales, surpassing internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles for the first time in terms of market share penetration. Domestic giants like BYD​ led the charge, reporting annual sales exceeding 4 million units globally and capturing the title of the world's best-selling carmaker by volume. Other brands such as Geely, Changan, and a host of innovative startups including NIO, XPeng, and Li Auto also posted impressive gains.

China's foreign trade in goods grew by 3.8 percent year-on-year to reach 45.47 trillion yuan ($6.51 trillion) in 2025, hitting a new record and marking the first time that the volume has exceeded the 45-trillion-yuan threshold, official data showed on Wednesday. And the country maintained its position as the world's largest trading nation in goods last year.

As China navigated through a bunch of internal and external uncertainties throughout the turbulent 2025 - ranging from rising geopolitical tensions, tariff wars to weak global demand - the record-breaking reading not only offers a window gauging into the strong resilience, adaptability and competitiveness of its foreign trade engine, but also underscores the country's irreplaceable role as both locomotive and stabilizer of the global supply chain, observers said.

US electric automaker Tesla said Friday that its global vehicle deliveries in 2025 fell by around 8.6 percent year on year, marking the first time the company has been overtaken in annual electric vehicle sales by China's automaker BYD.

Tesla produced 1.655 million electric vehicles in 2025 and delivered 1.636 million, lower than the 1.773 million vehicles produced and 1.789 million delivered in 2024, according to company data.