BizChina

China's consumer market saw a strong start during the 2026 New Year holidays, which ran from Thursday to Saturday, with the tourism sector posting robust growth, highlighted by rising flight volumes, hotel bookings and shopping activity, according to industry data.

The trend underscores improving consumer confidence in the tourism sector, a bellwether for household spending, as well as a gradual shift toward services-led consumption, with travel, dining and cultural activities translating into sustained spending momentum, industry insiders and analysts said.

The rollout of island-wide special customs operations at Hainan Free Trade Port will unlock new opportunities for deepening economic cooperation between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, said Pov Somnang, special assistant to the secretary-general of ASEAN.

His comments came after China launched island-wide special customs operations at Hainan FTP in mid-December — the world's largest free trade port by area — allowing freer entry of overseas goods, expanding zero-tariff coverage and introducing more business-friendly measures.

China's first license plate for Level-3 autonomous driving was granted recently to China Changan Auto Group, a car manufacturer based in Southwest China's Chongqing, marking a landmark development for the country's automotive sector.

The license plate, Yu AD0001Z, was issued by the Chongqing Municipal Public Security Bureau's traffic management department on Saturday. It will be used on Changan's Deepal model.

Hainan provincial government officially issued a notice on Tuesday announcing that the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) will commence island-wide special customs operations starting Thursday.

Chinese President Xi Jinping announced in April 2018 a decision to build the whole island of Hainan into a pilot free trade zone, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Experts said that the landmark move set to be launched on Thursday marks a pivotal step in China's pursuit of high-level opening-up and its commitment to building an open global economy.

Experts also describe the start of special customs operations as a milestone - shifting Hainan from policy experimentation to institutional maturity, and positioning it as a new frontier for international trade and investment, which will offer rich opportunities to the world.