BizChina

With the roll-out of new measures to boost consumption among both inbound visitors and local residents in China, China Daily officially launched an international communication platform in Shanghai on Saturday to further promote the "Shopping in China" initiative.

Facilitated by the Ministry of Commerce, the platform adopts an integrated communication matrix of "one newspaper, one website, three social media accounts", with content from the newspaper expected to further boost the initiative among overseas readers. The English-language website features six core sections, namely Policy Guide, What They Say, Shopping, Delicacy, Travel and Events.

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.