Ministry of Commerce: 18 measures introduced to further stimulate the vitality of the sinking market

This afternoon, the State Council Information Office held a press conference to introduce measures to invigorate the sinking market and stimulate consumption in rural counties. A relevant official from the Ministry of Commerce stated that the proportion of county and township consumption in the total retail sales of consumer goods has steadily increased, becoming the most important source of potential for consumption expansion. Today, the Ministry of Commerce and nine other departments issued the "Opinions on Further Stimulating the Vitality of the Sinking Market and Activating County Consumption." The relevant official from the Ministry of Commerce introduced that the "Opinions" focus on county areas and offline consumption, proposing 18 specific measures. In terms of optimizing the commercial environment in counties, the "Opinions" propose accelerating the updating of existing commercial facilities, optimizing the layout of commercial outlets, improving supporting commercial services, and revitalizing idle resources and assets. Improve the efficiency of urban and rural circulation networks, smooth the two-way circulation channels between urban and rural areas, and guide the coordinated development of online and offline businesses. To enrich the supply of county consumption, the measures encourage chain enterprises to accelerate their presence in rural areas, promote local brands to innovate while preserving their core values, and develop emerging business formats suited to local conditions. There will be an expansion of high-quality and competitively priced products, an acceleration in the improvement of service formats such as those for the elderly and children, and the promotion of integrated development of commerce, agriculture, culture, tourism, and sports. Assistant Minister of Commerce Yuan Xiaoming: Enhance consumption security capabilities. Support a number of enterprise headquarters and platform enterprises to establish operations in county regions, providing more job opportunities and cultivating a new form of employment base rooted in the counties, continuously broadening the channels for residents' income increase. In addition, the "Opinions" will introduce a series of concrete measures from the aspects of finance, land, and the business environment to attract various resources and elements to concentrate in county regions. In the next step, the Ministry of Commerce will work with relevant departments to guide localities in exploring county consumption development models that fit local characteristics, invigorating the sinking market, and unleashing the vast potential of county consumption.