Implementing the Strategy of Expanding Domestic Demand and Adhering to Opening Up to the Outside World (Authoritative Interview · Start of the 15th Five-Year Plan)

——An Interview with Wang Wentao, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Minister of the Ministry of Commerce

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: Implementing the strategy of expanding domestic demand is not only necessary for maintaining the long-term, sustained and healthy development of China's economy, but also for meeting the people's growing needs for a better life. "We must adhere to opening up to the outside world, base development on our own strength, and coordinate the use of global factors and market resources."

The Central Economic Work Conference proposed: "Adhere to domestic demand leadership and build a strong domestic market" and "Adhere to opening up to the outside world and promote win-win cooperation in multiple fields". To thoroughly study and implement the spirit of the Central Economic Work Conference, our reporter interviewed Wang Wentao, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Minister of the Ministry of Commerce.

Adhering to the Close Integration of Benefiting People's Livelihood and Promoting Consumption

Reporter: The Central Economic Work Conference has placed "adhering to domestic demand leadership and building a strong domestic market" at the top of the key economic tasks for 2026. How will the Ministry of Commerce implement this, and what are the key focus areas?

Wang Wentao: In 2025, China's consumer market moved forward with new momentum and maintained steady growth. The total retail sales of consumer goods increased by 4.0% in the first 11 months, and is expected to exceed 50 trillion yuan for the first time throughout the year. The growth rate of retail sales of services was 1.3 percentage points higher than that of retail sales of goods in the same period, reflecting strong vitality and potential. Measured by consumption volume, China has become the world's largest market in many important areas and categories. This ultra-large-scale market is an important foundation for us to promote high-quality development and the confidence to cope with risks and challenges. In 2026, the Ministry of Commerce will adhere to the close integration of benefiting people's livelihood and promoting consumption, and drive the release of consumption potential in service consumption, commodity consumption and the sinking market through the dual wheels of "policies + activities". We will focus on three key areas:

First, focus on key and potential areas to foster new growth points in service consumption. With China's economic development and the improvement of people's living standards, the residents' consumption structure is shifting towards equal emphasis on commodity consumption and service consumption. We have sorted out a number of service consumption areas with new formats and models, fast growth rates and strong driving effects, including large-scale areas such as transportation, housekeeping, online audio-visual and sojourn, as well as promising potential areas such as performances, sports events, games and emotional experience services. We will promote the improvement of supporting policies, eliminate unreasonable restrictive measures, and actively cultivate new growth points in service consumption. We will also organize events such as the "Service Consumption Season" and "China Food Festival", and guide local governments to build characteristic service consumption brands in sports, performing arts, tourism, ice and snow, etc.

Second, focus on new tracks and offline physical retail to optimize and implement the policy of replacing old consumer goods with new ones. In 2026, the policy of replacing old consumer goods with new ones will support green and intelligent commodity consumption with greater efforts. For example, the home appliance trade-in policy requires products to meet the first-class energy efficiency or water efficiency standards, and subsidies for new purchases will include smart watches, bracelets, smart glasses, etc. We understand that the "new" in trade-in not only refers to new commodities, but also provides a broader market for new products and technologies through policy support and guidance, striving to create new tracks and new industries. We will also actively support offline physical retail, encourage offline stores to give play to their comparative advantages, create diversified consumption scenarios, improve consumption experience, and promote the balanced development of online and offline retail.

Third, focus on "three types of regions" to stimulate consumption potential in the sinking market. The sinking market, represented by third and fourth-tier cities and counties, accounts for 70% of China's population and 60% of the total retail sales of consumer goods, and is one of the regions with the fastest growth and greatest potential in consumption. According to population size, economic scale, etc., we divide it into three types of regions: core, growing and basic. We will adhere to following the trend and implementing classified policies, establish a diversified pattern with urban areas as the center, counties as the focus and towns and villages as the foundation. By upgrading circulation facilities, optimizing the market environment, deepening the integration of formats and enriching consumption scenarios, we will activate this incremental "blue ocean".

We will also continue to organize the "Shop in China" series of activities and build the "Shop in China" brand. This Spring Festival has a 9-day long holiday. The Ministry of Commerce will work with relevant departments and local governments to hold the "Happy Shopping for the Spring Festival" special event, which is a key part of this year's "Shop in China" series of activities. Centering on 6 aspects of "eating, living, traveling, sightseeing, shopping and entertainment", it will create a Spring Festival consumption feast for all people to enjoy, so that everyone can feel the festive and peaceful holiday atmosphere whether they are reunited with their families or traveling.

Comprehensively Promoting the "Three Pillars" of Building a Trade Power

Reporter: The Central Economic Work Conference proposed to encourage and support service exports and actively develop digital trade and green trade. How will the Ministry of Commerce promote innovative development in the field of trade?

Wang Wentao: In 2025, China's foreign trade forged ahead under pressure and showed strong resilience in the face of the volatile external environment. The total import and export of goods exceeded 45 trillion yuan for the first time throughout the year, an increase of 3.8%, and will maintain its position as the world's largest goods trading nation for 9 consecutive years. At present, the momentum of world economic development is insufficient, geopolitical conflict risks persist, global trade growth is slowing down, and the World Trade Organization has lowered the expected global trade growth rate in 2026 to 0.5%. Foreign trade development is facing many challenges and uncertainties. Next, we will comprehensively promote the "three pillars" of building a trade power, namely goods trade, service trade and digital trade, implement various policies well, and make every effort to stabilize foreign trade. Here are three key words:

First, "diversification" to consolidate and expand the diversified market. We will organize important exhibitions such as the Canton Fair well, attract more overseas merchants to attend and purchase, and increase support for enterprises to participate in overseas exhibitions. We will optimize public services and continue to compile and issue the "Country-Specific Trade Guides" and foreign trade promotion information. Guide the healthy and standardized development of new foreign trade formats and models such as cross-border e-commerce. China has signed 23 free trade agreements with 30 countries and regions. We will support and guide enterprises to make good use of these agreements and expand trade exchanges.

Second, "balance" to promote the balanced development of trade. During the 8th China International Import Expo last year, we launched the "Share the Big Market · Import to China" series of activities. We will continue to expand the brand influence of "Import to China", organize a series of matching activities, and actively expand imports through exhibition linkage, directional procurement and other methods. We will make full use of various trade promotion platforms such as the China International Import Expo, give play to the role of national import trade promotion and innovation demonstration zones, improve the level of import trade facilitation, optimize the source and structure of imported goods, and better meet the needs of industrial development and people's better life.

Third, "service trade" to vigorously develop service trade. We will improve the negative list management system for cross-border service trade and steadily relax market access in the service sector. In accordance with the principle of "one industry, one policy", we will promote the introduction of a number of more valuable policy measures, accelerate the export of producer services, encourage professional service institutions to enhance their international service capabilities, and expand the export of emerging services such as R & D, design, consulting, testing and maintenance relying on innovative advantages such as artificial intelligence, digital economy and biomedicine, so as to cultivate new growth points in foreign trade.

Steadily Promoting Institutional Opening Up

Reporter: The Central Economic Work Conference proposed to "adhere to opening up to the outside world" and "steadily promote institutional opening up". What new measures will the Ministry of Commerce take to further promote high-level opening up?

Wang Wentao: Adhering to open cooperation and mutual benefit and win-win results is an inevitable requirement of Chinese-style modernization. Expanding high-level opening up is not only conducive to us gaining strategic initiative in fierce international competition, but also can promote common global opening up through our own opening up. In response to the deployment of the Central Economic Work Conference, the Ministry of Commerce will focus on implementing the following three aspects:

First, actively expand independent opening up. We will steadily expand independent opening up in service areas such as value-added telecommunications, biotechnology and wholly foreign-owned hospitals, and accelerate the comprehensive pilot demonstration of expanding opening up in the service sector. Expand areas and regions of unilateral opening up, and promote the implementation of the zero-tariff measure covering 100% of taxable items for all African countries that have established diplomatic relations with China. We will vigorously promote the effective implementation of the customs clearance policies for the Hainan Free Trade Port, further improve the level of trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, optimize the regional layout and scope of pilot free trade zones, support pilot free trade zones to carry out more vigorous institutional opening up experiments in areas such as market access, environmental standards and government procurement, and better play the demonstration and leading role of the comprehensive reform and opening up test platform.

Second, promote the reasonable and orderly cross-border layout of industrial and supply chains. We will fully deepen economic and trade cooperation under the "the Belt and Road" Initiative, promote the integration and interconnection of industrial and supply chains, encourage cooperation in areas such as green development, digital economy, green minerals, new infrastructure and new energy, and promote the establishment of equal, inclusive and constructive global industrial and supply chain partnerships. Give play to the platform function of overseas economic and trade cooperation zones, expand overseas marketing networks and develop international markets through foreign investment, realize the mutual promotion of investment and trade, and promote the integrated development of trade and investment. We will also optimize the overseas comprehensive service system, improve the national-level overseas comprehensive service platform, and promote the formation of an overseas service ecosystem with central-local linkage, regional coordination and resource aggregation.

Third, constructively participate in global economic governance. There will be two major events in the economic and trade field in 2026. One is the APEC China Year. We will deeply participate in APEC economic and trade cooperation and organize a series of meetings in the economic and trade field. The other is the 14th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization. We will fully and deeply participate in the reform of the World Trade Organization, work with all parties to voice support for multilateralism and free trade, and promote the conference to achieve practical results. We will also negotiate and sign trade and investment agreements with more willing countries and regions in a flexible and pragmatic manner. Strengthen economic and trade cooperation under mechanisms such as BRICS, G20 and SCO to achieve mutual benefit and win-win results.

Would you like me to help you sort out the core policy measures of expanding domestic demand and opening up in this interview into a concise bilingual checklist for quick reference?