China's National Bureau of Statistics: Consumer market continues to recover in May - Chinese media

According to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics of China, the consumer market maintained a recovery trend in May. Retail sales in May increased 3.7% year-on-year, up 1.4 percentage points from the previous month.
Liu Aihua, a spokesperson for the bureau, said, "The effects of the Labor Day holiday, the promotion of consumer goods replacement policies, and the early start of the 618 sale (a large-scale e-commerce sales event) are all contributing to the rise in sales."
"These factors were key in maintaining the recovery trend in the consumer market," he said. The sustained increase in people's demand for cultural activities and travel led to a rapid recovery in consumption of related services.
During the May 1-5 holiday period, the number of domestic travelers and total spending across the country increased by 7.6% and 12.7%, respectively, compared to the same period last year.
Retail sales of goods sold online increased 11.5% in the first five months of the year, compared with the same period last year, and accounted for 24.7% of total retail sales.
The National Bureau of Statistics said, "Although the consumer market has continued to grow steadily this year, we must further strengthen the willingness and ability of the people to consume. Sales of some products and sales formats have been sluggish.
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