Chongqing — The year 2020 is a tough year for the global consumer market due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Facing the impact of the epidemic, the Chongqing government has taken various measures to promote the consumer market's recovery and achieved considerable results.

According to the statistics from the Chongqing Municipal Commission of Commerce on November 29, the total retail sales of consumer goods from January to November showed positive growth for the first time compared with the previous year, with a year-on-year increase of 0.4%. Among them, 10 categories of commodities, including grain, oil, food, daily necessities, and automobiles, achieved positive growth. The data show a stable and improving business economy in Chongqing and the strong momentum of high-quality development.

A competent official said that since the beginning of this year, combined with the Chongqing consumer market's characteristics, the government has developed a series of strategies at boosting consumption recovery and stabilizing economic growth, assisting enterprise development widely and comprehensively.

It is mentioned that at the end of February 2020, the Chongqing Municipal Commission of Commerce promptly organized the low- and medium-risk districts and counties to open business premises gradually. As a result, the passenger flow and turnover of major commercial areas continued to recover.

From May to August, Chongqing has launched the summer consumer Festival, focusing on three major aspects-- consumption benefiting the people, digital empowerment enhancement, and Chengdu-Chongqing consumption coordination. In conjunction with urban areas, key enterprises, online shopping platforms, and financial institutions, the government has invested nearly 1 billion yuan in special funds to issue consumer vouchers to benefit the people and continue to release consumption potential.

From September to December, under the overall planning and organization of the Ministry of Commerce, the 2020 Golden Autumn Consumer Festival activities were held, attracting more than 60,000 businesses, and carrying out 37 key events and more than 20,000 series of supporting activities. Chongqing’s main business areas and key companies achieved retail sales of 27.62 billion yuan, increasing 8.3% year-on-year. In September, October, and November, the total retail sales of consumer goods increased by 9.7%, 12.1%, and 10.9%, respectively.

Facing the impact of the epidemic on the real economy, Chongqing encourages traditional business enterprises to accelerate the integration of online and offline development and implement a number of support programs. From January to November, online retail sales of units above-designated size in the city increased by 44.2%, which was 31.3 % higher than the same period last year.

As for the prospect for the next year, the relevant person in charge introduced that in 2021, Chongqing will construct an international consumption center city as the lead, promote high-quality economic development, and provide its citizens with a high-quality life.