China Issues Multi-Agency Directive to Boost County-Level Consumption

Nine Chinese government ministries and agencies have jointly released policy guidelines to stimulate consumer activity in county-level and lower-tier markets. Announced by the Ministry of Commerce alongside economic, financial, and agricultural regulators, the framework focuses on upgrading local commercial facilities, attracting brand retail, extending 15-minute community service circles, and promoting sales of new energy vehicles, green appliances, and construction materials in rural areas.

County-level regions connect urban and rural economies and host hundreds of millions of consumers. Upgrading grassroots distribution networks and commercial services aims to tap latent consumption demand in lower-tier markets, supporting Beijing's strategic push to expand domestic consumption and rebalance economic growth.

Nine Chinese government authorities, led by the Ministry of Commerce, have jointly released an opinion aimed at activating lower-tier markets and expanding county-level consumption. The directive—jointly formulated with the National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, Ministry of Natural Resources, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, State Administration for Market Regulation, and National Financial Regulatory Administration—sets out a systematic framework to support domestic demand across counties and townships, according to reports by People's Daily and domestic financial media. The guidelines identify county markets as strategic foundations for expanding domestic consumption capacity. Drawing on methodologies from the national "Thousands of Villages Project," the document calls for targeted measures across several key operational areas: First, the policy calls for upgrading commercial channels by modernising existing facilities, revamping township trade centres and traditional agricultural fairs under the "Thousand Markets, Ten Thousand Stores" initiative, and redeveloping underutilised land for commercial purposes. Authorities also encourage attracting domestic and international retail brands to open regional "first stores" in county seats. Second, the framework encourages commercial format innovation. Eligible jurisdictions will implement a "one license, multiple locations" registration rule for retail chains and individual merchants. The directive also promotes down-market expansion for domestic consumer brands and supports integrated business models across primary, secondary, and tertiary industries. Third, the policy prioritises product and service improvements to deliver equal quality between urban and rural goods. Measures include extending "15-minute community life circles" into county seats, expanding elderly care and childcare services, and fostering commercial integration across agriculture, culture, tourism, and sports. Sector-specific guidelines also emphasize targeted support for new energy vehicles, green and smart consumer products, and green construction materials moving into county and township markets. Finally, the directive highlights modernising logistics networks, improving consumer dispute resolution, and providing financial and land policy support. The Ministry of Commerce stated it will coordinate with partner agencies to oversee implementation and ensure policy measures take effect at the local level.