China's circulation enterprises have gradually resumed operation with a sufficient market supply of products, according to the Ministry of Commerce (MOC).

A woman sells stationery via live broadcast in Wuhan, central China's Hubei province, on March 29. (Photo/ Ke Hao)

Large wholesale markets, supermarket chains, branded convenience stores and e-commerce platforms have all resumed business and recovered their turnover. 99.4 percent of agricultural products wholesale markets have reopened, while 99.5 percent of supermarket chains and 95.4 percent of branded convenience stores have gone back into operation.

By March 27, 97.6 percent of business owners at agricultural products wholesale markets had begun operation, with the transaction volume increasing more than 50 percent from early February, said Wang Bin, an MOC official, at a press conference on March 28.

Wang added that sales at large chain supermarkets and branded convenience stores exceeded that of the same period last year.

In mid-March, sales by key retailers monitored by the MOC increased 7 percent from mid-February, according to Wang.

84.5 percent of business owners on e-commerce platforms have resumed operation, 14 percentage points higher than at the end of February. In addition, 95.8 percent of department stores have reopened, with sales going back to about 50 percent of that in the same period last year.

Meanwhile, 80 percent of catering enterprises, 60 percent of hotels and 40 percent of housekeeping companies have seen sales recover to 35 percent of the same period last year.

Though companies are still facing difficulties such as shortages of capital and personnel, businesses will further go back to normal as a string of policies are about to be implemented, Wang noted.

China has unveiled favorable tax policies to help small and micro businesses and self-employed entrepreneurs tide over their difficulties.

Small restaurants and hotels will be exempt from value-added tax for a certain period of time, said Wang Shiyu, an official with the State Administration of Taxation, adding that owners can carry over a tax loss to eight years, instead of the previous five years.

The country has also decided to exempt value-added tax for small-scale taxpayers in Hubei province and cut the tax from 3 percent to 1 percent for those outside Hubei from March 1 to May 31.