China pledges moves to prop up consumption recovery

BEIJING, April 19 (Xinhua) -- China is planning to take more actions to invigorate consumption recovery, an official with the country's top economic planner said Wednesday.

China's consumer market got off to a good start in the first quarter of the year (Q1), laying a solid foundation for the whole year's consumption recovery and expansion, Meng Wei, spokesperson for the National Development and Reform Commission, told a press conference.

China is drawing up related documents with a focus on stabilizing bulk consumption, improving services consumption, and expanding consumption in rural areas to bolster the recovery trend, Meng said.

To stimulate auto consumption, the country will expedite the building of battery charging facilities and parking facilities in cities, and promote new energy vehicles in rural areas, according to the spokesperson.

Efforts will be made to enhance personal income and foster a favorable environment to improve consumer sentiment, Meng added.

Previous data showed that China's retail sales gained momentum in Q1, up 5.8 percent year on year. Final consumption contributed 66.6 percent to overall GDP growth in Q1.