China's retail sales up 4.7 pct in Q1

BEIJING, April 16 (Xinhua) -- China's retail sales of consumer goods, a major indicator of the country's consumption strength, climbed 4.7 percent year on year in the first quarter of 2024, official data showed Tuesday.

Retail sales in the country's urban regions rose 4.6 percent year on year during the period, while that in rural areas expanded 5.2 percent, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics.

Online retail sales jumped 12.4 percent year on year, with online retail sales of physical goods expanding 11.6 percent and accounting for 23.3 percent of the total retail sales of consumer goods.

China vowed to expand domestic demand and promote sound economic flows, while promoting steady growth in consumer spending this year.