China: China's wholesale and retail sectors posted steady growth in the first quarter of 2026, providing solid support for building a strong domestic market, the Ministry of Commerce said. From January to March, the added value of China's wholesale and retail trade grew 4.1% year on year to 3.5 trillion yuan (about US$510.4 billion), accounting for 10.5% of the country's gross domestic product, according to the ministry.
According to Emirates News Agency, in the wholesale sector, the transaction volume of key commodity markets monitored by the ministry rose 8.6% year on year in the first quarter. Among them, transaction volumes in markets for production materials and industrial consumer goods increased 16.1% and 10.7%, respectively.
In the retail sector, retail sales of goods reached 11.3 trillion yuan in the first quarter, up 2.2% year on year, the ministry said. Online retail also maintained rapid growth in rural areas. In the first quarter, online retail sales in rural areas rose 11% year on year, while online retail sales of agricultural products increased 14.7%.
