A working conference by China's ministry of commerce was held on Monday in Beijing. During a keynote speech at the conference, Minister Gao Hucheng said that through joint efforts, commerce authorities nationwide made apparent successes in 2016.

By the end of November, China's retail sales of consumer goods rose to 30.1 trillion yuan. Online retail sales also saw a nearly 25% year-on-year increase. The record-high sales volume ranks first place in the world. And consumption in the first three quarters made a 71% contribution to the country's economic growth.