5 cities aim for global consumption center status

Shanghai, Beijing, Guangdong province's Guangzhou, Tianjin and Chongqing have been taking the lead in becoming international consumption centers in China, and significant achievements have been made after four years of development.

As part of the country's broader efforts to boost domestic spending, it was decided four years ago that the five cities — four of which are designated as municipalities — would be developed as international consumption centers on par with global metropolises such as New York, London and Tokyo.

The international consumption environment has become friendlier in these five cities. Now, Beijing and Shanghai each operate more than 1,400 tax refund stores for inbound visitors, and the number of such stores in Guangzhou has exceeded 500. Sales revenues driven by tax refund shopping in the five cities accounted for 70 percent of the total nationwide, the Ministry of Commerce said on Thursday.