China has announced new plans to lower distributions costs and improve the quality of its rural retail sector, hoping that less expensive, more reliable goods will help boost consumption amid the current economic downturn.
The Ministry of Commerce, announcing the planned measures at a press conference, said it aims to promote consolidation in the country’s fragmented logistics and distribution industry, to improve its ability to deliver products cheaply to consumers. The ministry also outlined a plan to support the opening of ‘countryside stores’ where rural residents can purchase safe, good quality products.
Jiang Zengwei, vice-minister of commerce, shown above, told the Wall Street Journal ‘Central to our policies should be increasing the consumption of low-income households.’
The ministry also plans to improve the quality, and hopefully the number, of small-scale retailers in the countryside, to both encourage more consumption and create jobs.