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.