Guangdong’s consumer spending plan covers areas such as AI, tourism, housing, vehicles and holidays and comes amid sluggish retail sales
Guangdong’s consumer spending: 37 new measures introduced
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The Guangdong government has issued new guidelines to shore up the province’s consumer spending, pushing out 37 measures to facilitate consumption across areas such as vehicles, tourism and AI products.
According to a document published by Guangdong’s Development and Reform Commission on 3 November 2026, the plan covers a number of categories, including service spending, product consumption, wholesale and retail, new consumption patterns, consumption power, consumption environment, as well as policy guidelines.
What are some of the key consumption measures mentioned in the plan?
One of the key measures featured relates to Guangdong’s consumer trade-in scheme, which encourages domestic spending by awarding subsidies to residents who trade their old products, vehicles and equipment for new ones. The plan mentions adding smart home products, including age-friendly household products, to the trade-in scheme, on top of other pre-existing product categories such as cars, home electrical appliances and digital products.
[See more: Macao launches new 10-week consumption drive]
To increase provincial car sales, the Guangdong authorities are also calling for the Greater Bay Area (GBA) cities of Guangzhou and Shenzhen to relax their vehicle license plate quota policies to allow families that have repeatedly failed to win a plate quota to purchase a car.
How does the consumer spending plan intend to boost tourism and AI consumption?
The plan discusses ways to strengthen inbound tourism by continuing to implement China’s visa-free transit policy and further expanding the number of international flight services, with a focus on Europe and the US, as well as member states of China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
Other measures include making payment easier for overseas visitors by allowing foreign bank cards to be linked to Chinese e-wallet platforms and foreign e-wallet platforms to be used for payment in China.
At the same time, the Guangdong government is planning to grow the number of duty-free stores in departure areas and border checkpoints, in addition to areas where visitors can process their departure tax refund.
AI is another key component of the plan, which calls for the development of AI-powered smartphones, computers, wearables and robots, along with AI virtual outfit try-on applications and AI-generated retail content.
What is being done in terms of housing and policy?
In terms of housing, the document mentions various measures to improve housing sales such as expanding the scope of the housing provident fund to allow individuals to withdraw capital for the payment of renovation and property fees.
Separately, it calls for the strict implementation of the public holiday and annual leave system to ensure that workers are actually permitted to take their statutory holidays. At the same time, the plan encourages employers to allow for paid leave to be combined with short public holidays.
Why is increasing consumption a priority for Guangdong?
The publication of the plan coincides with the slowing of Guangdong’s consumer spending. Figures published by the Guangdong Provincial Bureau of Statistics on 23 October show that, in the first three quarters of 2026, provincial retail sales of consumer goods grew by only 1.4 percent year-on-year.
The problem is not unique to Guangdong, as China is struggling to counteract weakening consumption levels nationwide. In September 2026, Chinese Premier Li Qiang suggested that local governments implement experimental initiatives to shore up domestic consumption.
What do experts think of the Guangdong consumer spending plan?
While the plan introduces a variety of concrete measures, consumer enthusiasm will be integral to the plan’s success, according to Peng Peng, the executive chairman of the Guangdong government-affiliated think tank, the Guangdong Society of Reform.
In a South China Morning Post report published on 4 November 2026, Peng was cited as saying that “the measures prioritise supply, but spending power is the decisive factor.”
He also highlighted the importance of other considerations such as jobs, wages and social safety nets, adding that “businesses and residents need to earn more before they can spend more.”
