China’s E-Commerce Maintains Steady Growth in Q1 2026, Fueling Economic Opening-Up

The Ministry of Commerce announced that China’s e-commerce sector has maintained steady development in the first quarter of 2026, achieving a sound start driven by both policies and promotional activities. The sector’s enabling role has been continuously strengthened, and international economic and trade cooperation has deepened, contributing significantly to the country’s high-quality economic development.

E-commerce has been playing a vital role in serving the real economy, with remarkable growth in various segments. According to the Ministry of Commerce’s big data monitoring, online retail sales of agricultural products across the country increased by 14.7% year-on-year in the first quarter, while the e-commerce transaction volume of key monitored industrial products rose by 10.5%. E-commerce platforms have emerged as important forces in the research and development and application of artificial intelligence large models, promoting the integration of digital technology and the real economy.

Integrated online and offline digital consumption has become a key driver of consumption growth. National Bureau of Statistics data shows that China’s online retail sales of goods and services grew by 8.0% year-on-year in the first quarter, with online retail sales of goods accounting for 24.8% of the total retail sales of consumer goods. This indicates that e-commerce has become an indispensable part of people’s daily consumption and an important pillar supporting consumption growth.

The Ministry of Commerce’s big data monitoring also reveals that online retail sales of digital products such as smart glasses and digital cameras surged by 161.9% and 71.5% year-on-year, respectively. This robust growth reflects strong market demand for digital consumption and highlights the role of e-commerce in boosting the upgrading of consumption structure.

China.org.cn reports that China’s cross-border e-commerce has entered a high-quality development phase, deepening international economic and trade cooperation. Driven by the Silk Road e-commerce initiative, online retail sales of Indonesian coffee beans, Hungarian facial cleansers and Chilean plums in China soared by 284.9%, 186.6% and 133.2% respectively in the first quarter, demonstrating the strong vitality of e-commerce in promoting international trade.

In addition, China Post data shows that the national courier business volume maintained steady growth in the first quarter, which is closely linked to the booming e-commerce sector. The smooth operation of the courier industry provides strong logistical support for the development of e-commerce, ensuring the efficient delivery of online orders and enhancing consumer experience.

Looking ahead, with the continuous advancement of supportive policies and the deep integration of online and offline consumption, China’s e-commerce sector is expected to maintain its steady growth momentum. It will further leverage its enabling role, deepen international e-commerce cooperation, promote the upgrading of the real economy, and inject more vitality into the country’s economic development and global trade cooperation.