[Ministry of Commerce: Total retail sales of consumer goods have rebounded, and the fundamentals of commodity consumption are good] On October 23, the head of the Department of Consumption Promotion of the Ministry of Commerce discussed the situation of China’s consumer market in the first three quarters of 2026. The total retail sales of consumer goods has rebounded, and the fundamentals of commodity consumption are good. Total retail sales of consumer goods increased by 1.1% in September, 0.7 percentage points faster than in August. Retail sales of consumer goods other than automobiles increased by 3.9%. In the first three quarters, total retail sales of consumer goods increased by 1.1%, achieving steady growth despite a high base in the same period last year. Among the 16 major categories of commodities for units above designated size, 9 categories of commodities maintained growth, of which 6 categories of commodities grew at a rate of more than 5%.