Consumer spending is expected to recover well as pandemic restrictions are eased across China.

In an early sign of economic recovery, restaurants and retail stores in the country's capital are seeing a resurgence in customers.

A report launched by the Beijing Commerce Bureau shows that sales at major malls, grocery stores, diners, and online stores totaled 3.5 billion yuan ($510 million) on January 2.

Last December, China's annual Central Economic Work Conference stressed that the country would prioritize recovery and expansion of the consumer market in the coming year.