Editor's note: Azhar Azam, a special commentator for CGTN, is a geopolitical analyst with a focus on economy, climate change and international security. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

China's seven-day National Day holiday, also known as the "Golden Week," has become an important barometer of the country's consumer activity and economic momentum, reflecting the transition toward high-quality development. As millions of Chinese travel, shop, dine and explore new forms of leisure during the week-long break, their spending provides a useful gauge of domestic demand and Beijing's deepening links with overseas businesses.

This year's Golden Week is already showing signs of strong demand. Ahead of the holiday, group-buying orders on Douyin Life Services increased 66% between September 8 and 14. Restaurant group-buying orders were up 80%, supermarket shopping voucher orders 98% and guesthouse orders 77%.

These gains build on China's first five-year (2026-2030) plan dedicated to expanding domestic consumption, aimed at boosting retail sales of consumer goods to 60 trillion yuan ($8.8 trillion), by 2030. A measure of economic vitality, this will create a larger market where overseas companies can expand, localize and compete.

Foreign companies are capturing the opportunities generated by China's consumer market. Walmart China, for example, reported net sales of $7 billion in the second quarter of 2026, an increase of 20.7% year on year. Adapting to the holiday demand, the US retailer launched hundreds of new products – including seasonal items made with Australian beef, Italian truffles, American almonds, Malaysian Black Thorn and Musang King durian pulp – to capitalize on the opportunities created by the Chinese government's policies to stimulate consumption.

International brands are gaining exposure through commercial area. In Chongqing in southwest China, the 2026 edition of the annual Jiefangbei International Consumption Carnival, running from September 24 to October 7, has brought together hundreds of domestic and international brands and nearly 100 activities to boost consumption, supporting Chongqing's transformation into a leading international consumption hub. The ELLE International Golden Street Show at the carnival was a platform to showcase major international brands to Chinese consumers, like Michael Kors, ICICLE, and ZHAOYI YU.

Hotels are becoming an important part of China's holiday economy and demand for long hotel stays is rising. Trip.com said bookings for stays of seven nights were up 123% compared to the reservations for last year's National Day holiday. 

International travel links are deepening alongside domestic demand. Over the three-day Mid-Autumn Festival holiday in late September, foreign nationals accounted for 728,000 inbound and outbound trips, up 37.7% year on year as inbound tourism gathered pace.

Demand for imported goods is on the rise too. The duty-free market on the tropical island of Hainan witnessed a new shopping boom during the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, offering a glimpse of the demand for overseas products. According to Haikou Customs data, 38,600 shoppers made 179,000 purchases in Hainan during the three days.

The spending spree is driven by Beijing's policy allowing free entry of international products at zero tariff at the world's largest free trade port by area. The expansion of China's durian market also reaffirms Beijing's promise to ramp up its imports. After China approved durian imports from five countries including Vietnam, Malaysia and Laos in 2022, its durian imports reached 1.87 million tons in 2025 – twice the volume recorded in 2022. Beijing's pledge to expand imports under its 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030) is translating into more opportunities for overseas producers, particularly across Southeast Asia.

The trade data reinforces the scale and diversity of the Chinese economy. In the first eight months of 2026, exports rose 14.6% year on year while imports expanded 22%. Import growth outpacing export growth for a sixth consecutive month. In addition to agricultural products, Beijing has pledged to broaden its imports of advanced technology equipment and other components. Mechanical and electrical imports climbed 31.6% while integrated-circuit imports rose 61.7%, an indication that the opportunity unleashed by Chinese markets extends well beyond consumer goods.

In recent years, Beijing has promoted balanced import and export growth as part of its push for high-quality development and high-standard opening-up. Aligned with the 15th Five-Year Plan, the approach seeks to upgrade domestic consumption and share development opportunities with trade partners by implementing zero-tariff policies and using trade fairs to bring quality goods into the Chinese market.

After a strong Mid-Autumn Festival, the National Day holiday will help sustain China's consumer activity. With multinational retailers expanding sales, hotel bookings rising, foreign visitors flocking in large numbers and imported products finding a growing customer base – these trends demonstrate the resilience of China's economy and its commitment to balanced import-export development and greater institutional opening up.

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