China's e-commerce sector logs steady 2026 Q1 growth

BEIJING -- China's e-commerce sector has registered stable growth in the first quarter (Q1) of 2026, driven by supportive policies and promotional campaigns, the Ministry of Commerce said on Wednesday.

China's online retail sales of goods and services grew 8 percent year-on-year in Q1, with online retail sales of goods accounting for 24.8 percent of total consumer goods sales, data from the ministry showed.

During the January-March period, sales of smart glasses and digital cameras surged 161.9 percent and 71.5 percent year-on-year, respectively, while online-booked travel and catering sales rose 33.4 percent and 21.6 percent, respectively.

Online retail sales of agricultural products increased by 14.7 percent year-on-year in Q1, and the e-commerce transaction value of major industrial products was up by 10.5 percent, according to the ministry.

Boosted by the Silk Road e-commerce initiative, some partner countries posted surging exports to China, the ministry said, noting that online retail sales of Indonesian coffee beans, Hungary's facial cleansers and Chilean plums had soared 284.9 percent, 186.6 percent and 133.2 percent, respectively, in Q1.