September 22 – According to the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), China’s e-commerce sector maintained steady and healthy growth from January to August 2025, driving consumption of goods and services, accelerating AI innovation, and promoting mutually beneficial international trade.

During this period, national online retail sales rose 9.6%, with physical goods retail sales up 6.4%. Big data monitoring by MOFCOM shows rapid growth in online sales of home appliances and digital products. Smart wearables, computers, and smartphones recorded increases of 25.2%, 23.7%, and 20.2% respectively. Online service consumption rose 18.9%, with tourism and dining up 25.5% and 19.1%.

In the first half of the year, major listed e-commerce platforms reported R&D intensity ranging from 6.2% to 24.5%, exceeding the average for listed companies. These platforms actively advanced the development of humanoid robots, smart logistics, tactile sensing, and intelligent computing, accelerating the construction of China’s AI industry ecosystem and becoming a key driver of the nation’s AI development.