emirates7 - China's wholesale and retail sectors posted steady growth in the first quarter of 2026, providing solid support for building a strong domestic market, the Ministry of Commerce said.

From January to March, the added value of China's wholesale and retail trade grew 4.1% year on year to 3.5 trillion yuan (about US$510.4 billion), accounting for 10.5% of the country's gross domestic product, according to the ministry.

In the wholesale sector, the transaction volume of key commodity markets monitored by the ministry rose 8.6% year on year in the first quarter. Among them, transaction volumes in markets for production materials and industrial consumer goods increased 16.1% and 10.7%, respectively.

In the retail sector, retail sales of goods reached 11.3 trillion yuan in the first quarter, up 2.2% year on year, the ministry said.

Online retail also maintained rapid growth in rural areas. In the first quarter, online retail sales in rural areas rose 11% year on year, while online retail sales of agricultural products increased 14.7%.