On August 18, 2026, nine Chinese government departments led by the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) issued the ‘Opinions on Further Stimulating Lower-Tier Market Vitality and Energizing County-Level Consumption.’ For foreign brands and cross-border sellers eyeing China, this is a clear signal that the next wave of growth is moving beyond tier-1 cities into China’s 1,800-plus counties and vast rural hinterland.
The document (商流通函〔2026〕371号, dated August 13, 2026) was jointly released by MOFCOM, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the State Administration for Market Regulation, and the Financial Regulatory Administration. Its goal: build a modern county commercial system and unlock trillions in latent consumer demand.
Key measures include upgrading county commercial facilities (department stores, malls, farmers’ markets), introducing domestic and foreign brands to open regional first stores, simplifying chain-store licensing through ‘one license, multiple addresses,’ and boosting new formats such as new-energy vehicles, green smart products, and ‘AI + consumption.’ The plan also pushes rural e-commerce (‘数商兴农’), builds ‘village livestream academies,’ and lowers platform commissions for small merchants.
For foreign sellers, the practical takeaways are direct: county markets want quality, fairly-priced goods ‘same quality, same price’ as cities; logistics and cold-chain networks are being extended to the village level; and local governments are actively courting brand chain stores and first stores. This is a rare, policy-backed opening to build distribution and brand presence in places competitors have not yet saturated.
Hongshengze Business Management helps international brands localize and enter the Chinese market end-to-end — from market-entry strategy and cross-border compliance to platform onboarding and local distribution partnerships. If you want to turn China’s county-consumption boom into real shelf space and online reach, contact our team for a tailored China go-to-market plan.