"Boosting consumption is not meant to drain people's wallets. Instead, it should create a favorable consumption environment for people, and allow them to buy affordable but good quality goods, along with services that best cater to their current needs," said Li Chunlin, vice chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission at a news briefing on July 31, the same day that a document detailing 20 measures to restore and expand consumption was released.

The document covers a wide range of sectors, such as automobiles, real estate, electronic products, and the service industry, all of which are closely related to people's daily life and have the potential to stimulate consumption.

Consumption of big-ticket items, such as automobile sales, is encouraged in the document. More policy support will be in place for people to purchase new energy vehicles, along with increasing the number of public charging facilities in residential areas. In addition, different pricing policies will be implemented for charging in peak and off-peak hours, aiming at reducing the cost of new energy vehicle users.

Digital consumption infrastructure, such as 5G networks and gigabit optical networks, is to be built with a wide coverage, so as to enrich their application scenarios in business, says the document. Meanwhile, digital technology enterprises will be supported in building digital platforms for daily life services, to create new digital consumption modes and intelligent immersive service experiences.

The green and low-carbon consumption market is also targeted for development. Consumers are encouraged to replace outdated and malfunctioning goods with eco-friendly and high-quality durable products, in order to develop a simple, moderate, green and low-carbon lifestyle and consumption model.

Notably, the document also called for cultivating emerging industries, particularly in the prepared food product market. The construction of prepared dish facilities is to be accelerated, to serve consumers safe products.