BEIJING, Nov. 7 (APP): With China’s per capita GDP exceeding US$13,000, consumer demand for high-quality and personalized goods continues to grow steadily. The 2024 Central Economic Work Conference identified boosting consumption and improving investment efficiency as key tasks for 2025.
This direction was further underscored in the proposals for the 15th Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development, which prioritized consumption promotion under the broader goal of building a strong domestic market and accelerating the creation of a new development pattern. These policy signals collectively chart a clear course for the continued expansion and upgrading of China’s consumer market.
Against this backdrop, the 8th China International Import Expo (CIIE) saw strong attendance and active participation, becoming a vital window into China’s dynamic consumer market. For many overseas enterprises, the vitality of the Chinese market remains a source of optimism, shifting their focus from “whether to enter” to “how to deepen engagement.” Multinational brands are increasingly unveiling innovative products at CIIE, using the event to make their global debuts and build brand awareness.
Their strategic focus has shifted from expanding distribution channels to understanding regional consumer habits in China, driving product iteration and localization through market demand, ensuring precise alignment with growth opportunities, CEN reported on Friday.
One such example is Lesaffre, a French company with a full track record of attending CIIE. The company shared insights into China’s evolving consumer preferences: “Chinese consumers are showing rapidly growing demand for healthier, natural, low-sugar, and clean-label products,” said a company representative. “We have been closely monitoring these trends and have brought several solutions tailored to the Chinese market to this year’s event.” The company noted that their collaboration with Chinese partners has evolved from “showcasing French baking” to “co-creating Chinese flavors.” For instance, a factory in Anhui,China has localized some of its technologies, blending French fermentation expertise with Chinese ingredients to produce products that better meet local market demands. This, according to Lesaffre, embodies the concept of “global expertise + local insight,” taking Sino-French collaboration to new heights of co-creation and win-win innovation.
In the fresh food supply chain, Good Farmer Group, a leader in the industry, debuted new products at this year’s CIIE, including organic Peruvian blueberries. Good Farmer Group has been a regular attendee of CIIE, and its China e-commerce manager, Jiang Lei, explained that the release of these products highlighted both the efficiency of global supply chains and the company’s keen understanding of Chinese consumer trends. “Health and safety are top priorities for today’s consumers, and they are increasingly favoring high-quality fruits,” said Jiang. “They are looking for products that offer better taste and more reliable quality, in pursuit of a higher ‘value-for-money’ ratio.” This evolving consumer mindset is propelling the imported fruit market toward premiumization and brand development. Key infrastructure projects, such as the Chancay Port—part of the China-Peru Belt and Road initiative—are further facilitating the movement of high-quality imported goods, with the port cutting shipping time between China and Peru to just 23 days and reducing logistics costs by more than 20%.
From Pakistan, a jewelry company that has participated in CIIE for seven consecutive years shared its market insights. The company, Winza, has long focused on the Chinese jewelry market and now operates five branded stores and three offices across major cities such as Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. Ahmed Aqeel, the company’s head, noted that “colored gemstones, such as rubies and sapphires, are increasingly becoming the preferred choice for a new generation of consumers, particularly the younger demographic, when it comes to weddings and collections.” This trend signals a diversification and maturation of China’s jewelry market, opening significant growth opportunities for Pakistan’s high-quality gemstone products.
Fashion brand Uniqlo also made waves at CIIE with the global debut of its knitted collection in collaboration with artist KAWS. “KAWS himself is a big fan of our knitted series,” said Huang Jiaying, Uniqlo’s China Market Director. “Through our deep engagement with the Chinese market, we’ve come to understand that consumers value the compatibility of their outfits. As a result, we are expanding our product range.” Huang further emphasized that contemporary consumers, while pursuing fashion, are also focused on comfort in their clothing choices. “We place great importance on the Chinese market and are tailoring our strategies to fit the unique characteristics of each city,” she said. “Rather than focusing on any one region, we are listening to consumer demands and adjusting our localized approach accordingly.”
Zhou Mi, Deputy Director of the Department of American and Oceanian Studies under the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation (CAITEC) of the Ministry of Commerce, highlighted in an interview with China Economic Net that China’s rising household incomes are writing a new chapter for the market—one that is shifting from “large to good.” On one hand, the expanding market scale offers vast opportunities for global suppliers; on the other hand, the growing consumer pursuit of quality living is driving industrial upgrades, creating stable, high-quality market demand. This not only drives market expansion but also sparks a quality revolution. The world’s largest middle class is producing a precious resource for the global economy—what Zhou calls the “certainty dividend.”