China sees air sports boom during May Day holiday

China has seen an air sports boom during the May Day holiday, which runs from May 1 to 5, with a surging number of flight camps offering diverse kinds of aerial experiences to air sports fans across the country.

During the five-day holiday, the skies above southwest China's Chongqing Municipality buzzed with planes, parachutes and other kinds of aircraft.

The local government has launched a "low-altitude aviation consumption week" activity, issuing 30 million yuan (about 4.1 million U.S. dollars) worth of vouchers for locals and tourists to improve their experience.

"During the May Day holiday, we have offered 30,000 braised roast ducks to visitors for free and created seven kinds of consumption scenarios such as fixed-wing low-altitude sightseeing tours, simulator experiences, and aerial weddings, thus facilitating low-altitude consumption to be a new hotspot for tourism during the holiday," said Cao Gangjing, director of the Culture and Tourism Development Commission of Liangping District in Chongqing.

To support the sector's growth, Chongqing has streamlined low-altitude airspace project approvals, shortening the time needed to go through all procedures from one month to just one day.

Additionally, a one-billion-yuan industrial fund has been established, with over 50 leading enterprises in collaboration to build flight camps and develop general aviation businesses.

Beyond the air sports boom is a broader trend that sports consumption has become a key engine driving the growth of domestic consumption and national economy.

In the first quarter of the year, online sales of outdoor sports gear surged 50.9 percent year on year, with those of sports pants and jackets skyrocketing by 270 percent and 290 percent, respectively, year on year.

The sales of windbreakers priced above 1,000 yuan are also growing rapidly.

"The growing interest in sports has spawned a diversified demand for specialized gear, supporting services, and smart devices. Sports consumption has become a new way of fashionable lifestyle and health consumption. It's also driving the growth of dining and cultural tourism consumption, injecting strong impetus into the continuous heating up of the consumer market," said Chen Pingfang, an expert with the CCID Consulting's Consumer Goods Industry Research Institute.

China's sports industry now employs over seven million people, with new professions in event management, fitness coaching, and sports rehabilitation gaining traction. Traditional fields like sports products manufacturing, event services, and venue operations are converging at an accelerated speed with new materials, smart equipment, and digital media, forming a complete ecosystem from research and development to production, services and consumption.

China sees air sports boom during May Day holiday

As foreign trade is an important part of China's open economy and a driving force for national economic development, Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao said China will step up efforts to promote innovative development of its cross-border commerce.

In a recent interview with China Media Group, Wang said that China's foreign trade in goods grew by 3.8 percent year on year to reach 45.47 trillion yuan (about 6.53 trillion U.S. dollars) in 2025, hitting a new record and marking the first time that the volume has exceeded the 45-trillion-yuan threshold. The country is also expected to maintain its position as the world's largest trading nation in goods in 2025.

He stated that the global economy currently faces insufficient growth momentum, persistent geopolitical tensions, and a marked slowdown in trade expansion. The World Trade Organization has also revised its projected growth rate for global trade in 2026 downward to 0.5 percent, reflecting heightened uncertainty in the international trade environment.

In the face of significant challenges and mounting risks, China this year will advance the coordinated development of goods trade, service trade, and digital trade in a comprehensive and systematic manner, with the aim of ensuring stability and resilience in foreign trade performance, Wang stressed.

"We will consolidate and expand diversified markets. We will do a good job in hosting important exhibitions such as the Canton Fair, attract more overseas buyers to attend and purchase, and increase support for enterprises to participate in exhibitions abroad. We will guide the healthy and standardized development of new forms and models of foreign trade such as cross-border e-commerce. China has reached 23 free trade agreements (FTA) with 30 countries and regions. We will support and guide enterprises to make good use of these agreements to expand trade exchanges," he said.

China will promote balanced trade development in 2026, said Wang, adding that it will actively expand imports through measures such as coordinated exhibition events and targeted procurement.

"We will continue to expand the influence of the 'Export to China' brand, hold a series of matchmaking events, make full use of various trade promotion platforms including the China International Import Expo, leverage the role of national demonstration zones for import trade promotion and innovation, enhance the facilitation of import trade, optimize the sources and structure of imported goods, and better meet the needs of industrial development and people's pursuit of a better life," he continued.

China to promote innovative development of foreign trade