China's trade-in program boosts consumer goods sales by over 3 trln yuan

The sales revenue of consumer goods under China's policy-backed trade-in program had surpassed 3 trillion yuan (about 417.59 billion U.S. dollars) as of July 25, benefiting over 430 million participants, according to industry data.

In Chishui City of southwest China's Guizhou Province, many large-scale appliance stores have renovated this year to draw in more customers.

A new trend in China's trade-in market is the rising popularity of large and smart appliances, said Ding Mingwei, manager of a local home appliance store.

"Thanks to the trade-in program, our overall sales have doubled compared to the previous years. Sales of large-screen TVs, large built-in refrigerators, washer and dryer sets, whole-house water purifiers and other appliances that enhance quality of life have increased by about 20 percent," he said.

China's county-level home appliance market saw rapid upgrades in the first six months of this year, with larger-sized, higher-capacity appliances gaining popularity among costumers.

Smart appliances have also emerged as a new favorite. In the first half of the year, AI-powered products made up over 60 percent of sales of air conditioners priced above 5,000 yuan (about 695.98 U.S. dollars), and sales of smart range hoods and robot vacuums increased by 76.7 percent and 92.5 percent year on year, respectively.

China has issued a total of 231 billion yuan (about 32.15 billion U.S. dollars) of ultra-long special treasury bonds to support the trade-in program so far this year.

In response, local governments are actively optimizing the trade-in subsidy review process to ensure timely payment.

Daqing City in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province has developed an intelligent system to enhance the efficiency of trade-in case reviews.

"It used to take us three to five minutes to review one case, but now we can review 20 cases in just one to two minutes, as all judgments are made by the intelligent system," said Wang Heming, a clerk from the business service and investment promotion center under the Daqing commerce bureau.

China's trade-in program boosts consumer goods sales by over 3 trln yuan

Thailand has temporarily closed more than 1,000 schools in border areas following a new round of armed clashes between Thai and Cambodian troops along their shared border.

The Thai Ministry of Education ordered the suspension of classes on Friday in seven provinces bordering Cambodia, affecting a total of 1,060 schools, to ensure the safety of students and teachers.

Buriram Province is among the areas most affected by the renewed fighting, with more than 100 schools shut down. At local shelters, displaced residents, including children and teenagers, have sought refuge as fighting continues.

One girl said she had stayed in the shelter for 11-12 days already. "I moved here because of the clashes between Thailand and Cambodia," she said, adding that she could hear very loud gunfire at her home.

She said school won't be open until the clashes end, and she misses her classmates very much.

A teenage boy in the shelter expressed the same emotions.

"It's been 13 days since I moved here. I heard gunfires at home and I was so scared that I moved to the shelter. I want to return to school to study and see my friends," he said.

A displaced woman recalled her time in a shelter when border clashes between the two countries broke out earlier this year.

"I stayed in the shelter for a week when the last clashes broke out. This time I don't know how long I need to stay here before I can return home," she said.

Border clashes between the two sides reignited on Dec 7, less than two months after the two sides signed a joint peace declaration, with both sides trading the blame for instigating the attacks.

Thailand closes over 1,000 schools near border amid armed clashes with Cambodia