The number of overseas tourists claiming China's departure tax refund surged 285 percent year on year in the first 11 months of 2025, according to data released by the State Taxation Administration on Monday.
In the same period, the sales volume of goods eligible for departure tax refunds and the amount of tax refunds both increased 98.8 percent, according to the data. By the end of November, the number of tax refund stores catering to international visitors in the country had reached 12,252, including over 7,000 "instant refund" stores.
The departure tax refund measures, which enable overseas tourists to claim back value-added tax on eligible purchases made at designated tax refund stores before leaving China, are translating growing inbound travel flows into consumption momentum and emerging as a fresh driver for inbound tourism spending, the administration said.
China has introduced a series of measures since April to optimize its tax refund system for overseas visitors. Tax authorities nationwide have improved processing efficiency and enabled cross-region refund services, making the procedure more convenient and thus boosting tourists' spending.
The country first implemented the departure tax refund policy for overseas travelers in 2015. Since then, the scale of departure tax refunds has continued to grow year by year, benefiting an increasing number of international travelers.
Departure tax refund applications in China surge 285 pct in Jan-Nov
The successful election of the eighth-term Legislative Council (LegCo) of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) marked an important achievement in further consolidating and developing high-quality democracy in the region, a spokesperson for the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council said on Monday.
The spokesperson said that the election was successfully held on Sunday in a safe, orderly and smooth manner, adding that voter turnout in the Election Committee subsectors, functional constituencies, and geographical constituencies all recorded significant increases from the previous election, fully reflecting public sentiment in Hong Kong.
The spokesperson noted that as the election entered the campaigning stage, a sudden fire incident in Tai Po inflicted serious trauma on Hong Kong. Thanks to the concerted efforts of the HKSAR government, various sectors of society and the broad electorate, the election was carried out with complete success.
It fully demonstrated Hong Kong society's unity, resilience, and determination to overcome difficulties, and highlighted the advancement and strengths of the new electoral system under the full implementation of the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong," the spokesperson added.
The spokesperson said the newly elected members of the Legislative Council are all patriots who love the country and Hong Kong, and are capable, committed and dedicated to serving the community. They have won broad recognition and support from voters.
The spokesperson added that it is hoped and believed that the new-term legislators will fully, faithfully and unswervingly implement the "one country, two systems" policy, always uphold national sovereignty, security and development interests as the top priority, and promote Hong Kong's better integration into and contribution to the country's overall development.
Successful election of HKSAR's 8th-term LegCo of milestone significance: State Council spokesperson
