China is making shopping easier for overseas visitors by expanding instant tax refund services at major malls, allowing international travelers to claim value-added tax rebates on the spot rather than waiting until departure.
The move has helped stimulate inbound consumption and driven strong growth in tax-refund sales.
Launched in April last year, the service enables visitors to receive immediate refunds with a credit card pre-authorization guarantee. Instead of queuing at airport counters, shoppers can go to nearby service stations in participating malls and complete the process within minutes.
The convenience has made purchasing popular items such as sci-tech gadgets even more attractive for foreign travelers, reinforcing China's efforts to enhance the shopping experience and encourage spending during their stay.
"It's very convenient," said Afizll, a tourist from Malaysia.
Official data showed that international visitors made over 82 million crossings in 2025, a 26.4 percent year-on-year increase. Sales of tax-refund-eligible goods surged even faster, rising 95 percent compared with the previous year.
"Since the launch of the instant tax refund service, the spending by foreign customers at our store has increased by 5 percent to 10 percent every month," said Guo Shaogang, store manager of drone manufacturer DJI at China World Mall.
"The instant tax refund policy helps unlock the consumption potential of inbound tourists, encourages second and even multiple purchases, and further energizes consumption by overseas visitors," said Xing Tian, section chief of the Beijing Municipal Tax Service.
China's Ministry of Commerce said inbound consumption is vital to boosting overall spending and pledged to expand the number of tax-refund eligible stores while enhancing refund services.
China's instant tax refunds boost spending by overseas visitors
China's instant tax refunds boost spending by overseas visitors
South China's Guangdong Province is accelerating its transformation into an international medical tourism hub, positioning itself as a destination for patients worldwide seeking affordable, high-quality care.
The push follows a joint initiative announced in late March by nine Chinese government departments, including the Ministry of Commerce, aimed at boosting spending by foreign tourists and enhancing exports of tourism services as part of broader efforts to expand the country's service sector.
Every day, some of the most complex surgeries are performed here. Li Zilun, deputy director of the division of vascular surgery at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat‑sen University, is among the doctors capable of carrying out these intricate procedures.
He recently completed surgery on a patient with an aortic aneurysm, a condition often described as a "time bomb" in the body’s main artery, increasingly common in aging societies around the globe. Li also specializes in highly difficult and pioneering procedures, including repairing leaks caused by failed grafts.
"This was a very challenging case. And then, we implanted the covered stent to eliminate the endoleak. Actually, the outcome was pretty good. The patient will be discharged today," said Li Zilun.
The ability to handle such complex cases -- combining international techniques with domestically produced devices -- is drawing patients from around the world to seek treatment. In addition, high safety standards and low costs are also major draws.
"Our government is encouraging innovation. So, lots of physicians -- including our vascular surgeons -- we are actively involved in the innovation that helps to increase the effectiveness and safety, and also bring down the cost," said Li.
This hospital is one of the first in Guangdong to be designated by the provincial health commission as a pilot site for building an international medical service hub.
The growing number of patients has pushed the hospital to explore new ways to transform every step -- from treatment to payment and everything in between -- into a seamless experience, reducing waiting times and delivering better care for patients.
"I think it's fast. When the patient come here for just about, I think, one week, you can solve the problem," said Xiao Haipeng, president of the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University.
The hospital is also deepening its international cooperation with top-tier medical institutions, including those at Harvard University.
"Not just for China, for the whole globe, we are facing health care challenges -- emerging infectious disease and chronic, lung infectious diseases, and also the aging population, also the shortage of healthcare workforce," said Xiao.
In response to these challenges, China is promoting its own solutions, including aggressive innovation in artificial intelligence (AI)-driven workflows, while stepping up research and development investment and global engagement along the way.
"In recent years, the innovation in Western medicine is dramatically growing. An example of my hospital -- in the past few years, we have 140 innovations and seven of them are international leading innovations," said Xiao.
As global demand for medical tourism grows, China is positioning itself as a new destination. Official data shows that the number of foreign patients in Guangdong increased by 20 percent last year. Among them, the growth in inpatient admissions was even faster, rising by 76 percent.
Guangdong fast-tracks pilot for int'l medical service hub
