China's instant tax refunds boost spending by overseas visitors

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

Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Thursday presided over a State Council executive meeting that studied work on building a unified national market and reviewed and approved a plan for the development of a modern emergency response system during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030).

Noting that building a unified national market is essential to advancing high-quality development, the meeting called for deepening institutional frameworks in areas such as property rights protection, market access, fair competition, social credit and market exit mechanisms.

The meeting also urged efforts to advance high-standard connectivity of market infrastructure to facilitate smooth economic circulation and effectively reduce logistics costs across society.

Emergency management is critical to protecting people's lives and property, the meeting said. It called for accelerating the development of a modern emergency response system, deepening reform and innovation in emergency management, and improving coordinated response mechanisms.

Efforts should be made to strengthen risk prevention at the source, enhance monitoring, forecasting and early warning, and accelerate a shift in governance toward proactive prevention, according to the meeting.

A draft revision of the Law on the People's Bank of China was also discussed and approved in principle at the meeting, which decided to submit the draft to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress for deliberation.

Chinese premier chairs State Council executive meeting