China has continued to improve its county-level commercial system since 2021, boosting integrated urban-rural development and all-around rural revitalization, according to an official with the Ministry of Commerce.
At a press conference held in Beijing, Yuan Xiaoming, assistant minister of commerce, brief the media of the current progress in promoting county-level commercial network and their next step plan.
"A total of 3,159 county-level comprehensive commercial and trade service centers, 15,000 township-level commercial and trade centers, and 168,000 village-level convenience stores have been built and renovated, with commercial outlets now basically covering counties, townships and villages nationwide," said Yuan.
"We have supported the upgrading and renovation of more than 3,600 county- and township-level logistics distribution outlets. Every day, more than 100 million parcels are moving in and out of rural areas, and an increasing number of residents are enjoying the convenience right at their doorstep," he said.
As for the next step plan, Yuan said that the ministry will push for the further development of a modern rural logistic system by upgrading distribution channels, expanding application scenarios of rural e-commerce, enhancing supply chain coordination efficiency, and extending industrial chains. In addition, it will encourage healthy competition and cooperation between domestic and foreign brands, and promote the diversification of service formats.
Official data showed that retail sales of consumer goods in rural areas rose 2.4 percent year on year in the first seven months of 2026, 1.3 percentage points faster than in urban areas. County- and township-level retail sales were estimated to account for nearly 40 percent of the country's total.
China to further improve county-level commercial system: commerce official
Chinese robot maker Unitree Robotics made its debut on the Shanghai Stock Exchange's sci-tech innovation board, or STAR Market, on Wednesday, with shares surged 629.44 percent to open at 1,100 yuan (about 161.99 U.S. dollars).
The Hangzhou-based company is offering about 40.45 million shares at 150.8 yuan (about 22.2 U.S. dollars) each, corresponding to a price-to-earnings ratio of 219.23 times, according to its prospectus.
Unitree said the funds raised will go toward intelligent robot model development, robot hardware R and D, new product development and manufacturing base construction, as the business moves from robot manufacturing toward building a broader ecosystem for high-performance general-purpose robots.
Unitree's listing comes as China's robotics sector gains global prominence. Chinese companies accounted for nearly 70 percent of global quadruped robot sales in the first half of 2026, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
Market forecasts point to continued growth. Global humanoid robot shipments are projected to exceed 510,000 units by 2030, growing at a compound annual rate of about 95 percent, according to International Data Corporation, a market researcher.
Founded in 2016, Unitree has emerged as one of China's leading robotics firms, specializing in the development of quadruped and humanoid robots, with fully self-developed core components including motors, reducers, controllers and LiDAR.
Its humanoid robot shipments surpassed 5,500 units in 2025, ranking first globally with a 32.4 percent share of the world market, according to a 2025 humanoid robot market research report.
Benefiting from the gradual expansion of downstream application scenarios for humanoid robots and sustained market demand, the company posted revenue of about 1.15 billion yuan (about 170 million U.S. dollars) in the first half of 2026, up 48.54 percent year on year.
Chinese robot maker Unitree surges 629.44 pct on Shanghai market debut
