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At Summer Davos, Li Qiang vows China will be ‘mega-sized' consumption power

At Summer Davos, Li Qiang vows China will be ‘mega-sized' consumption power

Premier Li Qiang has pledged that China will become a 'consumption powerhouse' capable of fuelling domestic and global growth, even as he acknowledged the country was grappling with a slump in cross-border investment and persistent trade tensions.
Speaking at the
World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Tianjin on Wednesday, Li reiterated Beijing's commitment to boosting demand in the world's second-largest economy and defending globalisation.
'This will make China a mega-sized consumption powerhouse, on top of being a manufacturing powerhouse,' Li said at the gathering, also known as Summer Davos.
'We are on track to become a high-income country supported by robust consumption upgrades,' he added.
Beijing's pivot towards stimulating household spending has gained urgency amid a volatile
trade war with the United States and rising global uncertainty.
Consumer activity picked up in May, helping offset pressure on manufacturing and exports in a challenging tariff environment. Retail sales rose by 6.4 per cent year on year, compared to 5.1 per cent in April.

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