Give Chinese greater access to foreign consumer goods, Premier Li Keqiang says

Consumers deserve more options, premier says, as people get richer and want better lives

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There is rising demand in China for high-quality products and services from around the world. Photo: AFP

Published: 12:00am, 13 Nov 2015Updated: 5:32am, 13 Nov 2015

Premier Li Keqiang said on Thursday the government should not restrict mainlanders' overseas purchases but provide them with even greater freedom in what they buy.

Consumer spending overseas has grown rapidly in recent years, fuelled by a rising demand for high-quality products and services from around the world.

"Chinese people are getting rich and they want to live a better life," Li said at a State Council meeting on Wednesday.

Beijing should "not place restrictions on their purchasing overseas or even shut out the world. We should give our consumers more options". But at the same time the mainland needed to strengthen domestic consumption, he added.

Customs workers check imported goods at the Hangzhou Cross-Border E-Commerce Industrial Park in Hangzhou. Over 10 million imported goods have been stored at the Industrial Park ahead of the annual online sales campaign Singles Day. Photo: Xinhua

According to statistics from the Ministry of Commerce, mainland tourists made more than 100 million visits to other countries and regions last year, and overseas spending exceeded 1 trillion yuan (HK$1.22 trillion). Mainlanders are also turning in greater force to buying imported goods through e-commerce channels.

The Alibaba Group said a third of the people shopping on its platforms on Singles Day on Wednesday were buying items from overseas.