Beijing, May 18 (QNA) -China's retail sales of consumer goods, a major indicator of the country's consumption strength, expanded 1.9 percent year on year in the first four months of 2026.

  During the January-April period, the total retail sales of consumer goods reached about 16.49 trillion yuan (about 2.41 trillion US dollars), according to data released by China's National Bureau of Statistics.

Excluding automobiles, retail sales grew by 3.1 percent to 15.2 trillion yuan, reflecting continued growth in domestic demand in the Chinese market.

  Retail sales of services grew by 5.6 percent year on year in the first four months, accelerating by 0.1 percentage points from the first quarter.

Fast growth was recorded in telecommunications and information services, tourism and rental services, cultural and recreational services, as well as transportation and travel services, the data showed.

During the same period, total online retail sales of goods and services reached 6.53 trillion yuan, up 6.6 percent year on year.

Retail sales performance is a key indicator of the strength of domestic consumption in China, a major driver of growth in the world's second-largest economy. (QNA)