China to push for steady, high-quality consumption growth: official

BEIJING - China will take measures to ensure continuous, steady and high-quality consumption growth, an official said Thursday.

"Promoting and expanding consumption has always been an important part of our work," Gao Feng, spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce, said at a press conference.

Last week, a guideline for improving China's consumption stimulation system and stimulating citizens' consumption potential was approved at the third meeting of the central committee for deepening overall reform.

In the next stage, China will promote consumption that brings convenience to rural and urban residents, and increase the supply of medium- and high-end products partly by increasing imports and creating cities with world-class consumption capacity, Gao said.

The country will also improve its supply chain and create a safe and reliable consumption environment, he added.

Consumption is a significant contributor to China's economic growth. Last year, consumption's contribution to GDP growth stood at 58.8 percent.