China's retail sector maintains recovery steam

BEIJING -- China's retail sector continued its recovery in July, with market confidence for future business staying at a stable level, an industrial survey showed.

The index tracking the retail sector's operation climbed 0.8 percentage points over June to 49.8 percent in July, according to the China General Chamber of Commerce.

The China Retail Performance Index, the commerce chamber's other indicator gauging market confidence, stood at 50.2 percent for its August reading, staying flat in July.

The expectation for consumption recovery is stable thanks to efficient COVID-19 prevention and control policies and pro-consumption measures, the commerce chamber said.