AKP Phnom Penh, February 16, 2026 —

Delicacies from every corner of the globe are bringing new flavors to the national festival -- appearing on reunion dinner tables, in gift exchanges among friends and family, at supermarket Spring Festival sales, and even at temple fairs.

China has been actively working to expand imports in recent years. In its recommendations for formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), the country emphasized the need to balance the development of imports and exports.

A series of proactive policies has been rolled out, including lowering tariffs, simplifying customs procedures, and extending zero-tariff treatment to the least developed countries having diplomatic relations with China. These measures have helped open up Chinese households to a wider array of international goods.

On e-commerce platforms such as JD.com, international goods like New Zealand milk powder and Belgian chocolate have become common items on Spring Festival shopping lists. Many of these products saw sales surge as consumers stocked up for the holiday.

"Recently, sales of Spanish cava have tripled, and Italy's Moscato d'Asti is also very popular," said Zhang Hongxue, an employee at a logistics company in east China's Shandong Province. A shipment of Russian grain-fed beef that his firm imported had barely arrived at the port of Shanghai before being snapped up by clients.

Zhang also noted that many consumers who don't usually drink alcohol are now opting for non-alcoholic wines. "Chinese people are increasingly willing to pay for a sense of ritual and a better quality of life."

Data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed that China's per capita disposable income reached 43,377 yuan (about 6,250 U.S. dollars) in 2025, an increase of 5 percent.

Rising purchasing power is reshaping consumption patterns, shifting the focus from mere availability to quality and from daily necessities to lifestyle upgrades.

For decades, China has been known for what it manufactures, but today, it is also emerging as a consumer market whose influence reaches far beyond its borders, according to Maria Luiza Falcão Silva of the Brazilian Association of Economists for Democracy. 

AKP-Xinhua