The 2019 Yunnan Commerce Work Conference was held in the provincial capital of Kunming on February 21. Zhao Ruijun, Director of the Yunnan Provincial Department of Commerce, delivered a work report.

The report reviews Yunnan’s commercial success in 2018, while pointing out the problems, analyzing the opportunities and challenges, and setting the key tasks of business work in 2019.

In 2018, the province's total retail sales of consumer goods reached 682.6 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 11.1% that ranks the third in Chinese provinces. Foreign trade volume amounted to 193.7 billion yuan (around 29.89 billion USD), increasing 24.7% year on year and representing a record high in the same period over the past years. 

In 2019, Yunnan aims to increase its retail sales by around 11%, with foreign trade expanding by 15% and the actual use of foreign capital going up by 8%. Carrying out the 10 major projects that are conducive for Yunnan to serve as China’s opening-up pivot to south and southeast Asia, the province will focus on innovating e-commerce, spurring in-boundary consumption, upgrading international trade, and more.