The statement also said China is going to step up nurturing Chinese brands, support the development of physical shops and promote online-offline interaction.

The government will create a sound environment for consumers to shop easily and locally, with intensified efforts to standardize market order and crack down on fake and inferior commodities, it said.

Bai Ming, another researcher with the MOC, said the move steers imports from production materials to consumer goods, conducive to the optimization of its economic structure.

"More and more consumers can buy foreign products without having to go abroad and have more diversified options, in line with the trend of upgrading consumption," Bai said.