BEIJING, April 16 -- China's retail sales of consumer goods, a major indicator of the country's consumption strength, expanded 4.6 percent year on year in the first quarter of 2025, official data showed Wednesday.

The pace is 1.1 percentage points faster than the 2024 level, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). Total retail sales of consumer goods reached 12.47 trillion yuan (about 1.73 trillion U.S. dollars) in the January-March period.

In March alone, the retail sales of consumer goods rose 5.9 percent year on year, accelerating from the 4-percent growth in the first two months, according to the NBS.