A guideline to further boost consumption as a key component in driving economic development was issued by the State Council on Nov 23.

The structure of consumption is being upgraded, the guideline said, which will bring new opportunities and spaces for development in fields such as infrastructure and public services.

Aimed at promoting consumption in care for the elderly, domestic and health services, the guideline emphasized boosting information goods and services, rising consumer spending on leisure and tourism, an added impetus to green consumption, keeping property consumption stable, and encouraging people to spend more on education, culture, and sports.

To achieve this, the guideline insisted that a set of fair, transparent and open market rules should ensure the correct environment to foster fair competition.

The government should deepen reforms in education, medication, elderly care and culture to encourage private investment in such areas, the guideline said.

Meanwhile, the government needs to promptly implement reforms to the household registration system and relax controls over the transfer of household registration in order to eliminate barriers between the urban and rural areas to boost consumption, the guideline said.

The government will work to improve the credit rating system, put in place a national unified system of codes for rating credit, and establish a platform for sharing and exchanging information on credit, the guideline said.

In addition, the government will strengthen monitoring, tracking and recall systems to ensure the safety and quality of consumer goods, severely punish the production and sale of counterfeit and shoddy goods, and protect the legitimate rights and interests of consumers, the guideline said.