On April 24, the Information Office of Liaoning Provincial People’s Government held the fourth press conference of the series on the economic performance of Liaoning in the first quarter of 2024, presenting a comprehensive overview, major achievements, distinctive features, and highlights of the province’s efforts to stimulate consumption, stabilize foreign trade, and attract investment. The conference also provided an in-depth analysis of new changes and trends in consumption in the province.

In the first quarter, the province’s total retail sales of social consumer goods reached 248.69 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 6.1%. This growth rate was 1.4 percentage points higher than the national average (4.7%), ranking Liaoning as the fifth fastest-growing province in the country. In terms of investment attraction, the actual amount of funds received in the province increased by 8.2% year-on-year in the first quarter. Among them, domestic investment increased by 10.6%, and actual utilization of foreign investment amounted to 1 billion dollars. The province’s foreign trade value totaled 180.73 billion yuan, and exports saw an increase of 1.3% to 86.48 billion yuan.

In the first quarter, Liaoning continued to unleash its consumption potential by hosting “Made in Russia” Food Culture Festival. Nearly a thousand Russian branded products and popular commodities gathered in Liaoning, resulting in sales exceeding tens of millions of yuan in Shenyang and Dalian. Over 100 letters of intent for cooperation were signed, with the total value of intended deals exceeding 1.2 billion yuan. The province also organized investment promotion activities. The province’s friendly economic and trade delegations visited the United Arab Emirates, the Swiss Confederation, and the Republic of Serbia, advancing key investment and cooperation programs with companies such as Metito Holdings Limited, Lootah Group, SR Technics, Sulzer, and so on.

Moreover, Liaoning organized the participation of over 100 companies in 22 key domestic and international exhibitions, including Frankfurt Consumer Goods Exhibitions in Germany, and the East China Fair, further expanding both domestic and international markets.

Looking ahead, Liaoning will focus on the task of building itself into a hub for opening-up and cooperation in Northeast Asia. It will closely follow three major business indicators of consumption, foreign trade, and investment attraction, aiming to expand investment promotion and enhance the stable performance of foreign trade.