Recently, the National Development and Reform Commission and five other departments jointly issued the "Guiding Opinions on Strengthening the Construction of Consumption Infrastructure and Promoting Positive Interaction of Consumption Investment", proposing 20 specific measures around the five major sectors of urban and rural commercial facilities, service consumption facilities, travel consumption facilities, circulation facility networks and new consumption facilities. This document not only has wide coverage and strong systematicity, but also has clear directions and specific targets. It focuses on solving the "little things at the doorstep" of the people. It is a pragmatic "construction drawing" in the current context of expanding domestic demand and promoting consumption.
First of all, it’s about the renovation of the wet market around you. The above-mentioned "Opinions" put forward clear requirements for the upgrading of urban and rural commodity trading markets, including improving supporting facilities such as stalls, water supply and drainage, power supply, lighting, and garbage disposal. At present, some old vegetable markets in some areas are sweltering in summer and have slippery floors, making consumers have a poor shopping experience. Next, these feelings will be addressed in a targeted manner. What is more noteworthy is that the "Opinions" promote smart transformation and promote electronic settlement, smart weighing, non-inductive payment and traceability management - not only for convenience, once smart weighing and traceability management are implemented, old problems such as missing weight and unclear sources will have more technical constraints. Making daily consumption less and making do with it is in itself an integral part of improving people's livelihood.
Secondly, let’s talk about the pain points on weekends: parking and walking the kids. The "Opinions" specifically mentioned that commercial blocks, commercial complexes, scenic spots, cultural tourism consumption clusters, etc. with insufficient supporting facilities should be supported to carry out parking expansion and renovation, build three-dimensional parking facilities, and open up travel and consumption congestion points. More importantly, we encourage the use of industrial plants and the "golden corner and silver edge" of the city to build fitness facilities around the masses. In fact, parking difficulties and few fitness venues may seem like "leftovers" problems in urban space, but in fact they are "stuck" links that restrict the release of service consumption - cars cannot be parked, children have nowhere to go, and weekend consumption is naturally out of the question. Supplementing "micro-infrastructure" such as three-dimensional parking and built-in fitness venues is not only repaying the debt of urban space, but also clearing obstacles for service consumption. The value of consumption infrastructure is precisely reflected in these seemingly inconspicuous details, but directly determine the willingness to consume.
Finally, it is also the deepest level: to make money "transfer", it must also "transfer" to people. Some netizens are concerned, isn’t the renovation of these facilities all the business of the merchants themselves? Why does the state take action? The reason is not complicated. The air conditioner is old, the elevator is broken, parking is difficult, and charging is inconvenient. Consumers have been there once and are unwilling to go a second time. The country has repaired the "doorway facilities where money is spent" so that people will be willing to come in and spend money. The "Opinions" clarify in the overall requirements that we must "adhere to the close integration of benefiting people's livelihood and promoting consumption, investing in things and investing in people", and regard strengthening the construction of consumer infrastructure as an important starting point to improve consumer supply and promote effective investment. Some experts pointed out that in the past, consumption-promoting policies mostly focused on the consumption side or the investment side, but this time the "Opinions" organically connect the two, and the investment direction is directed at the shortcomings of specific consumption scenarios. After all, every convenience enjoyed by consumers is backed by public investment and corporate investment. Only when the platform is set up can consumption willingness be transformed into actual expenditure, which will then drive employment and income, forming a virtuous cycle.
In short, the value of this "construction drawing" does not lie in how many measures are listed on paper, but in whether every ordinary person can truly feel the "warm" change at home. Convenience brings warmth, and consumption brings popularity.
Jingcai Observation, see you in the next issue!
Reporter: Wang Jing
Produced by "Jingcai Observation Studio" of CCTV
