China is moving to improve the shopping experience for foreign visitors, with the nation’s first online departure tax refund store launched in Beijing to optimize tax refund services and boost inbound consumption. The move is expected to boost consumption and encourage increased spending, as China’s inbound travel and shopping market gains momentum on the back of expanded visa-free access and improved departure tax refunds. Departure tax refund counters were also opened in a fist batch of hotels, the Beijing Municipal Tax Service said.
Available on JD, a major Chinese e-commerce platform, the online store enables foreign visitors to buy products carrying a dedicated “departure tax refund” label and complete the refund application process at point-of-sale (POS) checkout. A JD executive in charge of the departure tax refund business said the online store currently offers tax-refund-eligible products across six major categories – including digital products and household appliances – to meet the diverse shopping needs of foreign visitors to China.
Dai Mingfeng, Researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, said the online store marks a shift in China’s departure tax refund services from an offline, location-based model to a more integrated online-offline network. Beyond the online store, Beijing is also extending departure tax refund services to key travel and consumption venues such as hotels, further improving the citywide refund service network. Empark Prime Hotel Beijing and JW Marriott Hotel Beijing Central are among the first hotels in the city to offer centralized refund services. “For foreign travelers, the new services will make it possible to purchase tax-refund-eligible products online and complete refund procedures at hotels, helping reduce time and improving the overall shopping experience in China,” Dai said.
In May, the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) and other authorities issued a notice outlining measures to further optimize departure tax refunds and expand inbound consumption. The policy package includes measures such as expanding the coverage of tax refund stores, introducing spot checks for small-value refund applications, promoting paperless processing and improving refund-upon-purchase services. Purchases with departure tax refunds rose 66% year-on-year in 2025 and expanded by 50% in the first quarter this year, the China Daily reports.
