China's retail sales of consumer goods are expected to hit 44 trillion yuan in 2021, an official said Sunday. The estimated figure will represent an increase of about 12.5% from last year and 8% from 2019, said Wang Bin, an official from the Ministry of Commerce, at a press conference.

商务部消费促进司副司长王斌9月26日在记者会上表示，预计全年社会消费品零售总额有望达到44万亿元，比2020年增长12.5%左右，比2019年增长8%左右。

Considering the growth month by month in the second half of 2020, the year-on-year growth trend of consumption will be "low-after-high" throughout this year, Wang said, adding that the country's consumption will continue its steady recovery in the fourth quarter.

王斌分析，去年下半年消费逐月回升，所以今年下半年以来同比增速有所回落，总体会呈现前高后低格局，但整个四季度消费仍将延续平稳恢复态势。

The latest data shows that China's retail sales of consumer goods went up 2.5% year on year, to around 3.44 trillion yuan in August, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

国家统计局最新数据显示，8月份社会消费品零售总额约3.44万亿元，同比增长2.5%。