FILE: Beijing, China - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of office building of National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC)

Beijing, China - Sept 29, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
2. Press conference in progress
3. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Li Chunfang, deputy director, Department of Industrial Development, NDRC:
"Since April, the business expectation index for the service sector has remained above 55 percent for five consecutive months, staying within a relatively high prosperity range. The development of the service sector has shown a positive momentum characterized by heightened policy expectations, strong market confidence, resilient consumption, and vibrant openness."

FILE: Changchun City, Jilin Province, northeast China - July 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
4. Various of packages on conveyor belt; staff working

FILE: Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province, south China - 2025 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
5. Various of apartment buildings
6. Various of potential buyers, real estate agents at sales office

FILE: China - Exact Location and Date Unknown (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
7. Various of bank clerk serving client, brochure about loans to small and micro enterprises
8. Chinese yuan banknotes going through cash counter
9. Sign for personal credit counter
10. Bank clerks serving clients

FILE: China - Exact Location and Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
11. Various of people dining

FILE: Haikou City, Hainan Province, south China - July 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
12. Various of customers in mall

China's service sector continues to demonstrate robust momentum, with business activity expectations remaining in expansion territory for a fifth consecutive month, according to data released at a press conference held by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) in Beijing on Tuesday.

The business activity expectations index for the service sector has stayed above 55 percent since April, signaling sustained optimism among service providers, according to the NDRC.

The sector's contribution to economic growth reached 66.1 percent in the first half of 2026, up 5.9 percentage points from the same period last year, underscoring its role as a primary engine of China's economic expansion.

"The development of the service sector has shown a positive momentum characterized by heightened policy expectations, strong market confidence, resilient consumption, and vibrant openness," said Li Chunfang, deputy director of the NDRC's Industrial Development Department, at the press conference.

The strong performance follows the first-ever national service sector conference held in April 2026, which set the stage for a comprehensive push to expand and upgrade the industry. The NDRC, working with 40 government departments, has identified 131 key tasks for 2026 and 2027. Over the past six months, 81 supporting measures have been introduced, with more than 60 percent of the priority tasks reporting significant progress.

At the provincial level, 27 regions have convened their own service sector conferences and issued implementation documents aimed at improving service quality and capacity. The coordinated effort reflects what officials describe as a "policy combination punch" designed to sustain the growth momentum.