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About this Episode
Spurred by the government's "Shopping in China" initiative and other consumption-supporting measures, customs authorities in top-tier cities reported a strong increase in tax refund volumes in 2025 and forecast further growth this year.
在政府“中国购物”倡议及其他消费扶持措施的推动下，2025年一线城市海关退税量显著增长，并预测今年将持续攀升。
According to Guangzhou Customs, Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport Customs in Guangdong province processed more than 50,000 departure tax-refund applications from overseas travelers in 2025, with the total value of refund claims exceeding 496 million yuan ($71.3 million).
据广州海关统计，2025年广东省广州白云国际机场海关为出境旅客办理退税申请逾5万笔，退税金额累计超过4.96亿元人民币（合7130万美元）。
The figures show year-on-year increases of 470 percent in the number of applications and 60 percent in the total refund amount.
数据显示，申请数量同比增长470%，退税总额同比增长60%。
At the tax refund counter of Terminal 1 at the Guangzhou airport, French traveler Mu Voungvui was recently seen completing his tax refund procedures. Holding up his refund slip, he said his trip to China had been highly rewarding.
在广州白云机场1号航站楼的退税柜台前，近日有法国游客穆·旺维（Mu Voungvui）正在办理退税手续。他举起退税单表示，此次中国之行收获颇丰。
"I bought a DJI Osmo Pocket 3 gimbal camera and the tax-refund process was very convenient," he said, adding that with a refund rate of 11 percent, he received 414.5 yuan as the tax refund.
他表示：“我购买了DJI Osmo Pocket 3稳定器相机，退税流程非常便捷。”并补充道以11%的退税率计算，最终获得了414.5元人民币的退税款。
Feng Ruilin, an official at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport Customs, said popular tax-refund purchases range from clothing, handbags and jewelry, to technology products such as small drones, sports cameras and smartphones.
广州白云国际机场海关官员冯瑞琳（音译）表示，热门退税商品涵盖服装、手袋、珠宝首饰等，以及小型无人机、运动相机和智能手机等科技产品。
The growth in departure tax-refunds comes amid broader efforts to upgrade China's consumption environment. Launched in April 2025, the "Shopping in China" initiative aims to create a more internationally friendly consumption landscape and enhance the country's appeal as a global consumption hub through measures such as streamlined visa procedures and improved departure tax-refund arrangements.
离境退税业务的增长，正值中国全面提升消费环境之际。自2025年4月启动的“中国购物”计划，旨在通过简化签证手续、完善离境退税机制等措施，打造更具国际友善度的消费环境，增强中国作为全球消费枢纽的吸引力。
Zhu Mingkuang, an official with the passenger inspection unit at Shanghai Pudong International Airport Customs, said that the continued optimization of departure tax-refund policies and upgrades to related services have played a key role in boosting inbound consumption.
上海浦东国际机场海关旅客查验科官员朱明光（音译）表示，离境退税政策的持续优化和相关服务的升级，对促进入境消费起到了关键作用。
Zhu noted that the reduction of the minimum purchase threshold from 500 yuan to 200 yuan in April last year has encouraged more foreign travelers to shop and claim tax refunds, leading to a sharp rise in business volumes.
朱明光（音译）指出，去年4月将最低消费门槛从500元降至200元后，吸引更多外国游客购物并申请退税，导致业务量大幅增长。
"Since October 2025, the volume of departure tax-refund transactions at Shanghai Pudong International Airport has consistently exceeded 1,000 applications per day on average," he said, adding that the momentum has continued into January of this year.
自2025年10月以来，上海浦东国际机场离境退税业务量日均处理量持续保持在1000笔以上，这一势头延续至今年1月。
Last year, Shanghai Customs verified 222,000 departure tax-refund items, soaring 130 percent year-on-year and accounting for half of the national total.
去年，上海海关核验出境退税物品达22.2万件，同比增长130%，占全国总量的半数。
Beyond improvements in tax-refund processing, local governments have also moved to strengthen supporting retail infrastructure. In Shanghai, the municipal government has guided the transformation and launch of downtown duty-free stores, injecting new momentum into the city's development as an international consumption hub and its tourism economy.
除加快退税办理速度外，各地政府还着力完善零售配套设施。上海市通过引导市中心免税店转型升级，为打造国际消费中心城市和旅游经济注入新动能。
In the Chinese capital, Beijing Customs verified a total of 64,000 departure tax-refund applications, marking a year-on-year increase of 317 percent in 2025.
在首都北京，海关共核验出境退税申请6.4万份，2025年同比增幅达317%。
The total value of refund claims reached 1.35 billion yuan, up 74 percent year-on-year and surpassing 1 billion yuan for the first time since the departure tax-refund policy was introduced a decade ago.
退税申请总额达到13.5亿元，同比增长74%，这是自十年前实施离境退税政策以来首次突破10亿元大关。
Pan Yuting, an official with the passenger inspection unit at Beijing Capital International Airport Customs, said that at the beginning of 2025, about 40 departure tax-refund applications were typically processed during a single day at Terminal 3. That figure rose to around 170 per day in mid-January of this year, representing a substantial increase compared with the same period last year.
北京首都国际机场海关旅客查验科官员潘玉婷（音译）表示，2025年初，航站楼3号航站楼单日平均处理约40份离境退税申请。今年1月中旬，该数字已攀升至每日约170份，较去年同期显著增长。
After purchasing a Louis Vuitton handbag valued at 19,820 yuan in Beijing and applying for a tax refund of 2,180 yuan on Jan 4 at Terminal 3 of Beijing Capital International Airport, Canadian traveler Davis Jordan said China's appeal to foreign visitors will continue to grow, as "tax-refund and duty-free services are highly cost-effective and make shopping here both attractive and worthwhile".
加拿大游客戴维斯·乔丹（Davis Jordan）1月4日在北京首都国际机场3号航站楼购买了价值19820元的路易威登手袋，并申请退税2180元。他表示，中国的吸引力将持续增强，因为“退税和免税服务性价比极高，让购物既充满吸引力又物有所值”。
threshold
/ˈθreʃ.hoʊld/
n.门槛
gimbal
/ˈɡɪm.bəl/
n.万向吊架，恒平框架，常平架框
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