China includes smartphones in consumer goods replacement program

China unveiled an action plan on Wednesday detailing subsidy measures for purchasing new smartphones and other digital products, which covers products of both domestic and foreign brands.

Under the plan, individual consumers purchasing smartphones, tablets, smartwatches or wristbands priced below 6,000 yuan (about 834.6 U.S. dollars) per item will receive a subsidy covering 15 percent of the product's sales price, according to the plan.

Starting from Jan. 20, each consumer can receive a maximum subsidy of 500 yuan per item, with a limit of one subsidized item per category, per the plan.

Equal support should be given to both domestic and foreign brands, according to a circular released on the official website of the Ministry of Commerce (MOC).

The MOC and other departments also announced the subsidy plan for home appliances this year, increasing the number of eligible categories from eight in 2024 to 12 in 2025.

MOC data revealed that its trade-in scheme boosted the sales of automobiles, home appliances and other items by over 1.3 trillion yuan in 2024.