As 2025 closes, China Trading Desk unpacks the shifts shaping China’s consumer and marketing landscape—Double 11’s move to “value verification”, changing alcohol habits, Gen Z identity-led spending, outbound travel’s data-driven rebound, pro-consumption policy signals to 2027, and AI’s rising role in discovery. Key takeaways for brands planning China-native growth in 2026.

AI is no longer a supporting tool — it is becoming the engine of global marketing transformation. Based on the 2025 Lingmou Awards theme “智启 | Rebooting the Future” and Morketing’s latest industry analysis, this newsletter unpacks the ten defining AI marketing shifts of 2025, from reasoning intelligence and AI agents to AEO, hyper-personalisation, AR integration, automation and responsible AI. Here is what brands must prepare for in the next wave of intelligent marketing.

China’s social media trends this week focus on Japan’s earthquake alerts, rising regional security risks, evolving travel sentiment, consumer policy signals, and price volatility across aviation and premium goods. Insights from Weibo, Douyin, Xiaohongshu, Baidu and Zhihu reveal how safety concerns, geopolitics and economic policy are reshaping China’s consumer behaviour and outbound travel decisions.

“The weaker won has made South Korea a better-value destination for Chinese travellers at the same time Japan has become politically ‘expensive’,” said Subramania Bhatt, CEO of the travel marketing and technology firm China Trading Desk.

China has released a landmark national consumption action plan that sets out to cultivate three trillion-yuan consumer sectors and ten 100-billion-yuan consumption hotspots by 2027. Backed by six central government ministries, the plan accelerates supply–demand alignment, next-generation technology adoption, scenario innovation, and targeted product development across diverse demographic groups.

South Korea has now moved into the top spot as the most popular overseas destination for Chinese travelers on several major platforms, with strong demand for Seoul and Jeju," Bhatt told China Daily.

China’s outbound travel market is entering a new phase of accelerated recovery and structural transformation. Based on the latest ITB China Tourism Trend Report 2025/26, this newsletter explores key shifts in traveller behaviour, destination trends, MICE growth, and technology adoption — providing strategic insights for destinations, airlines, hospitality groups, and travel brands preparing for China’s next wave of global tourism demand.

China’s top social media trends this week highlight major shifts in outbound travel, including Russia and Cambodia’s new visa-free policies, growing “Japan alternatives”, airline safety incidents, regional security tensions, and rising Double 12 consumption momentum. Insights from Weibo, Douyin, Xiaohongshu, Baidu and Zhihu reveal how policy changes, traveller sentiment, and cultural-tourism demand are reshaping China’s consumer landscape.

China bookings for Osaka-bound for winter and early spring departures are down 55% to 65% — a sharper drop than the nationwide average, with Kansai International Airport carrying a disproportionate share of cancellations, according to China Trading Desk “What started as a year-end shock is now bleeding into next year,” said Subramania Bhatt, chief executive of China Trading Desk. “That suggests expectations are in free fall and many travelers are no longer treating this as