MNI China Press Digest Jan 13: Trade-in, Gold, EV Exports

Highlights from Chinese press reports on Tuesday:

• China will actively optimise its consumer goods trade-in policy and accelerate the expansion of commodity consumption, according to the recent National Commerce Work Conference for 2026. The Ministry of Commerce, together with six other departments, issued a Notice on Improving Quality and Efficiency in the Implementation of the 2026 Trade-in Policy for Consumer Goods, which signalled a strengthened policy push in 2026, Securities Daily noted. The central government will continue to allocate funding through ultra-long-term special treasury bonds, while local governments will provide proportional matching funds, the notice said. Hong Yong, an expert from the think tank of the China Digital-Real Economy Integration 50 Forum, stated that the 2026 trade-in program will further expand consumption and accelerate industrial transformation. Policymakers will optimise subsidy standards and coverage, strengthen funding guarantees, improve the efficiency of disbursement and balance national coordination with local flexibility. 
• Analysts in China expect the upward move in gold and silver prices could get stronger after setting recent record highs, Yicai reports. The investigation involving Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell will accelerate the upward momentum and could lead to irreversible institutional harm, Yicai noted. Central banks’ continued “gold hoarding” also provides long-term support for prices. According to the latest official data, as of the end of December 2025, domestic gold reserves reached 74.15 million ounces (approximately 2,306 metric tons), marking the 14th consecutive month of accumulation. Market analysts note that persistently elevated gold and silver prices reflect not only heightened geopolitical uncertainty but also strong long-term growth in demand.
• The announcement that China and the EU have agreed on the need to provide general guidance on price undertakings for Chinese exporters of pure electric vehicles to the EU, represents a soft landing for the case, according to the China Chamber of Commerce for Machinery and Electronics. Companies should fully leverage the outcomes of these consultations, submit price undertaking applications and safeguard their export rights to the EU, the chamber added. The China Chamber of Commerce to the EU emphasised that the proper resolution of the electric vehicle case will significantly boost market confidence and create a more stable and predictable environment for Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers and related supply chain enterprises to invest and operate in Europe.