BEIJING, July 15, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - China's retail sales rose 1.0 percent year-on-year last month for the first time since December 2022, official data showed Wednesday, picking up from the previous month, providing a boost to leaders as they battle sluggish domestic activity.

The reading from the National Bureau of Statistics marked a sharp improvement from May's 0.6 percent fall.

Industrial production rose 5.3 percent year-on-year, the NBS said, beating a Bloomberg forecast of 4.6 percent.