Zuo Xiaobo, deputy director-general of the Department of Trade in Services at China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), said 50 pilot cities for new consumer business formats, models and scenarios have largely completed work including drafting fund and project management rules and soliciting the first batch of projects, according to 36Kr. Authorities have collected more than 6,000 project proposals, which are expected to drive more than CNY 300 billion in social investment. The first tranche of CNY 8.6 billion in support funds is being disbursed, and related projects are accelerating implementation. The pilot program was launched in September 2025 and will run for two years, with support tilted toward mega and super-large cities with large populations and strong spillover effects.