China's nationwide home appliance trade-in program has recently garnered significant public interest as it experiences temporary pauses for adjustments in various regions. Despite some reports indicating delays and changes in eligibility, government officials have reassured that the initiative remains active and will continue until the end of 2025, as reported by Xinhuanet.

Reports from the Global Times indicate that on JD.com, a prominent e-commerce platform in China, several cities have posted notices regarding a temporary suspension of the subsidy qualification collection for the trade-in program. This includes locations such as Chongqing Municipality in Southwest China and specific cities within Guangdong Province.

In addition to these regional suspensions, some areas have implemented time restrictions for subsidy qualification collection. For instance, in Hebei Province, there is a daily cap on the number of qualifications that can be collected, and the collection timeframe has been restricted to between 8:30 am and 10 pm. Similarly, Sichuan and Jiangsu Provinces have established that qualifications are only valid on the day they are issued.

An official document related to the trade-in program confirms its duration until December 31, 2025. Observers have suggested that the delays seen in certain regions are temporary and may prompt the introduction of additional funding to facilitate smoother policy execution.

It has been noted that some merchants have exaggerated the pauses in local subsidies for marketing purposes, prompting a call for consumers to rely on official communications for accurate information.

Chongqing's authorities issued a statement at the end of May, highlighting strong participation in the city's trade-in subsidy initiative. With the first phase nearly depleted, they are currently drafting a second-phase policy, which is expected to be unveiled in the first half of June.

A representative from the Nanjing Municipal Bureau of Commerce clarified that the subsidy policy has not been suspended but has switched to a phased release with a quota-based issuance model. This adjustment aligns with the program's commitment to operate through December 2025.

Since its inception in March 2024 and subsequent renewal in January 2025, the trade-in program has exhibited exceptional consumer enthusiasm and engagement from enterprises across the nation.

Statistics reveal that by April 25, Jiangsu Province alone accounted for the sale of 7.674 million home appliances, translating into a revenue of 18.29 billion yuan, alongside the utilization of 3.39 billion yuan in subsidies in 2025, as reported by the Ministry of Commerce.

By May 26, Chongqing had dispensed over 1.2 billion yuan in trade-in subsidies, benefiting over 1 million consumers and stimulated consumption exceeding 6 billion yuan. Additionally, Sichuan saw participation from a record 5.44 million consumers, with total subsidies reaching 4.7 billion yuan as of June 2.

At the national level, retail sales in May for household appliances, communication devices, and various supplies showed substantial year-on-year growth, contributing an increase of 1.9 percentage points to the overall retail sales growth, as revealed by the National Bureau of Statistics.

To ensure the sustained implementation of the trade-in policy, the National Development and Reform Commission announced on April 29 the allocation of an additional 81 billion yuan to support the program, along with a commitment to simplify the subsidy application process to invigorate consumer spending.