Beijing is hoping a subsidy scheme for common household items such as rice cookers and smartphones, which was expanded last week, can boost sluggish spending and help the country weather an economic storm from incoming US president Donald Trump. Outside a bustling shopping centre in Sanlitun, one of the capital's most popular commercial districts, 25-year-old Li Ling tells AFP the policy could work as an "incentive". "If your budget is not very high, such policies can support people in their consideration about buying things," she says. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES