Progress in many indicators of the “14th Five-Year Plan” has exceeded expectations! China's economic growth is expected to exceed 35 trillion yuan in 5 years

The Zhitong Finance App learned that on July 9, the Information Office of the State Council held a series of press conferences on the theme of “Completing the 14th Five-Year Plan with High Quality”. Zheng Zhajie, director of the National Development and Reform Commission, said that in the first four years, China's economic growth rate reached an average of 5.5%. Our country's size and growth has also experienced the impact of the century's epidemic, trade bullying, etc. At such a large base, it can maintain such a growth rate, which is unprecedented in the history of economic development. China's economic growth is expected to exceed 35 trillion yuan in 5 years, which is equivalent to the total volume of Guangdong, Jiangsu, and Shandong, the top 3 economic provinces in 2024. It exceeds the total volume of the Yangtze River Delta region and the total volume of the world's 3rd largest countries. The annual contribution rate to world economic growth remains around 30%.

Zheng Zhajie mentioned that during the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, China's GDP continued to exceed 110, 120, and 130 trillion yuan, and the economy is expected to reach about 140 trillion yuan this year. In 2024, the country's total marine economy surpassed 10 trillion yuan for the first time, accounting for about 1/3 of the world's shipping volume and container throughput, accounting for more than 50% of the world's market share of ships and offshore equipment. Of the world's 18 major ship types, 14 new orders ranked first in the world, and seawater product production ranked first in the world for many years. Since the 14th Five-Year Plan, the manufacturing industry has added more than 30 trillion yuan in value every year. China has held the “top position” in the global manufacturing industry for 15 consecutive years, producing more than 220 major industrial products in the world. There are fewer and fewer things China can't make, and what it can build is getting better and better.

In terms of food, our country has built more than 1 billion mu of high-standard farmland, which is equivalent to the total land area of Heilongjiang and Henan, the two largest grain-producing provinces. The Chinese have their jobs firmly in their own hands. In terms of energy, China has built the world's largest power infrastructure system, accounting for one-third of the world's installed capacity. Even during peak energy consumption periods such as summer and winter, people's energy consumption needs and production and living needs are strongly guaranteed. In terms of industrial infrastructure, China has the largest manufacturing system with the most complete categories and the most complete system in the world, and the level of resilience and safety of the industrial chain supply chain is constantly improving.

Li Chunlin, deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission, said that during the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, China's infrastructure continued to show centripetal strength and acceleration. The aorta is more unobstructed. For example, the “6 axes, 7 corridors and 8 channels”, which is the main framework of the country's comprehensive three-dimensional transportation network, has a construction rate of over 90%, covering more than 80% of the counties, serving about 90% of the economy and population, forming a national economic aorta that crosses east and west, through the north and south, and connects the river to the sea. In the 14th Five-Year Plan, China has planned 102 major projects. After more than 4 years of steady progress, 102 major projects have achieved a series of significant progress and significant results, and it is expected that all of the planned tasks will be completed before the end of the year.

Zhou Haibing, deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission, explained that since the “14th Five-Year Plan”, more than 12 million new jobs have been added every year, and relatively full employment has been achieved in large developing countries with a population of more than 1.4 billion. From 2021 to May of this year, foreign direct investment in China totaled 4.7 trillion yuan, exceeding the total amount during the 13th Five-Year Plan period. Foreign-funded enterprises contributed 1/3 of China's imports and exports, 1/4 of industrial value added, 1/7 of tax revenue, and created more than 30 million jobs.

Furthermore, Zhou Haibing also mentioned that China has built the world's largest and fastest growing renewable energy system. At the end of May this year, the installed capacity of renewable energy power generation reached 2.09 billion kilowatts, more than double the 934 million kilowatts at the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan. Now 1 degree for every 3 kilowatts of electricity in the country is green electricity. In 2024, the number of new energy vehicles in the country reached 31.4 million, an increase of more than fivefold over 4.92 million at the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan.

The transcript is as follows:

Shou Xiaoli, Director of the Information Bureau of the Information Office of the State Council and press spokesman:

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the press conference of the Information Office of the State Council.

This year marks the end of the “14th Five-Year Plan”. The Information Office of the State Council will hold a series of press conferences on the theme of “High Quality Completion of the 14th Five-Year Plan” to introduce the vivid practices and fruitful results of various departments implementing high-quality development requirements and completing the goals and tasks of the “14th Five-Year Plan” under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core.

Today we are holding the first press conference in a series. We invited Mr. Zheng Zhajie, director of the National Development and Reform Commission, to introduce his economic and social development achievements during the “14th Five-Year Plan” period and answer everyone's concerns. Also attending today's press conference were Mr. Li Chunlin, Deputy Director of the National Development and Reform Commission; Mr. Zhou Haibing, Deputy Director; and Mr. Yuan Da, Secretary General.

Next, let's first ask Mr. Zheng Zhajie to give an introduction.

Zheng Zhajie, Director of the National Development and Reform Commission:

Good morning to all media friends! First, on behalf of the NDRC, I would like to thank everyone for their concern, understanding and support for our development and reform work.

The theme of today's press conference is the “14th Five-Year Plan” economic and social development achievements. I would like to first review the five years we have spent together. Over the course of these five years, changes have accelerated, and the task of reform, development, and stability has been unprecedented. The Party Central Committee, with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core, oversaw the overall situation and took the helm. The whole country worked together and made concerted efforts to do its own business. Not only did they withstand pressure and withstand tests, but economic and social development also achieved a sharp leap forward, which can be described as “seeing the rainbow through ups and downs.”

In less than 180 days, the “14th Five-Year Plan” will come to an end. Looking back, among the main indicators of the “Outline” of the plan drawn up five years ago, progress was in line with expectations in indicators such as economic growth, labor productivity of all employees, and R&D investment of the whole society; progress in 8 indicators, including the urbanization rate of the resident population, life expectancy per capita, and comprehensive food and energy production capacity; the strategic tasks set out in the plan were fully implemented, and the 102 major projects deployed progressed smoothly. Overall, the past five years have achieved new pioneering progress, breakthrough changes, and historic achievements. China has become the most stable, reliable, and active force in the world's development. Here are seven aspects worth introducing to you.

First, economic development. This is mainly reflected in a significant increase in economic strength, and we are a major contributor to world economic growth. The total economy has continuously surpassed 110 trillion, 120 trillion, and 130 trillion dollars, and is expected to reach about 140 trillion dollars this year; the increase is expected to exceed 35 trillion dollars. What is this concept? During the National Conference this year, I explained to you the relevant aspects of the situation and talked about the equivalent of rebuilding the Yangtze River Delta. Another concept is that it is equivalent to the total economic volume of our country's top three economic provinces — Guangdong, Jiangsu, and Shandong — and also exceeds the total economy of the world's third-ranked country. Our contribution rate to world economic growth has remained around 30%. The average growth rate of our economy in the first 4 years was 5.5%. It can be said that our country's size and growth rate can be maintained even under the impact of various risks and challenges. It should be unprecedented in the history of economic development.

Second, innovation-driven. The “14th Five-Year Plan” places innovation in an unprecedented position. We wrote it this way and did it the same way. Let's take a look at the investment and output of these five years. China's R&D investment reached a new high. Last year, the scale of R&D investment by the whole society increased by nearly 50% compared to the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan, reaching 1.2 trillion yuan; the R&D investment intensity increased to 2.68%, which is close to the average of the OECD countries. We have reached the pinnacle of innovation of “big country heavy equipment” one after another. We look at it from all angles: sea, land, and air. At sea, the first domestic electromagnetic catapult aircraft carrier, the Fujian ship, was launched, and the first large-scale domestic cruise ship “Aida Mordu” was built and operated. In addition to the world's leading large LNG carrier, we collected the “Three Pearls” in the crown of the shipbuilding industry; on land, the world's first fourth-generation nuclear power plant, the Shidao Bay base, was put into commercial operation; in heaven, the first Chinese space station “Tiangong” was fully completed and operated. “Chang'e-6” achieved the world's first unsampled return on the back of the moon. The C919 aircraft enables commercial flights, etc. These “first ships,” “first ships,” and “firsts” have highlighted major breakthroughs in Chinese innovation. Technological innovation has driven the continuous transformation and upgrading of the industry to the middle and high-end, and many fields have accelerated the transformation from quantitative to qualitative change, from low to medium to high-end, and from chasers to frontrunners. Facts have proven that “decoupling and breaking the chain”, suppression and containment will only strengthen our determination and ability to stand on our own feet, and will only accelerate the progress and breakthroughs of our independent innovation.

Third, people's livelihood and welfare. The results of economic development and scientific and technological progress are actually being transformed into people's sense of attainment and happiness. Let's first look at it from a macro perspective. China has built the largest education system, social security system, and health care system in the world. The consolidation rate for compulsory education and the participation rate for basic pension insurance and basic medical insurance are above 95%. Looking at specific fields, in terms of education, in order to make education fairer and more popular, we have promoted 97% of children of migrant workers entering the city to attend public schools or enjoy degrees purchased by the government, an increase of 11.2 percentage points over the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan. On the medical side, in order for people to enjoy better medical services nearby, we added 114 new national regional medical centers during the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, and now the total number has reached 125. Direct settlement for medical treatment from other places across provinces across the country has gone from scratch, benefiting more than 400 million people. On the “one old, one young” aspect that everyone is concerned about, there are more than 180 million long-term care insurance enrollees, and the number of nurseries reached 5.74 million, an increase of 125% over the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan; life expectancy per capita reached 79 years, increasing by 1 year every 5 years from the “12th Five-Year Plan” to the “14th Five-Year Plan.” In terms of travel involving thousands of households, the “6 axes, 7 corridors and 8 channels”, the main framework of the national comprehensive three-dimensional transportation network, has been improved at an accelerated pace, and the “14th Five-Year Plan” high-speed rail has added more than 10,000 kilometers. Up to now, China's high-speed rail operating mileage is twice that of other countries combined. Fresh products “arrive on the same day” and “deliver the next day” from fields to residents' tables, and transportation and express delivery services are more efficient. Behind every data and every change is the continuous improvement and improvement of people's quality of life. People's livelihood is no small matter. We keep a close eye on the affairs around the people and do it in detail one by one.

Fourth, the effectiveness of governance. The results of comprehensive and deepening reforms have been rapidly transformed into modern governance systems and capabilities. Here, I will talk about two situations. First, China's business environment is getting better and better. The “four pillars” of a unified national market has basically been established, the private economy promotion law has been enacted and implemented, restrictions on foreign investment access to the manufacturing industry have been “zeroed out”, restrictions on the national negative list of foreign investment access have been reduced to 29, and the number of private enterprises has increased to more than 58 million, an increase of more than 40% over the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan. Second, China's ability to organize and act is getting stronger. For example, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck Dingri in Tibet in January of this year. The central area began organizing and carrying out rescue operations 30 minutes after the disaster. Rescue planes carrying relief equipment and personnel arrived within a few hours. The affected people stayed in disaster prevention tents and ate hot food that night. This is China's strength, Chinese speed, and Chinese spirit. There are many more examples like this. The key to the steady improvement in the effectiveness of governance is that comprehensively and strictly governing the Party has had an all-round and profound impact, stopped many crooked winds that were thought impossible to stop in the past, removed some persistent problems that were difficult to eliminate for many years, and solved many outstanding issues strongly expressed by the public. The Party's leadership, organization, and execution are constantly improving, and comprehensively and strictly governing the Party has provided a strong political guarantee for high-quality development.

Fifth, green development. The concept that green water and green mountains are golden mountains and silver mountains is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Green has become a prominent undertone in contemporary China. The results of these five years are concentrated in the four aspects of greening, pollution control, energy use, and recycling. “Greening” is the highest in the world, and the forest cover rate has increased to more than 25%. The new forest area is equivalent to the area of one Shaanxi Province, contributing one-quarter of the world's new greening area. “Pollution control” has achieved remarkable results. The proportion of days with good air quality has stabilized at around 87%, an increase of 3 percentage points over the “13th Five-Year Plan” period. The entire main stream of the “Mother River” of the Yangtze River and the Yellow River has met Class II water quality standards. This is a remarkable achievement. “Energy use” is cleaner. The installed capacity of new energy power generation has historically surpassed coal power, and the world's largest clean power generation system has been built. For every 3 kilowatts of electricity we use, 1 degree is green electricity, and this ratio will increase. “Recycling” is developing rapidly. Every year, more than 20% of the raw materials in steel production come from scrap recycling, and the results of energy saving and carbon reduction are remarkable. I believe everyone can experience it firsthand. Whether in the city or the countryside, whether it is east, west, north or south, there are more blue skies, more beautiful scenery, and more environmentally friendly life.

Sixth, safety and security. Since the 14th Five-Year Plan, China's food, energy, industry, and national defense security infrastructure has been further consolidated. In terms of food, the “14th Five-Year Plan” supports the construction, renovation and upgrading of 460 million mu of high-standard farmland. Currently, more than 1 billion mu of high-standard farmland have been built, which is equivalent to the combined area of the two provinces of Heilongjiang and Henan, which rank in the top two for grain production. The Chinese are firmly in their hands. In terms of energy, the world's largest power infrastructure system has been built, accounting for one-third of the world's installed capacity. Even during peak energy consumption periods such as summer and winter, people's energy demand is strongly guaranteed. In terms of industrial infrastructure, China has the largest manufacturing system with the most complete categories and the most complete system in the world. The level of resilience and safety in the industrial chain supply chain is constantly improving, and we are more emboldened to deal with various risks and challenges. At the same time, national defense strength and economic strength are simultaneously improving, and the strategic ability to defend the country's sovereignty, security, and development interests continues to improve.

Seventh, the responsibility of major powers. It is better to sit back and talk. China is leading global green development with practical actions, promoting common prosperity among all countries, and safeguarding world fairness and justice. We have firmly fulfilled our “dual carbon” promise. Energy consumption per unit of GDP has been reduced by 11.6% over four years, which is equivalent to reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 1.1 billion tons. This fully demonstrates the responsibility of a responsible power. China and countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America and other countries have achieved new results and new progress in the joint construction of “Belt and Road” cooperation. The scope of cooperation has been expanded to more than 150 countries and more than 30 international organizations. The results of cooperation have benefited the co-building countries, and many significant progress and results have been achieved in industry, transportation, employment, and people's livelihood. For example, the construction of Indonesia's Yawan high-speed railway project has boosted the employment of 51,000 people in the region, and has sent more than 10 million passengers since it began operation for more than a year. Locals generally believe that this high-speed railway is “fully technological”, bringing “acceleration” to Indonesia's economic development. China resolutely stands up against trade bullying, firmly defends its own legitimate interests, defends international fairness and justice, and contributes to maintaining the stability of the global supply chain with its large-scale market and strong manufacturing capacity.

Looking back on the five years of the “14th Five-Year Plan”, we have encountered more difficult problems than expected, and the results achieved have been better than expected. Like everyone else, we are all experienced, builders, and eyewitnesses. The most prominent feeling is that there will always be difficulties and challenges along the way, but this will not only overwhelm us, let alone stop our pace of progress. After five years of the “14th Five-Year Plan”, our institutional advantages are more consolidated, our innovation vitality is stronger, our material foundation is stronger, and our development foundation is more solid. The “14th Five-Year Plan” will surely leave a strong mark on China's development history. Looking forward to the future, we are also full of confidence that the “15th Five-Year Plan” development prospects will be brighter.

Let me first inform you about these situations. Thank you!

Xiaoli Shou:

Thank you, Director Sha Jie, for the introduction. Now let's move on to the questioning session. Please inform your news agency before asking questions.

Zhejiang Daily Chao News Reporter:

Interviews over the years have made me feel that connections between various parts of the Yangtze River Delta are getting closer. Many companies from Zhejiang and Jiangsu are investing in the construction of factories in Anhui, and many people also go to Shanghai in the morning to meet customers, have meetings in Nanjing in the afternoon, and go back to Hangzhou to eat in the evening. Business trips have become as convenient as commuting. What do you think of this change? Thank you.

Zheng Zhajie:

Thank you for your question. What you just said was very vivid, because I have worked in two provinces in the Yangtze River Delta, and I have a lot of feelings about this, and I keep hearing everyone discussing and discussing this issue. These changes should be a result of the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta. To answer your questions, I would like to discuss with you all the great achievements made in coordinated regional development during the “14th Five-Year Plan” period.

Our country is vast. The situation is different everywhere in the east, east, south, north, and south. General Secretary Xi Jinping attached great importance to this work. In particular, since the 20th National Congress of the Party, the General Secretary has hosted 9 symposiums on coordinated regional development. The frequency and intensity of the symposium was unprecedented. The top-level design has been continuously improved, and the major policy guidelines for coordinated regional development have been determined. We adhere to the national “one game of chess”, adapt to local conditions and zoning and classification policies, and solidly promote coordinated regional development and accumulation of momentum. Overall, there are four distinct characteristics.

First, the functional positioning is more clear. Each region finds its place in the overall national development situation, the main functions and local characteristics of the region are more prominent, and its comparative advantages are fully unleashed. For example, the three major engines of China's economy, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, the Yangtze River Delta, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, are more powerful, further concentrating industry and population. The three regions will account for more than 40% of the country's economy in 2024.

Another example is that the strategic support of the Northeast region is stronger. In 2024, the Northeast region will account for 25.3% of the country's grain production, 21% of the country's crude oil production, and major technical equipment such as million-kilowatt hydroelectric power units will be localized and autonomous, which will strongly maintain the country's food, energy, and industrial safety. Another example is exploring and testing the Hainan Free Trade Port and building a high level of openness. The average annual increase in imports and exports of goods and services in the first four years of the “14th Five-Year Plan” was 31.3% and 32.3%, respectively. The actual use of foreign capital in the five years exceeded that of the first 32 years since the province was founded.

Second, complementary advantages are more effective. We objectively understand the development gap between regions and rely on exploring potential to increase momentum, so that all regions and all people can share the results of development. For example, the advantages of industry, technology, management, and capital in the eastern region are closely integrated with the resource endowment advantages of the western region, and the complementary effects are even more obvious. The transmission capacity of “West Power to East Transmission” exceeds 300 million kilowatts. The eight “East Digital to West” hub nodes account for about 70% of the country's computing power. The deserted beaches of Gobi have become a green power source, achieving organic unification of sand control and revenue growth. A total of 37,000 China-Europe trains have been operated in the western region, accounting for nearly half of the country, achieving “inland transformation to the cutting edge”. Another example is that the central region leverages the advantages of connecting east and west, and connecting north and south. More than 60% of the country's main highway lines and high-speed railway main corridors pass through the central region, cultivating and forming 18 strategic emerging industrial clusters and 13 advanced manufacturing clusters. Industries such as quantum technology, memory chips, and construction machinery are gaining momentum, standing up the central “backbone” of the country's development.

Third, joint co-governance is closer. Coordinated regional development is a vivid picture of us leveraging our institutional advantages and concentrating our efforts on major projects. Here, I would like to explain the effectiveness of each region working together to protect the two mother rivers of the Yangtze River and the Yellow River.

Let's take a look at the Yangtze River first. The Yangtze River Economic Belt has reached a consensus. The chemical encirclement issue has basically been solved, and the ten-year fishing ban has been advanced in depth. Currently, dolphins in the Yangtze River are chasing waves, fish leaping, and birds are flying, “a river of blue water flowing eastward.” Looking at the Yellow River, a total of 200 million mu of afforestation has been completed along the nine provinces and regions of the Yellow River, 231 million mu of degraded grassland have been restored, the Loess Plateau has changed from yellow to green, and the water in the Yellow River has changed from muddy to clear. It can be said that “everything is new in the Jiuqu Yellow River.”

Fourth, I am more energetic. We are working together to push all regions to unleash their potential, stimulate vitality, and develop into some regional highlands with more international competitiveness. For example, the Yangtze River Delta is further promoting regional integration and development, moving from “hard connectivity” of infrastructure to “soft collaboration” of joint innovation, industrial collaboration, and people's livelihood sharing. Many people's livelihood feelings are supported on the basis of this extensive work. The integrated circuit, biomedicine, and artificial intelligence industries account for 3/5, 1/3, and 1/3 of the country, respectively, and have become strong growth poles for development. Another example is that the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area rules and institutional interface continues to be deepened. Capital and talent flow efficiently in the three regions. More than 27,000 Macao residents work and live in Hengqin, and the Hetao Shenzhen Park has gathered more than 440 technology companies and 200 high-end scientific research projects. Another example is that the construction of a maritime power has deepened and progressed. In 2024, the country's gross marine product surpassed 10 trillion yuan for the first time, accounting for about 1/3 of the world's shipping volume and container throughput, accounting for 6 of the top 10 global container throughput ports and 8 seats in the top 10 global cargo throughput ports. Shanghai Port's container throughput and Ningbo Zhoushan Port's cargo throughput have all set world records, and ships and offshore equipment market share account for more than 50% of the world. Of the world's 18 major ship types, 14 new orders have ranked first in the world for many years. Of” “Blue Granary”, we have embarked on a path of strength to the sea with Chinese characteristics.

This is the state and effect of coordinated development in our region. Thank you.

Bloomberg News Reporter:

We would like to ask how the NDRC views the evolution of China's potential GDP growth rate and growth drivers from the past five years to the next five years? In terms of boosting domestic demand, will consumption growth targets be set in the next five years to guide related work? Thank you.

Zheng Zhajie:

We asked our Secretary General Yuan Da to answer this question.

Yuan Da, Secretary General of the National Development and Reform Commission:

Thank you for your question! You are mainly concerned about the dynamics of China's economic growth and the expansion of domestic demand. Let me give you a brief introduction. The key point is that China has a large-scale domestic market with great potential for growth, and domestic demand has always been the main driving force and stable anchor for China's economic development. Economic and social development practices during the “14th Five-Year Plan” period once again fully prove this.

Looking at domestic demand as a whole, China has experienced multiple difficulties and challenges in the past four years, such as drastic changes in the international environment, yet the national economy has maintained an average annual growth rate of 5.5%. Among them, the average contribution rate of domestic demand to economic growth is 86.4%. It can be said that without a strong domestic market, there will be no stable and improving Chinese economy.

Judging from the composition of domestic demand, three aspects are particularly prominent.

First, consumption is moving towards a new trend. The average contribution rate of final consumption to China's economic growth in the past four years reached 56.2%, an increase of 8.6 percentage points over the 13th Five-Year Plan period. New products, new business formats, and new models are constantly emerging in the consumer sector. For example, in terms of product consumption, artificial intelligence is being rapidly integrated into daily production and life; smartphones, smart homes, smart cars, etc. are widely popular; new products such as 360 panoramic sports cameras and AI smart glasses are popular all over the network; Guofeng Guochao products have performed brilliantly, and sales of Hanfu, cultural and creative products have increased exponentially. Another example is in terms of service consumption. Supply and demand for culture, sports, tourism, health care, etc. are more diverse. “Hot money” such as intangible cultural heritage and cultural and expo IPs are frequent, and city walks and Chinese tea drinking have become fashion trends.

Second, invest in the direction of excellence. The average contribution rate of capital formation accumulated over the past four years to China's economic growth is 30.2%. Investment plays a key role in optimizing the supply structure. We are paying more attention to repairing shortcomings and long-term benefits, such as focusing on major difficulties in the process of building a strong nation and national rejuvenation, focusing on solving outstanding issues affecting the Chinese-style modernization drive, combining “soft” and “hard” from the top down, and promoting “dual” construction with high quality; more attention is being paid to strengthening development momentum. For example, investment in high-tech industries continued to grow faster than the overall investment growth rate. A large number of major national scientific research infrastructures have been completed; for example, in the past, various types of construction were raised for a total of 4 years Affordable housing contract 7.8 million units have effectively solved the housing problems of more than 20 million people; investment in the social sector has maintained rapid growth, and the level of basic public services has continued to improve; more attention has been paid to mobilizing the enthusiasm of private capital, such as launching a number of major projects in the fields of nuclear power, railways, etc., to attract private investment. In some nuclear power projects, the private capital participation ratio has reached 20%.

Third, investment and consumption promote each other. On the one hand, the expansion of market consumption is driving investment through channels such as product production and supporting construction. For example, consumer demand for 5G, smartphones, etc. continues to be strong, leading to an average annual increase of 21.9% of investment in the Internet and related services industry and an average annual increase of 11.2% in the past 4 years. On the other hand, the increase in effective investment has boosted residents' employment income and increased consumption capacity through production and other chains. It has also directly boosted consumption by improving facilities and optimizing the environment. For example, by the end of 2024, the total national charging infrastructure had reached 12.818 million units, effectively supporting the large-scale popularization of new energy vehicles.

In the next step, we will speed up the construction of a new development pattern, place strengthening the domestic cycle in a more prominent position, unswervingly implement the strategy to expand domestic demand, accelerate the cultivation of a complete domestic demand system, and continuously stimulate and release the potential of domestic demand. Thank you.

Dazhong News Dazhong Daily Reporter:

In recent years, infrastructure construction in China has developed rapidly. How does the National Development and Reform Commission view the role of infrastructure in economic and social development? Thank you.

Zheng Zhajie:

I asked Deputy Director Chun Lin to answer this question.

Li Chunlin, Deputy Director of the National Development and Reform Commission:

Thank you for your question and I'm happy to answer it. Everyone knows that infrastructure is an important support for economic and social development. During the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, China's infrastructure continued to move towards new forces and acceleration, supporting China's speed and quality, and raising the people's new expectations for a better life and a happy life. We are all experienced people. I would like to quote 4 comments from netizens to answer your questions.

The first sentence, “Road networks are more closely woven than embroidered to embroider a thousand miles of rivers and mountains,” talks about a more complete infrastructure network. For example, the “aorta” is more unobstructed. The “6 axes, 7 corridors, and 8 channels”, the main framework of the country's comprehensive three-dimensional transportation network, has a construction rate of over 90%, covering more than 80% of the counties, serving about 90% of the economy and population, forming a national economic aorta connecting east and west, through the north and south, and through the sea. Another example is that “capillaries” are more developed. At the end of 2024, the total mileage of rural highways reached 4.64 million kilometers. Poverty alleviation efforts have basically enabled villages to pass hardened roads, push industrial products to the countryside and agricultural products into the city, and more townspeople “get on the bus when they go out and get express delivery at the village entrance.”

The second sentence, “Same-day delivery keeps things fresh overnight; village access allows mountains and villages to be close together”, talks about the infrastructure system being more efficient and practical. On the one hand, the smooth flow of goods drives the whole society to reduce costs and increase efficiency. The entire society saved more than 400 billion yuan in logistics costs in 2024, and is expected to save another 300 billion yuan this year. The cold chain logistics system is also more complete. Not only can “Chang'an” eat fresh lychee, but Lhasa and Urumqi are also not alone. On the other hand, the modern life that people enjoy themselves is more within reach. Intermodal transportation for travelers is faster and smoother. When they go on a trip, they lift their legs and arrive in a blink of an eye. They also drink morning tea in Guangzhou in the morning, and go to “Erbin” at night to see ice sculptures.

The third sentence, “Technology increases vitality, green adds impetus”, talks about the infrastructure system being smarter and greener. New technology has revitalized traditional infrastructure. In 2024, the country's ports handled an average of 38,000 TEUs per hour, an increase of 26% over 2020, leading the world in operating time. Green energy is lighting up thousands of households. In 2024, renewable energy generation will reach 3.46 trillion kilowatt-hours, about 1.6 times that of the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan; the number of highway charging stations has more than quadrupled in 4 years, covering 98.4% of highway service areas, greatly reducing the mileage anxiety of NEV drivers.

The fourth sentence, “The country's heavy equipment can withstand the tremors of the earth, and withstand a hundred years of ups and downs,” talks about a safer and more reliable infrastructure system. The Baihetan Hydropower Station and the Shenzhen-China Corridor, which have been built in recent years, all have a design life span of more than 100 years; China's “Hualong 1” nuclear power unit, which has completely independent intellectual property rights, uses the highest international safety standards and can withstand a magnitude 17 typhoon and a magnitude 9 earthquake. In 2024, reservoirs across the country will reduce flooding by more than 16 million mu of arable land and avoid the transfer of more than 11 million people by blocking floods. At the same time, China has already built 44 UHV transmission channels, and 4 more are under construction. The power grid is not only large-scale and has extensive coverage, but is also strong and reliable. There have been no major power safety incidents in China since the 14th Five-Year Plan. Last Friday, July 4, the country's electricity consumption reached a record high of 1,465 billion kilowatts, and power generation also reached a record high, reaching 32.9 billion kilowatt-hours. The country's electricity consumption reached a new high this Monday, reaching 1,467 billion kilowatts. In September of last year, after super typhoon “Morocco” landed, it only took 80 hours to restore power supply to the Qiongguang cross-sea cable.

The reason why China's infrastructure is moving forward is because we have always adhered to our original intention of serving development and improving people's livelihood, and our determination to overcome difficulties and move Mount Yugong. In the next step, we will adhere to the principle of being moderately ahead of the curve and not being excessively ahead, continue to establish a solid foundation, strengthen our strengths, make up our weaknesses, and push the modern infrastructure system to a new level. Thank you!

Henan Radio and Television Elephant News Reporter:

We've noticed that in the past two years, quite a few overseas bloggers have shared their news about coming to China on social media. Chinese technology products, trendy games, etc. have set off a “Chinese fever”. Overseas netizens also commented “China is actually spending money on construction,” and “China has become cool.” What do you think of this? Thank you.

Zheng Zhajie:

Thank you for your question, I'll answer that question. You asked a great question. In fact, I think the reason behind this should be an issue reflecting China's comprehensive national strength. Looking back at the “14th Five-Year Plan”, China's comprehensive national strength should be described as “advancing by leaps and bounds.” Where is this rapid advance reflected? I think there are four main aspects.

First, let's look at economic strength. In addition to the total economy just introduced, China is also the world's largest manufacturing country, the largest commodity trading country, the largest foreign exchange reserve country, the largest energy producer, and the largest human resources country. It has the world's largest middle income group, social security system, and has built the largest number of 5G base stations in the world. Everyone has experienced this in real life. There are many similar “first”, “largest” and “largest”. Now, the foundation of China's real economy is getting stronger and stronger. Since the 14th Five-Year Plan, the manufacturing industry has added more than 30 trillion yuan in value every year. China has held the “top position” in the global manufacturing industry for 15 consecutive years, producing more than 200 major industrial products in the world. There are fewer and fewer things China can make, and what it can make is getting better and better. Also, China's infrastructure to support economic and social development is getting stronger. Just now, Deputy Director Chun Lin also gave a special introduction to the relevant situation. We have the world's largest highway network, high-speed rail network, port network, urban rail transit network, transmission and distribution network, broadband network, as well as the world's largest number of wind power installations, photovoltaic installations, charging piles, express delivery outlets, etc. The modern infrastructure system supports rapid economic and social development and convenient life for the masses.

Second, look at the ability to innovate. China has the largest team of R&D personnel in the world. The number of the world's top 100 science and technology innovation clusters has reached 26, accounting for the first place in the world, and there are more than 460,000 high-tech enterprises. Everyone has also seen that innovation achievements continue to emerge. As is often said, the sense of technology is getting stronger and stronger. We develop new quality productivity according to local conditions and promote the deep integration of scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation. From point-and-point breakthroughs to accelerated system integration, “hard core products” are constantly emerging. Over the past few years, we have self-developed high-performance chips and operating systems, AI models that empower thousands of industries, robots that can greatly improve production efficiency, and the continuous transformation of innovative “potential energy” into economic “momentum”. New industries, new business formats, and new business models represented by “artificial intelligence +” are all being implemented and realized at an accelerated pace. In 2024, the value added of the “three new” economies exceeded 24 trillion yuan, which is equivalent to the total gross domestic product of Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangdong.

Third, look at soft power. China's development has attracted global attention, and more and more countries are carrying out governance exchanges with us to learn from China's solutions and experience. It took decades to complete the industrialization process that developed Western countries have gone through for hundreds of years, created “two major miracles” of rapid economic development and long-term social stability, and provided the world with a new model of modernization. Concepts such as “a community of human destiny” and “green water and green mountains are golden mountains and silver mountains” have been widely recognized by the international community. The soft power of national culture and the influence of Chinese culture have increased markedly. The National Archives, the National Cultural Park, etc. continue the context of Chinese history, and the “new three” cultures, such as online dramas, online articles, and online games, have had a great influence overseas.

International influence and appeal have increased markedly, and the joint construction of the “Belt and Road” has become a path of common global prosperity; we are vigorously promoting independent and unilateral openness, and unilaterally expanding our visa-free “circle of friends” to 47 countries. “China tours” and “Chinese purchases” continue to heat up, and the number of foreign visitors entering the country increased by 96% in 2024.

Fourth, look at impact resistance. We have taken the rice bowl firmly into our hands, and achieved “21 consecutive harvests” in grain production. Last year, it reached a new level of 1.4 trillion kg. Guided by the concept of big food, the production of grains, meat, peanuts, vegetables, tea, and fruit ranks first in the world. The energy self-sufficiency rate remains above 80%. In 2024, total oil and gas production will exceed 400 million tons of oil equivalent for the first time, and the power generation capacity will reach 10 trillion kilowatt-hours. Multi-wheel drive energy supply systems such as coal, oil, gas, nuclear, and renewable energy will strongly guarantee the energy needs of more than 1.4 billion people. At the same time, the construction of major countries' reserve systems has been accelerated, material reserves are more adequate, and they are more emboldened to cope with shocks.

Finally, I would like to say that during the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, China's comprehensive national strength improved comprehensively, laying a solid foundation for achieving the goals of the second century. Enhancing our comprehensive national strength is to actually serve the Chinese people, and it will also continuously create new opportunities for global development. No matter how the international situation changes in the future, we will unswervingly do our own business well, solidly enhance our comprehensive national strength, and promote Chinese-style modernization. Thank you!

China News Agency Reporter:

During the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, there were many new changes in the livelihood needs of ordinary people. Excuse me, how do we respond to these new demands and expectations in terms of people's livelihood and work? Thank you.

Zheng Zhajie:

Please ask the Deputy Director of the Marine Corps to answer your question.

Zhou Haibing, Deputy Director of the National Development and Reform Commission:

Thank you for your question. Adhering to people's livelihood orientation and improving people's welfare is the starting point and foothold for preparing and implementing the five-year plan. The “Outline” of the “14th Five-Year Plan” proposes 7 indicators of people's livelihood, accounting for more than one-third of the 20 main indicators, which is the highest in the previous five-year plans. Guided by the implementation of the plan, we have continued to deepen the reform of institutional mechanisms in the social sector, and have successively introduced a number of strong, warm, and sensible livelihood policies to continuously improve the people's sense of attainment, happiness, and security.

The first is to consolidate the foundation of people's livelihood and continue to increase efforts to stabilize employment and promote income growth. Since the 14th Five-Year Plan, the number of new urban jobs added has stabilized at more than 12 million each year, providing basic support for improving people's livelihood. In 2024, the proportion of people employed in the tertiary industries was 22.2%, 29%, and 48.8%, respectively, and the service sector's role in absorbing employment increased significantly. The increase in residents' income is basically in sync with economic growth, and the relative income gap between urban and rural areas has narrowed further.

The second is to focus on people's livelihood needs and promote public services and social security to benefit the entire population. The world's largest education, medical care and social security system has been built and continues to be consolidated. China's nine-year compulsory education consolidation rate, basic pension insurance, and basic medical insurance participation rate has remained stable at over 95%. In 2024, the level of education penetration at all levels in China will reach or exceed the average of middle- and high-income countries, and the average length of education for the new labor force will exceed 14 years. The number of medical practitioners per 1,000 population increased from 2.9 to 3.6. During the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, we formulated, implemented and dynamically adjusted national basic public service standards, and made efforts to ensure that people enjoyed 81 basic public service projects fairly.

The third is to respond to people's livelihood expectations and step up efforts to resolve people's worries and concerns. The “double first-class” construction of colleges and high quality general high schools continues to expand the enrollment scale, providing more resources for quality education. High-quality medical resources are also expanding and sinking at an accelerated pace, the regional layout is more balanced, the construction and functioning of national regional medical centers has been accelerated, and more and more people in the central and western regions can enjoy high-level medical services locally. 402 new drugs have been added to the national medical insurance drug catalogue, making medical insurance settlement across provinces more convenient. The construction of a high-quality “one old, one small” service system has been accelerated, and the proportion of nursing beds in the country has increased to 64.6%; comprehensive childcare service centers have been built in more than 300 prefecture-level cities and populous counties, in an effort to make more ordinary people “able to support” and “rest assured.”

In the next step, we will continue to take the benefit of the people as our fundamental value orientation, insist on safeguarding and improving people's livelihood in development, focus on solving people's urgent concerns, and put people's livelihood into practice, so that development results can benefit all people more and more fairly. Thank you!

US International Market News Reporter:

How was China's foreign direct investment situation during the “14th Five-Year Plan” period? What are your plans for foreign investment in the next five years? How to further promote foreign investment in China?

Zheng Zhajie:

Please ask the Deputy Director of the Marine Corps to answer your question.

Zhou Haibing:

Thank you for your question! Opening up to the outside world is China's basic national policy, and attracting and utilizing foreign investment is an important part of opening up to the outside world. From 2021 to May of this year, foreign direct investment in China totaled 4.7 trillion yuan, exceeding the total amount during the 13th Five-Year Plan period. Foreign-funded enterprises contributed 1/3 of China's imports and exports, 1/4 of industrial value added, and 1/7 of tax revenue, and created more than 30 million jobs. The booming development of foreign-funded enterprises is a vivid interpretation of China's market-based, rule-of-law, and international business environment, and the best affirmation of China's foreign investment policy. Everyone can fully feel:

First, the path with the Chinese market is getting wider and wider, and the negative list continues to slim down. China reduced the negative list of foreign investment access twice in 2021 and 2024. The current national and pilot free trade zone lists have been reduced to 29 and 27, respectively. The restrictions on foreign investment entry in the manufacturing sector have been completely “zeroed out”, and restrictions on foreign investment access in agriculture, services and other fields have been further relaxed. Since last year, China has also carried out pilot opening work in fields such as medical care and value-added telecommunications, and a number of foreign-funded enterprises have begun to invest and operate related businesses.

Second, the strong magnetic field effect of investment promotion has been highlighted, and policy dividends continue to be empowered. China has revised the “Catalogue of Industries Encouraged for Foreign Investment” several times. The total number of entries in the current edition has reached 1,474, guiding foreign investment to invest more in advanced manufacturing, modern services, high-tech, energy saving and environmental protection, as well as the Midwest and Northeast regions. Foreign-funded enterprises can enjoy preferential policies such as taxation and land use in accordance with the law. China implements full-process tracking services for major foreign-funded projects to coordinate and resolve issues such as land use, marine use, and energy use for the projects. China continues to expand its policies such as unilateral visa-free, mutual visa-free, and visa-free transit, making it convenient for foreign investors to visit and negotiate in China.

Third, the business circuit is sunny and fair, and all kinds of companies show their strengths. China fully guarantees the national treatment of foreign-funded enterprises and creates a policy environment with transparent rules and equal opportunities for foreign-funded enterprises. For example, the “two new” policies we are promoting treat domestic and foreign enterprises equally. Another example is that China has strengthened the protection of intellectual property rights, amended the implementation rules of the Patent Law, introduced fair competition review regulations, regulations on handling foreign-related intellectual property disputes, etc., and continued to step up enforcement against infringement by foreign-funded enterprises.

Facing the future, China's policy orientation for attracting and utilizing foreign investment is consistent. We will further liberalize market access and promote the orderly expansion and opening up of related fields. Implement national treatment to a high standard to ensure the fair participation of foreign-funded enterprises in standard-setting, government procurement, bidding, etc. Strengthen service guarantees, continue to carry out special actions to serve foreign-funded enterprises, promote solutions to practical problems, and enhance the sense of attainment and satisfaction of enterprises.

China was, is, and will definitely be an ideal, safe, and promising investment destination for foreign investors. We welcome enterprises from various countries to continue to deeply cultivate the Chinese market, share the dividends of China's development, and better achieve mutual benefit and win-win situation! Thank you!

Zhonghong.com Reporter:

We have noticed that recently, the National Development and Reform Commission and other departments are carrying out actions to clean up and rectify market entry barriers. The Supreme Court has also made its first case law based on the Private Economy Promotion Law. There is still a lot of major news on the reform. Excuse me, what progress has the National Development and Reform Commission made in reforming the economic system over the past five years? Thank you.

Zheng Zhajie:

Please ask Deputy Director Chun Lin to answer your question.

Li Chunlin:

Thank you for your question. You mentioned this reform issue, which was also a central task and central work during the “14th Five-Year Plan” period. The “14th Five-Year Plan” period was an important historical confluence period for concentrated reform efforts. The reform goals and tasks proposed by the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee were generally completed as scheduled. We focused on key areas and key links, and continued to advance the reform tasks clarified by the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee. The results were mainly reflected in the four aspects of “smooth circulation,” “activation power,” “efficiency improvement,” and “efficiency increase.”

The first is to focus on unblocking the economic cycle and speeding up the construction of a unified national market. We have iteratively published 5 editions of the Negative Market Access List. The list items were reduced from 151 to 106 items, and we concentrated on cleaning up 4,218 regulations and practices that hinder a unified market and fair competition throughout the country. We carry out consistency assessments between newly introduced policies and macroeconomic policy orientations to ensure efficient policy coordination. We will comprehensively rectify “internal rolling” competition by improving core competitiveness, optimizing industrial layout, strengthening local restrictions, and standardizing competition order. Furthermore, initiatives such as the direct connection of health insurance across provinces and the implementation of cross-platform payments for online shopping have brought tangible benefits to ordinary people.

The second is to focus on stimulating the vitality of business entities and continuously optimizing the development environment. We have continued to push forward the three-year action to reform state-owned enterprises and the action to deepen reform and upgrade. The core functions and core competitiveness of state-owned enterprises have continued to increase. We have also set up a private economic development bureau to promote the introduction and implementation of private economy promotion laws, improve normalized communication and problem solving mechanisms with private enterprises. Hangzhou, which is controlled by private capital, has successively built and put into operation two high-speed railways via Shaoxing to Taizhou and Hangzhou to Wenzhou, and major infrastructure such as nuclear power has introduced private investment. Currently, the highest private capital participation ratio in nuclear power projects has reached 20%. Projects supporting private capital in fields such as industrial equipment renewal account for more than 80%, and private enterprise investment confidence continues to grow.

The third is to focus on improving the efficiency of resource allocation and focus on breaking through the difficulties of key industry reforms. For example, in the field of factor resources, a data infrastructure system was established, and a national data bureau was set up to “supply, flow, and be used well”; a unified national electricity market system was initially established, and the southern regional electricity market began continuous operation. The five provinces and regions of the South Grid have now achieved “unified trading and same platform bidding”. The State Grid and the South Grid have achieved normalized trading across business zones. In 2024, the share of electricity used by the country in market-based transactions has reached 63% of the entire society. Another example is in the field of tendering and bidding, we have further promoted the electronic reform of the entire process, issued the “Fair Competition Review Rules in the Field of Bidding and Bidding”, and fully implemented remote off-site bid evaluation and mutual recognition of digital certificates (CA) to ensure the “fair and efficient use” of public resources.

Fourth, focus on improving the effectiveness of comprehensive reforms and encourage local authorities to try first. We adhere to the combination of top-level design and grassroots exploration, support active exploration of comprehensive reform pilots in Shanghai, Pudong, Shenzhen, Xiamen, etc., and promote 88 innovative initiatives in 4 batches to provide the whole country with more replicable reform experiences. Among these, a policy document to further advance the comprehensive reform pilot in Shenzhen was officially published this year. Some time ago, a special press conference was held in this area. Another example is to comprehensively promote the “one thing” integrated reform of employment services, which is to integrate 11 matters such as social security and provident funds to achieve “one thing” processing.

The comprehensive deepening of reforms has already gone through thousands of mountains and waters, and will continue to trek mountains and waters. The “15th Five-Year Plan” is a critical period for the full completion of the reform tasks deployed by the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee. We will resolutely implement the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee, focus on deep-seated contradictions and problems, and make every effort to ensure that the various reform initiatives deployed by the Third Plenary Session of the CPC Central Committee are implemented and effective. Thank you!

Xinhua News Agency Finance Reporter:

We have noticed that China has built the world's largest and fastest growing renewable energy system. I would like to ask, what other results are worthy of our attention in promoting the overall green transformation of economic and social development? Thank you.

Zheng Zhajie:

I asked the Deputy Director of the Marine Corps to answer this question.

Zhou Haibing:

Thank you for your question! During the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, all regions and departments firmly established and implemented the important concept that “green water and green mountains are golden mountains and silver mountains”. The overall green transformation of China's economic and social development achieved remarkable results, mainly reflected in the “Four Continues”.

First, the efficiency of resource utilization continues to improve. We insist on open source savings, implement a comprehensive saving strategy, vigorously develop a circular economy, and achieve win-win economic, social and environmental benefits. In terms of energy saving, in 2024, China's energy consumption per unit of GDP fell 11.6% compared to the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan, making it one of the countries with the fastest decline in energy consumption intensity in the world. In terms of resource utilization, in 2024, the output rate of major resources was about 12% higher than at the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan, and 268 million tons of domestic waste were incinerated and treated nationwide, an increase of 83.6% over the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan.

Second, the quality of the ecological environment continues to improve. We will continue to work hard for a long time, fight pollution prevention and control, and strengthen ecological protection and restoration. The two main “mother rivers” of the Yangtze River and the Yellow River all met Class II water quality standards. With the advancement of land greening initiatives, China has become the country with the most and fastest “greenening” in the world.

Third, the level of greening in key areas continues to rise. We insist on optimizing stocks, increasing growth, and accelerating the development of green and low-carbon industries. In terms of stocks, the energy efficiency benchmark production capacity of China's major energy-intensive industries is currently 6 percentage points higher than at the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan. On the incremental side, China has built the world's largest and fastest growing renewable energy system. At the end of May this year, the installed capacity of renewable energy power generation reached 2.09 billion kilowatts, more than double the 934 million kilowatts at the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan.

Fourth, green lifestyles continue to change. We promote a green lifestyle as a new trend in society. In 2024, the number of new energy vehicles in the country reached 31.4 million, an increase of more than fivefold over 4.92 million at the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan. Driven by large-scale equipment upgrades and consumer goods trade-in policies, first-class energy efficiency appliances account for up to 90% of sales, achieving an organic combination of investment expansion, consumption promotion, energy saving and carbon reduction.

The “15th Five-Year Plan” is an aggressive period for China to reach its carbon peak before 2030. We will promote a comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development with greater vigor and more practical measures, and accelerate the modernization of the harmonious coexistence of people and nature. Thank you!

People's Daily reporter:

The formulation and implementation of China's five-year plan has received widespread attention. Many foreigners are also very curious about what kind of mechanisms are needed to ensure the effective execution of planning tasks? Could you please share how China's five-year plan was prepared and implemented? Thank you.

Zheng Zhajie:

Let me answer this question; you have a very important question. At the Summer Davos Forum held in Tianjin not long ago, many foreign friends also raised this issue with me. There is an old Chinese saying that everything is predetermined; if not predicted, it is discarded. The Five-Year Plan embodies the successful approach of “Chinese governance.” General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed that using medium- to long-term plans to guide economic and social development is an important way for our Party to govern the country. The preparation of medium- to long-term development plans is not unique to China, but it has persevered over a long period of time and achieved great success, which is unique in the world.

Thinking back to the early days of the founding of New China, from the “First Five-Year Plan” in the 50s to the current “14th Five-Year Plan”, our original intentions have not changed, and our mission has not changed. Five years after five years, small wins became big wins, driving the country's landscape and people's lives to drastic changes. In particular, during the “13th Five-Year Plan” and “14th Five-Year Plan” since the 18th National Congress of the Party, our country has historically fully built a well-off society. Its economic strength, scientific and technological strength, and comprehensive national strength have reached a new level, beginning a new journey of all-round construction of a modern socialist country. It can be said that the five-year plan records the hardships and glory that New China has come along the way. A five-year planning history is a history of the economic and social development of New China.

Regarding how the five-year plan you mentioned was prepared and implemented, I think I can use the “four priorities” to briefly summarize it.

The first is to focus on leveraging the advantages of the system. We give full play to the obvious advantages of the socialist system in being able to concentrate on big projects. The specific approach is to focus on long-term strategic goals, plan a five-year plan, formulate annual plans, introduce macroeconomic policies, and arrange major projects to ensure that the target tasks are completed as scheduled and with high quality. This kind of system and system, which has both long-term plans and short-term arrangements, is a key “gripper” for maintaining steady economic and social development. It is also an important “magic weapon” for stabilizing expectations, strengthening confidence, and increasing momentum.

Second, focus on maintaining integrity and innovation. Only by keeping integrity can we not lose our direction or make disruptive mistakes, and only then can we grasp the times and lead the times through innovation. We closely focus on building a modern socialist country, plan and develop with the times to ensure that our plans reflect the times, grasp regularity, and be creative. Take the “14th Five-Year Plan” as an example, actively adapting to major changes that have not occurred in 100 years, adhering to the people-centered idea of development, and clearly proposing major strategic plans such as constructing a new development pattern, which not only answered “what to think” but also indicated “what to do.”

The third is to focus on gathering social synergy. We adhere to the “open door planning”, unify top-level design and questions with the public, listen extensively to opinions in every aspect, fully absorb the fresh experiences created by the cadres and masses in practice, find the “greatest common denominator” of the people's yearning for a better life, and let everyone know “where to go” and “how to go.”

Fourth, focus on maintaining strategic strength. We carry forward the spirit of “success doesn't have to be mine; success must be mine”, and insist on “drawing a blueprint to the end”, run stick by stick, work after stick to work, and turn the grand goal of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation into a beautiful reality with one five-year plan after another.

Looking back and summarizing the process of preparing and implementing the plan, the most important and fundamental rule is to adhere to the leadership of the Communist Party of China, effectively transform the Party's proposition into the will of the country and the whole society to act together, run the Party's leadership throughout all areas of economic and social development, and ensure that the goals and tasks of the plan are implemented effectively.

Since this year, General Secretary Xi Jinping has given important instructions and instructions on the preparation of the “15th Five-Year Plan” plan. We will carefully study and understand. While quickly implementing the goals and tasks of the “14th Five-Year Plan” plan, we will scientifically plan economic and social development during the “15th Five-Year Plan” period, adhere to science, democracy, and prepare plans according to law, draft a “draft outline” against the Party Central Committee's “15th Five-Year Plan” plan proposal, and strive to prepare a high-quality plan that can stand the test of history and people. Thank you!

Xiaoli Shou:

Please keep asking questions. Time is a matter of time, our last two questions.

Hong Kong South China Morning Post Reporter:

The “14th Five-Year Plan” has 102 major projects planned. Will investment intensity decrease in the next five years? What are the main areas of investment? Thank you.

Zheng Zhajie:

I asked Deputy Director Chun Lin to answer this question.

Li Chunlin:

China's per capita GDP is just over 13,000 US dollars. To further promote economic development and improve people's lives, it is necessary to maintain a certain level of investment intensity. After more than four years of steady progress, 102 major projects have achieved a series of significant progress and significant results, and it is expected that all planned goals will be completed by the end of the year. It can be summed up with “five new”.

The first is infrastructure to build “new support” for the economic cycle. A number of major transportation infrastructure such as the Guiyang to Nanning high-speed railway, Hetian to Ruoqiang railway, the China-Laos Railway, and the Chengdu Tianfu Airport have been completed and put into operation. Major projects such as the Sichuan-Tibet Railway and the Pinglu Canal have been steadily built. About 90% of the country's county-level administrative centers have reached the expressway in 30 minutes, and the high-speed rail coverage rate in cities with a population of 500,000 or more has reached 97%, providing solid support for the smooth flow of international and domestic cycles.

Second, scientific and technological research empowers the “new vitality” of economic development. A large number of cutting-edge scientific and technological achievements have made major breakthroughs. The “Zhurong” rover landed on Mars for the first time; “Chang'e-5” brought back the lunar soil and carried out shared research with 6 countries; the “Zuchongzhi-3” quantum computing prototype led the world; and the “Oriental Chaohuan” nuclear fusion experimental device achieved 100 million degrees of high temperature and 1,066 seconds of steady state high-constraint plasma operation, setting a new world record.

Third, ecological construction creates a “new miracle” of beautiful China. The most typical example is that the three iconic battles of the “Three North” Project Offensive Battle were fully launched, and the Yellow River “turned a few bends” and retreated; the Colqin and Hunshandak mobile sandland campaign strongly blocked the wind and sand sources in Beijing and Tianjin; and the “Great Green Wall” was built by a sand-blocking protective belt with a total length of more than 3,000 kilometers on the edge of the Taklimakan Desert. I worked for 9 years in Yulin, Shaanxi, the hinterland of the Yellow River's “Jizi Bay” desert. The 8.6 million mu of Maowusu Desert there has been fully managed and built as a national forest city. Now is the season of lush greenery, so everyone is welcome to take a look.

Fourth, livelihood projects enhance the “new quality” of people's lives. Support the construction of regional medical centers in 125 countries, comprehensively cover provinces with relatively poor high-quality medical resources, such as the central and western regions, push 707 county-level hospitals to reach tertiary hospital capacity, and accelerate the achievement of “major diseases are solved in cities and counties, and everyday diseases are solved at the grassroots level.” More than 500,000 new dormitory beds have been added to support the expansion of undergraduate enrollment in “double first-class” colleges and universities. 2.08 million needy families have been supported to adapt to aging, more than 1.7 million disabled children have received rehabilitation assistance, and the “one old, one young” guarantee is more warm.

Fifth, safety projects establish a “new foundation” for national security. The infrastructure construction of regional emergency rescue centers in six countries has been basically completed, the modernization level of rescue equipment has been continuously improved, and emergency response capabilities have been further strengthened. At the same time, the four major oil and gas strategic channels continue to be improved. The country's total reservoir capacity has reached trillion cubic meters, the number of dams is the highest in the world, and high-quality development is guaranteed at a high level.

In the next step, the National Development and Reform Commission will continue to strengthen departmental coordination and central-local coordination to ensure the successful completion of 102 major projects. At the same time, major “15th Five-Year Plan” projects are scientifically planned to provide a more solid guarantee for advancing the Chinese-style modernization drive. Thank you!

Xiaoli Shou:

One last question.

21st Century Economic Report Reporter:

Not long ago, a robot marathon was held in Beijing, and a robot fighting competition was held in Hangzhou. The scene was full of technology, and it also made us look forward to the future. What other achievements have been made in China's scientific and technological innovation development in recent years? Thank you.

Zheng Zhajie:

Secretary General Yuan Da was asked to answer this question.

Yuan Da:

Thank you for your question! My feeling is the same as everyone else. During the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, China's scientific and industrial innovation achievements were endless. Innovation has become the main driving force for high-quality development, and new quality productivity is completely changing our production and lifestyle. The five aspects I felt the most were the “5 accelerations”:

First, R&D investment is growing at an accelerated pace. Overall, in 2024, the R&D investment of the whole society reached 2.68% of GDP, increasing the scale to 3.6 trillion yuan, ranking second in the world. From the perspective of the main body, enterprises are the main force with high growth in R&D investment, accounting for more than 77% of R&D investment. Looking at the benchmark, as a benchmark city for innovation, R&D investment in Shenzhen accounts for 6.46% of GDP. This all shows that China is making strides from a global manufacturing center to a global innovation center.

The second is to accelerate breakthroughs in key core technology research. For example, in 2024, the annual output of integrated circuits increased by 72.6% compared to the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan, an increase of about 190 billion units. More and more products are equipped with “Chinese chips”; new breakthroughs have been made in equipment such as nuclear power, high-speed rail, ships, and marine engineering, creating many global “firsts” and “firsts” in fields such as artificial intelligence, quantum technology, manned space, and deep space exploration. Chinese innovation is bringing us more and more surprises.

Third, emerging industries are growing at an accelerated pace. For example, in 2024, the value added of China's high-tech manufacturing industry increased by 42% compared to the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan, and the value added of core industries in the digital economy increased by 73.8%, accounting for 10.4% of GDP, an increase of 2.6 percentage points. Another example is that in 2024, China is developing more than 4,000 new drugs, accounting for about 30% of the world.

Fourth, the vitality of talent innovation is bursting at an accelerated pace. China has the highest total human resources, scientific and technological human resources, and total R&D personnel in the world. There are more than 5 million graduates majoring in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics every year. This talent pool provides a solid foundation for technological breakthroughs and has become a source of fresh water for innovative activities.

Fifth, the formation of a Chinese-style innovation ecosystem is accelerating. With unprecedented enthusiasm, Chinese enterprises are actively building and deeply integrating into the open source ecosystem, promoting “two-way empowerment” of technological innovation and application development, and forming a unique global technological development path and innovation ecosystem. For example, we have thoroughly implemented the “Artificial Intelligence +” campaign to push artificial intelligence into thousands of industries and households, and the deep vertical application of the industry has become a distinctive Chinese characteristic.

In the next step, we will thoroughly implement the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, firmly implement innovation-driven development strategies, promote the deep integration of scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation, promote the integrated development of scientific and technological talents in an integrated manner, vigorously cultivate a good ecosystem that supports comprehensive innovation, accelerate the achievement of a high level of self-reliance and self-improvement in science and technology, so that scientific and technological innovation can change the future and benefit the world. Thank you!

Zheng Zhajie:

I have two more words to say to you. These five years have not been easy. Today, in just over an hour, it is difficult to give you a complete overview of the situation. Afterwards, we will provide you with a large amount of data, case studies and other materials from the five-year development process, and ask for your support.

Xiaoli Shou:

Thank you Director Zha Jie, thank you to all the publishers, and thank the reporters and friends for participating. That's all for today's press conference. Bye everyone!

This article was edited by China Network; Zhitong Finance Editor: Chen Xiaoyi.