National Bureau of Statistics: There are still many favorable conditions for achieving the annual goals
The Zhitong Finance App learned that on October 20, a press spokesperson for the National Bureau of Statistics answered questions from reporters about the operation of the national economy in the first three quarters of 2025. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the internal logic of stable development of China's economy has not changed, the supporting conditions for the smooth operation of the economy have not changed, and there are still many favorable conditions for achieving the expected goals for the whole year. First, judging from the development trend, steady economic growth in the first three quarters laid a good foundation for achieving the goals for the whole year. Since this year, the national economy has been under pressure. Not only has it stabilized its basic market, but it has also achieved new breakthroughs and new improvements in many key areas. The economy grew by 5.2% in the first three quarters of this year, 0.4 percentage points faster than the same period last year, laying a solid foundation for achieving the main goals for the whole year.
Second, in terms of development momentum, the accelerated cultivation of new quality productivity has added new momentum to high-quality development. Third, in terms of development support, the continued effectiveness of macroeconomic policies will protect the smooth operation of the economy. China has sufficient policy space, rich policy tools, and normalized policy reserves, which can effectively address all kinds of risks and challenges. Fourth, judging from leading indicators and high-frequency indicators, positive factors are still accumulating. In September, the manufacturing purchasing managers' index rebounded for 2 consecutive months; in early October, the prices of some important industrial products in the distribution sector continued to rise, which is conducive to improving corporate profits.
The full text is as follows:
A spokesperson for the National Bureau of Statistics answered questions from reporters on the operation of the national economy in the first three quarters of 2025
1. How has China's economy performed since this year in the face of a complex environment? How do you evaluate the overall performance of the economy in the first three quarters?
A: Since this year, our country's economic development process has been extraordinary. Faced with the complex situation of increasing external pressure and internal difficulties, the Party Central Committee, with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core, oversaw the overall situation and made scientific decisions. All departments in all regions responded calmly and closely followed implementation. The whole country shared the same heart and morality to overcome difficulties. China's economic development withstood the pressure and achieved invaluable development results. The economy continued to maintain an overall stable, steady and progressive development trend.
First, the main tone of the smooth operation of the economy has not changed. Economic growth, employment, prices and balance of payments are the most important macroeconomic indicators for observing the operation of the economy. Looking at economic growth, gross domestic product (GDP) increased 5.2% year on year in the first three quarters, 0.2 and 0.4 percentage points faster than the full year of the previous year and the same period of the previous year, respectively; economic growth reached 3967.9 billion yuan, an increase of 136.8 billion yuan over the previous year. For a very large economy like China, it is not easy to maintain stable development, and it is even more valuable in the context of various risks and challenges intertwined. Looking at employment prices, in the first three quarters, the average unemployment rate in the national urban survey was 5.2%, the same as in the first half of the year; the consumer price index (CPI) fell slightly by 0.1% year on year, but the core CPI excluding food and energy rose 0.6%. Among them, it rose 1.0% in September, and the increase continued for 5 months, reflecting the effects of policies to expand domestic demand and promote consumption. Looking at the balance of payments, foreign trade showed strong resilience. The scale of imports and exports of goods reached a record high during the same period, and the growth rate rebounded quarterly. At the end of September, foreign exchange reserves remained above 3.3 trillion US dollars, and the RMB exchange rate was rising steadily. The main physical volume indicators also maintained steady growth. In the first three quarters, large-scale industrial power generation increased 1.6% year-on-year, while cargo turnover and passenger turnover increased 4.8% and 4.4% respectively.
Second, the trend of steady promotion of high-quality development has not changed. In the face of international changes, the key is to do our own business well and deal with the uncertainty of rapid changes in the external environment with the certainty of high-quality development. Since this year, various sectors have been developing new quality productivity according to local conditions, promoting the continuous optimization of the economic structure and the orderly transformation of old and new kinetic energy. From big artificial intelligence models to robot marathons, from aerospace to driverless driving, the “innovation chain+industrial chain” has been deeply integrated. The scale effect and advantages of the entire industry chain have continued to be highlighted, continuously injecting fresh water into economic development. In the first three quarters, the value added of large-scale equipment manufacturing and high-tech manufacturing industries accounted for 35.9% and 16.7% of the value added of industries above scale, respectively; new progress was made in the green and low-carbon transformation, and the share of non-fossil energy consumption in total energy consumption increased by about 1.7 percentage points year on year; diversified markets became a strong support for export growth, new momentum for foreign trade grew, and exports of “three new” products grew by double digits. People's livelihood security is strong and effective. The increase in the country's per capita disposable income is in sync with economic growth, and the relative income gap between urban and rural residents continues to narrow.
Third, the basic characteristics of economic resilience and great potential have not changed. Since this year, the momentum for world economic growth has been insufficient, trade protectionism is rampant, problems such as geopolitical conflicts and international trade frictions are frequent. The adverse effects brought about by changes in the external environment have deepened, effective domestic demand has been insufficient, and some enterprises have difficulties in operating, and promoting the stable operation of the economy has faced many difficult challenges. Under these circumstances, China achieved economic growth of 5.2%, fully demonstrating the ability of the Chinese economy to adapt and break the situation in an unstable and uncertain environment and its strong resilience to withstand pressure. From a global perspective, the 5.2% economic growth level is among the highest among major economies, and China has always been the most stable and reliable driving force for global economic growth. There is a deep internal logic behind the long-term stable development of China's economy. It is the result of a strong synergy of various factors such as institutional advantage, supply advantage, demand advantage, and talent advantage.
These circumstances fully demonstrate that despite the complex evolution of the external environment and the economic development is under a lot of pressure, the “stable” pattern, “progressive” momentum, and “resilience” characteristics of the Chinese economy have not changed, and there is solid support for maintaining a steady and progressive development trend. The Chinese economy is an ocean, not a small pond, that can withstand the test of wind, waves, and even torrential rain. Of course, while fully acknowledging the achievements, it is also important to note that there are still many factors of external instability and uncertainty, world economic and trade growth is facing major challenges, structural contradictions in some domestic fields are still emerging, and business operations are still facing many difficulties. In the next stage, it is necessary to earnestly implement the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, increase efficiency and implement countercyclical adjustments, continue to make efforts to expand domestic demand and strengthen the domestic cycle, further stimulate market vitality, boost development expectations, continuously enhance endogenous growth momentum, and promote sustainable and healthy economic development.
2. The GDP growth rate declined somewhat in the third quarter. How do you view the economic performance in the third quarter, and can the expected economic development goals for the whole year be successfully achieved?
A: First, the decline in GDP growth in the third quarter was the result of a combination of factors. According to preliminary accounting, GDP grew 4.8% year on year in the third quarter, down 0.4 percentage points from the second quarter. This is mainly the result of a combination of factors such as the complex and severe external environment and the high pressure for domestic structural adjustment. From an international perspective, since the third quarter, the abusive application of tariffs by individual countries impacted the global economic and trade order. Unilateralism and protectionism are prevalent, international economic and trade growth is unstable and uncertainty has increased, and the external environment facing development has become more complicated. From a domestic perspective, China is in a critical period of economic restructuring. The continuous transformation of old and new kinetic energy is painful. Some structural problems that have been accumulated over a long period of time have yet to be resolved, and slowing growth in some industries objectively affects the decline in economic growth. However, these problems are all problems in development and transformation. Our economy has always continued to develop and grow in the midst of overcoming difficulties.
Second, although the economic growth rate has declined somewhat, the steady and progressive development trend of the economy has not changed. Judging from the level of growth, China's 4.8% economic growth rate in the third quarter was still significantly higher than that of most major economies, which is particularly difficult and valuable for our large economy. The total economy reached 35.5 trillion yuan in the third quarter, surpassing the total economic volume of the world's third-largest economy for the full year 2024. Looking at employment prices, the employment situation is generally stable, and the price operation has improved. The urban survey unemployment rate for the third quarter remained the same as the same period last year. The year-on-year increase in core CPI continued to expand, and the PPI decline narrowed for 2 consecutive months. In terms of balance of payments, maintain overall balance. The total import and export volume of goods increased 6.0% year-on-year in the third quarter, and foreign exchange reserves increased for 2 consecutive months. Judging from the quality of development, the trend of economic transformation and upgrading continues. In the third quarter, the value added of large-scale high-tech manufacturing industries grew significantly faster than that of all industries; the value added of the information transmission, software and information technology services industry increased by 11.7%, 1.7 percentage points faster than the same period last year; production of smart products such as robots and 3D printing equipment, green equipment, and green materials continued to grow rapidly.
Third, there are still many favorable conditions for achieving the goals for the whole year. Looking ahead to the next stage, we must adhere to the two-point theory and make good use of dialectics. We must not only see that economic development still faces many risks and challenges, but also that the internal logic of China's stable economic development has not changed, the supporting conditions for the smooth operation of the economy have not changed, and there are still many favorable conditions for achieving the expected goals for the whole year. First, judging from the development trend, steady economic growth in the first three quarters laid a good foundation for achieving the goals for the whole year. Since this year, the national economy has been under pressure. Not only has it stabilized its basic market, but it has also achieved new breakthroughs and new improvements in many key areas. The economy grew by 5.2% in the first three quarters of this year, 0.4 percentage points faster than the same period last year, laying a solid foundation for achieving the main goals for the whole year. Second, in terms of development momentum, the accelerated cultivation of new quality productivity has added new momentum to high-quality development. Technological innovation continues to empower industrial innovation, new industries and new momentum are thriving. New quality productivity represented by artificial intelligence is being transformed into real productivity at an accelerated pace, and the Chinese economy is being replaced by a new growth engine. In the first three quarters, the value added of large-scale high-tech manufacturing increased by 9.6% year-on-year; production of products such as industrial robots, service robots, and EMUs increased by 29.8%, 16.3%, and 8.6%, respectively. The development of new quality productivity will continue to create new growth points, effectively stimulate the vitality of independent innovation and industrial upgrading, and help hedge downward pressure and enhance upward momentum. Third, in terms of development support, the continued effectiveness of macroeconomic policies will protect the smooth operation of the economy. China's implementation of a more active and promising macroeconomic policy this year contributed greatly to stabilizing the operation of the economy. Recently, macro-control has further strengthened support, introduced and implemented “Certain Policies and Measures on Expanding Service Consumption”, issued the fourth batch of funds for trade-in of consumer goods, and strengthened the organization and scheduling of “dual” projects, which helped form policy synergies. China has sufficient policy space, rich policy tools, and normalized policy reserves, which can effectively address all kinds of risks and challenges. Fourth, judging from leading indicators and high-frequency indicators, positive factors are still accumulating. In September, the manufacturing purchasing managers' index rebounded for 2 consecutive months; in early October, prices of some important industrial products in the distribution sector continued to rise, which is conducive to improving corporate profits; according to estimates by relevant departments, 888 million people traveled domestically during the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays, and mass sports events, concerts, music festivals, etc. were very popular, all of which demonstrated the resilience and vitality of the Chinese economy.
In summary, there is a foundation and support for achieving the expected goals for the whole year, but it also requires strenuous efforts. It is necessary to continue to thoroughly implement the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, effectively utilize the effectiveness of various policies, coordinate short-term growth and medium- to long-term development, promote the smooth transformation of old and new momentum, continue to deepen reforms in key areas, and continuously enhance the vitality of economic development.
3. Since this year, more active and promising macroeconomic policies have been implemented. How effective are the implementation of these policies? What is the performance judging from the data?
Answer: Since this year, China's economy has withstood pressure and moved forward steadily. The main macroeconomic indicators have generally been stable, the cultivation of new quality productivity has been accelerated, and new results have been achieved in high-quality development. Behind this good situation, it is inseparable from the initiative and precise efforts of macroeconomic policies. More active and promising macroeconomic policies have been effectively implemented. The “two new” and “double” policies have strengthened expansion, and a series of policies such as expanding domestic demand, revitalizing the capital market, and rectifying the “internal volume” have been effective, not only “stabilizing the chassis” for current economic operation, but also “building momentum” for long-term development.
The first is to promote the orderly release of consumption potential. This year, 300 billion yuan of ultra-long-term special treasury bond funds were issued to local authorities in four batches to support the trade-in of consumer goods to strengthen expansion, and to help release consumer demand with “real money.” In the first three quarters, final consumption expenditure contributed 53.5% to economic growth, up 9.0 percentage points from the full year of the previous year, continuing to play the role of the main engine of economic growth; retail sales of household appliances, audio and video equipment, cultural and office supplies, furniture, and communication equipment in units above the quota covered by the trade-in policy all maintained double-digit growth; as of September 10, the number of automobile trade-in applications nationwide had exceeded 8.3 million units this year, which is equivalent to more than 30,000 people applying for new cars every day. The “one new, one old” transition room has also brought more high-quality products into residents' lives. Retail sales of energy-efficient household appliances and smart home appliances continued to grow rapidly in the first three quarters.
The second is to promote industrial optimization and upgrading. This year, fiscal policy played a combo punch, and supporting financial policies were introduced in a timely manner, promoting large-scale equipment renewal and transformation, and empowering industrial transformation and upgrading through technological reform. Investment in the purchase of equipment and tools increased by 14.0% year-on-year in the first three quarters, driving total investment growth of 2.0 percentage points, and continued to maintain double-digit growth, which is an important fulcrum for driving investment. Investments in computer and office equipment manufacturing, general equipment manufacturing, railway ships, aerospace, and other transportation equipment manufacturing industries related to equipment upgrades increased by 7.4%, 11.8%, and 22.3%, respectively.
The third is to promote the steady growth of new momentum. The effects of policies to expand domestic demand, such as “two new” and “double”, continue to be transmitted to the production side, driving industries and product production related to equipment manufacturing and consumer goods manufacturing. They have also promoted production expansion and technological iteration in fields such as intelligent manufacturing, green manufacturing, and digital technology, and pressed the “fast forward button” for industrial structure optimization and the conversion of old and new kinetic energy. In the first three quarters, the value added of large-scale lithium-ion battery manufacturing, shipbuilding and related equipment manufacturing, motor manufacturing and other industries increased by 29.8%, 22.9%, and 17.1% year-on-year respectively. The output of upgraded products such as CNC forging equipment and special packaging equipment increased by 11.7% and 26.0%, respectively, and the output of replacement products such as new energy vehicles, electric bicycles, and tablets increased by 29.7%, 27.1%, and 9.5%, respectively.
Fourth, promote the orderly flow of the economic cycle. This year, China is focusing more on expanding domestic demand, promoting the construction of a unified national market in depth, comprehensively rectifying “internal rolling” competition. The market competition order has been improved, the flow of goods, personnel, capital and other factors has been accelerated, and industrial chain distribution has continued to accelerate. In September, the year-on-year decline in PPI narrowed for 2 consecutive months; in manufacturing PMI, the supplier delivery time index was 50.8%, up 0.3 percentage points from the previous month, and rising for 4 consecutive months. The turnover of goods and passengers increased by 4.8% and 4.4% year-on-year respectively in the first three quarters. Meanwhile, under the influence of policies relating to stable and active capital markets, stock turnover in the Shanghai and Shenzhen markets increased 106.8% year-on-year in the first three quarters, which is conducive to boosting social confidence.
4. New quality productivity is an intrinsic requirement and an important focus for promoting high-quality development. Since this year, all regions have been actively cultivating new quality productivity. How was the development of new quality productivity in the first three quarters?
A: Since this year, under the two-wheel drive of policy and market, China has had many highlights of scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation. New quality productivity has gradually developed and expanded in practice, injecting a steady stream of new momentum into high-quality development.
First, innovative achievements are competing, and innovation capabilities are being effectively improved. In 2024, R&D investment increased by 8.9% over the previous year, and the intensity of R&D investment increased by 0.11 percentage points over the previous year. Since this year, various sectors have continued to increase investment in innovation, promote investment and production expansion in emerging fields, and promote the formation of new quality productivity. In the first three quarters, investment in automobile manufacturing, railway ships, aerospace, and other transportation equipment manufacturing industries maintained double-digit year-on-year growth. Driven by continued investment in innovation, a number of large general-purpose models have emerged in China that have reached the international advanced level. Tianzhou-2 was successfully launched, the world's first in-situ variable diameter shield machine “Variable Path 1” went offline, and breakthroughs were achieved in many fields of science and technology. According to the latest report released by the World Intellectual Property Organization, in 2025, China's Innovation Index reached the top ten in the world for the first time, 24 innovation clusters became the top 100 in the world, and the number of finalists ranked first in the world for 3 consecutive years.
Second, new industries and new products are developing rapidly, and new business formats and models are expanding at an accelerated pace. The integration and innovation of technology and industry continues to deepen. More innovative achievements have moved from “laboratories” to “production lines”, and the “potential energy” of innovation continues to transform into the “momentum” of the economy. In the first three quarters, the value added of large-scale high-tech manufacturing increased by 9.6% year-on-year. Among them, the value added of the integrated circuit manufacturing and electronic special materials manufacturing industries increased by 22.4% and 20.5% respectively, while the output of industrial robots, 3D printing equipment, industrial control computers and systems increased by 29.8%, 40.5%, and 98.0%, respectively. Emerging industries have thrived, promoted the transformation of the industry to high-end, intelligent and green, and enhanced China's position in the global value chain. Emerging consumption models such as instant retail, live streaming, and social e-commerce grew rapidly. Online retail sales increased 9.8% year-on-year in the first three quarters.
Third, artificial intelligence is becoming more empowered, and the digital economy is booming. Since this year, cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence and brain-computer interfaces have been deployed ahead of the curve. The surging sense of technology and future has brought many surprises, driving rapid growth in the digital economy. In the first three quarters, the value added of the large-scale digital product manufacturing industry increased by 9.7% year-on-year, and the value added of the information transmission software and information technology service industry increased by 11.2%; in the large-scale high-tech manufacturing industry, the value added of intelligent drone aircraft manufacturing and intelligent vehicle equipment manufacturing increased by 59.9% and 25.1%, respectively. Various digital products and smart terminal devices are becoming increasingly popular. Large-model applications drive an increase in enterprise computing power demand, and server production increased 11.5% year over year.
Fourth, the pace of green transformation is steady, and the “green content” of economic development is constantly increasing. In line with the major trend of green and low-carbon development, China has vigorously developed clean energy, focused on creating new growth points for green development, and achieved remarkable results. In the first three quarters, large-scale wind power generation and solar power generation both achieved double-digit year-on-year growth; production of new energy products such as new energy vehicles, lithium-ion batteries for automobiles, and solar cells increased by 29.7%, 46.9%, and 14.0%, respectively; and production of green materials such as monocrystalline silicon, carbon fiber and their composites increased by 9.0% and 16.5%. The “dual” and “two new” policies have created good opportunities for the development of the green recycling industry. The value added of the comprehensive utilization industry of waste resources above scale increased by 14.4% in the first three quarters.
Fifth, technological transformation continues to be deepened, and traditional industries are being revitalized and developed. The transformation and upgrading of traditional industries is of profound significance in promoting high-quality economic development and enhancing industrial competitiveness. Since this year, traditional industries have been actively connecting with “Internet +,” “AI+,” and “Digital +,” speeding up equipment updates and technological transformation, and continuously revitalizing. In the first three quarters, the value added of large-scale chemical raw materials and chemical products manufacturing, chemical fiber manufacturing, agricultural and sideline food processing industries increased by 8.1%, 7.6%, and 6.7%, respectively. Chemical fiber, building materials and other industries are introducing new products at an accelerated pace, and production of related products is growing rapidly. In the first three quarters, the production of high-performance chemical fibers and bio-based chemical fibers increased by 34.0% and 20.2%, respectively, and the production of fiber-reinforced plastic products increased by 26.3%.
5. The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee will make important arrangements for the “15th Five-Year Plan” development. What are the major achievements in China's economic and social development during the “14th Five-Year Plan” period? What favorable conditions have been created for the “15th Five-Year Plan” development?
A: The “14th Five-Year Plan” period was the first five years to embark on a new journey of all-round construction of a modern socialist country and advance towards the goals of the second century. Looking back on five years of extraordinary struggle, the Party Central Committee, with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core, united and led the whole Party and the people of all ethnic groups across the country to advance Chinese-style modernization in a game of chess, planned, and integrated. China's economic and social development achieved new pioneering progress, breakthrough changes, and historic achievements, and took a solid and powerful step in the grand journey of building a modern socialist country in an all-round way. It is highlighted by eight “new” ones:
First, economic strength and international influence have reached a new level. During the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, China's economy overcame difficulties and moved forward steadily in a complex environment, and achieved remarkable achievements in total volume growth, impressive growth, and quality improvement. GDP has successively crossed the three major levels of 110 trillion yuan, 120 trillion yuan, and 130 trillion yuan, growing from 103.5 trillion yuan in 2020 to 134.9 trillion yuan in 2024. The actual annual growth rate was 5.5%, far higher than the world's average annual growth rate of 3.9% during the same period. The average annual contribution rate of China's economy to world economic growth during the “14th Five-Year Plan” period remained around 30%, which was the most important driving force for the world economy and fully demonstrated the resilience and vitality of major economies. Per capita GDP rose from 10,632 US dollars in 2020 to 13,445 US dollars in 2024, exceeding 13,000 US dollars for two consecutive years, ranking among the top middle income countries.
Second, high level technology is self-reliance and self-improvement to achieve new improvements. During the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, China thoroughly implemented innovation-driven development strategies, and R&D investment repeatedly reached new highs. In 2024, the R&D investment intensity reached 2.69%, exceeding the EU average; the total number of R&D personnel in terms of equivalent full-time workload exceeded 7 million people per year, ranking first in the world. The ability to innovate has been effectively improved. In 2025, China's Innovation Index reached the top ten in the world for the first time, up 4 places from 2020, ranking first among upper middle income economies. Innovations in cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence and quantum communication have borne fruit. Technological innovation has accelerated the transformation into real productivity. The value added of the “three new” economies will account for 18.01% of GDP in 2024, an increase of 1.5 percentage points over 2020.
Third, new breakthroughs have been achieved in the construction of a modern industrial system. During the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, China insisted on focusing its economic development on the real economy, promoting the upgrading of traditional industries, growing emerging industries, and cultivating future industries in an integrated manner. The modern industrial system accelerated development, and consolidated the foundation of the real economy. The overall level of agricultural science and technology innovation reached the top of the world. At the end of 2024, the contribution rate of agricultural science and technology progress reached 63.2%, an increase of 2.5 percentage points over the end of 2020. New industrialization has advanced further, and the integration of numbers and reality accelerates development. From 2021 to 2024, the value added of equipment manufacturing and high-tech manufacturing industries above scale increased by 8.2% and 9.2%, respectively. The service sector has been developing steadily and its contribution to economic growth has increased. From 2021 to 2024, the value added of the service sector increased by an average of 5.9% per year, and the average contribution rate to economic growth reached 60.6%.
Fourth, coordinated development of urban and rural areas opens up a new situation. During the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, China's new urbanization continued to deepen, comprehensive rural revitalization progressed steadily, coordination between urban and rural development continued to increase, and the regional economic layout was more optimized. At the end of 2024, the urbanization rate of the resident population was 67.00%, up 3.11 percentage points from the end of 2020; the per capita disposable income ratio of urban and rural residents fell from 2.56 in 2020 to 2.34 in 2024. Coordinated regional development mechanisms have been improved, major regional strategies have been implemented in depth, and the three major economic engines of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and the Yangtze River Delta have continued to gain strength, effectively driving the steady growth of the national economy.
Fifth, new progress has been made in comprehensively deepening reform and opening-up. During the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, China promoted comprehensive deepening of reform and opening-up from a new historical starting point to advance broadly and deeply. Further promoting the construction of a unified national market, the negative market access list items were reduced from 123 items in the 2020 edition to 106 items in the 2025 edition, and the ratio of total social logistics costs to GDP was reduced to 14.1% in 2024. The dominant position of the domestic cycle was consolidated. From 2021 to 2024, the average contribution rate of domestic demand to economic growth reached 86.8%, of which the average contribution rate of final consumption expenditure was 59.9%, an increase of 11.1 percentage points over the “13th Five-Year Plan” period. The position of the largest country in goods trade is stable. The scale of trade in goods increased from 32.2 trillion yuan in 2020 to 43.8 trillion yuan in 2024, with an average annual increase of 8.0%; institutional openness expanded steadily, and the total number of pilot free trade zones reached 22 during the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, forming nearly 200 institutional innovations.
Sixth, a new step has been taken in the overall green transformation. During the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, the overall green transformation of economic and social development accelerated. Green energy developed rapidly, and the world's largest and fastest growing renewable energy system was built. The share of non-fossil energy consumption in total energy consumption increased from 16.0% in 2020 to 19.8% in 2024. Green productivity is booming. In 2024, production of new energy vehicles increased more than 8 times compared to 2020, and production and sales remained number one in the world for 10 consecutive years; production of green products such as solar cells and ultra-white glass for the solar industry grew strongly. The ecological environment continues to improve. In 2024, the average proportion of days with good air quality in prefecture-level cities reached 87.2%, an increase of 2.4 percentage points over 2020; the forest cover rate exceeded 25%, making it the country with the fastest “greenening” in the world.
Seventh, new results have been achieved in the development of social welfare undertakings. During the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, our country adhered to the people-centered idea of development, and continued to make efforts to procreate at an early age, learn and learn, get benefits from work, receive medical treatment for the sick, provide for the elderly, live well, and support the weak, and the people's living standards continued to improve. The employment situation remained stable. The unemployment rate in the 2021-2024 National Urban Survey remained stable between 5.1% and 5.5% at the end of the year. The increase in residents' income was synchronized with economic growth, and the expansion and quality of social security improved, making it the largest social security network in the world. Social undertakings are flourishing, and the cultural industry is developing rapidly. In 2024, the cultural industry achieved a 37.7% increase in revenue compared to 2020. The higher education system is the largest in the world, and new results have been achieved in building a healthy China. The average life expectancy of residents reached 79 years in 2024.
Eighth is building a strong foundation for safe development and building new barriers. During the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, China focused on improving supply chain security capabilities for food, energy, and important industrial chains, mitigating risks in key areas in an orderly and effective manner, and building a strong national economic security barrier. Total grain production has stabilized at over 1.3 trillion kg. For the first time in 2024, it jumped to a new level of 1.4 trillion kg, so that Chinese people's rice bowls are mainly filled with Chinese food. Energy security and supply capacity has been steadily improving, accounting for more than one-fifth of the world's total energy production. The industrial base is more stable. From 2021 to 2024, the value added of the manufacturing industry increased by an average of 5.4% per year, accounting for nearly 30% of the global share, ranking first in the world in scale for 15 consecutive years.
Overall, during the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, China successfully withstood the major impact of the epidemic in the century, effectively mitigated the adverse effects of rapid changes in the external environment, stabilized the overall development market and built a solid foundation for development in the midst of 100 years of changes, and achieved new important achievements in economic and social development. It has laid a firmer foundation and accumulated more sufficient motivation to continue running well in the new “15th Five-Year Plan” journey. Achievements are very difficult to obtain and need to be cherished. In the next stage, we should unite more closely around the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core, hold high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and continue to write new historical feats with new great struggles.
Source of this article: National Bureau of Statistics; Zhitong Finance Editor: Huang Xiaodong.