China.org.cn | July 1, 2022
Speakers:
Mr. Zhao Chenxin, vice chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC)
Mr. Su Wei, deputy secretary-general of the NDRC
Mr Ou Hong, deputy secretary-general of the NDRC
Mr. Yang Yinkai, deputy secretary-general of the NDRC
Chaiperson:
Ms. Shou Xiaoli, spokesperson of the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC)
Date:
June 28, 2022
Shou Xiaoli:
Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Welcome to this press conference held by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee. Today, we are holding the 12th press conference under the theme of “China in the past decade.” We have invited Mr. Zhao Chenxin, vice chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) to brief you on fully and faithfully applying the new development philosophy on all fronts and promoting high-quality development and take your questions. Also joining us today are deputy secretary-generals of the NDRC: Mr. Su Wei, Mr. Ou Hong and Mr. Yang Yinkai.
Now, let's give the floor to Mr. Zhao Chenxin for his introduction.
Zhao Chenxin:
Friends from the media, good morning. It is a great pleasure for me to attend the press conference with my colleagues and brief you on China's economic development over the past decade.
Since the 18th CPC National Congress, faced with an ever-changing global environment and many risks and challenges, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has united and led the whole Party and Chinese people of all ethnic groups in following the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, moving forward in a coordinated manner with the Five-sphere Integrated Plan and the Four-pronged Comprehensive Strategy, acting on the general principle of pursuing progress while ensuring stability, grounding our efforts in the new development stage, fully and faithfully applying the new development philosophy on all fronts, fostering a new pattern of development, promoting high-quality development, deepening supply-side structural reform, pursuing development and safeguarding security, responding calmly to drastic changes and a pandemic both unseen in a century, and working hard to accomplish tasks related to domestic reform, development and stability. We have seen new historic changes in the cause of the Party and the country, and secured historic achievements in reform and opening-up and Chinese modernization. We have realized the first centenary goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. This means that we have brought about a historic resolution to the problem of absolute poverty in China. We have embarked on a new journey to build China into a modern socialist country in all respects and advance toward the second centenary goal.
Over the past decade, China's economic strength has reached a new high. During the transition to high-quality development, China has developed new and better approaches to macro regulation, thus appropriately expanding and steadily upgrading its economic output. China's GDP grew from 53.9 trillion yuan in 2012 to 114.4 trillion yuan in 2021, its share of the global economy rose from 11.3% to 18%, and its per capita GDP grew from $6,300 to more than $12,000. Fruitful results have been achieved in building China into a country of innovators. In 2021, China's ranking on the “Global Innovation Index” rose to 12th, with historic changes in key areas. Major regional strategies have been steadily advanced and steady progress has been made in rural revitalization. The standard and quality of new urbanization have been improved, and the potential has been unleashed for more balanced development between regions and between rural and urban areas.
Over the past decade, new advances have been made in China's reform and opening-up. The country has comprehensively deepened reform with a focus on economic reform. The socialist market economy has become more mature and sophisticated. Steady progress has been made in building a high-standard market system. The systems and mechanisms for the market-based allocation of production factors have been improved. A unified national market is being developed at a faster pace. Positive progress has been achieved in developing the systems underpinning the market economy, such as those for property rights protection, market access, fair competition and social credit. The building of an all-round higher-standard open economy has been accelerated. Joint efforts to pursue the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) have yielded fruitful results. China has signed more than 200 BRI cooperation agreements with 149 countries and 32 international organizations. The China-Laos Railway has opened, and solid progress has been made in a large number of projects including the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway. China has promoted trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, with its total stock of overseas investment increasing from less than $600 billion to more than $2.6 trillion. China has actively participated in global economic governance, contributing its wisdom and strength to building a community with a shared future for humanity.
Over the past decade, Chinese people's lives have improved on all fronts. China has scored a complete victory over extreme poverty. The 98.99 million people in rural areas who were living below the current poverty threshold all shook off poverty — a miracle in the history of humankind. Putting the people and their lives first, China has strengthened the policy of preventing imported cases and domestic resurgences of COVID-19, adhered to targeted protocols across the chain of pandemic response and dynamic zero-COVID approach, thus making a major strategic achievement in fighting the virus. The quality of employment has been significantly improved, with more than 13 million new urban jobs being created each year on average. Education has developed vigorously, with the average number of years of schooling received by the working-age population reaching 10.9. China has been transforming from a country with a large labor force to one with strong human resources. Rural and urban residents' access to basic public medical care services has become more equitable. Chinese people's average life expectancy ranks among the top of middle- and high-income countries. A public service system for fitness and sports is basically in place. The social security system has benefited everyone, and the net to ensure the people's basic needs has been consolidated.
Over the past decade, China has made remarkable achievements in ecological conservation. The great notion that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets has taken root in people's minds, and the system for developing an ecological civilization has taken shape. China has made a solemn commitment to achieving peak carbon emissions before 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060, and has put in place a "1+N" policy framework for carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. We have vigorously promoted the green transformation of industries and the adjustment of energy structures, accelerated the construction of large-scale wind power and photovoltaic bases, and resolutely stopped the blind development of energy-intensive projects with high emissions and backward production capacity. With such efforts, energy consumption per unit of GDP dropped by around 26.2%. We have continued working to keep our skies blue, waters clear, and lands pollution-free, and met the phased goals for the critical battle of pollution prevention and control. We have also carried out holistic conservation and systematic governance of our mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands, and deserts.
In the past decade, China's economic security has been comprehensively strengthened. For seven consecutive years, the country has maintained its annual grain output above 1.3 trillion jin (650 million tonnes), ensuring basic self-sufficiency in grain and absolute security in staple food, and firmly securing the food supply for the Chinese people. China's capacity to guarantee energy supply has continued to be strengthened, and its production, supply, storage, and marketing systems for coal, electricity, petroleum, and natural gas have continued to be improved. China has also continued to enhance its capacity to ensure the security and stability of industrial and supply chains, and accelerated its pace to make breakthroughs in core technologies of key fields such as 5G, basic software, industrial machine tools, new energy vehicles and smart cars, and renewable energy development, among others. Significant progress has been made in preventing and defusing major risks.
Reflecting on the glorious course of economic and social development since the 18th CPC National Congress, under the guidance of Xi Jinping's economic thought, our country is accelerating its steps to march on a road towards development that is of higher quality, higher efficiency, fairer, more sustainable, and more secure. China's economic strength, scientific and technological strength, comprehensive national strength, and international influence have continued to increase. Therefore, our achievements, which have won the approval of our people and global recognition, will be remembered in history.
As China is experiencing the combined impacts of major changes and a pandemic, both unseen in a century, it is facing many new challenges in pursuing its economic and social development. However, China is still in an important period of strategic opportunity for development, when opportunities outnumber challenges. Under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, with the institutional strength of socialism with Chinese characteristics, supported by the solid foundation established through economic and social development since reform and opening up, especially since the 18th CPC National Congress, and being capable of addressing various kinds of risks and challenges with rich experiences, we have the confidence, resolve, a foundation, and conditions to promote steady, healthy, and sustainable growth of the economy.
That's all for my introduction. Next, I would like to answer your questions with my colleagues. Thank you.
