China striving to ensure good start to 15th Five-Year Plan period, official says

China is working to promote sustained economic development toward new and higher-quality growth with positive momentum, and striving to ensure a sound start to the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), said Wang Changlin, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission, on Tuesday.

Entrusted by the State Council, Wang made the remarks when presenting a report on the implementation of the national economic and social development plan since the start of this year to the ongoing session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, the country's top legislature.

Wang said China's gross domestic product (GDP) grew 4.7 percent year on year in the first half of 2026, with economic output increasing by 3.6 trillion yuan (530.57 billion U.S. dollars), marking the largest increase in five years for this period.

Indicators including economic growth, employment, prices and foreign trade were in line with expectations, while consumption and residents' income maintained steady growth.

China's economy has a stable foundation, many advantages, strong resilience and great potential. The underlying support conditions and the fundamental trend of long-term sound development remain unchanged, Wang noted.

To do a good job in economic work in the second half of the year, Wang said China should adhere to the general principle of pursuing progress while ensuring stability, continue to deepen reform and opening up, and accelerate the transition from old growth drivers to new ones.

China should effectively implement a more proactive fiscal policy and an appropriately accommodative monetary policy, make full use of existing policy measures, and introduce pragmatic and effective incremental policies in a timely manner, Wang added.

Efforts should also be made to step up counter-cyclical adjustments, further expand domestic demand and optimize supply, and effectively safeguard and improve people's livelihoods, Wang said.