Speakers:
Ning Jizhe, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission, director of the National Bureau of Statistics
Liu Kun, minister of the Ministry of Finance
Yi Gang, governor of the People's Bank of China
Chairperson:
Xi Yanchun, head of the Press Center for the Celebration of the 70th Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China
Date:
Sept. 24, 2019
Xi Yanchun, head of the Press Center for the Celebration of the 70th Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China:
Ladies and gentlemen, friends from the media, good morning. As the 70th anniversary of the founding of New China is approaching, we will hold a series of press conferences at this press center to review the historic achievements China has made and the historic changes that have taken place in this country in the past 70 years.
Today's conference is the first one of this series.We will brief you on China's remarkable achievements in its economic development. We are delighted to invite Mr. Ning Jizhe, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission and director of the National Bureau of Statistics, Mr. Liu Kun, minister of the Ministry of Finance, and Mr. Yi Gang, governor of the People's Bank of China, to give an introduction on the steady, healthy and sustainable development of China's economy under the guidance of the new development philosophy.
Now, I'll give the floor to Mr. Ning Jizhe.
Ning Jizhe, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission, director of the National Bureau of Statistics:
Ladies and gentlemen, friends from the media, good morning. As the 70th anniversary of the founding of New China is drawing near, I'd like to take this opportunity to introduce China's economic and social developments in the past 70 years.
Over the past seven decades, the Communist Party of China (CPC) has united and led the Chinese people of all ethnic groups to forge ahead and work tenaciously, promoting the economic progress of the country by leaps and bounds. In particular, after the 18th National Congress of the CPC, under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, the various undertakings of the CPC and the country have achieved historic success and undergone historic transformation, marking a new era in socialism with Chinese characteristics.
The brilliant achievements we have made in the past 70 years can be divided into five aspects as follow.
First, the Chinese nation has made a tremendous transformation. It has risen up and grown prosperous, and is now becoming strong. Seven decades ago, Chairman Mao Zedong declared the founding of New China on the Tiananmen Rostrum, marking the rise of the Chinese people. Since then, we have completed the socialist revolution, promoted the development of socialism, and launched the great new revolution of reform and opening up, substantially unleashing and increasing productivity. From 1952 to 2018, the national GDP grew from 67.91 billion yuan to 90.03 trillion yuan, registering an increase of 174 times. Meanwhile, the per-capita GDP grew 70 times from 119 yuan to 64,600 yuan. In today's new environment, we will continue to aim for success in our continued efforts to build a socialist country with Chinese characteristics, and secure a decisive victory in establishing a moderately prosperous society in all respects, thereby moving ahead in our all-out efforts to build a great modern socialist country.
Second, China's overall national strength, productive forces and people's living standards have increased substantially. Presently, China is the world's second largest economy, largest trader in goods, largest forex reserve holder, second largest trader in services, second largest foreign investment recipient, and second largest country in utilizing foreign investment. We have achieved major scientific advances in mobile telecommunications, modern nuclear power, manned spaceflight, quantum science, deep-water exploration, super computing, among other areas. In 2018, the per capita disposable income of Chinese residents was 59.2 times higher than 1949, and the per capital consumption expenditure was 28.5 times higher than 1956 in real terms.
Third, coordinated development has been made in economic, social and ecological fields. Over the past 70 years, the investment on fixed assets has been growing rapidly, giving a boost to the development of agricultural productivity, equipment manufacturing and the infrastructure network. By the end of 2018, the length of in-service railways reached 132,000 kilometers, including 30,000 kilometers of high-speed rail lines, ranking the second and the first in the world respectively. The total length of expressways now stands at 4.85 million kilometers, including 143,000 kilometers of highways, both ranking the first in the world. Progress has also been made in fields of education, culture, healthcare, sports, social security, poverty alleviation and ecological conservation. In the past 70 years, the average life expectancy of Chinese people increased from 35 years to 77 years. From 1976 to 2018, the forest coverage increased from 12.7% to 22.96%.
Fourth, industrialization, information technology application, urbanization and agricultural modernization have seen synchronized development. Over the past seven decades, China has made remarkable achievements in transforming from a traditional agricultural country to a modern industrial country. Today, the country boasts all industries based on the United Nations classification. From 1952 to 2018, the proportion of added value of the primary, secondary, tertiary industries has changed from 50.5 : 20.8 : 28.7 to 7.2 : 40.7 : 52.2. The application of information technologies has also been further promoted. It has become an everyday act for Chinese people to shop online, pay with their mobile phones, use shared bikes and take bullet trains, which are praised as the new "four great inventions." From 1949 to 2018, the proportion of permanent urban residents to the country's total population has increased from 10.6% to 59.6%, and the total power of agricultural equipment has grown from around 100,000 kw to 1 billion kw.
Fifth, China has played an increasingly prominent role in promoting world peace and development, and in upholding the international order. Presently, China has the largest presence of peacekeeping forces compared to the other four permanent members of the United Nations. Its economic growth has made the largest contribution to the world economic development. The country has upheld the principles of multilateralism and free trade, and taken an active part in various events organized by the United Nations and other international organizations. The Belt and Road Initiative proposed by China has received positive responses from more than 160 countries.
The development and achievements in the past 70 years have laid a solid foundation for the country's future progress. Our hard work has given us rich experiences and our explorations have opened a correct path for development. At this new starting point, we will rally around the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, follow the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and sustain healthy economic development and maintain social stability, so as to secure a decisive victory in establishing a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and embark on a new journey to fully build a modern socialist China. Thank you.
