President Xi Jinping delivers messages on China's development direction at the 'two sessions'

Accordingly, in this important year, to complete the goals and tasks set out in China's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025), Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasized that efforts must be made to maintain and consolidate the positive momentum of economic recovery as well as enhance confidence in development throughout society. Xi's key messages at the meetings provided deeper insights into the direction of the world's second-largest economy.

New productive forces have quality

Xi Jinping has stressed the development of new, quality productive forces as China accelerates efforts to foster new growth drivers and promote high-quality development.

First raised by Mr. Xi in 2023, the concept was emphasized at a key economic meeting last December and became the topic of a group discussion session of the Chinese Communist Party's leadership this year.

With innovation playing a key role, the new productive forces have quality synonymous with advanced productivity, breaking free from the traditional economic growth mode and productivity development path, with high technology, high efficiency and high quality, and at the same time conforming to the new development philosophy.

Joining delegates from the Jiangsu delegation in discussions on March 5, Xi stressed the importance of developing quality new productive forces based on local conditions.

Developing new quality productive forces does not mean neglecting or abandoning traditional industries, Xi said, noting that it is necessary to prevent rushing into projects and forming industrial bubbles, and avoid adopting only one development model.

Xi stressed the need to strengthen basic research and applied science fundamental research, achieve core technological breakthroughs in key areas and foster new impetus to develop quality new productive forces when he attended a meeting attended by national political advisers on March 6.

Citing achievements in transportation as an example, Xi said China is a world leader in automobile production and sales, excels in new energy vehicles, boasts the longest highway network, and has successfully brought high-speed rail and urban rail transit systems to international reach, along with the development of large aircraft.

He stressed that skilled workers play a very important role in achieving these achievements, calling for strengthening vocational education, enhancing worker culture and nurturing generations of skilled workers to be at the forefront of production.

“Master craftsmen are the pillars. Without diamonds, one cannot make ceramics,” Mr. Xi said.

Xi, attending a plenary meeting of the delegations of the People's Liberation Army and the People's Armed Police Force on March 7, said efforts to accelerate the development of new quality productive forces have brought rare opportunities to develop strategic capabilities in emerging areas. He called for creating conditions for new quality productive forces and new quality combat capabilities to effectively integrate and support each other.

Promote comprehensive reform

Reform has been a key word in China in recent years.

At the discussion on March 5, Xi stressed the need to draw up major measures to further deepen reforms in all aspects, so as to continuously inject strong impetus into efforts to promote high-quality development and push forward China's modernization.

To build a high-level socialist market economy, it is necessary to accelerate the improvement of basic systems that underpin the market economy, such as those for property rights protection, market access, fair competition and social credit, Xi said.

He emphasized the need to improve and implement institutions and mechanisms to firmly consolidate and develop the public sector, constantly encourage, support and orient the development of the non-public sector, and create conditions for the development of the private sector and private enterprises.

Xi said it was necessary to deepen reforms of systems related to science and technology, education and professional personnel, and remove barriers to the development of new, quality productive forces. The leader stressed the need to create a world-class, market-oriented, law-based and internationalized business environment to bring out new strengths for a more open economy.

Environmental protection

“The Communist Party of China Central Committee has always attached great importance to environmental protection,” Xi told national political advisers, including those from the environment and resources sector, on March 6.

He stressed the need to ensure red lines in the development and protection of territorial space, and improve the region-specific environmental management system, so as to further consolidate the ecological foundation of high-quality development.

China has set a target of reducing energy consumption per unit of GDP by about 2.5% this year, according to the government's work report.

Xi said efforts should be made to carry out targeted, science-based and lawful pollution control, promote green and low-carbon transformation in economic and social development, strengthen conservation, efficient utilization and recycling of resources, explore more ways to realize the market value of ecological products, and strive to achieve the best carbon emission reduction level along with achieving carbon neutrality.

On China's plans to control new pollutants after tackling smog, black waters and foul odors, Xi said both new and persistent environmental problems needed to be addressed.

Thecommon prosperity

Chinese President Xi Jinping sees the pursuit of common prosperity for all as an essential feature of China's modernization.

The story of Yonglian village in east China's Jiangsu Province, a legendary example of township enterprise development during China's reform and opening-up period, attracted attention during a discussion session on March 5.

Once a tidal flat area along the Yangtze River, this village boldly established a steel enterprise about 40 years ago and emerged as a prosperous community famous nationwide.

Last year, with total industrial and agricultural revenue reaching 161.6 billion yuan (about 22.77 billion U.S. dollars) and general operating revenue reaching 335 million yuan, the village residents had a per capita net income of 73,000 yuan.

Listening to a national legislator from the village recount these achievements, Xi praised the village as a pioneer on the road to rural revitalization and common prosperity, calling on villagers to continue their efforts to promote common prosperity.

Regional development coordination

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012, a series of coordinated regional development strategies have been implemented, including the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta, and the integration and coordinated development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, which are playing an important supporting role in promoting a new development pattern and promoting high-quality development.

During the discussion on March 5, Xi said Jiangsu needs to fully integrate into and contribute to the development of the Yangtze Economic Belt and the Yangtze River Delta integrated development strategy, and urged the economically developed province to better utilize its strengths to promote the development of the region and the country.