On January 19th, the National Bureau of Statistics released China's 2025 economic data, revealing a full-year GDP exceeding 140 trillion yuan, with a year-on-year growth of 5.0%, confirming the robust foundation of the Chinese economy amidst a complex environment. The successful achievement of China's economic growth target reflects the high level of policy formulation and strong execution capabilities. With this, the 14th Five-Year Plan concluded magnificently with the economic aggregate achieving "four consecutive leaps"—surpassing the new thresholds of 110 trillion, 120 trillion, 130 trillion, and 140 trillion yuan successively. The steady and progressive signals continuously released by the world's second-largest economy represent both a contribution and an inspiration to the global community.
The past year was extraordinarily challenging, with China's economy "advancing under pressure" towards higher quality and innovation. Externally, intensifying global trade frictions, persistent geopolitical conflicts, and divergent policies among major economies, particularly the new round of tariff impositions by certain countries, inflicted severe shocks on global industrial and supply chains. Internally, challenges such as the pains of economic transformation and uneven consumption recovery intertwined, testing the precision of macroeconomic regulation. Despite a severely damaged global trade order and domestic growing pains from transitioning between old and new growth drivers, China's economy still achieved a "quantitative leap" and a "qualitative improvement," fully demonstrating its capacity to adapt and overcome challenges, as well as its resilience to withstand pressure.
Achieving 5.0% GDP growth in 2025 was no easy feat, leading many Western media outlets to also marvel at the resilience of the Chinese economy. The Wall Street Journal, which often voices pessimism about China's economy, used the term "strong growth" on the 19th to describe it, suggesting that China's exports actually increased in 2025, defying expectations that "trade wars would weaken China." The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) stated that the latest data indicates a "dual growth" trend in China's manufacturing and exports, accompanying its report with a photo of a female worker on a production line manufacturing red electric guitars for export. Over the past year, the world has seen the achievements of China's export diversification and witnessed the resilience of its economy "advancing under pressure."
The resilience of the Chinese economy is deeply rooted in the solid support of its industrial system and the scientific management of macroeconomic policies. From an industrial structure perspective, the pattern of coordinated development among the three industries has been further consolidated, providing diversified momentum for economic growth. The 3.9% growth in the primary industry has strengthened the baseline for people's livelihood security, with grain output remaining stable at high levels for many consecutive years, providing a foundation for price stability and social stability. The 4.5% growth in the secondary industry contains profound transformations of structural upgrading; the value-added of equipment manufacturing and high-tech manufacturing above the designated size accounted for 36.8% and 17.1% respectively, while the output of civilian drones and industrial robots increased by 37.3% and 28% year-on-year, indicating that new quality productive forces are rapidly reshaping industrial forms. The tertiary industry led with a growth rate of 5.4%, accounting for 57.7% of GDP and contributing a significant 61.4% to economic growth; the quality and efficiency improvements in the service sector have provided strong support for employment expansion and consumption upgrading.
Amid a global economic landscape filled with uncertainty, the innovative vitality and pragmatic responsibility of the Chinese economy are becoming the most scarce certainties valued by the international community. This certainty stems from continuously burgeoning innovation momentum. From the Tianwen-2 probe entering orbit and the inaugural flight of the "Jiutian" drone, to the CR450 bullet train setting new "China speed" records and the commissioning of the first electromagnetic aircraft launch system aircraft carrier, a series of major innovative achievements demonstrate China's solid strides towards high-level sci-tech self-reliance and self-improvement, also providing new support for the high-end development of global industrial chains. This certainty is also reflected in the commitment to open practices. China has deepened institutional opening-up, granted 100% zero-tariff treatment on tariff lines to the least developed countries having diplomatic relations with China, and maintained an average annual contribution of around 30% to world economic growth, safeguarding economic globalization and the multilateral trading system with concrete actions.
A standout detail in the data released on the 19th is that by the end of 2025, the number of household cars per 100 households in China had reached 52.9. Simultaneously, per capita disposable income of residents increased by 5.0% in real terms, keeping pace with GDP growth, while consumer spending on household goods and services, transportation and communication, and education, culture, and recreation grew rapidly. The Chinese economy embodies both self-breakthrough innovation and a warmth that safeguards people's livelihoods; the growing confidence of the Chinese people in leading better lives is precisely the capability of the Chinese economy to continuously instill confidence in the world.
Looking back from the starting point of the 15th Five-Year Plan period, what China's economy demonstrates is a development confidence anticipated by the world, and a sustainable development logic. From the solid foundation of 140 trillion yuan in GDP to the vigorous vitality of new quality productive forces, the Chinese economy, with its unique resilience and dynamism, is sending a clear signal of "using its own certainty to hedge against global uncertainty," providing a stable course for the giant ship of the world economy to navigate through the fog.
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