China delivered an impressive performance over the past year. On January 19, the National Bureau of Statistics released China's 2025 economic report. Preliminary calculations indicate the annual Gross Domestic Product reached 140,187.9 billion yuan, representing a 5.0% growth compared to the previous year when calculated at constant prices. Surpassing 140 trillion yuan marks the latest milestone for the scale of China's economy. Extending the timeline to the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, China's total economic output has successively surpassed four major thresholds: 110 trillion, 120 trillion, 130 trillion, and 140 trillion yuan. The 5.0% growth rate not only continues to rank among the top of major economies but also injects stability and certainty into an uncertain world economy.
Against the backdrop of insufficient momentum for global economic recovery, China's annual contribution to world economic growth has remained around 30% in recent years. According to calculations by the International Monetary Fund, for every 1 percentage point of growth in China's economy, the output level of other economies increases by an average of 0.3 percentage points. The GDP breakthrough of 140 trillion yuan is not only a new milestone for China's economy but also holds a significant position in the global economic landscape.
This also signifies that China provides stable support and broader cooperation space for the world economy, representing a major opportunity for global development. Data from the National Bureau of Statistics shows that China's goods import scale reached a new high of 18.5 trillion yuan in 2025, providing vast market space for various countries. Over the past year, China imported nearly 3 billion tons of bulk commodities, an increase of 1.1%; imports of mechanical and electrical products exceeded 7.4 trillion yuan, growing by 5.7%.
An import scale of 18.5 trillion yuan means that tens of thousands of global enterprises, farms, and mines view the Chinese market as a core pillar for their performance growth. China has trade relations with 249 countries and regions worldwide, and the growth in China's import value directly boosts the economic development of partner countries. In 2025, China's imports from over 130 countries and regions achieved growth, an increase of 7 compared to 2024; import values from Asia, Latin America, and Africa grew by 3.9%, 4.9%, and 6% respectively; a zero-tariff policy was implemented on 100% of product categories for the least developed countries with which China has established diplomatic relations, with imports from these countries growing by 9%.
As the world's second-largest consumer market, China's continuously upgrading consumer demand, increasingly sophisticated supply chain network, and thriving digital ecosystem are consistently attracting high-quality global goods and services, bringing vast growth opportunities for businesses worldwide. On the opening day of the Sam's Club Pudong East store in Shanghai, vehicles waiting to enter formed long queues early on; since the customs closure of the Hainan Free Trade Port, single-day sales records have been repeatedly broken at multiple duty-free shops in Hainan.
China boasts the world's largest middle-income group, numbering over 400 million people. This group is shifting its focus from "having or not having" to "how good it is," driving continuous upgrading of the consumption structure. Consumption has become the primary driver of China's economic growth, harboring enormous opportunities. Data shows that China's total retail sales of consumer goods exceeded 50 trillion yuan in 2025, reaching 50,120.2 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 3.7%. The contribution rate of final consumption expenditure to economic growth surpassed 50%.
As a crucial global manufacturing base and consumer market, China is playing a vital role as a stabilizer for the global economy. Croatian economist Ljubo Jurčić once pointed out: "China's measures to promote economic growth have achieved results; China remains an important engine for world economic development." The International Monetary Fund's latest update to the World Economic Outlook report raised China's 2025 economic growth forecast by 0.2 percentage points to 5%, while also upgrading the growth expectation for 2026.
A GDP exceeding 140 trillion yuan is not merely a new marker of economic scale, but also a demonstration of responsibility from a major global economy. It represents a commitment to size, resilience, and openness. Within the coordinate system of the world economy, China, this giant ship, steadies its course forward, setting in motion the powerful east wind of common development.
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