China's gross domestic product surpassed the 140 trillion yuan mark for the first time, with its contribution to global economic growth stabilizing at around 30%. In 2025, despite profound and complex changes in domestic and international situations, the Chinese economy delivered an impressive performance. Over the year, it advanced under pressure, progressing with improved quality and innovation. The construction of a modern industrial system continued steadily, reforms and opening-up achieved new milestones, significant progress was made in mitigating risks in key sectors, and livelihood safeguards were further strengthened. These hard-won achievements pave the way for a promising future.
On the eve of the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference sessions, the 2025 National Economic and Social Development Statistical Communique was released. The authoritative and detailed data comprehensively showcased the Chinese economy's resilience in navigating challenges and achieving substantial outcomes. Many delegates have witnessed this growth within their respective fields.
On December 26, 2025, the Xi'an-Yan'an high-speed railway commenced operations, ushering the revolutionary base area of northern Shaanxi into the high-speed rail era. As Fan Jiuping, a National People's Congress deputy and Party branch secretary of Qiaozhen Village in Ganquan County, Yan'an City, Shaanxi Province, remarked, the past year's development momentum has been very positive. "In Ganquan County, villagers have fully utilized local terrain features to develop specialized agriculture—building vegetable greenhouses on flat lands, engaging in aquaculture in gullies, and planting apple trees on mountains. Last year, we saw a bumper harvest of grain, favorable prices for fruits and vegetables, and steady growth in farmers' incomes," Fan said.
Wang Zhihui, a National People's Congress deputy and Communist Party chief of Nanyang City, Henan Province, expressed deep appreciation for the robust pulse of China's economy, characterized by steady progress and quality enhancement through innovation. Over the past year, Nanyang's GDP historically exceeded 500 billion yuan, reaching 516.786 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 6.5%. Traditional industries have been rejuvenated, while emerging industries have grown significantly. Breakthroughs such as Wolong Explosion-proof's development of a 105-megawatt large-capacity synchronous motor generator, which ended foreign monopolies, and Xijian Company's key technological advances in "electronic suspension systems" have made "Made in Nanyang" products globally recognized for their superior technology. "We have focused on nurturing innovative entities, with national high-tech enterprises surpassing 750. By the end of last year, Nanyang hosted 1.067 million market entities, ranking second in the province, fully unleashing developmental vitality," Wang added.
Luo Weidong, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and a professor at Zhejiang University's School of Economics, noted that while some traditional industries faced difficulties last year, many emerging sectors demonstrated strong vitality. "The fundamental conditions and long-term positive trend of the Chinese economy remain unchanged and will not change. We must further deepen reforms, enhance the efficiency of resource allocation through innovative institutional mechanisms and policy designs, and encourage regions to develop new quality productive forces according to local conditions," Luo stated.
Assessing China's economy requires looking beyond immediate conditions to long-term trends, and beyond aggregate scale to developmental quality. Over the year, new vitality has continuously emerged, and new growth drivers have accelerated. Xia Yong, a National People's Congress deputy and chairman and general manager of China Mobile Communications Group Chongqing Co., Ltd., views the recent widespread attention on embodied intelligence as a true reflection of China's innovation-driven economy. "New technologies such as big data, artificial intelligence, and 5G-A are widely applied in social governance, advanced manufacturing, and livelihood protection. The industry's focus has shifted from merely pursuing user numbers and business volume expansion to emphasizing user experience and product innovation," Xia said. The company is actively helping Chongqing explore new pathways for modern governance in megacities, promoting initiatives like 'Xinjiang Computing Power to Chongqing' and 'AI+' innovative applications to support the city's industrial digital-intelligent transformation.
From the perspective of the apparel industry, despite intense market competition, consumption upgrades and increasing personalized demands among the younger generation, coupled with national policies to boost consumption, have sustained overall market growth. Zeng Zhiming, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and chairman and CEO of Goldlion Group, said, "During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, we will continue to seize opportunities, develop new products, set new trends, and meet the market's demand for high-quality, personalized apparel, continuously injecting new vitality into the industry."
Meng Lihong, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and vice chairwoman of Clifford Group, highlighted seizing development opportunities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. "By consistently providing higher-quality services, we have achieved notable results," Meng said. In 2025, Guangdong Clifford Hospital was included in Hong Kong's "Elderly Health Care Voucher Greater Bay Area Pilot Scheme," and Clifford Elderly Home was selected for the "Guangdong Residential Care Services Program." Meanwhile, the company has widely applied AI technology across its medical, educational, hospitality, property management, retail, and community services, significantly enhancing operational efficiency and quality.
As the 15th Five-Year Plan begins, Chinese modernization presents even brighter prospects. Faced with a steadily advancing and improving economy, delegates are full of confidence and determination. Cai Jinchai, a National People's Congress deputy and president of Panpan Foods Group, described the business outlook as "more assured and motivated." Cai noted that the state's unwavering support for the private economy, continuous optimization of a market-oriented, law-based, and internationalized business environment, and proactive, precise government services have strengthened the resolve to focus on real economy and core business. "We established the Panpan Food Technology Innovation Research Institute, accelerated internationalization, and now our products are sold in over 50 countries and regions, with overseas market share steadily expanding," Cai said. The company plans to increase R&D investment, improve its product portfolio, and steadily expand globally to build a world-class national food brand.
Jiang Haoran, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and chairman of Hengyin Financial Technology Co., Ltd., observed that over the past year, China's economic resilience has been evident, with strengthened policy support and unleashed market innovation. Measures such as removing hidden market access barriers, enhancing targeted financial support, and bolstering legal safeguards for the private economy have contributed to this environment. In this context, Hengyin Technology has seen positive developments, including customized product R&D for the financial industry needs of Belt and Road Initiative partner countries, leading to a steady increase in overseas revenue share. "As this year marks the start of the 15th Five-Year Plan, we will increase R&D investment in AI, computing power, and other areas, deepen collaborative innovation with universities, research institutes, and industry chain partners, and strengthen our foundation with core technologies. We will also expand fintech products for applications in smart transportation, government services, healthcare, and tourism," Jiang stated.
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