BEIJING, March 6th (ABP) – The 14th National People’s Congress (NPC) solemnly opened its second annual session in the presence of General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), President of the People’s Republic of China and Chairman of the Military Commission(CMC), Xi Jinping as well as other national and international authorities.
During the presentation of the report on activities carried out in 2023 by the government, State Council Premier Li Qiang noted that the major economic and social development goals of the year have been achieved, while quality development has recorded progress, society has remained stable and comprehensive country building modern socialist led to concrete results.
He noted that the Chinese economy has proven to be one of the fastest-growing major economies in the world, with a growth rate of 5.2% and a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of 126.06 billion yuan. “In urban areas, 12.44 million jobs were created, and the unemployment rate as defined by the population census was 5.2% on average. The household consumer price index increased by 0.2%, the balance of international payments was maintained,” he clarified.
As for the significant progress achieved in building a modern industrial system, Premier Qiang mentioned that traditional industries have seen their transformation and upscaling accelerate, while emerging industries of strategic importance have seen vigorous growth. “Planning for the future industries has been methodically advanced; the integration of advanced manufacturing industry and modern service sector has been deepened; industrial innovation has produced a series of important results that reach the advanced level internationally. China’s C919 wide-body aircraft was put into service; a large Chinese cruise liner has emerged; China’s share in the production and sales of new energy vehicles has exceeded 60 percent of the global total, he noted.
Regarding the consolidation of development foundations, the Premier of the State Council revealed that grain production amounted to 695 million tons, setting a new record. “The supply of energy resources has been stable. Our mastery of important industrial and supply chains has improved,” he said with joy, before emphasizing that risks in key economic and financial sectors have been eliminated, while the construction of modern infrastructure did not cease to be reinforced.
Minister of the State Council reading government work report
On ensuring social welfare, Premier Qiang said per capita disposable income increased by 6.1 percent, and the income gap between urban and rural residents has continued to come short. The results obtained in poverty elimination have been consolidated and developed, and the income of rural residents in regions lifted out of poverty increased by 8.4%, he added. “We owe our achievements in 2023 to General Secretary Xi Jinping, who is at the helm charting the course, to the sound guidance of Xi Jinping’s thought on socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era, to the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee With Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, and to the concerted efforts of the whole party, the armed forces, and the multi-ethnic Chinese people,” said Premier Qiang while expressing, on behalf of the State Council, sincere thanks to all China’s ethnic communities, all democratic parties and groups, all people’s organizations and personalities from all walks of life. He did not fail to say thank you to everyone for their contribution as well as the friends of China who are interested in its modernization and who provide support.
Premier Qiang subsequently noted that the government is determined to confront the problems and challenges observed in certain areas. “We will do everything possible to do our job well and will ensure that we never disappoint the expectations of the people as well as the trust they have placed in us,” he promised.
In terms of prospects, Premier Qiang listed the essential objectives planned for the year 2024, namely an increase of around 5% in GDP; the creation of more than 12 million jobs in urban areas, with an unemployment rate as defined by the population census of around 5.5%; the increase of around 3%
household consumer prices; the increase in household income at the same rate as economic growth; the overall balance of the international payments; maintaining cereal production above 650 million tons; the drop of around 2.5% in the energy consumption per unit of GDP and the constant improvement of environmental quality. It is worthy to note that before the opening of the aforementioned session, the NPC deputies answered questions from media professionals.
