People from various sectors vow to fulfill goals in economic work

Many individuals from diverse sectors, spanning agricultural innovation, technological advancement, and free trade reform, have pledged their dedication to implementing the key directives of the Central Economic Work Conference, underscoring their shared commitment to driving high-quality growth and national development.

The tone-setting conference, held from Dec 11 to 12 in Beijing, has set the stage for driving development across various sectors and achieving economic and social goals by 2025.

President Xi Jinping delivered a keynote speech during the conference, summarizing the economic work for 2024 and outlined a systematic plan for 2025, providing clear direction for the nation's economic development.

It was noted at the meeting that the Chinese economy has posted generally stable performance while making progress in 2024, with solid advances made in high-quality development and major annual goals and tasks of economic and social development to be successfully accomplished. This year's achievements were well-recognized by workers in various sectors.

"The year 2024 will see the grain output nationwide surpass 700 million tons for the first time. As a frontline worker, I feel proud and honored. We must remember General Secretary Xi Jinping's earnest instructions and continue to focus on the breeding of new rice varieties, ensuring stable production of grain and other important agricultural products to enhance agricultural efficiency and competitiveness," said Cao Zhengnan, an assistant researcher at the northern rice research center of the China National Rice Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

The conference identified nine key tasks for 2025, spanning from the forefront of reform and opening up to the cutting-edge technological innovations.

"The conference prioritized boosting consumption and improving investment efficiency as the foremost of next year's nine key tasks. Shanghai is vigorously building itself into an international consumption center, expanding the spillover effects of the China International Import Expo. We will create a new commercial ecosystem friendly to the debut economy, so as to stimulate consumption potential and allow more people to enjoy the benefits of development," said Liu Min, deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce.

Officials emphasized the need to leverage regional characteristics and strengths in accordance with the Party Central Committee's decisions on economic work to comprehensively advance the nation's construction.

"In line with General Secretary Xi Jinping's call for large-scale application demonstrations of new technologies, products, and scenarios, we will accelerate the gathering of various innovation resources. We will take artificial intelligence as a new quality productive force and carry out the 'AI plus' initiative to continuously empower high-quality industrial development," said Hu Duanqin, secretary of the party working committee of the Mianyang Industrial Park in southwest China's Sichuan Province.

"The Central Economic Work Conference has provided clear directions for our next steps and boosted our confidence. We are fully committed to promoting the effective implementation of core policies to ensure the successful launch of independent customs operations at the Hainan Free Trade Port by 2025. We aim to accelerate the construction of Hainan into a world-class free trade port with Chinese characteristics and strive to be a model for reform and opening up in the new era," said Wang Fengli, deputy director of the Hainan Provincial Party Committee's Deep Reform Office (Free Trade Port Working Committee Office).

People from various sectors vow to fulfill goals in economic work

Sunday marked the 16th anniversary of the opening of the "mini three links" across the Taiwan Strait, comprising air, sea, and postal services, which have significantly enhanced cross-Strait connectivity.

The Wutong Ferry Terminal in Xiamen City of east China's Fujian Province is a bustling hub offering a round-trip service between Xiamen and Kinmen of China's Taiwan region.

Initially launched in 2001, the route became part of the broader "mini three links" in 2008 and has since transported over 20 million passengers.

Its service was suspended for almost three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and was resumed in January last year. Since resumption, the round-trip operations have increased from two per day to 20, serving more than 1.15 million passenger trips in total.

"For those regular commuters traveling back and forth frequently, their biggest need is to clear customs quickly as soon as they arrive. It has to be fast and efficient. Therefore, we have established the nation's largest quick customs clearance information collection point for compatriots in Taiwan at the ferry terminal," said Chen Jinlai, deputy chief of the Gaoqi Border Inspection Station of Xiamen Entry and Exit Border Inspection Station.

"The ferry is quite comfortable within the mini three links," said a passenger from Kinmen.

"I've been taking the ferry at the Wutong terminal for over a decade," said another passenger from Kaohsiung in Taiwan.

Many travelers from the mainland, especially those from Fujian to the islands of Kinmen and Matsu, can be seen after the resumption of travel.

"We will travel there (Kinmen) for two days. The customs clearance is basically self-service. There's the fast channel for senior people on wheelchairs. It's very convenient," said a passenger from the mainland.

"I traveled [to Kinmen] before. But this is my first time riding a bicycle there," said another passenger from the mainland.

In Xiamen, the cross-Strait postal service also plays an important role in communication across the Strait. At a mail processing center with the China Post, staff have been busy sorting packages sent between the mainland and the Taiwan region.

"Since our mail exchange center started operation in 2008, we have processed thousands of mails and parcels on a daily basis. On July 30 this year, we resumed the two-way mail route between Xiamen and Kinmen," said Cai Chunmei, head of the Xiamen-Taiwan Mail Exchange Center.

These services are an epitome of the "mini three links" across the Taiwan Strait. Since 2008 or even much before that, they have facilitated the flow of people, goods, and capital, playing a substantial role in enhancing common interests, especially for the people of the Taiwan region.

Cross-Strait direct links foster closer ties with growing connectivity