China's top economic planner, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), held a media seminar on Friday in Beijing to elaborate on key economic policies from this year's "two sessions," emphasizing innovation, technological advancement, and a commitment to boosting domestic consumption.
The seminar, attended by both domestic and international media practitioners, touched upon a wide range of topics from macroeconomic policies to specific opening-up measures.
The "two sessions" refer to the annual meetings of China's top legislature, the National People's Congress (NPC), and the country's top political advisory body, the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), which concluded on March 11 and 10, respectively.
Guo Chunli, vice president of the Academy of Macroeconomic Research at the NDRC, offered a detailed analysis of the new development model.
"The new development model emphasizes innovation, coordination, green growth, openness, and shared development. Innovation is the primary driving force, coordination ensures balanced progress, green development fosters harmony between people and nature, openness strengthens internal and external connectivity, and shared growth remains the ultimate goal," said Guo.
She also highlighted China's focus on developing scientific and technological capabilities to fuel industrial growth.
"Industrial innovation has continues to advance, with high-tech and equipment manufacturing experiencing value-added growth of 8.9 percent and 7.7 percent, respectively, outpacing overall industrial growth. Their shares in total industrial value-added reached 16.3 percent and 34.6 percent, respectively," said Guo.
The government work report, delivered by Chinese Premier Li Qiang and approved on March 11, outlines 10 key tasks with focus on consumption, technology, and opening up the economy. This report signals plans for additional stimulus measures aimed at achieving an annual growth target of at least 5 percent.
"Our policies are expected to significantly boost consumer spending, driving a strong recovery. This forecast is based on a comprehensive set of measures, including new business models and income growth incentives, which are already yielding results," said Guo.
China will continue implementing proactive macroeconomic policies, encompassing fiscal and monetary measures, alongside initiatives to improve livelihoods and stimulate domestic consumption.
Experts said at the seminar that the consistency and coordination of these policies, coupled with ongoing reforms and opening-up, will create a powerful synergistic effect, contributing to the country's robust and sustainable economic growth.
China's top economic planner interprets major economic policies following "two sessions"
The separatist action plan recently unveiled by Taiwan leader Lai Ching-te has revealed his "false democracy, true dictatorship" nature, which could push Taiwan to the brink of peril, according to a commentary of The Real Point published on Saturday.
An edited English version of the commentary is as follows:
In a recent speech, Lai introduced a separatist action plan, falsely asserting that "Taiwan is a sovereign and independent democratic country." He outlined 17 strategies to counter what he claims are "five major threats" from the mainland, aiming to sever cross-Strait exchanges and push Taiwan back into the fearful martial law era of the past century.
Lai repeatedly waves the banner of "democracy" to mislead the public, but this time he inadvertently exposed his true nature, revealing to the world his trick of "false democracy, true dictatorship."
Democracy is meant to serve the rights of the people, not the other way around. The mainstream public opinion in Taiwan favors peace, development, communication, and cooperation.
According to a 2024 annual survey on cross-Strait relations conducted by Taiwan's media, 87 percent of people on the island believe in the necessity of maintaining communication across the Strait.
At the recent annual session of the 14th National People's Congress in Beijing, many NPC deputies from the Taiwan region expressed optimism about the opportunities in the mainland, emphasizing the bright prospects for Taiwan's youth.
However, since Lai's inauguration as Taiwan leader last May, he has used a range of administrative, judicial, and media tools to block cross-Strait exchanges.
The Lai-led Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities have resisted and delayed the group tours to Taiwan by residents of Fujian Province and Shanghai, while also banning collaborations between Taiwan and ten mainland universities, drawing widespread criticism on the island.
The DPP authorities have restricted civil society groups in Taiwan from visiting the mainland, interfered with Taiwan residents' access to official documents from the mainland, implemented "risk management" protocols for mainland visitors to Taiwan, and introduced strict "guidance and management" over Taiwan's entertainment industry professionals working in the mainland.
The Lai-led authorities have been pushing for a "decoupling" of ties between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, running counter to the will of Taiwan residents.
Lai's so-called "17 strategies" also include reinstating military tribunals and purging dissents within the military under the pretext of "countering infiltration." His true purpose, however, is to create a "green cage" for Taiwan residents and to establish military authoritarianism.
In Taiwan, the color green is strongly associated with the DPP, while blue is linked to the Kuomintang (KMT).
The DPP authorities also spare no effort in suppressing those who promote cross-Strait exchanges, even framing charges against them, which is typically anti-democratic and anti-liberal.
Some commentators on the island argue that Lai is willing to let cross-Strait relations regress back into an icy state and even push Taiwan closer to the brink of war, all to maintain his power and pursue selfish political gains.
Taiwan residents are increasingly seeing through Lai's intentions. In his pursuit of power, he has employed judicial methods to target dissenters within his own party and initiated political witch hunts against members of opposition parties.
In January this year, the DPP launched a "mass recall" campaign against KMT legislators, aiming to overturn the DPP's minority status in the island's legislative body. Despite polls indicating that 70 percent of respondents saw no need for such actions, the DPP pressed forward.
The Lai-led authorities try to reverse the course of history while infringing upon the freedoms and human rights of the people in Taiwan and maliciously attempting to tether them to the war chariot of succession, treating them as "cannon fodder". Where do they get the audacity to preach about democracy and boast that Taiwan is a "key link in the global democratic supply chain"?
Lai's "false democracy, true dictatorship" act fools neither Taiwan residents nor the international community. His separatist action plan will ultimately be crushed by the wheels of history.
Lai Ching-te's separatist plan exposes his 'false democracy, true dictatorship' nature: commentary
