China’s economic conference clearly outlines 2025 goals: experts

China's annual Central Economic Work Conference, which was held in Beijing on Wednesday and Thursday, has specified a number of key tasks for 2025, said various experts after the meeting.

The first task for next year is to boost consumption, improve investment efficiency, and expand domestic demand on all fronts, and a special campaign dedicated to stimulating consumption will be implemented, according to the meeting.

Experts said there will be more resources allocated to boost consumption and ensure people's livelihood.

"After the introduction of consumer goods trade-in programs earlier this year, its effects have gradually manifested. It is evident that the sales growth of household appliances has noticeably increased. We believe that the expansion of the trade-in policy to cover more product categories next year, coupled with an increase in financial support, will stimulate a broader growth in the sales of consumer goods," said Feng Ming, director of macroeconomic think tank research office, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

"[The meeting] particularly emphasized on enhancing investment efficiency, with a focus on the alignment of funds and projects. Efforts will be made to improve the supply structure and reduce the operational costs of our economy and society," said Luo Zhiheng, chief economist of Yuekai Securities.

The meeting also pointed out that China should take steps to make scientific and technological innovation drive the development of new quality productivity and build a modernized industrial system.

"Sci-tech innovation holds a strategic core position in the entire modernization process. [The meeting] further stressed the direction of sci-tech innovation is accelerating the development of new quality productive forces and constructing a modern industrial system. This will make our technological innovation more focused and enhance our total factor productivity," said Huang Hanquan, director, Chinese Academy of Macroeconomic Research, National Development and Reform Commission.

Other key tasks include giving full play to the leading role of economic system reform; expanding high-standard opening up and keeping foreign trade and foreign investment stable; mitigating risks in key areas; promoting integrated urban-rural development; boosting regional development vitality; ramping up green transition and improving people's wellbeing.

China’s economic conference clearly outlines 2025 goals: experts

The Global Security Initiative (GSI) proposed by China has shifted the paradigm in thinking about global security away from the traditional zero-sum mentality toward a vision rooted in dialogue and development, said a Chinese expert on Tuesday.

In April 2022, China proposed the Global Security Initiative (GSI), which aims to create a new path to security that prioritizes dialogue over confrontation, partnership over alliance, and win-win over zero-sum thinking.

The initiative provides a new course and approach to addressing the root causes of international conflicts and solving security challenges facing humanity.

During an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Wang Xinsong, associate professor at the School of Government at Beijing Normal University, hailed the initiative's importance amid escalating global challenges.

"It's been four years and we have witnessed that the Global Security Initiative or GSI has transformed from a framework in principle to an action plan with many actions having taken place in mediating the conflicts. The major difference between the GSI and the traditional and the existing mainstream idea about global security is that the mainstream idea is being the zero-sum mentality where the belief is that one country's safety is possible only if its neighbors safety is not existent. The GSI shifts the paradigm in thinking about global security away from the zero-sum mentality by arguing that security at the end of the day is very much related to development," Wang said.

Over the past four years, China has consistently promoted the implementation of the GSI. By the end of 2025, the initiative has received support and appreciation from more than 130 countries and regions, as well as international organizations, and has been explicitly incorporated into more than 140 bilateral and multilateral documents at home and abroad.

China's Global Security Initiative shifts paradigm away from traditional zero-sum mentality: expert