China's tax data reveals achievements of high-quality development during 2021-2025

Tax statistics have demonstrated significant progress in China's high-quality development during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), said State Taxation Administration Commissioner Hu Jinglin at a press conference on Monday.

The data highlights several key areas of advancement. New quality productive forces have shown robust growth, with high-tech industry sales revenue growing at an average annual rate of 13.9 percent from 2021-2024, accelerating to 14.3 percent in the first half of this year. High-tech manufacturing accounts for 16.9 percent of total manufacturing output in the first half of 2025, up from 15.3 percent in 2020.

Meanwhile, the integration of physical and digital economies has deepened, with core digital economy sales growing 10.8 percent annually, and the regional coordination has improved significantly.

"The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta and the Pearl River Delta, China's three major economic engines, now contribute over 50 percent of national sales revenue. In the first half of this year, their external sales grew by 4.2 percent, 6.2 percent and 5.6 percent respectively, outpacing the national average and demonstrating their enhanced radiating influence on surrounding regions. Meanwhile, county economies have increased their share of national sales from 22.8 percent in 2020 to 24.3 percent in the first half of this year, reflecting accelerated new urbanization progress," said Hu.

Green transformation has accelerated, with clean energy sectors (wind, solar and hydro power) achieving 13.1 percent annual sales growth. Their share of total power industry sales rose from 30.3 percent to 33.8 percent. Ecological protection-related industries grew 26 percent annually.

In addition, during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China's opening-up efforts will be further strengthened, and foreign investment in China will grow steadily.

"By the end of June this year, the number of foreign-funded tax-registered entities has grown by 12.7 percent compared to 2020, with foreign enterprises maintaining steady sales growth. Export tax rebate data shows annualized growth of 6.6 percent from 2021 to 2024, with the growth rate further accelerating to 7.1 percent in the first half of this year on a comparable basis. These figures underscore the remarkable resilience of China's export sector amid complex global circumstances," said Hu.

China's tax data reveals achievements of high-quality development during 2021-2025

China closed 2025 with a record of 92 space launches and major breakthroughs were made in manned space launches, deep space exploration and commercial launches, according to the China National Space Administration.

"In 2025, we created a new launch record, sending more than 300 satellites into planned orbits. Both the number of launches and the number of payloads placed in orbit have achieved qualitative leapfrog development," said Zhu Haiyang, an engineer with the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

In 2025, the Shenzhou-20 crew spent 204 days in orbit, setting a new record for the longest single mission duration in the history of China's manned space program. Following the Shenzhou-20, the Shenzhou-21 achieved the fastest rendezvous and docking in the history of the Shenzhou mission in just three hours and a half.

Facing an unexpected technical situation with the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft, China immediately activated emergency plans. Within 16 days, a series of maneuvers were accomplished including the launch of the Shenzhou-22 backup vehicle, presenting a "textbook model" for the international space community in effectively responding to unexpected emergencies.

In deep space exploration, the Tianwen-2 probe embarked on its journey for China's first asteroid exploration and sample-return mission in 2025.

Last year also saw intensive launch activities from multiple commercial rocket types, injecting strong momentum into the country's commercial space development.

As China has kicked off the first year of its 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030), a new blueprint for the country's space program is unfolding. Multiple tests are planned in preparation for future lunar exploration, as Chang'e-7 lunar probe is scheduled to be launched for the lunar south pole to search for evidence of water ice. The industry is also preparing for the maiden flights of several new rocket types, which will include the challenges to test rocket recovery and reusability technologies.

China closes 2025 with record 92 space launches