China's major SMEs register positive annual growth in 2025

China's small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) continued to post steady and positive growth in 2025, with value-added output of industrial SMEs above the designated size rising 6.9 percent year on year, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

The update was released at a State Council Information Office press conference on industrial and information technology development held on Wednesday, where Zhang Yunming, the ministry's vice minister, outlined the high-quality development progresses of SMEs in 2025.

"In 2025, the value-added output of industrial SMEs above the designated size rose by 6.9 percent year on year, while the SME export index reached 52.4 percent in December, continued the steady expansion for 21 consecutive months," he said.

Over the past year, China has cumulatively nurtured 17,600 specialized and innovative “little giant” enterprises, more than 140,000 specialized and innovative SMEs, and more than 600,000 technology- and innovation-oriented SMEs. These “little giant” enterprises have an average research and development investment intensity of 7 percent, with a total of 460,000 invention patents, averaging 26.6 per enterprise, highlighting strong innovation capacity.

"Authorities will formulate a dedicated plan to promote SME development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. We will fully implement regulations aimed at ensuring timely payments to SMEs, intensify efforts to clear overdue payments while resolutely curbing new arrears, and better protect the legitimate rights and interests of SMEs. Revisions to SME classification standards will also be accelerated to improve the precision and effectiveness of policy support," Zhang said.

Further measures will focus on building mechanisms to support the growth of specialized and innovative SMEs to produce novel and unique products, establishing the first group of national SME public service demonstration platforms and bases, and rolling out a three-year action plan for tiered cultivation of high-quality enterprises. China will also explore the creation of specialized and innovative empowerment centers for SMEs, improve the tiered development system for SME-focused industrial clusters, and promote coordinated and integrated development among large, medium and small enterprises, he added.

China's major SMEs register positive annual growth in 2025

China stands ready to work with Mekong countries in the direction set by the leaders and jointly usher in a new Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) golden decade, Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a regular press briefing in Beijing on Thursday.

The 11th LMC Foreign Ministers' Meeting was held in Beijing on Wednesday, which comes on the 10th anniversary of the first LMC Leaders' Meeting. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sihasak Phuangketkeow co-chaired the meeting.

The six LMC countries agreed at the meeting that over the past decade, LMC has grown with strong momentum in all dimensions, at various levels and in multiple areas, delivered tangible results beneficial to all and boosted the modernization of the six countries, said Guo.

"Foreign Minister Wang Yi stressed that China stands ready to work with Mekong countries in the direction charted by our leaders, take down-to-earth actions to solve problems and improve people's well-being, and take more effective measures to jointly advance modernization, set LMC as a leading example of regional cooperation and solidarity and collective strength of the Global South, and jointly usher in a new LMC golden decade," said Guo.

The LMC mechanism comprises six countries, namely China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.

China willing to work with Mekong countries for new 'golden decade' of Lancang-Mekong cooperation: spokesman