Chinese premier urges solid progress in government work in 2026

Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Monday stressed making solid progress in government work in 2026 and striving to make new contributions to advancing Chinese modernization.

Chairing the 11th plenary meeting of the State Council, Li said that the State Council and government departments must maintain strategic resolve, act more proactively, and take decisive, rapid and effective actions to fully implement the decisions and plans of the Communist Party of China Central Committee with higher standards.

To achieve higher standards, it is necessary to firmly seize the initiative in development, consistently strengthen the foundation for development and enhance economic resilience, and make persistent efforts to deliver solid results and breakthroughs, according to Li.

He underlined the full implementation of key tasks this year and during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), including further building a unified national market, promoting the expansion and upgrading of the service sector, and accelerating the development of a new generation of smart manufacturing.

Efforts should be made to advance major infrastructure networks, further invest in people and improve their well-being, and effectively respond to external shocks and challenges under the new circumstances, he said.

The premier also emphasized the need to conduct thorough education on fostering and practicing a correct understanding of governance performance and to integrate this education with the execution of government duties.

Chinese premier urges solid progress in government work in 2026

Chinese premier urges solid progress in government work in 2026

The Shenzhou-21 crew aboard China's orbiting space station completed their mission's second series of extravehicular activities (EVAs) on Monday, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

The astronaut trio -- Zhang Lu, Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang -- worked for roughly seven hours and completed their tasks at 19:35 (Beijing Time), assisted by the space station's robotic arm and a team on Earth.

Zhang Lu has so far carried out six EVAs, making him one of the Chinese astronauts with the most spacewalks to date.

The Shenzhou-21 crewed spaceship was launched on Oct 31, 2025, sending three astronauts to its orbiting space station on a six-month mission.

Shenzhou-21 astronauts complete 2nd series of extravehicular activities