China's leadership holds symposium for soliciting advice on economic work

BEIJING - The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has held a symposium with non-CPC personages to solicit opinions and suggestions on this year's economic situation and economic work for the next year.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, presided over the symposium on Wednesday and delivered an important speech.

Xi said 2024 marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and a crucial year to implement the 14th Five-Year Plan, and that the economic work should follow the general principle of pursuing progress while ensuring stability.

Efforts should be made to steadily promote high-quality development, comprehensively deepen reform and opening-up, and push forward greater self-reliance and strength in science and technology, Xi said.

He urged efforts to effectively strengthen the vitality of the economy, prevent and mitigate risks, improve social expectation, consolidate and enhance the momentum of economic recovery, and effectively upgrade and appropriately expand China's economy.

The symposium was attended by Li Qiang, Wang Huning, Cai Qi and Ding Xuexiang, members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. Entrusted by the CPC Central Committee, Li Qiang briefed the meeting on this year's economic work and introduced relevant considerations for the economic work of the following year.

Chairpersons of the central committees of eight non-CPC parties, chairperson of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce (ACFIC), and a representative of personages without party affiliation made speeches. They agreed with the CPC Central Committee's analysis of the current economic situation as well as its planning and considerations for the economic work next year.

They also offered suggestions on issues including deepening foreign economic and trade cooperation, implementing the proactive fiscal policy, building a market environment of fair competition, expanding effective investment, boosting the development of new material industry, accelerating consumption transition and upgrading, promoting market application of scientific and technological advances, and deepening the integrated development on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

These opinions and suggestions will be carefully studied and absorbed, Xi said.

Xi expressed sincere gratitude to them for their in-depth investigations and research work that resulted in various research reports, opinions, and suggestions since the start of this year, which provided an important basis for the scientific decision-making of the CPC Central Committee.

He said he hopes all other political parties, the ACFIC, and personages without party affiliation will align their thoughts and actions with the arrangements of the CPC Central Committee on the economic work, noting that this year's economic performance and economic work achievements have fully confirmed the correctness and foresight of the CPC Central Committee in its judgment of the situation and related decisions.

He also called on them to strengthen confidence in development, assist in dispelling doubts and building consensus, as well as to actively put forward opinions and suggestions on the promotion of high-quality development by carrying out in-depth investigations and research on major issues such as building a modern industrial system, expanding domestic demand, preventing and mitigating risks, pushing forward the agricultural and rural modernization, and enhancing the improvement of people's wellbeing.