CPC leadership holds meeting on 2026 economic work, regulations on law-based governance

BEIJING -- The Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee on Monday held a meeting to analyze and study the economic work of 2026 and review a set of regulations on the CPC's leadership over law-based governance in all respects.

The meeting was chaired by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee.

Noting that this year is a year of significance in the process of advancing Chinese modernization, the meeting said China has implemented more proactive and effective macro policies, and the main goals for economic and social development are expected to be successfully accomplished.

Over the past five years, China has effectively navigated various shocks and challenges, and seen significant enhancement of its hard power in areas including economy, science and technology, and national defense, as well as its soft power in culture, institution and diplomacy, among others, according to the meeting.

The meeting emphasized that to do a good job in economic work next year, it is necessary to fully and faithfully apply the new development philosophy on all fronts, move faster to create a new pattern of development, promote high-quality development, adhere to the general principle of pursuing progress while ensuring stability, and better coordinate domestic economic work and endeavors in the international economic and trade arena.

It is also necessary to better coordinate development and security, implement more proactive and effective macro policies, make policies more forward-looking, targeted and synergistic, continue to expand domestic demand and improve supply, develop new quality productive forces in light of local conditions, make thorough efforts to develop a unified national market, continue to prevent and defuse risks in key areas, and work to stabilize employment, enterprise operations, markets and expectations to ensure a good start to the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30).

The meeting emphasized that next year's economic work should adhere to the principles of pursuing progress while ensuring stability and improving both quality and effectiveness, and continue to implement a more proactive fiscal policy alongside a moderately loose monetary policy.

It is important to maintain the leading role of domestic demand, pursue an innovation-driven approach, and press ahead with critical reform tasks, according to the meeting.

Coordination in development should be promoted to facilitate integrated urban-rural development and regional synergy.

With carbon emissions peaking and carbon neutrality as the goals, efforts should be made to promote a comprehensive green transformation.

Prioritizing people's livelihoods, practical measures should be taken to benefit the people. At the same time, bottom-line thinking must be maintained to actively and prudently defuse risks in key areas.

The meeting stressed the need to strengthen the leadership by the Party, especially the centralized, unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee.

It also called for having a correct understanding of what it means to perform well, doing a good job in economic work according to local conditions, and pursuing high-quality and sustainable development.

It was noted at the meeting that formulating the regulations on the CPC's leadership over law-based governance in all respects is of great significance for developing a more sound system of socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics and for building a socialist country under the rule of law at a higher stage.

The meeting stressed the need to uphold and strengthen the Party's leadership and to enhance the level of law-based governance and law-based exercise of state power.

It also stressed the need to build confidence in unswervingly following the path of socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics, and to advance law-based governance in all aspects of endeavors.