A close look at China's 14th Five-Year Plan

Over the past four years, China has not only met key economic targets, but also made tremendous strides in improving the lives of its citizens. Let's start with economic growth, where steady progress has been the theme.

In 2021, China's GDP stood at 114.9 trillion yuan, around 15.8 trillion US dollars. Fast forward to 2024, the figure increased to nearly 135 trillion yuan or 18.5 trillion US dollars.

Agricultural also saw significant progress. In 2024, grain production reached a record-breaking 1.4 trillion jin, and that's 700 million tons. That means enough grain to provide every person worldwide with roughly 87.5 kilograms.

Traditional industries are also evolving rapidly. Emerging sectors like smart manufacturing and the industrial internet are reshaping how things are made and how industries connect. By 2023, China's digital economy had grown to 7.4 trillion US dollars, accounting for nearly 43% of its GDP.

With China's R&D spending reaching 2.68% of GDP in 2024, the investment in innovation is paying off in a big way. Last year, China's first domestically designed and built deep-ocean drilling vessel, the 'Mengxiang', made waves as it ventured into the mysteries of the deep ocean. And the 'Fujian', China's homegrown aircraft carrier, took to the seas for its maiden voyage, marking a major milestone in national defense.

And look over there, another giant product made in and by China. Since its commercial debut in 2023, the C919, China's first domestically developed large passenger jet, has already carried over 1 million passengers.

And that's not all. In the far reaches of space, the Chang'e-6 lunar probe successfully collected samples from the far side of the moon, delivering this unique cosmic parcel back to Earth, a true testament to China's growing technological independence.

The journey of innovation is just beginning. In 2024, China produced over 13 million new energy vehicles, marking a new engine for economic growth and accelerating the country's shift towards sustainability. It doesn't stop there. China's renewable energy capacity has reached 1.45 billion kilowatts. And for the first time, renewable sources now account for over 50% of the country's total power generation, a historic shift away from coal.

As the economy grows, so too does the prosperity of China's citizens. In 2024, the average disposable income per capita reached over 5,600 US dollars, a 5.3% increase from the year before. Total retail sales of consumer goods hit a remarkable 6.7 trillion US dollars in 2024.

But where it really stands out is China's dominance in e-commerce. Online retail sales reached about 2.1 trillion US dollars, solidifying the country's position as the world's largest e-commerce market for the 12th year in a row. And let's not forget cross-border e-commerce, which has grown more than tenfold over the last five years, becoming a key driver of foreign trade. The total import and export value in this sector reached over 360 billion US dollars last year.

On the social security front, China continues to expand access to healthcare. The coverage rate of basic medical insurance remains stable at around 95%, with over 1.3 billion people now covered. Meanwhile, China's healthcare system is growing stronger. From 2021 to 2023, about 30,000 new healthcare facilities were added, bringing the total to over 1 million.

With each passing year guided by the 14th Five-Year Plan, China's transformation is now becoming more visible, more impactful, and more promising for the future. The journey continues, and the best is yet to come.

中文

在过去的四年里，中国不仅实现了关键的经济目标，在改善民生方面也取得了巨大进步。让我们从经济增长开始，稳步发展一直是其主题。

2021年，中国的GDP为114.9万亿元人民币，约合15.8万亿美元。快进到2024年，这一数字增至近135万亿元人民币，即18.5万亿美元。

农业也取得了显著进展。2024年，粮食产量达到创纪录的1.4万亿斤，即7亿吨。这意味着有足够的粮食为全球每个人提供约87.5公斤。

传统产业也在迅速发展。智能制造和工业互联网等新兴领域正在重塑产品的制造方式和产业的连接方式。到2023年，中国的数字经济已增长至7.4万亿美元，占其GDP的近43%。

随着中国在2024年的研发支出达到GDP的2.68%，对创新的投资正带来巨大回报。去年，中国首艘自主设计建造的深海钻探船“梦想”号在探索深海奥秘时引起轰动。而中国自主建造的航空母舰“福建”号也进行了首次海试，标志着国防建设的一个重要里程碑。

再看那边，又一个由中国制造和中国创造的巨型产品。自2023年商业首航以来，中国首款自主研发的大型客机C919已经运送了超过100万名乘客。

这还不是全部。在遥远的太空，嫦娥六号月球探测器成功从月球背面采集了样本，将这份独特的宇宙包裹带回地球，这是中国日益增长的技术自主能力的真实写照。

创新之旅才刚刚开始。2024年，中国生产了超过1300万辆新能源汽车，这标志着经济增长的新引擎，并加速了国家向可持续发展的转型。这还未结束。中国的可再生能源装机容量已达到14.5亿千瓦。而且，可再生能源首次占到全国总发电量的50%以上，这是摆脱煤炭依赖的历史性转变。

随着经济的增长，中国公民的财富也在增加。2024年，人均可支配收入超过5600美元，比上一年增长了5.3%。2024年消费品零售总额达到了惊人的6.7万亿美元。

但真正引人注目的是中国在电子商务领域的主导地位。在线零售额达到约2.1万亿美元，连续第12年巩固了其作为全球最大电子商务市场的地位。我们也不能忘记跨境电子商务，在过去五年中增长了十倍以上，成为对外贸易的关键驱动力。去年，该领域的进出口总额超过了3600亿美元。

在社会保障方面，中国继续扩大医疗保健的覆盖范围。基本医疗保险的覆盖率稳定在95%左右，现已覆盖超过13亿人。与此同时，中国的医疗体系正在变得更加强大。从2021年到2023年，新增了约3万家医疗卫生机构，使总数超过了100万家。

在“十四五”规划的指引下，年复一年，中国的转型正变得更加清晰可见、更具影响力，并为未来带来更多希望。征程仍在继续，未来可期。

For more: https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-03-03/A-close-look-at-China-s-14th-Five-Year-Plan-1Bra8wquCUE/p.html