Those who are good at playing seek momentum, and those who are good at strategizing will go far.
In April 2020, based on the realization of the second centenary goal and facing complex changes, General Secretary Xi Jinping proposed to build a new development pattern and grasp the initiative of future development.
Smooth the economic cycle, build a unified market, break through key technologies, and coordinate regional development...... Over the past five years, a series of forward-looking plans have been put into effect, accumulating development power with a new pattern, leading China's economic ship to cut through the waves and move forward against the wind.
At present, the United States is once again wielding a "chaotic fist" of tariffs, constantly escalating the so-called "reciprocal tariffs", and the bullying behavior has intensified. China, on the other hand, has responded more calmly and resiliently, showing more strength and confidence.
In the baptism of wind and rain, the far-reaching intention and practical direction of building a new development pattern have become more and more obvious: it is to enhance our viability, competitiveness, development and sustainability in all kinds of foreseeable and unforeseeable storms and storms, so as to ensure that the process of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation will not be delayed or even interrupted.
"The time and the situation are on our side" and "in the long run, the east wind is still mighty"...... General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that as long as we maintain our strategic focus and concentrate on doing our own things well, the goals we set will definitely be achieved.
(a)
In April, Ningbo Zhoushan Port Chuanshan Port Area, there are many bridge cranes along the wharf, and 10,000-ton giant ships are full of berths.
As a key part of the smooth operation of China's industrial chain and supply chain, the annual cargo throughput of Ningbo Zhoushan Port has ranked first in the world for 16 consecutive years, and the container throughput was 10.072 million TEUs in the first quarter of this year, a year-on-year increase of 10.2%.
Cargo ships load and unload containers at the berth of the Dapukou Container Terminal in the Jintang Port Area of Zhoushan Port in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province (drone photo taken on January 4, 2025). Xinhua News Agency (photo by Zou Xunyong)
Five years ago, at the end of March 2020, at the critical moment of fighting the new crown epidemic, General Secretary Xi Jinping braved the rain to visit here, and was keenly aware that "the local rupture of the global industrial chain and supply chain under the impact of the epidemic directly affects China's domestic economic cycle".
At that time, although China and the United States signed the first phase of the economic and trade agreement, US politicians frequently took advantage of the epidemic to dump China, intensifying the trend of anti-globalization, the tendency of domestic considerations of various countries increased significantly, and the international economic cycle pattern underwent a deep adjustment.
The new situation urgently needs new ideas for planning and development.
Shortly after the inspection, on April 10, 2020, General Secretary Xi Jinping proposed at the seventh meeting of the Central Financial and Economic Commission to "build a new development pattern with the domestic cycle as the main body and the domestic and international cycles reinforcing each other".
At the Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China held in October of that year, General Secretary Xi Jinping made comprehensive arrangements for building a new development pattern.
"It is a systemic and deep-seated change related to the overall situation, a strategic plan based on the current and long-term, and an inevitable choice to adapt to the requirements of the new stage of China's development and shape new advantages in international cooperation and competition." -- Building a new development pattern reflects General Secretary Xi Jinping's profound thinking on China's relationship with the world in the new era.
The key to building a new development pattern lies in the unimpeded economic cycle.
An average of 24,000 enterprises are born every day, more than 40 billion yuan of goods are sold online, nearly 500 million pieces are sent by express delivery, and more than 15 million people travel in China......
Workers work at Shentong Express' North China Transit Center in Gu'an County, Hebei Province, February 26, 2025. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Xiao
Today's China, with a population of more than 1.4 billion and more than 400 million middle-income groups, has a huge domestic market and a vast space for development.
General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly pointed out that "to build a new development pattern, we must first do a good job in the domestic cycle" and "expanding domestic demand is not only related to economic stability, but also to economic security".
Focusing on smoothing the domestic circulation and firmly grasping the strategic basis of expanding domestic demand, China has always been taking action.
From the introduction of the opinions on accelerating the construction of a unified national market, to the layout and construction of a modern infrastructure system and a modern logistics system, the Party Central Committee started from the top-level design to promote the transformation of the "big market" to the "strong market".
With the basic focus on meeting domestic demand, we have issued important documents such as the Outline of the Strategic Plan for Expanding Domestic Demand (2022-2035) to optimize the supply of goods and services by upgrading the industrial chain and supply chain, comprehensively promoting rural revitalization, continuing to promote people-centered urbanization, and thoroughly implementing the regional coordinated development strategy......
Since 2020, the Central Economic Work Conference has continuously deployed for the expansion of domestic demand, and last year's meeting listed "vigorously boosting consumption, improving investment efficiency, and expanding domestic demand in all aspects" as the first of the nine key tasks this year.
The box office of the movie "Nezha 2" is approaching 16 billion yuan, and the characteristic cultural tourism in Harbin, Changchun, Chongqing and other cities has been "out of the circle" one after another, the sales of cars and home appliances have reached new highs, and the experiential consumption such as talk shows and concerts has risen...... New consumption scenarios reflect the new vitality of economic growth.
In Beijing's Chaoyang District, audiences visit an exhibition of hand-painted posters for the movie "Nezha's Demon Boy in the Sea" (photo taken on April 19, 2025). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Xin
Only by breaking down market barriers can we release momentum for the smooth domestic circulation.
Located in the southwest of Sichuan and Chongqing Gaozhu New Area, a series of modern factories have sprung up, and enterprises in the new area can choose one of the policies of Sichuan and Chongqing according to the policy of "low cost or high, high policy or low".
"After moving to the new area, we can enjoy the relatively low factor cost of Sichuan and the high-level technical support of Chongqing, so we have more room for development." Li Xiaohui, technical director of the engineering technology department of Sichuan Ruichuang Automobile Technology Co., Ltd., said.
Implement the "Regulations on Fair Competition Review" and issue the "Guidelines for the Construction of a National Unified Market (for Trial Implementation)", smooth the flow of factors, and promote a better combination of an effective market and a promising government...... We will continue to deepen reforms, promote the construction of a unified national market, and consolidate the basic support for building a new development pattern.
The thriving domestic market is where we have the confidence to resist all kinds of foreseeable and unforeseeable storms and storms.
In the first quarter of this year, China's economy got off to a good start, with a growth rate of 5.4% among the world's major economies, and high-quality development is improving, demonstrating strong economic resilience and potential.
Looking back on the past five years, the main engine of domestic demand in China has become stronger and stronger: the total retail sales of consumer goods have increased from 39.2 trillion yuan to 48.8 trillion yuan, ranking the second largest consumer market, the first online retail market and the second largest import market in the world.
From a longer time axis, China's economic development model is quietly changing: the dependence on foreign trade has dropped from 67% in 2006 to 35% in 2022, and domestic demand has increasingly become the main driving force of economic growth. Some foreign media commented that China is "letting the economic engine roar".
Gather the sun and make flames, and put your fingers together into a fist. In the sea of China's economy, there are nearly 200 million business entities, which provide inexhaustible impetus for China's economic development.
We will continue to deepen the reform of state-owned enterprises, accelerate the introduction of the Law on the Promotion of the Private Economy, strive to solve the problem of arrears of enterprises, continue to reduce the negative list for foreign investment access, and continue to reduce costs and burdens for individual industrial and commercial households...... The continuously optimized business environment is effectively stimulating the vitality of various business entities.
Grasp the crisis and opportunity, and reshape the new pattern. In the coming period, the characteristics of China's domestic market dominating the economic cycle will be more obvious, and the domestic demand potential of economic growth will continue to be released.
General Secretary Xi Jinping clearly pointed out that "only by basing ourselves on ourselves, unblocking the domestic circulation, and striving to refine a body that is invulnerable to all kinds of poisons and indestructible, can we let the international situation change and always be full of vitality to survive and develop."
(b)
April 2025, on the shore of Lianqiu Lake in Qingpu, Shanghai.
Huawei's Lianqiu Lake R&D Center, which is composed of hundreds of modern buildings and can accommodate about 35,000 R&D personnel, harmoniously blends into the surrounding Jiangnan water towns and becomes a beautiful landscape.
Witnessing this scene, Thomas Friedman, a columnist for the New York Times, was moved with emotion. In his latest article, "I See the Future, It's Not America," he writes that while the United States is busy imposing tariffs and destroying innovation, China is pushing hard for AI-driven innovation.
Despite frequent challenges, China has always been firm and sober-minded: achieving a high level of self-reliance and self-improvement is the most essential feature of building a new development pattern.
In China, innovation is at the heart of the overall situation of modernization. In 2024, China's ranking will rise to 11th in the Global Innovation Index, making it one of the economies with the fastest rise in innovation power in 10 years and the country with the most science and technology innovation clusters in the top 100.
Behind this is an accurate grasp of the general trend of global scientific and technological innovation and development:
A new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation is reshaping the global innovation map and reshaping the global economic structure.
Standing at a new historical starting point, General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly revealed the "historical logic" of the rise and fall of the country, and proposed that "the prosperity of science and technology leads to the prosperity of the nation, and the strength of science and technology makes the country strong", "to grasp innovation is to grasp development, and to seek innovation is to seek the future".
Behind this is a clear judgment of the complex and changeable internal and external environment:
In 2018, the Sino-US economic and trade frictions unilaterally provoked by the United States continued to escalate, and some key areas in China that were "stuck" were contained and suppressed.
"It is necessary to speed up the self-reliance and self-improvement of science and technology." General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed that this is the key to ensuring the smooth flow of the domestic cycle and shaping China's new advantages in the international cycle.
The more complex the environment, the more important it is to maintain strategic focus.
On New Year's Day 2025, the domestic large aircraft C919 officially began to operate regular commercial flights between Shanghai and Hong Kong.
China Eastern Airlines flight MU721 operated by C919 takes off from Shanghai Hongqiao Airport (photo taken on January 1, 2025). Xinhua News Agency
"We must have our own big plane!" In May 2014, General Secretary Xi Jinping inspected the COMAC Design and R&D Center, and what he said is still exciting.
In the big chess game of building a new development pattern, strong effective supply capacity can penetrate the circulation blockage, promote effective demand, and achieve a higher level of dynamic balance of the economy.
The key core technology is the important weapon of the country. General Secretary Xi Jinping once made a vivid analogy: "If the 'lifeline' of the supply chain is in the hands of others, it is like building a house on the foundation of someone else's wall, no matter how big and beautiful it is, it may not be able to withstand the wind and rain, and it will even be vulnerable." ”
We will do a good job in tackling key core technologies, strengthen original and leading scientific and technological research, accelerate the reform of the scientific and technological system, cultivate innovative talents, and implement forward-looking and strategic major national scientific and technological projects...... A series of measures have helped China strive to move towards high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-reliance.
The wave of innovation is rushing forward.
"New quality productivity" - since July 2023, General Secretary Xi Jinping has frequently mentioned this refreshing concept.
"With the substantial improvement of total factor productivity as the core symbol, it is characterized by innovation, the key is high quality, and the essence is advanced productivity", "Solidly promote the deep integration of scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation, and help the development of new quality productivity"......
A series of important expositions by General Secretary Xi Jinping have pointed out the direction for accelerating the development of new quality productive forces.
Promoting the optimization and upgrading of the industrial chain and supply chain is an urgent need to stabilize the dominant position of the domestic cycle and enhance the ability to drive the international cycle.
Surgical robots, a milestone in the development of clinical medicine, have been monopolized by imported equipment in the domestic market for a long time due to high-tech barriers.
Entering the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, with the favorable policies of the state to support the development of high-end medical equipment, with the joint efforts of industry, academia, research and application, the domestic surgical robot industry has stood on the outlet.
A total of 6,000 surgeries have been completed, and 21 new orders have been placed in 10 provinces...... Shenzhen Jingfeng Medical Technology Co., Ltd. handed over a brilliant report card last year, becoming the epitome of China's domestic surgical robots striding towards the market.
Nowadays, in the face of the problem of "stuck neck", more and more Chinese companies are "fighting their way out of the encirclement" step by step, and they are not taking low-price competition, but increasing innovation and research and development.
Looking at the land of China, the new quality productivity is booming, showing the multiplier effect of the innovation ecology: the "Dream" ocean drilling ship has been completed and listed, the DeepSeek large model has exploded around the world, the self-developed brain-computer interface implanted into the human brain has made new breakthroughs, and the integrated application of the industrial Internet has achieved full coverage of 41 industrial categories......
Users ask questions on the DeepSeek mobile app (photo taken on February 17, 2025). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Huang Zongzhi
The French newspaper "Echo" published an article saying that China's science and technology has reached a new level, and artificial intelligence, 5G, new energy aircraft, biotechnology, etc. will become a new driving force for China's progress.
The future has come, and the pace of innovation in China is more certain.
Today, in the era of coexistence of opportunities and challenges, only by accurately recognizing changes, responding scientifically, taking the initiative to change, and having the courage to innovate, can we seize opportunities, effectively respond to challenges, and win the initiative and win the future in turning crises into opportunities.
(c)
At a time when the United States is wielding the stick of tariffs, China is using opening up as a pen to paint a number of "Spring Covenant" pictures——
The China Development Forum, the Boao Forum for Asia and the Zhongguancun Forum kicked off; At the Consumer Expo and the Canton Fair, the enthusiasm for domestic and foreign exhibitors was high; A number of multinational companies have announced capital increases and production expansions in China......
Visitors visit the 5th CICGF in Hainan on April 17, 2025. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Liyun
On both sides of the Pacific, the United States continues to create problems, while China is actively creating opportunities and building a stage for win-win cooperation. In this regard, some foreign media commented that the United States is busy "building walls" and China is busy opening up, which is in stark contrast.
A deep insight into the great changes can make a big layout.
Some people have questioned whether the construction of a new development pattern means a reversal of China's opening up policy.
General Secretary Xi Jinping clearly responded: "With the domestic cycle as the main body, it is by no means a closed operation, but by giving full play to the potential of domestic demand, so that the domestic market and the international market can be better connected."
The China International Import Expo, the world's first import-themed national-level exhibition, is regarded as an important window for building a domestic and international dual circulation.
At present, it has been less than 200 days since the 8th CIIE was held. Under the cold wave of the world economy, there is still a warm breeze blowing here: nearly 800 enterprises from more than 70 countries and regions have signed contracts, which fully reflects the confidence and enthusiasm of all parties in China's large market.
In November 2018, the first CIIE was held against the backdrop of the escalation of the trade war between the United States and China.
"China's pace of promoting a higher level of opening up will not stop! China's efforts to build an open world economy will not stop! China's efforts to build a community with a shared future for mankind will not stop! "Now revisiting General Secretary Xi Jinping's keynote speech at the first CIIE, it is even more deafening.
In the face of headwinds and waters, it is China's firm choice to bravely sail against the wind.
On many occasions, he has declared that "China's door to opening up will not be closed, but will only open wider and wider"; emphasizing that the promotion of opening up should be "sooner rather than later, and sooner rather than later"; Commitment to foreign-funded enterprises that "China was, is, and will be an ideal, safe and promising investment destination for foreign investors......
Today, China has become a major trading partner of more than 150 countries and regions around the world. The negative list for foreign investment access continues to "slim down", the "visa-free circle of friends" expands, the "China Travel" is out of the circle, and China continues to take the initiative to "chain" the world and smooth the "dual circulation".
Make good use of the two markets and two resources, and the stories of mutual benefit and win-win results in cooperation are constantly staged.
As one of the "full-time students" of the Expo, the Shanghai Gigafactory of the American company Tesla has accounted for more than half of its global production capacity. According to a report by relevant foreign chambers of commerce, 53% of U.S. companies surveyed expect to increase investment in China by 2025; More than half of German companies will increase their investments in the next two years.
The New York Times recently published an article saying that under the tariff storm, many companies regard China as the safest "safe haven".
China's huge market is not only a "stabilizer" for economic development, but also a "strong backing" for coping with external shocks.
This spring, in Yiwu, Zhejiang, the world's largest small commodity distribution center, merchants were busy live online, receiving customers, and negotiating business.
"We are expanding new markets through cross-border e-commerce, overseas exhibitions, etc.", "We don't put our eggs in one basket, we do business with global customers", "Instead of being anxious about tariffs, we should take the initiative to respond and increase our efforts to go overseas"...... In the face of headwinds, Chinese merchants have risen to the challenge and actively expanded into diversified markets.
Overseas buyers negotiate at the porcelain exhibition area of the 137th Canton Fair (photo taken on April 23, 2025). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Deng Hua
At the same time, in China's major e-commerce platforms and chain supermarkets, relay promotional activities have built a bridge to embrace the domestic market for many foreign trade products. Today, among the hundreds of thousands of enterprises with export performance in China, more than 8 percent of them have simultaneously carried out domestic sales business.
Taking into account both internal and external and opening up the two major cycles is a wise way to hedge external risks, and it is the only way to build an independent and controllable supply system.
"The question now is not whether to open up to the outside world, but how to improve the quality of opening up and the internal and external linkage of development" "We must not only continue to deepen the flow of goods, services, capital, talents and other factors, but also steadily expand the rules, regulations, management, standards and other institutional opening-up"...... General Secretary Xi Jinping has in-depth thinking on promoting high-level opening-up.
Xiqing District, Tianjin, is home to the country's first wholly foreign-owned tertiary general hospital, which officially opened in February this year. Since the end of last year, three new wholly foreign-owned hospitals have been approved in China, releasing a positive signal that the door of the service industry is opening wider and wider.
Perennial General Hospital (Tianjin Perennial Hospital), Malaysia's first wholly foreign-owned tertiary general hospital, celebrates its first opening day (photo taken on 26 February 2025). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Ran
