An Anchor of Stability in Turbulent Times
—The Global Significance of China's Development
in the New Era
(Remarks at the Seminar on “Building a Community with a Shared Future for Humanity”, March 13, 2026 by His Excellency, Qi Zhenhong
Dear
friends from think-tanks and the media,
Good afternoon!
It’s a great pleasure to meet you all. I am especially delighted to see many
familiar friends as well as quite a few new faces here today. First of all, I
wish to express my sincere appreciationfor your longstanding interest in and
support for China-Sri Lanka friendship and the work of our Embassy! It has been
more than a year since we invited you over, and during this period both China
and the world have witnessed many changes. Today we gather here to strengthen
connections and deepen mutual understanding, and also to exchange views openly with
each other on matters of common concern.
I am sure
you have all noticed that China’s “two sessions” just successfully concluded
yesterday. The annual event has long been a vital window for the world to
understand China, butthe “two sessions”this year are particularly important as
2026 marks the beginning of China's 15th Five-Year Plan. From this year, China’s
development has entered a key period for reinforcing the foundations and
pushing ahead on all fronts toward basically achieve socialist modernization by
2035. Therefore, the “two sessions” in 2026 not only need to review the
accomplishments of the past five years but also to chart the course and set
clear objectives for the next five years.
The past
five years have been truly extraordinary. In spite of numerous internal and
external challenges, China, under the resolute leadership of the CPC Central
Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, still successfully fulfilled all
objectives and tasks outlined in the 14th Five-Year Plan:
Firstly,
China’s economic output has been rising up. GDP has consecutively crossed the milestones
of 110 trillionyuan, 120 trillionyuan, 130 trillionyuan, and 140 trillion yuan
(about 20.25 trillion U.S. dollars), achieving an average annual growth rate of
5.4% and maintaining a contribution rate to global economic growth of around
30%.
Secondly,
breakthroughs have been made in scientific, technological, and industrial
innovation. Nationwide R&D spending grew at an average annual rate of 10%,
ranking second globally in total volume. China's manufacturing sector has been
leading the world in value added for the past 16 years, accounting for nearly
30% of the global total.
Thirdly, high-level opening-up has been expanding continuously. China has been ranking first globally for 9successive years in terms of its trade in goods, and its trade in service has exceeded 1 trillion U.S. dollars. China also has lifted all access restrictions
