All the world are interested in the outlook of the Chinese economy. Some people may even worry about the possible potential impact of China's economic slowdown and transition. What is really happening in China? The answer is the Chinese economy has entered a state of new normal. The gear of growth is shifting from high speed to medium-to-high speed, and development needs to move from low-to-medium level to medium-to-high level. China is aiming for 7% GDP growth.
It must be noted that the moderation of growth speed in China reflects both profound adjustments in the world economy as well as the law of economics. The Chinese economy is now the second largest in the world. With a larger base figure, a growth even at 7% will produce an annual increase of more than 800 billion US dollars at current price, larger than a 10% growth five years ago. With the economy performing within the reasonable range and the speed of growth no longer taken as the sole yardstick, the strained supply-demand relationship will be eased, the pressure on resources and the environment will be lowered, and more time and energy will be devoted to push forward structural reform. That means, the economy will enter a more advanced stage of development, with more sophisticated division of labor and a more optimized structure. If Chinese economy could be compared to a running train, this train will not lose speed or momentum. It will only be powered by stronger dynamo and run with greater steadiness, bringing along new opportunities and new momentum of growth.
In 2014, we followed exactly the afore-mentioned approach. In the face of downward pressure, we did not resort to strong stimulus; instead, we vigorously pursued reforms, and the government in fact led these reforms by streamlining administration and delegating power. This has motivated both the market and the business sector. GDP grew by 7.4% for the whole year, the best among major economies in the world. Over 13 million new jobs were created in cities, with both registered and surveyed unemployment rates lower than the previous year. That is, we achieved growth in employment despite the economic slowdown. CPI was kept at 2%, lower than the target set at the beginning of the year. These outcomes prove that the host of macro-regulation measures China adopted have been right and effective. More importantly, new progress has been made in advancing structural reform.
Needless to say, the Chinese economy will continue to face substantial downward pressure in 2015. We will maintain our strategic focus and continue to pursue a proactive fiscal policy and a prudent monetary policy. We will avoid adopting indiscriminate policies. Instead, we will put more emphasis on anticipatory adjustment and fine-tuning, do an even better job with targeted macro-regulation to keep the economy operating within the reasonable range, and raise the quality and performance of the economy. China's high savings rate, which now stands at 50%, generates sufficient funds for sustaining economic growth. Besides, China's local debt, over 70% of which was incurred for infrastructure development, is backed by assets. And reform of the financial system is making progress. It is believed that regional or systemic financial crisis will not happen in China, and the Chinese economy will not head for a hard landing.
To ensure long-term and steady growth of the Chinese economy, we need to comprehensively deepen reforms. We need to properly use both the hand of the government and the hand of the market, and rely on both the traditional and new engines of growth. We will let the market play a decisive role in resource allocation to foster a new engine of growth. At the same time, we will give better scope to the role of the government to transform and upgrade the traditional engine of growth.
To foster a new engine of growth, we will encourage mass entrepreneurship and innovation. China has 1.3 billion people, a 900-million workforce, and over 70 million enterprises and self-employed businesses. Our people are hard-working and talented. If we could activate every cell in society, the economy of China as a whole will brim with more vigor and gather stronger power for growth. Mass entrepreneurship and innovation, in our eyes, is a "gold mine" that provides constant source of creativity and wealth.
China's reform and development will bring more business opportunities to the world. We will provide easier market access for inbound foreign investment, and explore the possibility of management based on a pre-establishment national treatment and negative-list approach. Chinese and foreign companies will be treated as equals. We will further open the financial, education, cultural, medical care, pension and other service sectors in an orderly way, and bring the experience of the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone to other parts of China. Our aim is to help investors from across countries find "rich mines" and reap steady returns from their investment.
What is more, China will explore new approaches to investment co-operation with other countries. China's high-speed railway, nuclear power, aviation, telecommunications and other sophisticated manufacturing capacities are gradually being introduced to other countries. They could meet market demand of the recipient country, and stand the test of competition on the international market. Their export will also help open up third-country markets, as many of such products are made by joint ventures between China and a foreign country. China has put forward the initiatives to build the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. China hopes to work with other countries to advance these initiatives and ensure that they are brought forward in ways that meet the actual needs of countries concerned.
China is still a developing country and still has a long way to go before achieving modernisation. While peace is the basic condition for China's development, reform and opening-up along with our people's desire for a happy life constitute the strongest impetus propelling development. The space of development in China's rural and urban areas and various regions is enormous, and the country's domestic demand will simply generate great potential of growth. Development at medium-to-high speed for another ten to twenty years will bring even bigger changes to China and create more development opportunities for the world.
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