Exploit Fresh Opportunities for Steady Growth on the New Journey for the China Focus Column
驭风前行谋新机，蹄疾步稳启新程
Chinese Ambassador to Sudan Ma Xinmin Publishes an Signature Article on Brown Land
驻苏丹大使马新民在《褐色大地报》发表署名文章
2022年2月15日
15 February 2022
The year 2021 has seen twists and turns in the once-in-a-century pandemic, accelerating changes unseen in a century, and a combination of transformation and turmoil across the world. Against this backdrop, how to defeat the coronavirus while stabilizing the economy and ensuring basic needs of the people remains a common task for all nations. As shown by the most recent data on China’s economic performance of 2021, China’s economy, under the firm leadership of Chinese President Xi Jinping, has continued to grow despite various pressure and hardship, achieving the dual target of fairly high growth and relatively low inflation. This is once again a globally-acclaimed performance that inspires the people and will inject constant and strong momentum into global recovery.
刚刚过去的2021年，是世纪疫情起伏反复、百年变局深刻演进、国际局势变乱交织的一年，抗疫情、稳经济、保民生成为摆在世界各国面前的共同课题。近日，2021年中国经济运行数据出炉，在习近平主席的坚强领导下，中国经济承压前行、逆势而上，实现较高增长和较低通胀双重目标，再次交出一份令人民振奋、让世界瞩目的答卷，为世界经济复苏持续注入强劲动力。
China’s economic growth has remained steady and striking. In 2021, China’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 8.1% year on year to CNY114.4 trillion, or USD17.7 trillion as calculated at the yearly average exchange rate, ranking second globally and accounting for about 18% of the world economy. Its GDP growth was among the fastest in major economies in the world. The GDP per capita exceeded USD12,500, overtaking the global average and nearing that of a high-income country as defined by the World Bank. China has ranked the world’s first in terms of foreign exchange reserves, added value in the industrial and manufacturing sectors and the output of over 220 major industrial products. A continuous rise in the economic size and per capita GDP means not only a higher level of composite national strength, productive forces and living conditions, but also firmer foundations, better conditions and stronger impetus for future development.
经济增长 “成绩”亮眼、稳中有进。2021年，中国国内生产总值（GDP）同比增长8.1%，达到114.4万亿元人民币，增速位居全球主要经济体前列。按年平均汇率折算，达17.7万亿美元，稳居世界第二，占世界经济比重继续上升至18%左右。人均GDP突破1.25万美元，超过世界人均水平，接近世界银行划设的高收入经济体门槛。外汇储备、全部工业和制造业增加值及220多种主要产品产量均居世界第一。经济总量和人均水平持续提高，意味着综合国力、社会生产力、人民生活水平进一步提升，也意味着发展的基础更牢、条件更优、动力更足。
China’s high-quality development, both in terms of quality and quantity, has made faster strides. The state strategic scientific and technological strength grew stronger at a faster pace, with the Zhurong rover probing Mars, the Xihe satellite chasing the sun, the Tianhe space station core module traveling among the stars and the Shenzhou spacecrafts soaring up into the sky. As emerging industries and new business forms have thrived, China now leads the world in such technologies as 5G mobile communication, big data, cloud computing and block chain. Green and low-carbon development also made new achievements. The consumption of clean energies like natural gas, hydropower, nuclear, wind and solar accounted for 25.3% of the total energy consumption. The output of new energy vehicles and solar batteries grew by 145.6% and 42.1% respectively compared with 2020. Furthermore, the Chinese government gave strong support for technological innovations. China now has the largest group of 2.1 million researchers in the world. The spending on research and development was up by 14.2% to CNY2.8 trillion in 2021, accounting for 2.44% of the GDP. All this shows that China’s economy has shifted away from high-speed growth to high-quality development, and will achieve steady growth via technological innovations as the main growth driver.
高质量发展步伐加快、量质齐升。2021年，中国国家战略科技力量加快壮大，“祝融”探火，“羲和”逐日，“天和”遨游星辰，“神舟”接续飞天。新产业新业态茁壮成长，5G移动通信技术、大数据、云计算、区块链等技术水平居于全球领先地位。绿色低碳发展取得新成效，天然气、水核风光电等清洁能源消费比重上升至25.3%，新能源汽车、太阳能电池产量同比分别增长145.6%、42.1%。政府大力支持科技创新，中国科研人员达210万人，为全世界最多，研发经费支出2.8万亿元，增长14.2%，占GDP的2.44%。中国经济已由高速增长阶段转向高质量发展阶段，科技创新成为中国经济行稳致远的强大引擎。
China’s endeavors to ensure people’s wellbeing have remained people-centric and solid. Employment is the foundation of people’s wellbeing. In 2021, the number of new jobs created in urban areas totaled 12.69 million, 0.83 million higher than the previous year’s figure, which means that the yearly target of creating 11 million new jobs was overfulfilled. Resident income grew basically in step with economic growth. The nationwide per capita disposable income of residents was higher than CNY35,000, a real growth of 8.1%. In addition, China’s grain output reached a new high of 680 million metric tons, exceeding 650 million metric tons for the seventh year in a row. This lays a sound foundation for sufficient supply and price stability in the market. The investment to improve living standards has expanded as well. Education and public health investment increased by 11.7% and 24.5% respectively from a year earlier. Last year, China scored a final victory in its fight against poverty, which is an outstanding and historic achievement. Committed to meeting people’s aspiration for an even better life as the starting point and ultimate goal of its economic development, China managed to maintain steady growth while ensuring people’s wellbeing. It is now making untiring efforts to accomplish the mission of common prosperity.
民生保障以人为本、坚决有力。就业是民生之本。2021年，中国城镇新增就业1269万人，比上年增加83万人，超额完成全年1100万人以上的预期目标。居民收入增长与经济增长基本同步，人均可支配收入超3.5万元，增长8.1%。粮食生产再创新高，全年粮食总产量1.36万亿斤，连续7年保持在1.3万亿斤以上，为保障市场供应和稳定物价奠定良好基础。民生投入持续增加，教育、卫生领域投资同比分别增长11.7%和24.5%。脱贫攻坚战取得全面胜利，创造了又一个彪炳史册的人间奇迹。中国经济发展始终将满足人民对美好生活的向往作为出发点和落脚点，实现了稳增长与惠民生的“一体推进”，正朝着共同富裕目标不懈努力。
China’s reform and opening-up has made sustained progress and benefited the whole world. The steady growth of the Chinese economy added strong impetus to the world economic recovery. A number of international organizations estimated that in 2021 China remained the largest contributor to global economic growth with a solid share of more than 25 percent. President Xi Jinping solemnly presented the Global Development Initiative, providing a new public good for effectively tackling post-COVID challenges and realizing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Global Development Initiative has been well received and supported by international organizations such as UN agencies and nearly 100 countries. China has adhered to reform and opening up and saw foreign trade, foreign investment and consumption, as well as the share of investment in BRI countries, hit record highs. New breakthroughs were made in multilateral and bilateral economic and trade relations. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) entered into force as scheduled, marking the largest free trade zone by far in terms of participating population and development potential. Additionally, China has applied to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA), thus taking new steps toward openness and cooperation in the face of protectionist headwinds. This demonstrates China’s commitment to sharing with the rest of the world opportunities of its own development.
改革开放持续推进、惠及世界。稳定增长的中国经济为世界经济复苏注入强劲动力，据多个国际组织测算，2021年中国以超过25%的比例继续稳居全球经济增长最大贡献国。习近平主席郑重提出全球发展倡议，为有效应对后疫情挑战，实现联合国2030年可持续发展议程提供新的公共产品，得到联合国机构等国际组织以及近百个国家的响应支持。中国坚持扩大开放，外贸、外资、消费规模和对“一带一路”沿线国家投资占比均创历史新高。多双边经贸关系取得新突破，《区域全面经济伙伴关系协定》（RCEP）如期生效实施，全球覆盖人口最多、发展潜力最大的自贸区正式启航。中国还申请加入《全面与进步跨太平洋伙伴关系协定》（CPTPP）和《数字经济伙伴关系协定》（DEPA），在保护主义逆风中迈出开放合作新步伐，不断同世界各国分享中国发展机遇。
China will do well only when the world does well, and vice versa. In the past year, China ensured steady development of its economy. More importantly, it worked with its partners to stabilize the global industrial and supply chains, giving a strong support for global COVID-19 response and the world economic recovery. By the end of last year, China has provided 372 billion masks, more than 4.2 billion protective suits, 8.4 billion test reagents, and more than two billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine to more than 120 countries and international organizations, making China the largest supplier of COVID-19 vaccines.
“世界好，中国才能好；中国好，世界才更好”。过去一年，中国不仅实现了本国经济的稳定运行，还携手贸易伙伴，共同维护了全球产业链供应链稳定，为全球疫情防控、世界经济复苏提供有力支撑。截至去年底，中国已累计向国际社会提供约3720亿只口罩、超过42亿件防护服、84亿人份检测试剂，向120多个国家和国际组织提供超过20亿剂新冠疫苗，成为对外提供疫苗最多的国家。
The year 2022 is a crucial year for China’s march toward the second centenary goal of building a modern socialist country in all respects. President Xi Jinping once used a metaphor to describe the Chinese economy, saying that it is not a pond, but an ocean. The ocean may have its calm days, but big winds and storms are only to be expected. Big winds and storms may upset a pond, but never an ocean. Looking ahead, China will continue to work hard to keep its economy on an upward path and boost global development with its own growth. China is ready to work with Sudan and other countries to share opportunities and tide over difficulties for a shared future.
2022年是中国踏上全面建设社会主义现代化国家、向第二个百年奋斗目标进军新征程的重要一年。习近平主席指出，中国经济是一片大海，而不是一个小池塘。大海有风平浪静之时，也有风狂雨骤之时。狂风骤雨可以掀翻小池塘，但不能掀翻大海。展望未来，中国经济将继续打好“逆风球”、走稳“上坡路”，以自身发展推动世界发展，同包括苏丹在内的全球各国共享机遇、共克时艰、共创未来！