Embracing 2024, how will China deliver a better life for the people?

China's ultimate goal is to deliver a better life for the people, Chinese President Xi Jinping said during his New Year address on Sunday in Beijing to ring in 2024.

"Our children should be well taken care of and receive good education. Our young people should have the opportunities to pursue their careers and succeed. And our elderly people should have adequate access to medical services and elderly care," Xi pledged.

These issues matter to every family, and they are also a top priority of the government, he stressed. "We must work together to deliver on these issues."

While pursuing its development, China has also embraced the world and fulfilled its responsibility as a major country, Xi added.

"No matter how the global landscape may evolve, peace and development remain the underlying trend, and only cooperation for mutual benefit can deliver," said the Chinese president.

Relying on the people

The year 2023 has not been an easy one for China. Despite sluggish global growth, China has navigated economic headwinds and withstood the test of major natural disasters.

"Having weathered the storm, the Chinese economy is more resilient and dynamic than before," said Xi in Sunday's address.

"The people are the ones we look to when we fight to prevail over all difficulties or challenges," Xi stressed.

In the address, he mentioned that in 2023, some enterprises had a tough time, some people had difficulty finding jobs and meeting basic needs, and some places were hit by floods, typhoons, earthquakes or other natural disasters.

"All these remain at the forefront of my mind," he said.

Looking to the future, Xi urged efforts to steadfastly advance Chinese modernization, fully and faithfully apply the new development philosophy on all fronts, speed up building the new development paradigm, promote high-quality development, and both pursue development and safeguard security.

The Chinese president also vowed continued support for Hong Kong and Macao to harness their distinctive strengths, better integrate themselves into China's overall development, and secure long-term prosperity and stability.

"China will surely be reunified, and all Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Strait should be bound by a common sense of purpose and share in the glory of the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation," he added.

Making the world a better place for all

The Chinese president said in his New Year address that conflicts are still raging in some parts of the world.

"We will work closely with the international community for the common good of humanity, build a community with a shared future for mankind, and make the world a better place for all," said Xi.

The China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) provides a platform for building a community with a shared future for mankind through diverse, high-quality cooperation.

Under the BRI, China has signed more than 200 documents on cooperation with over 150 countries and in excess of 30 international organizations. From 2013 to 2022, the cumulative value of trade between China and BRI countries reached $19.1 trillion, with an average annual growth rate of 6.4 percent.

At the bilateral and multilateral level, China has built communities of shared future with an increasing number of partners in different forms. The China-proposed Global Development Initiative and Global Security Initiative have gained support from over 100 countries, and the Global Civilization Initiative has also been well received.

(Cover: A woman airs chilies at a village in Ji'an City, east China's Jiangxi Province, December 29, 2023. /CFP)