Chinese President Xi Jinping hailed many real achievements in pursuing high-quality development in 2023 and expressed full confidence in the future in his New Year address delivered Sunday evening in Beijing to ring in 2024.
From China's economic recovery and innovation-driven development to people's pursuit of richer lives and great confidence in Chinese civilization, the president touched upon various topics, reviewing the country's achievements in 2023 and expressing his wishes for the new year.
The Chinese economy has sustained the momentum of recovery, and several advanced, smart and green industries are rapidly emerging as new pillars of the economy, according to Xi. The Chinese economy is more resilient and dynamic than before, he said.
The country has secured a bumper harvest for the 20th year in a row, and its grain output hit a record high of 695.4 million tonnes in 2023. New advances have been made in pursuing rural revitalization, Xi said.
"China's innovation-driven development is full of energy," Xi remarked, citing examples of the C919 large passenger airliner, the Chinese-built large cruise ship, the Shenzhou spaceships and the deep-sea manned submersible Fendouzhe.
Xi said 2023 presented a vibrant and flourishing China to the world, adding that the Chengdu FISU World University Games and the Hangzhou Asian Games showed spectacular sports scenes, that tourist destinations are full of holiday visitors, and that the film market is booming.
Xi said China has marched forward with great confidence in 2023, and the nation's time-honored history and splendid civilization are a source of confidence and strength.
"China," "development," "economy," "vitality" and "world" were among the most frequently mentioned words and phrases from Xi's New Year address.
While pursuing its development, China has also embraced the world with peace and fulfilled its responsibility as a major country. In 2023, China held the China-Central Asia Summit and the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.
2024 will mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. The country will consolidate and strengthen the momentum of economic recovery, deepen reform and opening up across the board, steadfastly advancing Chinese modernization, with the ultimate goal to deliver a better life for the people.
China will support the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and Macao. The country 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, Xi stated.