China safeguards grain, energy security to meet 14th Five-Year Plan targets

China's food and energy security has remained robust in the past years, steadily progressing towards the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) targets.

The Plan identifies grain production capacity and energy as two important indicators of the country's economic and social development.

It highlights the need to maintain overall grain output above 650 million tons and bringing the annual domestic energy production capacity to over 4.6 billion tons of standard coal by 2025.

China has seen grain output stay above 650 million tons for nine consecutive years. Despite challenges posed by severe natural disasters, the country achieved a historic grain production milestone in 2024, with grain output surpassing 700 million tons for the first time.

By the end of 2024, China had developed over 1 billion mu (about 66.7 million hectares) of high-standard farmland and built irrigation networks spanning over 10 million kilometers.

China solidified its position as the world's largest energy producer. In 2023, its total primary energy output was 4.83 billion tons of standard coal, a 202.6-fold increase from 1949, with an average annual growth rate of 7.4 percent.

The 14th Five-Year Plan further calls for accelerating the energy revolution, build a clean, low-carbon, safe, and efficient energy system, and improve energy supply assurance capabilities.

China's energy production has undergone a significant transformation over the past years, shifting from reliance on traditional power sources to new energy. By the end of 2023, the renewable energy power generation capacity in China surpassed half of the total installed capacity for the first time in history.

According to data from the National Energy Administration released in January, renewable energy dominated China's newly installed power capacity in 2024, comprising 86 percent of the total, while the cumulative installed capacity of renewable energy made up a record high of 56 percent of the nation's total.

Also, China's first-ever energy law, aiming to promote high-quality energy development, ensuring national energy security, accelerating green transition, and supporting the country's efforts to achieve carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals, takes effect on January 1, 2025.

'Not relaxed'

The recently released "No. 1 central document" underscores safeguarding food security and the stable supply of key agricultural products as a top national security priority.

The Document stressed that China will focus on increasing per-unit yields of grain by expanding projects aimed at improving these yields and intensifying the promotion of high-yield and efficient production models.

"The 'No. 1 central document' made it clear that efforts related to grain production can only be strengthened, not relaxed," said Han Wenxiu, an executive deputy director at the Office of the Central Committee for Financial and Economic Affairs, at a State Council Information Office press conference.

"In recent years, extreme weather conditions and other natural disasters have occurred more frequently and severely, causing uncertainties to rise. We must focus on achieving a good harvest and resisting disasters, anticipate difficulties in advance, and set a higher safety margin," Han added.