The Chinese economy has proved remarkably resilient over the past year, according to the 2026 government work report submitted on Thursday to the country's top legislature for deliberation.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang delivered the 2026 government work report at the opening meeting of the fourth session of the 14th National People's Congress. Here are some highlights from the report. 

Key economic and social achievements in 2025:

-GDP grew by 5% year-on-year, reaching a total of 140.19 trillion yuan ($20.03 trillion).

-Overall employment was stable, with 12.67 million new jobs created in urban areas, and the average urban surveyed unemployment rate stood at 5.2%.

-The grain output reached 714.88 million tonnes.

-Volume and quality of foreign trade improved, with exports growing by 6.1%.

-The number of newly established foreign-invested enterprises increased by 19.1%.

-Policy of free preschool education for children was implemented, benefiting 14 million children.

-Island-wide special customs operations were launched at Hainan Free Trade Port.

-Number of domestic tourists increased by 16.2% and inbound tourists, by 17.1%.

The industrial structure was optimized in 2025:

-The added value of high-tech manufacturing increased by 9.4%.

-583 national standards in key areas were developed and revised.

-Energy consumption per unit GDP was reduced by 5.1%.

-The output of industrial robots rose by 28%.

-The annual production of new energy vehicles exceeded 16 million units.

-The number of charging facilities for electric vehicles exceeded 20 million.

-The added value of core digital sectors increased to more than 10.5% of GDP.

In addition, during the Two Sessions meetings, several ministers have provided summaries of China's economy in 2025.

China's science and technology sector has made impressive strides. Its ranking in the Global Innovation Index has risen to 10th place. In 2025, the total research and development (R&D) investment exceeded 3.92 trillion yuan ($568.3 billion), with an R&D intensity of 2.8%, said Yin Hejun, China's minister of Science and Technology.

Li Lecheng, China's minister of Industry and Information Technology, mentioned that the added value of China's industrial sector reached 41.7 trillion yuan ($6.04 trillion), contributing 35% to economic growth. The core artificial intelligence (AI) industry surpassed 1.2 trillion yuan in scale, with over 6,200 enterprises in the sector, he added.