REPORT ON THE WORK OF THE GOVERNMENT
---Delivered at the Third Session of the 14th National People’s Congress
of the People’s Republic of China on March 5, 2025
Li Qiang
Premier of the State Council
Fellow Deputies,
On behalf of the State Council, I will now report to you on the work of the government for your deliberation and also for comments from members of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).
I. A Review of Our Work in 2024
The year 2024 was a truly remarkable year in China’s development journey. At its third plenary session, 1. 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) set forth plans for further deepening reform comprehensively to advance Chinese modernization. We celebrated the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, greatly 2. (inspire) patriotism and dedication in the Chinese people of all ethnic groups. Over the past year, in the face of complex and challenging developments 3. (mark) by mounting external pressures and growing domestic difficulties, we, the Chinese people of all ethnic groups, 4. (overcome) difficulties and continued to forge ahead 5. the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core. We ensured overall stable performance and steady 6. (grow) of the economy and accomplished the main goals and tasks for economic and 7. (society) development in 2024. Solid headway 8. (make) in pursuing high-quality development and fostering new quality productive forces. China’s economic strength, scientific and technological capabilities, and composite national strength continued to rise, and solid new strides were made in advancing Chinese modernization. These achievements have filled us with even greater confidence and resolve as we press forward on the new journey 9. (build) a modern socialist country in all 10. (respect) in the new era.
B
Stable performance was consolidated and sustained, as demonstrated in the following areas:
Steady expansion of the economy: China’s GDP rose 1. 134.9 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 5 percent. China ranks among the world’s fastest-growing major economies, 2. (continue) to contribute about 30 percent to 3. (globe) economic growth.
Generally stable employment and prices: 4. total of 12.56 million urban jobs
5. (create), and surveyed urban unemployment rates averaged 5.1 percent. The CPI increased by 0.2 percent.
A basic equilibrium in the balance of payments: Foreign trade reached a record high,
6. the global market share of China’s exports increased 7. (steady). Foreign exchange reserves surpassed 3.2 trillion US dollars.
Steady progress in ensuring the people’s well-being: Per capita disposable income grew by 5.1 percent in real terms. Achievements 8. (make) in poverty alleviation were further consolidated and expanded, and greater support was provided for compulsory education, basic old-age insurance, basic medical insurance, and social 9. (assistant). Well-ordered and effective steps were taken 10. (defuse) risks in key areas, helping ensure overall social stability.
C
Strong and solid progress was achieved, as shown in the following areas:
New advancements in industrial upgrading: Grain output hit a new height of 700 million metric tons, with the yield per hectare 1. (rise) by 75.75 kilograms. The value added of high-tech manufacturing and equipment manufacturing rose by 8.9 percent and 7.7 percent respectively, 2. the output of new-energy vehicles passed the 13 million mark. The value added increased by 10.9 percent in the sectors of information transmission, software, and IT services and by 10.4 percent in leasing and business services.
Further enhancements in innovation capacity: New 3. (achieve) were made in integrated circuits, artificial intelligence, quantum technology, and other areas. The Chang’e-6 mission completed humanity’s first-ever sample collection 4. the far side of the moon, and the Mengxiang ocean drilling vessel was delivered and commissioned. The value of technology contract transactions increased by 11.2 percent.
New improvements in the environment: In 5. (city) at and above the prefectural level, the average concentration of fine PM2.5 fell by 2.7 percent, and the proportion of days with good or excellent air quality rising to 87.2 percent. The proportion of surface water with a good quality rate reached 90.4 percent. Energy consumption per unit of GDP dropped by more than 3 percent, and 6. (install) renewable energy capacity grew by 370 million kilowatts.
New breakthroughs in reform and opening up: We implemented the reform plans adopted at 7. second and third plenary sessions of the 20th CPC Central Committee with solid and 8. (effect) steps, 9. included completing the reform of government institutions across the board, adopting major reform measures for building a unified national market, and 10. (gradual) raising the statutory retirement age. All market access restrictions on foreign investment in the manufacturing sector were lifted, and trade and investment cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative was steadily expanded and upgraded.
D
Our achievements in 2024 did not come 1. (easy). The adverse impact of changes in the international environment increased, and some deep-seated structural problems 2. had been building up in the country for years came to a head. Sluggish domestic demand as compounded by weak public expectations along 3. other issues, and natural disasters like floods occurred frequently in some parts of China. All this added to the maintaining economic and 4. (society) stability.
, we responded to this array of difficulties and challenges with both active and effective steps: We redoubled efforts to implement adopted policies and improved macro regulation in a timely manner. In particular, we took firm actions to implement a package of new policies that was decided on by the Political Bureau of the Central Committee at a meeting on September 26. This led to a notable rebound in the economy and effectively boosted public confidence, 6. (ensure) the fulfillment of our goals for 2024 and laying a good foundation for 7. (develop) in 2025.
In the course of this, we deepened our understanding of the laws governing economic work and became more 8. (keen) aware that the centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee is essential to doing our economic work well. It is also clear that we must properly handle the relationships between an efficient market and a well-functioning government, between aggregate supply and demand, between fostering new growth drivers and upgrading old ones, between optimizing allocation of new resources and making the best use of existing ones, and between enhancing quality and expanding total output. 9. we have achieved once again proves that under 10. strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core and with the dedicated efforts of our people across the country, we can prevail over any difficulty in pursuing development.
E
Last year, we continued to deepen our understanding of and apply Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, firmly upheld the authority of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core and its centralized, unified leadership, followed Party leadership in every aspect and throughout the process of government work, and 1. (full) implemented the guiding principles from the 20th CPC National Congress and the second and third plenary sessions of the 20th CPC Central Committee. 2. (act) on the decisions and plans of the Party Central Committee, we mainly did the following work:
We took more robust and innovative measures in conducting macro regulation in light of evolving conditions and promoted economic recovery and growth. In 2024, China’s economy got off to a good start in the first quarter. However, 3. (affect) by various external and internal factors, major economic indicators began to decline from the second quarter on, adding to the downward pressure on the economy. We acted 4. (strengthen) counter-cyclical adjustments, took targeted measures to address prominent issues, and ensured the implementation of policies already adopted and new ones. As 5. result, we achieved a rapid recovery in demand, accelerated growth of production, and saw a notable
(improve) in market expectations. Over the course of the year, China’s economy went from a strong start to a midyear dip before closing the year on an upward trend. We made a strong push to implement fiscal and monetary policies. We expanded government spending to ensure funding for key areas. Meanwhile, required reserve ratios and policy interest rates were both lowered on two occasions, further bringing down overall financing costs. To expand 7. (effect) demand, we took solid steps to implement major national strategies and enhance security capacity in key areas. We also increased support for a new round of large-scale equipment upgrades and consumer goods trade-in programs, driving investment in equipment purchases up by 15.7 percent and retail sales of home appliances up 8. 12.3 percent. Efforts were made to stem the downturn and restore stability in the real estate market. We reduced interest rates for housing loans and the ratios of down payments, 9. achieved an annual reduction of about 150 billion yuan in interest payments for existing mortgages. Taxes and fees on housing transactions were also cut, while solid progress was made in ensuring the timely delivery of housing projects. We worked actively to maintain stable performance of the capital market. We moved faster to refine foundational systems and introduced new monetary policy tools, including a swap facility for securities, funds, and insurance companies and a lending facility for share buybacks and shareholding increases,10. led to a surge in market activity. As a one-time policy step, we raised the ceiling for local government special-purpose bonds by six trillion yuan to replace existing hidden debts. We also prudently advanced reforms to defuse risks in local small and medium financial institutions.
F
We deepened reform and opening up comprehensively with unswerving commitment and boosted the internal momentum of development. We overhauled and abolished regulations and practices impeding the development of 1. unified national market, formulated and implemented regulations on fair competition review, and adopted measures to regulate steps 2. (take) by local governments to attract investment. We further reformed state-owned enterprises and continued to improve the layout of the state-owned sector. We submitted a draft of the private sector promotion law to the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress for deliberation and improved the development environment for the private sector. We 3. (active) fostered new growth drivers for foreign trade and steadily improved the import and export mix. These efforts enabled exports to contribute more to China’s economic growth. We fully applied the negative list for cross-border trade in services and launched opening-up trials for value-added telecom services, biotechnology, and wholly foreign-owned hospitals. We expanded unilateral opening up, 4. (adopt) zero tariffs on all products from all the least developed countries 5. have diplomatic relations with China. We offered unilateral visa waivers to more countries and extended visa-free transit stays to 240 hours, thus bringing about a sustained surge in inbound tourism. Impressive strides were made in pursuing high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and steady progress was secured in a number of major projects and public well-being programs.
We made major efforts 6. (promote) innovation-driven development and upgraded the industrial structure. To boost China’s strength in science and technology, we rolled out major national science and technology programs across the board, worked faster to improve major science and technology infrastructure, and redoubled efforts to cultivate first-class innovators. We ensured stable performance in the industrial sector 7. advanced technological transformation and upgrading in the manufacturing sector, which saw a 9.2-percent increase in investment. We fostered a new batch of national-level advanced manufacturing clusters and achieved rapid growth in emerging industries, including commercial space, applications of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, and new types of energy storage. Mandatory national standards such as those for 8. (environment) protection and safety were formulated or revised. Thanks to swift development of the Digital China Initiative, the value added of core industries of the digital economy rose to about 10 percent of GDP.
We advanced coordinated development between urban and rural areas and between different regions and improved the economic layout. We rolled out a five-year action plan for implementing the new urbanization strategy and made solid progress in urban renewal, while the share of permanent urban residents in the total population climbed to 67 percent. We continued efforts to consolidate the foundations of agriculture and steadily built up the agricultural sector’s capacity for disaster prevention and mitigation and overall production. New achievements 9. (make) in advancing all-around rural revitalization. We secured further headway in promoting integrated regional development 10. introducing a range of regional development policies, implementing a set of major regional programs, and improving functional zoning systems and policies.
G
We actively developed social programs and improved the people’s well-being. We adopted new policy measures to promote high-quality and full 1. (employ), supported businesses in creating new jobs, and ensured stable employment among key groups, 2. (include) college graduates, people lifted out of poverty, and rural migrant workers. We worked to build a strong 3. (education) system for China. Living allowances were increased for students with financial difficulties in the compulsory education stage. We increased the standards and expanded the coverage of government scholarships and grants. The cap on government-subsidized student loans was raised and the interest rates were lowered. Students across the country benefited from these measures over 34 million times. We consolidated the gains of initiatives launched to relieve students of excessive burdens from homework and off-campus tutoring, bringing about a 4. (far) improvement in the basic education environment. We made continued progress in advancing mutual recognition of clinical test results from different medical institutions and permitted community clinics to prescribe a wider range of medicines for chronic and common diseases. We took concrete steps 5. (prevent) and control key infectious diseases. Under the basic medical insurance scheme, urban workers were granted greater scope to use personal accounts for family members. Basic old-age benefits for rural and non-working urban residents and basic pension benefits for retirees were increased. We deepened the reform of elderly care services and formulated policies to promote the development of the silver economy. We strengthened safeguards for the rights and intes of people 6. disabilities and increased subsidies for entitled groups. We improved the mechanism to set and adjust subsistence allowance standards and expanded the coverage of this program. We provided one-off living allowances to over 11 million people in difficulty. We refined the measures for national public holidays and memorial days. Cultural programs and industries were boosted, and cultural and tourism markets continued to thrive. We restmade good preparations for 7. 9th Asian Winter Games and successfully hosted the 12th National Traditional Games of Ethnic Minorities of the People’s Republic of China. Chinese athletes achieved 8. (they) best overseas Olympic performance at the Paris Olympics.
We continued to strengthen environmental protection and promoted green and low-carbon development.We 9. (step) up comprehensive efforts to improve the environment and achieved yet another drop in the discharge of major pollutants. We implemented major projects for protecting and restoring key ecosystems 10. realized a further reduction in the areas of both deserts and sandy lands. We pushed ahead with upgrading in key industries for energy conservation and carbon reduction and advanced the development and use of new energy sources. The share of electricity generated from non-fossil fuels increased, accounting for close to 40 percent of total power generation. We launched the National Voluntary Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Trading Market, and carbon emissions trading in China became increasingly brisk.
H
We enhanced government performance and governance innovation and ensured social harmony and stability. We implemented the Party Central Committee’s strategic plans for conducting full and rigorous Party self-governance, strictly complied with the Central Party leadership’s eight-point decision on improving work conduct, and launched an initiative to increase 1. (aware) of Party discipline. We made a major push to address pointless formalities so as to lighten the burdens on those 2. (work) on the ground, intensified efforts to rectify misconduct directly affecting people’s lives, and kept working to improve conduct, build integrity, and combat corruption. We advanced law-based government administration. We submitted 19 legislative proposals to the Standing Committee of the NPC for deliberation and formulated or revised 28 administrative regulations. We 3. (ready) accepted oversight in compliance with the law and handled with keen attention recommendations from NPC deputies and proposals by CPPCC National Committee members. We stepped up supervision over administrative law enforcement and regulated administrative inspections on enterprises. We rolled out two lists of major matters 4. (cover) by one-stop government services and boosted our overall ability to provide online and offline services. General inspections 5. (launch) to assess progress toward high-quality development. We developed new and better ways of conducting social governance. We redoubled efforts to identify and defuse conflicts and disputes and put the handling of public complaints on a solid legal footing. We improved emergency management and workplace 6. (safe) and adopted whole-of-chain approaches to tackling safety hazards such as those related to gas and electric bikes. We took effective measures to guard against and respond to floods, typhoons, earthquakes, 7. other natural disasters. We improved the national security system, adopted rigorous measures to prevent the occurrence of critical incidents and cases, and cracked down hard on major crimes in accordance with the law. 8. doing so, we protected our people’s lives and property and ensured social stability.
In 2024, we made new advances in conducting major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics. President Xi Jinping and other Party and state leaders visited many countries and attended major bilateral and multilateral events, including the Astana Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, 9. 16th BRICS Summit, the 31st APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, the 19th G20 Summit, and the leaders’ meetings on East Asian cooperation. China also hosted several major diplomatic events at home, such as the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, the Conference Marking the 70th Anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, and the 10th Ministerial Conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum. We continued to promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. We consolidated and expanded partnerships across the globe, stayed committed to true multilateralism, and played a positive and constructive role in addressing 10. (globe) challenges and resolving regional and international hotspot issues. With these efforts, China made important contributions to peace and development in the world.
I
We owe our achievements in 2024 to General Secretary Xi Jinping, 1. is at the helm charting the course, and to the sound guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. We also owe them 2. the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, and to the concerted efforts of the whole Party, the armed forces, and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups. On behalf of the State Council, I express sincere thanks to all our people, and to all other political parties, people’s organizations, 3. public figures from all sectors of society. I express heartfelt appreciation to our fellow countrymen and women in the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, in Taiwan, and overseas. I also express sincere thanks to the governments of other countries, international organizations, and friends across the world that have shown understanding and support for us in China as we pursue modernization.
While 4. (recognize) our achievements, we are keenly aware of the problems and challenges that confront us.5. (international), changes unseen in a century are unfolding across the world at a faster pace. An increasingly complex and severe external environment may exert 6. greater impact on China in areas such as trade, science, and technology. Global economic growth lacks steam, unilateralism and protectionism are on the rise, the multilateral trading system is experiencing disruptions, and tariff barriers continue to increase. All this is undermining the stability of global industrial and supply chains and impeding flows in the international economy. The factors causing geopolitical tensions remain numerous, and they are affecting global market expectations and investment 7. (confident) and fueling the risk of volatility in global markets. Domestically, the foundation for China’s sustained economic recovery and growth is not strong enough. Effective demand is weak, and consumption, in particular, is sluggish. Some enterprises face difficulties in production and operations, and overdue payments remain a prominent issue for enterprises. There are pressures on job creation and income growth. In addition, there are weak links in our work to ensure public well-being and some primary-level governments have fiscal difficulties. Greater efforts need 8. (make) to address social problems and guard against risks. We in government need to improve our performance and capacity for conducting law-based administration. Coordination and cooperation are lacking in some areas of our work, and the pace of implementation for some policies is too slow, with the results being 9. (little) than expected. Some government departments are not fully service-oriented and are thus often inefficient. Some officials either act arbitrarily or lack the drive and ability to deliver. Corruption remains a common problem in some sectors and localities. We must face these difficulties and problems head-on and have stronger confidence in our development. China
(have) distinctive institutional strengths and many advantages, including an enormous market, a complete industrial system, and a wealth of manpower and talent. We have effective governance mechanisms featuring long-term plans, sound regulation, and coordination between central and local governments as well as vast space for further growth through demand upgrades, structural improvements, and a shift to new growth drivers. The underlying trend of long-term economic growth has not changed and will not change. The giant ship of China’s economy will continue to cleave the waves and sail steadily toward the future.
附:参考答案:
A:1.the;2.inspiring;3.marked;4.have overcome;5.under;6.growth;7.social;8.was made;
9.to build;10.respects.
B:1.to;2.continuing;3.global;4.A;5.were created;6.and;7.steadily;8.made;9.assistance;
10.to defuse.
C:1.rising;2.and;3.achievements;4.from;5.cities;6.installed;7.the;8.effective;9.which;
10.gradually .
D:1.easily;2.that/which;3.with;4.social;5.However;6.ensuring;7.development;8.keenly;
9.What;10.the.
E:1.fully;2.Acting;3.affected;4.to strengthen;5.a;6.improvement;7.effective;8.by;9.and;
10.which.
F:1.a;2.taken;3.actively;4.adopting;5.that/which;6.to promote;7.and;8.environmental;
9.were made;10.by.
G:1.employment;2.including;3.educational;4.further;5.to prevent;6.with;7.the;8.their;
9.stepped;10.and.
H:1.awareness;2.working;3.readily;4.covered;5.were launched;6.safety;7.and ;8.By;9.the;
10.global.
I:1.who;2.to;3.and;4.recognizing;5. Internationally;6.a;7.confidence;8.to be made;9.less;
10.has.