Source: Global Research    Published: 2025-04-01

By Peter Koenig

Research Associate of Global Research

Non-resident Senior Fellow of the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University of China (RDCY)

The 2025 Two Sessions, the National People’s Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, (CPPCC) are held back-to-back from 5 to 11 March 2025. The stated economic goal is a soft growth of about 5% – like that of 2024, one of the world’s largest – with a vastly expanded horizontal growth of improved people’s well-being, especially in rural areas, through new physical and social infrastructure.

The Two Sessions Work Report also outlines other key development goals for this year, such as the creation of some 12 million new urban jobs to counter the 5.5% urban unemployment rate and limiting inflation to 2%.

The traditional linear GDP growth is gradually being complemented by “growth” in people’s well-being. According to the World Happy Planet Index 2024, originally introduced by Myanmar (Burma), China ranked 51st of 147 countries but will steadily advance with its strong shift from productive to well-being social-infrastructure investments. At present the Nordic countries are leading the Happiness Index.

The European ranking especially Northern Europe may change rather drastically through the fear-factor with the recent Western-initiated nuclear NATO presence in the northern European countries – making people falsely believe that they are under a Russian threat. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

In China, people’s well-being is not affected by such media manipulations. To the contrary, China’s Peace agenda with internal as well as external security through her non-belligerent domestic and international approach contributes to people’s well-being.

With the State Council Premier’s keynote speech, the tone is set for the Government’s 2025 Work Report – which at the same time prepares the phasing-in of the 15th 5-Year Plan (2026-2030) with the ambitious long-term goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2060.

Happiness of the people is China’s top priority. The 2025 and the next five-year plan are extraordinary determinations on how to go about, not only achieving and maintaining people’s well-being but also stay internationally competitive with high quality development.

The 2025 Plan will strive for completing the 2024 target to high quality standards – MIC will become an international acronym for superior quality production, to be further expanded and rolled out internationally in the 15th Five-Year Plan.

China’s economy will further concentrate on local development, based on well-paid skill-based hard work, with commitment to individual motivation and dedication to innovation. Early-age solid education is the base for China’s universal economic and social development policy.

The seeds for education and creativity are already planted with vocational nursery and childcare services, followed by high-quality education. As China’s success has traditionally been —and will continue to be— people-centered, subsidies for top quality education will be an integral part of the 2025 program, leading onto the 15th Five-Year Plan. As the Government’s budget will increasingly be oriented on people’s livelihoods, the people centered social policy system is steadily improving.

This will allow for social harmony and stability – and internal peace also means non-aggression towards the outside world. In a world marked by turmoil, conflicts, and constant wars – peace is an invaluable asset that makes for China’s high-ranking reputation, for her conflict mediation diplomacy around the world.