NPC approves the Twelfth Five-Year Plan

The central bank announced a return to managed flexibility after the crisis-era peg. The move responded to domestic recovery and international pressure, while retaining control over the exchange...

The Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement reduced tariffs and opened selected services between the two sides. It connected cross-strait economic ties to political questions of sovereignty, while...

New annual data confirmed that China’s economy had overtaken Japan’s by nominal GDP. The milestone reflected decades of state-led investment, export manufacturing and labor mobilization, but aggregate...

The law consolidated basic pension, medical, unemployment, work-injury and maternity insurance rules. It formalized a broader social-protection framework, but portability, funding and access...

The plan proposed faster household consumption, improved social services, innovation and lower dependence on exports and investment. It acknowledged structural imbalances but left the mechanisms and...

The national framework became operative, setting rules for enrollment and benefits across several insurance branches. It represented a major institutional expansion, though migrant workers and...

The lower target signaled greater acceptance that growth should be moderated and rebalanced. It reflected concerns about inflation, investment dependence and global uncertainty, while the...

The pilot authorized local experimentation in private finance, lending and cross-border investment. It responded to the credit needs of small firms often underserved by formal banks, while seeking...

The congress reviewed a decade of growth and called for a more balanced development path. It marked the end of the Hu-Wen era and opened a new phase of debate over inequality, consumption and...

The leadership transition closed the period covered here. China had entered global trade deeply and expanded state capacity, but faced unresolved challenges in household demand, labor rights, social...