Source: AFP
President Xi Jinping said on Sunday that China’s economy had become “more resilient and dynamic” in 2023, despite economic figures that continue to disappoint as the post-Covid recovery stalls.
He also promised in a soaring New Year’s address to the nation that China will “definitely reunify” — a reference to the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own and has vowed to occupy.
Xi has endured a difficult 2023 at the helm of the world’s second-largest economy, with his government struggling to maintain an economic recovery since quickly abandoning its onerous zero-Covid policy a year ago.
But Xi told state broadcaster CCTV that the economy had “weathered the storm” and become “more resilient and dynamic than before”, hailing the promotion of “high-quality development” and emerging industries such as electric vehicles, lithium batteries and solar panels.
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He said next year “we must … consolidate and strengthen the positive trend of economic recovery and achieve long-term economic stability.”
However, he also acknowledged some difficulties, saying “some companies are facing operational pressures (and) some people are facing difficulties in employment and living conditions”.
“All these things concern me a lot,” he said.
“Our goal is both ambitious and yet very simple. In the end, it’s about helping people live better lives.”
Youth unemployment and a persistent debt crisis in the critical real estate sector have weighed on China’s growth this year.
Official data released on Sunday showed that a decline in factory activity nationwide intensified in December, the third straight month of contraction.
Analysts said Beijing may struggle to meet its stated annual growth target of about 5 percent, the lowest such ambition in years.
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‘Reunification’
Xi briefly mentioned Taiwan, weeks before the democratic island goes to the polls on Jan. 13.
Beijing has stepped up its pressure campaign against Taiwan this year and tensions are high, with pro-independence candidate Lai Ching-te leading in the polls.
Xi declared in his Sunday speech that “the motherland will definitely be reunited.”
“Compatriots on both sides of the (Taiwan) Strait should be bound by a common sense of purpose to share in the glory of national rejuvenation,” he said.
Xi said China would never rule out using force to bring Taiwan under its control.
Officials in Taipei have repeatedly raised concerns about election interference and disinformation, claims Beijing has dismissed as a “propaganda campaign”.
Greetings to Putin
Xi sent New Year’s greetings to Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier on Sunday, where he welcomed strengthening ties with Moscow in 2023, according to an official statement from the foreign ministry.
The two longtime allies have grown closer in recent years, even as Western countries have turned their backs on Russia over its invasion of neighboring Ukraine.
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Xi said “the material and public opinion base of our relationship has become stronger,” according to CCTV.
“In the face of changes not seen in a century and a turbulent regional and international situation, China-Russia relations have maintained healthy and stable development and steadily moved in the right direction,” Xi said.
“Under our joint leadership, political mutual trust between the two sides has further deepened, strategic coordination has become closer, and mutually beneficial cooperation has continued to achieve new results,” he was quoted as saying.
Source: AFP