Decade of people-first development

Years from now, history will record how much unfair criticism China has received in sticking to its dynamic clearing policy to fight the still raging, but intentionally ignored by some countries, COVID-19 pandemic, and the countless lives that have been saved by doing that.

The commitment to putting people's lives and health first is a testament to the people-first principle that has been the touchstone for the country's development over the past 10 years. There are plenty of data from the past decade that tell the same story of how development has boosted people's income, improved their livelihoods and created jobs.

From 2013 to 2021, China's gross domestic product grew at an average annual rate of 6.6 percent, higher than the average of 2.6 percent for the world and 3.7 percent average of developing economies in the same period. China now ranks among upper-middle-income countries and is close to the threshold of high-income countries as classified by the World Bank.