GDP milestone lays solid foundation for blueprint rollout

China has cemented its position as the world's second-largest economy after the country's GDP expanded 5 percent year-on-year in 2025, surpassing the 140 trillion yuan ($20.4 trillion) threshold for the first time, a milestone that officials and economists said lays a solid foundation for a strong start to the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) period.

In 2026, the opening year of the new five-year plan, economists expect steady growth to continue, supported by policy measures tied to the plan, more efforts to boost domestic demand and the strengthening of new growth drivers.