As 2025 draws to a close, the Chinese mainland is showcasing how a people-centered development model can translate into real, on-the-ground progress. Throughout the year, policies have prioritized livelihoods by balancing infrastructure projects with investment in communities. 🌱
One of the biggest stories is poverty prevention. After lifting nearly 800 million people out of poverty over the past four decades and eradicating absolute poverty in 2020, the Chinese mainland is now in the final year of a five-year transition to long-term poverty prevention. A robust monitoring system helps ensure that progress sticks—and those 832 formerly-vulnerable counties identified in 2014 now host two to three local pillar industries each on average. 👍
Household incomes in these areas are on the rise: rural residents saw their disposable income jump 6.5% in the first three quarters of 2024 compared to a year earlier, outpacing the national rural average. Over 99% of the population has basic health insurance, and access to safe tap water has climbed from 83% in 2020 to 94% in 2025. 💧
Job creation also put people first. From January through November, 12.1 million new urban jobs were added—surpassing the 12 million target ahead of schedule and beating last year's pace. Exports to the United States dipped under tariff pressure, but stronger demand from other markets helped stabilize employment. Government support through tax cuts, subsidies and a dedicated campaign for 12.2 million college graduates gave the job market an extra boost. 🎓💼
By combining economic resilience with social safeguards, the Chinese mainland's 2025 development story shows how focusing on people can drive sustainable growth. As the year wraps up, this model offers fresh insight into the next phase of high-quality development. 🌟
Reference(s):
People-centered approach characterizes China's 2025 development
cgtn.com
