A drone photo taken on Jan. 10, 2024 shows the container terminal of Rizhao Port in Rizhao, east China's Shandong province. [Photo/Xinhua]
While the Chinese economy grew by 3% in 2022, estimations for 2023 and 2024 are now higher than initially expected. In particular, both the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund revised their prognostics in their most recent announcements. The former adjusted China's GDP growth from 5.1% to 5.2% in 2023, and forecasts 4.5% growth, up from 4.4%, in 2024. Meanwhile, the latter predicts the national economy grew by 5.4%, not 5%, in 2023, and 4.6%, up from 4.2%, in 2024.
The continuation of China's reform and opening-up policies are expected to be a crucial parameter in 2024. Last year, China celebrated the 45th anniversary of the launch of such policies, which have become the pillar of its development. With the government's backing, Chinese enterprises have managed to excel in different sectors, and their success has been widely recognized. In 2023, for example, 142 Chinese companies were included in the Fortune Global 500 list, compared with 95 in 2013. In the era of globalization, China's open-up and reform achievements have also massively increased its contribution to the world economy through growth and trade.
China is also exerting more effort to draw in foreign investments. The Chinese government seeks to create a world-class business environment and unleash innovation, and – within this framework – foreign firms can certainly play a role. A few weeks before Christmas, for instance, Volkswagen announced that it would expand its innovation hub in Hefei by building specifically designed electrical platforms.
China not only invites American investors to participate but also others from different parts of the world. Investors from countries in the Persian Gulf constitute a characteristic example. The Chinese economy will continuously rely on technological advancements, and the results of hard work in this regard are already evident. For example, at the end of 2023, Chinese car company BYD overtook Tesla as the world's top seller of electric vehicles. China also made some gains in the use of its domestically produced C919 passenger jet last year, marking the country's developing presence in the industry.
While challenges remain ahead, the country's economic recovery momentum is expected to continue on a positive trend as it works hard to ensure stable and sound development of the real estate market and strengthen macroeconomic adjustments. We can see that the country's service sector and labor market are further recovering from the impact of COVID-19, further leading to the revival of consumer spending. The annual tone-setting Central Economic Work Conference, held in December 2023, also showed the country's commitment and determination to bolster economic growth. In short, China looks to monitor developments without deviating from proactive and prudent policies that guarantee progress.
