China recalibrates economic priorities in latest conference

 
The annual Central Economic Work Conference was held in Beijing from 10 to 11 December 2025 as Chinese leaders decided priorities for the economic work in 2026, reports CGTN.Chinese leaders stated that A good job must be done to ensure adequate supply of major goods related to people's basic needs at the turn of the year, take care of the work and lives of people in need, and forestall and defuse risks of major and serious accidents, said the meeting. More efforts should be made to better safeguard and improve people's livelihoods and actively and prudently defuse risks in key areas, the meeting noted.

The conclusion of the conference this year offers an important signal to the world through a noticeable recalibration of emphasis. For international observers, the most striking feature may not be what has been added, but what has been deliberately adjusted in tone. Compared with the conference held at the end of 2024, certain expressions – such as "extraordinary" macroeconomic measures or a strong emphasis on using expansion to stabilize growth – have been withdrawn. It reflects a clearer judgment: China's economy has moved beyond the most acute phase of its structural adjustment and is entering a stage where policy can return to a more normalized framework.

At the end of 2024, the conference emphasized the need for "unconventional" fiscal stimulus. Such language was appropriate at the time. China was navigating the most complex phase of its structural transition, facing pressures from slowing legacy sectors – most notably property-related industries and their upstream and downstream chains – alongside weak expectations in consumption and the lagged effects of past adjustments. The policy stance then was designed to ensure that overall stability would not be undermined while new growth drivers, particularly technology- and innovation-led industries, were still consolidating. Growth, in that context, was asked to play a more active role in anchoring stability, hence the emphasis on "using progress to secure stability."

This year, that language has evolved. References to "unconventional" measures have receded, replaced by a more measured articulation of maintaining necessary fiscal strength. The formulation has returned to "seeking progress while maintaining stability," and macroeconomic management is now described as strengthening both countercyclical and cross-cyclical adjustment. The inclusion of cross-cyclical adjustment alongside countercyclical tools is particularly telling. It suggests that China's economic governance is no longer focused solely on buffering short-term fluctuations or preventing downside risks from intensifying. Instead, it reflects confidence that the period of concentrated downward pressure associated with structural rebalancing has largely passed. The task now is to smooth the transition into a healthier, more sustainable growth cycle, aligning short-term stabilization with medium-term development trajectories.