Speaking at a press conference in Beijing on Friday, Jan. 3, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) of China Zhao Chenxin reviewed some of China’s economic achievements in “high quality development” in 2024, Xinhua reports.
Zhao stressed the focus on innovation-driven development, calling attention to projects such as China’s lunar probe, but also highlighted the effort to upgrade traditional industries to high-tech manufacturing. He noted that high-tech manufacturing had a higher growth rate in 2024 than did the overall manufacturing industry.
On urban-rural development, more than 3 million jobs were provided in rural areas through work-relief programs, and 11.98 million were added in urban regions, while progress on urban renewal projects continued. Zhao also reported that air quality in cities was improved in 2024, with the average density of fine particulate matter having dropped by 3.6% year on year.
