President Xi lauds China's solid progress despite challenges in Year of Dragon

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivers a speech at a Spring Festival reception in Beijing, China, January 27, 2025. /Xinhua

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday noted solid progress the country has made in advancing Chinese modernization amid "complex and challenging" situations over the past 12 months at a high-level reception to ring in the Chinese New Year.

"In the Year of the Dragon, we demonstrated vitality and a can-do spirit. We endured storms and saw the rainbow," said Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission.

Faced with complex and challenging situations, China responded with composure and implemented a range of comprehensive measures, overcame difficulties and forged ahead with determination, Xi said at the reception held by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council to usher in the Year of the Snake, which begins on January 29.

At the reception attended by over 2,000 people, Xi extended Spring Festival greetings to the Chinese people of all ethnic groups, compatriots in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Macao Special Administrative Region, Taiwan, and overseas Chinese.

Over the past year, China effectively implemented existing policies and proactively introduced a package of incremental policies, which helped promote the recovery of the economy, Xi said.

China achieved remarkable progress in technological and industrial innovation, with new quality productive forces forging ahead steadily. China's employment and consumer prices also remained stable, Xi said.