The true state of China's economy will not change because of a "filter" (Bell Sound)

Source: People’s Daily

The true picture of China’s economy will not change because anyone applies a “filter” to it. Only by basing ourselves on China’s real development conditions can we accurately grasp the direction of China’s economic operation

Recently, people of insight in the international community have repeatedly said that China has injected the world, which is reeling from instability, with rare stability and certainty; at the same time, however, some Western media are still fixated on the old script of downplaying China’s economy.

China’s economic development goals have been described as “growth topping out”; China’s efforts to cultivate and expand new drivers of development have been distorted into “prioritizing industrial autonomy rather than boosting household consumption”; the “15th Five-Year Plan” outline’s systematic deployment to expand domestic demand has been selectively ignored, and it has even been accused of “lacking specific details.” What’s more, certain so-called Western “experts” have gone so far as to make a direct assertion: “China can no longer come up with creative ways to solve its own thorny problems.”

Looking closely at these claims, it’s not hard to see the familiar playbook they rely on—using a set of already outdated and obsolete frameworks to interpret a large economy that is currently undergoing economic transformation and deep structural adjustment. The gap between their judgment and reality is naturally enormous.

If you carefully break down this line of argument that downplays and misreads China’s economy, it boils down to two logics.

First, assemble the “whole” from the “part,” and turn the “cycle” into “the long term.” China’s economy is indeed facing some challenges right now—for example, the rapidly changing external environment is transmitted into the domestic sphere through channels such as trade and investment; the strong-supply/weak-demand mismatch remains prominent, and the bottlenecks and blockages that constrain the sound and virtuous cycle of the national economy still exist. The question is: which economy in a transition period has not experienced growing pains?

Some Western media, however, insist on making sweeping generalizations from the facts. They can, based on a single indicator or a localized phenomenon, directly derive a false conclusion that “China’s economic downturn has become the norm,” while turning a blind eye to positive factors such as China’s manufacturing sector transitioning and upgrading, the continued conversion between old and new drivers of growth, and the acceleration of capabilities in scientific and technological innovation. It’s like a person who is working out to build muscle, with occasional muscle soreness, yet is forced to be described as someone suffering from a severe, debilitating illness. In other words, the observer’s perspective is off.

Second, ideological bias is at work, and economic issues are forced into political interpretations. Driven by old ways of thinking such as great-power competition and ideological confrontation, some Westerners’ sense of China’s development is quite tangled: they keep downplaying China while also continually inflating the idea of “a China threat.” Whether China develops or does not develop, it can be packaged into “risks” for the world.

However, the true picture of China’s economy will not change because anyone applies a “filter” to it.

Looking to the long term, when you open the “15th Five-Year Plan” outline, you can clearly see the development roadmap for China over the next five years—5 aspects and 20 major indicators, 16 categories of major strategic tasks, and 109 major projects—showing the world the strong resolve to advance high-quality development with unwavering commitment.

Looking at what’s in front of us: in the first two months of this year, China’s total value of goods imports and exports was 7.73 trillion yuan, up 18.3%; imports and exports of key products such as mechanical and electrical products also showed clear growth, demonstrating strong resilience and innovative vitality amid international turbulence.

Looking at actions: the 2026 annual meeting of the China Development Forum, the 2026 annual meeting of the Boao Forum for Asia, and the 2026 annual meeting of the China Zhongguancun Forum—multiple international forums recently held in China have simultaneously sent clear signals to the world: no matter how turbulent and unstable the world is, a China that moves steadily and brims with vitality will always be the global anchor of stability and the harbor of certainty for development.

Only by basing ourselves on China’s real development conditions can we accurately grasp the direction of China’s economic operation. Those observers who are accustomed to wearing “filters” will sooner or later find it awkwardly clear that “filters” can only obscure their own eyes, but cannot obscure China’s forward progress—and cannot stop the enthusiasm of all parties to embrace China’s opportunities.

Rather than painstakingly scripting outdated old plays, it’s better to calm down and conduct in-depth research into China’s economy—this vast specimen that is gaining vitality in the midst of deep transformation.

People’s Daily (April 01, 2026, Edition 03)

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