Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, January 27

Speech at the 2025 Spring Festival Gala

(January 27, 2025, morning)

Comrades, friends:

The Spring Festival of the Year of the Snake is coming soon. We gather here to welcome the New Year together.

First of all, on behalf of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, I would like to extend my best wishes for the holidays to everyone! Greetings to the people of all ethnic groups across the country, compatriots in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, compatriots in the Macao Special Administrative Region, Taiwan and overseas Chinese!

The year of the dragon in Jiachen is about to pass, and it is a year when we are inspiring the spirit of dragon and horse and experiencing storms and rainbows. Over the past year, in the face of complex and severe situations, we have calmly adapted and implemented comprehensive policies, overcome difficulties, and forged ahead, and Chinese-style modernization has taken new and solid steps.

We are solidly promoting high-quality development, effectively implementing various stock policies, and increasing efforts to introduce a package of incremental policies to promote economic recovery and improvement. Scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation have achieved fruitful results, and new quality productivity has developed steadily. Regional coordinated development and urban-rural integrated development show a new look. Looking around the world, our country is still an important engine of world economic growth.

We focus on the coordination and progress of all undertakings, and new progress has been made in the construction of socialist democracy and rule of law, cultural construction, social construction, ecological civilization construction, national defense and military construction. Solemnly celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of New China. The Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China was held to promote further comprehensive deepening of reform. Focus on ensuring and improving people's livelihood, maintaining stable employment and prices, and further consolidate and expand the results of poverty alleviation. Coordinate development and security, resolve risks in key areas in an orderly and effective manner, and maintain stability in the overall social situation. Effectively respond to major natural disasters and efficiently carry out earthquake relief in Dingri high-altitude and oxygen-deficient areas in Tibet. Continue to do a good job in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and solemnly celebrate the 25th anniversary of Macau's return to the motherland. Chinese sports athletes have achieved the best results in overseas competitions at the Paris Olympics, which makes Chinese people at home and abroad feel very proud.

We accurately grasp the general trend of world development, deepen the major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics, actively promote changes in the global governance system, deepen the unity and cooperation of the "Global South", and promote high-quality joint construction of the "Belt and Road", inject more positive energy into maintaining world peace and stability and promoting human development and progress.

We insist on leading the social revolution with the Party’s self-revolution, consistently promote comprehensive and strict governance of the Party, carry out party discipline learning and education in a solid manner, continue to increase anti-corruption efforts, the Party’s leadership is strong and powerful, and the Party’s style and political style continue to improve, providing a fundamental guarantee for the development of various undertakings.

The development history over the past year is extraordinary and the achievements are encouraging. We have once again proved with our hard work that no difficulties and obstacles can stop the progress of the Chinese people in pursuing a better life, and we cannot stop our historical process of promoting the construction of a strong country and national rejuvenation. As long as we firmly believe in and remain unwavering, face contradictions and problems directly, and do not retreat from risks and challenges, we will surely open up a new world of reform and development!

Comrades and friends!

2025 is the year when the 14th Five-Year Plan is concluded. We must adhere to the guidance of the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, fully implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the Second and Third Plenary Sessions of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, adhere to the general tone of work of seeking progress while maintaining stability, adhere to the focus of development on high-quality development, fully and accurately implement the new development concept, accelerate the construction of a new development pattern, further comprehensively deepen reforms, expand high-level opening up, prevent and resolve risks and external shocks in key areas, promote the sustained recovery and improvement of the economy, maintain social harmony and stability, and deepen the comprehensive and strict governance of the Party. We will formulate the "15th Five-Year Plan" proposal and continue to strive towards our grand goals.

Governing the country is always based on its benefits and benefiting the people is the basis. We must always adhere to the people-centered approach, respond to the needs and concerns of the people in a timely and effective manner, do practical things for people's livelihood with our hearts and emotions, continuously improve people's living standards, and make the results of modernization construction benefit all people more and more equitably.

Comrades and friends!

In Chinese culture, snakes are a symbol of spirituality, wisdom and vitality, meaning harvest, auspiciousness and blessings. In the Year of the Snake, I hope that the people of all ethnic groups across the country will strengthen their confidence, be full of hope, forge ahead, and work hard together to write a new chapter of Chinese modernization with the spirit of traveling thousands of miles.

Finally, I wish you all good health, smooth work, happy family, and good luck in the Year of the Snake!

Thank you everyone!