SHANGHAI, Dec 28 (Reuters) – China’s finance ministry on Sunday said fiscal policies will be more proactive next year, reiterating its focus on domestic demand, technological innovation and a social safety net.
The statement comes as trading partners urge the world’s second-biggest economy to reduce its reliance on exports, underscoring the urgency to revive confidence at home where a prolonged property crisis has rippled through the economy, weighing on sentiment.
China will boost consumption and actively expand investment in new productive forces and people’s overall development, the ministry said in a statement after a two-day meeting at which it set 2026 goals.
In addition, the ministry said it will support innovation to foster new growth engines, and improve the social security system by providing better healthcare and education services.
Other tasks for next year include promoting integration between urban and rural areas, and propelling China’s transformation into a greener society.
China is likely to stick to its annual economic growth target of around 5% in 2026, government advisers and analysts told Reuters, a goal that would require authorities to keep fiscal and monetary spigots open as they seek to snap a deflationary spell.
Leaders this month promised to maintain a “proactive” fiscal policy next year that would stimulate both consumption and investment to maintain high economic growth.
(Reporting by Shanghai newsroom; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
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