Beijing, December 27th (Xinhua) -- "China's vitality is unstoppable" - Foreign media's year-end reports on China

Xinhua News Agency reporter

In 2025, China will confidently move forward in the tide of the times with a vigorous and enterprising attitude.

Living in tomorrow, the unstoppable economic vitality, the most ambitious modernization practice field, paving a new path for building a better world... When foreign media reviewed the tide of this year at the end of the year, they praised a trustworthy, lovely, and respectable China.

On October 1, 2025, the first day of the National Day holiday, a vehicle was driving on the Yangtze River Second Bridge in Wuhan, Hubei Province (drone photo). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xiao Yijiu

Living in Tomorrow

Who would have thought that the unmanned truck that voluntarily stopped on the dirt road at the village head was delivering packages? Who would have thought that the reason it stopped was to make way for 13 water buffaloes crossing the road? Keith Bradsher, a reporter for The New York Times in China, described in his year-end report the wonderful scene he witnessed in rural China.

From the robot truck driving into the country road, to the drone delivery of "Tianjiang Lunch", and to the unmanned flying taxi... all kinds of novel experiences make Bradsher sigh, as if "living in tomorrow" in China.

Many international media outlets have focused on China's technological innovation in their year-end reports. Xinhua News Agency reporters used big data tools to comb through over 15000 recent reports related to China from more than 100 media outlets around the world. The results show that "artificial intelligence" and "technology" have become high-frequency words in these reports.

Multiple reports have mentioned that with the intensive emergence of scientific and technological innovation achievements, China's ranking in the global innovation index has risen from 34th in 2012 to 10th in 2025.

When the American magazine "Science" listed "the unstoppable growth of global renewable energy" as the top ten scientific breakthroughs of 2025, it specifically pointed out that China is leading this major transformation, "China has now become the leading force in global renewable energy technology and production," and "China's booming green technology exports are also changing other regions of the world.

China is no longer just a 'world factory', but also shaping the 'future way of life'. The mainstream Saudi media Riyadh Daily reported that cities such as Shenzhen, Suzhou, and Hangzhou have become synonymous with technological innovation, and China is organically integrating technologies such as artificial intelligence with the people-oriented urban planning concept.

On May 4, 2025, people experienced DeepSeek's artificial intelligence model at the AI Black Technology Market in Wensan Digital Life Street, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Long Wei)

In January 2025, the iconic Chinese language model "DeepSeek" emerged, driving the global artificial intelligence craze. This appeared in the year-end inventory of multiple foreign media outlets. Reuters reported in December that global investors are betting heavily on Chinese artificial intelligence companies, looking forward to the next 'DeepSeek'.

Foreign media are even more amazed that China's open, inclusive, and mutually beneficial technological innovation concept is benefiting the world. A column on the South African independent online news website stated that China Africa cooperation has expanded from infrastructure and connectivity to high-tech fields such as artificial intelligence, smart cities, and renewable energy, which is of great significance in filling the digital divide in Africa.

The economic vitality is unstoppable

Roads, light rails, and buildings intertwine and extend in a three-dimensional space, like a magical movie scene. The dazzling lights illuminate the river, and people's laughter and hot pot heat intertwine. Chongqing, the '8D city', welcomes another sleepless night... "Thai media" Release Today "described the vitality and fireworks of China's economy with such vivid scenes in its year-end report.

At the end of the year, international institutions intensively raised their expectations for China's economic growth rate in 2025. The World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and Asian Development Bank have respectively raised their prices by 0.4, 0.2, and 0.1 percentage points. Foreign media have been focusing on China's economic development achievements, with "market", "trade", and "openness" becoming hot topics in overseas media coverage of China.

Foreign media buzzwords

Never underestimate China, "Bloomberg wrote on December 24th, stating that the pessimistic views about the Chinese economy at the beginning of the year were all shattered by the end of the year." China remains the most dynamic 'factory' in the world. The strong growth in production, trade, and investment indicates that China's economic vitality is unstoppable

Implement the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement in a high-quality manner, work with all parties to jointly build the "the Belt and Road" in a high-quality manner, actively promote the process of joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement and the Digital Economic Partnership Agreement, upgrade the China ASEAN Free Trade Area to version 3.0, and close the Hainan Free Trade Port across the island

China's achievements in opening up to the outside world and international cooperation over the past year have been frequently mentioned. Many foreign media have mentioned that in the current situation where free trade is being impacted, China has responded with a firm attitude of opening up to the outside world and win-win cooperation. Various fallacies such as the so-called "China's economic peak theory" and "China's economic rebalancing" cannot be refuted.

China's opening up is an invitation for all countries to move towards common prosperity, "wrote a column in the December 23rd issue of the US Eurasia Review magazine. The US luxury business observation website commented that the island wide closure of Hainan Free Trade Port will further attract foreign investment, promote free trade, and facilitate the free flow of goods, capital, and people.

China's industrial system is an important guarantee for multinational corporations to maintain global competitiveness, "lamented an article in the Financial Times. With a complete industrial chain system, continuously upgraded manufacturing capabilities, and strong market potential, China is attracting more and more European companies to expand their investment in China.

The most ambitious modern practice field

Zigong City may seem unfamiliar to Spaniards, but it is a city that can profoundly reveal the development model of China's regions. Zigong City has successfully transformed its historical heritage, especially its long salt industry tradition and rich dinosaur fossil archaeological resources, into unique value, achieving harmonious coexistence with emerging industries, advanced technologies, and urban planning

In the article "Notes from Shanghai" published on the website of Zhihua Lecture Hall in Spain at the end of the year, Pablo Zuloaga, a member of the Spanish Workers' Socialist Party, shared his experiences and visits to multiple cities including Chengdu, Zigong, and Hefei. China is a colorful mosaic created by tailored policies and diverse development plans, "he wrote." China has become the most ambitious modernization practice site in the world

'Development' and 'confidence' are high-frequency words found in foreign media reports on China at the end of the year through big data analysis. The New York Times commented that China has shown increasing confidence this year, which is rooted in "recognition of its own governance system and development path" and "international recognition further enhances China's confidence".

From the annual development goals anchored by the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference at the beginning of the year, to the vision blueprint outlined at the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in the golden autumn, and to the closing and opening of the Central Economic Work Conference at the end of the year... China's governance wisdom of combining short-term goals with long-term strategies has become the focus of interpretation and discussion in many foreign media reports at the end of the year.

The mainstream media in South Africa, The Post Guardian, published an article reviewing that the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China approved the "15th Five Year Plan" proposal, placing China at an important juncture towards achieving the goal of socialist modernization by 2035, and connecting the achievements of the past five years with a future towards self-reliance, self-improvement, and common well-being. When the world is in a state of uncertainty, this meeting guides us to look east

On June 22, 2025, elderly people queued up to pick up their meals at the "Happiness Canteen" in Qiuchuan Town, Changshan County, Quzhou, Zhejiang Province. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Jin Liangkuai

Pakistan's Forum Express reported that against the backdrop of global economic turbulence, China has demonstrated composure and confidence in its policy and institutional framework.

In the eyes of many foreign media, this confidence comes from the effectiveness of national governance and also from the trust of the people. Multiple surveys and studies have shown that the Chinese people have a high level of trust in the government, "said the Australian journal" Pearl and Stimulus "in its 2025 review article. This is due to China's steady and positive economic development and sustained improvement in people's livelihoods.

Laying a New Path for Building a Better World

In November, the United Nations Climate Change Conference opened in Belem, Brazil. Against the backdrop of the absence of the United States and the cooling off of climate issues in many parts of the world, the "China Corner" in the national pavilion area of the conference has become a popular "check-in spot" for delegates, and almost every side event related to the "China Corner" series is fully booked.

The end of year article by the German Mercator Center for China Studies documented this scene. 'Words must be kept, actions must be taken' - The article quotes China's statement at the conference to explain China's global contribution in the field of climate.

Unilateralism is surging, geopolitical conflicts are lingering and overflowing, climate anomalies and disasters are frequent, and technological changes pose hidden risks... Multiple foreign media mentioned the multiple challenges facing the world in their year-end reports, and coincidentally pointed out that China is present, speaking out, and acting on a series of global issues, injecting stability and certainty into the turbulent world.

Behind the high-frequency words of "order," "peace," and "cooperation" in global media reports on China at the end of the year, as shown by big data, is recognition of China's contributions and strength.

The online version of Egypt's Al Ahram newspaper pointed out in an article that in the current era of rising unilateralism and intensified factional confrontation, China has chosen to continue promoting cooperation and exchanges, emphasizing the resolution of differences through cooperation, and "making important contributions to building a more just and reasonable international order".

On November 5, 2025, a cargo ship loaded with goods departed from the Qingdao Free Trade Zone (drone photo). Xinhua News Agency (photo by Zhang Jingang)

In the eyes of many foreign media, China's more profound contribution to the world lies in its guiding ideology. This year, China proposed the Global Governance Initiative, which complements the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, and Global Civilization Initiative, jointly forming a strategic guidance for building a community with a shared future for mankind and "pointing out the direction" for the turbulent and changing world.

According to a recent report by Brazil's 247 News Network, the four global initiatives aim to address challenges in key areas of international cooperation, provide comprehensive solutions to address poverty, various conflicts, cultural barriers, and weak governance systems, provide stable expectations and public goods for the international community, and pave a new path for building a better world.

The stabilizing force that China brings to a turbulent world stems not only from pragmatic actions, but also from the ideological propositions that directly touch people's hearts. In its year-end report, the "Africa China Review" website in Rwanda said that China injects momentum into promoting an equal and orderly world multipolarization, inclusive and inclusive economic globalization, and anchors a brighter future for the well-being of all mankind.

Editor: Lu Jiaqi