目标积极务实，政策提质增效，内需主导强化——2025年中央经济工作会议解读

Economic Situation - The economic situation is characterized by persistent challenges, but the overall tone is becoming more positive. The external environment is expected to stabilize marginally, while domestic supply-demand imbalances are highlighted as significant issues [2][10][14]. Five Musts - The meeting outlined "Five Musts" to enhance economic potential, emphasizing the need for internal strengthening to address external challenges, and the importance of policy support and reform innovation [2][16][17]. 2026 Growth Target - The nominal and real GDP growth target for 2026 is set at around 5%. This target aligns with the need for a good start to the 14th Five-Year Plan and is slightly above the lower limit of the expected growth for the next decade [3][18][19]. Macro Policy - The macro policy framework is shifting from "promoting stability through growth" to "enhancing quality and efficiency," indicating a focus on structural optimization and effectiveness rather than just scale and intensity [4][22][25]. Fiscal Policy - The fiscal policy is expected to maintain a broad deficit rate of around 4%, with a focus on optimizing the expenditure structure and increasing investment in social welfare [4][26][28][29]. Monetary Policy - The monetary policy will continue to be moderately loose, with expectations for one rate cut and one reserve requirement ratio reduction in 2026. The focus will be on stabilizing nominal GDP and supporting key sectors [4][32][33][36]. Key Tasks - The emphasis is on domestic demand, innovation-driven growth, and reform efforts. Specific strategies include boosting consumption, stabilizing investment, and enhancing innovation capabilities [5][38][45]. Domestic Demand - The strategy prioritizes domestic demand, with a focus on increasing consumer income and optimizing supply. Retail sales growth is projected to recover to around 4.5% in 2026 [5][38][43]. Innovation - Innovation is positioned as a key task, with plans to strengthen the integration of education, technology, and talent development, and to establish major international technology innovation centers [5][45][46]. Reform - Key reforms will target the elimination of "involution" in competition, the clearing of overdue corporate debts, and the enhancement of the financial supply-side structure to support high-quality development [5][52][53][54]. Opening Up - The commitment to opening up remains strong, with a focus on expanding institutional openness and optimizing the business environment for foreign investment [5][55][56].