Ning Jizhe, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, former deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission, and former director of the National Bureau of Statistics, accepted an exclusive interview with a reporter from the Beijing News:
Employment, income growth and consumption are comprehensive issues that require joint efforts from all parties
Ning Jizhe, member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, former deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission and former director of the National Bureau of Statistics.
Photo by Beijing News reporter He Qiang
During the National Two Sessions, a reporter from the Beijing News interviewed Ning Jizhe, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and gave an in-depth interpretation of the government work report on various topics such as GDP growth targets, macroeconomic policy regulation, expansion of consumption and investment, employment, and income growth.
Ning Jizhe said, "The achievements made last year are remarkable and hard-won. This year we will continue to propose a GDP growth target of about 5%. This is an inspiring goal that is conducive to guiding expectations. It is a goal that can be achieved through active enterprising and hard work. The goal."
The report pointed out that residents' income growth and economic growth are in sync.
Ning Jizhe said, "This goal has been achieved in the past year, and we will continue to work hard this year. Employment, income increase, and consumption cannot be simply reduced to one problem. It is a comprehensive problem that requires joint efforts from all aspects to solve. I believe that with the With the implementation of our goals and tasks this year, we can solve this problem."
Ning Jizhe was born in 1956. He served as deputy director and director of the Research Office of the State Council. In 2015, he was appointed deputy director (ministerial level) of the National Development and Reform Commission. In the following year, he concurrently served as director and party secretary of the National Bureau of Statistics. In March 2022, he was appointed as a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. , Deputy Director of the Economic Committee.
Talking about GDP expected to grow by about 5%
Conducive to guiding expectations that can be realized through hard work
Beijing News: What is your overall feeling after listening to the government work report this time?
Ning Jizhe: This year’s government work report delivered by Premier Li Qiang is very comprehensive and compact in length. It has a high political stance and expresses the aspirations of the people across the country.
I believe that the results achieved last year are remarkable and hard-won.
Regarding this year's work, the goals and tasks have been clearly defined, and the future is promising.
Premier Li Qiang also used the phrase "a promising future" in his report.
It should be said that this is a very good report. As a member of the CPPCC, I need to study and discuss it in depth and follow, implement and implement it in my participation in and discussion of politics.
Beijing News: The government work report pointed out that last year’s GDP exceeded 126 trillion yuan, an increase of 5.2%; this year’s GDP is expected to grow by about 5%.
What do you think of this change?
Ning Jizhe: At the beginning of last year, he proposed a GDP growth rate of about 5%, but it achieved 5.2% throughout the year. This year, he continued to propose a growth target of about 5%. This is an inspiring goal that is conducive to guiding expectations. It is a proactive and enterprising goal that has been achieved through hard work. Achievable goals.
From a production perspective, this is the result of the joint support of three industries including service industry, industry, construction, and agriculture.
Starting from the demand side, the troika of investment, consumption, and exports are pulling the trigger in an orderly manner to achieve the goals, especially consumption, which plays a very important role.
Our output of industrial and agricultural products and import and export volume of foreign trade are quite large, and the real real economy supports the realization of the goal.
From the perspective of the international economic situation, the GDP growth rate of the United States last year was 2.5%, that of Japan was 1.9%, and that of the Eurozone and the European Union was 0.5%.
Therefore, China's growth rate of 5.2% is still in a leading position internationally.
I am very confident about this year’s target of around 5%.
Beijing News: Some people believe that China’s economy has reached a critical moment again.
What do you think?
Ning Jizhe: From a broad perspective, our country is in a critical period of changing development methods, optimizing economic structure, and transforming growth drivers.
Since last year, our country has been in a critical period of economic recovery after the epidemic prevention and control has stabilized.
These two critical periods are even more critical when superimposed together.
Last year, we achieved an overall rebound in the economy, and this year we must consolidate and enhance the trend of economic recovery.
This is very important and critical.
Talking about enhancing the consistency of macro policy orientation
Prevent inconsistent policy directions from causing composition fallacies or decomposition fallacies
Beijing News: The government work report points out that it is necessary to enhance the consistency of macro policy orientations; all regions and departments must carefully listen to and absorb opinions from all parties when formulating policies, and enterprise-related policies must focus on communicating with the market and responding to the concerns of enterprises.
What do you think about this issue?
Ning Jizhe: Last year, some departmental documents were in the comment stage, which may have had an impact on the company.
But generally speaking, the introduction of policies of various departments still follows certain procedures.
Except for a few individuals, most policies must be publicly solicited for public opinion before being disclosed to the public for implementation.
The central government has always emphasized that the consistency of policies must be evaluated and the introduction of various policies must be consistent.
We now emphasize promoting high-quality economic development and strengthening and consolidating the overall economic recovery. We must all unite to prevent inconsistent policy directions from causing synthesis or decomposition fallacies and negative impacts.
The government work report clearly points out that it is necessary to strengthen counter-cyclical and inter-cyclical adjustment of macro policies, continue to implement proactive fiscal policies and prudent monetary policies, and strengthen innovation and coordination of policy tools; prudent monetary policies must be flexible, appropriate, precise and effective; proactive Fiscal policies should be moderately strengthened to improve quality and efficiency; and the consistency of macro policy orientations should be enhanced.
This will be conducive to the realization of our expected economic growth goals from a policy perspective.
Beijing News: The government work report puts forward the policy direction for economic and social development this year, which is to pursue progress while maintaining stability, promote stability through advancement, and establish first and then break.
How do you view the relationship and rhythm of these three?
Ning Jizhe: Persisting in seeking progress while maintaining stability is the general tone that we must follow in all our work.
Last year's Central Economic Work Conference and this government work report further clarified the need to promote stability and establish before breaking.
To promote stability through advancement, advancement means making more use of adjustments and optimization of the economic structure, using methods to deepen reform and opening up to promote economic development, adjusting the structure, changing methods, promoting reforms, and expanding opening up. Such stability can be more effective.
Of course, stability is the basis for progress. We must promote reform, promote innovation, promote development, and promote openness on the basis of stable growth, stable employment, and stable prices.
The reason for establishing first and then breaking down is because there are still many things to explore in our reform and development. Before a consensus among all parties is formed and new rules are established, existing management methods or work procedures cannot be abolished at will. Instead, rules need to be established first, and then Comprehensive advancement.
Destruction and establishment are dialectically unified. This time I propose that establishment should be established first and then destruction be achieved. I think it is very targeted.
Talk about comprehensively deepening reforms
Reform itself can also have policy effects
Beijing News: The government work report points out that we must deepen reform and opening up with greater determination and intensity.
The fourth meeting of the Central Committee for Comprehensively Deepening Reforms on February 19 also pointed out that this year is another important year for comprehensively deepening reforms.
How do you see the impact of reforms on macro policies?
Ning Jizhe: As I just said, reform is a key step in strengthening macroeconomic control policies. Reform itself can also have policy effects, because reform is an innovation in systems and mechanisms.
Compared with general macro policies, reforms act on micro entities and can stimulate more motivation and potential.
The Central Committee for Deepening Reform has made a top-level design for this year's reform. It is necessary to further comprehensively deepen the reform. All sectors of society expect these reform measures to continue to play a positive role this year.
Over the past 46 years, my country has created two miracles of rapid economic development and long-term social stability, relying on the key strategy of reform and opening up.
Now that we have entered a new era and a new journey, we must promote high-quality development and build a new development pattern. In the critical period of adjusting structure, changing methods, and changing momentum, continuing to move forward still depends on the key move of reform and opening up. Its importance cannot be overemphasized. doubt.
The Prime Minister also used a special chapter to put forward reform requirements in the government work report, which mainly involves three major areas: enterprise reform, market reform, and fiscal and financial reform.
These requirements are very clear. For example, it is necessary to stimulate the vitality of various business entities, and state-owned enterprises, private enterprises, and foreign-funded enterprises must play a role; it is necessary to accelerate the construction of a unified national market; it is necessary to plan a new round of fiscal and taxation system reform and implement financial system reform arrangements. , increase fiscal, taxation and financial support for high-quality development, etc.
I think we must implement the reform tasks put forward in the government work report.
Talking about consumption and investment
Combining consumption and investment to promote a virtuous cycle of investment and consumption
Beijing News: When you were interviewed by us last year, you said, "My consumption has been greatly reduced in the past three years." How has your consumption been in the past year?
Ning Jizhe: My consumption has definitely returned to normal.
It’s not just me, you see everyone traveling, watching cultural performances, watching movies, and participating in entertainment activities. Passenger transportation is sometimes hard to get a ticket.
I am also part of everyone and everything is back to normal.
Beijing News: What do you think are the remaining obstacles and difficulties in boosting consumption?
Ning Jizhe: First of all, there is the issue of residents’ consumption power, that is, the issue of income; then there is the issue of consumption environment.
It is necessary to ensure service quality, ensure fairness in transactions, and prevent cheating and abduction. These are all consumption environments. We must work hard to create and optimize the consumption environment, so as to overcome consumption obstacles.
In addition, there are consumption policy issues, focusing on consumption encouragement policies.
This year’s government work report proposes to cultivate and expand new consumption, implement policies to promote digital consumption, green consumption, and healthy consumption, and actively cultivate new consumption growth points such as smart homes, entertainment and tourism, sports events, and domestic “trendy products”.
These are very important consumer policies.
Beijing News: The Central Economic Work Conference particularly emphasized the need to stimulate consumption with potential and expand profitable investment.
How to see the relationship between the two?
Ning Jizhe: Effective investments are those projects with relatively high input-output and reasonable asset-liability ratios, rather than those with low returns or high liabilities.
In areas such as industrial innovation and development, new infrastructure construction, and enterprise technological transformation, there are still many such beneficial investments. We must also consider projects with comprehensive benefits that combine economic and social benefits.
The government work report also clearly puts forward key areas to support consumption and investment, such as supporting technological innovation, new infrastructure, energy conservation and emission reduction, and infrastructure construction for people's livelihood, promoting a new round of large-scale equipment updates and replacing old consumer goods with new ones. These are all The embodiment of effective investment.
It is necessary to coordinate the use of various funds to prevent ineffective and inefficient investments.
Stimulating potential consumption, expanding profitable investment, combining consumption and investment to promote each other, will help promote a virtuous cycle of investment and consumption.
In short, as residents' income increases, the consumption structure is undergoing a process of transformation and upgrading. The production structure and investment structure must be adjusted accordingly. Combining potential consumption with profitable investment will play a greater role.
Talking about increasing residents’ income
Let most people earn income through labor and business
Beijing News: When it comes to increasing income, how should we increase the income of urban and rural residents through multiple channels, expand the size of middle-income groups, and strive to increase the income of low-income groups?
Ning Jizhe: China's residents' income mainly comes from labor, and labor depends on employment, so it is very important to ensure residents' labor income by expanding employment.
Because labor income accounts for more than 50% of the average income of residents nationwide, and of course there is also business income, guaranteed income, asset income, etc.
These measures must be taken comprehensively to allow most people to earn income through labor and business. For some people who need basic security, social security can be used to increase their income and ensure their basic life.
It is necessary to implement a series of policies and measures to stabilize growth, employment, and prices, so that residents' income can maintain reasonable growth.
The report pointed out that residents' income growth and economic growth are in sync.
It should be said that this goal was achieved in the past year and we will continue to work hard this year.
Income growth is not a simple problem, but a comprehensive problem that requires joint efforts from all aspects to solve.
I believe that with the implementation of our goals and tasks this year, we can solve this problem.
Talking about foreign trade and foreign investment
The number of new foreign-funded enterprises has increased significantly. Foreign investment has confidence in China.
Beijing News: The government work report proposes to expand high-level opening up to the outside world and promote mutual benefit and win-win results.
How to consolidate the fundamentals of foreign trade and investment and cultivate new advantages in international economic cooperation and competition?
Ning Jizhe: Last year, the overall foreign investment attracted by countries around the world declined, and China's use of foreign investment is in a stable stage.
To stabilize foreign investment, the most critical thing is to create a market-oriented, legal and international first-class business environment that is conducive to normal investment and operation of enterprises.
Last year we conducted research on this and put forward some policy recommendations.
For more than a year, the number of foreign-funded enterprises registered in China has maintained a substantial growth, indicating that foreign investors have confidence in the future.
But there are also some problems with industrial transfer. Some are traditional industries. Labor costs are rising. Land costs are not only rising, but land is becoming increasingly scarce. This has caused some labor-intensive enterprises to move to cheaper places. This is normal.
But some are caused by changes in external complex factors.
We need to better solve the business environment problems of foreign-invested enterprises in China according to various situations, so that China will continue to be a hot spot for foreign investment.
Last year the State Council issued 24 documents, and this year it will issue documents to further increase efforts to attract foreign investment. These policies need to be implemented in place.
We not only need to stabilize these funds, but also stabilize the industrial chain. In fact, this also means stabilizing related employment and residents' income. This is very important for coastal areas and also for the whole country.
Beijing News: When it comes to the business environment, last year you went to companies to investigate and communicate with entrepreneurs. What did they express the most?
Ning Jizhe: The most common and most important thing is to have a stable business environment.
Just as I said, foreign investment needs a market-oriented, legal and international environment. Domestic investment, especially private enterprises, also needs a business environment with stable policies, fair competition, equal treatment, and reasonable investment expectations.
In this way, entrepreneurs will invest, start businesses, and expand production, operation, and reproduction.
Beijing News: What is the most important thing to stabilize expectations?
Ning Jizhe: The most important thing to stabilize expectations is to implement them. We must implement the policies and measures of the Party Central Committee on increasing macro-control, deepening reform and opening up, and promoting innovative development. We must take more actions and implement more to stabilize expectations.
Some entrepreneurs now have problems with insufficient confidence and weak expectations.
I think there are not only policy issues, but also market issues. Great changes have taken place in domestic and foreign markets, which also have a certain impact on entrepreneur confidence.
Many enterprises in coastal areas are facing the international market. There are now fewer orders in the international market and competition in the domestic market has become more intense.
Governments at all levels need to create good conditions for enterprises to explore domestic and foreign markets. Enterprises themselves must also take the initiative to explore markets. Governments and enterprises should work together to meet challenges.
Talking about the development of private economy
Provide a legalized production, operation and investment environment for the private economy
Beijing News: Last year, the National Development and Reform Commission established the Private Economic Development Bureau; in February this year, relevant departments stated that they would speed up the formulation of the Private Economy Promotion Law.
What do you think of these two major measures to promote the development of the private economy?
Ning Jizhe: One is at the work level and the other is at the legal level. I think these two measures are very important and important.
The Private Economic Development Bureau of the National Development and Reform Commission is already in operation. The main leaders of the National Development and Reform Commission hold regular on-site symposiums with private entrepreneurs. The Private Economic Development Bureau can promptly reflect the situations reported by private entrepreneurs to the government level and provide a comprehensive summary and coordination of the demands. function to achieve a good effect.
The Private Economy Promotion Law is a fundamental guarantee issue. The most important thing for the business environment is to have legal guarantees and adhere to the "two unwavering principles" to provide a legalized production, operation and investment environment for the private economy.
Talk about employment
To adapt to demand and improve supply, we must first expand jobs
Beijing News: The government work report states that it is expected that there will be more than 11.7 million college graduates this year.
What do you think of the employment situation this year?
What structural contradictions currently exist in the employment of college students?
Ning Jizhe: There is a structural contradiction in the employment of college students.
On the one hand, college students are encountering some new situations and problems in their employment, making it difficult to find jobs; on the other hand, some positions are also facing recruitment difficulties, such as production and R&D positions in emerging industries such as artificial intelligence and chips, and corporate technician positions.
Therefore, it is necessary to resolve the structural contradictions in employment.
This structural contradiction is not limited to China.
We need to strengthen training guidance, and schools adjust teaching structures and open new courses according to needs, so that students can quickly adapt to employment after graduation.
We must adapt to demand and improve supply, but we must first expand jobs and maintain stable growth and employment.
This structural contradiction requires multi-party efforts and collaboration to resolve.
Beijing News: In January this year, the National Bureau of Statistics announced adjustments and improvements to the unemployment rate statistics by age group. First, it will release the unemployment rate of the labor force aged 16 to 24, excluding school students; second, it will increase the release of the unemployment rate of the 25 to 25 years old, excluding school students. Unemployment rate among labor force aged 29 years.
What are the considerations behind this?
Ning Jizhe: This is a reasonable adjustment.
Previous unemployment statistics included the age group of college students who were studying in school but were included in the statistical scope.
In the past, there were few college students in China. When this indicator was first established, there were not so many people. Now the number of college students has a great influence on this number.
The new statistics remove students who are studying in school. I think this adjustment is reasonable.
Talking about new quality productivity
Developing new productive forces is a process of optimizing and upgrading industrial structure
Beijing News: The “promoting a new round of large-scale equipment updates and trade-in of consumer goods” discussed and deployed at the recent fourth meeting of the Central Financial and Economic Commission has triggered widespread discussion.
What do you think of this deployment?
Ning Jizhe: If the bulk consumer goods used by residents cannot adapt to the development trend of network, digitalization, greening and low-carbon, and are inconvenient or costly to use, they can be replaced by new products.
This is not only conducive to adjusting the production structure and promoting economic growth, but also conducive to adjusting the consumption structure and expanding the total consumption. It is a killing two birds with one stone.
Beijing News: How do you understand new productivity?
Ning Jizhe: New quality productivity, I understand it to be innovative, high-quality, and advanced productivity.
Specific industries include strategic emerging industries and future industries. Strategic emerging industries include new generation information technology, new energy, new materials, bioengineering, etc.; future industries include artificial intelligence, genetic engineering, quantum information, etc., and also include the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries. In traditional manufacturing and even agricultural fields, new products, new business formats, and new models led by new technologies have emerged.
I believe that the development of new productive forces is a process of optimizing and upgrading the industrial structure. It is guided by scientific and technological innovation and has the characteristics of high technology, high efficiency and high quality. Building a modern industrial system can embody advanced technology and disruptive technology to promote innovative development. Such a new form of productivity.
He Qiang, chief reporter of Beijing News