Meeting charts course for growth in new era

High-quality development and prevention of major risks are top of the agenda in the policy road map laid out at this year's Central Economic Work Conference, which wrapped up on Wednesday.

The policy objectives and directions outlined in the road map will not only guide the Chinese economy through the coming year, they are also crucial to the long-term development of the world's second-largest economy.

Over the more than three decades since the launch of reform and opening-up, China has maintained an impressive growth rate that has propelled it to become the world's second-largest economy. However, the years of no-holds-barred expansion have caused a pile-up of problems and risks that can no longer be put aside.