Reform, opening-up will only continue

THIS YEAR marks the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening-up, and it has provided a good opportunity to reflect on the crucial decisions that not only reshaped China, but also influenced the world. Xinhua News Agency comments:

Reform and opening-up focused national attention on economic construction, and over the past 40 years, China's gross domestic product has rocketed, from about 360 billion yuan ($52.14 billion) in 1978 to more than 80 trillion yuan last year. In the process, more than 700 million people have been lifted out of poverty, about 70 percent of the global total over that period. The average per capita disposable income has grown over 22-fold, and the average personal life expectancy has increased by nearly nine years.

That China has remained committed to deepening reforms and expanding opening-up over the past 40 years has been crucial to transforming the blueprints into reality, pushing China to the center of the world stage.