Key economic meeting projected to accelerate reform push

The upcoming high-profile meeting that will chart the course for China's economy in 2025 is expected to not only emphasize stimulus injections but outline faster reform steps, a key action to bolster the confidence of domestic and foreign investors, said a senior economist.

"I expect the Central Economic Work Conference to focus probably on not only the policy package for the short term, for 2025 and 2026, but also to emphasize speeding up some of the reform measures," Wang Tao, head of Asia economics and chief China economist at UBS Investment Bank, told China Perspective.

The key reforms high on the agenda, she said, could consist of better protection and access for the private sector, State-owned enterprise reform to improve efficiency and governance, hukou (household registration) reform to improve migrant workers' entitlements, strengthened social protection networks, and fiscal reforms to address local fiscal revenue issues.

"Faster reforms will be very important for not only attracting foreign investment but also boosting domestic confidence," Wang said.