A view of Lujiazui, Shanghai File photo: VCG

The Central Economic Work Conference serves as an important institutional pillar in China's economic governance structure. It functions not only as a systematic evaluation mechanism for annual economic performance but also as a high-level framework for policy coordination across sectors and administrative levels. Its key contribution lies in translating long-term strategic objectives into coherent, prioritized, and actionable policy guidance, thereby ensuring continuity and consistency in economic governance. Through the conference, macroeconomic policy orientation, development priorities, and risk-prevention measures are clarified in a timely manner, allowing different levels of institutions and key market actors to align expectations and actions.

From a governance perspective, the conference plays a crucial role in enhancing policy predictability and reducing fragmentation. By integrating fiscal, monetary, industrial, technological, and social policies into a unified framework, it strengthens macro-policy coordination and improves implementation efficiency. This integrated approach is particularly important in an environment characterized by structural transformation, external uncertainty, and rapid technological change. The conference therefore acts as a stabilizing mechanism that balances short-term economic regulation with medium- and long-term development planning.

In my own professional experience working with Chinese higher-education institutions such as the China Foreign Affairs University and the Beijing Youth Politics College, I have observed how policy signals originating from the Central Economic Work Conference are translated into concrete institutional adjustments. These include curriculum alignment with national development priorities, greater emphasis on digital skills, green development, applied innovation, and international cooperation capacity. Such adjustments are not symbolic; they directly shape talent cultivation, research focus, and industry-education collaboration models. These experiences illustrate how macro-level policy guidance is effectively operationalized through multi-level institutions, reinforcing governance coherence and implementation capacity. In this sense, the meeting functions as a practical governance tool that links strategic vision with execution, contributing to the resilience, adaptability, and long-term stability of China's economic system.

The annual Central Economic Work Conference has laid out the country's economic work priorities for the coming year, and fostering new quality productive forces according to local conditions is listed as one of the priorities. From the perspective of both policy analysis and practical engagement, I view the development prospects of China's emerging and future industries as highly promising, particularly in the context of accelerating new quality productive forces. The key strength lies not only in technological breakthroughs themselves, but in China's growing capacity to integrate technological innovation with industrial application at scale.

It is important to note that China's emphasis on high-level technological self-reliance does not imply isolation. On the contrary, by strengthening core capabilities in areas such as computing power, digital infrastructure, green energy, and intelligent manufacturing, China is building a more resilient and open innovation ecosystem. And the country's acceleration of new quality productive forces creates opportunities for shared development rather than zero-sum competition.

Globally, this process offers three important contributions. First, it lowers the cost of digital and industrial transformation for developing economies by providing scalable models and mature infrastructure solutions. Second, it expands cooperation space in green development, smart manufacturing, and digital governance. Third, it injects stability into global industrial and supply chains by anchoring innovation in large-scale, real-economy applications. In this sense, China's pursuit of new quality productive forces not only reshapes its own growth trajectory but also generates tangible benefits for global industrial upgrading and sustainable development.

Toumert Al Photo: Courtesy of Toumert Al

Economic prospect in 2026

My confidence in China's economic development prospects for 2026 is rooted in sustained observation of both policy execution and real-economy dynamics. Through my roles as an academic director, think-tank consultant, and advisor to international education and cooperation projects, I have witnessed China's strong capacity to recalibrate its growth model in response to structural challenges while maintaining policy continuity and social stability. This adaptive capacity, supported by clear medium- and long-term planning, is a key source of resilience.

The 2026 economic blueprint also plays an important role in shaping China's external economic engagement, including cooperation with Africa. By emphasizing new quality productive forces, green development, and openness, China's development creates structured opportunities for Africa to participate in global industrial and technological ecosystems. 

Based on my work experience, it is fair to say that China's approach increasingly focuses on capacity building rather than simple trade expansion. This includes skills transfer, vocational education, digital infrastructure development, and support for local industrialization aligned with African development agendas in renewables, car industry and information technology sectors.

For African countries, this offers access to scalable development models, technology-enabled training, and integration into global value chains. For China, it strengthens long-term partnerships and reinforces its role as a driver of inclusive global growth. The consistent alignment between China's policy direction and real-economy outcomes - both domestically and internationally - underpins my confidence in China's economic trajectory in 2026 and its constructive contribution to global development.

In an increasingly complex global landscape marked by geopolitical tensions, economic fragmentation, and weakening multilateral consensus, China's continued commitment to high-level opening-up also sends a strong signal of stability, pragmatism, and long-term confidence in globalization. At a time when uncertainty has become structural rather than cyclical, China's emphasis on policy continuity, reform, and openness offers an important anchor for international economic cooperation.

Based on my work as a consultant and cultural-diplomacy practitioner, I have observed that foreign stakeholders increasingly value China's predictable policy environment and its willingness to engage in long-term, development-oriented cooperation. This is especially evident in South-South cooperation frameworks, where China's approach emphasizes capacity building, skills development, and institutional strengthening rather than short-term transactional outcomes.

In contrast to narratives of "decoupling" and "breaking supply chains," China's emphasis on connectivity, reform, and win-win cooperation has facilitated sustained engagement across education, trade, and cultural exchange. These engagements increasingly focus on co-creation, joint problem-solving, and long-term resilience, reflecting an adaptive model of globalization suited to current global realities. From my practical experience, China's opening-up strategy not only supports its own high-quality development but also contributes to stabilizing global economic expectations, reinforcing South-South cooperation, and rebuilding mutual trust across regions. In doing so, it helps preserve the cooperative foundations of globalization at a moment when they are most under pressure.

The author is the former General Secretary of the China-Morocco Friendship Association,and the secretary general to the Morocco-China alliance of innovation. bizopinion@globaltimes.com.cn