After witnessing the effects of a tumultuous trade war with the United States this year, China’s top leaders have issued a directive to fortify the domestic economy against persistent or even heightened trade frictions.
Following the annual central economic work conference, which concluded on Thursday and set the agenda for 2026, officials emphasised “better coordinating domestic economic work and international economic and trade struggles”, anchoring a pro-growth strategy for the start of leadership’s 15th five-year planning period.
Analysts said the use of the word “struggles” suggests Beijing has assessed that trade frictions could endure and expand beyond the US, including with other partners such as the European Union.
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“Although ‘stabilising foreign trade’ and ‘stabilising foreign investment’ have been addressed to varying degrees each year … their importance and urgency [in 2026] remain no less significant than in 2025,” said economists led by Lian Ping, chairman of the China Chief Economists Forum, in a Friday note.
The defensive posture comes even as China posted a record trade surplus of US$1.076 trillion in the first 11 months of this year, despite trade war volatility following US President Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
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Following the work conference, leadership’s call to “accelerate the establishment of a new development paradigm” underscored the push for a dual-circulation model that balances external resilience with internal strength.