"As far as Chinese modernization is concerned, the people's well-being matters the most."
--Xi Jinping
Keywords
from official reports on Xi Jinping's tours in China in 2024 indicate his priorities
Chinese President Xi Jinping conducted a number of domestic tours in 2024 as well as trips to military facilities, highlighting key priorities through frequently used keywords such as "development," "people," "culture," "industry," "innovation" and "ecology." "Development" was the top keyword, emphasizing modernization and economic growth. The accompanying visualization reveals keyword trends and insights into each tour's focus.
Word frequency is based on the 49 official Chinese news reports on President Xi's tours in China in 2024.
211
145
120
100
99
77
60
56
54
51
211
145
120
100
99
77
60
56
54
51
Development
People
Culture
Industry
Innovation
Technology
Economy
Modernization
Reform
Ecology
Tianjin
February
Hunan
March
Chongqing
April
Shandong
May
Qinghai
June
Ningxia
June
Shaanxi
September
Gansu
September
Fujian
October
Anhui
October
Hubei
November
Hainan
December
Macao
December
Military
February, April, October, November, December
IN 2024
Putting people at the center
China forged ahead on the path to modernization on all fronts in 2024. But what makes Chinese-style modernization different from models in developed countries?

For Chinese President Xi Jinping, the fundamental answer is simple – putting people first, not capital.
The podcast is presented by Li Dongning.
IN 2024
Development remains top priority
At major economic meetings and on regional inspections in 2024, Chinese President Xi Jinping has repeatedly stressed the importance of development.

At the Central Economic Work Conference – a key annual meeting presided over by Xi – in December, it was stated that China has ensured the overall stability and steady progress of the economy this year, and that the major goals and tasks for economic and social development in 2024 are expected to be accomplished.
The podcast is presented by Liu Xin.
IN 2024
Major progress in deepening reform and opening up
China's mission to comprehensively deepen reform in the new era continued apace in 2024, with the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) kickstarting a new chapter in the new journey to promote Chinese modernization.
The podcast is presented by Wang Mangmang.
IN 2024
Building an innovative nation
With double-digit growth in the production of new energy vehicles, integrated circuits and service robots in 2024, momentum continued to grow behind China's innovation economy.

As Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasized during a visit to Hefei City in Anhui Province in October, "science and technology should be at the forefront in advancing Chinese modernization."
The podcast is presented by Wang Guan.
IN 2024
Protecting and inheriting rich cultural heritage
In 2024, Chinese President Xi Jinping mentioned culture more than 100 times during his domestic inspection tours. When inspecting Yunmeng Xiangshan Museum in central China's Hubei Province in November, Xi admired the ancient bamboo slips and called on local authorities to protect and study them carefully.
The podcast is presented by Philip Hampsheir.
IN 2024
Pushing for more lucid water and lush mountains
Chinese President Xi Jinping continued to stress the importance of ecological and environmental governance during his domestic inspections in 2024.

"Protection is a precondition of development, and lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets," Xi said when inspecting a section of the Yellow River in northwest China's Gansu Province in September.
The podcast is presented by Luo Laiming.
Serving the people
According to China's Ministry of Finance, 70 percent of government expenditure in 2024 has gone toward ensuring the people's well-being.

The country has raised its expenditure in the national general public budget to about 28.55 trillion yuan ($3.91 trillion) this year, up 4 percent from the previous year, with projected budgets for education, social insurance and employment each surpassing 4 trillion yuan in 2024.
A bumper harvest
The latest National Bureau of Statistics of China data showed that in 2024 the country's total grain output exceeded 706 million tonnes, an increase of 1.6 percent over the previous year, hitting a new record high.

This year's bumper harvest was accompanied by a rise in grain planting areas in the country, which stood at over 119 million hectares, up 0.3 percent year on year. Additionally, grain output per unit area increased by 1.3 percent, the data showed.

In another positive development, China's food security law, aimed at ensuring the supply of grain and related products, took effect in June.
Accelerating rural revitalization
China has identified 160 major counties for national rural revitalization assistance and allocated over 177 billion yuan in subsidies to support their development in 2024.

In the first three quarters of this year, the per capita disposable income of rural residents reached 16,740 yuan, a real-term annual increase of 6.3 percent.

Meanwhile, the central government allocated development funds of 7.4 billion yuan to improve production and living conditions in ethnic minority villages and to protect and develop ethnic minority villages.
Progress in consolidating poverty alleviation
The country launched monitoring and support mechanisms to prevent once poor populations from falling back into poverty. By the end of September, around 60 percent of these people no longer faced such risks and others had received assistance and support.

Work-relief programs to boost employment have also been implemented this year. In the first three quarters, these programs created a total of 2.45 million jobs for low-income workers, a year-on-year increase of 30.2 percent, and distributed 31 billion yuan in wages, up 22.7 percent from a year earlier, according to the National Development and Reform Commission.
In a year marked by rising geopolitical tensions and escalating global instability, China's diplomatic efforts in 2024 stood out as a key player in fostering stability.

From pushing for the first adoption of a UN Security Council ceasefire resolution in Gaza in March, to facilitating Palestinian reconciliation and the signing of the Beijing Declaration in July, and to lunching with the Global South the "Friends for Peace" for Ukraine crisis, China actively worked to restore world peace and save lives throughout the year.

President Xi Jinping attended three major diplomatic events at home – the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, the conference marking the 70th anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, and the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, made four key overseas visits – to Europe, to Central Asia, for the BRICS Summit, and to Latin America, and attended several multilateral summits over the course of the year.

As a "stable, positive and progressive force" in the international community, China will always stay on the path of peaceful development, said President Xi after accepting credentials presented by 28 ambassadors to China on December 12, 2024.