China must ditch its growth target obsession

By clinging to arbitrary goals, Xi is prioritizing short-term gains over reform

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2025-03-05 Xixi

Chinese President Xi Jinping attends the opening session of the National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, on March 5, 2025. © Reuters

William Pesek is an award-winning Tokyo-based journalist and author of "Japanization: What the World Can Learn from Japan's Lost Decades."

Last week at the annual National People's Congress, Xi Jinping's Chinese Communist Party announced a gross domestic product target of "around 5%" for the next 12 months. In doing so, he blew the ballgame and rendered promises of reform and revival.

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