Global Times: China's economic potential reflected in auto sector's 'three 30-million' milestones

BEIJING, Dec. 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A video released on Sunday by studio Yishijie offered an explanation of a recent People's Daily article, stressing that China's economy is "large not only in scale, but also in potential," and expressing strong confidence in its long-term development prospects.

The video explains a People's Daily article originally published on the front page of the newspaper on December 19, 2025, by Ren Ping, which focuses on the widely discussed "three 30-million" milestones in China's automotive industry.

Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, pointed out that "Our economy is on solid foundations, demonstrating advantages in many areas, strong resilience, and great potential. The conditions and underlying trends supporting long-term growth remain unchanged."

The Central Economic Work Conference summarized the key principles of conducting economic work under new circumstances with "five imperatives," with "it is necessary to fully tap economic potential" ranked first.

At the end of October, FAW-Volkswagen rolled out its 30-millionth vehicle. On December 10, Changan Automobile produced its 30-millionth Chinese-brand vehicle. A day later, data released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers showed that China's automobile production and sales both exceeded 31 million units in the first 11 months of this year.

According to the video, these milestones highlight the immense potential of the Chinese market for open, win-win cooperation, the innovation capacity and brand strength of Chinese manufacturing, as well as the advantages of China's supersized market and its comprehensive industrial system.

The video said that as the world's second-largest consumer market, China boasts the world's largest middle-income group and the most comprehensive industrial system, noting that China's economic potential lies in the transition from old to new drivers, the integration of urban and rural development, and the balanced advancement of people and production.

By tapping momentum from industrial depth, exploring opportunities across geographic space, and fostering new vitality through human development, China's economy is showing a more pronounced trend toward innovation-driven and high-quality growth, the video said.

The video noted that the auto sector once experienced a period of intensifying "rat-race" competition. In the first quarter of 2025, profit margin of China's auto industry fell to 3.9 percent, below the average for the manufacturing sector.

However, the video emphasizes that the process of solving problems is also the process of unleashing potential. A series of timely measures has helped steer the industry back on track. The automobile sector reflects broader economic wisdom and plays a key role in releasing economic potential. In this process, the government should act as a guide, a barrier-breaker and a safeguard.

To fully unleash economic potential, the video stresses the importance of applying dialectical thinking and pursuing targeted solutions. Guided by the principle of "coordinating the whole as one chessboard," it is essential to tailor measures to local conditions to unleash the comparative advantages and developmental potential of each region, pooling them into a powerful driving force for China's economic development, the video noted.

"The fundamentals of the Chinese economy - its strong resilience, enormous potential, vast room for maneuver and long-term sustainability - remain unchanged," said Xi, "we have every confidence in the future of China's economy."

SOURCE Global Times