According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, China's gross domestic product (GDP) exceeded 80 trillion yuan (12.5 trillion US dollars) for the first time during the year 2017, a 6.9 percent growth over  the previous year. And this is the first time China's annual economic growth has rebounded since the downward trend beginning in 2011.

Under complicated national and international economic situations, China's economy has maintained a steady and relatively fast growth. This increase is not only higher than that of developed economies such as Europe, the United States, and Japan, it also surpasses that of the other BRICS countries. China's economic performance has once again caught the attention of the rest of the world.

The Financial Times said, "China's economy grew 6.9 per cent in 2017, the fastest since 2015 even as policymakers made headway towards curbing financial risk from excessive debt growth".

CNN's financial channel  featured a special report on China's economy in 2017.
　
Economic globalization has brought the interests of all countries closer together. However, there are still many uncertainties in the world. Therefore, China advocates for building a community with shared future for mankind.

South China Morning Post commented in an article that the US under Trump is increasingly being viewed by other governments as untrustworthy and unreliable. That does not matter to the American leader, his "America first" policy having been put above all else, but it does to a world in need of stability. President Xi Jinping's vision of nations cooperating for the global good through policies like the "Belt and Road Initiative" is comforting at such a time.

French President Macron said recently during his state visit to China that the  "Belt and Road" initiative is very important, and France is willing to actively take part. When speaking in Xi'an, Macron actively called on Europe to cooperate with China's "Belt and Road" Initiative, and stressed that the Silk Road can only be shared through a community structure.

China's development path has been affirmed by more and more countries and has been an inspiration to many other countries.

The Die Welt quoted analysts as saying that many countries view China as a better example than the West, these countries, which not only include Middle Eastern countries but also Latin American powers such as Mexico, Chile, Peru, and Brazil, are currently shifting towards China's new model, and it is worth noting that even NATO allies like Turkey prefer the Beijing model to Washington .The article also said that China is rapidly expanding its soft power.

Die Welt quoted the annual Global Soft Power Index of UK's Portland PR Firm as affirming China's economic strength. The report pointed out that the old world has lost its positive charm and attractiveness. Although western countries are still at their peak, China is rising year by year. Two years ago China ranked 30th; now it ranks 25th. Soft power closely follows a county's economic strength. Even now, China would be higher than the U.S. if based on the adjusted dollar's purchasing power as a measure of economic performance.

General Secretary Xi Jinping said in the report to the 19th Party Congress that after a long period of efforts, China's socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era; this is a new historical position for China's development.

The Guardian  stated that, in a long report to the 19th Party Congress report, Xi Jinping's self-confidence and China's great ambitions have attracted a lot of attention, after the past five years of development, several aspiring data and clear changes in international standing show that China has already entered a new era.

Singapore's IPP Review said that in 2017 China actively engaged in  multilateral diplomacy, which has taken China's foreign affairs to a new level. The report to the 19th Party Congress indicated a "new era", in which China will be even more self-confident. This idea in itself clearly shows the confident new trajectory China wants to be on and provides China's wisdom and solutions for problems facing mankind.

As the European Review of Modern Diplomacy said, "looking back at 2017, China has comprehensively involved into the world affairs, and achieved important early results in docking cooperation between the "Belt and Road" construction and the Eurasian Economic Union. Now looking into 2018, China will ensure to play a more vigorous role in making significant contributions to safeguarding world peace and stability in terms of its core interests and the general welfare of the world as well".

Editor: Tommy Tan.