Exclusive | Key China economic planning meeting said to be set for next week as headwinds swirl
- China’s central economic work conference, where top officials meet to chart policy for year ahead, traditionally takes place at the Jingxi Hotel
- Premier Li Keqiang hinted at some monetary easing and help for SMEs in a meeting with IMF chief this week
China is expected to hold a key annual economic meeting as early as next week, as it looks to set the policy tone for the country in 2022 amid swirling headwinds, according to people familiar with the matter.
The central economic work conference, at which China’s top decision-makers and provincial heads gather to chart the country’s economic path in the year ahead, is tentatively set to start next Wednesday and last two and half days, according to one of the people familiar with the issue, who declined to be identified as the information is not public yet.
The timing would mean that the agenda-setting event would occur more than a week earlier than last year, when Beijing struck an unusually bullish tone as the only major country to post positive growth amid the global pandemic.
Key participants at the conference, which traditionally takes place at the Jingxi Hotel in Beijing, include President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang and Vice-Premier Liu He.
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This year’s event comes after warnings from officials and government advisers about economic headwinds and stalling growth in the second half.