Briefer News

Today's Chinese government publications, made readable.

Government sources · Events, not analysis · Everything cited

AUGUST 12, 2026

China publishes five-year plan to expand consumer spending.

Today's events

Voices

“The United States is in no position to carp at China over missile tests. China has conducted only three intercontinental tests, the fewest among the nuclear-weapon states.”

Li Chijiang, Ambassador for Disarmament Affairs, Geneva · Aug 114

“Looking to the coming five years, our consumer market enters a critical period of growth and quality. Yet contradictions and problems still restrain the release of consumption potential.”

Officials, central planning agency and commerce ministry · Aug 91

“Let the market play the decisive role in setting the exchange rate, keeping the yuan basically stable at a reasonable, balanced level; advance the yuan's internationalization.”

People's Bank of China, Five-Year Reform and Development Plan · Aug 102

“Coal is our greatest source of confidence in stable energy supply. We must proceed from this national condition and build up the coal bases.”

Wang Hongzhi, head of the National Energy Administration · Aug 76

“Erecting barriers will not stop Chinese artificial intelligence from going global; it will cut off American startups' technology supply and raise innovation costs across the industry.”

People's Daily commentary, “Heyin” column · Aug 108

“On the Taiwan region's participation in international organizations, China's position is consistent and clear: it must be handled according to the one-China principle.”

Guo Jiakun, Foreign Ministry spokesperson · Aug 119
Sources
  1. Ministry of Commerce · National Development and Reform Commission, “Officials of the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Commerce answer questions on the Expanding Consumption Five-Year Plan,” Aug 9, 2026. mofcom.gov.cn/xwfb/…/expanding-consumption-plan
  2. People's Bank of China, “The People's Bank of China issues its Five-Year Reform and Development Plan,” Aug 10, 2026. pbc.gov.cn/goutongjiaoliu/…/reform-development-plan
  3. National Bureau of Statistics, “Producer prices for industrial products rose 3.5% year-on-year in July 2026,” Aug 9, 2026. stats.gov.cn/sj/zxfb/…/july-producer-prices
  4. China Military Online, “China sharply rebuts the U.S.-manufactured joint statement on ‘ballistic missile launch notification’,” Aug 11, 2026. 81.cn/ss_208539/…/disarmament-conference-rebuttal
  5. People's Daily · CPC News, “The environmental code lays the rule-of-law foundation for ecosystem governance,” Aug 12, 2026. theory.people.com.cn/n1/…/environmental-code
  6. National Energy Administration, “‘Three cards’ underpin confidence in energy security” (on the New Energy System Five-Year Plan), Aug 7, 2026. nea.gov.cn/20260807/…/new-energy-system-plan
  7. Ministry of Commerce, “Spokesperson on the preliminary ruling in the anti-dumping investigation into pecans originating in Mexico and the United States,” Aug 10, 2026. mofcom.gov.cn/xwfb/…/pecan-antidumping-preliminary
  8. Cyberspace Administration of China, “Openness and mutual benefit is the only road for artificial-intelligence development” (People's Daily “Heyin” commentary), Aug 10, 2026. cac.gov.cn/2026-08/10/…/open-source-ai-commentary
  9. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “Spokesperson Guo Jiakun answers questions from reporters, August 11, 2026,” Aug 11, 2026. mfa.gov.cn/wjdt/fyrbt/…/20260811-press-conference