The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) stated: "The Chinese economy has a solid foundation, advantages in many areas, strong resilience, and great potential. The conditions for and underlying trend of long-term growth remain unchanged. More and more, we are seeing the strengths of socialism with Chinese characteristics, China's enormous market, its complete industrial system, and its abundant human resources all coming to the fore."

When assessing the trajectory of China's macroeconomic growth and its underlying strengths, empirical data provides a critical foundation. Among all indicators, total electricity consumption - often described as an "economic barometer" - offers a distinctive perspective for observing the country's economic vitality.

Standing at the close of the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), the "trillion-plus" figures reveal the strong pulse of China's economy. They also reinforce confidence in leveraging the country's opportunities, potential and advantages to advance high-quality development and fully promote Chinese modernization.

Innovation - a defining feature of China's economy in the new era

Innovation has become a defining feature of China's new-era economy. The Fourth Plenary Session emphasized: "Achieving greater self-reliance and strength in science and technology and steering the development of new quality productive forces."

The level of electrification directly mirrors a country's modernization. The emerging track of developing new quality productive forces finds its answer in electricity consumption.

In the first three quarters of the year, China's electricity consumption approached 8 trillion kilowatt-hours. Which sector saw the fastest growth in power use?

In Yangling District of Xianyang City, Shaanxi Province - known as China's "Silicon Valley" of agriculture - aerial drones, field cameras and greenhouse sensors, intelligent greenhouses supported by Internet of Things - all enable high-yield farmland through an integrated "sky-space-ground" system. From "depending on the weather for food" to "working in accordance with the weather," and from traditional farming to smart agriculture, electricity provides the essential power for this transformation.

In the first three quarters, electricity consumption in the primary industry increased by 10.2 percent year-on-year, leading all three industries.

Promoting Chinese modernization remains most challenging and crucial in rural areas, where the foundation is broad and deep. The rapid advancement of agricultural mechanization and smart farming has given wings to rural revitalization - making modernization more inclusive and balanced across the country.

In the first three quarters of this year, with the rapid development of mobile internet, big data and cloud computing, electricity consumption for internet data services in five southern provinces and regions, including Guangdong and Guangxi, rose by 46.05 percent year-on-year. Benefiting from 49 key data centers under construction or in operation, Guizhou led the nation with an impressive 72.92 percent increase.

Computing power has become a new driver of new quality productive forces, and the digital economy is now one of the main arenas of global competition. This competition in computing power is backed by electricity, which largely depends on whether energy supplies can be both green and stable.

Electricity consumption trends mirror the country's economic trajectory - revealing both the sources of vitality and the engines of future growth. The transformation and upgrading of traditional industries, the expansion of emerging sectors and the acceleration of future industries' incubation all reflect a healthy economic structure, with electricity data serving as a "check-up report" that provides a comprehensive and clear picture of the Chinese economy's improving structure and its shift toward new drivers of growth.

As President Xi Jinping has emphasized, "Chinese modernization should be supported by sci-tech modernization, and achieving high-quality development relies on new driving forces cultivated by sci-tech innovation." Leveraging technological innovation as the "key variable" can unlock the "greatest incremental force" of new quality productive forces.

Stability - what China's development conveys to the world

Stability - this is what China's development consistently conveys to the world. "Promoting the positive interaction between high-quality development and high-level security through high-efficiency governance" - China's steady and pragmatic growth has provided the world with a sense of stability and certainty.

Behind this "imperceptible stability" lies a sophisticated balance of supply and demand. There was a time when "power rationing" posed a major challenge to China's economic and social development. This summer, however, the fact that ordinary households felt no disruption in electricity supply quietly reflected the steadiness of China's economy - and prompted deeper thinking: In today's world of global energy imbalance, how has China managed to "stay firmly in control"?

"When we make sound strategic judgments, pursue scientific strategic planning and take the initiative strategically, the cause of the Party and the people will have great promise."

China's stability stems from its ability to "make the first move." By strengthening strategic thinking and turning challenges into opportunities, China has been able to transform potential risks into new momentum for progress.

The breakthroughs in key technologies such as high-temperature gas-cooled reactors and controlled nuclear fusion have significantly strengthened China's "hard power" in energy. Meanwhile, the completion and operation of major projects including the Baihetan hydropower station and the energy storage power station in the Ulan Buh Desert have established "major pillars" for China's power supply.

By balancing urgent needs with far-sighted planning, China is striving to secure control over its technological destiny. Through building strategic reserves across sectors, strengthening fundamental stabilizers and forging new competitive edges, the nation continues to enhance its independence, autonomy and security of its development.

This stability is rooted in "a coordinated national response." In times of complexity, a stronger sense of the broader picture helps transform challenges into opportunities.

Inclusiveness - a distinctive feature of the advantages of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics

Inclusiveness is a distinctive feature of the advantages of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics. President Xi once pointed out that enabling the broad masses of people to share the fruits of reform and development is an essential requirement of socialism and full manifestation of the superiority of China's socialist system.

While electricity demand has increased significantly, the price of electricity for basic residential use has remained relatively stable over a long period, vividly and profoundly demonstrating China's advantage.

In Dulongjiang Town, Gongshan Dulong and Nu Autonomous County, Yunnan Province, an investment of 30.25 million yuan in a household electrification project and 280 million yuan in a network project have brought light and prosperity to the villages hidden deep in the mountains.

Globally, China is the first and only country with a population of over 1.4 billion that has achieved national electrification. Given the high costs of power infrastructure construction and maintenance, which are difficult to recoup in the short term, why continue this effort?

Upholding the principle of putting people first and always taking the wellbeing of the people as the fundamental value orientation, China's modernization concept embodies the people-centered development philosophy and demonstrates the original aspiration and perseverance of the Chinese Communists.

The 15th Five-Year Plan period is a crucial period for laying a solid foundation and making all-out efforts to basically realize socialist modernization. It is also a period in which China's development faces both strategic opportunities and risks and challenges. By continuously enhancing innovation, stability and inclusiveness, we will surely be able to inject more security, positive energy and new opportunities into a world full of changes and uncertainties.

The article first appeared in the People's Daily. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn