In the face of economic instability, geopolitical tensions and rising trade barriers, China is making significant contributions to global stability, according to government officials and business leaders.

They made the remarks at the annual London Book Fair on Tuesday, where the English editions of China Development Report 2025 and Global Development Report 2025 were launched.

Long Guoqiang, vice-president of the Development Research Center of the State Council, briefed the audience on the two reports in his opening speech at the launch ceremony.

Written by the Development Research Center of the State Council, China Development Report 2025 records the ideas, policies and practices introduced by China in 2024.

The report also presents research findings on emerging issues, including new drivers of domestic demand, the future of China's service sector, embodied intelligence and the low-altitude economy.

Meanwhile, the Global Development Report 2025, produced by the Center for International Knowledge on Development (CIKD) under the theme Jointly Bringing Stability and Certainty to Global Development, focuses on how to build a more stable and predictable future for the world.

The report reviews progress toward the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, identifies major challenges and opportunities in global development, and explores practical ways to support stable and sustainable growth.

Key issues discussed in the report include global trade, climate change, public health, food security, poverty reduction, industrialization in developing countries, digital and intelligent technologies, cooperation within the Global South, and safeguarding the international system with the United Nations at its core.

"These two reports offer uniquely complementary views of the state of development—one through the lens of China's domestic progress and the other through the broader, rapidly shifting global landscape," said William King, project coordination lead for strategic cooperation at Shell Group, at the launch event.

"We read these books with great interest because they help us understand the dynamics within China and also China's perspectives on global developments. They are very important," he added.

Citing findings from China Development Report 2025, King said China's domestic policies in 2024 demonstrate how coordinated policy frameworks, such as carbon emissions control systems, carbon pricing mechanisms and large-scale renewable energy projects, can create conditions under which businesses like Shell can contribute with confidence and at scale.

"The Global Development Report 2025 emphasizes the need for open, stable and cooperative international systems so that progress in one region can reinforce progress elsewhere. It also highlights how instability weakens development when countries pull apart rather than work together," he said.

"These two reports remind us that the world is not short of challenges, but neither is it short of progress, creativity or ambition.

"The message is clear: certainty is created when we innovate boldly, collaborate deeply and commit consistently—across borders, across sectors and across all parts of the energy system."

Li Yan, deputy director and research fellow at the Industrial Economics Research Department of the Development Research Center of the State Council, noted that the China Development Report 2025 provides forward-looking insights into new drivers of domestic demand, the future of China's service sector, embodied intelligence and the low-altitude economy.

She said that for international investors and multinational corporations, the report helps illustrate how China's goals of high-quality development and common prosperity can translate into tangible market opportunities.

"This is of critical importance," she said. "In today's context of increasing global uncertainty, such insights are precisely a scarce and valuable resource. At the same time, they represent one of China's most significant contributions to global stability."