A worker is busy on the production line in a private enterprise in the Lianyungang Economic and Technological Development Area in Jiangsu Province on March 27, 2023. Photo: VCG

China will take pragmatic measures in six areas, including accelerating the legislation process for the private economy promotion law, to assist with the development of the private economy, the head of China's top economic planner said on Tuesday.

The move comes after China's policymakers strengthened efforts in 2023 to boost confidence among entrepreneurs and ensure the sound development of private businesses, which saw private enterprises register growth in trade and investment.

Zheng Shanjie, head of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), made the statement at a themed conference on the private economy's high-quality development, held in Jinjiang, East China's Fujian Province.

The NDRC will address concerns, boost confidence, break barriers, solve problems, and ensure that private enterprises feel the benefits, Zheng noted.

Zheng said that efforts should be made to accelerate the legislation process for the private economy promotion law, which will provide legal protection for the development of the private economy.

Additionally, efforts should be made to listen to the voices of private enterprises, strengthen the analysis of the development situation of the private economy, encourage greater participation of private capital in major national projects, compile exemplary cases, and enhance work mechanisms to better serve the development of the private economy, Zheng said.

In 2023, Chinese policymakers took a flurry of moves to boost the private sector, which played a crucial role in the country's economic development.

"With the implementation of these policies and measures, the development of the private economy has shown a general trend of steady progress and steady improvement," Zheng said.

Government data showed that from January to November 2023, the imports and exports of private enterprises increased by 6.1 percent year-on-year. Excluding investment in the real-estate sector, private investment increased by 9.1 percent year-on-year during the same period.

Global Times