China's Politburo Vows Holistic Response to External Shocks, Boosts Energy Security and Tech Self-Reliance

China has vowed to take a holistic approach in responding to external shocks and safeguarding the country's energy security, as fallout from the US-Israel war on Iran continues to spread across the global economy. The country's top leadership also stressed the importance of boosting the nation's technological self-reliance and control over its industrial supply chains. After a meeting of the country's Politburo – a major decision-making body of the ruling Communist Party led by President Xi Jinping – that ended on Tuesday, the country's top leadership pledged to push forward with new water, power and computing infrastructure projects, while accelerating the launch of major projects that are ready to break ground. "Since the start of this year, China's economy has got off to a strong start, with key indicators coming in better than expected," according to a readout released by Xinhua, which added that the economy still faced some challenges. "It is essential to bolster confidence and step up efforts with stronger and more concrete measures to ensure economic work is carried out effectively."