According to the unified accounting results of the regional gross domestic product of Liaoning, Dalian's regional GDP reached 1.00021 trillion yuan ($143.4 billion) in 2025, representing a year-on-year increase of 5.7 percent at constant prices.

Dalian has become the first city in Northeast China with a GDP exceeding 1 trillion yuan.

"Overall, the city's economy maintained stable performance in 2025, achieving new progress in high-quality development, and the main expected targets of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) were accomplished as scheduled," Xu Jie, deputy director of the Dalian Municipal Bureau of Statistics, said at a news conference.

By sector, the added value of the primary industry was 66.54 billion yuan, up 3.6 percent; the secondary industry added 353.25 billion yuan, up 7.7 percent; while the tertiary industry added 580.42 billion yuan, up 4.8 percent.

Yu Miaojie, president of Liaoning University, said the growth conveys an important message to the outside world, that the comprehensive revitalization of Northeast China's economy is highly promising, and the future of the region's economy will be even brighter.

Dalian has become a leading force driving high-quality economic development in Northeast China and a window for opening-up, demonstrating its exemplary role and model strength, he told the Economic Daily.

The city's main expected targets in 2026 for the economic and social development would be regional GDP growth of over 5 percent, according to the government report at the Fifth Session of the 17th Dalian Municipal People's Congress on Jan 14.

Meanwhile, fixed-asset investment is projected to rise by 3 percent, total retail sales by 3 percent, and foreign trade by 3 percent, with actual utilized foreign capital reaching $500 million. General public budget revenue is expected to grow by 1 percent, urban and rural residents' income to keep pace with economic growth, and employment and prices to stay stable.

Xiong Maoping, deputy secretary of the Liaoning Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China and Party chief of Dalian, said the city would prioritize creating a more stable, fair, and predictable market environment to strengthen investor confidence and support sustainable growth.

During a recent conference on improving its business environment, he emphasized that this is the "most crucial, immediate, and pressing strategic" task for Dalian.

The city has made new achievements in the rule of law, new efforts in aiding enterprises, new strides in government service efficiency, new steps in opening-up, and fostered a new atmosphere in discipline enforcement, leading to continuous improvement, Xiong said.

Dalian aims to set an example within Liaoning province by improving regulatory clarity and enforcement consistency, contributing to broader efforts to enhance the province's overall business climate, he said.

According to the draft outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) for Dalian's national economic and social development, by 2030, Dalian will have basically formed a new landscape of comprehensive revitalization featuring a favorable business environment, strong innovation capabilities, an optimized industrial structure, a beautiful ecological environment, vibrant development, and a high happiness index.