The NDRC's predecessor was the State Planning Commission (SPC), which was founded fifty-one years ago in 1952. The State Planning Commission was renamed as the State Development Planning Commission (SDPC) in 1998. After merging with the State Council Office for Restructuring the Economic System (SCORES) and part of the State Economic and Trade Commission (SETC) in 2003, the SDPC was restructured into the NDRC.

In the transition from the planned economy to a socialist market economy, our commission persists in deepening reform, subscribing to new ideas, transforming functions and giving full play to the fundamental role of the market in allocating resources. Meanwhile we have been making unremitting efforts to strengthen and improve macroeconomic management and forcefully promoting the sustained, rapid and sound development of the national economy.

The principal functions of the NDRC include:

1.To formulate and implement serategies for national economic and social development,long-term plans,annual plans,industrial policies and price policies;

2.To monitor and adjust the performance of the national economy,maintain the balance of economic aggregates and optimize major economic structures;

3.To examine and approve major construction projects;

4.To guide and promote economic system restructuring;

5.To carry out strategic readjustment and upgrading of industrial structure,coordinate the development of agriculture and rural economy and guide the development of industry;

6.To formulate plans for the development of the energy sector and manage national oil reserve;

7.To promote the sustainable development strategy,social development and coordinated development of regional economy and implement the Western Region Development Program;

8.To submit the plan for national economic and social development to the National People`s Congress on behalf of the State Council in accordance with the Constitution.

The NDRC has twenty-six functional departments, bureaus and offices with an authorized staff size of 890 civil servants. After the restructuring, the NDRC now exercises broader jurisdiction and undertakes more challenging tasks and more important responsibilities. To live up to our mission and perform duties assigned by the Communist Party of China and the people, we will spare no effort to create a team of high-quality and efficient civil servants and cultivate a unique commission culture that can be summarized in the following words: "Safeguard the fundamental interests of the people, give top priority to national interests, pursue excellence and progress, seek truth from facts, adopt a perspective of the overall situation, stress the importance of unity, think little of fame and fortune and adhere to incorruptness".

The NDRC will as always be committed to deepening the reform and opening up wider to the outside world and promoting development, actively engage in extensive cooperation with government agencies and people from all walks of life both at home and abroad and make our new contribution to world economic development and the progress of the mankind.

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