Chinese Gov focus on High-quality development in next 5 years plan

The 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) convened its fourth plenary session in Beijing from Monday to Thursday, October 23.

According to a communique of the session, the CPC Central Committee established the guiding principles for economic and social development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), setting major objectives for the country. 

The next five years will be critical as the country works to push ahead on all fronts toward basically achieving socialist modernization by 2035, and it will thus serve as a key link between the past and the future, the communique stated.

Notably, terms such as high-quality development, science and technology, people’s well-being, innovation and reform are among some of the high-frequency keywords mentioned in the communique.

High-quality development

China’s focus on high-quality development marks a shift from merely seeking growth to seeking better growth and seeking quality over quantity. China’s economy has made remarkable progress in high-quality development, driven by innovation and expanding domestic demand.

In the next five years, China will continue to make significant advancements in high-quality development.

According to the communique, China will move faster to develop a high-standard socialist market economy and boost the momentum for high-quality development, urging efforts to improve the macroeconomic governance system, and ensure steady, long-term and high-quality development.

The communique called for promoting high-standard opening up and creating new horizons for mutually beneficial cooperation. It is imperative to push for innovative development of trade, expand the cooperation space for two-way investment, and promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.

Regarding the improvement people’s livelihood, it urged efforts to promote high-quality development in areas including employment and real estate, aiming to ensure and improve public well-being and promote prosperity for all.

Science and technology

During the 14th Five-Year Plan, China placed innovation at the forefront, promoting the development of new quality productive forces through sci-tech innovation and its integration with industrial transformation.

Substantial improvements in scientific and technological self-reliance and strength are one of the major objectives for the 15th Five-Year Plan period.

The country should achieve greater self-reliance and strength in science and technology and steer the development of new quality productive forces, said the communique, urging efforts to coordinate the development of education, science and technology and talent cultivation, and enhance the overall effectiveness of the national innovation system.

It also called for strengthening original innovation and breakthroughs in key core technologies, promoting the deep integration of sci-tech and industrial innovation, and advancing the building of a Digital China.

People’s well-being

China has consistently adhered to a people-centered development approach, adopting pragmatic measures in improving people’s livelihoods, ensuring that the basic living needs of all people are met, and working hard to resolve the pressing difficulties and problems that concern them most.

In the major objectives for the next five years, China pledged to make further improvements in quality of life, make major new strides in advancing the Beautiful China Initiative, and further advance in strengthening the national security shield.

According to the communique, the country will work harder to ensure and improve public well-being, including strengthening the inclusive, basic and bottom-line protection of livelihoods, improving the social security system, and expand equal access to basic public services.

Meanwhile, the country should accelerate the green transition across the board in an effort to build a Beautiful China, and modernize its national security system and capacity and advance the Peaceful China Initiative to a higher level.

Economic and social development

In the face of a complex international landscape and mounting challenges, China’s growth – particularly driven by deepening economic transformation – represents an unprecedented achievement, given its vast economic scale.

In the next five years, China should build a modernized industrial system and reinforce the foundations of the real economy, said the communique.

Focusing on intelligent, green and integrated development, efforts should be made to build a modern industrial system with advanced manufacturing as its backbone, it said, emphasizing the need to optimize and upgrade traditional industries, cultivate and strengthen emerging and future industries, and promote the high-quality development of the service industry.

The communique called for building a robust domestic market and fostering a new pattern of development, urging the need to boost consumption and expand effective investment.

The country should accelerate agricultural and rural modernization and take solid steps to advance all-around rural revitalization, it said, calling for promoting the development of beautiful and livable villages, and improving policies that strengthen agriculture, benefit farmers, and enrich rural areas.

The communique also called for efforts to refine its regional economic layout and promote coordinated regional development