BEIJING, March 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — “A successful venture should start with a good plan and clear goals set.” This quote comes from Reply to Commissioner Sun Huaixi, a letter written by Zhang Juzheng, a renowned statesman and reformer of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). It means that those who embark on a new undertaking must think carefully and plan for the long term, and those who accomplish great things all start off with a clear blueprint and well-thought-out strategy.

On December 31, 2025, Chinese President Xi Jinping quoted this line in his 2026 New Year message. He stressed that, at the beginning of the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30), China must focus on its goals and tasks, boost confidence and build momentum to press ahead.

In October 2025, the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee adopted the recommendations for formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan, mapping out an ambitious design for China’s economic and social development over the next five years and setting the course for advancing Chinese modernization.

At the annual full session of China’s top legislature, the National People’s Congress, held in Beijing on March 5-12, the draft outline of the plan will be submitted to national lawmakers for review and to political advisors for discussion. Once approved by the National People’s Congress, the outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan will be made public and put into effect.

Great undertakings cannot succeed without sound strategies and detailed planning. The implementation of five-year plans since 1953 has helped China make a historic leap from poverty and backwardness to becoming the world’s second largest economy, accomplishing the twin feats of rapid economic growth and long-term stability.

Over the past 70 years, China has grown from a country that could not produce a single car or airplane into the world’s largest manufacturing power. Railways now wind their way to the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, the roof of the world, and highways form a dense network across the nation. Reservoirs have been built among towering gorges. Modern ports connect the country with markets across the globe. Industries now cover a wide range of sectors, while farmland nationwide yields abundant harvests. Shenzhou spacecraft have journeyed through the vastness of space. The country’s national defense capabilities are stronger than ever.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period, China’s economy grew at an average annual rate of 5.4 percent, well above the world’s average over the same period. China’s average annual contribution to global economic growth stood at around 30 percent throughout the period. Its per-capita GDP has exceeded $13,000 for three consecutive years. China has broken into the global top 10 most innovative economies for the first time, landing at 10th place in the Global Innovation Index 2025 released by the World Intellectual Property Organization, with cutting-edge projects constantly emerging, and frontier fields such as AI making major breakthroughs. China has built the world’s largest and fastest-growing renewable energy system, and established the world’s largest education, social security and healthcare systems. These achievements have paved the way for further progress during the 15th Five-Year Plan period.

The 20th CPC National Congress in October 2022 set forth the goal of basically achieving socialist modernization by 2035. The 15th Five-Year Plan period is a key stage for building a solid foundation and driving all-around development. As we enter this period, the country as a whole is focused on its goals and pressing forward with continuous effort to ensure decisive progress toward basic socialist modernization.

The 15th Five-Year Plan not only lays out a blueprint for China’s development over the next five years, but also sends a clear message to the international community: China is committed to pursuing development in partnership with the world, thereby instilling a sense of certainty in an uncertain world.

The world order is undergoing profound shifts, with unilateralism and protectionism on the rise, and the global economic and trade order facing increasing challenges. The 15th Five-Year Plan emphasizes steadily expanding institutional opening up, upholding the multilateral trading system, increasing global trade and economic flows, boosting reform and development through openness and sharing growth opportunities with the world. These efforts will contribute to the global pursuit of a sustainable future.

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