The 4th Plenary Session concluded with major decisions, including blueprint for 15th Five-Year Development Plan. Five-year planning is a unique approach practiced in China. Each Five-Year Plan is crafted on the core principles of Chinese governance, which emphasise stability over chaos, planning over rhetoric, vision over slogans, action over talk, gradual progress over utopian dreams and consistency over panic to serve people, ensure prosperity and enhance security. These traits help guarantee smooth implementation and provide continuity, guidance for society, and predictability, aiding businesses in long-term planning, society in achieving its development goals and the country in reaching sustainable development objectives.
Therefore, Five-Year Plans have always been taken seriously, and their importance has grown as China continued its development. However, 15th Development Plan has received particular focus, as it marks first step towards becoming a modern socialist country by 2035. The plan’s objectives clearly show China will undergo another transformation. China aims to achieve a few specific goals.
China will aim for high-quality development through economic, social and environmental improvements. China will work to modernise its economic production system by adopting new techniques and technologies. It will develop and implement clean energy solutions, reduce reliance on fossil fuels, protect the environment and address climate change. Renewable energy sources like solar, wind and hydropower will be expanded. Still, all these efforts will be guided by a people-focused approach, with people’s well-being as primary goal. The CPC will ensure people enjoy a high quality of life in a safer, better environment. To achieve this, a culture of innovation and technological progress will be strengthened and promoted at every level.
China believes sharing benefits of economic and technological development requires creating new opportunities for the world. Therefore, it will continue implementing reforms and promoting comprehensive opening. China will endeavour to diversify trade connections by signing new bilateral and regional trade agreements. It will reform negative list, reduce its size and gradually open digital market. The Catalogue of Encouraged Industries for Foreign Investment will add new investment areas.
China also plans to establish new high-standard free trade zones over the next five years. Meanwhile, China will encourage inward and outward investment by reforming its rules and regulations to support investors. It will accelerate efforts to unify the market and create a transparent, stable and predictable institutional environment.
Building on past successes, China will continue to deepen reforms and increase efforts to open its value-added telecommunication and biotechnology sectors, as well as its wholly foreign-owned hospitals. Additionally, new sectors, such as education and culture, will be included, with reforms implemented in a phased, orderly manner.
President Xi believes without full confidence in our culture — without a rich and prosperous culture —Chinese nation cannot rejuvenate itself. Therefore, he has started a process to develop a modern culture that meets needs of new era and creates a positive image of China. He is also emphasising inclusion of socialist core values and encouraging the growth of cultural industry. Over the next five years, China will modernise its culture in line with President Xi’s Thought on Culture. However, China will not attempt to impose its culture and ethical values on others, as it believes in harmony in diversity.
Beautiful China is another area China will prioritise over the next five years. China will accelerate efforts to build an ecological civilisation in its true spirit. It is also crucial to address impacts of climate change and environmental degradation. High-quality development has been planned to support these goals. Additionally, China will adopt philosophy of harmony between humans and the planet, as well as Two Mountains Theory. Therefore, China will expedite efforts to reduce GHG emissions, enhance planning and responsible resource use and protect natural resources, including water, land, mountains and forests.
China will modernise its security system to protect its development interests and territorial integrity, aiming for a rightful place on global stage. Therefore, China will accelerate efforts to implement President Xi’s holistic security vision. This vision encompasses political, homeland, military, economic, cultural, societal, scientific, technological, informational, ecological, climate change, food security, cyberspace and nuclear aspects, among others. China will focus on both traditional and non-traditional security threats, such as cyberspace, climate change and food insecurity. Additionally, China will continue to update its weaponry and improve its skills and capacity to win conflicts. However, China believes national peace and security cannot be achieved in isolation. It is closely linked to global peace. Therefore, China will work towards realising GSI vision of common, comprehensive, coordinated and sustainable security.
China’s entire system revolves around welfare of people. The policies, plans and implementation frameworks are guided by one principle: welfare of people. The CPC believes if it cannot serve people and bring them prosperity and peace, then it has no justification for its existence. Additionally, CPC believes goals of sustainable development, national rejuvenation and others cannot be achieved without societal and public support, which can only be secured by investing in people and their welfare. Therefore, China aims to improve quality of life. However, a good quality of life isn’t just about material progress; it also includes healthy environment, cultural growth and ethical development. It would be instrumental to secure overall success of 15th Five-Year Plan.
Scientific and technological independence is vital for achieving high-quality development, a beautiful China, modernised governance, domestic and international stability and a comprehensive security shield. Consequently, scientific and technological self-reliance will be China’s primary objective over the next five years. Key areas of emphasis include artificial intelligence, 6G communication, health technology, robotics, quantum computing, green technologies, space and many other essential technologies.
To achieve its goal, China will focus on several areas. It will accelerate talent development by increasing number of STEM graduates. To this end, China will invest in a high-quality education system. China will improve high-quality R&D infrastructure and provide substantial financial support to researchers. China will expedite creation of knowledge, which is fundamental to innovation. STEM graduates will lead knowledge creation and R&D infrastructure will foster a culture of innovation and technology development. Foreign talent will also be invited, with K-type visa serving as initial step. China will develop policies that facilitate and promote spread of new technologies and their industrial applications.
The above discussion suggests China will enter a new phase of modernisation, with greater people’s welfare and prosperity, and aims to become a modern socialist country. It will work to reshape economic and technological landscapes. It aims to become a new center of innovation and technological progress. The security system will be modernised according to the needs of modern China. It seeks to make environmental protection and climate change-resilient development a priority. However, to strengthen global dimension and contribution, China should launch an international initiative on climate change and environment, as it launched four global initiatives during 14th Plan. It can consider launching Global Ecological Civilisation Initiative.