The Explanation of the Recommendations of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development was made public on Tuesday.

The explanation was made by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, at the fourth plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee.

Please see the attachment for the English translation of the full text of this document. 

Explanation of the Recommendations of the Central Committee of 

the Communist Party of China for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development 

Xi Jinping 

　　Comrades, 

　　On behalf of the Political Bureau of the Party Central Committee, I will now brief you on the drafting of the Recommendations of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development. 

I. The Drafting Process 

　　Formulating medium- and long-term plans to guide economic and social development is an important means by which our Party governs the country. As we will accomplish the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021–2025) this year, it is necessary to work out the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030). Fulfilling this task is of vital importance for facilitating the sustained and sound development of our economy and society and putting China on firmer foundations for basically achieving socialist modernization as planned. 

　　In January this year, the Political Bureau decided that the 20th Central Committee would discuss recommendations for the 15th Five-Year Plan at its fourth plenary session. A group was then established for the purpose of drafting the recommendations under the auspices of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau. I was chief of this group, while my colleagues Li Qiang, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, and Ding Xuexiang served as its deputy chiefs. The group also included heads of relevant departments and localities. On February 11, the group convened its first meeting, after which the drafting work officially began. 

　　Throughout the drafting process, the Central Committee followed a democratic approach and drew on a vast pool of wisdom, conducting in-depth surveys and studies and seeking opinions from all quarters. On January 22, the Central Committee issued the Notice on Soliciting Opinions on Recommendations for the 15th Five-Year Plan to Be Studied at the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, in order to gather opinions from certain Party members and non-Party figures. In late February, the Central Committee organized six teams to conduct research projects in 12 provincial-level regions. Meanwhile, it requested certain central Party and state departments to conduct research on 35 key topics. On April 30, I presided over a symposium in Shanghai on economic and social development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period for certain provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the central government. Thereafter, I entrusted Comrade Li Qiang with presiding over three separate symposiums for the economic community, the scientific and technological community, and representatives from the primary level. We also solicited opinions online, receiving more than three million comments, which were then sorted through and condensed into over 1,500 suggestions. 

　　All those consulted unanimously agreed that dedicating the fourth plenary session to deliberating recommendations for the 15th Five-Year Plan is crucial for better leveraging the role of national development plans as a strategic guide, further harnessing the mighty force that stems from our whole Party and all Chinese people forging ahead in unity, and building a great country and advancing national rejuvenation on all fronts through Chinese modernization. 

　　The general conclusion is that during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, China will face both strategic opportunities and risks and challenges in development, as well as increasing uncertainties and unforeseen factors. Nevertheless, the conditions for and underlying trends of long-term economic and social growth will remain unchanged. Those consulted expressed the hope that we would define the general philosophy, core principles, major objectives, strategic tasks, and main measures for economic and social development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, so as to promote high-quality development and put China on firmer foundations for basically achieving socialist modernization. 

　　On August 4, a draft document was issued to certain Party members, including some retired senior Party officials, for consultation. Opinions were also sought from the central committees of other political parties, leaders of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, and prominent figures without party affiliation. 

　　From the feedback we received, it is clear that the draft document has the full endorsement of all consulted localities and departments. There is unanimous agreement that it accurately defines the historical stage that the cause of the Party and the country will enter in the 15th Five-Year Plan period, provides a thorough analysis of the profound and complex changes in China’s development environment, and sets out a top-level design and strategic plan for our development over the next five years. As a document with sound and well-targeted guiding principles, clear and specific targets, realistic tasks, and pragmatic measures, it will serve as yet another overarching blueprint and call to action for further advancing Chinese modernization based on the progress we have so far made. The document demonstrates our historic initiative by proposing to write a new chapter in the miracles of rapid economic growth and long-term social stability and open up new horizons for Chinese modernization. It will undoubtedly exert a significant and far-reaching influence on the cause of the Party and the country. 

　　In addition, those consulted submitted many constructive opinions and suggestions on the draft. The drafting group worked through these one by one and incorporated as many of them as possible into the text. In total, we made 218 additions, revisions, and simplifications to the document based on 452 opinions and suggestions. 

　　During the drafting process, the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau met three times and the Political Bureau convened on two occasions to review and revise draft versions of the document. All these efforts culminated in the final draft that we have submitted to this plenary session for deliberation. 

　　It is fair to say that the drafting work for this document is yet another vivid example of intra-Party democracy and whole-process people’s democracy in action. 

II. Main Considerations and Basic Content 

　　In drafting the document, our overall consideration was that we needed to make systematic plans and strategic arrangements for China’s economic and social development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period based on the two-step strategic plan for building China into a great modern socialist country in all aspects set forth at the Party’s 20th National Congress. Our drafting work was grounded in an accurate understanding of the important position of the 15th Five-Year Plan period in the process of basically achieving socialist modernization and an in-depth analysis of the domestic and global landscapes. 

　　Throughout the drafting process, we have adhered to the following points. First, staying oriented toward both goals and problems. Maintaining the basic orientation of consolidating foundations and pressing ahead on all fronts, we have made systematic plans with the aim of putting China on firmer foundations for basically achieving socialist modernization and developed robust, well-ordered, and effective measures to address inadequacies and shore up weaknesses with a focus on the new trends in the once-in-a-century global transformation and the prominent problems in our development. Second, applying systems thinking. We have made a comprehensive plan for all aspects of economic and social development and Party building in view of the requirement to implement the Five-Sphere Integrated Plan and the Four-Pronged Comprehensive Strategy in a coordinated way. Third, further deepening reform comprehensively. We have taken reform as a means to both resolve the difficulties arising during development and generate greater development momentum and vitality. Fourth, opening wider to the outside world. We have highlighted the need to coordinate the use of global production factors and market resources while pursuing development through our own strength. 

　　The draft document consists of 15 parts, which are divided into three main sections. The first section, which consists of the first and second parts, gives a general overview of China’s major development achievements in the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the important position of the 15th Five-Year Plan period as a critical stage in building on past successes to break new ground for basically achieving socialist modernization, profound and intricate changes facing China’s development environment in the 15th Five-Year Plan period, the guiding philosophy for economic and social development in the 15th Five-Year Plan period, and the core principles to follow and major objectives to pursue during this period. 

　　The second section is the discussion section, which comprises 12 parts (the 3rd through the 14th part). This section mainly focuses on the key issues bearing on overall and long-term interests and makes sector-specific arrangements for strategic tasks and main measures during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. It discusses approaches and major tasks in the key areas of industrial development, scientific and technological innovation, the domestic market, the economic structure, opening up, rural revitalization, coordinated regional development, cultural development, public wellbeing, green development, security and development, and national defense. 

　　The third and final section consists of the 15th part and concluding remarks. This section primarily makes arrangements for tasks related to upholding and strengthening the Party Central Committee’s centralized, unified leadership, advancing socialist democracy and rule of law, carrying out work concerning Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, promoting the building of a community with a shared future for humanity, and mobilizing the initiative, enthusiasm, and creativity of the whole society. 

III. Several Key Issues 

　　The draft document contains a number of important points and major measures, a few of which I will briefly explain here. 

　　First, the important position of the 15th Five-Year Plan period  

　　Socialist modernization can only be realized through a historical process of gradual and ongoing development. It requires the unremitting hard work of one generation after another. The draft document points out that the 15th Five-Year Plan period will serve as a critical stage in building on past successes to break new ground for basically achieving socialist modernization. This judgment is based on the historic mission of this period. The 20th National Party Congress set forth the goal of basically achieving socialist modernization by 2035. We have laid solid foundations for this by getting off to a good start in the first five years, which have made up the 14th Five-Year Plan period. The period covered by the 15th Five-Year Plan will be critical as we work to reinforce these foundations and push ahead on all fronts toward this goal. A well-conceived 15th Five-Year Plan and its effective implementation will ensure we have even stronger foundations for basically achieving socialist modernization by 2035. 

　　In line with this basic positioning, the draft document lays out plans for development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. While carrying forward concepts and approaches from the 14th Five-Year Plan, it accurately identifies the general trends in China’s development over the next five years and outlines a general philosophy, core principles, major objectives, and strategic tasks that are both forward-looking and realistic. It is important that we seize this window of opportunity to consolidate and build on our strengths, remove development bottlenecks, shore up areas of weakness, seize the strategic initiative amid intense international competition, and secure major breakthroughs in strategic tasks of overall importance to Chinese modernization. All of this will allow us to secure decisive progress toward basically achieving socialist modernization.  

　　Second, economic and social development objectives for the 15th Five-Year Plan period  

　　Setting development objectives in a well-conceived way is crucial to the formulation and implementation of five-year plans. In the draft document, we have defined the main objectives for economic and social development according to the basic positioning of the 15th Five-Year Plan period and the specific requirements for this stage. An important benchmark for basically achieving socialist modernization by 2035 is that China’s per capita GDP will be on a par with that of a mid-level developed country by that time. This dictates that we must maintain an appropriate rate of economic and social development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. On the basis of thorough research and scientific analysis, the draft document puts forward a range of important objectives, such as ensuring economy keeps growing within an appropriate range, realizing steady gains in total factor productivity, fully unleashing the potential for growth, ensuring personal incomes increase in step with economic growth and remuneration rises in tandem with labor productivity increases, and continuing to expand the middle-income group. In addition, in response to prominent issues in the current stage, such as mounting downward economic pressure and insufficient effective demand, the draft document also sets out objectives, including delivering a notable increase in the rate of consumer spending and reinforcing the role of domestic demand as the principal engine of economic growth. 

　　Based on past experience, the objectives for economic and social development in this draft document are primarily qualitative in nature, as it is a document of overall guidance. The necessary quantitative requirements and certain specific arrangements should be studied and determined during the formulation of the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development. 

　　Third, promoting high-quality development 

　　Following the approach of the 14th Five-Year Plan, this draft document also defines the promotion of high-quality development as the main focus in economic and social development in the 15th Five-Year Plan period. It sets the requirements of continuing to pursue economic development as our central task, fully and faithfully applying the new development philosophy on all fronts, promoting higher-quality economic growth while achieving an appropriate increase in economic output, and driving sustained, sound economic development and all-around social progress. To promote high-quality development, we must first and foremost intensify efforts toward achieving greater self-reliance and strength in science and technology, actively develop new quality productive forces, and deliver substantial progress and new breakthroughs in boosting scientific and technological innovation, fostering new drivers of growth, and promoting economic structural improvement and upgrading. 

　　 The draft document highlights the guiding role of scientific and technological innovation and makes overall plans for modernizing the industrial system, boosting self-reliance and strength in science and technology, and accelerating the green transition across the board. It proposes to promote upgrading of traditional industries, foster emerging industries and industries of the future, and strengthen the foundations of the real economy. It recommends promoting advances in original innovation and breakthroughs in core technologies in key fields, boosting full integration between technological and industrial innovation, pursuing integrated development of education, science and technology, and human resources, and advancing the Digital China Initiative. It also makes the recommendations of moving faster to develop a new energy system and accelerating the shift to eco-friendly production practices and lifestyles. It should be noted that the development of new quality productive forces is contingent on the presence of certain resource endowments, which means we must properly assess the feasibility of all relevant plans. In highlighting the need to develop new quality productive forces in line with local conditions in the document, we aim to guide all parties concerned to adopt a sound, rational, and realistic approach in their work and refrain from rushing headlong into new initiatives. 

　　Fourth, strengthening the domestic economy and promoting unimpeded domestic and international economic flows 

　　As the international landscape becomes increasingly challenging and complex, we must move faster to create a new development pattern and keep a firm hold on the initiative in development. At present and for some time to come, we must work to strengthen the domestic economy and boost domestic economic flows, so as to leverage the stability of the domestic economy as a hedge against uncertainties in the international economy.  

　　To this end, the draft document highlights the need to strengthen the domestic economy and makes overall plans regarding the development of a robust domestic market and a high-standard socialist market economy. It emphasizes the need to pursue the strategy of expanding domestic demand, work toward improving living standards while increasing consumer spending, make investments in both physical assets and human capital, boost consumption, expand effective investment, and eliminate bottlenecks and obstacles hindering the development of a unified national market. It highlights the need to stimulate the vitality of all market entities, move faster to improve institutions and mechanisms for market-based allocation of production factors, and make macroeconomic governance more effective. The document also calls for efforts to promote broader international economic flows, expand opening up at the institutional level, safeguard the multilateral trading system, and pursue high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. 

　　Fifth, making solid progress toward realizing common prosperity for all 

　　Chinese modernization is the modernization of common prosperity for all. Since the Party’s 18th National Congress, we have remained true to our original aspiration and approached problems from the perspective of the people’s interests. This has seen us advancing coordinated regional development, adopting strong measures to ensure and improve the people’s wellbeing, securing victory in the fight against poverty, and building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. All this has created favorable conditions for advancing toward common prosperity for all. The section on guiding principles highlights the need to make solid progress toward realizing this objective. This also represents an overall requirement for economic and social development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. 

　　Firmly anchored in the goal of common prosperity for all and the need to ensure and improve the people’s wellbeing, the document recommends a series of balanced and accessible policies and measures to promote high-quality full employment, optimize the income distribution system, develop education that meets the people’s expectations, refine the social security system, promote high-quality development in the real estate sector, advance the Healthy China Initiative, bolster high-quality population development, and make steady efforts to ensure equitable access to basic public services. With a view to narrowing disparities between rural and urban areas and between regions, it proposes a series of practical measures to accelerate the pace of agricultural and rural modernization, steadily advance all-around rural revitalization, improve the regional economic layout, and promote coordinated regional development. With the aim of ensuring a rich cultural life for all, it calls for efforts to promote and practice the core socialist values, boost cultural programs, accelerate the development of cultural industries, and extend the reach and appeal of Chinese civilization. 

　　Sixth, ensuring both development and security 

　　Security is a prerequisite for development while development provides a guarantee for security. Over the next five years, China will see a notable rise in uncertainties and unforeseen factors, which will make the task of ensuring both development and security much harder. With a view to modernizing China’s national security system and capacity, the document recommends steps for improving the national security system, building up national security capacity in key sectors, enhancing public safety governance, and improving the social governance system. With the aim of promoting high-quality modernization of national defense and the armed forces, it proposes to speed up the development of advanced combat capabilities, modernize military governance, and consolidate and improve integrated national strategies and strategic capabilities.  

　　Seventh, upholding the overall leadership of the Party 

　　We must uphold and strengthen the Party’s overall leadership, as it is the fundamental guarantee for advancing Chinese modernization. With a view to improving the Party’s ability to lead China’s economic and social development endeavors, the document emphasizes the need to uphold and strengthen the Party Central Committee’s centralized, unified leadership, refine the mechanisms through which the Party Central Committee’s major decisions and plans are carried out, continue to apply the Party’s new theories to achieve unity in thinking, will, and action, follow the right approach in selecting and appointing officials, improve the system for assessing the performance of officials, take coordinated steps to improve primary-level Party organizations in all sectors, continue to steadfastly implement the central Party leadership’s eight-point decision on improving work conduct, improve the Party and state oversight systems, and keep waging the tough, protracted, and all-out battle against corruption. 

　　Comrades,  

　　The main task of this plenary session is to review the recommendations for the 15th Five-Year Plan. I urge all of you to give this draft your careful consideration, discuss the issues in depth, and submit constructive suggestions to effectively improve the document and make this plenary session a success.