The fifth plenary session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) recently concluded. The session heard and discussed a work report delivered by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, and fully recognized the work of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee since the 19th CPC Central Committee’s fourth plenary session.
The session also adopted the CPC Central Committee’s proposals for the formulation of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) for National Economic and Social Development and the Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035, a guiding document for China to fully build itself into a modern socialist country.
During a period in which the timeframes of the two centenary goals converge, the fifth plenary session of the 19th Central Committee of the CPC is of important significance for mobilizing and encouraging the whole Party and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups to move forward against all risks and challenges, and for securing a good start in fully building a modern socialist country, by focusing on studying the formulation of the 14th Five-Year Plan and raising relevant proposals, and coordinating the plan and future targets for 2035.
The proposals adopted by the session adhere to the coordination between domestic development and global view, the combination of problem-oriented and target-oriented approaches, the balance between overall planning and specific priorities, as well as the organic alignment of the two centenary goals.
Besides, the proposals also make clear the major targets and the basic philosophy of economic and social development during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, and the long-range objectives to be achieved by 2035. The proposals emphasize the leading role of new development concepts, raise a series of landmark major strategies, implement forward-looking, comprehensive, basic and targeted measures, and plan further reforms in major areas. The proposals will lay a solid foundation for realizing the second centenary goal and the Chinese dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
The 13th Fiver-Year Plan (2016-2020) period was a decisive stage in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. Facing complicated domestic and overseas situations, especially the severe impacts from COVID-19, the CPC Central Committee with comrade Xi Jinping as the core remained true to its original aspiration and kept its mission firmly in mind, united and led the whole Party and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups to forge ahead, advanced the causes of the Party and country, and made decisive achievements for securing the victory in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects.
Major breakthroughs have been made for comprehensively deepening reform; major progress has been achieved for comprehensively enforcing the rule of law; and major accomplishment has been made for comprehensively governing the Party with strict discipline. The country accelerated the modernization of its governance system and capability, which further demonstrated the advantages of the CPC’s leadership and the socialist system.
The development achieved during the last five years has led China’s economy, science and comprehensive national strength to a new level. Now the goals set in the 13th Five-Year Plan will be all finished, and the country will soon build a moderately prosperous society in all respects. China, making a giant leap forward toward the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, will stand tall and firm in the East in a more magnificent manner.
For the present and the years to come, China’s development still enjoys important strategic opportunities, but both opportunities and challenges are changing. The 14th Five-Year Plan period marks the first five years for China to fully build itself into a modern socialist country after completing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects and achieving the first centenary goal. The Party will coordinate the strategy for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the unprecedented changes of the world unseen in a century, profoundly understand the new features and demands brought by the changes of the country’s major contradictions, as well as the new contradictions and challenges brought by the complicated international environment, and enhance the awareness for opportunities and risks. It should also fully recognize the basic reality that China is in the primary stage of socialism, maintain strategic composure, focus on its own affairs, recognize and grasp the law of development, embrace a fighting spirit, prepare for worst-case scenarios, remain sensitive to changes, respond to them with well-judged actions, and be ready to adjust the approach when necessary. Besides, the Party should create opportunities in crises, and start anew in changes, so as to cope with challenges, make the most of the favorable conditions while averting unfavorable ones, and forge ahead.
The 19th CPC National Congress drew up a two-stage development plan for China to realize its second centenary goal – to basically realize socialist modernization by 2035 and to develop China into a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious, and beautiful by the middle of the 21st century. The fifth plenary session of the 19th Central Committee of the CPC, which adopted the Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035 that combines domestic and overseas development trend and China’s development conditions in the future, has made systematic planning and strategic deployment for China’s development in the next five years.
The country shall comprehensively implement the Party’s basic theory, line, and policy, promote coordinated economic, political, cultural, social, and ecological advancement, make coordinated efforts to fully build a modern socialist China, comprehensively deepen reform, advance the rule of law, and comprehensively strengthen Party discipline, earnestly implement the principles of innovative, coordinated, green, open, and shared development, and remain committed to the underlying principle of making progress while keeping performance stable.
Promoting high-quality development, focusing on supply-side structural reform, taking reform and innovation as basic driving force, and striving to meet people’s increasingly demand for a better life, China will coordinate development and security, accelerate the construction of modern economic system, establish a “dual circulation” development pattern in which domestic economic cycle plays a leading role while international economic cycle remains its extension and supplement, and modernize its national governance system and capability, so as to realize long-term stability of its economy, as well as social security and harmony, and secure a new victory of fully building a modern socialist country.
To promote economic and social development during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the country must uphold the overall Party leadership as a fundamental guarantee to realize high-quality development, adhere to people-oriented approach to keep delivering on the people’s aspirations for a better life, adopt a new vision for development to achieve better quality, more efficient, fairer, more sustainable, and securer development, deepen reform and opening-up to further enhance the vitality of development, and uphold a systematic view to integrate development quality, structure, scale, speed, benefit and security.
Forging ahead in the new era and embarking on a new journey, China must remain true to its original aspirations, be courageous to take responsibilities, and be adept at tackling challenges, so as to meet its major targets of achieving new economic progress, making new steps of reform and opening-up, improving socialist civilization, advancing the construction of ecological civilization, lifting people’s welfare, and strengthening national governance.
To realize the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) for National Economic and Social Development and the Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035 is an arduous task. It is of huge significance and enjoys bright prospects. China boasts unique advantages in politics, institution, development and opportunity, and its social and economic development also enjoys favorable conditions. It has the confidence and strength renew the two miracles of rapid economic development and long-term social stability.
