Xi stresses sound planning for economic, social development in 2026-2030

SHANGHAI -- President Xi Jinping on Wednesday called for adapting to changing situations, grasping strategic priorities, and making sound plans for the country's economic and social development in the 2026-2030 period.

The remarks came as China revs up efforts to fulfill the targets set in the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) in the final year of its implementation and to formulate the next five-year plan.

"The planning must focus on the goal of basically realizing socialist modernization, with a view to building a great country and advancing national rejuvenation," Xi said at a symposium on China's economic and social development in the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30) held here.

A key guiding document for medium-to-long-term economic and social progress, China's five-year plan outlines the country's overall goals, major tasks and policy orientation across various sectors over a five-year period.

In planning economic and social development for the next five years, targets and tasks should be set in a reasonable manner with approaches and measures to be proposed for each specific field, said Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission.

"We must unswervingly manage our own affairs well, and stay committed to expanding high-standard opening up," Xi told the symposium, stressing promoting high-quality development on all fronts.

"Greater emphasis should be placed on ensuring both development and security, with a comprehensive assessment of domestic and external risks and challenges," he said, calling for efforts to improve the national security system.

Since its first launch in the 1950s, the five-year plan has been serving as a blueprint for China's overall development. The formulation process operates through a well-structured framework that combines the centralized, unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee with extensive democratic participation.

In 2020, Xi led the drafting group for proposals for formulating the 14th five-year plan and long-range objectives through 2035. He presided over seven symposiums within three months to seek suggestions from representatives from all walks of life.

"China's successive five-year plans provide the global economy with unparalleled certainty — a critical anchor at a time when the world faces profound unpredictability," said Wang Huiyao, president of the Center for China and Globalization, a Beijing-based think tank.