Xi leads efforts to build strong China as people's republic turns 76

BEIJING -- People across the country marked the 76th anniversary of the People's Republic of China on Wednesday with travel, shopping and family reunions as an eight-day holiday began.

Hundreds of millions are on the move, foreign tourist arrivals are rising, and smart factories are running at full capacity to fill surging global orders.

Beyond the bustle of activity, another task is underway: policymakers are drafting the country's next phase of development.

Under President Xi Jinping's leadership, China is formulating its next five-year plan. In three weeks, the Communist Party of China (CPC) leadership will convene a closely-watched plenum to review its proposals for the plan.

The 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) for National Economic and Social Development is the latest in a series of blueprints that, since the 1950s, have guided the country's rise from an impoverished, agrarian nation to the world's second-largest economy.

At the National Day reception on Tuesday, Xi, who is also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, once again rallied efforts for national rejuvenation, which he described as "a cause without precedent."

"From the brink of national peril to the path of great rejuvenation, the Chinese nation has pressed ahead through hardship and struggle, yet also with high spirits and resounding triumphs," Xi said.