Li Zuojun, Research Institute of Resources and Environment Policies of DRC

The Fifth Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the CPC to be held in October 2015 will focus on major issues with regard to national economic and social development during the 13th Five-Year Plan period. In what aspects the drafted 13th Five- Year Plan should make innovations is an issue worth studying. In drafting the 13th Five-Year Plan, we need to be clear about the opportunities and challenges facing us during the 13th Five-Year Period. Major opportunities include: overall advance of reform, continued upgrading of consumption structure, industrialization and urbanization have entered a new stage, rapid promotion of regional economic integration, and a new round of global technological revolution is under way. At the same time, during the 13th Five-Year Plan period, economic and political circumstances both at home and abroad will experience many new changes as well as new challenges. Major challenges include: the slowdown of China's economic growth, increasingly fierce international competition, industrial transformation and upgrading, a "high-cost era" will phase in, aggregated constraints relating to resources and environment, and disappearance of "demographic dividend". Based on the above analysis and in light of China's entry into a new era of all-round reform, it is suggested that during the 13th Five-Year Plan period, efforts should be made to reinforce the following plans: reform plan, transformation plan, innovation plan, ecological civilization construction plan, social undertaking development plan, and government public service plan. Meanwhile, the following plans should be weakened: GDP growth plan, industrial development plan, urbanization level plan, and infrastructure construction project plan.