Latin American, Caribbean ambassadors to China anticipate China's new 15th Five-Year Plan

China's national lawmakers and political advisers are gathering this week in Beijing for the annual "two sessions," and their discussions of the draft 15th Five-Year Plan, a blueprint that will guide the world's second-largest economy from 2026 to 2030, are being closely watched around the world.

The "two sessions" refers to the annual meetings of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's highest organ of state power, and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the top advisory body, which bring together thousands of lawmakers and political advisors from across the country for concurrent deliberations.

This year, the fourth session of the 14th NPC is set to open on Thursday, while the fourth session of the 14th CPPCC National Committee opened on Wednesday.

Five-year plans have long been central to how China steers its development. But the upcoming plan is being closely watched not just for its economic ambitions, but for how a country of 1.4 billion people moves toward modernization amid technological disruption, demographic shifts, and an increasingly fractured global order.

The new plan is anchored in recommendations adopted by the Communist Party of China Central Committee in October 2025. It is designed to align with the long-term vision of achieving major progress by 2035 in economic strength, technological capacity, national defense and global influence, while lifting living standards to the level of mid-tier developed economies.

Ambassadors to China from Latin American and Caribbean countries have been sharing their expectations for the “two sessions” and the new five-year plan.

"I have read the documents of the Five-Year Plan. I am certain that the prosperity it will generate, the exploration of new technological territories, the strengthening of the party's leadership, and the unity that this plan will foster will bring much development and wealth to the country," said Sergio Cabrera Cardenas, the Colombian Ambassador to China.

"The direction set by the five-year plan isn't just information for the people, it's also something that people feel and move forward with. So it has a great impact. For me, as an observer and friend of China, it's very important to see the course that is set and followed. Furthermore, the Five-Year Plan will be announced during the “two sessions”, and I'm very pleased with the sessions because, in my view, it's a central instrument of Chinese democracy," Jesus Seade, Mexican Ambassador to China, stated.

Alberto Blanco Silva, Cuban Ambassador to China, said the plan will not only generate more prosperity for China, but will also bring more cooperation opportunities to the world.

"There is a document that already sets China’s expectations in relation to Latin America and the Caribbean. China offers many opportunities, first in science, technology and innovation. China has made a great contribution. China provides a large market, a market that no other country is able to offer. But more important than this is China's respect for the principles of international law, for sovereignty, independence, the non-use and threat of the use of force, non-interference in internal affairs. And China approaches our region with great respect. And we appreciate that and welcome it with great sympathy," he said.

"Nicaragua has been watching very closely the process of the drawing up of China's 15th Five-Year Plan. We, as a country in the global south, see this plan as an opportunity to strengthen our cooperation with China. We see in that plan a real intention to achieve mutual benefit for the world. So Nicaragua considers this initiative, this plan, as a unique opportunity to be able to enter into greater cooperation with China and achieve mutual benefit for the world and to achieve the mutual benefit that China is always looking for,” Ramiro Cruz Flores, Nicaraguan Ambassador to China, also said.

Latin American, Caribbean ambassadors to China anticipate China's new 15th Five-Year Plan

Nicaragua's co-foreign minister Valdrack Jaentschke has warned that militarism must never be allowed to rise again, as Japan's recent moves to lift its arms export ban and revise the pacifist Constitution continue to draw international concern.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the opening of the Tokyo Trials, where Japan's Class-A war criminals from World War II were brought to justice.

In an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Valdrack Jaentschke voiced his concern that today's world order is being undermined by interventionism and other challenges.

"It is necessary for us to remember that after the end of World War II, countries worked hard to build a new international order based on international law. However, regrettably, more than 80 years later, we are seeing that this once explored and attempted order is being challenged by interventionism, a confrontational mindset, and tendencies like 'might makes right.' These are precisely the conditions that gave rise to fascism and militarism in the past, which ultimately led to the tragedy of World War II," he said.

He said the international community has a responsibility to pursue a new international order -- one fundamentally grounded in peace.

"Looking back at the history more than eight decades ago and comparing it with today's reality, it is our responsibility to recognize that the world should, and must, build a new international order that is more just, fairer, rooted in international law, based on a logic of mutual benefit and shared success, and fundamentally grounded in peace," said the minister.

"Today, as we revisit the Tokyo Trials, it is meant to remind the world that such a tragedy must never be repeated -- and that we must do everything in our power to prevent it from happening again. We must stop that dark world -- born from militarism, interventionism, and fascism -- from ever returning," he said.

Nicaraguan FM warns of militarism revival