The 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030) will be a crucial stage for China to lay a solid foundation for basically realizing socialist modernization by 2035, an official said at a press conference in Beijing on Saturday.
A draft outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan for national economic and social development was submitted on Thursday to the fourth session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, for review.
Zheng Bei, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), gave a comprehensive interpretation of the draft outline at the press conference, saying it sets out 20 major indicators for economic and social development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, covering economic development, innovation, people's well-being, green and low-carbon development, and security.
"It takes three five-year plans to move from building a moderately prosperous society in all respects to basically realizing socialist modernization. The 14th Five-Year Plan period was the first stage, and we got off to a good start. The 16th Five-Year Plan period will be the final stage, while the 15th Five-Year Plan period will serve as a crucial stage in building on past successes to break new ground for basically achieving socialist modernization," Zheng said.
The draft outline also proposes keeping China's GDP growth within an appropriate range during the five-year period, with annual growth rates to be determined in light of actual conditions, in order to lay a solid foundation for achieving the goal of doubling China's 2020 per capita GDP by 2035 and reaching the level of a moderately developed country.
"The goal of 'doubling the 2020 per capita GDP' implies a stable expectation of average annual GDP growth over the next 10 years, which aligns with the long-term positive trend of China's economy. 'Laying a solid foundation' means we will strive for better results in our work during the 15th Five-Year Plan period so as to have a stronger foundation for the 16th Five-Year Plan," Zheng said.
The document outlines major strategic tasks in 16 areas, covering key fields and critical links of economic and social development. In particular, it puts forward many innovative measures, including the integrated development of education, science and technology, and talent; the commitment to closely integrating investment in physical assets with investment in human capital; and the promotion of interconnected development between regions.
"The draft outline proposes 109 major projects in six areas, including a hydropower project in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River, a new channel project for the Three Gorges water transportation hub, satellite internet, and other fundamental and signature projects. These pragmatic measures and major projects will provide strong support for achieving the goals and tasks set in the draft outline," Zheng said.
15th Five-Year Plan period crucial for China to advance toward socialist modernization: official
