A side event on eliminating inequality and realizing right to development was held by a Chinese human right organization on Friday in Geneva, Switzerland, on the sidelines of the 61st session of the UN Human Rights Council which opened on Monday and is scheduled to conclude on March 31.
The event brought together Chinese and international experts who explored innovative pathways to achieving the right to development for all, against a backdrop of global economic, social, and environmental crises.
Experts said that equal access to development opportunities is the key pillars for realizing the right to development. They said China's Global Development Initiative, with its emphasis on seeking universally beneficial and inclusive development, has further deepened the connotation of equality in the right to development.
Participants at the event also called on the international community to strengthen cooperation, eliminate structural inequalities, and jointly build an inclusive, resilient, and sustainable global governance system.
Side event on equality, right to development held by China's human rights group in Geneva
China's outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), adopted on Thursday, maps out a systematic path toward high-quality development by building new growth drivers through the fostering of emerging and future industries.
In the latest five-year blueprint, the emerging strategic industries China will nurture have been expanded to include new sectors like intelligent connected new-energy vehicles (NEVs) and robotics. It also outlines plans to establish emerging strategic industry clusters tailored to local conditions, each with its own distinctive features and complementary strengths.
Experts suggested that this marks a shift for emerging industries -- from isolated breakthroughs to scaled, clustered development.
"During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, we aim to further promote and expand emerging industries in both scale and quality. The development of industrial clusters is a clear reflection of economies of scale. Building on the existing foundation, this will further sharpen the international competitiveness of our emerging industries. The blueprint's emphasis on new application scenarios and innovative business models will also help steer these industries toward a higher quality of development," said Wei Qijia, a researcher at the State Information Center, which is under China's National Development and Reform Commission.
The plan also identifies key frontiers to reach, including quantum technology, biomanufacturing, hydrogen and nuclear fusion energy, brain-computer interfaces, embodied artificial intelligence (AI) and 6G. Moving beyond mere technological roadmaps, it also stresses the need to build a full-chain incubation system for future industries.
"This forward-looking approach reflects a keen sense of foresight. The plan introduces mechanisms for identifying and monitoring emerging industries and making dynamic adjustments accordingly. If a particular new area or arena shows potential to foster emerging future technologies, it needs to be identified as early as possible. The blueprint's specific references to initiatives such as pilot zones for future industries and research institutes dedicated to their development also signal an important direction in terms of working methodology -- providing clear guidance on how to nurture the industries of the future," he said.
China's five-year blueprint set to foster emerging, future industries
