Ambassador Cao Xiaolin publish a signed article on Al Jazeera titled China’s “15th Five-Year Plan” will Write a New Chapter of the “Chinese Miracle”on November 11. Below is the full text:

Social development is the fundamental driving force behind human progress. Recently, two major international events have taken place that are conducive to promoting global development. First, from November 4 to 6, the Second World Summit for Social Development was held in Doha, where the Doha Political Declaration was adopted, committing to making joint efforts for social progress. Second, from October 20 to 23, the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) was held in Beijing, during which the Recommendations of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development (hereinafter referred to as the Recommendations) was adopted, which lays out the top-level design and strategic blueprint for China’s development over the next five years.

Development is the foundation and key to solving all problems all countries around the world are faced with. For more than four decades in the past, China has created two great miracles: rapid economic growth and long-term social stability, accumulating rich experiences for development. Among these, one important experience is scientifically formulating and consecutively implementing five-year plans. The Recommendations is the guideline for making the 15th Five-Year Plan, and thus serves as an important guide for China’s development in the coming five years. In a sense, the Recommendations and the Doha Political Declaration are both aimed at promoting new development for human society with profound goals and great significance.

Formulating medium-to-long-term plans to guide economic and social development is is an important means by which the CPC governs the country. Practice has proven that this is a successful approach for development. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China’s Gross Domestic Product successively surpassed thresholds of RMB 110, 120 and 130 trillion yuan, with projections indicating it will reach approximately RMB 140 trillion yuan (approximately US $20 trillion) by the end of 2025. China maintained an average annual contribution of around 30% to global economic growth. China has become one of the fastest-rising economies in innovation in more than a decade, with its ranking in the Global Innovation Index entering the top ten. China’s per capita GDP, rising from US$10,632 in 2020 to US$13,445 in 2024, had exceeded US$13,000 for two consecutive years, placing the country among the top tier of upper-middle-income countries.

Looking ahead to the next five years, China’s development environment faces profound and intricate changes, where strategic opportunities exist alongside risks and challenges, and uncertainties and unforeseen factors are rising. At the same time, the Chinese economy has a solid foundation, advantages in many areas, strong resilience, and great potentials. The conditions for and underlying trend of long-term growth remain unchanged; More and more, we are seeing the strengths of socialism with Chinese characteristics, China’s enormous market, its complete industrial system, and its abundant human resources all coming to the fore.

Against such a backdrop, the Recommendations proposes that by 2035 China’s per capita GDP will be on a par with that of a mid-level developed country, our people will live better and happier lives, and socialist modernization will be basically achieved. To this end, the Recommendations specifies the major goals for China’s economic and social development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. It includes: significant achievements in high-quality development, economy keeping growing within an appropriate range; substantial improvements in scientific and technological self-reliance and strength, markedly boosting the overall performance of China’s innovation system; fresh breakthroughs in further deepening reform comprehensively, strides being made in modernizing China’s system and capacity for governance; notable cultural and ethical progress across society, inspiring greater confidence in Chinese culture among our people; further improvements in quality of life, making new headway in promoting high-quality full employment; major new strides in advancing the Beautiful China Initiative, eco-friendly ways of work and life becoming the norm in society; reinforcement of the system and capacity for safeguarding national security, solid progress made in advancing the Peaceful China Initiative to a higher level.

China’s development is closely linked with countries around the world through openness and cooperation. The Recommendations proposes that China will continue to expand opening up at the institutional level, safeguard the multilateral trading system, and promote broader international economic flows. We should draw momentum from opening up to propel reform and development, and share opportunities with the rest of the world and promote common development. China will pursue high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, strengthen strategic alignment with Belt and Road partner countries and better coordinate and manage cooperation programs. We will enhance cooperative planning and overall management, deepen practical cooperation in the areas of trade, investment, industrial development, and people-to-people exchanges and launch new cooperation initiatives across fields such as green development, AI, the digital economy, health, tourism, and agriculture.

Humanity lives on the same planet. We are a family with a shared future. The Recommendations proposes that China will advocate an equal and orderly multipolar world and universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, expand our global network of partnerships, and  implement the Global Development Initiative (GDI), the Global Security Initiative (GSI), the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI), and the Global Governance Initiative (GGI). We resolutely oppose all hegemonic, high-handed, and bullying acts, defend international fairness and justice, and safeguard the common interests of people around the world. We promote the building of an open, inclusive, clean, and beautiful world of lasting peace, universal security, and common prosperity, and deliver China’s contribution to building a community with a shared future for humanity.

Modernization is the unremitting pursuit of the peoples of all countries. China’s development is forging a Chinese path to modernization— this vision has gradually unfolded to the peoples of the world. The Chinese path to modernization will also create more opportunities for the development of countries around the world. A deep review of the Recommendations, with a focus on its various dimension and alignment with the Doha Political Declaration, will help us formulate strategic plans for our mutually beneficial cooperation and unleash potential for high-quality development.