More than 70 years ago, a new China was born amid a landscape of recovery and rebuilding. In 1953, the country launched its first Five-Year Plan (FYP), marking the prelude to a grand strategy of systematic national development. From 1953 to 2024, China transformed from an extremely impoverished and backward nation into a country with a per capita income exceeding $13,000, with a manufacturing sector accounting for nearly 30 percent of the global total, and a comprehensive national strength ranking among the world’s foremost. With an average annual GDP growth rate of 7.9 percent, China has achieved a development miracle rarely seen in human history.

A key reason behind this miracle is the centralised and unified leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), which has ensured the stability and continuity of macroeconomic governance, consistently steering the country towards the right development direction and rational goals. In the 1980s, the CPC established the Two-Step development strategy, solving the problem of basic living needs by the end of the 20th century and building a modern socialist country by the mid-21st century, setting phased objectives for national development. In the new era, the party further articulated Two Centenary Goals: To complete a moderately prosperous society in all respects by the centenary of the CPC (founded in 1921) and to build China into a modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced and harmonious by the centenary of the People’s Republic of China (founded in 1949). This has formed an institutionalised development framework characterised by scientific rigour, contemporary relevance and strategic vision.

Centenary goals delineate the epochs of development, while FYPs detail each leap forward. The century-long strategy of Chinese modernisation is realised through consecutive FYPs, implemented step by step with sustained effort. Looking back, each FYP has served as a milestone for contemporary China: The first to the seventh FYPs laid the industrial foundation, transitioning China from an agrarian to an industrial society; the eighth to the 10th FYPs focused on market-oriented reforms and opening-up, integrating China into the globalisation process; and the 11th to the 14th FYPs have prioritised innovation-driven development, ecological conservation and common prosperity, ushering in a new stage of high-quality development.

As China embarks on the new journey to build a modern socialist country in all respects, the 15th FYP arrives at a critical turning point for realising the Second Centenary Goal. It is a pivotal period for consolidating the foundation and exerting comprehensive efforts to achieve socialist modernisation. It is also a strategic phase for making breakthroughs in tasks crucial to the broader cause of Chinese modernisation, thereby laying a solid groundwork for this objective. Not long ago, the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee concluded successfully. Its most important outcome was reviewing and adopting the Recommendations of the CPC Central Committee for Formulating the 15th FYP for National Economic and Social Development, which outlines the development blueprint for the 2026–2030 period.

The 15th FYP emphasises three core themes: First, driving industrial transformation through scientific and technological innovation, accelerating the development of new quality productive forces focused on areas such as artificial intelligence and bio-manufacturing and building a modern industrial system. Second, balancing development and security, strengthening safeguards in key areas such as food, energy and industrial chains, and achieving a dynamic equilibrium between high-quality development and high-level security. Third, prioritising public well-being as the fundamental goal, making breakthroughs in common prosperity, ecological conservation and institutional development, and comprehensively advancing Chinese modernisation through deepened reforms and institutional opening-up.

What makes China’s upcoming 15th FYP most remarkable is not the thickness of its pages, but the scientific strength rooted in its people. It is not a top-down command, but a living embodiment of scientific decision-making, democratic centralism and whole-process people’s democracy. During its formulation, the CPC combined top-level design with broad public participation. Opinions were widely solicited, expert analyses were conducted, and multiple rounds of public hearings were held—ensuring that the wisdom of the people became the will of the nation. In the drafting stage, Chinese President Xi Jinping personally chaired multiple symposiums to solicit opinions from both within and outside the party. Online platforms collected 3.113 million public suggestions. In the revision stage, 452 suggestions from various sectors were incorporated, with an adoption rate of 21.4 percent. This fusion of science and democracy ensures that every goal has a clear path and every policy a practical mechanism.

Globally, long-term planning is a rare strength. Western countries rely on market dynamics and short-term policy cycles, often constrained by changing elections. Many developing countries once adopted FYPs after World War II, but later abandoned them amid political instability or institutional weakness. China’s path stands in sharp contrast. For over 70 years, it has pursued development through continuous FYPs—steadily advancing from industrialisation to high-quality development, from a manufacturing powerhouse to an innovation-driven economy. China’s FYPs unite 1.4 billion people behind common goals. They align market vitality with national strategy, merge scientific planning with democratic practice, and transform grand visions into measurable progress. Its development model proves that progress need not rely on confrontation, and rise need not lead to hegemony.

Ultimately, the FYP is far more than a policy document. It is a manifestation of confidence in China’s system and its people—a system that transforms uncertainty into stability and ambition into achievement. As many have observed, for China, the FYP is not merely a piece of paper—it is the institutional magic that turns the future into reality.