Not long ago, the Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee adopted the Proposals of the CPC Central Committee for Formulating the 14th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development and the Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035. The Proposals give an in-depth analysis of the conditions facing China’s development, both at home and abroad, outlines the long-range prospect of basically realizing socialist modernization by 2035, and sets forth the guiding principles, main targets, priority tasks and major measures for the 14th Five-Year Plan period. China will pursue the new development philosophy, foster a new development paradigm, and promote high-quality development. To this end, we will unswervingly deepen reform and open wider to the outside world. We will work with the international community to maintain stability of the global industrial and supply chains and build an open world economy.
First, China’s economic and social development during the 14th Five-Year Plan period will focus on promoting high-quality development. This is a scientific judgment based on the changing stage, environment and conditions of China’s development. China is and will remain in the primary stage of socialism for a long time to come. China is still the largest developing country in the world. Development is the CPC’s top priority in governing and rejuvenating the country. China enters a new stage of development and is at a critical moment of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, it must implement the new development philosophy, and pursue high-quality development. We need to give greater prominence to the quality of development and strive to raise the quality and efficiency of development. To promote high-quality development, we must unswervingly implement the the new development philosophy.
Second, we should foster a new development paradigm with domestic circulation as the mainstay and domestic and international circulations reinforcing each other. Specifying the main priorities and primary tasks for this endeavor, to foster a new development paradigm is a strategic choice to keep pace with the times and upgrade China’s economic development level, it is also a strategic choice to shape China’s new advantages in international economic cooperation and competition. Since the reform and opening up, especially after China’s accession to the WTO, China has joined the international circulations, with markets and resources “at both ends”, and formed the development model of “world factory”, which has played an important role in rapidly enhancing China’s economic strength and improving people’s livelihood. In recent years, as the global political and economic environment has changed and the trend against globalization has intensified, some countries have resorted to unilateralism and protectionism, and the traditional international circulations has weakened significantly. In this case, we must put the development foothold in the domestic market and rely more on the domestic market to achieve economic development. With a population of 1.4 billion, China is the world’s largest and most promising consumer market with huge room for growth. Since the reform and opening up, we have encountered many external risks and been able to overcome them. What we have done is to run our own affairs well and focus on development domestically. We must adhere to the strategic focus of expanding domestic demand, make production, distribution and consumption more dependent on the domestic market, and form a virtuous circulations of the national economy. The new development paradigm is by no means a closed domestic circulation, but an open domestic and international circulations.
Third, the 14th five-year Plan and the goal of economic development by 2035. In terms of its economic development capacity and conditions, the Chinese economy has the hope and potential to maintain long-term and steady development. It is entirely possible for the Chinese economy to meet the current standard for high-income countries by the end of the 14th five-year Plan period and double its economic aggregate or per capita income by 2035. At the same time, Considering that there may be many uncertain factors in the global economic development, the global pandemic of COVID – 19 has a profound impact on the global economy, the world economy is likely to remain low, guide all aspects of the work focus on improve the quality and efficiency of development.
Fourth, promoting common prosperity for all. Common prosperity is the essential requirement of socialism and the common aspiration of the people. The ultimate goal of our economic and social development is to achieve common prosperity for all. Since the founding of new China, especially since reform and opening up, the CPC has united and led the people in making unremitting efforts towards the goal of achieving common prosperity, and the people’s living standards have been constantly improved. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, we have made poverty alleviation a top priority. Lifting all the rural poor out of poverty under the current poverty line is a major measure to promote common prosperity for all. Promoting all the people common prosperity is a long-term task, but along with China to build a moderately prosperous society in all respects, set out on a new journey toward building a modern socialist country, we must arrange to promote all the people common prosperity on the more important position, more active and promising to work toward the goal. We will basically achieve the long-term goal of socialist modernization by 2035, propose that “more tangible progress be made in achieving common prosperity for all”, and stress that “we will make solid progress in promoting common prosperity for all”, making steady progress on the road to promoting common prosperity for all.
Fifth, we need to coordinate development and security. We are increasingly aware that security is the premise of development and development is the guarantee of security. The current and future period will be a period of various contradictions and risks in China, and various foreseeable and unforeseeable risk factors have increased significantly. We must take a holistic approach to development and security, be more aware of opportunities and risks, effectively guard against and defuse risks and challenges of all kinds, and ensure smooth progress in socialist modernization.
Sixth, adhering to the concept of systems. During the 14th five-year Plan period, economic and social development must follow the principle of adhering to the concept of system. China will open the new journey of the all-round construction of socialism modernization country, the development environment in China is facing a profound and complicated changes, unbalanced development of insufficient problems still is outstanding, the complexity of the contradictions in economic and social development must solve, from the concept of systems planning and solving, must coordinate the socialist modernization construction and the work in various fields.
Next year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CPC. Building a moderately prosperous society of a higher level in all respects, which will benefit more than one billion people, is a goal the CPC has set on the basis of basically completing the building of a moderately prosperous society in the new century and a solemn commitment it has made to the people. The 13th Five-Year Plan period is a decisive stage in completing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and we have made a series of new major achievements. The sudden outbreak of COVID-19 has had a significant negative impact on China’s economic and social development. Under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core, through the national people’s joint efforts, COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control major strategic achievements, China’s economic and social recovery is at the forefront of the world, the development goals set in the 13th five year plan can be completed on schedule, and the goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects can be achieved on schedule.
By Qin Jian, the Chinese Ambassador to Somalia
