China has full confidence and strength to implement the 15th Five-Year Plan

The 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) convened its fourth plenary session in Beijing from 20 to 23 October 2025. Participants at the session listened to and discussed a report on the work of the Political Bureau, presented on its behalf by H.E. Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Party and President of China. They also deliberated on and adopted the Recommendations of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development (hereafter referred to as the Recommendations).

Formulating Five-Year Plans to guide China’s economic and social development is an important means by which the CPC governs the country. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021–2025), the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core united the entire Party and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups, leading them in overcoming difficulties and forging ahead with determination. It secured significant new achievements for both the Party and the country, laying a solid foundation and getting off to a good start towards realizing the goal of basically achieving socialist modernization by 2035—by which time China’s per capita GDP will be on par with that of a moderately developed country.

Building on this, the period of the 15th Five-Year Plan will be critical to achieving the 2035 goal by reinforcing foundations and advancing on all fronts. It will thus serve as a key link between the past and the future.



Ambitious goals and clear priorities

The Recommendations put forward a set of major objectives on high-quality development, scientific and technological self-reliance and strength, further deepening reform, promoting cultural and ethical progress, improving the quality of people’s lives, advancing the Beautiful China Initiative, and strengthening national security. Achieving these goals will undoubtedly be challenging, but the future remains promising. Looking back at the road we have travelled and ahead to the journey before us, we are confident of fully achieving the goals set for the 15th Five-Year Plan period.



The party’s leadership is China’s greatest advantage

First of all, upholding and strengthening the overall leadership of the CPC is our greatest advantage. Since its founding in 1921, the CPC has remained true to its original aspiration and mission of seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation. History has shown that the strong leadership of the Party is the fundamental reason why the Chinese people and nation have been able to transform their destiny in modern times and create a unique path to modernization.

To realize Chinese modernization, it is essential to uphold and strengthen the Party’s leadership and ensure that it exercises effective self-supervision, self-reform, and strict self-governance in every respect. Since the Party’s 18th National Congress, the drive to exercise strict governance—initiated through the implementation of the central Party leadership’s eight-point decision on improving conduct—has led to a comprehensive transformation in the Party and government’s conduct, gathering a mighty force for advancing Chinese modernization.



The correct path of modernisation builds confidence

Second, the correct path of Chinese modernization is our strongest source of confidence. Realizing modernization has been the relentless pursuit of the Chinese people since modern times and is also a shared aspiration across the developing world. Shaped by different histories and civilisational traditions, countries may achieve modernization through paths suited to their own realities. For China, based on its national conditions and through years of exploration and practice, we have successfully embarked on our own distinctive path to modernization.

Since the 18th National Congress, the Party has advanced and expanded Chinese modernization with new breakthroughs in both theory and practice, achieving historic progress and changes in the cause of the Party and the nation. It has been proven that Chinese modernization represents the only correct path for China toward building a strong nation and achieving national rejuvenation.



The people remain the driving force of progress

Third, the steadfast support of the people is our greatest strength. The CPC’s roots, lifeblood, and source of strength lie in the people. Since the 18th National Congress, the Party has remained true to its original aspiration and upheld a people-centred philosophy in addressing challenges. It has taken strong measures to safeguard and improve people’s wellbeing, eradicated absolute poverty, and built a moderately prosperous society in all respects—thus creating solid conditions for advancing common prosperity.

At this fourth plenary session, the Central Committee emphasised the guiding principle of putting the people first and highlighted the need to make solid progress towards common prosperity for all as an overarching goal for economic and social development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. Looking to the future, we will remain committed to a people-centred approach and continue to mobilise the initiative, enthusiasm, and creativity of the people into a powerful force.



A shared future for the world

The fourth plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee has charted a grand blueprint for China’s economic and social development over the next five years, as well as a promising vision for win–win cooperation between China and the rest of the world. The session stressed that China should promote high-standard opening up, create new horizons for mutually beneficial cooperation, and make further progress in building a community with a shared future for humankind.

I firmly believe that as China steadily advances its modernization, it will undoubtedly provide vast opportunities for the common development of the world and make even greater contributions to the continuous progress of humankind.



* Zhao Weiping is Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Namibia.