Jin Min: Leading High-Quality Development through High-Quality Planning
Development planning is an important method for our Party’s governance and a general blueprint for leading economic and social development; it plays a vital role in the construction of the national governance system. As early as 1985, Comrade Xi Jinping, then-Executive Vice Mayor of Xiamen, led the drafting of the Xiamen Economic and Social Development Strategy (1985–2000) (hereafter referred to as the Development Strategy). This visionary blueprint was the earliest economic and social development plan compiled among the national Special Economic Zones [1], and the first 15-year longitudinal strategic plan for economic and social development created by a local government in China. It embodied Comrade Xi Jinping’s strategic foresight and the boldness and wisdom of his scientific planning for the Xiamen Special Economic Zone, laying a solid foundation for Xiamen’s subsequent takeoff. Although forty years have passed since this plan was drafted, the scientific concepts and thinking methods it contains possess a value that remains fresh across the New Era, providing a practical paradigm for the current scientific formulation and implementation of the "15th Five-Year Plan."
I
Adhering to the people-centered value orientation throughout the entire process of plan formulation and implementation. "The people's aspiration for a better life is our goal"; the fundamental orientation of planning must respond to the needs of the people's livelihood. At the beginning of the Reform and Opening-up, Xiamen had a small urban scale, a poor economic base, and an aged urban appearance; there was a gap in economic development and living standards compared to developed coastal cities. The Development Strategy clearly proposed to "make Xiamen a seaport city with economic prosperity, advanced technology, a beautiful environment, relatively complete urban functions, and a relatively wealthy life for the people." To effectively transform development results into people's well-being and meet the growing material and spiritual needs of the masses, the Development Strategy not only specified livelihood indicators such as the annual average wage of all employees and the per capita annual income of farmers in the suburbs, but also emphasized social development content such as enriching the spiritual life of the masses and medical security. During the formulation of the Development Strategy, a social participation mechanism was actively promoted, adhering to "opening the doors to seek advice" and extensively soliciting opinions and suggestions from citizens. This "unified the strengthening of top-level design with the persistence of asking the people for ideas" [2], ensuring that the strategy truly reflected the will of the people and concentrated their wisdom, thereby improving the scientific and democratic nature of strategic decision-making.
Adhering to foresight as the fulcrum of planning to scientifically plot long-term development goals. Planning must lay out arrangements in advance to seize development opportunities; only by making the first move [3] can one take the initiative. The Development Strategy carried out systematic, holistic, and coordinated strategic design over a 15-year cycle, forward-lookingly proposing the strategic goal of building a "seaport city." It included a dedicated chapter for ecological and environmental protection, introducing the concept of the "ecological niche" and clarifying that environmental pollution must be prevented while developing the Special Economic Zone's economy to maintain ecological balance. Visions such as a "beautiful environment" and "relatively complete urban functions" were placed alongside "economic prosperity" and "advanced technology," highlighting the internal logic of the collaborative development of the economy, society, ecology, and people's livelihoods. Eyeing the general trend of global economic development, the Development Strategy also took the lead among the four national Special Economic Zones in proposing a "three-step" strategy for building a free port and "gradually developing offshore financial business at the appropriate time." These planning elements, which were highly forward-looking at the time, still hold important practical guidance today.
Adhering to systematicity as the methodological cornerstone to build a complete development pattern. The systems concept requires global planning, collaborative advancement, and dynamic adjustment. The Development Strategy creatively broke through departmental silos and sectoral barriers, coordinating the overall situation with systemic thinking. It primarily consisted of a general vision for Xiamen's economic and social development and 21 special strategic studies covering various fields such as the economic system, urban construction, and the ecological environment, forming a three-dimensional planning system spanning from the comprehensive to the thematic and the specific. The Development Strategy contained a methodology of holistic policy implementation. At the industrial planning level, it emphasized the dominant role of industry while comprehensively coordinating the synergistic development of tourism, finance, and real estate. In terms of spatial layout, it proposed a "stars clustering around the moon" [4] urban structure centered on Xiamen Island and Gulangyu, supported by Jimei, Xinglin, and Haicang. This broke the limitations of "single-center development" and provided a holistic implementation method for Xiamen’s leap from a "small island town" to a high-quality, high-aesthetic, and high-standard modern metropolis, vividly illustrating that systematic planning is the "core engine" of high-quality development.
Adhering to a work style of seeking truth from facts to promote the transformation of planning results into developmental efficacy. Planning must be "grounded" [5] so that the grassroots can understand and execute it. Pragmatic planning must take the needs of the people's livelihood as its fundamental starting point, operability as its basic requirement, and historical patience as its implementation criterion. The reason the Development Strategy possesses an enduring power of leadership lies in its deep roots in Xiamen's reality; it faced the core contradictions and practical bottlenecks in the development process and proposed clear, specific, and feasible solutions. To better compile the Development Strategy, Comrade Xi Jinping carried forward the spirit of investigation and research, personally leading teams to Beijing to consult experts and scholars, organizing task forces to inspect free port construction in Singapore, and conducting in-depth research in Xiamen to ensure the plan met actual needs. This pragmatic style of "planning before acting" effectively avoids blind decision-making and short-termism, laying a scientific foundation for high-quality economic development. The Xiamen practice profoundly confirms that pragmatic planning is the "lifeline" of high-quality development.
Adhering to historical patience as the strategic cornerstone to ensure the focus of "a single blueprint to the end." General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: "Scientific planning is the greatest benefit, planning errors are the greatest waste, and planning churn is the greatest taboo." One must "do practical things that the people can see, touch, and benefit from, as well as good things that lay the foundation and benefit the long term for future generations. One must seek both apparent merit and latent merit [6], disregarding personal fame and pursuing the good reputation of the masses and the genuine evaluation of history." The Development Strategy formulated under Comrade Xi Jinping’s leadership, with the historical responsibility of "success does not have to happen during my term" [7], organically unified the foresight of planning with the continuity of practice, anchoring a scientific course for the development of the Xiamen Special Economic Zone. This strategic plan not only plotted the grand vision of a "seaport city" but also, with the clear declaration of "working one crop after another," transformed the long-term blueprint into a practical logic of continuous struggle across terms of office. The vitality of the Development Strategy is reflected in its transcendence of short-term political achievements; it not only set 15-year phased goals but also ensured through institutional arrangements that the blueprint—which accords with the people’s wishes—would not stop abruptly due to changes in personnel or government transitions, transforming the scientific nature of planning into lasting momentum for high-quality development.
II
Since the 18th Party Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized on various occasions the need to strengthen strategic thinking, consider issues from a global and long-term perspective, and plan and implement a series of major strategic plans concerning the development of the Party and the country. Currently, China's economy has entered a stage of high-quality development, facing a complex situation where various contradictions and problems are intertwined. This requires us to use a historical and global perspective to completely, accurately, and comprehensively implement the New Development Philosophy [8] and lead high-quality development with high-quality planning.
Anchoring with the people's heart to stabilize the value foundation. The "people-centered nature" is the value base of planning work in the New Era. The prosperity of a government lies in following the hearts of the people; the people-centered nature is always the most fundamental political attribute of our country's development planning. The Development Strategy used practice to interpret the governance philosophy: "If a matter benefits the people, it must be promoted even if it is as small as a hair" [9]. In formulating the "15th Five-Year Plan," we must always keep the fundamental interests of the broad masses of the people in mind, establish a scientific dynamic response mechanism between livelihood needs and policy supply, and transform the "urgent, difficult, and anxious" issues of the masses—such as employment, education, and healthcare—into the "top priorities of the country" [10]. By carrying forward the tradition of "asking the people for ideas," development planning can truly become a common program that condenses the wisdom of hundreds of millions. When every data indicator in the planning text corresponds to the people’s sense of gain, and every major project carries the people’s sense of happiness, such a plan can stand the test of history and practice.
Illuminating with foresight to discern the general trends of the era. The vitality of strategic planning lies in its foresight and leadership. The reason the Development Strategy could point the way for Xiamen's development at the beginning of the Reform and Opening-up and create the "Xiamen experience" of coordinated economic development and livelihood improvement lies in its grasp of the opportunities of the tide of economic globalization and the construction of Special Economic Zones with extraordinary strategic vision. Currently, a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation is developing in depth, and the international balance of power is undergoing profound adjustments. The formulation of the "15th Five-Year Plan" must carry forward the wisdom of "planning according to the situation, acting in response to the situation, and moving with the situation." We must lay out arrangements in advance in future industrial fields such as artificial intelligence and quantum technology, seize opportunities in the green and low-carbon transition, and shape advantages in building the New Development Paradigm.
Networking with the global perspective to employ systematic methods. Systems thinking is the methodological cornerstone of planning work in the New Era; those who do not plan for the whole situation cannot plan for a single area. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that "the systems concept is a fundamental ideological and working method." The practice of the Development Strategy shows that excellent strategic planning must possess a systemic vision of "achieving greatness while addressing the minute" [11], strengthening systemic thinking and coordinating the promotion of all fields of economic and social development. Planning should construct a multi-dimensional synergistic policy network, establishing a three-dimensional policy framework for industrial development, livelihood security, and ecological protection. In the layout of major projects, the employment-driving effect should be calculated simultaneously; in infrastructure construction, the environmental carrying capacity should be assessed holistically. Coordination is the secret to winning the "national game of chess."
Measuring with efficacy to temper a pragmatic character. Being pragmatic is a fine tradition of Chinese Communists and the lifeline of planning work. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "We must persist in seeking truth from facts and being pragmatic, planning undertakings and work from reality, so that the ideas, policies, and plans proposed conform to actual conditions, objective laws, and the scientific spirit... We must persist in working hard and ensuring implementation, doing all work solidly and achieving results." The reason the Development Strategy became a model is that it upheld the pragmatic spirit of "not adopting flowery names and not engaging in false deeds" [12].
Sailing with perseverance to nurture historical patience. Strategic focus is a distinctive character of the CPC’s governance and the core support for the steady and long-term progress of development planning. "One who digs a well starts with a three-inch pit to achieve a depth of ten thousand ren" [13]. The Xiamen experience profoundly enlightens us that strategic wisdom lies not only in scientific planning but also in persistent and continuous struggle. It shows that the depth of development comes from the intensity of persistence. In formulating the "15th Five-Year Plan," it is especially necessary to build a sustainable development mechanism and set gradient goals for longer stages in strategic fields such as technological innovation and green transition.
The strategic wisdom and experiential enlightenment contained in the Development Strategy, a classic work spanning centuries, shine ever more brightly in the river of history. Standing at the critical juncture of the transition from the "14th Five-Year Plan" to the "15th Five-Year Plan," looking back at the Xiamen sample, we clarify that the grand blueprint of Chinese-path modernization must be unfolded in the dialectical unity of respecting the people’s subjectivity, strengthening systemic synergy, enhancing development foresight, highlighting policy efficacy, and maintaining strategic stability. Only in this way can we transform the scientific nature of top-level design into vivid practice benefiting hundreds of millions, and integrate the precision of phased deployments into the magnificent journey of national rejuvenation.