Li Qiang: Guidelines for Economic and Social Development During the "15th Five-Year Plan" Period | Marxism Research Network

The "Proposal of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Formulating the Fifteenth Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development" (hereinafter referred to as the Proposal), adopted at the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, explicitly puts forward the guiding principles for economic and social development during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period ^[1]. This points the way forward and provides scientific guidance for conducting the work of economic and social development over the next five years. We must accurately comprehend, grasp, and fully implement these principles, formulating and executing the 15th Five-Year Plan effectively to strive toward creating a new landscape for Chinese-path modernization.

I. Accurately Grasping the Historical Orientation of China's Development During the "15th Five-Year Plan" Period

The Proposal points out that the 15th Five-Year Plan period holds an important position as a bridge between the past and the future in the process of basically achieving socialist modernization. It is a critical period for consolidating the foundation and launching a comprehensive effort to basically achieve socialist modernization. We must use a broad perspective and a strategic eye to coordinate the two overall situations—domestic and international—and accurately grasp the historical orientation of China's development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period.

We must grasp the development of the "15th Five-Year Plan" within the historical process of Chinese-path modernization. Achieving socialist modernization is a historical process of step-by-step progression and continuous development. Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, centering on the strategic deployment of modernization construction, our country has successively formulated and implemented one Five-Year Plan (or "Scheme") after another, effectively guiding and promoting economic and social development. Especially since the 18th National Congress, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has united and led the whole Party and the people of all ethnic groups in completing the historical task of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, achieving the First Centenary Goal, and successfully advancing and expanding Chinese-path modernization. The 19th and 20th National Congresses made a "two-step" strategic arrangement for comprehensively building a great modern socialist country. Among these steps, basically achieving socialist modernization by 2035 must be completed on the basis of having comprehensively built a moderately prosperous society, through the implementation of three Five-Year Plans from the 14th through the 16th. As the five years that bridge the past and the future, the 15th Five-Year Plan must "consolidate the foundation and launch a comprehensive effort" in its work. Consolidating the foundation means making unremitting efforts and continuing the struggle to lay a more solid foundation for basically achieving socialist modernization. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China effectively responded to the severe impact of the pandemic of the century and a series of major risks and challenges; economic and social development achieved new major successes, and the new journey toward the Second Centenary Goal achieved a good start. The 15th Five-Year Plan period must pay closer attention to matters that have a fundamental impact on development and security, consolidating and expanding advantages, breaking through bottleneck constraints, and strengthening weak links to make the foundations of development more stable and its resilience stronger. Launching a comprehensive effort means anchoring ourselves to our goals, centering on the "Five-Sphere Integrated Plan" and the "Four Comprehensives" strategic layout, and focusing on synergistic efforts across all fields of economic and social development to achieve systemic breakthroughs and holistic improvement. We must promote high-quality development to achieve significant results, drive major breakthroughs in strategic tasks concerning the overall situation of Chinese-path modernization, and advance steadily toward the ranks of moderately developed countries.

We must grasp the development of the "15th Five-Year Plan" within the profound evolution of the world's changes unseen in a century ^[2]. Today’s world is experiencing intensified turbulence and transformation. Certain acts of unilateralism and protectionism are severely impacting international rules and order. Simultaneously, a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation is accelerating toward breakthroughs, and the relationships of competition and cooperation between nations are facing a reshaping. During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, the global political and economic landscape will continue to undergo major adjustments, major differentiation, and major reorganization. Uncertain and unpredictable factors are increasing; however, the general trends of world multipolarity and economic globalization are irreversible. The strategic opportunities and the risks and challenges facing China’s development coexist. This requires us to better grasp the dialectical relationship between crisis and opportunity, and between certainty and uncertainty, responding to challenges and promoting development with greater proactivity. On one hand, we must keep the whole world in view, actively identifying, responding to, and seeking out changes ^[3] to win the strategic initiative amid fierce international competition. Facing the profound and complex changes in the international situation, we must grasp new circumstances and trends with foresight regarding their impact on China’s development, shape a new pattern in the relationship between China and the world, and create an external environment favorable to us. We must expand high-standard opening up to the outside world, actively expand autonomous opening up, improve the quality and level of trade and investment cooperation, develop diversified and stable overseas markets, promote the high-quality transition of the "Belt and Road" Initiative, enhance China’s competitiveness in the global industrial division of labor, and strengthen our discourse power in the international cycle. On the other hand, we must base ourselves domestically, concentrating our strength on managing our own affairs well, and responding to various uncertainties with the certainty of high-quality development. Facing the "high winds and surging waves" or even "stormy seas" that may be encountered internationally, as long as domestic development remains healthy and steady, we will have greater confidence to withstand impacts and meet tests. We must implement the requirements of high-quality development across all fields and aspects of economic and social development, reflecting them in every link and process of development goals, policies, and actions. We must achieve greater breakthroughs in areas such as accelerating the cultivation of new drivers of growth and promoting the optimization and upgrading of the economic structure, further strengthening the domestic cycle and promoting domestic and international dual circulation to form new developmental advantages that lead the future. In short, we must grasp the underlying logic of the world's changes unseen in a century, using a spirit of historical initiative to overcome difficulties, battle risks, and meet challenges, continuously expanding the developmental space for Chinese-path modernization.

II. Deeply Comprehending the Rich Connotations of the Guiding Principles for Economic and Social Development During the "15th Five-Year Plan" Period

The Proposal explicitly puts forward the guiding ideology and the principles that must be followed for economic and social development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period; together, these constitute the guiding principles. These were proposed by the Party Central Committee by taking a holistic view of the general situation and comprehensively considering the strategic requirements for basically achieving socialist modernization and the general trends of China's development over the next five years. We must deeply comprehend their rich connotations to better guide developmental practice.

The guiding ideology for economic and social development during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period is: To hold high the great banner of Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the Theory of Three Represents, and the Scientific Outlook on Development; fully implement Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era; thoroughly implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress and the various plenary sessions of the 20th Central Committee; center on comprehensively building a great modern socialist country and achieving the Second Centenary Goal; comprehensively advance the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-path modernization; coordinately promote the "Five-Sphere Integrated Plan" and the "Four Comprehensives" strategic layout; coordinate the two overall situations of domestic and international; completely, accurately, and comprehensively implement the New Development Philosophy; accelerate the construction of a New Development Paradigm; persist in the general keynote of seeking progress while maintaining stability; persist in taking economic construction as the center; take the promotion of high-quality development as the theme; take reform and innovation as the fundamental driving force; take meeting the people’s ever-growing needs for a better life as the fundamental goal; and take comprehensively and strictly governing the Party as the fundamental guarantee. This is to promote the economy in achieving effective qualitative improvement and reasonable quantitative growth; to promote the comprehensive development of the person and to take solid steps toward common prosperity for all people; and to ensure that "decisive progress" is made in basically achieving socialist modernization. This guiding ideology centrally embodies the worldview and methodology of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, providing strategic guidance for the 15th Five-Year Plan's development. We must deeply comprehend its core essence and innovative viewpoints:

From the perspective of missions and tasks: The report of the 20th National Congress clarified the central task of the Party on the new journey in the New Era, which is to comprehensively build a great modern socialist country, achieve the Second Centenary Goal, and comprehensively advance the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-path modernization. The target tasks, ideas, and measures for development in the 15th Five-Year Plan must revolve closely around this central task, concentrating all strength and eliminating all interference to continuously advance the construction of Chinese-path modernization.
From the perspective of strategic orientation: Greater emphasis must be placed on coordinating the two overall situations of domestic and international. A distinct characteristic of the 15th Five-Year Plan period is that relations between major powers affect the international situation, and the evolution of the international situation profoundly impacts domestic development. This requires us to more consciously plan and advance national development within the global configuration, adhering to the general keynote of seeking progress while maintaining stability and the center of economic construction. We must expand the space for international cooperation and respond to external risks through expanded opening up, maximizing benefits while avoiding harm, maintaining the initiative, and ensuring that Chinese-path modernization moves forward steadily and reaches far.
From the perspective of the development path: We must take the promotion of high-quality development as the theme, reform and innovation as the fundamental driving force, meeting the people’s ever-growing needs for a better life as the fundamental goal, and comprehensively and strictly governing the Party as the fundamental guarantee. This elaborates on the theme, driver, purpose, and guarantee of development, serving as an important guide for development during the 15th Five-Year Plan.
From the perspective of target goals: We must promote the economy in achieving effective qualitative improvement and reasonable quantitative growth, promote the comprehensive development of the person and the common prosperity of all people, and ensure "decisive progress" in basically achieving socialist modernization. Achieving "decisive progress" means accelerating the breakthrough from quantitative change to qualitative change, achieving landmark results in high-quality development and high-quality life, and ensuring that socialist modernization is basically achieved as scheduled by 2035.

The Proposal summarizes the principles that must be followed for economic and social development during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period from six aspects: namely, upholding the Party's overall leadership, persisting in putting the people first, persisting in high-quality development, persisting in comprehensively deepening reform, persisting in the combination of an effective market and a proactive government, and persisting in coordinating development and security. These "Six Persists" form an organic whole, reflecting the deepening and improvement of our Party's understanding of the laws of development. Among them, the Party's overall leadership is the fundamental guarantee; putting the people first embodies the fundamental stance and value pursuit of economic and social development; promoting high-quality development is the theme of economic and social development and the primary task for comprehensively building a modern socialist country; reform is the engine of development; the combination of an effective market and a proactive government is a key method of economic governance; and coordinating development and security is a major proposition under the new situation. These six aspects are unified in the vivid practice of our country’s development and governance. To deeply comprehend and grasp them as a whole, three aspects need to be highlighted:

Grasping the fundamental guarantee. The key to managing China's affairs well lies in the Party. The Proposal lists the Party's overall leadership as the first principle that must be followed. This requires us to more consciously integrate the Party's leadership throughout all aspects and the entire process of economic and social development, better transforming our country's institutional advantages into national governance efficacy and developmental strength.
Firmly holding the people's standpoint. Putting the people first embodies our Party's fundamental purpose and original aspiration and founding mission. We must respect the people’s position as the principal actors, fully mobilizing their enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity, ensuring that development is for the people, relies on the people, and its fruits are shared by the people.
Strengthening the system concept. Economic and social development is a complex systems engineering project. We must completely, accurately, and comprehensively implement the New Development Philosophy; strengthen forward-looking thinking, holistic planning, strategic layout, and integrated advancement. We must handle major relationships well—such as those between reform and development, government and market, and development and security—to drive all areas of work toward a new leap. A major characteristic of work during the 15th Five-Year Plan period is "doing certain things in an uncertain environment"; the "Six Persists" provide certain principles for our country's development and must be firmly grasped.

III. Fully Implementing the Practical Requirements of the Guiding Principles for Economic and Social Development During the "15th Five-Year Plan" Period

Guiding principles govern the overall situation and the fundamentals; they must be fully implemented and realized in all fields and aspects of economic and social development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. In practice, we must persist in using breakthroughs in key areas to drive the overall situation, ensuring that the decision-making deployments of the Party Central Committee are grounded and effective.

We must accelerate the construction of a New Development Paradigm and hold the initiative for development firmly in our hands. Constructing a New Development Paradigm clarifies the choice of path for China’s economic modernization and is the "first move" ^[4] for our country to grasp the developmental initiative. The economy of a large country has the unique advantages of being led by internal demand and capable of internal circulation. During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, we must place the foothold of development more firmly on strengthening the domestic cycle, coordinating the implementation of the strategy to expand internal demand with the deepening of supply-side structural reform, and using the inherent stability and long-term growth potential of the domestic cycle to hedge against the uncertainties of the international cycle. Building a unified national market is the key reform for strengthening the domestic cycle. We must focus on unifying basic market systems, market infrastructure, the scale of government behavior, market supervision and enforcement, and factors and resources markets. We must continuously expand internal and external opening up, further eliminate local protectionism and market fragmentation, and continuously release the dividends of a super-scale market. Of course, strengthening the domestic cycle by no means means abandoning the international cycle; we must unswervingly expand high-standard opening up to the outside world, expand the international cycle through multiple channels, enhance the linkage effects between the two markets and two sets of resources (domestic and international), and accelerate the formation of a domestic-international dual circulation that is more competitive, secure, and resilient.

We must promote the deep integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation and accelerate the development of new quality productive forces.

During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, facing the new situation of high-quality development and great power competition, we must place the development of new quality productive forces according to local conditions in an even more prominent strategic position. Technological innovation and industrial innovation are the basic paths for developing new quality productive forces. Technological innovation can spawn new industries, new models, and new kinetic energy; we must coordinately promote the integrated development of education, technology, and talent, improve the national innovation system, aim at the frontiers of world science and technology, and exert continuous effort in strengthening original innovation and tackling "bottleneck" key core technologies ^[5], accelerating the realization of high-level technological self-reliance and strength. The vitality of technological achievements lies in their application; we must comprehensively promote the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries, actively develop emerging industries, and arrange future industries with forward-looking planning ^[6] to accelerate the construction of a modernized industrial system, carving out a new path where technological innovation leads industrial innovation and industrial upgrading promotes technological iteration. It must be noted that the development of new quality productive forces requires certain endowment conditions; we must adhere to scientific rationality, adapt to local conditions, and leverage comparative advantages to promote the development of new quality productive forces.

We must persist in ensuring and improving people's livelihoods during the course of development, and solidly promote common prosperity. Common prosperity for all people is an essential feature of Chinese-path modernization. At present, the problem of unbalanced and inadequate development in our country remains prominent, and many shortcomings still exist in public services. We must focus on organically combining the improvement of livelihoods with the expansion of domestic demand, cultivating new economic growth points while solving the "urgent, difficult, anxious, and hopeful" problems ^[7] of the masses and enhancing their well-being. We must strengthen the employment-first orientation, implement plans to increase resident income, and continue to "make the cake larger" ^[8] while simultaneously optimizing income distribution, accelerating the increase of income for low-income earners, and continuously expanding the middle-income group. Greater emphasis should be placed on investing in people and serving their livelihoods; we should strengthen the construction of inclusive, basic, and "safety-net" ^[9] livelihoods, introducing a series of livelihood policy measures focused on balance and accessibility. We must focus on resolving livelihood issues such as employment, social security, education, healthcare, elder care, and childcare, creating a virtuous cycle between economic development and the improvement of livelihoods. As the gap between urban and rural areas and different regions in our country remains large, we must deeply promote a new type of people-centered urbanization, accelerate the comprehensive revitalization of the countryside, optimize regional layouts, and improve the level of coordinated development between urban and rural regions.

We must better coordinate development and security, ensuring the new development pattern with a new security pattern. Advancing Chinese-path modernization is an entirely new undertaking; the road ahead will inevitably encounter various difficulties, contradictions, risks, and challenges. We must persist in consolidating security through development and seeking development through security, enhancing economic and social resilience. Development is the foundation of security. Resolving prominent contradictions and problems, and preventing or defusing hidden risks, ultimately depends on development; we must seek security upon a continuously expanding material and technical foundation, promoting high-level security through high-quality development. Security is the prerequisite for development. We must consider internal and external risks and challenges holistically, and powerfully and effectively prevent and defuse risks in key fields. At the same time, we must strengthen the construction of long-term risk prevention mechanisms, prepare contingency plans and policy reserves, and resolutely hold the bottom line of preventing systemic risks, thereby safeguarding high-quality development with high-level security.

The "Proposal" ^[10] has been reviewed and approved by the Plenary Session, and the State Council will formulate the Outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan based upon it. We must thoroughly integrate the guiding principles, goals, and tasks defined in the "Proposal" and fully reflect them in the compilation of the Outline. We should extensively listen to opinions and suggestions from all sides, conduct in-depth research on major issues, plan and refine major policies, reforms, and projects, and formulate a high-quality Outline. We must strengthen awareness of the overall situation and systemic concepts; when formulating specialized, regional, spatial, and local plans, the requirements of the guiding principles must be fully reflected and implemented. All regions and departments should find their correct positioning within the overall development framework, innovate their ideas and measures, take proactive responsibility, strengthen coordination and cooperation, and strive to transform the planning blueprint into a beautiful reality.

Our mission inspires us to forge ahead; practical work achieves the future. We must unite more closely around the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. We must forge ahead with determination and move forward with fortitude, struggling unremittingly to comprehensively promote the construction of a strong country and the great cause of national rejuvenation through Chinese-path modernization!

Source: People's Daily (October 30, 2025) Web Editor: Huihui