Hu Hongbin: The Logical Rationale of Xi Jinping's Important Expositions on National Development Strategies and Planning in the New Era | Marxism Research Network

National development strategies and plans constitute the action program for national governance, as well as the guarantee and pillar for sustained and healthy economic and social development. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: "Strategic issues are fundamental issues for a political party and a country. If the judgment on strategy is accurate, the strategic planning is scientific, and the strategic initiative is secured, then there is great hope for the cause of the Party and the people." He further noted: "Scientific planning yields the greatest benefit, planning failures are the greatest waste, and constant changes to plans are the greatest taboo." The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee deliberated and adopted the Recommendations of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Drawing Up the Fourteenth Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development (hereinafter referred to as the Recommendations), sketching a clear development blueprint for the coming five years. Precisely how to comprehensively understand the national development strategies and plans of the New Era, and how to scientifically grasp the profound connotations of the "15th Five-Year Plan," have become major theoretical and practical problems in urgent need of resolution. To clarify these issues, we must deeply grasp the policy orientation and strategic intent of the Recommendations, and even more so, provide a comprehensive interpretation of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important discourses on national development strategies and plans in the New Era.

I. The Generative Logic of General Secretary Xi Jinping's Important Discourses on National Development Strategies and Plans in the New Era

National development strategy refers to the overall scheme adopted by the state to achieve its general objectives. National development planning, on the other hand, is the process and practice through which the state makes systematic and phased arrangements for development in economic, social, cultural, and other fields to achieve strategic goals. Development strategies provide the overall direction for the formulation and implementation of development plans, while development plans constitute the vehicle for development strategies; the two are closely linked. Adhering to development strategies and "using medium- and long-term plans to guide economic and social development is an important method for our Party's governance of the country." Since the beginning of the New Era, General Secretary Xi Jinping has attached great importance to the work of national development strategy and planning. On the basis of inheriting and innovating upon the state doctrines and social development theories of classical Marxist writers, inheriting and summarizing the historical experience of the CPC’s leadership in national development strategy and planning work, and responding to the international and domestic situations and the Party’s mission and tasks in the New Era, he has proposed a series of innovative concepts regarding national development strategies and plans that carry profound significance.

1. Theoretical Dimension: The Inheritance and Innovation of Classical Marxist Writers’ State Doctrines and Social Development Theories

In the 19th century, Marx and Engels provided profound expositions on propositions such as the essence of the state and the development of social production based on historical materialism. On one hand, they revealed the essence and historical limitations of the capitalist state and its system. Marx and Engels believed that while the capitalist state and its system had progressive significance, they were essentially tools for the bourgeoisie to maintain its own interests. The fundamental contradiction of capitalist society is the contradiction between the socialization of production and the private capitalist appropriation of the means of production, which keeps the entirety of social production in a state of anarchy, leading to the outbreak of periodic economic crises. On the other hand, they scientifically elucidated the importance of the proletariat organizing social production in a planned manner. Marx and Engels held that to overcome the inherent contradictions and crises of capitalism, it is necessary to smash the bourgeois state machine and realize the dictatorship of the proletariat. Consequently, "anarchy within social production will be replaced by planned, conscious organization." "Only a society which can coordinate its productive forces in a harmonious way according to a single vast plan can allow industry to be distributed over the whole country in the way best adapted to its own development and the maintenance or development of the other elements of production." Not only this, they also made long-term plans facing the future, requiring communists to "represent the future of the movement within the movement of the present," and by unifying short-term goals with grand objectives, ultimately realize an association of free individuals.

After the victory of the October Revolution, in the practice of Soviet socialist construction, Lenin proposed a more complete and specific scheme for national development strategy and planning. In terms of defining objectives, in response to the poverty and backwardness of the time, Lenin made the famous assertion that "Communism is Soviet power plus the electrification of the whole country," regarding it as the "second Party program" to promote Russia's transformation from an agricultural country into an industrial one. In terms of the unfolding process, Lenin advocated for the comprehensive advancement of national development strategies and plans through synergy across various fields. For example, in On the Single Economic Plan, Lenin carried out systematic planning across multiple aspects, including fuel supply, agricultural transformation, and industrial distribution. In terms of safeguards, Lenin emphasized the key role of institutional mechanisms in the implementation of Soviet socialist development strategies and plans. In Lenin's view, "any plan is a measure, a standard"; therefore, it is necessary to maintain the authority and scientific nature of institutional mechanisms in practice. For instance, by endowing the State Planning Commission with legislative functions, he provided a guarantee for optimizing decision-making. In 1921, the Soviet government stimulated enthusiasm for social production by promulgating the decree On the Substitution of a Tax in Kind for the Surplus-Appropriation System. Lenin's schemes for national development strategy and planning not only laid the foundation for the commencement of the Soviet Union's five-year plans for national economic development but also had a profound impact on the development of other socialist countries.

From Marx and Engels’ definition and division of the essence of the state and the stages of social development, to Lenin’s planning and exploration of Soviet socialist construction, these intellectual resources have not only provided solid theoretical support for the formulation and implementation of our country’s development strategies and plans in the New Era but have also endowed them with a distinct "people-centered" character. It is Precisely on this basis that the Recommendations lists "Marxism-Leninism" and other theories as the guiding ideology for economic and social development during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period.

2. Historical Dimension: The Inheritance and Deepening of the CPC’s Leadership in National Development Strategy and Planning Work

Adhering to the use of development strategies and plans to navigate and set the course is a distinct feature of the CPC’s governance of the country. Under the strong leadership of the Party, from the "1st Five-Year Plan" to the "5th Five-Year Plan," our country established a strategic policy of prioritizing the development of heavy industry and preliminarily formed an independent and complete industrial system. Addressing issues such as economic structural imbalances, during the "6th Five-Year Plan" period, the Party Central Committee adjusted the strategy in a timely manner and focused on promoting economic structural reform. In 1987, Deng Xiaoping proposed the "three-step" development strategy ^[1] and provided a systematic exposition of the basic line for the primary stage of socialism, clarifying the direction for our country's modernization. From the "7th Five-Year Plan" to the "9th Five-Year Plan," as reforms in various fields of the state continued to deepen, the Party Central Committee successively proposed major strategies such as sustainable development, invigorating the country through science and education ^[2], and the Great Western Development ^[3], driving the rapid development of our country's economy. Thereafter, from the "10th Five-Year Plan" to the "12th Five-Year Plan," the Party Central Committee further promoted the optimization of our country’s economic structure and the transformation of the mode of economic development.

In leading the work of national development strategy and planning, the CPC has gradually formed a practical path based on national conditions and advancing with the times, and has also accumulated rich historical experience—such as the necessity of always unswervingly adhering to the Party’s comprehensive leadership, the requirement that national development strategies and plans must match national conditions and national strength, and the necessity of focusing on the continuity and stability of strategic planning. This experience has not only promoted the prosperity and progress of the country but has also provided a historical mirror for the enrichment and improvement of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important discourses on national development strategies and plans in the New Era.

3. Practical Dimension: The Grasp and Sublimation of the International and Domestic Situations and Our Party’s Mission and Tasks in the New Era

On one hand, the periodic characteristics and the brand-new historical coordinates of the New Era have driven the deepened development of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important discourses on national development strategies and plans. Looking at the domestic situation, the New Era has ushered in a historical leap from "getting rich" to "becoming strong," and the principal contradiction in our society has undergone a fundamental transformation ^[4]. This requires the Party Central Committee to make corresponding changes in national development strategy and planning to resolve the problem of unbalanced and inadequate development and to continuously meet the people's needs for a better life. Looking at the international situation, since the beginning of the New Era, facing the accelerating evolution of the world's changes unseen in a century, the continuous rise of unilateralism and protectionism, and the rapid ascent of the Global South, the Party Central Committee needs to carry out innovative upgrades to national development strategies and plans to gain the initiative in fierce competition. On the other hand, the mission and tasks of the New Era have driven the deepened development of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important discourses. Advancing the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization is the central task of the Party and the country on the new journey in the New Era. To achieve this task, we must not only adhere to the Party’s basic line unswervingly but also "vigorously promote theoretical innovation, institutional innovation, cultural innovation, and innovations in all other aspects on the basis of practice." Consequently, the development of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important discourses on national development strategies and plans in the New Era is also the result of continuous reflection and innovation based on the situations and tasks of the New Era.

II. The Theoretical Framework of General Secretary Xi Jinping's Important Discourses on National Development Strategies and Plans in the New Era

Since the beginning of the New Era, in promoting national development strategy and planning work, General Secretary Xi Jinping has focused on both historical inheritance and advancing with the times, as well as on coordinating the overall situation while focusing on key issues. He has provided a systematic exposition of the connotative framework, practical orientation, and implementation path of national development strategies and plans in the New Era. In brief, these important discourses contain three basic components.

1. Theory of Connotation: Regarding the Framework System of National Development Strategies and Plans in the New Era

An analysis of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important discourses on national development strategies and plans in the New Era can be systematically summarized through the following "three maps."

First, the Overall Roadmap: From the "Two Centenary Goals" to the "Two-Step" strategic arrangement, constructing the overall coordinates of national development strategies and plans in the New Era. Since the beginning of the New Era, General Secretary Xi Jinping’s construction of national development strategies and plans began with continuing the "Two Centenary Goals"; he required strengthening Party building to provide a strong guarantee for the realization of these goals. In the report to the 19th CPC National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping proposed the "two stages" and "two-step" strategic arrangements for the New Era. In the report to the 20th CPC National Congress, he further provided a detailed definition of the "two-step" strategy for the New Era, clarifying the target positioning for 2020 to 2035 and from 2035 to the middle of the 21st century. The transition from the "Two Centenary Goals" and "two stages" to the "two-step" strategic arrangement represents an adaptive adjustment of theory to practice and an innovative upgrade of strategic planning, demonstrating the Party Central Committee's spirit of historical initiative. The "Two Centenary Goals," the "two stages," and the "two-step" strategic arrangement are mutually inclusive and sequentially progressive, jointly outlining the overall route and basic framework of national development strategies and plans in the New Era.

Second, the Process Deployment Map: Building a dual circulation pattern through the Five-Sphere Integrated Plan, the Four Comprehensives, and the New Development Philosophy, constructing the action axis of national development strategies and plans in the New Era. To resolve deep-seated contradictions in development, General Secretary Xi Jinping took the Five-Sphere Integrated Plan as an important strategic deployment for national development in the New Era. On this basis, he further proposed the Four Comprehensives strategic layout, enabling the two to achieve organic connection and synergistic force in goals and strategy. The Four Comprehensives strategic layout stipulates strategic measures for national governance and has also promoted the iterative upgrade of development philosophies. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Implementing the New Development Philosophy is the only way for our country's development and growth in the New Era." The Four Comprehensives strategic layout provides intrinsic support for the New Development Philosophy, while the New Development Philosophy constitutes the value core for the coordinated advancement of the Four Comprehensives. In practice, "implementing the New Development Philosophy inevitably requires building a New Development Pattern." It is precisely in this process that he systematically integrated the Five-Sphere Integrated Plan, the Four Comprehensives, the New Development Philosophy, and the New Development Pattern, achieving tight connection and internal unity under the general goal of comprehensively building a modern socialist country.

Third, the Specific Construction Map: Taking the regional, urban-rural, industrial, technological, green, and security dimensions as breakthroughs, clarifying the specific list of national development strategies and plans in the New Era. In the regional dimension, further strategic plans such as the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta, and the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area were proposed to cultivate new growth poles. In the urban-rural dimension, strategic plans such as rural revitalization were further proposed to promote urban-rural integrated development. In the industrial dimension, strategic plans such as building a manufacturing powerhouse and a quality powerhouse were further proposed to build a modern industrial system. In the education, science, technology, and culture dimensions, strategic plans such as building an education powerhouse, a science and technology powerhouse, and a cultural powerhouse were further proposed to enhance national soft power and accelerate the realization of high-level self-reliance and strength in science and technology. In the green dimension, strategic plans such as carbon peaking and carbon neutrality were further proposed to promote the formation of green development modes and lifestyles. In the security dimension, under the guidance of the Holistic Approach to National Security, major strategies such as the Peaceful China initiative were deeply advanced to achieve a dynamic balance between development and security.

The “overall roadmap” governs the whole, the “process deployment map” runs through the entire sequence, and the “detailed construction blueprints” constitute the practical points of entry. These “three maps” progress layer by layer, forming a logical closed loop between the vision of strategic planning and the actual landscape of national development; together, they constitute the theoretical substance of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions on national development strategies and planning in the New Era.

2. The Theory of Target Positioning: The Orientation System of National Development Strategy and Planning in the New Era

Viewed from the perspective of periodic goals, national development strategies and planning in the New Era involve the gradual realization of socialist modernization through the phase-by-phase implementation of Five-Year Plans under the “two-step” strategic arrangement. The period of the 13th Five-Year Plan ^[5] was the decisive stage for China to finish building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, with goals oriented toward maintaining medium-to-high-speed economic growth and achieving universal improvements in the people’s standard of living and the quality of the ecological environment. The 14th Five-Year Plan period initiated the new journey of comprehensively building a modern socialist country, with goals oriented toward achieving new elevations in economic development and the people’s well-being. In the report to the 20th CPC National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping further scientifically delineated the overall goals for China's development by 2035 across multiple dimensions, including the completion of a modern industrial system and a significant increase in the country's cultural soft power. It is precisely under the guidance of this series of schemes and layouts that the Recommendations ^[6] systematically defined the primary goals for economic and social development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period across seven areas: “achieving significant results in high-quality development,” “substantially increasing the level of scientific and technological self-reliance and strength,” “achieving new breakthroughs in further comprehensively deepening reform,” “markedly improving the level of social civilization,” “continuously enhancing the quality of the people’s lives,” “making major new progress in the construction of a Beautiful China,” and “further consolidating the national security barrier.”

Viewed from the perspective of fundamental goals, the national development strategies and planning in the New Era propose the comprehensive buildup of a Great Modern Socialist Country and the realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation by the middle of the 21st century. To this end, General Secretary Xi Jinping clearly emphasized the need to “build our country into a great modern socialist country that leads in terms of composite national strength and international influence.” It can be said that the modern power to be achieved by the national development strategies and planning of the New Era is not only a power characterized by the modernization of economy, politics, culture, society, and ecological civilization, but also a power where national strength has leapt forward comprehensively, and even more so, a power possessing the capacity to lead the progress of human civilization. Comprehensively building a great modern socialist country lays the foundation for national rejuvenation, and national rejuvenation constitutes the value destination of building such a power. For this reason, General Secretary Xi Jinping called on the whole Party to “persist in unifying grand ideals with periodic goals” and to “strive successively, strive hard, and strive relentlessly.” In short, since the start of the New Era, General Secretary Xi Jinping’s definition of the goals for national development strategy and planning has centered on the historical cause of building a great power and achieving national rejuvenation, moving toward the ultimate goal of realizing communism.

3. Practical Methodology: The Implementation Path for National Development Strategy and Planning in the New Era

One part deployment, nine parts implementation. Facing the international and domestic situations of the New Era, General Secretary Xi Jinping has systematically expounded on how to execute and implement national development strategies and planning.

First, solidify the subjective foundation for the implementation of national development strategies and planning. This requires, firstly, that leading officials clarify their responsibilities and sense of mission. Only through solid work and a serious sense of responsibility can we overcome the chaotic phenomenon where “planning is just planning, and remains hanging on the wall” ^[7]. Secondly, it requires leading officials to continuously strengthen study and investigation. “Correct decision-making cannot be separated from investigation and research, and correct implementation likewise cannot be separated from investigation and research.” Not only must high-ranking Party officials set an example, but primary-level officials must also strengthen their study and investigation.

Second, make detailed deployments in terms of coordination, strengthening supervision, and institutional safeguards. Regarding the former, it is required to achieve overall coordination and integrated advancement. Specifically addressing the implementation of the 13th Five-Year Plan, it was emphasized that “coordinated development is the secret of success”; regarding the strategic goals set by the 20th National Congress, it is further required that implementation “integrate the long-term and short-term, connect the upper and lower levels, and coordinate the content” to avoid “fragmented” execution. Regarding the strengthening of supervision and management—for instance, when discussing the formulation of local plans—he emphasized the need to “perfect mechanisms for dynamic monitoring, mid-term evaluation, and summary evaluation during plan implementation” to provide safeguards for risk prevention and strategic implementation. Finally, the construction of relevant institutions must run through the entire process. “When institutions are stable, the state is stable; when institutions are strong, the state is strong.” Under the high priority given by General Secretary Xi Jinping, the legislative work for the National Development Planning Law of the People’s Republic of China has been placed on the agenda. The Recommendations further require the “improvement of policy coordination and work synergy mechanisms to ensure that the decision-making deployments of the CPC Central Committee are implemented effectively.”

III. Theoretical Characteristics of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s Important Expositions on National Development Strategy and Planning in the New Era

General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions on national development strategy and planning in the New Era constitute a logical system with rich connotations and a rigorous structure. They provide systematic and scientific answers to a series of major propositions—such as “what they are,” “what specific tasks to focus on,” and “how to implement them”—demonstrating theoretical characteristics in four aspects.

1. From the perspective of the creation of a theoretical system, they demonstrate the organic unity of historical inheritance and contemporary innovation

The formation of national development strategies and planning did not happen overnight but is the result of long-term exploration and summarization. Marx and Engels’ emphasis on the planned organization of social production and Lenin’s exploration of Soviet socialist development strategies and planning essentially constitute the theoretical foundation for General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions. The series of strategic plans proposed by the Communist Party of China (CPC) during the course of leading national development and construction provided the direct basis. From the “Four Modernizations” ^[8] to the “three-step” strategy of the new period, and then to the “Two Centenary Goals” and the “two-step” strategic arrangement of the New Era, these are essentially part of the same lineage. Therefore, national development strategy and planning in the New Era represent the inheritance and continuation of the CPC's long-term strategic planning work under the guidance of Marxism.

While possessed of this inheritance, General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions also achieve pioneering innovations in light of the circumstances of the New Era. Conceptually, this is manifested in further deepening the connotation of national development strategy and planning based on the missions and tasks of the New Era, building a brand-new theoretical architecture. In practice, this is manifested in focusing on the development requirements of the New Era to form a more precise and specific system of national development strategies, planning goals, and implementation paths, achieving detailed breakthroughs in relevant Marxist theories and the CPC's strategic planning. Historical inheritance is the source of contemporary innovation, while contemporary innovation endows historical resources with vivid vitality; the organic unity of the two promotes the continuous development of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions.

2. From the perspective of the unfolding of the theoretical system, they demonstrate the organic unity of conformity to laws and conformity to purpose

General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions are “law-conforming” (合规律性). Facing the profound changes in the principal contradiction of society in the New Era, General Secretary Xi Jinping advocates for strategies such as innovation-driven development and coordinated regional development to promote the transformation and upgrading of China’s economy from scale expansion to quality improvement. Facing the overall trend of the accelerated evolution of the world's changes unseen in a century, he advocates for constructing a community with a shared future for humanity to expand the space for the new development pattern and promote win-win cooperation among all countries. It is evident that these expositions both follow the laws of socialist modernization and demonstrate a profound grasp of the laws governing the development of human society.

General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions are also “purpose-conforming” (合目的性). Based on a scientific assessment of the laws of socialist modernization, national development strategy and planning in the New Era—while advancing the cause of building a great power and national rejuvenation—always regard communism as the ultimate pursuit. This achieves the unity of law-conformity and purpose-conformity, forming a complete system of “short-term plans, medium-term programs, and long-term goals” within national governance.

3. From the perspective of the orientation of the theoretical system, they demonstrate the organic unity of the political-based approach and the people-centered approach

From the perspective of the Party's missions and tasks in the New Era, General Secretary Xi Jinping attaches great importance to national development strategy and planning with the aim of ensuring strategic resolve and the correct direction of national development by enhancing the Party's governing capacity. The formulation and implementation of national development strategies and planning are organized and advanced under the Party’s comprehensive leadership. Without the Party’s comprehensive leadership, national development would inevitably face the major risk of losing its direction. In such a case, both short-term plans and long-term strategic goals would be difficult to realize. The formulation and implementation of national development strategy and planning must always adhere to the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, using the Five-Sphere Integrated Plan to anchor the general direction and the Four Comprehensives strategic layout to strengthen internal support, pushing forward the cause of China’s socialist modernization.

From the perspective of the deepened development of Chinese-path modernization, General Secretary Xi Jinping’s emphasis on national development strategy and planning aims to make these strategies and plans better serve the people, reflecting a distinct people-centered approach. Adhering to a people-centered approach is the fundamental position of the Party and the value orientation of Chinese-path modernization. “The distinct mark distinguishing a Marxist party from a non-Marxist party, and the watershed between a socialist state and a capitalist state, is none other than the single point of the people’s stance.” The formulation and implementation of national development strategy and planning provide forward-looking guidance for achieving high-quality development under the Party’s comprehensive leadership; they solidify strategic support to meet the people’s needs for a better life in the historical process of deepening Chinese-path modernization. “The people's aspiration for a better life is our goal. Good policies and development plans should all conform to the people's will and meet their thoughts and expectations.” Starting from this, it is not difficult to understand why the Recommendations list both “upholding the Party's comprehensive leadership” and “putting the people first” as principles that must be followed for economic and social development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. The organic unity of the political-based and people-centered approaches constitutes a prominent feature of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions.

4. From the perspective of the development of the theoretical system, they demonstrate the organic unity of internal stability and dynamic adjustment

As the theoretical expression of national development strategy and planning, General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions possess an inherent stability. On one hand, this stability lies in a stable theoretical foundation. From the theoretical constructions of Marx and Engels to the preliminary explorations of Lenin, these theoretical resources provided a solid base for the formation and development of the concepts of national development strategy and planning in the New Era. On the other hand, this stability is also manifested in the coherence of strategic goals, the continuity of strategic implementation, and the firmness of strategic resolve. Facing the complex international and domestic situations, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has always maintained a clear political mind and adhered to the general keynote of seeking progress while maintaining stability, which not only ensures the effectiveness of strategic planning but also provides stable expectations and guidance for national development.

As a practical summary of national development strategy and planning, General Secretary Xi Jinping's important expositions also possess a distinct dynamicity. This dynamicity is likewise manifested in two aspects. First, it involves the continuous realization of dynamic strategy adjustment and systematic optimization based on changes in international and domestic situations, “organically combining strategic principle with tactical flexibility,” and “grasping strategic initiative by adapting to local conditions, acting according to the situation, and following the trend.” Second, facing the future, it always upholds a dynamic development concept of openness and innovation, continuously enriching and perfecting the theoretical substance and framework. Realizing the great cause of building a powerful country and national rejuvenation is a long-term strategic task; on the road ahead, various risks and challenges will inevitably be encountered. The theoretical system of national development strategy and planning in the New Era must also be constantly adjusted to achieve optimization and innovation.

IV. Practical Inspirations of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s Important Expositions on National Development Strategy and Planning in the New Era

The Recommendations pointed out the direction for various fields of China's economic and social development over the next five years. The key next step is to further transform the grand blueprint into “detailed construction blueprints.” General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions contain the internal logic and scientific methods of national development strategy and planning in the New Era; they are the fundamental compliance and action guide for the formulation and implementation of these strategies and plans. To achieve the coordinated advancement and precise landing of the 15th Five-Year Plan, we must scientifically understand and accurately grasp the following aspects.

1. To scientifically understand and accurately grasp the 15th Five-Year Plan, we must anchor our target positioning and further refine periodic tasks...

In the process of promoting the formulation and implementation of national development strategies and plans, General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized the extreme importance of clarifying goals and tasks as well as scientifically implementing blueprints. To scientifically understand and accurately grasp the 15th Five-Year Plan, at the national level, we must combine the functional positioning of different institutions and departments to refine the main objectives of the "15th Five-Year Plan" into quantifiable and operable specialized goals, ensuring the effective alignment of the five-year plan with specialized plans. At the local level, we must adhere to the principle of combining an effective market with a promising government ^[9], striving to further transform the main goals of the "15th Five-Year Plan" into local actions.

2. To scientifically understand and accurately grasp the 15th Five-Year Plan, we must optimize spatial structures and further promote coordinated development. Coordinated development is the core thematic thread and basic methodology of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions on national development strategies and planning in the New Era. To scientifically grasp the 15th Five-Year Plan, the further optimization of spatial layouts and the promotion of coordinated development must be placed in a prominent position, with a focus on the following aspects. First is coordinated regional development, the core of which is to further achieve balanced, interconnected, and collective progress. This requires both promoting the fair distribution of resources and continuously strengthening regional collaboration to achieve the common development of all regions within the process of innovating institutional mechanisms. Second is coordinated urban-rural development, the core of which is to further achieve urban-rural integration and symbiosis. This involves both promoting the two-way flow of [production] factors ^[10] and actively pushing high-quality resources down to the grassroots, achieving comprehensive progress on the basis of breaking down the urban-rural dual barrier ^[11]. Third is the coordinated development of the economy and society, the core of which is to further achieve the mutual prosperity of the economy and people's livelihoods. We must continuously enhance economic resilience while solidifying the bottom line of people's livelihoods, ensuring that economic growth and social welfare advance in synchronization. Fourth is the coordinated development between humanity and nature, the core of which is to further achieve the mutual flourishing of ecology and culture. We must focus on the efficient utilization of resources while innovating green production and lifestyles, achieving a positive interaction between "lucid waters and lush mountains" ^[12] and a happy life through sustainable development. Fifth is the coordinated development of domestic and international sectors, the core of which is to further achieve internal-external linkage and win-win results. We must solidify the foundation with domestic demand while expanding space and attracting high-end factors through further opening up, achieving mutual promotion between the internal and external.

3. To scientifically understand and accurately grasp the 15th Five-Year Plan, we must stimulate diverse vitality and further cultivate new quality drivers. Power and vitality are the engines for realizing national strategic development goals. Since the 14th Five-Year Plan, China has achieved innovative breakthroughs in tackling key core technologies. At the same time, China still faces technical shortcomings in certain fields. Based on this, the Proposals ^[13] clearly put forward the requirement to "accelerate high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-strengthening to lead the development of new quality productive forces." Guided by General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions on national development strategies and planning in the New Era, we must promote the deep integration of scientific innovation and industrial upgrading, driving the realization of a virtuous cycle in the innovation ecosystem by further stimulating diverse vitality. First, we must strengthen the synergy of actors, encouraging market entities to achieve extensive cooperation with universities, think tanks, and other institutions to continuously activate endogenous momentum on the basis of deepening collaborative innovation among industry, academia, research, and application. Second, we must actively improve innovation networks, both by building cross-regional innovation communities and by actively promoting the open sharing of data to ensure its effective circulation. Third, we must continuously optimize the support system. Governments at all levels should further improve relevant laws and regulations and strive to optimize public service platforms to provide more solid and powerful support for the integration of technological innovation and industrial upgrading.

4. To scientifically understand and accurately grasp the 15th Five-Year Plan, we must consolidate social consensus and further enhance planning effectiveness. Doing a good job in national development strategy and planning is the common expectation of all the sons and daughters of the Chinese nation. General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions on national development strategies and planning in the New Era emphasize the unity of a political orientation and a people-centered orientation. This suggests that to scientifically grasp the strategic positioning and key tasks of the 15th Five-Year Plan, we must fully mobilize the enthusiasm and initiative of the people’s participation under the Party’s comprehensive leadership. To this end, first, we must strive to strengthen publicity and guidance, forming a systematic content dissemination system centered on the guiding principles, main objectives, and strategic tasks of the Proposals, creating a favorable atmosphere for universal participation across society. Second, we must continuously improve people's well-being, focusing on livelihood construction to increase the sense of identity and support among the masses for national development strategies and plans. Third, we must actively clear feedback channels, extensively soliciting opinions and suggestions from the masses, and promoting the practical transformation of the Proposals into the conscious action of the broad masses of the people.

5. To scientifically understand and accurately grasp the 15th Five-Year Plan, we must strengthen risk governance and further solidify the security barrier. Remaining vigilant against potential danger in times of peace and taking precautions ^[14] is a consistent and fine tradition of the Communist Party of China, and it is also an important concept that General Secretary Xi Jinping has always adhered to in promoting national development strategies and planning in the New Era. In response, the Proposals explicitly put forward the basic principle of "persisting in the coordination of development and security." This teaches us that to drive the effective transformation of the 15th Five-Year Plan into developmental results, we must further solidify the security barrier. From a macro perspective, we must adhere to the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee, continuously improve the legal system for national security, and enhance the effectiveness of cross-departmental governance. From a meso perspective, we must further form joint prevention and control mechanisms for security risks, continuously improve the industrial risk governance system, and optimize the regional risk governance layout, promoting the integration of risk prevention resources across industries and perfecting emergency governance mechanisms. From a micro perspective, we must continuously strengthen risk awareness, not only by further enhancing the sense of responsibility and crisis awareness of leading officials at all levels through education and training but also by continuously promoting the dissemination of national security policies and concepts within the broad social system, building a psychological defense line for social security in an all-round way.