Liu Xizhong: Painting a New Blueprint for Chinese Modernization Through Planning Coordination
General Secretary Xi Jinping presided over the fourth meeting of the Central Commission for Comprehensively Deepening Reform in 2018. The meeting emphasized the need to accelerate the establishment of a planning system with sound institutions, scientific standards, and effective operations; to construct coordination mechanisms between development planning and fiscal, financial, and other policies; and to better leverage the strategic guiding role of national development planning. The Recommendations 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 "Recommendations"), adopted by the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee [1], stands at the strategic height of the overall development of the Party and the state. It provides the top-level design and strategic mapping [2] for development over the next five years. With its scientifically precise guiding principles, clear and distinct main objectives, and realistic and pragmatic tasks and measures, it constitutes another general mobilization and general deployment for seizing the momentum to continuously advance Chinese-path modernization.
To basically achieve socialist modernization [3], it is necessary for all regions and departments to implement the decision-making deployments of the Party Central Committee, promoting the coordinated development and holistic advancement of all undertakings. The deployments proposed in the Recommendations, such as "strengthening the strategic guiding role of national development planning" and "improving mechanisms for inter-regional planning coordination, industrial collaboration, and interest sharing," embody a scientific methodology of holistic planning, all-round consideration, and comprehensive balance. These provide the fundamental compliance [4] for all regions and departments to empower high-quality development through planning linkage and to join hands in painting the magnificent landscape of Chinese-path modernization. In planning economic and social development for the "15th Five-Year Plan" period (2026–2030), all regions and departments must accurately position themselves within the overall national picture and strengthen the linkage of plans.
The Recommendations provide top-level design and strategic mapping for development over the next five years, serving a role of macro-guidance
General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: "Scientifically formulating and successively implementing Five-Year Plans is an important experience of our Party in governance." Chinese-path modernization is promoted in stages and across different fields. Realizing socialist modernization is a historical process of step-by-step progression and continuous development, requiring unremitting efforts and successive struggle. The Five-Year Plan carries the mission of transforming the will of the Party and the state into developmental results; it is an important political advantage of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Since 1953, China has formulated and implemented 14 Five-Year Plans (including the early "Outlines"), which have powerfully driven economic and social development, enhanced comprehensive national strength, and improved people’s lives. The "15th Five-Year Plan" period holds a critical position as a bridge between the past and the future in the process of basically achieving socialist modernization. To leverage the strategic guiding role of the Five-Year Plan and promote sustained, healthy economic development and comprehensive social progress during this period, we must gain deep insight into the general trends of world development, deeply explore the laws of economic and social development, and create a strategic mapping that reflects the characteristics of the times, grasps objective laws, and is rich in creativity.
From the perspective of the development environment, the changes unseen in a century [5] are accelerating, and a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation is reaching rapid breakthroughs. The global political and economic landscape will continue to undergo major adjustment, differentiation, and reorganization. This requires us to plan and promote economic and social development for the "15th Five-Year Plan" period within a complex and severe environment. From the perspective of development conditions, China is at a critical stage of leaping from a middle-income country to a high-income country and subsequently advancing toward the ranks of moderately developed countries. China's economy has demonstrated strong vitality and resilience in a complex and grave environment, and the supporting conditions and fundamental trend of long-term improvement remain unchanged. While we possess multifaceted advantages for promoting development during the "15th Five-Year Plan," the problem of unbalanced and inadequate development remains prominent. From the perspective of the development stage, the 19th National CPC Congress proposed a "two-step" strategic arrangement to build China into a great modern socialist country by the middle of this century, moving the timeline for basically achieving socialist modernization forward to 2035. The 20th National CPC Congress further clarified this goal. To basically achieve socialist modernization by 2035, the "15th Five-Year Plan" period is the second five-year block—a crucial period for consolidating the foundation and exerting full force. Overall, China's development is in a period where strategic opportunities coexist with risks and challenges, and where uncertain and unpredictable factors are increasing, yet opportunities still outweigh challenges. Only by formulating a set of recommendations that are strategic, forward-looking, and instructive to scientifically lead development over the next five years can we realize the grand blueprint sketched by the 20th National CPC Congress, advance Chinese-path modernization in a staged and systematic manner, effectively respond to new changes in the complex external environment, and gain the strategic initiative amidst the world's profound changes unseen in a century.
The Recommendations accurately grasp the historical coordinates of the causes of the Party and the state during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period. They deeply analyze the profound and complex changes facing China's development environment and clarify the general ideas, important principles, main objectives, strategic tasks, and major measures for development. In his Explanatory Note on the "Recommendations of the CPC Central Committee on Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development," General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that the draft "embodies the historical initiative to continue writing the new chapter of the 'two miracles' of rapid economic development and long-term social stability, and to strive to create a new situation for the construction of Chinese-path modernization; it will surely have a major and far-reaching impact on the development of the cause of the Party and the state." The Recommendations are continuous with the concepts and ideas proposed in the "14th Five-Year Plan" while also advancing with the times and upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground. They profoundly answer several major questions regarding development over the next five years and clearly map out the path forward for building a strong country and achieving national rejuvenation. With a broad vision, profound conception, and rich connotations, it is a programmatic document that conforms to China's national conditions, grasps the laws of development, and responds to the people’s expectations. Guiding the "15th Five-Year Plan" with these Recommendations—focusing on consolidating and expanding advantages, breaking through bottleneck constraints, and strengthening weak links—will lay a more solid foundation for basically achieving socialist modernization.
Strengthening planning linkage under the guidance of the Recommendations
General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: "When planning economic and social development for the '15th Five-Year Plan' period, all regions must accurately position themselves within the national perspective and strengthen planning linkage." He also noted: "We must accurately grasp the stage-specific requirements of the '15th Five-Year Plan,' focus on the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation, closely center on the goal of basically achieving socialist modernization, and rationally determine objectives and tasks and propose ideas and measures field by field." The Recommendations propose: "In accordance with the spirit of this Plenary Session, formulate national and local '15th Five-Year Plan' outlines and special plans to form a national planning system with accurate positioning, clear boundaries, complementary functions, and unified linkage." Implementing this requirement first requires rationalizing the relationship between national development planning and special plans.
National development planning—namely the Five-Year Plan—occupies the leading position in the national planning system; it is the blueprint and program of action for China's development during the planning period. Special plans (专项规划) serve as important bases for guiding development in specific fields, laying out major engineering projects, rationally allocating public resources, guiding the direction of social capital investment, and formulating relevant policies. The linkage between various levels and types of plans is the key to ensuring they coordinate and form a synergy. It is also an important requirement for transforming the institutional advantages of socialism with Chinese characteristics into governance efficacy through the rule of law.
Since the 18th National CPC Congress, our Party has attached great importance to the construction of the planning system and implementation mechanisms. The Opinions on Unifying the Planning System and Better Leveraging the Strategic Guiding Role of National Development Planning, issued by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council in 2018, made important arrangements for rationalizing planning relationships, unifying the system, and improving management. It clarified that national development planning stands at the top of the hierarchy and serves as the general compliance for all other plans; national-level special plans, regional plans, and spatial plans must all be formulated based on the national development plan. The Decision of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee proposed to "improve the national strategic planning system and policy coordination mechanism," emphasizing the need to "sound the institutional system for national economic and social development planning and strengthen the mechanism for the linkage and implementation of plans." In April and September 2025, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress deliberated twice on the National Development Planning Law of the People's Republic of China (Draft), promoting the formulation and implementation of plans within a rule-of-law framework. This provides legal support for a system "led by national development planning, based on territorial spatial planning, and supported by special and regional plans."
At this new starting point, when formulating various plans, all regions and departments must take the Recommendations as their guide, leverage the strategic guiding role of national development planning, and grasp the internal logic between plans. Vertically, they must focus on the continuity of formulation and execution, ensuring the current plan links with the previous one and that lower-level plans link with higher-level ones to "draw a single blueprint to the end" [6]. Horizontally, they should follow the principle of coordination between plans of the same level, enhancing the integration of regions and the coupling of fields. They must increase the consistency and coordination of policy orientations in macroeconomics, society, culture, and ecology. By adhering to the "single chessboard" [7] of national development, they can ensure that all forces pull in the same direction to form a synergy, advancing Chinese-path modernization through multi-dimensional coordination.
Grasping important principles for promoting planning linkage
General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: "Advancing Chinese-path modernization is a systematic project that requires holistic planning, systematic mapping, and holistic advancement." To translate the grand blueprint of the Recommendations into reality, we must "grasp the essentials while detailing the parts" and "aim for the broad and great while exhausting the delicate and minute" [8]. We must fully leverage the strategic guiding role of national development planning, enhance the supporting role of special and regional plans, and strengthen the linkage between all levels. This will drive all regions and departments, during the formulation and implementation of the "15th Five-Year Plan," to be adept at finding their precise position within the national outlook. When determining development ideas and strategic measures, they should emphasize their own characteristics, leverage comparative advantages, and strengthen the organic linkage and integrated linkage of plans, working together toward the goals of the top-level design.
Adhere to the unity of goal-orientation and problem-orientation. General Secretary Xi Jinping noted: "We must take goals as the starting point, working hard on holistic planning and top-level design to enhance the sense of direction and plan-driven nature; meanwhile, we must take problems as the focal point, continuing to exert force on patching shortboards and strengthening weak links to enhance precision and effectiveness." Planning must be comprehensive while also highlighting key points, concentrating superior resources and strength to accomplish major tasks. The prerequisite for planning linkage is the alignment of goals. On one hand, we must focus on the systemic, holistic, and synergistic nature of targets and policies. Centering on the blueprint of the Recommendations, we should design roadmaps and construction drawings for various regions and fields to ensure the direction of development does not deviate and major deployments are not interrupted. On the other hand, we must persist in problem-orientation, grasping key and decisive factors. We should reflect local characteristics, leverage comparative advantages, manage the rhythm and pace of development, and focus on breaking through bottlenecks, strengthening weak links, and improving quality and efficiency. By innovating on the basis of the existing blueprint, we can ensure that Chinese-path modernization moves forward steadily and reaches far.
Adhere to the unity of top-level design and soliciting opinions from the people. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "The formulation of the Five-Year Plan involves all aspects of economic and social development and is closely related to the production and life of the masses. It is necessary to unify the strengthening of top-level design with the persistence of asking the people for their ideas." To play the leading role of planning, we must look at the long term and grasp general trends to maintain the authority and unity of national planning. Simultaneously, we must "open the door" to seek advice and pool collective wisdom, fully releasing the enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity of local exploration. We must incorporate social expectations, public wisdom, expert opinions, and grassroots experience into the planning process. In formulating local plans, especially cross-regional ones, the masses and all sectors of society should be encouraged to offer suggestions through various channels. We must carefully study and absorb the views of various stakeholders—including government departments, experts, enterprises, and social organizations—regarding the development environment, goals, strategic ideas, and key tasks. This will coalesce a powerful force for advancing Chinese-path modernization and continuously realizing the people’s aspiration for a better life.
Adhere to the unity of self-development and serving the overall situation. In promoting the development of a massive collective, handling the relationship between self-development and synergistic development is vital. Strengthening planning linkage requires breaking...
The mindset of "tending only to one’s own one-and-a-third mu of land" [9] must be overcome. Under the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee, we must encourage all regions and departments to shift from the narrow pursuit of their own interests toward integrating their own development into the overarching situation of holistic development. For example, addressing problems that previously existed in the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt—such as disordered and inefficient competition and structural isomorphism in industry—General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Every region and every city should and must have the aspiration to promote its own development; this is beyond reproach. However, in the process of their respective development, they must proceed from the whole, establish the 'chess game' mentality [10], and place their own development within the larger framework of collaborative development. This will achieve differentiated development, coordinated development, and organic integration, forming an overall collective force." In planning development, all regions and departments must bear in mind the "top priorities of the nation" [11], consciously situating the development of a single area within the national development strategy. They must clarify their respective developmental positionings within the national landscape, pursuing differentiated development and complementary advantages. By taking proactive initiatives and ensuring collaborative linkage, and through the guidance of scientific planning, we can promote the efficient flow and optimized allocation of factors of production across a wider range and broader fields, thereby building new advantages for high-quality development.
We must persist in the unity of supporting development and guaranteeing security. General Secretary Xi Jinping proposed: "Party committees and governments at all levels must adhere to systems thinking, further establishing the concept that development is a 'hard truth' [12] and security is also a 'hard truth.' In our work, we must consciously unify development and security, planning them together, deploying them as one, and ensuring they promote each other." In planning economic and social development for the "15th Five-Year Plan" period (2026–2030), we must use the formulation and implementation of plans to promote a benign interaction between high-quality development and high-level security. On one hand, we must unswervingly manage our own affairs well, focusing on key aspects such as optimizing regional layouts and promoting coordinated regional development. We must analyze and research effective measures to develop new quality productive forces according to local conditions, accelerate the construction of the new development pattern, and comprehensively promote high-quality development. On the other hand, the formulation and implementation of plans must implement the Comprehensive National Security Outlook, maintaining a baseline of security throughout the entire process. We must take into account both internal and external risks and challenges, continuously improve the public security system, and actively and effectively respond to various risks and challenges. This will further enhance the security and stability of development, ensuring that the new security pattern safeguards the new development pattern.
We must persist in the unity of scientific deployment and the promotion of implementation. To leverage the leading role of planning, the key lies in successful implementation. On the basis of implementing the requirements of the "Proposal" [13], and in combination with the developmental realities of one’s own region or department, we must scientifically propose general ideas and concrete goals. We must ensure that various policy measures are scientifically rigorous and feasible, and promote the precise "meshing" of gears between various levels and types of plans. We must avoid "fighting with one’s own left and right hands" [14]—where the planning measures of one region or department contradict or cancel out those of another. We should strive to provide comprehensive guidance and all-around support for advancing Chinese-path modernization through multi-dimensional alignment, all-around convergence, and three-dimensional connection of plans. At the same time, we must place the promotion of implementation in a prominent position, strengthening the mechanisms for the linkage and implementation of plans. We must establish and improve working mechanisms characterized by clear responsibilities, complete chains, and interlocking parts. By clarifying the division of duties, squeezing responsibility through every level, and strengthening tracking and evaluation of effectiveness, we can promote the implementation of reform and development measures in a meticulous and thorough manner. This ensures that the process of plan execution truly becomes a process of regional collaboration and common development, ensuring that plans move from "paper" to the "ground," and guaranteeing that decisive progress is made toward basically achieving socialist modernization.