People's Daily:

China's formulation and implementation of Five-Year Plans have attracted widespread attention, and many foreign observers are curious about the mechanisms that ensure the effective execution of these plans. Could you please share how China formulates and implements its Five-Year Plans? Thank you.

Zheng Shanjie:

I'll answer this question. You've raised a very important issue. At the recent Summer Davos Forum held in Tianjin, many international attendees also brought up this topic with me. As a Chinese saying goes, "Preparedness ensures success and unpreparedness spells failure." China formulates a Five-Year Plan every five years, which fully reflects the essence of the country's effective governance approach. General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized that using medium- and long-term plans to guide economic and social development is an important way for the Party to govern the country. While the formulation of such plans is not unique to China, our long-standing commitment and the remarkable results we have achieved are unparalleled globally.

Looking back to the early years of the People's Republic of China, from the First Five-Year Plan in the 1950s to the current 14th Five-Year Plan, we have remained true to our original aspiration and firm in our mission. One five-year period after another, a series of incremental achievements has led to tremendous progress, profoundly transforming the nation and improving people's lives. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, particularly during the 13th and 14th Five-Year Plan periods, China has achieved the historic goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. Economic strength, scientific and technological capabilities, and comprehensive national power have reached new heights, ushering in a new journey toward building a modern socialist country in all respects. It is fair to say that the Five-Year Plans have documented both the hardships and the glory of the country's development. The history of China's Five-Year Plans is, in essence, a history of the country's economic and social progress.

As for how the country's Five-Year Plans are formulated and implemented, I would summarize the process in four key aspects.

First, we fully leverage institutional strengths. We use the distinctive advantage of the socialist system's ability to concentrate resources on accomplishing major undertakings. Specifically, we formulate Five-Year Plans based on long-term strategic goals, develop annual plans, introduce macroeconomic policies, and implement major projects to ensure the timely and high-quality completion of key targets and tasks. This system, which combines long-term planning with short-term arrangements, plays a crucial role in maintaining stable economic and social development. It also plays an important role in stabilizing expectations, boosting confidence, and driving momentum.

Second, we balance consistency and innovation. Staying true to principles helps us avoid losing direction and avoid catastrophic mistakes, while innovation enables us to keep pace with and lead the times. We align planning with the goal of building a modern socialist country, adapting to changing circumstances to ensure that our plans reflect the spirit of the times, follow objective laws, and show creativity. For example, the 14th Five-Year Plan was designed in response to profound global changes unseen in a century. It upholds a people-centered development philosophy and clearly outlines major strategies such as fostering a new development paradigm. The plan offers both a diagnosis of the current situation and a roadmap for moving forward.

Third, we focus on building social consensus and unity. We embrace an open-door approach to planning, integrating top-level design with broad public consultation. At every stage, we gather feedback, fully absorbing the new ideas that grassroots officials and ordinary citizens develop in practice. By identifying the most widely shared goals in people's aspirations for a better life, we ensure that everyone knows both where we are going and how to get there.

Fourth, we put emphasis on maintaining firm strategic resolve. We embrace the principle that "success isn't about claiming credit, but about getting the job done." We believe that we must keep moving forward until our goals are met. We pass the baton from one runner to the next, with each generation building on the work of those before. Through successive Five-Year Plans, we will turn the grand goal of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation into a magnificent reality. 

Looking back on the history of formulating and implementing these plans, the most important and fundamental lesson is maintaining the leadership of the CPC. This means effectively transforming the Party's propositions into national policy and unified social action, ensuring the Party's leadership in all fields and throughout the entire process of social-economic development. This guarantees that planning objectives and tasks are successfully implemented and produce tangible results.

Since the beginning of this year, General Secretary Xi Jinping has made important instructions on multiple occasions regarding the formulation of the 15th Five-Year Plan. We will earnestly study these instructions. While stepping up efforts to implement the objectives and tasks of the 14th Five-Year Plan, we will make sound plans for economic and social development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. We will adhere to formulating the plan in a scientific, democratic and law-based manner. We will draw up the draft outline in alignment with the CPC Central Committee's proposals for the 15th Five-Year Plan, striving to formulate a high-quality plan that can stand the test of history and earn the approval of the public. Thank you.

Shou Xiaoli:

Let's continue with the questions. We have time for two more.