Chinese-style modernization is an inspiring vision for the world

China and the West appear to be moving in opposite directions. While the West is grappling with economic stagnation and political dysfunction—and attempting to impose its hegemony through military adventurism and all sorts of unilateral coercive measures—China is forging ahead with an ambitious and inspiring vision of modernization.

The 15th Five-Year Plan

The outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), unveiled in Beijing this March, presents a comprehensive roadmap for achieving Chinese-style modernization, emphasizing innovation, sustainability, self-reliance and people-centered development.

Key elements of the plan include building the country's capacity in new energy, quantum computing, AI, electric transport, nanotechnology, brain-computer interfaces, robotics, 6G networks, advanced industry and a range of cutting-edge technologies, while also promoting integrated urban-rural development, improving public services and advancing the green transition.

Facing an increasingly unpredictable global environment in which the U.S. is escalating its campaign of encirclement and containment—using tariff wars, sanctions, export controls, unilateralism, protectionism and so-called decoupling, alongside military aggression and brinkmanship—China is doubling down on innovation-driven development and technological self-reliance.

At a time when, in the West, governments are offloading research and development (R&D) spending onto the private sector, leading to a chaotic, fragmented and profit-oriented innovation ecosystem, China's 15th Five-Year Plan commits to increased R&D spending of at least 7 percent per year.

The fact that China has emerged from a state of extreme scientific and technological backwardness to become a global leader in innovation in just a few decades is a testament to the power of its state-led development and strategic planning.

Long-term vision

As readers may be aware, China's planning system operates at multiple levels and timescales. Beyond the five-year medium-term framework, there is a longer-term vision for the country's development. The next major milestone is the goal of largely achieving socialist modernization by 2035. The parameters of this include reaching a per-capita GDP on a par with that of moderately developed countries, joining the ranks of the world's most innovative countries in the realms of science and technology, becoming a global leader in education, public health, culture and sport, substantially growing the middle-income group as a proportion of the population, guaranteeing equitable access to basic public services, ensuring modern standards of living in rural areas, and steadily lowering greenhouse gas emissions and protecting biodiversity, so as to restore a healthy balance between humans and the natural environment

The 2035 goal is itself a stepping stone on the road to achieving the Second Centenary Goal of "building a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious and beautiful by 2049."

In terms of building strong foundations for the realization of these goals, the 15th Five-Year Plan obviously covers a crucially important period. To break through development bottlenecks, resolve contradictions, consistently improve living standards and further unlock the country's potential—all in the face of intensifying external pressures—the plan represents the synthesis of a vast number of proposals and ideas from across the Party, government, academia, industry and society.

Peaceful development

The adoption of the 15th Five-Year Plan takes place against a backdrop of intensifying global turbulence.

The U.S. and Israel have launched a flagrantly illegal war of aggression against Iran, which threatens to spill over into a wider regional—and potentially global—conflict. The list of atrocities from the first few days of this campaign include the murder of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, as well as the bombing of a girls' elementary school in Minab, resulting in the loss of an estimated 175 lives.

This came just two months after U.S. forces invaded Caracas, Venezuela, killing over a hundred people and kidnapping the country's elected president, Nicolás Maduro.

Facing declining productivity and profitability, deteriorating living standards at home, and the rise of the Global South, some Western countries are responding with lawless militarism in an attempt to disrupt the world's multipolar trajectory.

Among the most attractive aspects of China's modernization process are its peaceful nature; the fact that its development takes place entirely outside the framework of colonialism, imperialism and war; and the fact that its development relies on the creativity and diligence of the Chinese people and the strength of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics. As Deng Xiaoping commented back in 1984, the superiority of the socialist system is demonstrated, in the final analysis, by faster and greater development of the productive forces than under the capitalist system.

Green development

Another highly attractive aspect of China's modernization process is its commitment to ecological civilization and green development. While the Trump administration has, for the second time, withdrawn the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement; and while the U.S. and Israel bomb oil depots in Tehran, shrouding the Iranian capital in a cloud of toxic smoke; China has been steadily building a green economy and a sustainable development model that is the envy of the world. It is already the undisputed world leader in renewable energy, electric vehicles, biodiversity protection, forestation, pollution control, electrification and energy efficiency.

The 15th Five-Year Plan emphasizes the need to accelerate the green transition in all areas of economic and social development, and commits to making concerted efforts toward achieving carbon neutrality, while expanding the country's already-huge new energy system, reducing reliance on fossil fuels, strengthening ecosystem restoration, and continuing to develop environmentally-friendly production systems and promote green lifestyles.

People-centered development

Beyond the focus on innovation and sustainability, the 15th Five-Year Plan is also a comprehensive blueprint for people-centered development, integrating people's wellbeing with the nation's long-term strategic interests.

The plan includes a wide range of policies and measures to promote high-quality full employment, optimize the income distribution system, develop education that meets the people's expectations, bridge the urban-rural development gap, refine the social security system, expand social insurance, promote high-quality development in the real estate sector, improve the public health system, and make steady efforts to ensure equitable access to public services.

China leads the way.

China is demonstrating that it is possible to achieve high-quality economic development, technological innovation, social progress and environmental sustainability in a peaceful and people-centered way. With certain countries descending into dangerous aggression in response to economic stagnation and political dysfunction, China's inspiring vision of modernization is more important than ever.