Global Times: Leading the future, what has China done right?

BEIJING, Oct. 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- At every critical historical juncture, the Communist Party of China (CPC) has consistently been able to scientifically grasp the historical direction and evolving circumstances, formulate correct political strategies and tactics, and guide the Chinese people to overcome numerous risks and challenges and always stay at the forefront of the times.

The 20th Central Committee of the CPC holds its fourth plenary session in Beijing from October 20 to 23 to study proposals for formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), aiming to make top-level design and strategic planning for development in the next five years and to promote major breakthroughs in strategic tasks related to Chinese modernization.

"In a world of profound changes unseen in a century, China has provided stability and certainty." To understand this important statement made by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, the five-year plans offer a unique perspective. The scientific formulation and consistent implementation of these plans are a key approach of the CPC's governance of the country and a crucial "code" to understanding Chinese modernization.

Many Chinese and foreign scholars note that China's five-year plans are a model of long-term strategic planning, and this "long-termism" has made innovative contributions to global development theory and has become a key to understanding China's development path and the evolution of its global role.

In a world of intertwined turmoil and change, why do people "see the future and confidence in China"?

From a global perspective, Chinese modernization has overcome at least two "impossible" challenges. First, China completed the industrialization process in just a few decades, which took Western developed countries hundreds of years to achieve, and wrote a new chapter in the two miracles of rapid economic development and long-term social stability in the new era. This is an unprecedented creation in the history of human modernization.

In addition, China lifted nearly 100 million rural residents out of poverty in just eight years, historically eradicating absolute poverty. China is now striving to bring more than 1.4 billion people toward modernization, which is an unparalleled feat in the history of human social development.

Why is China capable of turning "the impossible" into "the achievable"?

First and foremost, it's because of the leadership and stewardship of the leader, with strategic plans made in a coordinated manner and tactics carried out in a precise manner. On September 26, 2024, Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presided over a meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. The meeting decisively deployed a series of incremental policies, which has been hailed as "a milestone in macroeconomic regulation."

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), the CPC Central Committee led 1.4 billion people to fight one battle after another and to overcome one hurdle after another, and the march toward Chinese modernization has remained firm.

Second, it's because of the guiding thoughts, which profoundly answered questions posed by China, the world, the people, and the times, providing timely and scientific answers to new challenges of the times. Thoroughly expounding on the new development philosophy, making strategic decisions on forging a new development paradigm, and creatively putting forward the theory of new quality productive forces - all of these theories reflect the direction of Chinese modernization and represent a major innovation in the world's modernization theory and practice.

It is precisely because of the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core and the scientific guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era that the Party has consistently grasped the laws of development and seized the historical initiative.

To lead the future, what has China done right?

The answers lie vividly and profoundly in the great practice of promoting high-quality development, high-quality life, high-efficiency governance, and high-level opening-up in the new era.

High-quality development 

In adhering to high-quality development, China has become a stable anchor for global economic growth and a leader in global green development.

At the recent United Nations Climate Summit in September, President Xi announced China's new Nationally Determined Contributions. China will, by 2035, reduce economy-wide net greenhouse gas emissions by 7 percent to 10 percent from peak levels, striving to do better, and increase the share of non-fossil fuels in total energy consumption to over 30 percent.

Once a promise is made, it must be kept. Where does this confidence come from? It stems from China's new development philosophy, and is supported by the country's development of new quality productive forces, which injects strong momentum into the country's high-quality development and reinforce it with a green foundation.

Meanwhile, adhering to a people-centered development philosophy and closely integrating high-quality development with a high-quality life, China has gathered tremendous strength to advance Chinese modernization, with the world's largest and most promising ultra-large market and the most reliable, profound, and enduring source of strength.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, consumption has contributed about 60 percent to China's annual economic growth, unleashing sustained momentum, vitality, and resilience in the economy while accelerating the formation of a higher-level dynamic equilibrium.

Steady, sustained development 

By coordinating development with security, China has also promoted the positive interaction of high-quality development and high-level security with high-efficiency governance, providing strong guarantees for the steady and sustained development of Chinese modernization.

"Deeper comprehensive reform in the new era has notably improved our institutional framework. The overall objectives of reform are to improve and develop the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics and to modernize China's system and capacity for governance. This requires us to consolidate our foundations, leverage our strengths, buttress our areas of weakness, and build up the institutional and competitive strengths of Chinese socialism."

In July, the Volume V of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China was published. An in-depth study of this important work can help us better understand the secrets of the governance of China.

Some international observers said that China's governance model is better able to deliver stability, prosperity, and freedom for its people. And practice has shown that China's ability to achieve social harmony, stability, and long-term national security rests on its institutional framework and exceptional governance capacity.

The government also actively responds to the people's demands. An online public consultation was conducted during the drafting of the 15th Five-Year Plan, receiving over 3.11 million suggestions from netizens. This vividly demonstrates that the whole-process people's democracy is "the most extensive, the most authentic, and the most effective."

Today, the "Chinese path" is becoming wider and wider, "Chinese governance" is becoming more superior, and "Chinese principles" are radiating powerful moral force.

Moreover, adhering to the principle of expanding high-level opening-up and unswervingly pursuing the path of peaceful development, China will create greater space for Chinese modernization. China is leading the trend of shared global opening-up and is entrusted with "enduring hope for the future."

In September 2024, President Xi announced at the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation that China has decided to give all least developed countries having diplomatic relations with China, including 33 countries in Africa, zero-tariff treatment for 100 percent tariff lines. In June, China expanded the zero-tariff treatment to the 53 African countries with which it maintains diplomatic relations.

Opening-up is a defining feature of Chinese modernization. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, despite external turbulence and the clamor for "decoupling" and "small yard, high fence" policies, China has remained committed to high-level opening-up, consistently providing new opportunities for the world through its own development.

Data showed that China has attracted over $100 billion in foreign investment for 15 consecutive years. As of July, during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China's actual use of foreign capital totaled $714.87 billion, with 235,000 new foreign-invested enterprises established, an increase of 32,000 over the 13th Five-Year Plan period.

Chinese modernization follows the path of peaceful development. China will always be a force for peace, stability and progress in the world. This is what the people want as China leads toward the future.

As there are only 10 years left for China to basically achieve its modernization goals, and just over 20 years to fully build a strong modern socialist country, time is of the essence. We must plan and implement the goals, tasks and strategic measures of the 15th Five-Year Plan to ensure decisive progress in basically realizing socialist modernization.

SOURCE Global Times