Top Party meeting discusses draft 15th Five-Year Plan

President Xi Jinping on Friday chaired a Politburo meeting to discuss a draft outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan. According to Xinhua News Agency, the meeting noted that the 15th Five-Year Plan period between 2026 and 2030 "will be critical as China works to reinforce the foundations and pushes ahead on all fronts toward basically realising socialist modernisation by 2035". "It also emphasised promoting higher-quality economic growth while achieving an appropriate increase in economic output, and making solid headway in promoting well-rounded personal development and common prosperity for all," Xinhua reported. It was noted at the meeting that the previous five-year plan period from 2021 to 2025 "marked a momentous and extraordinary period in China's development" as the Communist Party of China Central Committee – of which Xi serves as general secretary – united the Party and all Chinese people to battle Covid-19 and other challenges. The Politburo meeting also discussed a draft government work report to be submitted by the State Council to the upcoming National People's Congress session. Edited by Aaron Tam