China unveiled its five-year plan at its annual parliament session on Thursday, outlining Beijing’s priorities for the economy and the sectors for which policy support and funding are planned, news agencies said.
In the 141-page plan, China laid out its plan economic and social goals in the next five years to 2030.
The 15th Five-Year Plan, announced at the annual Two Sessions policy conclave, provides a framework for China to achieve economic transformation and technological self-sufficiency in the next five years, AFP reported.
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The plan was adopted at the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on October 23, 2025.
Here are the key points of China’s five-year plan:
GDP targets
China will aim to reach the level of gross domestic product of “moderately developed countries” and double its GDP per capita in the next five years by 2020, the AFP news agency reported.
China, the world’s second-largest economy after the United States, has struggled to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic amid a debt-ridden real estate sector.
“The rate of household consumption will clearly increase, the leading role of domestic demand in driving economic growth will continue to strengthen, and the potential of economic growth will be fully unleashed,” the five-year plan said, as quoted by AFP.
China has set its growth target for this year at 4.5-5 percent, the slowest pace since 1991, according to AFP research.
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After decades of double-digit growth, China’s economy has structurally slowed in the past few years, although it remains one of the world’s fastest-growing major economies. It has seen 8 percent growth in 2021, a strong post-COVID increase. In 2022, growth was 3%, while in 2023 it hovered around 5% and in 2024-2025 it ranged from 4.5% to 5%.
Scientific and technological self-sufficiency
The plan for the next five years emphasizes strengthening the overall performance of China’s innovation system and establishing a basic framework for the integrated development of education, science and technology, and human resources.
Beijing is investing heavily in high-tech industries such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence to reduce its dependence on the United States. The US took center stage with the introduction of the “AI Action Plan”.
China will also boost investment in research and development in the next five years, news agencies said. The plan calls for the full integration of technological and industrial innovation and for innovation to play a more significant role in driving development.
“The company-wide average annual growth rate of R&D investment will exceed 7 percent,” while “significantly strengthening the capacity for basic research and original innovation,” the plan states, according to an AFP report.
Beautiful China – the fight against pollution
The plan states that based on the country’s goals of achieving maximum carbon emissions and carbon neutrality, it should make concerted efforts to reduce carbon emissions, reduce pollution, promote green development and boost economic growth.
remember China is the largest producer of greenhouse gases, and its goal is to further reduce pollution. But in many Chinese cities, pollution levels still exceed World Health Organization guidelinesalthough they have dropped dramatically since the “airpocalypse” in the past.
The reduction is the result of China’s years-long campaign to improve air quality, which has led to the electrification of many vehicles and the relocation of factories from cities.
The plan promises to reduce PM2.5 concentrations in cities at or above the prefecture level below 27 micrograms per cubic meter.
The average concentration of PM2.5 in Chinese cities in 2024 was 29.3 micrograms per cubic meter, according to government statistics.
China will aim to reduce its carbon intensity, or the amount of carbon emitted per unit of economic activity, by 17 percent, slightly below the 18 percent target set the previous year. Real carbon intensity has fallen by only 12 percent over the past five years. By focusing only on carbon intensity, emissions can still rise as growth does, Reuters reported.
Annual grain production target
China aims to raise its annual grain production target to 725 million metric tons by 2030 and has said it will rely on new technology and higher yields to reach it as new farmland becomes scarce. The plan counts.
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The plan highlights the pressure to secure overseas supplies of the vast amounts of food they still import. China has said it will regulate overcapacity in the pig sector and support the dairy and beef sectors, which have recently been hit by tariff barriers.
Critical minerals
China has highlighted its competitive edge in rare earths for the first time in a five-year plan, pledging to maintain its leadership and upgrade the industry, a Reuters report said.
Beijing has also said it will improve its export control system, which is causing shortages of critical minerals overseas. In metals more broadly, China’s push to expand clean energy may increase demand for copper and aluminum through massive grid construction, some of which has already been flagged.
China is heavily dependent on imports such as copper and iron ore. The plan said Beijing would push for more domestic exploration and production, but gave no examples.
Trust in Chinese culture
The plan emphasizes instilling more confidence in chinese culture among his people. Mainstream ideas and opinions should enjoy stronger and wider support, and basic socialist values should prevail throughout society, it says
The plan calls for the further release of the vitality of the entire nation for cultural creation and innovation and for the enrichment of the intellectual and cultural life of our people. There should be a substantial increase in the cohesion of the Chinese nation and the appeal of Chinese culture, and a continued increase in China’s soft power, it says.
“The influence of Chinese culture will be greatly enhanced and the country’s soft power will continue to improve,” the plan said.
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Chinese creative products have enjoyed great international success in the past year. Grimacing Labubu dolls became a global sensation, while Chinese cinema broke box office records with the animated film “Ne Zha 2”.
Employment in cities below 5.5 percent
China hopes to reduce urban unemployment below 5.5 percent by 2030, document says
China’s unemployment rate for 16- to 24-year-olds hit a two-year high of 18.9 percent in August. National Statistical Office cites AFP.
The average annual growth rate of investment in research and development for the entire company will exceed 7 percent.
The five year plan it promises that “population income growth will be in line with economic growth” while “the average number of years of education for the working-age population will increase to 11.7 years”. It also hopes to increase life expectancy to 80 years from the current 79, according to official statistics.
(With inputs from AFP and Reuters)
