Editorial | China leaves world in no doubt that nothing will stop its advance
- Ruling party elite lays out blueprint for next 15 years with particular emphasis on innovation, the need to gradually reduce external dependence, national security and to rival the United States
The world has now come to expect big decisions from the party plenum ahead of China’s next five-year plan. The one just concluded was no exception, with China facing challenging times amid a trade war and a global economy reeling from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
However, expectations of changes to personnel and policy from the top proved uninformed. The official communique and Friday’s press conference confirmed that.
After four days of debate, more than 300 of the ruling party elite agreed that China would not allow external pressures to sway it from its course of development. This defines a consensus view of China’s progress towards its destiny of a great revival.
It has already grown its economy and power and influence to a critical size. If it remains focused on keeping its house in order in the face of external pressures and “black swan” events, then its continued rise is seen as inevitable.
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What happened at the Chinese Communist Party’s major policy meeting, the fifth plenum?
As a result, the plenum did not just lay out a blueprint for the next five years, but for the next 15. President Xi Jinping is just the third leader to adopt this longer-term vision, after Deng Xiaoping and Jiang Zemin.
While stressing the importance of maintaining focus, the vision reflects the view that given China’s size and momentum and the changing international environment, it has reached the stage where it no longer has to rely on outside markets for capital.