Outline of the People’s Republic of China 14th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development and Long-Range Objectives for 2035

Summary

This document provides an English translation of China’s 14th Five-Year Plan (2021–2025) and Long-Range Objectives for 2035, officially passed by the National People’s Congress in March 2021. It details the PRC’s national strategic priorities across economic development, science and technology, industrial policy, domestic market expansion (dual circulation), green development, governance, social security, national security, and military modernization. The plan serves as an authoritative blueprint guiding China’s path toward basic socialist modernization by 2035.

Overview and Table of Contents (Pages 1–5)

Translation published by Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET), translated by Etcetera Language Group, Inc., edited by Ben Murphy (CSET Translation Lead), dated May 12, 2021.

Outline of the People’s Republic of China 14th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development and Long-Range Objectives for 2035 (中华人民共和国国民经济和社会发展第十四个五年规划和 2035 年远景目标纲要).

Contents Summary: Part One: Embarking on the new journey to build China into a modernized socialist country in an all-round way (Articles I-III) Part Two: Adhering to innovation-driven development and comprehensively fashioning new development advantages (Articles IV-VII) Part Three: Accelerate the development of a modern industrial system and consolidate and strengthen the foundation of the real economy (Articles VIII-XI) Part Four: Forming a strong domestic market and building the new development pattern (Articles XII-XIV) Part Five: Accelerate digitalization-based development and construct a digital China (Articles XV-XVIII) Part Six: Comprehensively deepen reform and build a high-level mechanism for the socialist market economy (Articles XIX-XXII) Part Seven: Insist on prioritizing the development of agriculture and rural areas and comprehensively promote rural revitalization (Articles XXIII-XXV/XXVI) Part Eight: Improve the New Urbanization Strategy and Improve the Quality of Urbanization Development (Articles XXVII-XXIX) Part Nine: Optimize regional economic layouts and promote coordinated regional development (Articles XXX-XXXIII) Part Ten: Develop advanced socialist culture and enhance national cultural soft power (Articles XXXIV-XXXVI) Part Eleven: Promote green development and facilitate the harmonious coexistence of people and nature (Articles XXXVII-XXXIX) Part Twelve: Put high-level opening up to the outside into practice and exploit new situations for win-win cooperation (Articles XL-XLII) Part Thirteen: Improve the quality of citizens and promote comprehensive human development (Articles XLIII-XLV) Part Fourteen: Enhance the people’s livelihoods and well-being and raise the level of co-construction, co-governance, and sharing (Articles XLVI-LI) Part Fifteen: Coordinate development and security to construct a more peaceful and secure China (Articles LII-LV) Part Sixteen: Accelerate national defense and armed forces modernization and achieve the mutual unity of a rich country and a strong military (Articles LVI-LVII) Part Seventeen: Strengthen the construction of socialist democracy and rule of law and improve the Party and state supervision system (Articles LVIII-LX) Part Eighteen: Adhere to ‘One Country, Two Systems’ and promote the reunification of the motherland (Articles LXI-LXII) Part Nineteen: Strengthening Plan Implementation Assurance (Articles LXIII-LXV)

Part One: Embarking on the New Journey to Build China into a Modernized Socialist Country in an All-Round Way (Pages 6–16)

Article I: Development environment. Reviews achievements under the 13th Five-Year Plan (GDP exceeding 100 trillion RMB, lifting 55.75 million rural poor out of poverty, major S&T achievements in space, quantum information, supercomputing, high-speed rail, large aircraft). Outlines profound complex domestic and international challenges. Article II: Guiding directives, guiding ideology, principles (Party’s total leadership, people-centered development, new development concept, deepening reform/opening up, systematic concepts), and strategic orientation focusing on supply-side structural reform, domestic demand, and ‘dual circulation’ (domestic circulation as mainstay, mutually reinforcing with international circulation). Article III: Main goals. Long-Term Goals for 2035 (basically realize socialist modernization, GDP per capita reaching middle-income developed country levels, first rank of innovation-oriented countries, carbon peak and decrease, cultural/education/talent/sports/health powerhouse). Main 14th Five-Year Plan objectives (R&D expenditure growth >7% annually, urbanization rate to 65%, reduction of energy/CO2 emissions per GDP by 13.5% and 18%, etc., listed in Table 1).

Part Two: Adhering to Innovation-Driven Development and Comprehensively Fashioning New Development Advantages (Pages 16–24)

Article IV: Strengthen the nation’s strategic S&T power. Establish national laboratories and optimize S&T resource allocation. Table 2 details cutting-edge S&T fields: New generation AI, Quantum information, Integrated circuits, Brain science and brain-inspired research, Genetics and biotechnology, Clinical medicine and health, and Deep space/earth/sea/polar exploration. Unrelentingly strengthen basic research (>8% of R&D spend) and build major national S&T infrastructure (Table 3). Article V: Improve technological innovation capability of enterprises. Incentivize enterprise R&D (tax deductions, STAR Market/GEM financing), support general-purpose/basic industrial R&D, and enhance enterprise innovation service systems. Article VI: Stimulate innovative vitality of talent. Cultivate strategic S&T leaders, engineer ranks, reform evaluation and incentive systems, grant property rights to S&T achievements. Article VII: Refine S&T innovation institutions and mechanisms. Reform S&T management (‘announcing rankings’, ‘horse races’), bolster IP protection, and actively promote international open S&T cooperation.

Part Three: Accelerate the Development of a Modern Industrial System and Real Economy (Pages 24–37)

Article VIII: Deepen the implementation of the manufacturing powerhouse strategy. Implement industrial foundation reengineering, upgrade production and supply chains (Table 4: High-end new materials, Major technical equipment [C919, CR450 EMU], Smart manufacturing/robotics, Aerospace engines/gas turbines, BeiDou applications, NEVs/connected vehicles, High-end medical equipment, Agricultural machinery). Promote intelligent and green manufacturing, reduce manufacturing costs. Article IX: Develop and expand strategic emerging industries (aiming for >17% of GDP) and make forward-looking plans for future industries. Article X: Flourishing development of productive and consumer service industries and deepen service sector reform/opening. Article XI: Build a modern infrastructure system. Accelerate new infrastructure (5G at 56% user penetration, 6G reserves, IPv6, IoT, exascale supercomputing, integrated national big data centers). Transportation powerhouse construction (Table 5: strategic backbone corridors, high-speed rail, airports, waterways). Modern energy systems (Table 6 & Figure 1: clean energy bases, coastal nuclear power, UHV lines, pumped storage, oil/gas storage) and water conservancy infrastructure (Table 7).

Part Four: Forming a Strong Domestic Market and Building the New Development Pattern (Pages 37–43)

Article XII: Facilitate domestic great circulation. Increase adaptability of supply systems, improve product quality, eliminate factor flow blockages, build modern circulation and cold-chain logistics systems, and coordinate fiscal/monetary policies. Article XIII: Promoting domestic-international dual circulation. Coordinate import/export development (‘same lines, same standards, same quality’), optimize foreign investment, promote overseas investment, and ensure supply chain risk security. Article XIV: Cultivate a complete domestic demand system. Comprehensively expand consumption (traditional, digital, green, service, duty-free) and broaden space for investment in infrastructure, new urbanization, and major national projects.

Part Five: Accelerate Digitalization-Based Development and Construct a Digital China (Pages 43–51)

Article XV: Build new advantages in the digital economy. Table 8 details key industries: Cloud computing, Big data, IoT, Industrial internet, Blockchain, AI, and VR/AR. Drive industrial digital transformation (‘Migrating to Cloud, Using Digital Tools, Enabling Intelligence’). Article XVI: Accelerate digital society construction. Provide smart/convenient public services, build smart cities, digital villages, and digital homes. Article XVII: Improve digital government construction. Open sharing of public data, unified government informatization, and enhance ‘Internet + Government Services’. Article XVIII: Create a beneficial digital ecosystem. Establish market rules for data factors of production, standardize platform economy regulations, strengthen cybersecurity protection, and promote a community of common destiny in cyberspace. Table 9 outlines digital application scenarios.

Part Six: Comprehensively Deepen Reform and Build a High-Level Socialist Market Economy Mechanism (Pages 51–59)

Article XIX: Stimulate the vitality of various market entities. Optimize state-owned economy layout, advance mixed-ownership SOE reforms, modernize corporate governance, and optimize development environment for private enterprises and SMEs. Article XX: Construct a high-standard market system. Comprehensively improve property rights protection, market-oriented factor allocation (urban-rural land, human resources, data), reinforce anti-monopoly/fair competition policies, and strengthen the social credit system. Article XXI: Establish modern fiscal, taxation, and financial systems. Budget management reform, modern taxation (direct taxes, VAT, real estate tax legislation), central bank system, multi-level capital markets, and financial regulatory modernization. Article XXII: Enhance government economic governance capacity. Improve macroeconomic governance, create a first-class business environment (‘separating permits from licenses’), and modernize regulatory oversight (‘double random, one open’).

Part Seven: Prioritizing Agricultural/Rural Development and Promoting Rural Revitalization (Pages 59–67)

Article XXIII: Boost quality benefits and competitiveness of agriculture. Strictly safeguard 1.8 billion mu arable land red line, construct 1.075 billion mu high-standard farmland (Table 10, Figure 2), protect Northeast black soil, advance seed industry revitalization and mechanization. Article XXIV: Deepen agricultural restructuring and enrich rural economy formats (planting/breeding integration, agricultural processing, rural tourism, cold chain logistics). Article XXV: Implement rural construction initiatives. Scientific planning, infrastructure upgrading, living environment management (‘toilet revolution’, sewage/waste treatment). Article XXVI/XXIV (bis): Integrated urban-rural development and effective linkage between rural revitalization and consolidating poverty alleviation achievements (adhering to the ‘four does-not-removes’).

Part Eight: Improve New Urbanization Strategy and Quality of Urban Development (Pages 67–75)

Article XXVII: Accelerate urbanization (市民化) of rural migrant populations. Deepen household registration (hukou) reform (abolish restrictions in cities <3M, relax in 3–5M cities, streamline points in mega-cities) and provide equal basic public services. Article XXVIII: Improve spatial layout of urbanization. ‘Two horizontals and three verticals’ strategy layout (Figure 3), major urban agglomerations, metropolitan areas (1-hour commute), optimize mega-city functions, and develop county seats. Article XXIX: Comprehensively improve urban quality. Transform urban development models, construct new-type cities (green, resilient, sponge cities, smart management), raise governance level, improve housing market/assurance system (‘houses are for living in, not speculation’). Table 11 outlines new urbanization projects.

Part Nine: Optimize Regional Economic Layouts and Coordinated Regional Development (Pages 75–87)

Article XXX: Optimize land/space development and protection patterns (urbanized zones, agricultural production zones, ecological function zones). Article XXXI: Implement major regional strategies (Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei [Xiong’an New Area, Figure 4], Yangtze River Economic Belt, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area [Figure 5], Yangtze River Delta [Figure 6], Yellow River Basin ecological protection). Article XXXII: Regional coordinated development (Western development, Northeast revitalization, Central China rise, Eastern leading modernization, special/border regions [Table 12]). Article XXXIII: Actively expand space for maritime economic development. Modern maritime industry (marine engineering, biotech, desalination, green aquaculture), marine ecological protection, and global ocean governance.

Part Ten: Develop Advanced Socialist Culture and Enhance Cultural Soft Power (Pages 87–93)

Article XXXIV: Raise social civilization level. Education in ideals/beliefs (Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, ‘Remain true to our original intention’), develop philosophy/social sciences, protect traditional cultural heritage/classics, and cultivate civic morality. Article XXXV: Raise level of public cultural services. Create fine cultural works, integrated urban-rural cultural services, media convergence, ‘Literary China’, and international cultural communication. Article XXXVI: Improve modern cultural industry system. Digital cultural industries, culture-tourism integration (Red tourism), cultural system reforms. Table 13 details socialist cultural prosperity and development projects.

Part Eleven: Promote Green Development and Coexistence of People and Nature (Pages 93–103)

Article XXXVII: Improve quality and stability of ecosystems. Ecological safety barrier system (Qinghai-Tibet, Yellow/Yangtze rivers, Northeast forest, Northern sand control, Coastal belts [Figure 7, Table 14]), national park system, ecological compensation mechanisms. Article XXXVIII: Continue improving environmental quality. Pollution prevention and control (PM2.5, O3, black/odorous water bodies, soil), environmental infrastructure, environmental risk control, and active climate change response (achieving carbon peak by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060). Article XXXIX: Accelerate green transformation of development model. Energy/resource efficiency (water, land), circular economy and waste recycling, green technology innovation and green finance (Table 15: Air, water, soil pollution and waste treatment projects).

Part Twelve: High-Level Opening Up to the Outside and Win-Win Cooperation (Pages 103–109)

Article XL: Construct a higher-level new open economy system. Institutional opening (pre-access national treatment plus negative list), improve open platforms (Hainan Free Trade Port, pilot FTZs), optimize regional opening layout, and enhance security assurance systems for open economy. Article XLI: Promote high-quality Belt and Road development. Policy/standard alignment, infrastructure interconnectivity (‘six corridors, six roads, many countries and many ports’, ‘Air Silk Road’, ‘Digital Silk Road’), trade/investment cooperation, and humanistic exchanges. Article XLII/LXII: Actively participate in global economic governance reform (WTO reform, G20, BRICS, APEC, high-standard FTAs/CPTPP consideration) and foster global partnerships.

Part Thirteen: Improve Quality of Citizens and Comprehensive Human Development (Pages 109–119)

Article XLIII: Construct a high-quality education system. Promote equitable basic public education, enhance vocational/technical education adaptability, elevate higher education (‘double world-class’ universities, basic disciplines, STEM/agriculture/medicine), train high-quality teachers, and deepen educational reform (Table 16). Article XLIV: Comprehensively promote construction of a Healthy China. Build strong disease prevention/public health system, deepen medical system/hospital reform, expand universal health insurance, develop traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), promote national fitness/sports powerhouse, and patriotic health campaigns (Table 17). Article XLV: Implement national strategy for actively responding to an aging population. Adequate fertility levels/parental support, childcare system, multi-level elder care services (home/community/institutional, nursing beds to 55%), gradually increase statutory retirement age, and develop silver economy (Table 18).

Part Fourteen: Enhance People’s Livelihoods and Well-Being (Pages 119–129)

Article XLVI: Improve national public service institutions and equality of basic public services. Article XLVII: Implement employment priority strategies. Support college grads, veterans, and migrant workers, lifelong vocational training, and labor rights protection. Article XLVIII: Optimize income distribution structure. Distribution according to labor as mainstay, expand middle-income group, and improve redistribution (taxation, social transfers). Article XLIX: Improve multi-level social security system. Nationwide planning of basic old-age insurance, tiered social assistance, and veteran placement systems. Article L: Guarantee basic rights and interests of women, minors, and disabled persons (Outline for Development of Women/Children, family education, disability rehabilitation [Box 19]). Article LI: Construct a new pattern of grassroots social governance (combining self-governance, rule of law, virtue; grid management; social organization participation).

Part Fifteen: Coordinate Development and Security to Construct a Peaceful and Secure China (Pages 129–135)

Article LII: Strengthen national security system and capability construction. Integrate political, economic, military, cultural, and societal security; defend against infiltration, subversion, and separatism. Article LIII: Strengthen national economic security assurance. Implement food security strategy (grain storage, seed security), energy resource security (coal baseline, oil/gas reserves, Table 20), and financial security (prevent systemic/debt risks, macro leverage stability, core financial tech). Article LIV: Comprehensively improve public safety assurance capabilities. Safe production, food and drug safety regulation (traceability), and biosafety governance (Biosafety Law implementation). Article LV: Preserve social stability and security. Resolve social contradictions (‘Fengqiao experience’), modernize social safety prevention/control, crack down on cybercrime and organized crime.

Part Sixteen: Accelerate National Defense and Armed Forces Modernization (Pages 135–137)

Article LVI: Increase quality and effectiveness of national defense and armed forces modernization. Implement Xi Jinping Thought on Building a Strong Military, Military Strategic Directive for a New Era, achieving centennial military building goal by 2027. Modernize military theory, organization, personnel, weapons/equipment, and strategic deterrence. Article LVII: Promote simultaneous increase of national defense strength and economic strength. Integrated national strategic system and capability, military-civilian S&T collaboration (maritime, aerospace, cyber, biotech, AI, quantum), infrastructure co-construction, and national defense mobilization.

Part Seventeen: Socialist Democracy, Rule of Law, and Supervision Systems (Pages 137–140)

Article LVIII: Develop socialist democracy. Organic integration of Party leadership, people as masters, and rule of law; refine people’s congresses, political consultative conferences, and ethnic/religious policies. Article LIX: Comprehensively promote ruling the country according to law. Program for Building Rule of Law in China, constitutional implementation/review, law enforcement reform, and judicial fairness. Article LX: Improve Party and state supervision system. Unified leadership, political inspections, coordination of discipline/supervision mechanisms, power checks (‘don’t dare, unable, no desire to be corrupt’), and adherence to Eight-Point Regulation.

Part Eighteen: Adhere to ‘One Country, Two Systems’ and Reunification (Pages 140–142)

Article LXI: Maintain long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and Macau. Uphold constitutional order, exercise central government’s overall jurisdiction, enforce national security laws, support economic consolidation (finance, trade, innovation), and integrate into national development (Greater Bay Area). Article LXII: Promote peaceful development of cross-strait relations and motherland reunification. Adhere to One-China Principle and 1992 Consensus, oppose ‘Taiwan independence’, deepen cross-strait economic and cultural integrated development.

Part Nineteen: Strengthening Plan Implementation Assurance (Pages 142–146)

Article LXIII: Strengthen CCP Central Committee’s centralized and unified leadership. Uphold ‘four consciousnesses’, ‘four confidences’, and ‘two upholds’; mobilize societal consensus and improve incentive mechanisms. Article LXIV: Improve unified planning system. National development plan as leader, spatial planning as basis, special and regional plans in support roles. Article LXV: Improve planning implementation mechanism. Clear division of responsibilities, annual plan decomposition, dynamic monitoring/mid-term evaluations to Politburo Standing Committee and NPC Standing Committee, policy/budget coordination, and advance legislation of the Development Plan Law (发展规划法).