The following document is China’s 14th Five-Year Plan, covering the years 2021-2025, as passed by the Chinese parliament, the National People’s Congress, in March 2021. Although the Five-Year Plan contains relatively few quantitative targets, it details a vast array of near-term PRC economic, trade, S&T, defense, political, social, cultural, environmental, and other policy priorities. The 14th Five-Year Plan differs from past plans in that it also includes a short section on “long-range objectives” for 2035. Note that although this document is an “outline,” the PRC government has labeled the longest and most authoritative full versions of previous five-year plans it released as “outlines” as well.

The Chinese source text is available online at: http://www.gov.cn/xinwen/2021-03/13/content_5592681.htm

An archived version of the Chinese source text is available online at: https://perma.cc/73AK-BUW2

US $1 ≈ 6.5 Chinese Yuan Renminbi (RMB), as of 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

• Part One Embarking on the new journey to build China into a modernized socialist country in an all-round way 1
  • Article I Development environment 1
  • Article II Guiding directives 4
  • Article III Main goals 7
• Part Two Adhering to innovation-driven development and comprehensively fashioning new development advantages 11
  • Article IV Strengthen the nation’s strategic S&T power 11
  • Article V Improve the technological innovation capability of enterprises 14
  • Article VI Stimulate the innovative vitality of talent 16
  • Article VII Refine S&T innovation institutions and mechanisms 17
• Part Three Accelerate the development of a modern industrial system and consolidate and strengthen the foundation of the real economy (实体经济) 19
  • Article VIII Deepen the implementation of the manufacturing powerhouse strategy 19
  • Article IX Develop and expand strategic emerging industries 23
  • Article X Promote the flourishing development of the service industry 24
  • Article XI Build a modern infrastructure system 26
• Part Four Forming a strong domestic market and building the new development pattern 32
  • Article XII Facilitate domestic great circulation 32
  • Article XIII Promoting domestic-international dual circulation 35
  • Article XIV Accelerate the cultivation of a complete domestic demand system 36
• Part Five Accelerate digitalization-based development and construct a digital China 38
  • Article XV Build new advantages in the digital economy 39
  • Article XVI Accelerate the pace of digital society construction 40
  • Article XVII Improve the level of digital government construction 42
  • Article XVIII Create a beneficial digital ecosystem 43
• Part Six Comprehensively deepen reform and build a high-level mechanism for the socialist market economy 46
  • Article XIX Stimulate the vitality of various market entities 46
  • Article XX Construct a high-standard market system 49
  • Article XXI Establish modern fiscal, taxation, and financial systems 50
  • Article XXII Enhance the economic governance capacity of the government 52
• Part Seven Insist on prioritizing the development of agriculture and rural areas and comprehensively promote rural revitalization 54
  • Article XXIII Boost the quality benefits and competitiveness of agriculture 54
  • Article XXIV Implement rural construction initiatives 57
  • Article XXV Strengthen the systems and mechanisms of integrated urban-rural development 60
  • Article XXIV Achieve the effective linkage of rural revitalization with the expansion and consolidation of accomplishments in poverty alleviation 61
• Part Eight Improve the New Urbanization Strategy and Improve the Quality of Urbanization Development 62
  • Article XXVII Accelerate the urbanization (市民化) of the rural migrant population (农业转移人口) 62
  • Article XXVIII Improve the spatial layout of urbanization 64
  • Article XXIX Comprehensively improve urban quality 66
• Part Nine Optimize regional economic layouts and promote coordinated regional development 70
  • Article XXX Optimize the land and space development and protection pattern 70
  • Article XXXI Implement major regional strategies in an in-depth manner 71
  • Article XXXII Implement regional coordinated development strategies in an in-depth manner 77
  • Article XXXIII Actively expand the space for maritime economic development 81
• Part Ten Develop advanced socialist culture (社会主义先进文化) and enhance national cultural soft power 82
  • Article XXXIV Raise the level of social civilization (社会文明) 82
  • Article XXXV Raise the level of public cultural services 84
  • Article XXXVI Improve the modern cultural industry system 86
• Part Eleven Promote green development and facilitate the harmonious coexistence of people and nature 88
  • Article XXXVII Improve the quality and stability of ecosystems 88
  • Article XXVIII Continue to improve environmental quality 92
  • Article XXXIX Accelerate the green transformation of the development model 95
• Part Twelve Put high-level opening up to the outside into practice and exploit new situations for win-win cooperation 98
  • Article XL Construct a higher-level new open economy system 99
  • Article XLI Promote high-quality “Belt and Road” development 101
  • Article LXII Actively participate in the reform and construction of global economic governance systems 102
• Part Thirteen Improve the quality of citizens (国民素质) and promote comprehensive human development 104
  • Article XLIII Construct a high-quality education system 104
  • Article XLIV Comprehensively promote the construction of a Healthy China 107
  • Article XLV Implement the national strategy for actively responding to an aging population 111
• Part Fourteen Enhance the people’s livelihoods and well-being and raise the level of co-construction, co-governance, and sharing 114
  • Article XLVI Improve national public service institutions and systems 114
  • Article XLVII Implement employment priority strategies 115
  • Article XLVIII Optimize the income distribution structure 117
  • Article XLIX Improve the multi-level social security system 118
  • Article L Guarantee the basic rights and interests of women, minors, and disabled persons 120
  • Article LI Construct a new pattern of grassroots social governance 122
• Part Fifteen Coordinate development and security to construct a more peaceful and secure China 124
  • Article LII Strengthen national security system and capability construction 124
  • Article LIII Strengthen national economic security assurance 124
  • Article LIV Comprehensively improve public safety assurance capabilities 127
  • Article LV Preserve social stability and security 129
• Part Sixteen Accelerate national defense and armed forces modernization and achieve the mutual unity of a rich country and a strong military 130
  • Article LVI Increase the quality and effectiveness of national defense and armed forces modernization 131
  • Article LVII Promote the simultaneous increase of national defense strength and economic strength 131
• Part Seventeen Strengthen the construction of socialist democracy and rule of law and improve the Party and state supervision system 132
  • Article LVIII Develop socialist democracy 132
  • Article LIX Comprehensively promote ruling the country according to law 133
  • Article LX Improve the Party and state supervision system 134
• Part Eighteen Adhere to “One Country, Two Systems” and promote the reunification of the motherland 135
  • Article LXI Maintain the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and Macau 135
  • Article LXII Promote the peaceful development of cross-strait relations and the reunification of the motherland 136
• Part Nineteen Strengthening Plan Implementation Assurance 137
  • Article LXIII Strengthen the CCP Central Committee’s centralized and unified leadership 137
  • Article LXIV Improve the unified planning system 138
  • Article LXV Improve the planning implementation mechanism 139

The Outline of the People’s Republic of China 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) for National Economic and Social Development and Long-Range Objectives for 2035 has been drafted in accordance with the Proposal of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party on Drawing Up the 14th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development and Long-Range Objectives for 2035¹ to clarify national strategic intentions, make clear the focus of government work, and guide and standardize the behavior of market entities. It is a grand blueprint for China’s embarkation on the new journey of building a modernized socialist country in an all-round way, and a common program of action for all ethnic groups in the country.

1. Translator’s note: An English translation of the Proposal is available online at: https://cset.georgetown.edu/publication/proposal-of-the-central-committee-of-the-chinese-communist-party-on-drawing-up-the-14th-five-year-plan-for-national-economic-and-social-development-and-long-range-objectives-for-2030/