A Milestone Meeting

With the 13th Five-Year Plan （2016-20） period ending next month， China will primarily realize the goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects， which is the first of the two centenary goals laid down to mark the centenary of the Communist Party of China （CPC）.

The Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee convened in Beijing during October 26-29 was therefore a milestone meeting that took decisions on the next five-year plan for economic and social development and also set more long-distance targets till 2035.

The blueprint of the 14th Five-Year Plan （2021-25） decided on at the plenum sets forth the concepts， principles and tasks to guide the countrys economic and social development in the next five years. Additionally， it will pave the way for the second centenary goal of building a modern socialist country to mark 100 years of the Peoples Republic of China， which was founded on October 1， 1949.

In 2017， the 19th CPC National Congress drew up a two-stage long-term development plan. In the fi rst stage from 2020 to 2035， the task is to build on the foundation created by a moderately prosperous society with 15 more years of efforts to ensure socialist modernization is basically realized.

In the second stage from 2035 to 2050， having basically achieved socialist modernization， the task is to ensure that in another 15 years China becomes a modern socialist country that is prosperous， strong， democratic， culturally advanced， harmonious and beautiful. Therefore the plenum also charted out the goals for the next 15 years that will be the fi rst of the two stages in Chinas new journey to socialist modernization.

Looking ahead to the new journey， China is in an important period of strategic opportunities. At the same time， there are also mounting external challenges and the international situation has grown complex. Having witnessed the new changes at home due to the principal social contradictions and the new challenges brought about by the changing international environment， the government and the people understand that the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation requires higher quality development that is more effi cient， fair and sustainable.

The innovations decided on at the plenum will help to break down deep-seated institutional barriers and deepen reform in important areas with greater courage and more measures. In the new development pattern， the domestic and international markets will boost each other， with the domestic market as the mainstay. In the future， China will open up further and contribute to international development in a more inclusive manner.