Blueprint seen as a boon for entire world

Over the past two months or so, the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), which represents China's blueprint for the economic and social development in the next five years, has become a key phrase frequently mentioned during diplomatic occasions when President Xi Jinping has engaged with foreign leaders.

One week after the fourth plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, which adopted the recommendations for formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan, Xi kicked off his overseas trip on Oct 30 to the Republic of Korea, where he attended the 32nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders' Meeting and held an array of meetings with foreign leaders.

Using the multilateral and bilateral meetings, Xi briefed world leaders about China's development plan in the upcoming years, and assured them that the nation will further deepen reform on all fronts and expand high-standard opening-up.

He sent a message to the world that the 15th Five-Year Plan, which will steer China's modernization drive, is not only a blueprint for China's own development in the coming five years, but also offers opportunities to the world.

In his meeting in Beijing on Jan 5 with Taoiseach, or prime minister, of Ireland Micheal Martin, which was Xi's first diplomatic activity of the new year, the Chinese president briefed his Irish guest about the five-year plan, expressing China's willingness to work with Ireland to step up economic and trade cooperation and seek synergy of development strategies in order to draw on each other's strengths, share opportunities, and pursue common development.

Xi's remarks received a positive response from Martin, who expressed his admiration that China has effectively formulated and implemented long-term national development strategies and produced major achievements.

Over the past five years, China has ranked as the world's largest trader in goods and the second largest in services. It has attracted more than $700 billion in foreign investment in total, and its outbound investment has been increasing by over 5 percent on average annually. The Belt and Road Initiative has become a widely welcomed international public good and a major platform for global cooperation.

The fourth plenary session emphasized the need for China to pursue higher-standard opening-up, promote the innovative development of trade, create greater space for two-way investment cooperation, and pursue high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.

While speaking on Friday to 18 new foreign ambassadors to China after receiving their credentials in Beijing, Xi reiterated China's commitment to expanding opening-up, saying that the nation will inject new momentum into the world through high-quality development to achieve common development and mutual prosperity.

Observers said that by committing to advancing institutional opening-up at a faster pace, China will be better positioned to shape a fair, open, inclusive and cooperative international economic order and to make globalization more inclusive and beneficial for all, thereby creating a more enabling environment for the common development of all countries.

Zheng Haizhen, an assistant researcher at the China Institute of International Studies' Department for Global Governance and International Organization Studies, said that at a time when global economic growth is weak and uncertainty is rising, China's development is not only vital for itself, but also contributes valuable stability to the world economy and global development governance.

"A China committed to cooperation and mutual benefit, opposed to hegemonism and power politics, and dedicated to common development is increasingly becoming a source of certainty in a volatile world," Zheng said.

In an interview published by People's Daily on Jan 13, Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao said that high-standard opening-up means strong momentum in boosting the country's high-quality development, and is an important way to meet people's aspirations for a better life, a proactive step by China to promote inclusive and universally beneficial economic globalization, and a strategic choice for the country for coping with external challenges.

Wang said that during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, China will face profound and complex changes in its development environment, with the coexistence of strategic opportunities and risks and challenges, and an increase in uncertainty and unpredictable factors.

"This sets the backdrop for expanding high-standard opening-up. However, China also enjoys many favorable factors that can be maneuvered in the international market and can shape the external environment," he said.

He added that the country's economic foundation is stable, with numerous advantages, strong resilience and significant potential, providing favorable conditions for expanding high-standard opening-up.

Nik Mohammad Nikmal, editor-in-chief of The Kabul Times, said that in the face of global protectionism and geopolitical headwinds, China's steadfast commitment to opening-up serves as an anchor of stability.

"Its vast market of 1.4 billion people, including over 400 million in the middle-income group, offers unmatched opportunities for international cooperation," Nikmal said in an article published on the website of China Global Television Network.

China's commitment to high-standard opening-up is coupled with tangible policy measures and outcomes, including shortening the negative list for foreign investment and applying the unilateral visa-free policy to more countries. It has granted zero-tariff treatment to all least-developed countries with which it has diplomatic relations, including 33 African nations, on 100 percent of their products. Furthermore, platforms like the China International Import Expo provide avenues for international exporters to tap the Chinese market, reinforcing China's role as a linchpin of global trade.

Kong Qingjiang, dean of the Academy for the Foreign-Related Rule of Law at China University of Political Science and Law, said that China's opening-up has transcended mere market access, representing a comprehensive institutional shift aimed at integrating with international economic and trade rules while fostering a new development paradigm.

"China's high-standard opening-up is a multifaceted and dynamic strategy that strengthens its domestic economy while reinforcing its role as a responsible stakeholder in the international community," Kong said. "By aligning with global rules, fostering innovation and promoting cooperation, China demonstrates that its commitment to openness is a powerful force for shared prosperity in an interconnected world."