China published the extensive “Recommendations of the Central Committee of the CPC” on Oct. 28 for the 2026-2030 Five-Year Plan.
What is outstanding is a focus on a national mission of improving original work at the frontiers of science, and the national integration of education, industry, R&D, and the development of new technologies and the skilled labor force. These recommendations are in line with President Xi Jinping’s call, during the course of the last year, for the development of “a new theory of productive forces.” The new Five-Year Plan is expected to be released in January 2026. It should be noted that the Five-Year Plan has the force of a national policy directive.
In the section titled, “Guiding Principles and Major Objectives for Economic and Social Development...,” the authors call for “Substantial improvements in scientific and technological self-reliance and strength. We should markedly boost the overall performance of China’s innovation system and establish a basic framework for the integrated development of education, science and technology, and human resources. We should significantly strengthen our capacity for basic research and original innovation, achieve faster progress in securing breakthroughs in core technologies in key fields, and see that China keeps pace or even leads the way in many more fields. Full integration should be achieved between technological and industrial innovation, and innovation should play a more prominent role in driving development.”
In the section titled. “Achieving Greater Self-Reliance and Strength in Science and Technology, and Steering the Development of New Quality Productive Forces,” the authors call for “Promoting advances in original innovation and breakthroughs in core technologies in key fields: We should improve the new system for mobilizing resources nationwide and adopt unconventional measures to drive decisive breakthroughs in core technologies across entire chains in key fields such as integrated circuits, industrial machine tools, high end equipment, basic software, advanced materials and biomanufacturing. A number of major national science and technology programs should be launched, with a focus on meeting our country’s strategic needs.
“We should strengthen strategic, forward-looking, and systematic planning for basic research, direct a greater share of total R&D spending towards this field, and increase long-term, stable support. We need to place a stronger emphasis on original innovation in scientific research and technological development and create an optimal environment for original and disruptive innovation in a bid to produce a large number of original, landmark advances….”
Combined with that of the Russian Federation, China’s leadership in these areas defines an end to neocolonialism and a Renaissance in the Global South. It is time for the stagnant West to join this process and abandon the path to World War III.
