AFTER the SARS outbreak, China issued a set of Regulations on Public Health Emergencies in May 2003 amid the 10th FYP (2001–2005) period. In its 11th FYP (2006–2010) in 2006, China made plans to establish a public health emergency response system.

IN the 13th FYP (2016–2020), China expanded the public health section into an entire chapter, mapping out plans to "promote a healthy China." Earlier FYPs mainly focused on building medical facilities and expanding medical staffing before shifting to rural health. The more recent FYPs focus on system building and reforms.

THE phrase "a country based on the rule of law" was first mentioned in the 10th FYP (2001-2005) and replaced "a country with a legal system" in the 13th FYP (2016–2020), reflecting China's desire to achieve the overarching goal of modernizing the country's system and capacity for governance based on the rule of law.

CHINA'S two key political systems, the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, whose purpose is to give full expression to the will of the people, protect their rights and interests, spark their creativity, and provide systemic and institutional guarantees to ensure the people run the country, have been mentioned from the eighth to 13th FYPs.

OVER the years, China's application of science and technology has changed from a solutions-based approach, offering immediate solutions to practical issues in the 1st FYP (1953–1957), to becoming a driver for economic development in the 13th FYP (2016–2020).

THE money being put into sci-tech development has been increasing since the 10th FYP (2001-2005). According to World Bank data, China's ranking in research and development expenditure has risen from 30th in 1996 to 13th in 2017.

IN 2016, China joined the Paris Agreement. According to the 2019 report on China's Policies and Actions for Addressing Climate Change, China's CO2 emissions per unit of GDP dropped by 45.8 percent from the 2005 level, meeting the target of a 40 to 45 percent decrease by 2020 ahead of schedule.

FROM the first to the fifth FYPs, which precede China's reform and opening-up, the country had protectionist policies. Its major trading partners were the Soviet Union and the socialist countries in Eastern Europe.

IN 1986, China published its 7th FYP (1986–1990), clearly stating that the country will put more effort into its foreign trade policy reform and remove limitations on enterprises. China's imports and exports increased significantly over the next five years.

CHINA formally joined the World Trade Organization at the beginning of the 10th FYP (2001-2005) and further adjusted its trade policy. During this period, foreign trade experienced a sharp increase.

SINCE the 6th FYP (1981-1985), China's defense expenditure has grown in tandem with the growth of the national economy and government expenditure. However, its proportion of GDP shows a clear downward trend from 5.43 percent in 1979 to 1.26 percent in 2017. China's defense expenditure has remained within two percent of the GDP in the past 30 years.

ACCORDING to the 2019 white paper "China's National Defense in the New Era," China's national defense expenditure is mainly composed of personnel expenses, training maintenance and equipment expenses. In 2017, China's total defense expenditure was 1,043 billion yuan (146.9 billion U.S. dollars), accounting for 5.14 percent of the government expenditure, of which personnel expenses accounted for 30.8 percent, training maintenance 28.1 percent, and equipment 41.1 percent.

ECONOMIC development remains the center of each FYP. Content on economic development and industrial restructuring is put on the top list of the targets and tasks for each FYP.