The year 2025 served as a critical juncture of transition and continuity for China in advancing its modernization drive.

In the final year of the 14th Five-Year Plan, China focused on efforts to make the plan's conclusion a success while setting the stage for development in the following five years.

At a gathering to usher in the new year on Wednesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping hailed 2025 as an extraordinary year and called for efforts in 2026 to achieve a good start to the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) period.

CGTN on Wednesday launched "Meeting The People's Aspirations," a special interactive page that details China's delivery on its domestic agenda and its contributions to global governance in 2025, while also illustrating how the country charted the course for its next chapter.

Ready for 15th Five-Year Plan

Following more than eight months of drafting, the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) adopted its recommendations for formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan at a key plenum in October, outlining China's economic and social development priorities during the period.

President Xi's 2025 domestic agenda was marked by his 10 inspection tours, from the country's northeastern reaches of Liaoning Province to the southern shores of Hainan Province, and from the northwestern part of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to the eastern metropolis of Shanghai.

The importance of "Chinese modernization" and "high-quality development" were emphasized by Xi during his inspections, highlighting the country's relentless efforts to advance Chinese modernization on all fronts with high-quality development as its primary driving force, according to an analysis by CGTN.

Technological innovation, reform and opening up, Party self-governance, people's well-being, ecology, culture, social governance and manufacturing were other top topics Xi highlighted on different visits.

Another CGTN analysis of the year's key high-level meetings, including those of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, revealed a clear set of strategic priorities for China's decision-makers: modernization, development and the 15th Five-Year Plan.

Anchor of stability in world

In a year defined by escalating friction and global volatility, China in 2025 stood firm as a vital anchor of stability.

The year witnessed a landmark "China moment" in global governance, defined by the Global Governance Initiative (GGI) proposed by Xi during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Tianjin Summit on September 1.

Advocating a more just and equitable global governance system, the GGI garnered swift support from over 140 countries and international organizations, securing its place as one of the defining moments of China's 2025 diplomacy.

Another pivotal chapter followed as leaders and representatives from across five continents gathered in Beijing on September 3 for the commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, reflecting broad recognition of China's contributions to WWII victory and its unwavering commitment to upholding the post-war international order.

Beyond these milestones, China played a more proactive role in global governance, announcing its 2035 Nationally Determined Contributions for climate action, pledging not to seek any new special and differential treatment in current and future World Trade Organization negotiations, and establishing the International Organization for Mediation in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

China continued to prioritize neighborhood in its diplomacy in 2025, holding the first central conference on work related to neighboring countries from April 8 to 9. Xi's diplomatic travels – from Southeast Asia in April to Russia in May, from Central Asia in June to the Republic of Korea in late October – outlined a clear map of China's strategic diplomatic priorities.

In 2025, head-of-state diplomacy once again proved to be the anchor of China-U.S. relations. With one presidential face-to-face meeting, four presidential calls, and five rounds of economic and trade consultations, China and the U.S. not only set the tone for bilateral relations, but also cemented the foundations for cooperation and a stable relationship.