CGTN Poll: Key topics to focus on in China's Two Sessions

The current international situation is undergoing its most profound transformation since the end of World War II, and international discourse is increasingly focused on two pressing questions: What is happening to the world, and what is China going to do about it? As a vital window for the world to observe and understand China, this year's Two Sessions has drawn significant global attention. On the eve of the Two Sessions, CGTN, in collaboration with the Tsinghua Institute for International Communication, released the "Top Issues Outlook Report 2026."

The report identified and summarized ten major international topics and ten topics related to China, offering valuable insights for the world to find answers to these critical questions.

The report suggests that the current evolution of the international order is characterized by the "acceleration of slow variables," with long-term, consumptive and exogenous trends becoming more prominent. Rule-based competition and governance disagreements, intensified by the rapid advancement of technology, have further escalated. The focus of public discourse has shifted from discussing "whether it works well" to questioning "whether it can be controlled and who decides."

Regarding topics related to China, international attention is centered on the country's structural transformation, seeking "progress" grounded in "stability" while pursuing "innovation" amid such "progress." In particular, there is heightened interest in stabilizing expectations and fostering new drivers under the theme of high-quality development, covering a range of issues such as the latest reforms and the governance of platforms and technologies.

Security issues high on the agenda

The report outlines ten international issues, including regional conflicts and global security concerns, the social impact of Western populism, generative AI and the regulatory race, resilience building in public health systems, the climate crisis and the normalization of extreme weather events, digital currencies and the risks of fintech, water conflicts and competition over river basins, food security and the risk of global famine, the resurgence of global refugee and migration crises, and the rise of the Global South and the new world order.

The report suggests that the global security landscape will remain highly volatile, with security vacuums in regions with weak governance capabilities potentially amplifying. Great-power competition is set to extend to deeper dimensions, while Global South countries will engage more proactively in reshaping international rules. Populist trends in the West are likely to continue intensifying. 

The institutional strengthening of far-right parties and the reshaping of national and social governance systems by new political forces are becoming significant background variables affecting the evolution of the international order. Technological competition and regulatory game in the global generative AI sector will continue to deepen. US restrictive measures on critical links may persist and escalate, while the implementation effects of China's governance framework will gradually become evident. The path of regionalized and bloc-based governance led by major powers could accelerate the fragmentation of the global AI landscape, increasing the risks of decoupling and the barriers to innovation. 

Furthermore, the development of global public health systems is expected to transition institutionally from "emergency response" to "systemic resilience." Public health is being more explicitly incorporated into the "common security" framework, and its strategic position in global public discourse and policy agendas is projected to rise continuously. Climate risks are anticipated to be more clearly recognized as long-term development constraints, amplifying the combined pressures of "security deficits" and "governance deficits" through channels such as energy, food and social stability.

Economic resilience and technological potential draw high attention

In addition, the report outlines ten hot-button topics related to China, including the commencement of the 15th Five-Year Plan period, the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, a new initiative to increase grain production capacity by 50 million tonnes, achievements in breakthroughs in core technologies in key areas, local fiscal transformation and the new development model for the real estate sector, risk management under the overall national security concept, the development of "Digital China" and the construction of a nationally integrated data market, new forms of employment and employment-friendly development models, the "Healthy China" initiative and the restructuring of the marriage, childbearing and elderly care systems, as well as economic resilience and the "dual circulation" development paradigm.

The report suggests that 2026 will mark both the commencement of China's 15th Five-Year Plan period and the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. The concepts and achievements of Chinese modernization are expected to become a focal point of international attention. 

On one hand, the comprehensive implementation of the innovation-driven development strategy and vigorous cultivation of new quality productive forces will inject more sustainable momentum into the country's long-term healthy economic development. On the other hand, deepening reform and opening up, along with accelerating the development of a unified national market that is efficient, standardized, fair and fully open, will strengthen the internal drivers of the economy and its resilience against shocks. 

Furthermore, topics related to "economic resilience and the 'dual circulation' development paradigm" will remain enduring hot-button issues for public discourse. These include: scientific and technological innovation and manufacturing upgrades, the policy effects of expanding domestic demand and boosting consumption, new progress in high-standard opening up, the development of free trade ports, and the expansion of regional cooperation and emerging markets.