China's 15th Five-Year Plan highlights digital intelligence and human development

China on Friday officially unveiled the outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) for national economic and social development, setting a slew of targets with high-quality development high on the agenda.

Key indicators span areas including economic development, innovation, public well-being, green transition and security.

The outline builds on the progress made during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), when China's economic performance remained resilient.

The outline proposes innovative measures such as promoting the integrated development of education, science, technology and talent, and enhancing coordinated regional development.

These measures are expected to provide strong support for achieving the outline's targets, according to Peng Shicheng, deputy head of the Department of Development Planning of the National Development and Reform Commission.

The outline also highlights the country's evolving digital strategy. It calls for further advancing the construction of Digital China and improving the level of intelligent digital development.

Compared with the 14th Five-Year Plan, the new blueprint places greater emphasis on the integration of digital technologies with artificial intelligence.

Dong Yu, executive deputy dean of the China Institute for Development Planning at Tsinghua University, noted that enabling artificial intelligence to better empower economic development will be an important direction in the coming years.

Many of the indicators in the blueprint also focus on people's livelihoods, sending a clear signal that development is ultimately meant to benefit the people.

China's economic policies are placing increasing emphasis on combining investment in physical assets with investment in human development, ensuring that the people-centered approach is reflected in every stage of development, Dong added.