Understanding China Through Its 13th Five-Year Plan

by+Xu+Shuyuan

The 2nd Understanding China Conference was held at Beijing Yanqi Lake International Convention & Exhibition Center from November 1 to 3， 2015. China Institute for Innovation & Development Strategy， Chinese Peoples Institute for Foreign Affairs， Beijing Municipal Government and 21st Century Council （Berggruen Institute of Governance） sponsored this years conference. Over 200 renowned statesmen （including 16 former presidents and prime ministers）， strategists， corporate leaders， officials from Chinas central and local governments and think-tank scholars were present at the meeting， interacting with Chinas frontline leaders on the topic of “Understanding China.”

On November 1， Zhang Gaoli， member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China （CPC） Central Committee and vice-premier of the State Council， spoke at the opening ceremony. On November 2， State Councilor Yang Jiechi in his keynote address – Toward a New Type of International Relations of Win-Win Cooperation– illustrated Chinas foreign policy and philosophy， demonstrating Chinas determination on shouldering responsibilities in the world. On November 3， President Xi Jinping met with attendees of the conference， and made statements about the 2016 G20 Summit to be hosted by China.

Chinas Role as a Responsible Major Country

The Fifth Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee discussed the draft of the 13th Five-Year Plan （FYP） from October 26 to 29. The 2nd Understanding China Conference was the first top international conference after the Fifth Plenary Session， and its topics of discussion were closely related to the 13th FYP. How China would lay out a map for the next five years caught the worlds attention.

Under the theme of “Understanding China，” the conference discussed Chinas politics， economy， foreign affairs， security， defense， etc. The Belt and Road Initiative was one of them. Vice Minister of Finance Zhu Guangyao pointed out， “Writing the Belt and Road Initiative in its next FYP is Chinas first move in connecting its own development strategy with the worlds strategic economic needs. The success of the plan is the worlds as much as Chinas.”According to Ricardo Lagos， former president of Chile， trade development is decided by a countrys specific conditions. Infrastructure construction is an important issue for many countries at present， and it needs vast investment. Yang Jiemian from Shanghai， an expert on international issues， suggested that some exemplary and experimental projects might promote the the Belt and Road Initiative.