Chinese state-affiliated publications and official government reports have introduced new phrases to describe the country’s historical periods of isolation and its future economic and technological strategies. The changes in terminology, observed between 2022 and 2026, mark a shift in the official language used in domestic policy and historical discourse.
In 2022, the state-affiliated journal Historical Research, published by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, released an article proposing a change to the standard term for the Ming and Qing dynasties’ policies of restricting foreign contact. The article, authored by the “Research Group of the Chinese Academy of History,” recommended replacing the phrase “bìguān suǒguó,” which translates to “seal the gates, lock the country,” with “zìzhǔ xiànguān,” meaning “sovereignly restrict the gates.”
The original term, “bìguān suǒguó,” has been used in Chinese textbooks since the mid-20th century and is often associated with the period leading up to the Opium Wars. The proposed term, “zìzhǔ xiànguān,” reframes the same historical events as an exercise of state authority. According to the article, this terminology describes a state’s right to decide “whether to open, how to open, [and] the scope of opening.” The publication of the article generated discussion among historians, and the Financial Times Chinese edition published a response to it weeks after its release.
More recently, shifts in economic and industrial policy language were noted in 2026. The Government Work Report delivered by Premier Li Qiang on March 5 did not contain the slogan “wāndào chāochē,” or “overtaking on the curve,” a phrase commonly used in the previous decade to describe China’s strategy of catching up to Western technology.
Instead, the 2026 report introduced new phrases such as “new quality productive forces” and “future industries,” which included quantum science and biomanufacturing. It also called for enterprises to develop on “new tracks.”
While the Premier’s report did not mention a direct replacement for the “overtaking” slogan, the phrase “huàndào lǐngpǎo,” or “switching lanes to lead,” has appeared in related government discussions. A February 2026 article in the Ningxia Daily, published on the official website of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region’s People’s Congress, reported that regional delegates used the “switching lanes to lead” framework to describe how they would implement the central government’s report.
Separately, in a speech at a national symposium on scientific research in Shanghai on April 30, 2026, President Xi Jinping called for China to “actively integrate into the global innovation network, deepen international exchanges and cooperation in basic research… and actively participate in global science and technology governance.”
