China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) concluded its annual session on Thursday, with nearly 3,000 delegates approving the country’s 15th five-year plan for 2026-2030. The plan establishes an economic growth target of “4.5 to 5 percent” and outlines key policy directions for the government.
The five-year plan sets a gross domestic product (GDP) growth target that is lower than in many previous years, excluding the period of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to government work reports presented at the meeting, the plan also includes targets for inflation, the fiscal deficit ratio, and urban unemployment. A longer-term national goal is to become a “moderately developed” country by 2035, aiming to raise per capita GDP to $20,000. The World Bank reported China’s per capita GDP was $13,303 in 2024.
Government reports detailed priorities for industrial and technological development. According to China’s state-run Xinhua news agency, these priorities include achieving industrial self-reliance and providing increased state support for sectors such as artificial intelligence, aerospace, biomedicine, and integrated circuits. The plans also call for the development of “future energy, quantum technology, embodied artificial intelligence, brain-computer interfaces, and 6G technology.”
The NPC Standing Committee released a work report indicating plans to pass a law on combating cross-border corruption, as reported by Xinhua. Statistics from China’s Supreme People’s Court, also cited by Xinhua, showed a 22.4 percent increase in corruption-related cases in the previous year, involving 36,000 individuals. The report stated that 18.14 billion yuan ($2.63 billion) was recovered in 2025 as part of anti-corruption efforts. China’s military also identified combating corruption and ensuring political loyalty as objectives in its annual work report.
In financial policy, reports indicated Beijing aims to expand the use of its digital yuan, the e-CNY, to facilitate cross-border payments, according to the Reuters news agency. The digital currency is being developed by the People’s Bank of China.
The NPC, China’s national legislature, meets annually in Beijing alongside the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, a top political advisory body. The concurrent meetings are collectively known as the “Two Sessions.”
