"Proposals for formulating the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) for National Economic and Social Development and the Long-Range Objectives through the Year 2035" by CPC Central Committee adopted at the fifth plenary session

The Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee's development proposals put forward a set of long-range objectives for China to basically achieve socialist modernization by 2035. The CPC Central Committee's proposals for formulating the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) for National Economic and Social Development and the Long-Range Objectives through the Year 2035 were adopted at the fifth plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee which closed on Oct. 29.

Major goals for the next 15 years include:

China's economic and technological strength, and composite national strength will increase significantly. A new stride will be made in the growth of the economy and the per capita income of urban and rural residents. Making major breakthroughs in core technologies in key areas, China will become a global leader in innovation;

New industrialization, IT application, urbanization, and agricultural modernization will be basically achieved. China will finish building a modernized economy;

The modernization of China's system and capacity for governance will be basically achieved. The people's rights to participate and to develop as equals will be adequately protected. The rule of law for the country, the government, and society will be basically in place;

China will become a strong country in culture, education, talent, sports and health. The well-rounded development of all people and social etiquette and civility will be significantly enhanced. China's cultural soft power will grow much stronger;

Eco-friendly ways of work and life will be advanced to cover all areas of society. Carbon emission will steadily decline after reaching a peak, and there will be a fundamental improvement in the environment with the goal of building a Beautiful China basically reached;

The opening-up will reach a new stage with substantial growth of the country's strengths for participating in international economic cooperation and competition;

The per capita GDP will reach the level of moderately developed countries. The size of the middle-income group will be significantly expanded. Equitable access to basic public services will be ensured. Disparities in urban-rural development, in development between regions, and in living standards will be significantly reduced;

The implementation of the Peaceful China initiative will be promoted to a higher level. The modernization of national defense and the military will be basically achieved;

People will lead a better life, and more notable and substantial progress will be achieved in promoting well-rounded human development and achieving common prosperity for everyone.

In the proposals, highlights related to green development include:

The 13th Five-Year Plan period saw strengthened action for pollution control and significant improvement of ecology and environment. In the meantime, China's development is facing new opportunities and challenges. For the 2035 long-range objectives, green production and green lifestyle will be widely adopted; carbon emissions will steadily decrease after peaking; fundamental improvements of ecology and environment will be achieved; and the goal of building a Beautiful China will be basically realized.

Aiming at the 2035 long-range objectives, one of the major goals for the 14th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development is new progress on ecological civilization. Territorial spatial planning for land development and ecological protection will be optimized. Green transformation of production and lifestyles will achieve remarkable results. Allocation of energy and resources will be more reasonable, and efficiency greatly improved. Total discharges of major pollutants will continue to drop. China will see an increasingly better ecological environment, with a stronger ecological security barrier, and a significantly improved living environment in urban and rural areas.

Advance green development and promote the harmonious coexistence of man and nature.

China will uphold the principle that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets. We will adhere to respecting nature, living in harmony with nature, and protecting nature. We will continue to give priority to conservation, protection, as well as natural restoration, for guarding the boundaries of ecological security. Sustainable development strategies will be thoroughly implemented, the overall arrangement for ecological civilization will be further improved, and an ecological civilization system will be built, thus promoting a comprehensive green transition in economic and social development, and building a modernized society featuring harmonious coexistence between man and nature.

China will accelerate green and low-carbon development.

Spatial planning and land use regulations will be optimized. Boundaries of land use for ecological conservation, prime farmland, and urban development will be defined, to reduce occupation of natural space by human activities. Legal and policy safeguards for green development will be strengthened. Green finance will see further development, and support will be given to green technological innovation. Cleaner production will be promoted, and environmental protection industries will be boosted. Green transition of key industries and key sectors will be propelled. Clean, low-carbon energy, and its safe and efficient use will be promoted. Progress will be made in green buildings. Activities promoting green lifestyle will be carried out. China will reduce the intensity of carbon emissions, and support the regions with favorable conditions to take the lead in peaking carbon emissions. China will formulate an action plan to achieve the goal of peaking CO2 emissions before 2030.

China will continuously improve environmental quality.

The society's awareness of ecological and environmental protection will be enhanced. Intensive efforts will be made in the fight against pollution. China will continue to carry out pollution prevention and control actions, and establish an integrated ecological and environmental management system of ground and underground environments, and land and sea. Coordinated control of various pollutants, and integrated regional governance will be strengthened, including to improve the coordinated control of fine particulate matters and ozone, to basically eliminate heavy air pollution. The urban and rural living environment will be improved. China will move forward to achieve full coverage of urban sewage pipe networks, and will basically eliminate "black and odorous" water bodies in cities. China will continue to reduce the application of fertilizers and pesticides, and fight against soil pollution. Control of plastic pollution will be reinforced. Collection and treatment of hazardous waste and medical waste will also be strengthened. The relocation and upgrading of hazardous chemical enterprises in key areas will be completed. Attention will be given to the management of new pollutants. China will implement a permit system on pollution discharges, and promote the trading of pollution discharge rights, energy and water utilization rights, and carbon emission quotas. China will also improve the management of binding indicators for environmental protection, energy conservation and emission reduction. The system of central ecological and environmental protection inspection will also be improved. China will actively take part in and lead international cooperation in tackling climate change and other ecological and environmental protection initiatives.

China will improve the quality and the stability of ecosystems.

China will adhere to the overall management of ecosystems including mountains, forests, farmlands, lakes and grasses, and establish a nature reserve system with national parks at its heart, while implementing major projects on biodiversity conservation. Control of alien species will be strengthened. We will strengthen ecological protection of major rivers, lakes and wetlands through the River/Lake Chief System, and will ensure effective implementation of the 10-year Yangtze River fishing ban. China will promote coordinated management of desertification, rocky desertification, and soil erosion, and carry out large-scale land greening actions, and implement the "forest chief" mechanism. China will promote the recuperation of grasslands, forests, rivers and lakes, and strengthen the protection of black soil, and improve the fallow rotation system. China will monitor the impacts of global warming in vulnerable areas and carry out performance evaluation on ecosystem protection, while improving the regulatory system for nature reserves and ecological red line system.

The efficiency of resource utilization efficiency will be improved in all sectors.

China will improve its laws and regulations on natural resource asset property rights. Investigation, evaluation, monitoring, and registration of natural resource rights will be strengthened. A mechanism will be established to materialize the value of ecological products. Ecological compensation will be improved, through more market-oriented and more diverse systems. Total-amount-based management, rational allocation, integrated conservation, and recycling and reuse of resources will be promoted. China will also implement nationwide water-saving campaigns, and establish a binding system for water resources conservation. The level of development and protection of marine resources and mineral resources will be improved. The pricing system for resources will be optimized. Waste sorting, reduction, and reuse will be promoted. The development of a recycling system for waste materials will be accelerated.