Opinion

Differentiated Layouts Jointly Promote High-Quality Development

As of now, the outlines for the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030) of all 31 provinces across the country have been released. This signifies that the top-level designs for economic and social development at both the central and local levels during the 15th Five-Year Plan period are fully in place, and all regions have entered the substantive implementation phase of the plan.

Local development places greater emphasis on effective qualitative improvement, establishing a series of indicators in areas such as innovation-driven growth and public welfare. For example, Beijing proposes to achieve a labor productivity rate of approximately 580,000 yuan per person by 2030. Zhejiang aims to narrow the urban-rural income ratio from about 1.81 in 2025 to 1.77 by 2030. Jiangxi plans to achieve an average annual growth rate of around 10 percent in total social R&D expenditure during the 15th Five-Year Plan period.

To develop new quality productive forces tailored to local conditions, each region adopts development paths aligned with its resource endowments and industrial foundations. Shanghai proposes actively cultivating world-class high-end industrial clusters and agilely laying out high-growth, high-potential sectors such as quantum technology, brain-computer interfaces, controlled nuclear fusion, biomanufacturing, sixth-generation mobile communications, ultra-wide bandgap semiconductors, and brain-like intelligence. Inner Mongolia aims to consolidate and enhance the position of its advantageous industries, such as energy, rare earths, modern coal chemicals, and specialty agricultural and livestock product processing, within the national industrial and supply chains.

All localities are expanding new spaces for domestic demand growth to make consumption more dynamic, and ensure more effective investment. Hainan will elevate its position as an international tourism consumption center, promoting consumption in Hainan as a new international trend and realizing "Shop in Hainan, Shop Globally." Shanxi will focus on energy transformation, industrial upgrading, and moderately diversified development, intensifying project planning and investment attraction efforts, and implementing investments in high-tech and strategic emerging industries.

Experts point out that the 15th Five-Year Plan outlines of various provinces not only serve as the alignment and refinement of national strategies but also represent differentiated action plans based on their own development stages, resource endowments, and regional positioning. These plans will collectively create a harmonious yet diverse symphony of high-quality development.

Policy

1. China will further promote the integrated development of its railway and tourism sectors and implement more measures to expand service consumption, said a notice jointly issued by eight authorities, including the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. By 2030, over 160 tourism-oriented train units will be launched nationwide.

2. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on June 10 issued a three-year plan (2026-2028) to boost the integrated and innovative development of artificial intelligence and information communication.

Data

1. In the first four months of this year, the total utilized foreign capital and foreign trade of China's pilot free trade zones both increased by more than 30 percent year-on-year, with their shares of the national total rising to 27.4 percent and 22.3 percent, respectively, reaching record highs, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

2. From January to April, the value-added output of major electronic information manufacturing enterprises increased by 14 percent year on year, 8.4 percentage points higher than the overall industrial growth rate. Their gross income amounted to RMB 5.88 trillion, up 15.7 percent year-on-year, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said.

3. China's production of 3D printing equipment rose by 50.9 percent year-on-year in the first four months of this year, while export volume surged by 100.3 percent. Chinese companies now account for about 90 percent of the global consumer-grade 3D printing equipment market.

4. According to data released by the Ministry of Commerce, China's services trade expanded 4.9 percent year-on-year in the first four months of 2026, and the total value reached nearly RMB 2.49 trillion, with exports of knowledge-intensive services reporting particularly strong growth.

5. China successfully tested 50 percent green hydrogen co-firing and 100 percent pure hydrogen combustion in a coal-fired boiler on June 7, a world-first breakthrough by China Energy Investment Corp that propels the nation to the global forefront of zero-carbon fuel substitution and offers a critical pathway to decarbonize its massive traditional power sector.

6. Data released by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on June 7 showed that as of the end of May 2026, China's foreign exchange reserves stood at USD 3.4422 trillion, up USD 31.7 billion, or 0.93 percent, from the end of April.

7. On June 8, the Quanzhou–Jinmen "Mini-Three-Links" passenger route marked its 20th anniversary. By that day, more than 32,000 voyages have been safely operated, carrying over 1.6 million passengers, making it an indispensable "sea bus" for cross-strait travel, according to the Quanzhou Border Inspection Station.

8. According to a marine economy statistical bulletin released by Guangdong Province, its gross ocean product reached RMB 2.04 trillion in 2025, a real increase of 4.4 percent year-on-year, accounting for 18.6 percent of the national total. Guangdong has ranked first nationwide in this sector for 31 consecutive years.

9. In the first five months of this year, the total value of China's foreign trade in goods reached RMB 20.68 trillion, a year-on-year increase of 15.3 percent, continuing a stable growth trend, as data from the General Administration of Customs showed on June 9.

10. In May, China's automobile exports stood at 930,000 units, surging 68.7 percent year-on-year. Exports have remained above 900,000 units for two consecutive months.

(Source: Economic Daily)