Op-ed: China’s steady growth inspires global confidence

The following is an op-ed written by Kong Xianhua, the Chinese ambassador to Maldives.

----

Standing at the final year of China’s 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025), a retrospective look at the past five years reveals an extraordinary journey of economic and social development.

Against a backdrop of increasing global uncertainty—exacerbated by geopolitical shifts, the COVID-19 pandemic, and rising protectionism—China has not only achieved steady overall economic growth, but also made historic strides in areas such as people's livelihood, science and technology, and green development. A stable and progressing China has brought valuable certainty to the world and offered meaningful insights for developing countries, including the Maldives.

Achievements of the 14th Five-Year Plan: A More Resilient Economic Foundation and Stronger Growth Momentum

Since 2021, China’s GDP has successively surpassed RMB 110 trillion, 120 trillion, and 130 trillion, and is expected to reach RMB 140 trillion this year. The total increase of over RMB 35 trillion surpasses the entire economy of the world’s third-largest economy. With an average growth rate of 5.5% over the first four years, domestic demand has contributed 86.4% to economic growth, firmly establishing China as a primary engine of global economic expansion.

This growth is not only quantitative but also qualitative. China has remained committed to developing the real economy as its foundation, maintaining its position as the world’s largest manufacturing nation for 15 consecutive years. The annual added value of its manufacturing sector exceeds RMB 30 trillion, with over 200 major industrial products ranking first globally in terms of output. Meanwhile, China has built the world's largest 5G network, social security system, and middle-income population group—further consolidating its technological and social foundations.

The 14th Five-Year Plan period has marked a critical leap forward under the “Made in China 2025” initiative. China has made comprehensive advances in scientific and technological innovation: major achievements such as the domestically-developed electromagnetic catapult aircraft carrier, the fourth-generation nuclear power plant, and the “Tiangong” space station have successively emerged. In 2024, China’s total R&D expenditure grew nearly 50% compared to the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan. The proportion of high-tech manufacturing and the digital economy continues to rise, marking China’s transition from a manufacturing giant to an innovation powerhouse.

At the same time, China has completed its poverty alleviation goals with high quality. Following the successful lifting of 98.99 million people out of poverty, efforts have been made to comprehensively promote rural revitalization, ensuring that development benefits are more widely shared. The income gap between urban and rural areas continues to narrow, access to public services is becoming more universal and equitable, and people’s well-being has been significantly enhanced.

These achievements are not coincidental—they are the inevitable result of scientific planning and steady, pragmatic implementation.

Medium- and Long-Term Planning: China’s Development Methodology as a Global Reference

As President Xi Jinping emphasized: “Using medium- and long-term plans to guide economic and social development is an important governing approach of our Party.”

Over the past 70 years, China has adhered to a system of five-year plans—strategically mapping out the macro direction while precisely managing policy rhythms; leveraging the decisive role of the market while using strategic government coordination to enhance the balance and sustainability of development.

This methodology is built on three fundamental logics:

First, inspiring long-term goals.

The “Two Centenary Goals” outline a grand blueprint for China’s development. The first is by 2021, upon the centenary of the CPC, to build China into a moderately prosperous society in all respects. The second is by 2049, the centenary of New China, to build a modern socialist country. Guided by these goals—from poverty alleviation to rural revitalization, from moderate prosperity to high-quality development—China has always rallied the strength of its people with a strong sense of purpose.

Second, phased medium-term objectives.

The second centenary goal is implemented in two stages: by 2035, China will have basically achieved socialist modernization; from 2035 to the mid-21st century, China will be developed into a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious, and beautiful.

The Five-Year Plan serves as the main thread of this process, identifying the key tasks for each stage. As the 14th Five-Year Plan concludes this year, President Xi Jinping has stressed the need to not only expedite the implementation of existing goals, but also adapt to changing situations, grasp strategic priorities, and scientifically plan for the next five years. This relay-style planning ensures development continuity and strategic consistency.

Third, pragmatic and actionable short-term measures.

From grassroots research to public consultations, from targeted policies to major projects, the Chinese government insists on drawing wisdom from the people and tailoring actions to local conditions. Each five-year plan is broken down into implementable action plans and quantifiable indicators. As President Xi noted, we must define goals and measures sector by sector, ensuring that they are grounded in reality and achievable within set timelines.

China’s medium- and long-term planning is not about abstract dreams—it is an institutional framework for getting things done. It is through this scientific planning system that China has evolved from a poor, agrarian country into the world’s second-largest economy, steadily advancing toward modernization.

Shared Development: China’s Path Is Trustworthy, Its Experience Worth Sharing

In today’s turbulent global economic landscape—marked by sluggish recovery and obstacles to multilateral cooperation—China remains committed to high-level opening-up. Over the past five years, it has attracted more than RMB 4.7 trillion in foreign investment, offering global enterprises a vast market and stable expectations.

For developing countries like the Maldives, China’s development path is not only a case study but also a source of cooperation opportunities.

China’s model of modernization emphasizes institutional gradualism, industrial upgrading, green and low-carbon growth, and inclusive development—aligning well with the realities and strategic needs of many developing nations. The Maldives can draw from China’s approach of “planning first, industry-led, people-centered” development to build a mid- and long-term strategy tailored to its national conditions.

There is no need to rush progress, nor should temporary setbacks undermine confidence. Just as China has weathered storms over the decades and continued to move forward, the Maldives, too, can chart its course with composure—using an inspiring long-term vision to unite its people, a clear medium-term roadmap to manage reality, and concrete short-term actions to lay a solid foundation.

I firmly believe that as long as China and the Maldives continue to deepen policy coordination, industrial complementarity, and planning cooperation, they will not only achieve shared development through mutual benefit, but also contribute certainty and constructiveness in an otherwise volatile world.