Amid Escalating Trade War, China Pledges Self-Reliance In Science & Tech: Highlights From The 4th Plenum

The 4th Plenum of the CCP Central Committee concluded yesterday (23 October) and policymakers approved the proposal (a high-level summary) of the 15th Five-Year Plan (FYP; for 2026-30). The full proposal resulting from the party leaders’ four-day closed door meeting will be released in coming days, and any specific, numerical targets for next five years will be officially announced only in mid-March 2026 post the “Two Sessions” next year. Policymakers set technology, security, and people’s livelihood as top priorities for China’s development strategy over 2026-30, reflecting the long-term pursuit for “high-quality growth” and “high-level security”.

The China Communist Party elite vowed to build a modern industrial system and make more efforts to achieve technology self-reliance, which it sees as key to bolstering its position in its intensifying rivalry with the United States. As expected, the Party’s Central Committee also promised more efforts to expand domestic demand and improve people’s livelihoods, long-standing goals that in recent years have been little more than an afterthought as China prioritized manufacturing and investment.