China set to release new five-year plan at National People's Congress

"China is set to unveil a sweeping economic agenda for the next five years during a meeting of the National People's Congress (NPC) over the next week at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. China's 15th Five-Year Plan for 2026 to 2030 will be released during the NPC, one of China's most important political meetings of the year, which starts on Thursday in Beijing and typically runs for a week, drawing 3,000 delegates from across China."

"This time around, analysts say, China's leaders will need to explain their approach to new challenges, from the economic fallout of United States President Donald Trump's trade war to the stalling of consumer confidence at home."

"The NPC is known as China's supreme organ of state power, the highest government body and though functionally separate from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), in practice, the congress is guided by the CCP's policy recommendations."

China's National People's Congress (NPC) convenes this week in Beijing to release its 15th Five-Year Plan covering 2026 to 2030, with an anticipated GDP growth target between 4.5 and 5 percent. The NPC, China's supreme organ of state power, draws 3,000 delegates and runs parallel to the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in what is known as the Two Sessions. Chinese Premier Li Qiang will present the Government Work Report detailing economic performance and growth targets. Unlike the previous five-year plan released in March 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, this plan must address new economic challenges including fallout from U.S. trade tensions under President Trump and declining domestic consumer confidence. The NPC is guided by the Chinese Communist Party's policy recommendations, and this gathering will codify the relationship between the two under a forthcoming Law on National Development Plan.

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