On October 23, 2025, the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) concluded successfully in Beijing. The meeting reviewed and adopted the "Recommendations of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development," which lays out a grand blueprint for China's development from 2026 to 2030. This is not only a major event in China's domestic political and economic life, but it will also have far-reaching implications for the global development landscape and inject fresh momentum into the future of China-Bangladesh relations.

The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee took place at a pivotal moment for achieving the goals of the 14th Five-Year Plan. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China's GDP surpassed 110 trillion yuan, 120 trillion yuan and 130 trillion yuan, successively, and is projected to reach 140 trillion yuan (approximately $19.66 trillion) in 2025. China's imports of goods and services have exceeded $1.5 trillion, and its outbound investment has generated over $30 billion in tax revenues and large numbers of jobs for host countries. Its annual contribution to global economic growth has remained at roughly 30 percent. These achievements stem from the resolute and able leadership of the CPC and the guidance of its political doctrine, Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. The fruitful results fully showcase the vitality and advantages of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics.

The forthcoming 15th Five-Year Plan period will serve as a critical stage in building on past successes to break new ground in China's modernisation drive. And it is a critical phase to reinforce the foundations and push ahead on all fronts.

The recommendations explicitly articulate that we will continue to pursue economic development as our central task, with high-quality development as our main focus, reform and innovation as the fundamental driving force, meeting the people's ever-growing needs for a better life as our fundamental goal, and full and rigorous party self-governance as the fundamental underpinning for all our efforts. Furthermore, we will promote higher-quality economic growth while achieving an appropriate increase in economic output, and make solid headway in promoting well-rounded personal development and common prosperity for all. All of this will allow us to secure decisive progress towards basically realising socialist modernisation.

For China, its unswerving commitment to the path of Chinese modernisation will continue to bring more opportunities and greater certainty to global development. With a super-large market of over 1.4 billion people, a complete industrial system and ever-strengthening innovation capacity, China remains a major engine of global economic growth. During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, China will further pursue a higher level of opening-up, narrow the negative list for market access, and deepen joint efforts under the Belt and Road Initiative, offering broader markets and richer cooperation opportunities to countries worldwide, including Bangladesh.

Although China and Bangladesh differ in national conditions, they both are countries bearing the historic mission of developing economies, improving people's livelihoods and realising national modernisation. The shared objectives create strong resonance between China's 15th Five-Year Plan and Bangladesh's development trajectory, opening up new and expansive space for China-Bangladesh cooperation.

On the front of governance experience, China stands ready to join hands with Bangladesh and be each other's inspiration. The CPC adheres to a people-centred approach, and during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, it has lifted 98.99 million rural residents out of poverty, historically resolving the problem of absolute poverty. The recommendations place agriculture, rural areas and farmers ("the Three Rural Issues")-issues important to Bangladesh too-at the top of the agenda. China stands ready to strengthen exchanges with Bangladesh on targeted poverty alleviation, rural governance and industrial cultivation, share development experience and jointly promote people's livelihoods.

On the front of high-level pragmatic cooperation, the two countries are building a path of mutual benefit together. Seizing the development opportunities presented by China's 15th Five-Year Plan, the two countries will deepen industrial coordination and complementarity, with a focus on technology transfer and capacity-building in infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, modern agriculture and digital economy. By promoting technology sharing and human resource development, Bangladesh's capacity for autonomous development, export competitiveness and internal development momentum will be effectively enhanced.

On the front of modernisation endeavours, China and Bangladesh will move forward side by side to usher in a new chapter of development. China has always respected the Bangladeshi people's right to independently choose their development path and supports Bangladesh in exploring a modernisation model suited to its national conditions. On this basis, China is ready to share its experience and practical results in industrialisation, urbanisation and digitalisation, and support Bangladesh within its capabilities. Through deeper strategic alignment and policy coordination, the two countries will jointly draw a brand-new picture of prosperity and progress for both countries.

With strong tailwinds on our long voyage, we set sail again carrying great responsibilities. China, under the leadership of the CPC, is steadily advancing toward the goal of building itself into a great modern socialist country in all respects. The formulation and implementation of the 15th Five-Year Plan represent a pivotal step in this historic course. We firmly believe that China cannot be separated from the world in achieving development, and the world also needs China for prosperity. China will continue to work with Bangladesh, leveraging the opportunities of the 15th Five-Year Plan and bilateral cooperation across various fields to further consolidate political mutual trust, expand pragmatic cooperation and promote people-to-people ties, bringing greater benefits to the peoples of both countries and making a still larger contribution to global prosperity and development.

Yao Wen is the Ambassador of China to Bangladesh.