Asahi Shimbun: 

According to the Communique of the Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee, the session raised a set of long-range objectives for China to basically achieve socialist modernization by 2035. By then, China's economic and technological strength and composite national strength will have increased significantly. However, tensions between China and the United States grow, economic decoupling between the two countries seems likely. In such circumstances, how will China achieve the long-range objectives set for 2035? Thank you. 

Xu Lin:

Mr. Han Wenxiu will answer this question.

Han Wenxiu:

It will take China 15 years, or three Five-Year Plan periods, to basically achieve socialist modernization by 2035. The 14th Five-Year Plan covers the first five years, during which the country will embark on a new journey to fully build a modern socialist China. The Proposals put concentration on China's development in the 14th Five-Year Plan period as well as outline the long-range objectives through the year 2035. By doing so, the Proposals chart the course for continued progress; achieve popular consensus; outline how to link, coordinate, and integrate short, medium, and long-term development objectives; and help strengthen strategic consistency. In 1995, the CPC Central Committee drafted proposals for the 9th Five-Year Plan, which also included the long-range objectives through to the year 2010.

To achieve the long-range objectives set for 2035, we do need an appropriate external environment. Currently, as the international environment becomes increasingly complex and uncertainty and instability notably increase, a more severe and challenging situation arises. However, we believe that peace and development remain the theme of our times and the will of the people. Despite strong headwinds, the world will continue to move toward greater economic globalization amid twists and turns. Nowadays, the world we live in is becoming a global village, and the economic ties between China and the U.S., the world's two largest economies, are determined by the complementarity of the two sides' economic structures as well as the openness of the global economy. Under these circumstances, complete "decoupling" between China and the U.S. is utterly unrealistic, will do neither side any good, and in turn will also harm the world. In fact, few people want the two sides to decouple, while far more opt to pursue sincere cooperation. In the third quarter of this year, despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, China-U.S. bilateral trade volume increased by 16% year on year. So we should not be afraid of the dark clouds blocking our view; instead, we should continue to adhere to the principles of peace, development, and win-win cooperation as well as safeguard multilateralism, stay on the right path of history, and actively create an enabling environment globally.

To achieve the long-range objectives set for 2035, the key is to improve capacity-building. We should keep in mind the fact that China remains in the primary stage of socialism and strive to run our affairs well. Of course, many complicated tasks await, among which the three most important are reform, opening-up, and innovation.

Reform is a strong power driving development. Through efforts to deepen reform across the board, we will build a high-level socialist market economy that will fully unleash the vitality of the 1.4 billion Chinese people, enabling them to create more social wealth, pursue better lives, and ultimately achieve common prosperity for everyone. Such a powerful force that promotes China's modernization cannot be stopped. 

Opening-up is the right choice to promote development. General Secretary Xi Jinping has stressed on various occasions that openness brings progress while seclusion leads to backwardness. This is also an important lesson drawn from modern Chinese history. So whatever changes in the international landscape, China will unswervingly adhere to its fundamental state policy of opening-up. Through high-level opening-up, China will provide a larger market with more opportunities to the world, which will not only improve the development of China but also create a fairer and more equitable global economic governance system to push forward the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Innovation is the primary driving force for development. We will undertake self-reliance in scientific and technological development to strategically support the country's overall development, step up efforts to build a strong country in science and technology, and create new strengths for China's development in all respects to provide strong support mechanisms for the high-quality development of the economy and people's living standards.

The Proposals have been comprehensively deployed in all of these aspects. We believe that as long as we deliver a good performance in key areas such as reform, opening-up, and innovation, we will achieve the long-range objectives set for 2035. Thank you.

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