On November 14, 2025, Wang Xiao, Acting Chinese Consul General in Cape Town, published an article titled "China's New Blueprint Firmly Grasps Reform and Innovation" in Cape Times. The full article reads as  follows:

Recently, the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China(CPC) convened its fourth plenary session in Beijing. The Recommendations of the CPC Central Committee for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development was adopted after deliberation at the session, charting a new course and mapping out a new blueprint for China's development. The session gave a positive assessment of China’s major development achievements during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025) and clarified the strategic positioning and development goals for the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030). It not only demonstrates China's firm determination to pursue sustained progress but also injects stable expectations and brings development opportunities to a world experiencing turbulence and transformation.

An extraordinary journey has forged brilliant accomplishments. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, in the face of a complicated international landscape and the challenging domestic tasks of advancing reform, promoting development, and ensuring stability, China has effectively addressed a series of major risks and challenges, and achieved significant new achievements in the cause.

In the first four years of the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China's economy achieved an average growth rate of 5.5%, ranking among the top of the world's major economies. Its gross domestic product (GDP) exceeded 130 trillion yuan in 2024 and is expected to reach around 140 trillion yuan(about 19.7 trillion U.S. dollars) this year. The strength of scientific and technological innovation has been significantly enhanced. Major national strategic projects covering space and marine exploration have made frequent appearances. In cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence, quantum communication and high-end chips, China has delivered pioneering breakthroughs and achieved fruitful results. The green and low-carbon transition has picked up pace, with energy consumption per unit of GDP dropping by a total of 11.6% over four years, and the production and sales volume of new energy vehicles remaining the highest in the world. As the main objectives and tasks of the 14th Five-Year Plan are on the verge of accomplishment, China has reached new heights in terms of economic strength, scientific and technological capabilities, and composite national strength, and we have made solid new strides in advancing Chinese modernization.

The session charts a new course at a critical stage. It was pointed out that the period covered by the 15th Five-Year Plan will be critical in this process as we work to reinforce the foundations and push ahead on all fronts toward basically achieving socialist modernization by 2035. It will thus serve as a key link between the past and the future. Despite the profound and intricate changes in the development environment, where strategic opportunities exist alongside risks and challenges, China boasts a solid economic foundation, demonstrating advantages in many areas, strong resilience and great potential. The conditions and underlying trends supporting long-term growth remain unchanged. More and more, we are seeing the strengths of socialism with Chinese characteristics, China’s enormous market, its complete industrial system, and its abundant human resources all coming to the fore.

Over the next five years,China will firmly grasp reform and innovation as the fundamental driving force, take scientific and technological innovation as the new engine, and regard new quality productive forces as the breakthrough point. It will build a modern industrial system, foster a new pattern of development, promote high-standard opening-up, promote common prosperity for all, accelerate the green transition across the board, and promote high-quality development to a new level. All of this will allow us to secure decisive progress toward basically realizing socialist modernization.

Greater opening-up enables shared opportunities. Top-level designs and strategic plans have been formulated for promoting high-standard opening-up and creating new horizons for mutually beneficial cooperation during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. It was stated that we should take the initiative to open China wider to the outside world, promote the innovative development of trade, expand two-way investment cooperation, and pursue high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. This has sent a strong signal of advancing reform and development through greater openness and seeking to share opportunities and achieve common development with the rest of the world.

Recently, the 8th China International Import Expo (CIIE) was held in Shanghai. The scale of the expo has reached a new high. As the world's first national-level exhibition themed on imports, the CIIE has evolved into a vital platform for exchanges and cooperation regarding new products, technologies and services. Through the medium of the CIIE, China's super-large-scale market and high-standard opening-up are injecting new momentum into the world economy and boosting greater confidence in global development.

South Africa was the first African country to sign the Belt and Road cooperation document with China and has been China's largest trading partner in Africa for 15 consecutive years. In recent years, under the strategic guidance of the Heads of State of the two countries, China and South Africa bilateral relations have achieved leaping development. In June this year, President Xi Jinping announced that China will grant zero-tariff treatment for 100 percent tariff lines to all 53 African countries having diplomatic relations with China by negotiating and signing the Agreements on Economic Partnership for Shared Development. China will continue to expand opening-up to Africa, providing more access to Chinese markets and opportunities for African development.

From the brilliant achievements of the 14th Five-Year Plan to the grand blueprint of the 15th Five-Year Plan, a more confident and open China will unswervingly promote high-standard opening-up, and create opportunities for the world through its own development. China will join hands with South Africa and other countries to address global challenges, pursue common development and share prosperity, thereby forming a mighty force for a brighter future of the world.