China’s 15th Five-Year Plan injects new impetus into deepening cooperation between China and Antigua and Barbuda

Authored by: Mr Wang Erdong, Charge d’Affaires of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Antigua and Barbuda

In late October 2025, the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China reviewed and approved the 15th Five-Year Plan, establishing the overarching design and strategic blueprint for China’s development over the next five years (2026-2031). This represents another comprehensive mobilization and deployment to steadily advance the Chinese modernization.

Over the next five years, the major objectives for China’s economic and social development are: significant achievements in high-quality development, substantial improvements in scientific and technological self-reliance and strength, fresh breakthroughs in further deepening reform comprehensively, notable cultural and ethical progress across society, further improvements in quality of life, major new strides in advancing the Beautiful China Initiative, and further advances in strengthening the national security shield.

Over the next five years, China will keep its focus on the real economy, building a modernized industrial system with advanced manufacturing as its backbone. The Chinese government will continue to be the world’s most manufacturing-focused government, providing genuine “priority policy options”for the sector’s development. Meanwhile, China will upgrade traditional industries, foster emerging industries and industries of the future, promote the high-quality, efficient development of the service sector, and develop a modernized infrastructure system.

Over the next five years, China will thoroughly implement the strategy of expanding domestic demand, improving living standards while increasing consumer spending to continuously stimulate and unleash the potential of domestic demand. With a population of 1.4 billion—four times that of the United States—including nearly 500 million middle-income earners, China’s continuously expanding and upgrading consumer market presents significant opportunities for Antigua and Barbuda. China is willing to purchase more goods from Antigua and Barbuda, and Chinese consumers would be delighted to access to the country’s high-quality products.

Over the next five years, China will open its doors still wider to the world. Opening up is a distinctive hallmark of Chinese modernization. China’s developmental achievements owe much to opening-up, a process that has been instrumental in shaping contemporary China. It is also through opening up that China has contributed more to global economic development over the past decades than any other major power. China will continue to expand opening up at the institutional level, safeguard the multilateral trading system, and promote broader international economic flows. China’s commitment to future opening-up is firmer than that of any other major country.

Over the next five years, China will continue to broaden its green development path. Green development is a defining feature of high-quality development. China will accelerate the comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development, guided by its goals of achieving peak carbon emissions and carbon neutrality, to rapidly foster green production and lifestyles. China will continue to vigorously promote green and low-carbon development, injecting more positive energy into global climate governance cooperation. China fully understands the special concerns and legitimate demands of Antigua and Barbuda in addressing climate change, and stands ready to strengthen pragmatic green cooperation with the country, working together to tackle these challenges.

Over the next five years, China will continue to work with Antigua and Barbuda to advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, strengthening infrastructure connectivity and fostering closer bonds with the people of Antigua and Barbuda; will continue to work with Antigua and Barbuda to advance both major signature projects and “small and beautiful” public wellbeing projects. China does not pursue a modernization path focused solely on its own well-being. All countries, social strata, and population groups should participate in and benefit from the fruits of economic and social development, as Chinese President Xi Jinping pointed out, “It is not acceptable that the divide between the haves and have-nots perpetuates itself. True happiness should be shared and enjoyed by all”.

Over the next five years, China will continue to work with Antigua and Barbuda to build a community with a shared future for mankind. We have only one Earth, and “there is no emergency exit”. China will implement the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative, and the Global Governance Initiative, promoting the international order toward a more just and equitable direction. China supports Caribbean nations in strengthening unity and self-reliance, firmly opposes hegemonic, bullying, and domineering practices, actively upholds fairness and justice in international and regional affairs, and is willing to provide more global public goods.

Though China and Antigua and Barbuda face each other across the ocean, our hearts are closely connected. The two sides have always maintained sincere friendship, treated each other as equals, and honored our commitments, proving ourselves to be trustworthy partners. The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China has once again sent a positive signal to the world: China remains committed to open cooperation, mutual benefit, and shared prosperity. China stands ready to share opportunities and pursue common development with all countries, including Antigua and Barbuda, to create a brighter future for human society.