China will enter the "Two Sessions" period: a year of new beginnings focusing on four major areas

Spring breeze gradually rises, and Beijing is about to enter the “Two Sessions” again. As the first year of the “14th Five-Year Plan,” the 2026 National Two Sessions carry special expectations. From the five-year development plan to rule of law construction, from people’s livelihood protection to foreign exchanges, discussions and decisions during the Two Sessions will provide an important opportunity to observe China’s policy direction this year and over the next five years.

Outlining the Future Development Blueprint

A great power’s development starts with planning. This year’s National People’s Congress will review the draft outline of the “14th Five-Year Plan,” and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference will also conduct extensive consultations and suggestions around the draft, jointly depicting the vision for national development.

The five-year plan is a window for the international community to observe China’s medium- and long-term policies. According to foreign media reports, among the key indicators in China’s “14th Five-Year Plan” and the 2035 long-term goals drafted five years ago, many have progressed as expected or even exceeded expectations.

Against the backdrop of sluggish global economic growth and the accelerated evolution of a new round of technological revolution, how China will find a balance between “establishing” and “breaking” in the next five years is highly watched.

The draft outline of the “14th Five-Year Plan” to be reviewed by the National People’s Congress is not only a task list but also a “strategic navigation map” for China to address internal and external challenges on the way to basically achieving socialist modernization. From autonomous control of industrial chains to low-carbon transformation in key areas, every keyword in the draft reveals the underlying logic of China’s future development.

Review of Multiple Legal Drafts

Legislative agenda is the highlight of the Two Sessions, and this year’s session is particularly noteworthy, with drafts of laws such as the Ecological Environment Code, the Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress, and the National Development Planning Law to be submitted for review.

The Ecological Environment Code will be China’s second law named as a “Code,” after the Civil Code. By systematically integrating and editing the current ecological and environmental legal systems, this code will embed the concept of green development into legal practice, “highlighting a beautiful China.”

Meanwhile, the review of the draft laws on promoting ethnic unity and progress and on national development planning aims to strengthen the sense of community among the Chinese nation and ensure that the grand blueprint is carried out “generation after generation,” both pointing toward the modernization and stability of the national governance system.

Delegates and members’ deliberations on these drafts are also vivid practices of building consensus and drawing the biggest “circle of unity.” The entry of multiple important laws into the review process not only concerns the improvement of specific institutional fields but also vividly demonstrates Chinese-style democracy.

Livelihood Issues Continue to Rise

During the Spring Festival, consumer markets heated up, and travel surged, reflecting people’s expectations for a better life. “Making people live happy lives is the top priority,” and livelihood issues have always been a focus of the Two Sessions. Every policy implementation closely relates to the public.

Recently, local Two Sessions have been held successively, releasing positive signals. Policies and measures around equalizing public services,保障 for the elderly and children, and housing improvements have been introduced, providing important references for national institutional design.

In China’s development process, economic growth and livelihood improvement have always promoted each other. In the main indicators of economic and social development during the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, welfare-related metrics account for more than one-third.

Many issues, at their core, concern millions of households. In the first year of the plan, how to promote high-quality development while continuously enhancing people’s sense of gain will likely be a hot topic at the Two Sessions.

International and Domestic Interactions Send New Signals

The Two Sessions have always been an important window for the world to observe and understand China. Economic growth targets, reform initiatives, new opening-up policies, and China’s diplomacy as a major power are focal points of global attention.

Over the past year, China has continued to expand institutional opening-up, optimize personnel exchanges and visa policies, and topics like “Shopping in China” and “Traveling in China” remain popular on overseas social media. Trendy consumption like LABUBU toys has also become a new medium for the world to recognize China. A real, three-dimensional China is being rediscovered globally.

In the first year of the new cycle, a series of policy signals are expected to be released during the Two Sessions, providing important references for outsiders to understand China’s development. It will also outline China’s major stance of opening up to the world and achieving mutual benefits through interaction.