Chinese President Xi Jinping puts personal stamp on 5-year plan

In a lengthy article on Saturday detailing some of the build-up to the Communist Party’s fourth plenum this week, state news agency Xinhua and party mouthpiece People’s Daily said Xi “personally headed” the team that drafted the outline for the next five-year plan.“[He] oversaw and guided the formulation of the proposal for the 15th five-year plan, poured a great deal of heart and blood into it, playing a decisive role,” the outlets reported, citing an anonymous drafter of the document.The framework adopted at the gathering sets the agenda for the 15th five-year plan, which will guide national development from 2026 to 2030.According to the article, it was based on extensive fact-finding investigations during Xi’s tours around the country this year, including stops in the northeast and trips to Shanghai, Guizhou, Yunnan, Henan, Shanxi, Tibet and Xinjiang.The party’s inner circle, the Politburo Standing Committee, made multiple revisions to the framework before it was presented to the 300-plus full and alternate members of the Central Committee for deliberation over four days at the plenum.