The National Development and Reform Commission holds a press conference on implementing the spirit of the Central Economic Work Conference and promoting a good start to the 15th Five-Year Plan in Beijing on January 20, 2026. Photo: State Council Information Office website

The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), China's top economic planner, is planning to advance a number of landmark and major projects in high-tech industries during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), a NDRC official said on Tuesday in Beijing. 

"Looking ahead to 2026, China's economic structure will continue to optimize, development momentum will further shift toward new drivers, and the overall growth trend will continue to improve, with new quality productive forces being developed more robustly. We believe that consumption and investment, science and technology, manufacturing, and urban-rural and regional development will all unleash significant development potential," said Zhou Chen, an official with the NDRC.

The implementation of the "AI+" initiative is empowering and enhancing efficiency for China's massive scenario advantages. Artificial intelligence is accelerating "the move from the physical world to the digital world, from verbal expression to practical action," which will drive rapid growth in high-end manufacturing, emerging consumption items, and foster new business forms and models, the official said.

Based on the data from 2025, China's value-added by high-tech manufacturing industry has accounted for over 17 percent of the output of industrial enterprises above designated size, and we are currently planning and advancing a number of landmark and leading major projects in high-tech industries during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, Zhou said.

China has a complete industrial system, an ultra-large market with a population of 1.4 billion, and the world's largest and most comprehensive talent resources. Graduates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) exceed 5 million annually, endowing China with the advantages of full-chain and full-scenario capabilities to push innovative achievements from "the bookshelf to the shopping shelf," the official said.

China's economy is "a vast ocean, and we will adhere to the combination of policy support and reform and innovation, fully unleash the enormous potential of this ocean," transform development potential into new growth drivers, turn scientific and technological advances into new economic increments, and ensure a strong start and solid footing for the 15th Five-Year Plan, the official said.