A view of the Lujiazui area in Shanghai Photo: VCG

A netizen on People's Daily Online recently raised a question: With the upcoming annual sessions of the National People's Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), public attention is turning to key agenda item - the NPC's deliberation on the draft outline of the 15th Five Year Plan (2026-30). The 15th Five Year Plan is closely linked to everyone's daily life - yet how are the voices and concerns of ordinary people incorporated into its formulation?


Formulating medium- and long-term plans to guide economic and social development is both an important governance approach for our Party and a process of seeking public advice and pooling collective wisdom and strength.

For example, the social work department of the CPC Central Committee is currently soliciting opinions through the "people's suggestions" platform on People's Daily Online, under the campaign titled "I offer suggestions for the special plan on social work during the 15th Five Year Plan period." Individuals can submit comments and proposals on issues they care about before March 5. These valuable ideas and practical suggestions will be meticulously studied and will serve as important references in drafting the special plan.

The formulation of the 15th Five Year Plan covers all aspects of economic and social development and is closely tied to the work and daily lives of the people, with public participation running throughout the entire drafting stage.

Let us first take a look at how the proposals for the 15th Five Year Plan are drafted.

The Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee has integrated the promotion of democracy and the pooling of collective wisdom throughout the entire drafting process, carrying out in depth research and extensively soliciting opinions from all sides.

On January 22, 2025, the CPC Central Committee issued the Notice on Soliciting Opinions on Recommendations for the 15th Five-Year Plan to Be Studied at the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee.

In late February 2025, the CPC Central Committee organized six research teams to conduct specialized field studies across 12 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities.

On April 30, 2025, Chinese President Xi Jinping, also General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, presides over a symposium on China's economic and social development in the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30) and delivers an important speech in Shanghai, Xinhua reported.

Entrusted by General Secretary Xi, senior leaders of the CPC Central Committee chaired three forums from May to June 2025 to hear opinions from representatives of the economic sector, the scientific and technological community, and grassroots organizations.

Opening up the planning process to everyone has enhanced public participation and expanded its reach.

From May 20 to June 20, 2025, an online public consultation was conducted for the drafting of the 15th Five Year Plan, receiving more than 3.113 million suggestions submitted by netizens. After meticulous review and compilation, more than 1,500 constructive and representative proposals were distilled across 27 key areas.

For example, on the issue of employment, some suggestions called for "tapping the employment potential within communities;" others hoped to "extend occupational injury coverage to all new types of workers;" and some proposed "giving more attention to the daily-wage labor market." After study and incorporation, many of these ideas have been translated into relevant measures outlined in the plan.

In October 2025, the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC reviewed and approved the proposals for the 15th Five Year Plan. The session clearly called the formulation of national and local plan outlines, as well as specialized plans, in order to establish a national planning system that is accurately positioned, clearly defined, functionally complementary and cohesively integrated.

From late October to mid-November 2025, the National Development and Reform Commission conducted an online consultation on the draft 15th Five Year Plan outline and gathered input through various other channels. Opinions and suggestions were collected from 11 groups, including researchers, flexible workers, farmers, and people with disabilities.

By November 2025, this round of consultation had compiled and categorized over 66,000 high-quality suggestions. Nearly 60 percent of them focused on everyday concerns of the people, covering issues such as making schooling more convenient for children, improving employment quality for university graduates, and enhancing care for elderly people with disabilities or dementia.

Since the beginning of this year, local two sessions have been held intensively across the country, with local outlines of the 15th Five Year Plan one after another. This process, too, reflects public sentiment and gathers the wisdom and input of all sectors of society.

Adhering scientific, democratic and law-based decision-making is the cornerstone of successfully drafting a high-quality plan.

It is worth noting that, during this year's two sessions, China's draft law on national development planning will also be submitted for review. In its third draft, the law adds a provision that the formulation of national development plans must "integrate enhanced top-level design with broad public consultation." By enshrining proven practices into law, this will provide strong institutional support to ensure that "one blueprint is followed through to the end."

At the same time, many local governments and departments are opening up the planning process to public input and soliciting valuable opinions. For example, the public can visit the website of the State Administration for Market Regulation to provide suggestions on the 15th Five Year Plan for the development of special equipment safety and energy conservation until March 28. Similarly, the collection of suggestions for East China's Jiangsu Province's 15th Five Year Plan for the development of traditional Chinese medicine remains open until March 31.

Public opinion is the greatest political asset. In drafting the 15th Five Year Plan, authorities have widely and deeply gauged public sentiment, listened to their voices and gathered collective wisdom. This concrete and vivid approach illustrates why China's whole-process people's democracy is comprehensive, full-chain and all-encompassing, while also uniting a powerful force to advance Chinese modernization.

The article was first published on the front page of the People's Daily on March 2.