Illustration: Tang Tengfei/Global Times

As the annual two sessions conclude successfully, the grand blueprint of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) is gradually unfolding. As the roadmap for economic and social development over the next five years, the outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan not only sets clear development goals and tasks, but also sounds a resounding call to embark on a new journey of progress. For the world, China has become even more stable, because the country not only has a clear roadmap but also possesses widely recognized execution capacity. This is the source of China's confidence in responding to risks and challenges and in achieving one success after another.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, emphasized that formulating plans must be accompanied by implementation. Sound planning and strong execution must go hand in hand. President Xi made the remarks while taking part in a deliberation with his fellow deputies from the delegation of East China's Jiangsu Province. This important observation charts the key pathway for China's development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period and reveals a deeper advantage of China's governance: a country's maturity and competitiveness are reflected not only in its ability to set realistic goals, but also in its ability to steadily, consistently and efficiently execute those goals.

Planning answers the questions of "how to develop" and "where to go," while execution addresses "how to implement" and "whether the destination can be reached." For a country with a massive population, the greatest challenge has never been setting goals but ensuring that the decisions and policy arrangements of the CPC Central Committee are transmitted through every level and fully carried out. Over the past decades, a defining feature of China's development has been not only its ability to chart long-term blueprints but also its capacity to turn those blueprints into reality. Whether in poverty alleviation, technological innovation, infrastructure development, or improvements in governance capacity, the historic achievements of recent decades have all relied on strong execution.

Execution capacity is not simply about speed. Rather, it reflects an institutional characteristic that combines strategic direction, organizational capability and sustained effort. In China, once clear goals are established around major national strategies, a wide range of forces - local governments, government departments, enterprises, research institutions, grass-roots organizations and the public - are rapidly mobilized to form a coordinated implementation framework. Whether advancing major projects, fostering new quality productive forces, responding to risks and challenges, or improving people's livelihoods, China has demonstrated a crucial ability to transform national strategies into reality, institutional advantages into tangible outcomes, and people's expectations into real benefits. American scholar Peter Walker once noted that China's rapid development in recent years has relied on one of the core strengths that the US simply does not possess: the institutional capacity to mobilize resources for major undertakings and the strong execution embedded in China's system.

Based on extensive research and consultation, China formulates comprehensive plans that respect public opinion and reflect reality, and has the strong capacity to see them through. In a world marked by uncertainty, this institutional advantage is becoming increasingly evident. Today, many countries speak of reform and competition, yet constraints such as partisan politics, election cycles, vested interests, and deep social divisions often mean that promises abound but delivery falls short. 

China, by contrast, is able to align long-term vision with concrete actions, connect top-level design with reform in practice, and integrate strategic intent with effective execution. As global uncertainty rises, this capability has become an important reason why the international community is increasingly confident about China's prospects. The speed at which Tesla's Gigafactory in Shanghai moved from signing the agreement to breaking ground in just six months once left Elon Musk marveling at China's efficiency.

Why does China possess such strong execution capacity? Fundamentally, it stems from consistently putting the people first. From online consultations and grass-roots research at the early stage of planning, to deliberations by deputies and members during the two sessions, and finally to the formation of a comprehensive policy framework, the 15th Five-Year Plan has consistently treated voices of the public as the primary signal and people's needs as the foremost priority. Of the 20 major economic and social development indicators in the draft outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan, seven relate to people's well-being, the largest share among all categories, with investment and policy support for public welfare reaching unprecedented levels. This planning logic - "from the people, to the people" - ensures the broadest public support for policy implementation and generates powerful social synergy for carrying it forward.

For the world, China's strong execution capacity reflects the responsibility of a major country. At a time when some major powers frequently reverse course and undermine international confidence, China's commitment to honoring its promises presents the image of a stable, reliable, and pragmatic major power. Whether by benefiting the world through its own development, including initiatives such as the Belt and Road Initiative, or by firmly honoring its commitments to address climate change through active participation in global climate governance, China has become a trusted "constant" in the world, helping offset the "variables" of global turbulence.

During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, opportunities are unprecedented, but challenges are also significant. Yet China possesses not only sound blueprints and plans, but also strong work ethic and effective execution. 

As long as we maintain strategic resolve, remain confident, rise to challenges, pursue tangible results through hard work, and secure the future through effective implementation, we will transform this grand blueprint into reality, steering the ship of Chinese modernization forward through the waves toward an even broader horizon.