The year of 2021 was undoubtedly extraordinary for China. It marked the start 
of the 14th Five-Year Plan (FYP) period (2021-2025). It was also a year during 
which the time frames for materializing China's two centenary goals – building 
a moderately prosperous society in all respects and building a great modern 
socialist country in all respects – made their historic convergence.

"The past year has been a year of exceptional significance," said Chinese 
President Xi Jinping in his 2022 New Year address.

How did China make full preparations last year to embark on a new journey to 
build a modern socialist country?

A good start 

China's gross domestic product (GDP) exceeded the 100-trillion-yuan (about 
$15.42 trillion) threshold in 2020, official data released on January 18, 2021 
showed.

In early January, Xi, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and 
chairman of the Central Military Commission, addressed a study session at the 
Party School of the CPC Central Committee. 

He called on the over 190 provincial and ministerial-level officials in 
attendance to strive for a good start in fully building a modern socialist 
country.

About two weeks later, chairing a group study session of the Political Bureau 
of the CPC Central Committee, Xi reiterated the need to ensure sound economic 
and social development, as the "first step" of the 14th Five-Year Plan was 
crucial.

Later in March, China unveiled the final version of its national development 
blueprint for the next five and 15 years, with focuses on sustainable economic 
growth, the "dual circulation" economic growth pattern, innovation-driven 
industrial systems and rural area development.

"Throughout the year, we have put in our efforts, contributed our part, and 
received much in return," Xi said when sending New Year greetings to the 
Chinese people. 

The guidance of new development philosophy

Compared with previous five-year plans (FYPs), the 14th FYP conveys a new 
development paradigm – no numerical GDP growth target but more focus on 
balanced and sustainable development with the domestic market as the mainstay. 

The new development philosophy is based on an innovative, coordinated, green, 
open and shared development that will guide and pave the way for putting 
high-quality development in practice. 

Putting innovation at the center of its modernization drive, China made various 
scientific and technological breakthroughs such as the launch of the crewed 
spaceship Shenzhou-13, the landing of the Mars probe Tianwen-1 on the red 
planet, advancement in the chip-making industry and leaps in quantum computing.

In 2021, Xi inspected several sci-tech companies, where he repeatedly 
highlighted the importance of self-reliance and self-strengthening in 
high-level sci-tech innovation.

As going green is a hallmark of high-quality development, the past year also 
witnessed achievements in this area. China has seen across-the-board 
improvements in its eco-environment amid the country's intensifying efforts to 
spur green development, according to the China Environment Report 2020 
published by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment in May.

The ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River 
Basin, as a major national strategy, was a vivid demonstration of China's 
endeavors in promoting ecological civilization.

In October of last year, China released an outline for the Yellow River Basin's 
protection and development through 2030, serving as a guide for policy-making 
and engineering project planning in the basin to address challenges.

Since the 18th Communist Party of China (CPC) National Congress, the Chinese 
president has visited all of the provinces and autonomous regions in the basin, 
sharing his concerns about China's "Mother River." In less than a year from 
August 2019 to June 2020 alone, he inspected the Yellow River Basin four times.

"In the passage of time, we have seen and experienced a resilient and dynamic 
China, a country with its amicable and respectable people, a country developing 
rapidly with each passing day, and a country making continual progress in all 
its undertakings," Xi said on Friday in his New Year address.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2022-01-03/How-did-China-prepare-in-2021-for-building-a-modern-socialist-country--16uwrdXNaY8/index.html



SOURCE: CGTN