The 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) for National Economic and Social Development should aim to promote high-quality development, deepen supply-side structural reform, meet people’s growing need for a better life, and be strategic, forward-looking, targeted and practical, Premier Li Keqiang said.

He made the remarks while presiding over a meeting on Oct 30 of the State Council leading group on the formulation of the draft plan.

The plan should put the interests of people first and widely solicit ideas from different groups, especially the public, to stand the test of history and practice, the Premier noted.

Stating that China will still be in an important period of strategic opportunities and face many new challenges during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, Premier Li stressed efforts to formulate the plan based on national conditions, seek truth from facts and give top priority to development.

“It needs unremitting efforts to achieve the goal of building a moderately prosperous society in an all-around way, basically realizing socialist modernization by 2035, and fully building a modern socialist country by 2050,” the Premier said, emphasizing the importance of scientifically constructing a system of indexes and setting concrete goals related to improving the quality of development and the well-being of the people to make the plan both inspiring, pragmatic and one to stand the test of history and practice.

“The relations between government and the market must be well addressed when making plans because people are the major force to implement the plan,” the Premier said, stressing that the government should respect economic law and allow the market to function while shouldering the responsibility of formulating the plan.

The Premier asked that the plan give play to the decisive role of market forces in allocating resources and make the government more supportive. Further reform and opening-up is a way out, he said.

“The tough issues should be addressed with priority, and reforms in major areas should be strengthened. Efforts to streamline administration, delegate powers, and improve compliance oversight and government service must be continued to speed up building a market-oriented and law-based international business environment and to further energize market players,” Premier Li said. He also underlined the importance of a higher level of opening-up with more effective measures in boosting international cooperation and bringing win-win outcomes.

The Premier requested clearly identified supporting measures for the plan. A batch of projects featuring economic development, livelihood improvement and innovation should be launched, especially in education, medical treatment, old-age care and parental care.

Above all, the government should keep a sense about the border between itself and the market, bearing clearly in mind what should be planned and carried out by itself and what should further arouse the market vitality and public creativity, said the Premier.

He pointed out that it is of great priority for the government to formulate the plan, and the government should seek improvement in stability by focusing on both immediate and long-term interests.

“China has achieved such great development with our people’s long-time hard work, but China still remains the biggest developing country in the world, with development as the key and foundation to address all problems,” Premier Li said.

He asked that advice be sought widely from all circles of the society, especially from the people, to better coordinate the national plan and the local and specialized plans.

Market and reform measures should be carried out to guide the plan formulation with a joint effort of the whole country, thus the economy and society can enjoy a sustainable and healthy development, the Premier said.