German media: China's new five-year plan focuses on future technology: accelerate independent R&D to cope with geopolitical challenges
The National People's Congress meeting on Thursday officially approved the 15th Five-Year Plan for the period from 2026 to 2030. This guiding document clearly states that China will enter a new phase of technological leap, focusing on strategic industries such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence (AI) to achieve industrial modernization and technological self-reliance, in response to increasingly fierce international competition.
The annual NPC session, which closed in Beijing, passed the blueprint for economic and social development over the next five years. The document named the "15th Five-Year Plan" shows that the Chinese leadership has not fundamentally changed its industrial strategy, but has significantly accelerated its steps toward "technological self-reliance."
Continuous growth in research and development investment AI and chips become core
According to the new plan, China will continue to maintain high-intensity investment in R&D innovation, with the total social R&D expenditure expected to grow by more than 7% annually. According to the German media "China Table," citing expert analysis: semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI), humanoid robots, biotechnology, new battery technologies, 6G, and commercial spaceflight are explicitly listed as "winners" sectors. These industries are considered to bring both economic growth, technological sovereignty, and strategic resilience.
In the semiconductor sector, Beijing's goal has expanded to mastering the entire industry chain, including materials, equipment, and chip architecture; while in the field of artificial intelligence, the plan proposes an "AI +" action plan, aiming to integrate AI applications into most economic and social areas by 2030. As a key economic indicator, China plans to increase the share of the value added by the core industries of the digital economy in GDP from 10.5% in 2025 to 12.5% in 2030.
"Science fiction" technologies come into focus Infrastructure is fully upgraded
Aside from traditional advantage industries such as electric vehicles, which have already taken the lead and thus have slightly adjusted policy priorities, China's new plan is now turning its attention to more cutting-edge fields. According to Seidel, a technology expert at the strategic consulting firm Arthur D. Little, speaking to "China Table": fields such as nuclear fusion, quantum technology, brain-computer interfaces, and commercial spaceflight, which are still seen as having "science fiction" characteristics in some parts of Europe, have now become the foundation of China's future industries.
At the same time, the transformation of energy infrastructure has also become a top priority. China is trying to shift from simple scale expansion to overall intelligence of the energy system, including smart grids, energy storage technology, and industrial decarbonization.
Dealing with an aging population and international competition
China's newly issued five-year plan is not only a guide for technological development, but also a response to China's structural challenges. With the decline of the demographic dividend, Beijing is hoping to offset the negative impact of an aging population through technological innovation to improve labor productivity.
In addition, in the face of export restrictions from Western countries such as the United States, Beijing considers reducing dependence on foreign technology as an inevitable choice to safeguard national security.
Source: DW
Original: toutiao.com/article/1859570754462732/
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