Overview
- China’s Central Committee will hold a four-day, closed-door session on Oct. 20–23 to outline the next five-year plan, with a brief readout at the close and full details due for parliamentary approval in March 2026.
- The framework is expected to prioritize high-tech manufacturing, supply-chain resilience and technological self-sufficiency, highlighting sectors such as AI, semiconductors, robotics and biotech.
- Beijing is likely to pledge steps to lift household spending and social welfare, yet analysts expect only incremental measures as strained local finances and weak property markets limit room for decisive stimulus.
- Observers are watching for personnel moves and disciplinary updates after a spate of deaths, investigations and absences among senior figures, including attention on military leaders and recently replaced officials.
- Rising trade and tech tensions are shaping the agenda, with Beijing tightening rare-earth export controls and the U.S. threatening triple‑digit tariffs, as party journal Qiushi urges clearer, confidence‑boosting policy signals.