China to hold key political meeting in late October over country’s direction for next 5 years

BEIJING – China’s ruling Communist Party will hold a key meeting in late October to discuss the country’s direction for the next five years, state media said Sept 29.

Top leaders will gather at the Fourth Plenum in Beijing from Oct 20 to 23, state news agency Xinhua reported.

The Party’s top brass is set to deliberate the country’s 15th five-year plan, which will set overarching policy goals for the half-decade starting 2026.

China has battled sluggish economic growth, high youth unemployment and dwindling birth rates since the start of the ongoing 14th five-year plan.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said in April that in the next five years, China should place equal emphasis on development and security, “with a comprehensive assessment of domestic and external risks and challenges”, according to remarks previously published by Xinhua.

The new plan “must focus on the goal of basically realising socialist modernisation, with a view to building a great country and advancing national rejuvenation”, Mr Xi said at the time, according to Xinhua.

A years-long debt crisis in the property sector, persistent sluggishness in domestic spending and heightened trade tensions with Washington are among the thorny issues facing Chinese leaders.

Youth unemployment

hit a record high of 21 per cent in August

since publication of the statistic resumed under a revised calculation method in 2024.

And factory output and retail sales rose in August at their slowest pace in around a year, according to official data. AFP