Xi’s 2026 New Year Message Signals 15th Five-Year Plan Priorities: Innovation, Openness, and National Strength
President Xi’s Dec. 31, 2025 New Year message frames 2025 as the successful completion of the 14th Five-Year Plan and highlights expected GDP of RMB 140 trillion alongside advances in AI, chips, major infrastructure, and defense modernization. It signals a 2026 agenda focused on high-quality development, deeper reform and opening-up, targeted social support, and a more active role in global governance amid heightened international turbulence.