On April 17, China's State Council Information Office held a press conference focusing on the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, discussing efforts to promote high-quality economic and social development.
Wang Changlin, Vice Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), stated that the next steps will involve deepening the implementation of the "15th Five-Year Plan" outline, promoting the release of national-level special plans, accelerating the execution of 109 major engineering projects, and continuously consolidating and expanding the steady and improving economic momentum to ensure the successful completion of major economic and social development goals. In terms of government investment, efforts will be made to ensure that this year's 755 billion yuan in central budget investment and 1 trillion yuan in ultra-long-term special treasury bonds are basically allocated by the end of June.
Wang also mentioned that a strategic implementation plan for expanding domestic demand from 2026 to 2030 will be formulated. He emphasized the need to employ a combination of macro policies, prepare a batch of comprehensive policy measures in advance, and introduce them promptly as needed.
Efforts will focus on expanding effective domestic demand. This includes formulating the 2026–2030 implementation plan for the domestic demand expansion strategy and promoting the early start of construction for qualified major projects. Work will continue on "dual-heavy" projects to better leverage the catalytic and amplifying role of government investment and stimulate private investment. Steady progress will be made in consumer goods trade-in programs, and unreasonable restrictive measures in the consumption sector will be expedited for removal.
Wang highlighted the importance of fully leveraging government investment to stimulate private investment vitality. In addition to the allocation of central budget investment and special treasury bonds, the proportion of local government special bonds used for project construction will be further increased. The orderly deployment of 800 billion yuan in new policy-based financial instruments will be accelerated to support central enterprises in organizing major cross-regional, cross-basin projects with extended industrial and supply chains, and to actively expand central-local cooperation.
For private investment, mechanisms for private enterprises to participate in major projects will be improved. A series of policies and reform measures to promote private investment will be introduced, focusing on high-growth areas such as the digital economy, artificial intelligence, and commercial aerospace. Central enterprises will be encouraged to collaborate with private firms on key projects, including core technology breakthroughs. The infrastructure REITs market will be expanded and made more efficient to continuously stimulate private investment.
Wang added that investment efficiency will be enhanced through targeted efforts and institutional innovation. Key areas for action this year include "AI+" infrastructure, urban renewal, national water network, and new energy systems to optimize supply structure and expand market demand. Institutional innovation will involve comprehensive "soft infrastructure" development in central investment projects to establish long-term mechanisms for project construction, operation, and maintenance. The national venture capital guidance fund will also be utilized to guide social capital toward supporting technological innovation and emerging industries.
Measures will be taken to increase urban and rural residents' property income through multiple channels. Wang stated that the next steps will involve implementing special actions to boost consumption and drafting an expansion plan for the "15th Five-Year Plan" period. The aim is to ensure residents have stable income to spend, feel secure in spending, and enjoy an optimized consumption environment, thereby strengthening consumption's fundamental role in economic development.
Efforts will include enhancing consumption capacity. This involves improving employment promotion mechanisms, supporting enterprises in stabilizing and creating jobs, encouraging entrepreneurship, cultivating new professions and positions, strengthening worker skills training, promoting skill-based employment and income growth, steadily raising minimum wage standards, improving factor-based distribution policies, enhancing knowledge-value-oriented distribution mechanisms, accelerating the construction of skill-based salary systems, and increasing residents' property income through various channels to sustainably boost consumption capacity.
Chen Lei, Director of the NDRC's Development Strategy and Planning Department, indicated that a batch of national-level special plans are expected to be released in the first half of this year. These plans will focus on key areas outlined in the "15th Five-Year Plan," including new industrialization, digital China, agricultural and rural modernization, and beautiful China by 2035. Additional plans will address future industries, consumption expansion, population development, and new energy systems, reflecting the characteristics of the "15th Five-Year Plan" period. Plans with a people-centered focus will cover employment priority, education development, national health, equal access to basic public services, and social security, along with special plans for key groups such as persons with disabilities.
Chen noted that these plans will strengthen coordination, reduce quantity, improve quality, and effectively form a unified planning system.
In energy innovation, Wang stated that the "15th Five-Year Plan" period will accelerate the high-quality development of non-fossil energy. Efforts will include integrated development of centralized and distributed clean energy, high-quality advancement of major projects like the Yajiang hydropower station and renewable energy bases in desert areas. By 2030, non-fossil energy supply is expected to grow significantly compared to 2025, doubling by 2035.
Wang also emphasized advancing energy technology innovation, including iterative updates in new energy power generation, R&D and application of next-generation coal power and flexible DC power transmission, and major technological breakthroughs in long-duration energy storage, green hydrogen/ammonia/methanol production, and controllable nuclear fusion, to deeply integrate energy innovation with industrial innovation.
Zheng Jian, Director of the NDRC's Low-Altitude Economy Department, stated that low-altitude economic development will prioritize healthy and orderly growth, with reform and innovation as the main focus, aiming for "effective management, stable flight, and flexible application." Key tasks include ensuring safety as a precondition, supporting industrial development, driving application scenarios, fostering innovation, and promoting cooperation.
In terms of industrial support, Zheng mentioned that efforts will focus on consolidating and enhancing industrial advantages, increasing R&D for new aircraft such as large-payload fixed-wing drones and long-endurance vertical take-off and landing aircraft, forming a spectrum of key low-altitude equipment, and driving upstream and downstream supporting industries to build comprehensive cluster development hubs based on local conditions.
Zheng acknowledged public concerns about difficulties in obtaining approval for drone flight activities and stated that authorities are studying and promoting effective practices, such as "scan-to-fly" systems, to improve flight plan approval efficiency. He expressed confidence that future operations will be safer and more convenient, with continued efforts to help enterprises resolve challenges and enable the public to enjoy conveniences, ensuring steady and sound development of the low-altitude economy.