China would not have reached its current position on the world map were it not for a rare combination of long-term strategic vision, disciplined phased planning capabilities, and political leadership that has skillfully interpreted both domestic and global transformations. President Xi Jinping's New Year's message for 2026 clearly embodied this model, summarizing a cumulative development path that culminated in the success of the Fourteenth Five-Year Plan and paved the way for the launch of the Fifteenth Five-Year Plan within a complex and uncertain international context.
اضافة اعلان
Since their inception, the Five-Year Plans have formed the backbone of Chinese development, not as rigid bureaucratic tools, but as dynamic roadmaps that adapt to changing realities and simultaneously link economic, social, environmental, cultural, and security objectives. The success of the 14th National Development Plan was not an isolated event, but rather the culmination of a decades-long process aimed at building a strong and modern nation without sacrificing social stability or equitable development.
In this context, President Xi Jinping's wisdom played a pivotal role in reorienting the concept of power from mere numerical GDP growth to comprehensive strength based on innovation, sustainability, equity, and public trust. He repeatedly emphasized that "clear waters and green mountains are gold and silver," indicating that environmental development is not an obstacle to growth, but rather a prerequisite for it in the long run. He also stressed that scientific and technological innovation must serve humanity, not be merely a technological race for symbolic superiority.
This vision has yielded tangible results: an economy that has surpassed historical milestones, qualitative advancements in artificial intelligence, space exploration, and clean energy, and the transformation of innovation into a new, high-quality productive force. Most importantly, this transformation was not confined to the elites; it was reflected in the daily lives of citizens through improved services, modernized infrastructure, expanded social safety nets, and the lifting of more than 850 million people out of poverty over the past decades—an unprecedented achievement in the history of human development.
However, the uniqueness of the Chinese model lies not only in its capacity to achieve development but also in its ability to manage China's position in the international system in a way that balances power and responsibility. According to its rhetoric and diplomatic practices, China does not seek hegemony, but rather aims to restore balance to a global system that has been skewed in favor of a single power for decades. Hence its call for a more just and stable multipolar world and for building a "community with a shared future for mankind," as a philosophical and political alternative to the logic of zero-sum conflict.
In this context, China has contributed to the establishment and development of international institutions and mechanisms that contribute to international security, not with the aim of replacing or confronting existing ones, but rather to broaden the options for cooperation available to developing and emerging countries. The New Development Bank, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and the Belt and Road Initiative all reflect China's pursuit of shared benefits with partners, rather than confining them within its borders or to closed blocs.
This approach makes China a power fundamentally different from traditional powers: a developmental force rather than an expansionist one, a balancing force rather than a polarizing one. It is a power that sees international stability as a prerequisite for its domestic prosperity, and its domestic prosperity as a contribution to global stability. Therefore, China's rise is not presented as a threat to the international order, but rather as an opportunity to rebuild it on more inclusive and equitable foundations.
Ultimately, China's experience reveals that power in the 21st century is no longer measured solely by GDP or the number of aircraft carriers, but by a nation's capacity for long-term planning, achieving social justice, ensuring stability, and participating responsibly in global affairs. This is the equation that the Chinese leadership, under Xi Jinping, has successfully formulated and implemented, making China a great power in a new sense: a powerful yet open nation; a rising power, yet a balanced one. It is influential, but careful to ensure that its influence is a stabilizing factor, not a disruptive one, in a very fragile world.
