The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party concluded on the 23rd, with the much-anticipated 15th Five-Year Plan indicating a significant shift from the 14th Five-Year Plan period. According to Meng-Chun Liu, Director of The First Research (Chinese Economy) Division at the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research (CIER), the 15th Five-Year Plan extends beyond continuing existing development blueprints to constitute a comprehensive institutional and structural transformation project. Its core objectives center on reshaping economic resilience through technological self-reliance, green and low-carbon development, and institutional innovation.
Director Liu’s analysis identifies three major transitions in the 15th Five-Year Plan. First, the emphasis shifts from strategic blueprints to institutional implementation, prioritizing execution and systemic construction. Second, the focus shifts from economic growth to governance resilience, with an emphasis on risk management and energy security. Third, the approach evolves from external responses to institutional competition, with active participation in global rule-making and institutional export replacing traditional market competition.
Beijing is currently leveraging standards in artificial intelligence, carbon markets, and data governance to establish a “Chinese normative system” and seek dominance in international institutional competition. This development marks China’s transition into a new “governance era,” which has significant implications for Taiwan’s technology industry, its institutional framework, and regional cooperation. This shift indicates that future interactions across the Taiwan Strait will increasingly highlight both competition and collaboration in institutional and technological areas.
Author: CIER Editorial
Team Date: October 27, 2025