China’s President, Xi Jinping has hailed his country’s advances in development and modernisation, saying the country has overcome significant challenges and met key economic and social targets.

As he delivered his 2026 New Year message to the nation on New Year’s Eve, Xi praised the country’s advancements in key sectors including military tech and space exploration.

Xi noted that China’s economic strength, scientific and technological abilities, defense capabilities, and composite national strength “all reached new heights” while thanking Chinese people for contributing to the country’s economic growth over the past five years.

“The year 2025 marks the completion of China’s 14th Five-Year Plan for economic and social development. Over the past five years, we have pressed ahead with enterprise and fortitude, and overcome many difficulties and challenges. We met the targets in the Plan and made solid advances on the new journey of Chinese modernization.”
Xi Jinping

China plans its economic development over periods of five years and is preparing to discuss its new five-year plan at the upcoming legislative session in March.

The country is set to speed up self-reliance in science and technology as the United States imposes increasingly tight controls on access to semiconductors and other high-tech items.

He stated that the country sought to energize high-quality development through innovation. “We integrated science and technology deeply with industries, and made a stream of new innovations,” he said, adding that many large AI models have been competing in a race to the top, and breakthroughs have been achieved in the research and development of China’s own chips.

Xi also praised the country’s rising prominence on the world stage by listing high-level political events and exchanges it hosted over the past year.

He acknowledged that the world today is undergoing both changes and turbulence, and some regions are still engulfed in war. Nonetheless, he stressed that China always stands on the right side of history, and is ready to work with all countries to advance world peace and development and build a community with a shared future for humanity.

Additionally, Xi reiterated Beijing’s annexation intentions regarding Taiwan, a self-ruled democracy that China considers sovereign territory.

“We Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Strait share a bond of blood and kinship. The reunification of our motherland, a trend of the times, is unstoppable.”
Xi Jinping

China this week conducted two days of military drills around Taiwan, launching rockets and sending aircraft and warships in response to a planned arms sale by the US to the island.

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te condemned the drills but said that his territory would act responsibly by neither escalating the conflict nor provoking disputes.

Xi asserted that China should unswervingly implement the policy of One Country, Two Systems, and support Hong Kong and Macao in better integrating into the overall development of our country and maintaining long-term prosperity and stability.

In his speech, Xi underscored that only a strong Communist Party of China can make the country strong, saying that the study and education program on fully implementing the central Party leadership’s eight-point decision on improving Party and government conduct was launched. “We exercised strict governance of the Party through credible measures, and promoted the Party’s self-revolution to fight corruption and advance healthy governance,” Xi added.

“As a result, the conduct of our Party and government steadily improved. We must stay true to our original aspiration and founding mission, and pursue our goal with perseverance and dedication.”
Xi Jinping

Xi Marks Beginning Of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan

Moreover, Xi announced that the year 2026 marks the beginning of the 15th Five-Year Plan.

Stating that a successful venture should start with a good plan and with clear goals set, Xi remarked, “We should focus on our goals and tasks, boost confidence, and build momentum to press ahead.”

He called for solid steps to be taken to promote high-quality development, further deepen reform and opening up across the board, “deliver prosperity for all, and write a new chapter in the story of China’s miracle.”