A pamphlet of the Communique of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee Photo: IC PHOTO

Scholars abroad have praised the recently concluded Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee and the Recommendations of the CPC Central Committee for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development (hereinafter referred to as the Recommendations) adopted at the session, saying that China’s far-sighted governance model offers valuable insights for countries across the Global South.

‘Visionary blueprint’

Amid an unpredictable international landscape, the Recommendations has been regarded as another programmatic milestone in the CPC’s history. While grounded in China’s specific realities, it also embraces a global vision, providing strategic guidance for the country’s development over the next five years while creating new opportunities for shared prosperity worldwide.

“The plenum exemplifies China’s strategic foresight and capacity to maintain resilience, promote prosperity, and contribute to global stability,” said Balew Demissie, a communication and publication consultant at the Ethiopian Policy Studies Institute, during a recent interview with CSST. “The session marks a pivotal moment for strengthening domestic foundations while projecting confidence and continuity in China’s international engagements.”

Elaborating on the plenary session’s profound significance in both domestic and international contexts, Demissie stated: “Domestically, China is nearing the successful completion of the 14th Five-Year Plan (FYP, 2021–25), having achieved significant progress in economic, social, and technological fields. This meeting serves as a crucial platform to consolidate these achievements, set strategic priorities, and outline the direction for the 15th FYP (2026–30). Internationally, the session reinforces China’s position as a stable, forward-looking global actor.”

Mohammed Saqib, secretary-general of the India China Economic and Cultural Council, described the Recommendations as a “visionary blueprint.” “It shows China’s commitment to socialist modernization by 2035. It reflects the leadership’s pragmatic attitude and smart strategic vision.”

“Compared with Western countries, China has outstanding capability for national planning. This capability promotes stability and progress, inspiring the Global South countries,” Saqib observed. “By showing adaptability and flexibility, the FYP helps China transfer the advantages of the Chinese system into realistic governing effects. It demonstrates socialist advantages with Chinese characteristics.”

Advocating open, mutually beneficial cooperation

The Recommendations acknowledges the profound and complex changes in China’s development environment during the 15th FYP period, noting that “China remains in a phase of development where strategic opportunities exist alongside risks and challenges, while uncertainties and unforeseen factors are rising.” At the same time, the plenum outlines plans to expand high-standard opening up, sending a clear signal of China’s commitment to open cooperation for mutual benefits.

Ronnie Lins, director of the China-Brazil Center for Research and Business, told CSST that China foresees intense tests in three main arenas: technological competition with major powers, geopolitical tensions, and the fragmentation of global supply chains. “To overcome these pressures and sustain rapid growth with long-term social stability, China relies on a strategy of ‘smart resilience.’ This approach turns external vulnerabilities into strategic leverage, ensuring long-term autonomy and predictability.”

China’s high-standard opening up policy plays a strategic role in a fragmented international landscape, Lins continued. By promoting integration based on mutual benefit, inclusion, and stability, China offers the world—especially the Global South—an alternative model of cooperation centered on shared development rather than exclusive competition.

“China positions itself as a global multiplier of opportunities. Its opening up strategy does not pursue hegemony; it seeks a new international balance based on respect for diverse models and the value of sovereignty. It offers a concrete vision for building a community with a shared future for humanity—one where development is collective, sustainable, and focused on real human needs,” Lins concluded.