On 19 March 2026, the Chinese Embassy in the UK hosted a symposium to present the key messages of China’s Two Sessions. Chinese Ambassador to the UK Zheng Zeguang delivered a keynote speech. Participants from the UK’s political, business and academic circles joined the discussions.
Ambassador Zheng said that this year’s Two Sessions hold special significance. The Two Sessions reviewed and adopted the Government Work Report and the Outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan, setting key priorities for China’s economic and social development in 2026, and providing top-level design for development over the next five years. In 2026, the opening year of the 15th Five-Year Plan period, China will focus on the targets set in the Government Work Report and make solid progress in key tasks, including building a strong domestic market, fostering new growth drivers, achieving greater self-reliance and strength in science and technology, deepening reform in key areas, expanding high-standard opening up, taking stronger measures to ensure and improve the people’s well-being, and accelerating the green transition, thus ensuring a good start to the implementation of the Plan.
Ambassador Zheng noted that the Two Sessions are a vivid example of whole-process people’s democracy under the leadership of the Communist Party of China. During the Two Sessions, deputies to the National People’s Congress and members of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference gather in Beijing to deliberate on state affairs. Both the Government Work Report and the Outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan were formulated after extensive consultation with all sectors of society, bringing together the broadest possible wisdom and consensus, and reflecting the shared will of the Chinese people.
Ambassador Zheng identified the scientific formulation and implementation of Five-Year Plans as an important governance experience of the Party and a distinctive political advantage of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Through successive Five-Year Plans, China has worked with perseverance to translate its blueprint into reality, creating the twin miracles of rapid economic growth and long-term social stability. By implementing the 15th Five-Year Plan, China will continue to write new chapters in these two miracles and provide stability and positive energy to the world.
Ambassador Zheng pointed out that the world is undergoing growing transformation and volatility. Unilateralism and acts of bullying are on the rise, regional conflicts persist, and the international order is facing serious challenges. The more turbulent the world becomes, the greater the need to promote dialogue and cooperation. China always stands on the side of international fairness and justice and on the right side of history. China stands ready to strengthen cooperation with all countries in implementing the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative, and the Global Governance Initiative, with a view to a community with a shared future for humanity.
Ambassador Zheng highlighted that the implementation of the 15th Five-Year Plan will bring new opportunities for the development of other countries and open up new prospects for China-UK cooperation. China will work with the UK in the same direction to follow through on the important common understandings reached between the leaders of the two countries and the outcomes of Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s visit to China. It is important that China and the UK strengthen exchanges at all levels, expand practical cooperation, properly manage differences, and continue to enrich the long-term and consistent comprehensive strategic partnership, in order to deliver greater benefits to the two peoples and make due contributions to world peace, stability and prosperity.
The British participants congratulated China on the important outcomes of the Two Sessions. They held the view that the 15th Five-Year Plan will bring more opportunities for the development of countries around the world, and that the formulation and implementation of Five-Year Plans is a valuable experience for other countries. The world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century. China’s efforts to promote peace talks in regional conflicts, including in the Middle East, are acts of justice. By championing true multilateralism and a community with a shared future for humanity, China has demonstrated the responsibility of a major country. They expressed their readiness to continue working actively for greater mutual understanding between the British and Chinese peoples and for the steady development of bilateral relations.
