China’s New Development Plans and Opportunities for Tonga — A Commentary by the Chinese Ambassador
By H.E. Li Weimin, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the Kingdom of Tonga
Editor’s Note: This article is a contributed opinion piece by H.E. Li Weimin, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the Kingdom of Tonga. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Tonga Independent News.
Recently, the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China concluded successfully in Beijing. This pivotal meeting, building on the past and paving the way for the future, has not only formulated a plan of action for China’s development in the coming period but also provided new opportunities for countries around the world, including Tonga, to deepen cooperation and pursue common development. Understanding the spirit of this session will be the key to grasping the pulse of China’s future development and seizing the strategic opportunities for enhancing and upgrading China-Tonga relations.
I. Building on the Past and Forging Ahead: The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee Lays a Solid Foundation for the New Journey of Chinese Modernization
The core achievement of this Plenum was the review and adoption of the “Recommendations of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development”
The “Five-Year Plan” is a key crystallization of China’s governance wisdom and a crucial key to understanding China’s development experience. From the first “Five-Year Plan” in 1953 to the present, over seventy years of continuous effort and the solid implementation of a series of scientific plans have enabled China to successfully achieve the historic leap from a backward agrarian nation to the world’s largest manufacturing country, creating the twin miracles of rapid economic development and long-term social stability. The just-concluded 14th Five-Year Plan period, amid a complex landscape of accelerating global transformations unseen in a century, drove China to achieve remarkable accomplishments: steady growth in economic aggregate, solid progress in high-quality development; major breakthroughs in sci-tech innovation, with global leadership in areas like artificial intelligence, manned spaceflight, and new energy; continuous improvement in people’s wellbeing, consolidating and expanding the achievements in poverty alleviation; accelerated green transition, with China contributing one-quarter of the world’s new green area and building the world’s largest clean power generation system; effective enhancement of national security capabilities and improved social governance efficiency, making a peaceful China a reality. These achievements have accumulated strong momentum for China’s future development and laid a solid foundation for the 15th Five-Year Plan period and beyond.
II. Charting the Future: The 15th Five-Year Recommendations Outlines a New Vision for Chinese Modernization
The Recommendations adopted at the Plenary Session charts the course for China’s development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), with profound implications and far-reaching significance.
First, it is people-centered, prioritizing the improvement of people’s livelihood and wellbeing.
China continues to consolidate the achievements in poverty alleviation, strengthens efforts to ensure and improve people’s livelihood, ensuring that Chinese modernization is modernization for common prosperity. “We must ensure that public services are inclusive, meet essential needs, and provide a cushion for those most in need, and work to resolve the pressing difficulties and problems that concern the people most.” Focusing on building a fairer and more sustainable social security system, through measures such as optimizing income distribution, expanding the coverage of quality education, and improving medical and health services, it aims to ensure that the fruits of development are shared more broadly and fairly by all. A China with a population of over 1.4 billion, an ever-expanding domestic market, and continuously improving living standards is undoubtedly the most stable and reliable source of power for global economic growth.
Second, it commits to high-standard opening up, embracing the world and sharing opportunities.
Isolation leads to backwardness, while openness brings development. President Xi Jinping pointed out: “China’s door of opening up will not be closed and will only open even wider.” China consistently adheres to the interplay between an efficient market and a well-functioning government, and advances high-quality development through the further comprehensive deepening of reforms. “Opening up and cooperation for mutual benefit are integral to Chinese modernization. We must share opportunities with the rest of the world and promote common development.” From the high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative to accelerating the development of the Hainan Free Trade Port, China is demonstrating through concrete actions its willingness to share the opportunities of its big-scale market and promote an open world economy. China’s opening up is not about seeking sole victory but is committed to win-win outcomes for all, rooted in the philosophical tenets of Chinese culture such as “harmony in diversity”and “the world for the common good”.
Third, it ensures progress through the Party’s self-reform, leading the new journey of social revolution.
“Upholding and strengthening the Party’s overall leadership is the fundamental guarantee for advancing Chinese modernization.” The Communist Party of China profoundly recognizes that the second answer to escaping the historical cycle of rise and fall is to continuously advance self-reform. Starting with the formulation and implementation of the Central Committee’s eight-point decision on improving conduct, and advancing the fight against corruption. The practice of using self-reform to lead social revolution is the fundamental political guarantee enabling the CPC to govern stably over the long term and lead the country’s sustained development. It ensures the stability and continuity of national development strategies, making it possible to follow the blueprint through to the end, providing strong political guidance and organizational guarantee for Chinese modernization.
Fourth, it centers on sci-tech self-reliance and strength, forging new engines for development.
The Plenary Session explicitly called for “Achieving Greater Self-Reliance and Strength in Science and Technology and Steering the Development of New Quality Productive Forces.” This means China will spare no effort in increasing R&D investment, tackling key core technologies, and promoting the deep integration of sci-tech innovation with industrial innovation. From smart factories to 5G networks, from Beidou navigation to quantum communication, China’s innovations are accelerating their journey from the laboratory to the production line and into people’s daily lives. This will not only enhance the quality of China’s development but also contribute Chinese wisdom to global scientific and technological progress, providing partners with more advanced and applicable technological solutions.
Fifth, it envisions promoting the building of a community with a shared future for humanity, demonstrating the responsibility of a major country.
The Recommendations states that “We should champion the common values of all humanity, promote the building of an open, inclusive, clean, and beautiful world of lasting peace, universal security, and common prosperity, and deliver China’s contribution to building a community with a shared future for humanity.” As a permanent member of the UN Security Council and the largest developing country, China always works as a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, a defender of the international order and a provider of public goods. At the same time, China remains a member of the Global South and is willing to share development experiences and cooperation opportunities with other Global South countries. China has proposed the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, Global Civilization Initiative, Global Governance Initiative, contributing Chinese wisdom and solutions to addressing humanity’s common challenges.
III. Walking Hand in Hand: Guiding a New Future for China-Tonga Cooperation with the Spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee
China’s new journey is one of peaceful development and win-win cooperation, which will surely bring tangible development opportunities to Pacific Island countries like Tonga.
There is a wise Tongan proverb: “Pikipiki hama ka tau vaevae manava”. This resonates with the Chinese concept of building a community with a shared future for humanity. China’s 15th Five-Year Plan and Tonga’s Strategic Development Framework III (2025-2035) show high alignment in areas such as green development, digital economy, and livelihood improvement. In the future, China stands ready to further strengthen strategic synergy with Tonga, unswervingly adhering to the principle of the “Four Fully Respects” — namely, fully respecting the sovereignty and independence of Pacific Island Countries (PICs), their will, their cultural traditions, and their efforts to seek strength through unity. Building on the seven major cooperation platforms between China and Pacific Island Countries — including emergency supplies reserves, climate action, poverty alleviation and development, disaster prevention and mitigation, Juncao technology, agriculture, and police training — we will translate the grand blueprint outlined at the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China into more tangible outcomes that benefit the peoples of both countries.
A China that is stable, developing, deepening reforms, and expanding opening up will always be a reliable partner for Tonga. Let us join hands, seize the historic opportunities presented by China’s new journey, co-paint a more splendid and colorful new picture of China-Tonga relations, and make our due contribution to building a community with a shared future for humanity!
