BEIJING — China will focus on promoting high-quality development during its 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) period. The concept is an innovation in humanity's pursuit of modernization.

China has targeted economic growth of over 6 percent for 2021. The lower-than-anticipated numerical goal reflects a decision to focus on high-quality and sustainable development, rather than dazzling fast expansion. The target is accompanied by a series of goals on other fronts, such as innovation and employment promotion, showing a holistic approach to development.

Being the first year of the 14th Five-Year Plan period, 2021 also marks the starting point of a new journey toward fully building a modern socialist China. To set the stage for this long-term endeavor, it is of vital necessity to pursue high-quality development.

China's socialist modernization embodies the general characteristics of modernization in other countries, but it is not a copy or replica of the mode in Western countries. It emphasizes people-oriented development and an upgrade from economic growth alone to comprehensive social progress, with common prosperity for all and the harmonious coexistence of human and nature.

Pursuing high-quality development is necessary to adapt to the changes in the principal contradiction facing Chinese society. The country now faces a contradiction between unbalanced and inadequate development and the people's ever-growing needs for a better life, which requires the country to improve the quality and effectiveness of development.

It is guided by the country's new development philosophy of pursuing innovative, coordinated, green, open and shared development.

Efforts to achieve this goal will be made in various sectors, including promoting the comprehensive green transformation of social and economic development, strengthening the in-depth integration of digital technologies with the real economy, further shortening the negative lists for foreign investment and developing a strong domestic market.

The high-quality development will not only benefit China, but also bring more opportunities to the rest of the world. On a new journey pursuing high-quality development, China will work with other countries to build an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security and common prosperity.