Premier Li Keqiang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, presided over a meeting of the State Council leading group on the formulation of the 14th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development on Dec 23.

Vice-Premier Han Zheng, also a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau, attended the meeting.

After hearing about progress on the draft plan, Premier Li said the draft should collect all wisdom and ideas with refinement in the details.

With a new development concept for the new stage in mind, the plan should promote high-quality development, put the people in the center, and stand the test of practice and history in guiding future work, he said.

Premier Li Keqiang said the outline and draft formulation should take into account both the current situation and future.

It should cover the development of the next five years to link with the targets for 2035 proposed at the fifth plenary session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), he said, and make overall arrangements for economic recovery and consolidation in 2021 and 2022.

Premier Li said the draft should remain practical and realistic. Development targets for the 14th Five-year Plan should be pinned down scientifically, which should inspire the people with social consensus while leaving space for adjustment.

With a laudable economic base, China will make great achievements with stable economic development at a reasonable speed in the following five years, he noted.

Tasks and measures proposed, whether related to industry development or infrastructure consolidation, should be drafted in an aspiring, realistic, and clear manner, he said.

Premier Li said the draft should be better linked with special programs and regional planning across the board, and all departments concerned should take targets and tasks under control in a realistic, targeted, and forward-looking way and navigate regional authorities through scientific planning and concerted development.

The plan should deepen reform and opening-up to demonstrate China's determination, said Premier Li and the market should be allowed to play a decisive role in the allocation of resources.

To increase employment, promote innovation, create wealth and advance sustainable development, China should further its reform, and inspire vitality of market entities and social creativity, the Premier said.

Institutional innovation, Premier Li said, should better magnify the effect of government funds to guide the participation of private capital in major projects concerning people's livelihoods and expanding effective investment.

Based on expanding opening-up, Premier Li said the plan also should put forward more opening-up measures, improve the environment for foreign trade and investment, enhance international exchanges and cooperation, and promote win-win development.

He said China's development achievement in the past 40 years is a result of people’s long-time hard work, and next year, efforts should be made to consolidate economic recovery trends and keep the economy running at a reasonable range.

Vice-Premiers Sun Chunlan, Hu Chunhua, and State Councilors Wei Fenghe, Wang Yong, Wang Yi, Xiao Jie, and Zhao Kezhi attended the meeting.