"National Development Planning Law" Officially Implemented - Five-Year Plans Now Have Legal Safeguards

[Caixin] After three reviews by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, the “National Development Planning Law of the People’s Republic of China” was submitted for review at the Fourth Session of the 14th National People’s Congress, passed by vote, and officially implemented on March 12, 2026. The Party Group of the National Development and Reform Commission stated that this marks an important milestone in the construction of the planning system and opens a new chapter in the rule of law leading and safeguarding the strategic guidance role of national development plans.

Guiding economic and social development through five-year plan outlines has been China’s customary practice for over 70 years. On March 5, Vice Chairman Li Hongzhong of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress explained the draft to the Fourth Session of the 14th National People’s Congress, stating that the National Development Planning Law is based on the Constitution and is the basic law regulating the formulation and ensuring the implementation of national development plans. The law aims to summarize successful experiences in national development planning, especially since the new era, based on the Constitution, and to improve the rule of law in the processes of drafting, reviewing, approving, implementing, and supervising national development plans. It seeks to better leverage the strategic guiding role of development plans and to better utilize the advantages of the national system and governance efficiency.