As 2026 kicks off, China’s President Xi Jinping delivered a power-packed New Year address that does more than wish 'Happy New Year' — it charts a roadmap for the nation’s next big leap. 🎉
The speech marked the finish line of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021–2025) and the starting gun of the 15th (2026–2030), laying out big goals and fresh priorities:
- 140 trillion yuan GDP target: China’s economy is eyeing new heights, pushing past the 140T yuan (about $20T) milestone.
- Tech takeover: From humanoid robots 🤖 to the Tianwen-2 mission 🚀, innovation is front and center.
- Cultural comeback: Blockbusters like "Black Myth: Wukong" and "Nezha 2" are fueling a homegrown pop-culture wave.
- People-first: A focus on social welfare and everyday quality of life keeps citizens in the spotlight.
For young pros across South and Southeast Asia, this tech-cultural push means more opportunities for collaboration in AI, space research, and pop culture exchange. Keep an eye out for rising innovations and cross-border creative partnerships! 🌐💡
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
