The current situation in the Middle East is a cause for concern, adding further uncertainty to an already turbulent world. Flight cancellations, oil price fluctuations, and market volatility......these seemingly distant international developments have a direct impact on countries like the Maldives, whose economy is heavily dependent on tourism. No man is an isolated island, and this is truer than ever in today’s highly globalized world. With global markets and supply chains closely interconnected, a stable international environment, reliable partners, and a steady flow of tourists are of vital importance to the Maldives’ economic and social development as well as the well-being of its people.

Not long ago, China’s National Two Sessions convened in Beijing. As a key annual occasion for shaping the country’s development agenda, deputies and members from across the country engaged in in-depth deliberations on economic growth and the improvement of people’s livelihoods.This year’s Sessions were particularly significant: they reviewed and adopted the Outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development of the People’s Republic of China. Building on the achievements of the previous fourteen five-year plans, the new blueprint, for the first time, lays out a systematic pathway for China to basically realise socialist modernisation and advance toward becoming a moderately developed country.It not only sets the direction for China’s development over the next five years, but also offers much-needed certainty and confidence to a world marked by growing volatility.

Five-year plans constitute a key institutional strength underpinning China’s long-term stable development and remarkable achievements recognised worldwide. In the past, China “could not manufacture a single car, airplane, tank, or tractor”; today, it witnesses “rapid advances in large AI models,” “humanoid robots demonstrating their ‘kung fu mode,’” and “innovation that fosters new quality productive forces and enriches people’s lives in diverse ways.” From the early days of the People’s Republic, when everything had to be rebuilt from scratch, to the great transformations of the new era, each five-year plan has connected the chapters of endeavor across different periods, with a consistent theme of building China into a modern socialist country.

Through the unremitting efforts of fourteen five-year plans (up to the end of the 14th Five-Year Plan in 2025), China’s economy has achieved rapid growth. In 2025, China’s GDP exceeded 140 trillion yuan, while the country realised the historic eradication of absolute poverty, completed the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and entered a new stage toward common prosperity. Average life expectancy has risen to over 79 years, and China’s economic strength, scientific and technological capability, national defense strength, and overall national strength have reached new heights. In particular, during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, China withstood the severe impact of a once-in-a-century pandemic, achieved an average annual economic growth rate of 5.4 per cent, and contributed around 30 per cent of global economic growth. With its development achievements, China has become a reliable engine and stabiliser of the world economy.

China’s development has also created new opportunities for countries around the world, including the Maldives. Take tourism as an example: in 2025, China’s outbound tourist trips exceeded 160 million, with more than 320,000 Chinese tourists visiting the Maldives, making China the largest source of tourists for the country. Since the beginning of this year, the number of Chinese tourists to the Maldives has maintained strong growth momentum—so far, it had exceeded 86,464 arrivals, representing a year-on-year increase of 30 per cent. It reflects the solid foundation of China’s people-centered development, the steady growth of residents’ disposable income, and the continuous enhancement of consumption capacity. They also demonstrate that Chinese modernisation is generating tangible development dividends and driving shared development with other countries.

Looking ahead, the full implementation of the 15th Five-Year Plan will open up broader prospects for practical cooperation between China and the Maldives and further strengthen the bonds of friendship between the two countries. The Plan emphasises building a modern industrial system led by new quality productive forces, vigorously developing emerging industries and laying out future-oriented industries, including areas of particular interest to the Maldives such as digital infrastructure, modernisation of tropical agriculture, marine economic development, and the transition to green and new energy. The highly aligned development needs of the two countries provide a solid foundation for practical cooperation across various fields, and the vast potential for cooperation will continue to be unleashed.

The 15th Five-Year Plan is both an economic and a social development plan. It clearly emphasises that accelerating the establishment of a new development paradigm is essentially about strengthening the domestic economic cycle, continuously fostering China’s super-large market, promoting the growth of residents’ incomes in step with economic development, and steadily enhancing consumption capacity. When China’s 1.4 billion people as a whole enter the ranks of moderately developed countries, this vast market—larger than the total population of all current developed countries combined—will provide the Maldives with a stable and highly promising source of tourists, inject sustained momentum into its tourism sector and economic diversification, and further highlight the people-centered nature of China–Maldives cooperation.

The Plan reaffirms China’s commitment to advancing high-standard opening-up, adhering to the principle of mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, and sincerely welcoming all countries to board the fast train of China’s development, share opportunities, and achieve common development. China has put forward four global initiatives, providing strong theoretical and institutional support for high-standard opening-up: the Global Development Initiative, which steers global development toward a new stage of balanced, coordinated, and inclusive growth; the Global Security Initiative, which adheres to the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable security; the Global Civilization Initiative, which stays committed to the principle that cultural exchanges transcend estrangement, mutual learning transcends clashes, and inclusiveness transcends feelings of superiority; and the Global Governance Initiative, which upholds extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits to advance global governance in a more just and equitable direction. These initiatives resonate with China’s opening-up practices and point the way forward for China and the Maldives to work together on the international stage.

We have no fear of the floating clouds obscuring our vision, for we stand at the highest height. China and the Maldives enjoy a profound foundation and broad prospects for friendly cooperation. The building of a China–Maldives community with a shared future is yielding fruitful results. The key to further deepening and expanding this cooperation lies in enhancing synergy between China’s 15th Five-Year Plan and the Maldives’ 2040 Vision, ensuring that the two countries move forward in alignment with shared development goals.

Modernisation will not fall into our lap; it must be achieved through our historical initiative. A bright future requires unity, dedication, and hard work today. China stands ready to continue supporting the Maldives with its own stable development, work hand in hand to deepen practical cooperation across all fields, enrich the China–Maldives comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, ensure that the fruits of cooperation better benefit both peoples, and jointly write a new chapter of friendship and common development.