As the fog surrounding the global economy has yet to completely dissipate, China’s 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) is poised to embark on its journey. This blueprint, currently being drawn up, uses “cultivating the global consumer market” and “high-quality export of Chinese products” as its two wings, driving the giant ship of China forward and injecting a continuous stream of certainty into the global economic recovery.
Cultivating a Global Consumer Market: From “World Factory” to “World Supermarket”
China’s market is evolving into a “supermarket” that gathers the best products from around the world with unprecedented openness. The China International Import Expo (CIIE), held in Shanghai, is not only an annual trade and economic event but also a regular platform for the launch of new global products. From New Zealand dairy products to Spanish ham, from high-end precision instruments from Germany to specialty fruits from Southeast Asia, the hundreds of billions of dollars in intended transactions signed at each CIIE are the most direct reflection of the purchasing power of the Chinese market. It is estimated that during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, the number of overseas brands entering the Chinese market through the CIIE will increase by more than 30%.
Every winter, tens of thousands of tons of Chilean cherries reach ordinary Chinese households via efficient cold chain logistics. This is the result of deep cooperation between Chinese cross-border e-commerce platforms and global origins, creating a 72-hour express delivery experience “from tree to tongue.” This model is being replicated for more products, such as Thai durians and Mexican avocados, making “globalization of the palate” possible for Chinese consumers.
In Shanghai’s Taikoo Li, you can witness the debut of globally limited-edition sports cars; at Beijing’s SKP, top international luxury brands create exclusive products for the Chinese market; and in Guangzhou’s Pazhou e-commerce center, countless emerging overseas brands are testing the waters of the Chinese market through live-streaming e-commerce. These cities, with their enormous consumption capacity and cutting-edge trend sensitivity, are becoming important forces defining global consumption trends.
Chinese products going global: A value leap from “manufacturing” to “intelligent manufacturing”
The story of “Made in China” is shifting from “price advantage” to “value recognition,” with a number of Chinese brands becoming darlings of the global market. BYD electric vehicles have already entered the streets of automotive powerhouses like Japan and Germany, while NIO’s battery swapping station network in Norway and Germany represents the export of an infrastructure standard and business model. These are vivid examples of China’s role in leading the global energy transition with green technology during the 15th Five-Year Plan period.
In recent years, China has witnessed a surge in overseas expansion driven by both technology and culture. Fast fashion brand SHEIN, leveraging its flexible supply chain, responds with astonishing speed to the fashion demands of Generation Z globally, achieving a leading position in the North American market. Meanwhile, TikTok Shop has successfully replicated China’s live-streaming e-commerce model in Southeast Asia, the UK, and the US, creating new growth channels for small and medium-sized businesses worldwide and becoming a model of integrated cultural dissemination and commercial monetization. Anta Group, through acquisitions and independent research and development, has built a brand portfolio covering everything from professional sports to outdoor fashion; its “Champion Dragon Suit,” designed for the Beijing Winter Olympics podium, stunned the world.
Furthermore, DJI’s drone products occupy the vast majority of the global consumer drone market share. From Hollywood film shooting to wildlife conservation in Africa, from farmland surveying in Ukraine to power line inspection in Brazil, China’s “eyes in the sky” are improving productivity and creativity in various industries around the world.
China’s economic engine: A “Chinese solution” providing stability and new momentum.
The Chinese market serves as a stable “demand anchor.” According to Sheng Qiuping, Vice Minister of Commerce, China has remained the world’s second-largest import market for 16 consecutive years, and imports of goods and services are projected to exceed US$15 trillion during the 14th Five-Year Plan period. With a middle-income group exceeding 800 million in the next decade or so, this established mega-market provides global businesses with the confidence to navigate economic cycles.
China has established an efficient “supply chain network”: from the Yangtze River Delta to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, China’s well-developed industrial clusters and logistics network can quickly transform global ideas into products and efficiently distribute them to every corner of the world, ensuring the efficiency of the global economy.
From a cherry in a Chilean orchard to a Chinese electric car speeding along a German highway; from a cutting-edge piece of equipment at the Shanghai International Import Expo to a Chinese beauty product in the hands of a young person in New York—during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, China, with its profound market potential and surging innovative vitality, is weaving an inseparable global network of shared interests. A China that is steadfastly forging ahead on the path of high-quality development and continuously surpassing itself through win-win cooperation with the world remains, and will continue to be, the most reliable engine of the world’s economic machine.
