The State Planning Commission, which set Soviet-style industry targets in the early 1950s, was eventually replaced by the National Development and Reform Commission. In addition to following the guidance of the Communist Party of China and drawing on the expertise of the ministries that comprise the State Council, the NDRC consults with outside academics and industry leaders.
China’s leaders are hard at work putting the finishing touches on the country’s 15th Five-Year Plan. Meanwhile, since the beginning of his second term, US President Donald Trump has issued a record 205 executive orders and signed only a handful of bills into law. The comparison is striking: While China has a strategic planning process, America has neither a plan nor a strategy.
The planning exercise is a foundational pillar of the People’s Republic of China. The first plan ran from 1953 until 1957 and was strongly influenced by Mao Zedong’s post-revolutionary relationship with Joseph Stalin. Over the ensuing years, the plans became more elaborate, as did the preparation process.
