A Blueprint for a New Journey and Shared Prosperity through Cooperation Chinas Annual Two Sessions .

Inject New Momentum into China-Sierra Leone Cooperation

By H.E. Zhao Yong, Chinese Ambassador to Sierra Leone

Not long ago, Chinas “Two Sessions of 2026 the annual meetings of the National People's Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) concluded successfully in Beijing. NPC deputies and CPPCC members from all parts of the country and all walks of life gathered for this annual event, carrying the expectations of the people as they deliberated on the future of Chinas governance. The Two Sessions approved the Outline of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan (20262030) for National Economic and Social Development, setting the course for the crucial next five years in advancing Chinese modernization and injecting much-needed certainty into global peace and development. China has, in a world marked by change and turbulence, offered an answer that looks to the future and benefits the world one defined by unwavering strategic resolve, vibrant innovation, openness and inclusiveness befitting a major country, and steadfast commitment to improving peoples lives.

China's 15th Five-Year Plan strengthens the foundations of Chinese modernization. The Five-Year Plan is not only the golden key to Chinas development, but also a distinctive strength in modernizing national governance. It remains people-centered, takes high-quality development as its theme, and places new quality productive forces at the forefront. It coordinates effective qualitative improvement with reasonable quantitative growth, with priorities in innovation-driven development, public well-being, green and low-carbon transformation, and security. The Plan sets clear targets: cutting carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP by 17 percent over five years, raising the share of non-fossil energy to 25 percent, creating more than 50 million new urban jobs, increasing per capita disposable income by over 5 percent annually, and boosting total R&D spending by more than 7 percent a year. Taken together, these figures make one thing clear: Chinas new Plan is not about pursuing speed for its own sake, but about embedding high-quality development in a balanced framework of innovation, peoples well-being, green transition and security.

A new intelligent economy is taking shape, with scientific and technological innovation unlocking fresh drives of growth and injecting strong momentum into digital transformation. The Two Sessions made clear the need to foster new forms of the intelligent economy, to promote the deep integration of artificial intelligence across industries, and to develop intelligent computing clusters, industrial internet and the satellite internet, while making forward-looking arrangements for embodied intelligence, quantum technology and the low-altitude economy. By 2030, the value added of core digital economy industries is expected to account for 12.5 percent of GDP. The scale of AI-related industries is projected to exceed 10 trillion yuan, reshaping the drives of growth. Through digital technology, China is turning intelligent technologies into public goods for inclusive development, and helping countries of the Global South bridge the digital divide.

Institutional high-standard opening up: linking China with the world. Opening up is Chinas basic national policy and a defining feature of Chinese modernization. China's 15th Five-Year Plan remains committed to expanding institutional opening-up, steadily advancing alignment in rules, regulations, management and standards, pursuing high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and upholding an open world economy. China has announced that, from May 1, 2026, it will fully implement zero-tariff treatment for 53 African countries having diplomatic relations with China, using the subtraction of tariffs to bring about the addition of trade and the multiplication of livelihoods. As an important partner in the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and Belt and Road cooperation, Sierra Leone is among the first to benefit from easier access for exports to China, the value-added development of mineral resources, the development of free trade zones, and smoother logistics corridors. This will enable more livelihood projects to take root. China has been Sierra Leones largest trading partner for many years. In 2025, bilateral trade reached a record high of 16.32 billion yuan, underscoring the enormous scope and potential for future cooperation between our two countries.

A correct understanding of governance performance makes development more people-centered and more sustainable. The Two Sessions stressed the need to foster such an understanding of governance performance valuing hard work, real results, peoples well-being and long-term impact, and taking the peoples sense of gain, happiness and security as the yardstick. This means balancing immediately visible results with lasting foundations, balancing development and security, and balancing efficiency and fairness. China has always remained committed to development for the people and to sharing the fruits of development. This resonates strongly with Sierra Leones Big Five Game Changers, particularly its focus on youth employment, human capital development, technology and infrastructure, and public services.

The year 2026 marks the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Sierra Leone. It is also the 2026 China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges. The friendship between our two countries runs deep. Cooperation across various fields has borne rich fruit. The successful conclusion of China’s “Two Sessions” has sent a positive signal to African countries including Sierra Leone. As a Sierra Leonean proverb goes, “one finger cannot lift a stone”（Krio:Wan finger no da pik stone na grown）. China stands ready to work with Sierra Leone to strengthen high-level exchanges, deepen practical cooperation, and continue translating the certainty, openness and inclusiveness of China’s economic development into new opportunities, new outcomes and new benefits for China-Sierra Leone cooperation. Together, we will take the Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership between our two countries to new heights and deliver more tangible benefits to both countries and our two peoples.