At Beijing’s National Day eve reception, the president urged high-quality development and full-year targets. The published speech named no model, no compute figure and no regulatory action.
President Xi Jinping on Wednesday linked innovation-driven growth to a sound opening of the 15th Five-Year Plan, speaking at a reception for the 77th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China. No model. No compute target. No regulatory step.
The address came at the Great Hall of the People on Sept. 30, the eve of National Day. China’s National Day falls on Oct. 1. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivered the speech. Premier Li Qiang presided. Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, Li Xi and Han Zheng attended with around 800 guests, Xinhua reported.
For executives mapping the plan years 2026-2030, the economic passage is the operative one. Since the beginning of this year, Xi said, the Chinese economy has continued to progress despite mounting pressure and achieved innovation-driven and high-quality development, demonstrating strong resilience and vitality. Efforts should be made to sustain that momentum, promote innovation-driven, high-quality and sound economic development, take practical steps to safeguard and improve people’s livelihoods, and meet the targets and tasks set for the year, so as to ensure a good start to the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), he said.
China Daily carried a close rendering. The economy has continued to advance despite pressures, making progress in innovation-led and high-quality development while demonstrating strong resilience and vitality. The entire Party and the nation, Xi said, have forged ahead, formulating and implementing the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), making solid progress across fields and responding to risks and challenges. New progress has been made in the cause of the Party and the country.
The published text stops there. Xinhua’s authorized speech, released the same day, and the English wires that followed it do not mention artificial intelligence models, computing capacity, chips or a new rule. Innovation is a direction of growth. It is not itemized.
The Chinese text, also carried on the central government site, says the economy has advanced under pressure and moved toward what official English accounts call the new and the high-quality. Facing complex international and domestic conditions, work should hold to seeking progress while ensuring stability, apply the new development concept in full, speed construction of a new development pattern, deepen reform and opening up, and coordinate development with security. Livelihoods sit in that sequence. So do the year’s targets. A good start to the plan comes after both.
Reuters quoted Xi on the operating principle. “In the face of a complex and intricate international and domestic environment, we must uphold the general principle of pursuing progress while ensuring stability,” he said. The economy, he said, has shown “strong resilience and vitality.” China should “effectively safeguard and improve people’s well-being and strive to accomplish the year’s targets and tasks.”
Xi set the longer record before the plan language. Over 77 years, he said, the Party has led the Chinese people in two miracles: rapid economic growth and enduring social stability. China has reached the first centenary goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and is moving toward the second, a great modern socialist country in all respects, China Daily reported. The system of socialism with Chinese characteristics has shown strengths through long practice, and governance capacity has kept improving, he said.
“We take immense pride in the extraordinary achievements of New China and have full confidence in the bright prospects of Chinese modernization,” he said, in Xinhua’s English account. China Daily’s line is close, not identical: “At this moment, we are immensely proud of the remarkable achievements of New China and fully confident in the bright prospects for Chinese modernization.”
“The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is unstoppable,” Xi said. “As long as we remain confident, stay focused on our goals and move forward steadily, step by step, success will ultimately belong to the great CPC, the great Chinese people and the great People’s Republic of China.”
China Daily’s closing differs by a word and a name. Success, in that version, will “surely” belong to the great Communist Party of China, the great Chinese people and the great People’s Republic of China.
Developers and operators looking for a procurement signal, a standards notice or a licensing shift will not find one here. The reception is annual. Xi routinely attends, Reuters noted. This year’s economic instruction stays at the level of direction: keep the momentum, finish the year, open the plan well.
The rest of the address turned to territory and foreign policy. Xi stressed the policy of “one country, two systems,” under which the people of Hong Kong administer Hong Kong, the people of Macao administer Macao, and both regions enjoy a high degree of autonomy. The central government will support Hong Kong and Macao in integrating more fully into national development and remains committed to their long-term prosperity and stability, he said.
On Taiwan, he called for deeper exchanges across the strait, a resolute fight against secessionist forces seeking “Taiwan independence,” opposition to external interference, and peaceful development of cross-Strait relations to advance national reunification. Reuters quoted him directly. China should “promote the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations and advance the great cause of national reunification,” he said.
Abroad, China will stick to an independent foreign policy of peace, advance the four major global initiatives it has proposed, and promote a community with a shared future for humanity, so as to contribute greater certainty and positive energy to a turbulent world, Xi said, according to Xinhua.
CCTV+ carried the same economic line in its reception script: innovation-driven and high-quality development, then a good start to the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030). Nothing on models. Nothing on compute. Nothing on a rule.
The toast closed the hall. The authorized text has Xi raising a glass to the 77th anniversary, to China’s prosperity and the people’s well-being, to friendship with other countries, and to the health of the guests.
For a technology desk, the record is narrow. Innovation-driven growth is the phrase attached to 2026 and to the plan’s opening. The mechanism is not in this speech.