China is signaling it will stay focused on technology and economic growth, even as U.S. tensions with Iran rise. On Thursday, China’s parliament approved a new five-year plan that puts advances in technology at the center. The plan backs big spending on areas like artificial intelligence and robotics.
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Here's how to do itAn effort to remedy harm from a race-based kidney test helps Black patients seeking transplantsA service dog named Alfred sparked a Lyft settlement in Minnesota with nationwide reachWhere is Rachael Ray now? She says she's thrivingPope announces resignation of US bishop accused of embezzling $270K from California parishMandatario norcoreano Kim Jong Un observa pruebas de misiles de crucero con su hija Here's how to do itAn effort to remedy harm from a race-based kidney test helps Black patients seeking transplantsA service dog named Alfred sparked a Lyft settlement in Minnesota with nationwide reachWhere is Rachael Ray now? She says she's thrivingPope announces resignation of US bishop accused of embezzling $270K from California parishMandatario norcoreano Kim Jong Un observa pruebas de misiles de crucero con su hijaDelegates leave after the closing ceremony of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference , in Beijing, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. A delegate holds up a red folder as she leaves after the closing ceremony of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference , in Beijing, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. Delegates leave after the closing ceremony of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference , in Beijing, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. Delegates leave after the closing ceremony of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference , in Beijing, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. A delegate holds up a red folder as she leaves after the closing ceremony of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference , in Beijing, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. A delegate holds up a red folder as she leaves after the closing ceremony of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference , in Beijing, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. doesn’t care about the war and its impact on energy supplies and geopolitics. But for the world’s second largest economy, its growing rivalry with the United States revolves around a different battle: the development of the cutting-edge technologies shaping the 21st century., the nation’s biggest political event of the year. If anything, China is doubling down on a push to transform its economy and be at the forefront of technology. State media described China’s determination to stay the course on economic development as a force for stability in an uncertain world. “A stable and developing China injects more stability and certainty into a world fraught with change and turbulence,” the official People’s Daily newspaper said in a front-page column on Wednesday. Other state-media echoed that view.to Iran are shaking up the global order that has governed international relations in the post-World War II era. China publicly defends that system, while calling for making it more equitable to reflect the interests of developing countries as well as rich ones. Trump is due to visit Beijing in three weeks to hold talks with his counterpart, Chinese leader Xi Jinping., at its closing session. The votes are ceremonial and nearly unanimous, designed to show unity behind the ruling Communist Party’s vision for the nation. The five-year plan was approved with 2,758 votes in favor, one against, and two abstentions. China’s leaders agree in concept, but the five-year plan puts technology front and center, confirming it remains the top priority. Analysts expect any steps to boost consumption to happen only gradually, such as expanding social security and health care benefits, while government funds are poured into artificial intelligence, robotics and other areas.of 4.5% to 5% for 2026 at the start of the Congress, a level that gives the government more leeway to focus on the longer-term goals of the five-year plan rather than meeting a higher target this year.The five-year plan doesn’t pledge to reduce carbon emissions overall, but only to reduce “emissions intensity” — how much pollutants are emitted relative to the size of the economy. That means emissions could still grow as the economy does. The target for a reduction in intensity was set at 17%, a level that could allow emissions to rise 3% or more, analysts said. “International good practice is to move away from intensity targets towards absolute emission reduction targets,” said Niklas Hohne of the NewClimate Institute in Germany.and its rapid expansion in solar and other clean energies may drive emissions down anyway. The country is the world’s No. 1 emitter of greenhouse gases, but leaders have long argued that the size of its population and economy must be considered when evaluating its pollution levels.The government said it is meant to foster a stronger sense of community and shared economic development among its ethnic groups. The law encapsulates an approach under Xi that has promoted unity over ethnic cultures and their languages. “It puts a death nail in the party’s original promise of meaningful autonomy,” said James Leibold, a professor at Australia’s LaTrobe University who has studied China’s changing policies towards its ethnic minorities.Formal proposals and other suggestions to reduce work hours in a variety of ways were among those that got the most attention on social media during this year’s Congress. Many focused on a “right to rest,” including calls to give employees the right not to respond to work messages after hours. Many Chinese workers get only five days of paid vacation a year. Yu Miaojie, an economist and deputy to the Congress, proposed raising the minimum statutory annual leave from five to 10 days.in China. Giving workers more leisure time is also seen as a way to boost consumption by giving them more free time to spend.Moritsugu covers political, economic and social issues from Beijing for The Associated Press. He has also reported from New Delhi, Bangkok and Tokyo and is the AP’s former news director for Greater China and for Japan and the Koreas.
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