China’s top leaders are meeting this week to set a course for the country’s economic and social development in the near and longer term. This comes as it emerges from a devastating pandemic and braces for a decoupling with the United States. Investors, environmentalists and China watchers will be tuning in as the leadership endorses its next five-year plan and an even bigger blueprint that will guide them to 2035.

“I think the Chinese government will emphasise the diversification of trade partners and attract non-US foreign trade investments,” said Assistant Professor Dr Lee Jonghyuk, who studies Chinese politics and economy at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. “However, the trade diversification, mainly through the Belt and Road Initiative, was significantly limited by the pandemic and global recession,” he added.