On the Plan | China takes meeting its development goals 'very seriously,' says professor

As China enters its 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), Michael Greenstone, professor at the University of Chicago, highlighted the nation's technological leadership and its commitment to sustainable development as defining features of its economic prospects.

In an interview at the China Development Forum (CDF) 2026, the scholar noted that China has moved to the "frontier" of many global technologies over the past five to 10 years. "I'd be interested to see if that continues," Greenstone said, adding that this push has already produced significant advances for both China and the world.

Greenstone emphasized that China's war on pollution has yielded tangible benefits, citing improvements in air quality as evidence of these achievements. He pointed out that under the 15th Five-Year Plan, China has set stricter standards for pollution control and remains focused on peaking carbon emissions.

"I think the key message of the CDF is that China is feeling very confident about many of the areas in which they've made a lot of progress," Greenstone observed.

He was particularly struck by the stability of the Chinese governance model, noting that when the government sets a goal, it takes meeting that target "very seriously," even if the process spans many years.

Greenstone suggested that affordable Chinese products are now instrumental in helping other countries meet their energy needs. “I think there are now opportunities to purchase Chinese products that are very inexpensive and can help with countries' energy needs.” He added that China has a significant opportunity in the next five years fully embrace environmental markets in a way that would help balance China's need for continued rapid economic growth while making continued environmental improvements.

"China has exported its technologies. There is no better tool out there. I think other countries would follow China's way," Greenstone said.