China's 13th Five-Year Plan is one to watch

For thousands of years, China's hierarchical society has emphasised the need to maintain social and political stability. Yet, China's earliest philosophers recognized that "change" is the only constant. So, throughout Chinese history rulers have done their best to control change by creating precise guidelines for both the rulers and the ruled. In modern times, this philosophy has manifested most obviously in China's Five-Year Plans. Since the early 1950s, China's Five-Year Plans have traditionally served as a blueprint for the implementation of governmental policy at all levels. On 29 October 2015, the Communist Party of China adopted a proposal on China's 13th Five-Year Plan, covering 2016 to 2020. The 13th Five-Year Plan will be released by the Chinese government in the first quarter of 2016. It will set out the Chinese government's overarching strategy and targets for economic and social development during the next 5 years, and in the process seek to control change