Seminar on “China’s Economic Development Experience and the Guiding Principles of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee” by Mr. Zeng Zheng

July 8, 2026    Reading Time: 3 minutes

Reading Time: 3 min read

On 7th July 2026, Mr. Zeng Zheng, Director and Research Fellow of the Market Research Institute at the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) of China delivered a seminar on “China’s Economic Development Experience and the Guiding Principles of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee” at the Lighthouse Auditorium. The seminar was organized by the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies (LKIIRSS) and the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China. 

Mr. Zeng Zheng was accompanied by a visiting delegation of Chinese experts, Mr. Yang Ji, Vice President of Yunnan Provincial Party School (Yunnan Academy of Governance), Ms. Zheng Wenjie, Deputy Director of the Planning and Research Division, Centre for International Exchanges, International Department Central Committee of the CPC (IDCPC) and Mr. Wang Haopeng, Staff Member, Centre for International  Exchanges IDCPC and representatives from the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Sri Lanka, Counsellor Mr. Mei Jin and Third Secretary, Mr. Jin Enze. The event brought together members of the diplomatic corps, government officials, researchers, academics, and students to inspire discussions around economic development experiences and governance practices relevant to small states such as Sri Lanka. 

Outlining China’s historic leaps in overall economic strength over the years, Mr. Zheng highlighted that China remained the key driver of global economic growth, contributing to around 30% of world GDP. He also emphasized that the per capita GDP of China rose by 1.47%, drawing its middle-income threshold close to that of high-income countries. 

Mr. Zheng attributed these achievements to the nation’s value-added manufacturing efforts in energy vehicles, industrial robots and lithium battery production, which gave it a competitive edge over other markets. 

He also credited the digital economy for generating over RMB 60 trillion yuan in 2025, and non-fossil fuel-oriented initiatives that greatly enhanced the share of clean energy in Total Energy Consumption to 14.5% in 2025.

Mr. Zheng placed special emphasis on China’s success in alleviating poverty, noting that by 2025, impoverished rural populations were lifted out of absolute poverty. 

He associated this breakthrough with urbanization mechanisms such as reforms to household registrations, which enabled over 100 million rural migrants to settle in cities and have access to state-of-the-art public services in education and medical care.

Speaking about elements of the Chinese economic and social development policy that Sri Lanka could emulate, Mr. Zheng emphasized China’s people-centric approach that prioritizes social welfare, and an innovation-driven system that streamlines economic processes by leveraging digitization and sci-tech.

In response to queries around the future of Sri Lanka-China cooperation, Mr. Zheng emphasized that, “China’s 15th Five Year Plan, between 2026-2030 aims to promote high quality development in Sri Lanka guided by the ‘Chinese path to modernization’.”

As Sri Lanka continues to engage with China under the Belt and Road initiative, he also stressed that, “The people to people exchanges and technological diffusion into Sri Lanka’s agricultural sector will guarantee mutual economic benefits.”

A Q&A session moderated by Ms. Nillasi Liyanage, Senior Research Fellow at LKI, featuring Mr. Zheng further delineated strategies to elevate Sri Lanka’s position as an emerging economy in the Asian region. 

He concluded that, “Developing countries can draw lessons from China’s economic model by building connectivity infrastructure first, then tapping into the potential of local deep-processing industries to reduce reliance on raw materials trade.” 

The participants of the event had the opportunity to engage with the visiting Chinese expert and reflect on lessons that Sri Lanka could draw from the Chinese economic development model. Discussions revolved around strengthening policy implementation and long-term strategic economic planning to ensure sustained economic development within Sri Lanka.