By Héribert-Label Élisée Adjovi
INTRODUCTION The 4th Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) is part of a highly structured political sequence, positioned midway between the 20th Party Congress (Sunday, October 16 to Saturday, October 22, 2022) and the launch of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development (Tuesday, October 20 to Thursday, October 23, 2025). It serves as a strategic pivot, consolidating the achievements of “socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era” and preparing the conditions for modernization by 2035.
The final communiqué, dense and foundational, reaffirms the core tenets of the Chinese model: the centrality of the Party under the leadership and thought of General Secretary Xi Jinping, the primacy of the People, high-quality development, reform and opening-up, integrated security, sovereign innovation, and proactive diplomacy. It outlines the contours of an alternative paradigm to Western modernization, rooted in planning, resilience, and sovereignty. In an international context marked by uncertainty, geopolitical tensions, and fractures in multilateralism, the plenum offers a systemic vision of governance, linking internal transformation with global influence. It provides countries of the Global South in general—and African nations in particular—with a strategic framework and an opportunity for cooperation based on complementarity and respect for national trajectories.
Chinese-Style Modernization: An Alternative Paradigm The plenum reaffirms that Chinese modernization cannot be modeled on Western frameworks. It rests on five pillars: CPC leadership, people’s well-being, high-quality development, technological autonomy, and comprehensive security. The Communist Party of China retains a monopoly on power while adapting market mechanisms to its political objectives. As such, it guarantees stability, social cohesion, and development. China prioritizes “high-quality development,” based on innovation, industrial upgrading, ecological transition, and technological self-reliance. The goal is to reduce vulnerabilities to external pressures. Ultimately, Chinese-style modernization aims to improve people’s well-being: social security, education, health, housing, and employment. Development is conceived as a lever for territorial and social equity, seeking to avoid social fractures while maintaining sustained growth. This model combines ethical planning, technological innovation, social inclusion, and political sovereignty. It offers a development path tailored to the realities of the Global South while redefining the norms of global governance.
Performance of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021–2025) China’s 14th Five-Year Plan has achieved remarkable milestones: - The Chinese economy grew by over 35 trillion yuan (approx. USD 4.9 trillion), accounting for about 30% of global growth annually. - The added value of the manufacturing sector exceeded 30 trillion yuan (approx. USD 4.2 trillion) annually, maintaining its global leadership for 15 consecutive years. - In 2024, for the first time in modern Chinese history, grain production surpassed 700 million tons. Per capita grain availability reached 500 kg, exceeding the internationally recognized food security threshold of 400 kg per person. - The number of people covered by China’s basic pension insurance reached 1.072 billion, with coverage rising from 91% to over 95%. - Average life expectancy in China reached 79 years, increasing by one year with each five-year plan since the 12th Plan. - Over 10,000 new high-speed rail lines were launched. Today, China’s high-speed rail network is twice the length of all others combined. - Four Chinese sites were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List: Quanzhou (Fujian Province), the ancient tea forests of Jingmai Mountain in Pu’er (Yunnan Province), the Central Axis of Beijing, and the Western Xia Imperial Tombs (Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region). - Chinese athletes won 519 world championship titles and set 68 world records. - Forest coverage in China now exceeds 25%, with new forested areas equivalent to the entire Shaanxi Province. China ranks first globally in forest coverage growth, contributing a quarter of the world’s new forest area.
Integrated Security and Preventive Governance The 4th Plenum adopted a holistic approach to security, encompassing food, energy, technology, environment, ideology, and military domains. It calls for anticipatory governance capable of preventing systemic risks in an increasingly uncertain international environment. Preventive governance thus becomes a central pillar. The CPC advocates: - Strengthening early warning mechanisms; - Anticipating vulnerabilities in supply chains; - Securing critical infrastructure (digital, logistical, energy). Integrated security and preventive governance represent China’s response to 21st-century challenges. They reflect a desire for control, foresight, and sovereignty in a fragmented and uncertain world. This paradigm offers the Global South—and African nations in particular—an alternative to Western security dependency, grounded in planning, cooperation, and resilience.
Technology and Innovation as Levers of Sovereignty Technological autonomy is now a strategic imperative. The plenum calls for accelerating fundamental research, securing critical supply chains (semiconductors, AI, renewable energy, biotechnology), and strengthening national capacities in cybersecurity and defense through: - Development of autonomous systems (cloud, OS, AI); - Protection of strategic data; - Reinforcement of cyber defense capabilities; - Regulation of digital platforms and algorithms. The 4th Plenum reaffirms that innovation lies at the core of high-quality development. It is conceived not only as a driver of growth but also as a tool for national resilience. In this regard, China asserts its global leadership in 5G and industrial robotics, makes breakthroughs in quantum computing and semiconductors, and dominates the global solar and battery markets. Technology is positioned as a lever of sovereignty, power, and resilience. China proposes an alternative model in which innovation is regulated, purpose-driven, and aligned with national interests. This paradigm offers countries of the Global South a path toward independent, cooperative, and strategic technological development.
Proactive Diplomacy and Reform of Global Governance China presents its model as an alternative for developing countries. It emphasizes South-South cooperation, respect for national trajectories, and reform of the international system by promoting “Chinese solutions” to global challenges. The Plenum calls for a more inclusive diplomacy, particularly toward the Global South, through the promotion of: - Respect for national development paths - Transfer of know-how and infrastructure - Cultural and educational diplomacy The communiqué critiques containment strategies, ideological blocs, and confrontational logic. China calls for moving beyond Cold War divisions to build a more equitable, multipolar, and inclusive world order. Strategic Message: China positions itself as a reformer—not a disruptor—of the international system. It proposes alternatives to Western norms across several domains: - Development: A model of planned and sovereign growth - Security: An integrated and preventive approach - Technology: South-South cooperation and shared innovation - Governance: Reform of multilateral institutions (UN, WTO, IMF)
Opportunities for Africa: The Plenum encourages strengthening Sino-African partnerships based on strategic complementarity, co-development, and multilateral reform. Recommendations for African stakeholders: - Observe the evolution of the Chinese model as a source of inspiration for sovereign development trajectories - Reinforce bilateral and multilateral cooperation mechanisms with China, especially in technology, education, and environmental sectors - Anticipate the geopolitical repercussions of Chinese modernization on regional and global balances China’s proactive diplomacy aims to reshape global governance around principles of sovereignty, equity, and cooperation. It offers countries of the Global South—and African nations in particular—an alternative to dominant paradigms, grounded in mutual respect, complementarity, and co-construction. The 4th Plenum confirms this ambition by linking diplomacy, development, and security within a systemic vision.
CONCLUSION The 4th Plenum of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China marks a strategic turning point in China’s trajectory toward socialist modernization by 2035. Through its communiqué, the CPC reaffirms its commitment to steering high-quality development based on innovation, integrated security, and preventive governance.
This Plenum reinforces the centrality of the Party as the architect of national transformation while consolidating the pillars of an alternative model to Western modernization. It articulates technological sovereignty, social inclusion, systemic resilience, and proactive diplomacy within a coherent and planned vision.
On the international stage, China positions itself as a force for reform and stabilization, offering “Chinese solutions” to global challenges and strengthening partnerships with the Global South. The Plenum thus outlines the contours of a multipolar world order founded on sovereignty, complementarity, and cooperation.
For actors in the Global South—and African countries in particular—this political moment presents a strategic opportunity: to rethink development models, strengthen cooperation mechanisms with China, and engage in the co-construction of a renewed multilateralism.
Héribert-Label Élisée ADJOVII Governor of the Pan-African Magazine of Diplomacy and International Relations “Le Label Diplomatique” Chairman of the Xi'an Think Tank for Sino-African Cooperation and Development