With the goals and tasks of the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) accomplished or soon to be concluded and a moderately well-off society in all respects in the process of being realized, China has a firm foundation for the next stage of its development journey and the building of a modern socialist country by 2035.

Yet the profound changes and uncertainties in the development environment call for a deep understanding of the risks and challenges that the country faces, and the charting of a clear course to safely navigate them.

That's exactly what the Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China that concluded on Thursday in Beijing accomplished, with the proposals for economic and social development laid out in the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) adopted and the long-range objectives through the year 2035 outlined.

Notably, the top decision-makers still firmly believe that the country enjoys a period of important strategic opportunities now and for a certain period in the future, despite the storms that threaten to blow it off course.

That means China will continue to seek progress while maintaining stability, unswervingly promote further reform and opening-up, and adhere to its peaceful path prioritizing development.

Rather than being led astray by engaging in a head-on collision with the United States, the leadership sees the containment strategy that the US has been applying as a chance to identify where China's weaknesses are, and how much they may hinder its national rejuvenation if not addressed.

Although that might disappoint some in the country who have called for it to pick up the gauntlet thrown down by the US, it unequivocally shows that China's leadership remains clearheaded about the situation and what the country's priorities are.

China will respond to the provocations and aggression coming its way by doing its own tasks well, and by promoting peace and common development. With this in mind, innovation is to be at the core of the country's modernization drive, and self-reliance in science and technology is to be pursued to support national development, including the modernizing of its defense capabilities.

The plenum has sent the unmistakable message that the second-largest economy of the world will continue to sail on its charted course no matter what headwinds and side waves it might encounter.

And it has made clear that despite the complicated external situation and the arduous tasks of domestic reform, the country is confident that new and major achievements will be made in the years ahead as it gradually realizes national rejuvenation.