China's 12th Five-Year Plan Outline: Highlights

China’s 12th Five-Year Plan Outline (2011-2015), announced by the National People’s Congress (NPC) in March 2011, is a blueprint that maps China’s economic and social developments over the period of 2011 to 2015. It sets various goals and gives directions of development. It is apparent that China has become the world’s second largest economy in terms of economic volume. What’s more important for the world is to know what China is planning for the future. This report looks at the highlights of the 12th Five-Year Plan Outline, focusing on China's GDP and income growth, economic transformation and reform, development of new industries and services, trade and investment, regional development, urbanization, rural modernization, environmental protection and improvement of social welfare that will be achieved to make China a moderately prosperous society by 2020.