China has positioned itself as a force for global stability at its annual congress

Beijing — Although much of the world’s attention is on the Iran war, that has not stopped China from moving forward with national priorities with global implications.

China does not care about war and its influence on energy supply and geopolitics. But for the world’s second-largest economy, its growing rivalry with the United States revolves around a different battle: the development of cutting-edge technologies that will shape the 21st century.

That message came in a five-year plan formally approved Thursday by the National People’s Congress at the end of its annual meeting, the nation’s biggest political event of the year. If anything, China is doubling down on pressure to transform its economy and stay at the forefront of technology. State media have described China’s determination to stay on the path of economic development as a force of stability in an uncertain world.

“A stable and developing China will inject more stability and certainty into a world full of change and turmoil,” the official People’s Daily newspaper said in a front-page column on Wednesday. Other state-run media echoed that view.

Commentaries and official statements did not mention US President Donald Trump, whose tariffs and use of military force from Venezuela to Iran are shaking the global order that has governed international relations in the post-World War II era. China publicly defends the system while calling for it to be made more equal to reflect the interests of developing countries and rich countries.

Trump will visit Beijing in three weeks to hold talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

The National People’s Congress rubber-stamped three laws in its closing session, including one governing ethnic minorities. The votes were ceremonial and almost unanimous, designed to show unity behind the ruling Communist Party’s vision for the nation. The Five Year Plan was passed with 2,758 votes in favour, one against and two abstentions.

“We are forging ahead at full speed in building a great country,” Foreign Minister Wang Yi told an annual news conference during the congress.

Many economists believe China needs to do more to put more money in the hands of consumers to boost domestic spending and reduce its reliance on export-led growth.

China’s leaders agree on the concept, but the five-year plan puts technology front and center, ensuring it remains a top priority. Analysts say any measures to boost consumption will happen gradually, such as expanding Social Security and health care benefits, while government money pours into artificial intelligence, robotics and other areas.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang announced an economic growth target of 4.5% to 5% for 2026 at the start of the congress, giving the government more room to focus on the longer-term goals of the five-year plan rather than hitting a higher target this year.

The five-year plan does not pledge to reduce overall carbon emissions, but only to reduce “emissions intensity” — how many pollutants are emitted relative to the size of the economy. That means emissions can still grow as the economy does.

The intensity reduction target is set at 17%, which would allow emissions to rise by 3% or more, analysts said. “International best practice is to move from intensity targets towards absolute emission reduction targets,” said Niklas Höhne of Germany’s Nuclimat Institute.

China has a history of setting conservative targets, and its rapid expansion in solar and other clean energy may reduce emissions anyway. The country is world no. 1 is an emitter of greenhouse gases, but leaders have long argued that its population size and economy should be considered when evaluating its pollution levels.

A sweeping ethnic minority law passed by Congress reinforces what critics say emphasizes the creation of a “common sense of the Chinese nation”.

The government said it would foster a strong sense of community and share economic development among its ethnic groups. The law included an approach under Xi that promoted unity over ethnic cultures and their languages.

“It nails the death knell to the party’s original hope of meaningful autonomy,” said James Leibold, a professor at Australia’s Latrobe University who has studied China’s changing policies toward its ethnic minorities.

Formal proposals and other proposals to reduce working hours in various ways gained much attention on social media at this year’s Congress.

Many have focused on the “right to rest,” including calls to give employees the right not to respond to work messages after hours. Many Chinese workers get only five days of paid vacation a year. Yu Miyaji, an economist and deputy to Congress, proposed raising the minimum statutory annual leave from five to 10 days.

The popularity of the proposals reflects concerns about intense job competition in China. Giving workers more leisure time is a way to increase consumption by giving them more free time to spend.

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Associated Press writers Huizhong Wu and Seth Borenstein in Washington contributed to this report.