Two Centenary Goals

The Two Centenary Goals (两个一百年, liǎng gè yī bǎi nián) are a pair of long-range development objectives used by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to frame domestic policy, economic planning, and political messaging. They are anchored to two symbolic anniversaries:

• The first centenary goal, tied to the CCP's founding in 1921, called for building a "moderately prosperous society in all respects" (xiaokang shehui) by 2021. Targets included doubling 2010 GDP and per capita income and eliminating absolute rural poverty.
• The second centenary goal, tied to the founding of the People's Republic in 1949, calls for building China into a "modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious, and beautiful" by 2049.

The formulation was popularised by Jiang Zemin at the 15th Party Congress in 1997 and the 16th Party Congress in 2002, then elevated by Xi Jinping after he became General Secretary in 2012. Xi linked the goals to his broader concept of the "Chinese Dream" (Zhongguo meng) of national rejuvenation. At the 19th Party Congress in 2017, Xi added an interim milestone: "basically realising socialist modernisation" by 2035, effectively splitting the path to 2049 into two stages.

On 1 July 2021, at ceremonies marking the CCP's centenary in Tiananmen Square, Xi declared the first goal achieved, citing the official end of extreme poverty announced earlier that year. Independent economists and outside observers have debated the measurement standards used, particularly the rural poverty line.

For MUN delegates and IR researchers, the framework is useful context for understanding Chinese five-year plans, industrial policy documents such as Made in China 2025, military modernisation timelines (a "world-class" PLA by mid-century), and Beijing's diplomatic posture in forums like the UN, G20, and BRICS, where development-rights language often echoes centenary-goal rhetoric.