In the 1980s, as the government loosened its grip on the economy, it also became a bit more relaxed about the five-year plans.
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The five-year plan, the video jauntily declares, is drawn up by “government ministers, think-tanks and party leaders”, as well as “doctors, bakers, farmers too, and even engineers who deal with poo”. However, China has seen a 6.9% growth rate as against much faster growth previously but this, according to Onunaiju, is understandable, given the adjustments that the country has made in recent years. In September, the People’s Daily, the official mouthpiece of the Communist party, released a short English-language video entitled “Who is Xi Dada [Uncle Xi]?” in anticipation of the leader’s U.S. visit.
The video was reportedly designed by Fuxinglushang Animation Studio, a company reputed for producing propaganda video for the ruling Communist Party.
A rubber duck, disembodied lips, a mix-tape, a disco ball and Albert Einstein all make appearances in the video, with a distinctly 1970s psychedelic aesthetic. The new video, in contrast, offers a catchy and positive spin on complex events connecting China and the USA, all in a snackable, social media-ready package.
The Communist Party’s Second Five-Year Plan, in effect from 1958 to 1962, set in force the Great Leap Forward, a disastrous attempt to rapidly industrialise and collective the economy and match USA industrial output within a few years. Like, China huge? Yea, China huge.
The People’s Bank of China, the nation’s five biggest lenders, sovereign-wealth fund China Investment Corp. and the banking, securities and insurance regulators are among 31 entities that will be inspected for possible misconduct or corruption.
The fifth plenum of the Communist Party of China, which kicked off in Beijing on Monday, is expected to re-emphasize issues of reforms in all areas and, especially to deepen economic reforms, an expert on Sino-African affairs, Charles Onunaiju, said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua. China’s five-year plans do not require absolute obedience, as they once did.
Anti-graft advocates say corruption in the military is so pervasive that it could undermine China’s ability to wage war.
Nearly nothing is known about the studio, except for the videos it has produced.
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The five-year plans are no longer just economic in focus.
