Fourth Five-Year Plan (China)

Fourth Five-Year Plan (China)
Name	Fourth Five-Year Plan (China)
Period	1971–1975
Country	People's Republic of China
Adopted	1970
Preceding	Third Five-Year Plan (China)
Succeeding	Fifth Five-Year Plan (China)

Fourth Five-Year Plan (China)

The Fourth Five-Year Plan (1971–1975) was a central planning cycle of the People's Republic of China formulated under the leadership of Mao Zedong, implemented during the later stages of the Cultural Revolution and overlapping with shifts in international relations involving United States–China relations, Soviet Union–China relations, and the United Nations. It sought to reconcile priorities set by the Chinese Communist Party leadership with recovery efforts following political upheaval tied to figures such as Lin Biao and factions of the Gang of Four, while responding to external pressures from the Vietnam War, the Nixon visit to China, and changing ties with the Soviet Union.

Background and objectives

The plan was drafted amid tensions among leaders including Zhou Enlai, Chen Boda, Deng Xiaoping, and revolutionary committees influenced by Jiang Qing and the Gang of Four, and it reflected debates inside the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party and the National People's Congress. Objectives emphasized industrial recovery championed by Premier Zhou Enlai and strategic self-reliance championed by proponents of the People's Liberation Army leadership, aligning with initiatives from institutes such as the State Planning Commission (China) and bureaus modeled after Soviet Gosplan practices. Internationally, planners considered supply disruptions related to the Sino-Soviet split, the effects of United States grain trade pressures, and diplomatic openings after the Shanghai Communiqué and rapprochement with United States President Richard Nixon.

Economic policies and industrial targets

The plan prioritized heavy industry projects akin to earlier models used in the First Five-Year Plan (China) and Second Five-Year Plan (China), setting targets for steel production at plants such as those in Anshan and Baoshan Steel, expansion of machinery works in Daqing oil fields, and growth in sectors overseen by ministries like the Ministry of Metallurgical Industry (PRC). Targets mirrored techniques from the Soviet Union and drew upon technical exchanges with East Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia in machinery and metallurgy, while also seeking import substitutions to reduce dependence on COMECON-era supply chains. Industrial policy connected to state enterprises including China National Petroleum Corporation affiliates and municipal enterprises in Shanghai, Tianjin, and Guangzhou.

Agricultural and rural policies

Agricultural strategy attempted to stabilize output disrupted during the Great Leap Forward aftermath and the Cultural Revolution by promoting production brigades, cooperative models influenced by earlier reforms under Liu Shaoqi and tactical adjustments advocated by Deng Xiaoping. Initiatives involved mechanization programs tied to the Ministry of Agriculture (PRC), increased fertilizer distribution managed through provincial authorities in Henan, Heilongjiang, and Sichuan, and experiments with household responsibility hints that later reformers such as Xia Yeliang-style advocates would champion. Rural policies intersected with campaigns against grain procurement shortfalls that had earlier affected regions like Jiangxi, Hunan, and Anhui.

Infrastructure and energy projects

Major projects emphasized energy security through expansion of coal mining in Shanxi, oil exploitation in Daqing and Liaohe, and hydroelectric development at sites related to the Yangtze River initiatives that preceded the later Three Gorges Dam planning debates. Infrastructure investments included transportation corridors connecting port cities such as Shanghai and Tianjin, rail upgrades along routes like the Beijing–Shanghai railway, and port expansion influenced by trade considerations with Japan, United States, and Hong Kong. The plan coordinated with state organs like the Ministry of Railways (PRC) and the Ministry of Water Resources and Electric Power (PRC) and considered strategic defense logistics in light of tensions with the Soviet Union and border incidents such as the Zhenbao Island conflict precursors.

Social and labor measures

Social policy under the plan reflected priorities articulated by leaders including Zhou Enlai and cadres in the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, aiming to maintain employment in state-owned enterprises modeled after examples in Soviet industry towns while managing disruptions from ideological campaigns championed by Jiang Qing. Measures involved allocation of housing and rationing systems administered through municipal committees in Beijing and Shanghai, health campaigns tied to institutions like the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, and education adjustments affecting universities such as Peking University and Tsinghua University that were still recovering from Red Guard activity. Labor deployment also linked to militia mobilization policies in coordination with People's Liberation Army logistics.

Implementation, challenges, and outcomes

Implementation was hindered by the ongoing Cultural Revolution power struggles involving factions around Lin Biao and the Gang of Four, bureaucratic disruptions in the State Planning Commission (China), and bottlenecks in technology transfer previously sourced from the Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc partners such as Poland and Bulgaria. Outcomes included partial recovery of industrial output in centers like Daqing and incremental gains in steel and coal, uneven agricultural results in provinces such as Henan and Sichuan, and persistent shortages that influenced later policy shifts under Deng Xiaoping during the Reform and Opening period. The Fourth Five-Year Plan therefore represents a transitional phase linking revolutionary politics associated with Mao Zedong and cultural campaigns to pragmatic modernization efforts that shaped subsequent reforms under leaders including Deng Xiaoping and institutional changes in bodies like the State Council (PRC).

Category:Five-year plans of China