Shanghai has unveiled a comprehensive development strategy for its 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30), positioning technological innovation as the cornerstone of its economic transformation and urban modernization. The ambitious blueprint aims to significantly enhance the city’s global competitiveness while simultaneously improving living standards for its residents.
During a Wednesday press conference, Vice-Mayor Wu Wei outlined Shanghai’s target of maintaining approximately 5% annual GDP growth throughout the five-year period. The metropolis additionally aspires to double its per capita GDP by 2035 from the 2020 baseline of over $23,000. This economic expansion will be fueled by strategic investments across multiple sectors, with particular emphasis on technological research, industrial upgrading, urban renewal, and public welfare initiatives.
The city’s development framework centers on establishing a sophisticated modern industrial ecosystem that integrates digital transformation and sustainable green transition. This system will prioritize three cutting-edge industries—integrated circuits, artificial intelligence, and biomedicine—alongside six emerging industrial clusters encompassing next-generation information technology. Shanghai will also pioneer advancements in future-oriented sectors including energy and advanced materials.
Luo Dajin, Director of Shanghai’s Science and Technology Commission, revealed that the city intends to allocate approximately 15% of its total research and development expenditure to fundamental research by 2030. This commitment underscores Shanghai’s determination to foster original innovation and achieve critical technological breakthroughs. Supporting infrastructure developments will include expanding the Shanghai hub for the national blockchain network and other advanced digital facilities.
Human capital development features prominently in Shanghai’s strategy, with plans to cultivate an additional 300,000 highly skilled professionals by 2030, according to Gu Jun, Director of the Shanghai Municipal Development and Reform Commission. This talent initiative will complement the city’s ongoing economic reforms and opening-up policies.
Shanghai will further consolidate its advantages in international trade and finance, targeting annual container throughput of 58 million TEUs by 2030. The city plans to attract world-leading supply chain management centers and enhance its global commodity resource allocation capabilities. Zhou Xiaoquan, Executive Deputy Director of Shanghai’s Municipal Finance Bureau, indicated that financial market internationalization will accelerate through introducing more products accessible to international investors, attracting prominent global asset managers and financial institutions, and developing offshore financial mechanisms with appropriate regulatory frameworks.
The Yangtze River Delta regional integration receives dedicated attention in the five-year plan, with commitments to strengthen coordination in technological innovation, industrial collaboration, and regulatory mechanisms. Infrastructure connectivity throughout the region will be enhanced, with cities leveraging their distinctive advantages through coordinated development.
Domestically, Shanghai will prioritize land and space resources for new infrastructure deployment, including computing facilities, telecommunications networks, and low-altitude transportation systems. Urban rail transit coverage will expand significantly, with total operating mileage projected to exceed 1,260 kilometers by 2030.
The city will also undertake substantial urban renewal projects, including renovating 30 million square meters of aging residential compounds and initiating new park construction programs. Public wellbeing improvements will focus on making employment, housing, education, healthcare, and childcare services more inclusive. Additional priorities include building a resilient and safe megacity and ensuring carbon emissions peak before 2030.