In the shadow of escalating trade tensions, the Fourth Plenum shifts focus from personnel to crafting the 15th Five-Year Plan, aiming for economic revival amid a teetering recovery. Official narratives tout prosperity, yet harsh realities reveal suppressed wages, ballooning surpluses, and stalled supply chains trapping capacity domestically. This model—prioritizing low-cost production over equitable growth—has fueled imbalances, eroding household spending and inflating state-led investments. As external demands wane, the pivot to intensified central directives and a “unified market” revives planned economy echoes, risking isolation and obsolescence. Decoupling from global ties emerges as a radical, if desperate, path to rebirth, abandoning market dynamics for command control.
