Decoding China's 'Self-Reliance' Drive: Experts Scrutinize Beijing's Global Ambitions
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New Delhi just hosted the fourth Global Conference on New Sinology (GCNS) 2026, where over 40 experts convened to dissect China's strategic pivot towards 'Zìlì Gēngshēng,' or self-reliance, amid a period Beijing labels 'Great Changes Unseen.' Organized by the Organisation for Research on China and Asia (ORCA), the discussions explored how this philosophy is now shaping China's technological development, military modernization, domestic governance, and foreign policy. The conference highlighted Beijing's push for greater national capacity across scientific innovation, technology, social governance, and defense, especially as global uncertainties grow. At the heart of China's strategy is its 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), which elevates technological self-reliance and the cultivation of 'New Quality Productive Forces' to reduce vulnerability to external shocks and drive a technology-led economy. This includes significant investment in AI, quantum computing, and green energy, underpinned by a 7% increase in the 2026 defense budget to accelerate military modernization towards a fully 'informationized' and 'intelligentized' force by 2027. Meanwhile, India-China relations remain a complex paradox, characterized by intensifying military standoffs along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and a widening trade deficit where China has become India's top trading partner. Looking ahead, scholars at the conference also delved into the Communist Party of China's long-term governance, leadership continuity, and elite politics as the nation approaches the 21st Party Congress in 2027. China faces significant economic headwinds, including deflationary pressures and a struggling property sector, alongside its ambition to bolster its global leadership credentials, particularly in the Global South. The coming years will reveal how Beijing navigates these domestic challenges while asserting its strategic influence and technological sovereignty on the world stage.