The five major development concepts

China's economy is in historic transition. Opportunities and challenges abound. China's problems are daunting: slower growth, social imbalances, industrial overcapacity, excessive debt, massive pollution - the list goes on. How to address such diverse, complex issues? China has an overarching, guiding strategy. According to President Xi Jinping, China's development model, going forward, will be driven by "innovation, coordination, green, openness and sharing". It's called the "Five Major Development Concepts".

Why these five concepts? How does each work? Why are they amalgamated? Why this order? Moreover, since each of the five concepts is already well known and commonly prescribed, why now this guiding, integrated strategy?

I address these questions in a series of six essays - this overview, and one on each of the five concepts. They are based on six episodes of my TV show, Closer to China with R.L.Kuhn, on CCTV News, which tells the true story of China via China's thought leaders. (Watch "The Five Major Development Concepts" on "Closer To China with R.L.Kuhn" - CCTV News, Sundays 9:30 am and 9:30 pm China time, beginning September 25.) These episodes are in turn based on a new book, Piloting China. In the book, the Five Major Development Concepts are explained in theory and illustrated in practice through real-world case studies.