Ahead of the Fourth Plenum of the 20th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), this episode of the MERICS China Podcast looks at three issues that are high on the priority list for Chinese decisionmakers, namely urban development, social welfare and global trade tensions. Alexander Davey, Analyst in the Politics and Society Program at MERICS, joins Johannes Heller-John to talk about some of the CCP’s priorities for the next months, the upcoming Fourth Plenum from October 20 to 23 and the 15th Five-Year Plan.

You can also watch our media briefing on the Fourth Plenum and 15th Five-Year Plan or read our latest MERICS China Essentials for more coverage.