Legislation clearly outlines how the national development plan is formulated.

The explanation of the draft National Development Planning Law points out that the draft clearly states that national development plans are to be prepared by the State Council in accordance with the suggestions and decisions of the Party Central Committee. The specific preparation work will be undertaken by the competent department of national development planning of the State Council in conjunction with relevant national departments. It specifies that national development plans should include an analysis of the development environment, guiding principles, main target indicators, major strategic tasks, major policy measures, major engineering projects, and the guarantee of plan implementation, among other main contents. It clarifies the principles to be followed in preparing national development plans and the factors to be taken into consideration, as well as regulations on conducting preliminary research, improving public participation mechanisms, enhancing the system of expert consultation and verification, and innovating methods of plan preparation. It also specifies the procedural requirements for submitting the draft national development plan for review by the Party Central Committee and the State Council.