The 3rd Five-Year Plan of China was a set of economic goals designed to strengthen the Chinese economy between 1966 and 1970.
Beginning with the Third Five Year Plan, China framed its socialist economic development in terms of two tasks: (1) establishing an independent and relatively complete national industrial and economic system and (2) modernization of agriculture, industry, national defense, science, and technology.
[5]: 100 During discussions of the Third Five Year Plan, Mao acknowledged that during the Great Leap Forward, "We set revenue too high and extended the infrastructure battlefront too long," and that it was "best to do less and well.
[4]: 7 Support among leadership for Mao's proposed Third Front construction increased as a result and changed the direction of the Third Five Year Plan.
[4]: 7 In 1965, Yu Qiuli was given the lead role in developing the Third Five Year Plan, consistent with its changing focus to preparations for the possibility that "the imperialists [would] launch an aggressive war against China.