You're actually wrong, has China does have official 5-year plans that it develops every 5 years, and they have done so since world War II. So, it is not a trope at all:

"The Five-Year Plans (simplified Chinese: 五年计划; traditional Chinese: 五年計劃; pinyin: Wǔnián Jìhuà) are a series of social and economic development initiatives issued by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) since 1953 in the People's Republic of China. Since 1949, the CCP has shaped the Chinese economy through the plenums of its Central Committee and national party congresses."

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five-year_plans_of_China

China is currently undergoing their 14th 5-year plan:

https://www.fujian.gov.cn/english/news/202108/t20210809_5665713.htm#:~:text=China%20will%20focus%20on%20the,innovation%20and%20application%20of%20core

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourteenth_five-year_plan_(China)