The five-year development plan of water transport is based on the government’s five-year plan for national economic and social development，and it is a guide document to organize the construction and development of water transport，which plays an important role in promoting the development of the industry. On the basis of reviewing the plan history of China’s water transport development，this paper summarizes the changes in aspects such as the property，focus，and perspective of the five-year plan. This paper also examines the impact and requirements of the new development concept，the new development pattern of domestic and international circulations，and the construction of a national comprehensive three-dimensional transportation network on and for the water transport industry and points out the concept and methods for the plan of water transport development in the new era. The results are applied to the 14th Five-Year Plan of the Ministry of Transport and can provide suggestions for the formulation of the industry’s five-year development plan.