Core competencies have become a central focus of global education reform. Using the six domains and eighteen key elements outlined in the Core Competencies for Chinese Students’ Development as the analytical framework, this study conducts a comparative and focus-based analysis of core competencies from an international perspective. The analysis helps to clarify the key priorities of China’s competency-based education reform and to advance the autonomous construction of discourse in basic education curriculum and instruction. Findings indicate that China’s framework largely covers the mainstream elements emphasized internationally, among which social responsibility, information awareness, self-management, critical inquiry, problem-solving, and sound personality development receive the highest attention. Overall, there is significant international consensus: global frameworks commonly emphasize knowledge innovation, focusing on critical thinking, creative thinking, and metacognitive skills; they also stress the cultivation of information literacy, self-management, and civic competence in response to the sustainable development demands of a digital and intelligent society. Nevertheless, notable differences remain. International frameworks tend to prioritize skills, centering on higher-order thinking and practical problem-solving as core cognitive models. In contrast, the Chinese framework emphasizes the infusion of values, grounded in humanistic literacy and patriotic sentiments, and is characterized by a virtue-oriented approach to holistic development. Looking ahead, competency-based educational practice in China should align with the strategic context of developing new productive forces, redefining the contemporary connotation of core competencies; leverage “curriculum-based ideological and political education” to guide values cultivation and internalization; and adopt interdisciplinary education as a key pathway to integrate global consensus with Chinese characteristics, thereby enhancing students’ essential capabilities and moral character in a holistic manner.