Su Yubo: Guiding the Accelerated Formation of New Quality Productive Forces with the New Development Philosophy [1]
General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized during the eleventh collective study session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee [1] that "developing new quality productive forces is an intrinsic requirement and a critical focus for promoting high-quality development," and that "new quality productive forces have already taken shape in practice and have demonstrated a powerful driving and supporting force for high-quality development." As productive forces whose constitutional elements exist in a brand-new qualitative state, new quality productive forces represent a leap from the old qualitative productive forces in economic development; they constitute the latest requirement for the iterative upgrading of productive forces necessitated by high-quality economic development. Grounded in the new stage of development [2], "adhering to innovative, coordinated, green, open, and shared development is a profound transformation that concerns the overall situation of our country's development." Leading the accelerated formation of new quality productive forces with the New Development Philosophy [3] is of great significance for promoting China's high-quality economic development, seizing the commanding heights of international competition, and gaining the initiative in modernization.
Leading the accelerated formation of new quality productive forces with the philosophy of innovative development. Innovative development focuses on solving the problem of the drivers of development. Amid increasingly fierce international competition and the domestic shift in developmental kinetic energy, only by anchoring development in innovation can we shape more growth points that rely on innovation-driven engines and leverage high-tech advantages. Since the New Era, China's innovation-driven development has achieved remarkable results: major innovations have emerged in rapid succession, and some frontier fields have begun to enter the stages of "running alongside" or "leading" [4]. The construction of high-speed rail and 5G networks leads the world, while major breakthroughs have been achieved in fields such as crewed spaceflight and Mars exploration. Scientific and technological innovation is transitioning from a quantitative accumulation to a qualitative leap, and from isolated breakthroughs to systemic improvement. Productive forces are no longer lagging behind as a whole; the foundation for developing high-quality productive forces has been formed. Emerging industries, with new quality productive forces as their driving core, provide a strong impetus for China’s economic development and will effectively enhance our country’s technological strength and comprehensive national power. However, we must remain soberly aware of our deficiencies: there are shortfalls in the supply side of our emerging technological productive forces; the problem of unbalanced and inadequate development of productive forces remains prominent; the ratio of investment in basic research is still not high; strategic industries concerning national security lack sufficient competitiveness; the conversion rate of scientific research results is relatively low; the task of upgrading and transforming traditional manufacturing is heavy; and some key core technologies remain "strangled" by others [5]. Therefore, it is urgent to use the philosophy of innovative development to improve the quality of productive forces, lead the total revitalization of industry through scientific innovation, and build new competitive advantages through industrial upgrading.
Leading the accelerated formation of new quality productive forces with the philosophy of coordinated development. Coordinated development focuses on solving the problem of imbalance in development. Only by persisting in regional synergy, urban-rural integration, giving equal weight to material and spiritual civilizations, and fusing economic construction with national defense construction can we broaden the space for development through coordination and enhance developmental stamina by strengthening weak areas. This reflects the coordinated nature of new quality productive forces. The fact that General Secretary Xi Jinping first proposed "new quality productive forces" during an inspection of Northeast China [6] is itself profound. The Northeast is a stronghold of China’s traditional productive forces, yet regional development, industrial progress, and people's living standards have lagged behind its own resource advantages. Thus, promoting the economic transformation of the Northeast is a scientific measure for cultivating emerging industries and developing new quality productive forces. When economic development levels are low, the main task for a period is to "run fast," but after running a certain distance, one must adjust relations and focus on the overall effectiveness of development. Otherwise, the "wooden bucket effect" [7] will become increasingly apparent, and a series of social contradictions will come to the fore. To persist in coordinated development, we must firmly grasp the overall layout of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics [8], correctly handle major relationships in development, focus on promoting coordinated development between urban and rural areas and regions, facilitate coordinated economic and social development, promote the synchronized development of new-type industrialization, informatization, urbanization, and agricultural modernization, promote the balanced construction of the productive force landscape, and enhance the overall effectiveness of productive force development.
Leading the accelerated formation of new quality productive forces with the philosophy of green development. Green development focuses on solving the problem of harmony between humanity and nature. The expression of new quality productive forces in the ecological sphere is "ecological productive forces" or "green productive forces," which require the realization of green economic development, the pursuit of sustainability, and a focus on the unification of economic, ecological, and social benefits. China's entry into the "new normal" [9] of economic development implies a shift from traditional to advanced modes of economic development. Traditional industries characterized by high input, high consumption, and high pollution must transform into new-type industries with good economic returns, low resource consumption, and low environmental pollution—this must be driven by new quality productive forces. To persist in green development, we must firmly establish the philosophy that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets," adhere to the basic national policy of conserving resources and protecting the environment, persist in sustainable development, and resolutely follow a path of civilized development characterized by productive growth, affluent living, and sound ecosystems. We must accelerate the construction of a resource-saving and environment-friendly society, form a new pattern of modernization where humanity and nature develop in harmony, promote the "Beautiful China" initiative, and make new contributions to global ecological security. China has made a solemn commitment to the world to achieve carbon peaking and carbon neutrality; we must integrate these goals into the overall framework of economic and social development, unswervingly follow a high-quality development path that prioritizes ecology and emphasizes green and low-carbon growth, and accelerate the formation of spatial patterns, industrial structures, production modes, and lifestyles that conserve resources and protect the environment. This provides the fundamental guidance for green development and lays the ecological foundation for new quality productive forces.
Leading the accelerated formation of new quality productive forces with the philosophy of open development. Open development focuses on solving the problem of internal-external linkage. Only by enriching the substance of opening up, raising its level, and synergistically promoting strategic mutual trust, economic and trade cooperation, and people-to-people exchanges with the international community can we create a new horizon for opening up and enhance the overall effectiveness of the development of productive forces. In Marx’s time, the establishment and growth of new modes of production driven by industrial productive forces meant that "production and consumption in every country have become cosmopolitan," and the whole world became linked as one. New technologies and inventions have increasingly global influence, and the role of advanced productive forces as a bond for the entire world has become more evident. "If a machine is invented in England, which deprives countless workers of their bread in India and China, and causes the entire form of existence of these countries to change, then this invention becomes a world-historical fact." [10] The shared nature of productive forces was already prominent then; today, the new quality productive forces created by technological change, bolstered by more convenient transportation and communication, will affect the world more broadly and benefit humanity. Therefore, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that "science and technology are global and epochal, and developing them requires a global vision." At the same time, actively integrating into the global landscape is an inevitable move to promote the transition between old and new kinetic energy and the formation of new quality productive forces. To persist in open development, we must adapt to the trend of China’s economy deeply integrating into world development, pursue a win-win strategy of opening up, coordinate internal and external demand, balance imports and exports, give equal weight to "bringing in" and "going out," and simultaneously attract capital, technology, and talent. We must develop a higher-level open economy, actively participate in global economic governance and the provision of public goods, increase China’s discourse power in the development of global productive forces, and build a broad community of interests conducive to the further enhancement of China's productive forces.
Leading the accelerated formation of new quality productive forces with the philosophy of shared development. Shared development focuses on solving the problem of social equity and justice. Only by allowing the broad masses of the people to share the fruits of reform and development can we truly reflect the superiority of the socialist system. "Making the cake bigger" and "dividing the cake well" [11] represent the contradiction between productive forces and relations of production at the level of sharing. Relying on traditional productive forces, it is difficult to continually make the "cake" bigger and better; new quality productive forces provide a sufficient source of power for "making the cake bigger," and the continuous accumulation and full development of productive forces are conducive to achieving "cake sharing" at a higher level. China has historically solved the problem of absolute poverty that plagued the Chinese nation for thousands of years, and the overall living standards of the Chinese people have continuously improved—these are the results of the long-term development of our productive forces. With the resolution of absolute poverty, the needs of the masses are primarily reflected at the level of a "better life." The need for a better life is grounded in new quality productive forces; development must now focus more on whether things are "good," "excellent," or "refined." New quality productive forces can be transformed into well-being for the people. Specifically, in material life, new quality productive forces can provide higher quality services and more diverse supply, realizing "technology-empowered better living." In social life, new technologies can guarantee food and drug safety and assist in the treatment and control of major diseases, effectively relieving the suffering of the people. In cultural life, new quality productive forces promote the production of more cultural products, continuously enriching the people's spiritual world. We must use the supply side, led by advanced productive forces, to meet the people's growing and diversified demand side. This is also the practical requirement for "allowing the fruits of modernization to benefit all people more equitably."
(The author is the Party Committee Secretary and Professor of the School of Marxism at Xi'an Jiaotong University)
Source: CASS Online / China Social Sciences Daily