Deng Yilin: Deeply Grasping the People-Centered Character of Further Comprehensively Deepening Reform
The "people-centered character" (人民性, renminxing) is an essential attribute of Marxism and a distinctive character of further comprehensively deepening reform. The "Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Further Comprehensively Deepening Reform and Advancing Chinese-path Modernization," adopted at the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, emphasizes that "upholding a people-centered approach" is a major principle that must be implemented in further comprehensively deepening reform. The distinct people-centered character of further comprehensively deepening reform fully demonstrates the original aspiration and founding mission of Chinese Communists to seek happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation. It has become an important cornerstone for Chinese-path modernization to continuously achieve theoretical, practical, institutional, cultural, and other forms of innovation.
Adhering to the value orientation of putting the people above all else. The question of "for whom" is the touchstone for testing the nature of a political party and its regime. Further comprehensively deepening reform adheres to the value orientation of putting the people above all else and the fundamental purpose of wholeheartedly serving the people. It takes the realization and protection of the interests of the masses and "letting the common people lead a good life" as its fundamental starting point and goal. It draws the blueprint for reform, formulates reform measures, and promotes their implementation based on the overall, fundamental, and long-term interests of the people. It aims to continuously promote the well-rounded development of individuals, advance steadily toward common prosperity, and strive to provide the masses with a greater sense of fulfillment, happiness, and security. Further comprehensively deepening reform is a comprehensive deepening based on years of reform and opening up that have reached a "period of arduous struggle" and "deep-water zone" [1]. It is a brand-new expansion of reform based on changes in the principal contradiction in society [2]. It is a reform characterized by "wading through treacherous rapids, crossing difficult passes, and gnawing on hard bones" [3]. The comprehensiveness and depth of social change, as well as the hardship and complexity of the reform tasks, are unprecedented. It is precisely by adhering to the value orientation of putting the people above all else that further comprehensively deepening reform responds to the new expectations of the masses, takes the people’s yearning for a better life as the goal of struggle, and regards seeking happiness for the people as its fundamental mission. It achieves a historic leap from focusing on "whether or not something exists" to "how good it is," thereby profoundly answering a series of fundamental questions: for whom is further reform being deepened, upon whom does it rely, and who enjoys its results?
Respecting the people's principal position and pioneering spirit. The Party's greatest confidence and deepest foundation lie among the masses. The masses are the creators of history and the true heroes; they are the practical subjects and the relying force of further comprehensively deepening reform, as well as its inexhaustible source of strength. Respecting the principal position of the masses, harnessing their pioneering spirit [4], gathering their wisdom and strength, and closely relying on the people to advance reform are both valuable experiences from the Party’s century-long struggle and the achievements of reform and opening up, as well as important methods for further comprehensively deepening reform to create new historic achievements in the New Era. Further comprehensively deepening reform is the undertaking of hundreds of millions of people themselves. Whether in the deployment of reforms in the economic, political, cultural, social, and ecological civilization spheres, or in the Party's leadership over reform, the deepening of the reform of the system for Party building, the improvement of Party conduct, the building of a clean government, and the anti-corruption struggle, none can succeed without the broad participation and support of the masses, and all must rely on the people's wisdom and strength. The needs and expectations of the masses provide clear directions and goals for further comprehensively deepening reform; their active exploration and innovative practices inject continuous momentum and vitality into it; and the degree of satisfaction among the masses is the ultimate evaluative criterion for testing the effectiveness of the reform. Therefore, the process of further comprehensively deepening reform is also the process of following the Party's mass line in the New Era.
Grasping the fundamental goal of benefiting the people. The development of the human being is not only the prerequisite for social development but also its ultimate aim. Making the people's lives happy is the "top priority of the state" (guo zhi da zhe) [5]; benefiting the people is the essential requirement of "exercising power for the people and maintaining the Party's public nature." Further comprehensively deepening reform means taking the promotion of social fairness and justice and the enhancement of people’s well-being as the starting point and goal in the process of advancing Chinese-path modernization. Through a series of major strategic measures, it continuously optimizes and improves various institutions, fully leverages the significant advantages of the Party’s leadership and the socialist system, and promotes social progress and the enhancement of human welfare. Consequently, further comprehensively deepening reform responds to the people's new expectations and sets its general goals based on the "Seven Focuses" [6]. It advances the construction of the socialist market economy, democratic politics, advanced culture, a harmonious society, and ecological civilization through systematic, holistic, and synergistic reform measures. It promotes high-quality development, develops whole-process people's democracy, maintains social equity and justice, improves the quality of people's lives, enriches their spiritual world, and continuously meets the people's growing needs for a better life, allowing the broad masses to share the fruits of reform and development. Moreover, further comprehensively deepening reform places human development at the core, maintaining that the essence of modernization is the modernization of the human being. Chinese-path modernization is a modernization of common prosperity for all people and harmony between humanity and nature. It requires both "making the cake bigger and better" and "dividing the cake well" [7], maximizing the release of dividends from reform and development to create a vibrant situation where everyone participates, everyone contributes, everyone enjoys, and everyone finds their place.
Using people's livelihoods as the primary narrative thread. Focusing on people's livelihoods (民生, minsheng) is a vital principle of Chinese-path modernization and the primary thread running through further comprehensively deepening reform. Livelihood concerns people's survival, daily lives, and occupations; it is the foundation of people's happiness and the basis of social harmony. Guaranteeing and improving people's livelihoods is an important basis for promoting high-quality development, a major task of Chinese-path modernization, and the direction where the people’s hearts, feelings, and wills converge. In April 2024, during an inspection tour in Chongqing, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "In Chinese-path modernization, people's livelihoods are the top priority. All the work of the Party and the government is to ensure the common people lead a happier life." Entering the New Era, people's lives have improved significantly, their yearning for a better life has become stronger, and the needs of the masses have become more diversified. However, we must recognize that many shortcomings remain in the field of people's livelihoods. Problems affecting the immediate interests of the masses—such as the urban-rural development imbalance, the income distribution gap, unequal educational resources, insufficient high-quality medical resources, increasing employment pressure, and an imperfect social security system—continue to emerge. Further comprehensively deepening reform must focus on improving the quality of people's lives, leveraging the "compass" role of livelihoods, remaining attentive to people's happiness, and striving to enhance leur well-being. In particular, we must grasp the most direct and realistic interest issues that the masses care about most, identifying the points of leverage and breakthroughs for reform in the construction of universal, basic, and "bottom-line" (兜底性, doudixing) [8] social welfare, such as distribution, employment, social security, housing, healthcare, and childcare and elderly care. We must improve the income distribution system, refine the employment-first policy, strengthen the social security system, deepen the reform of the medical and health system, and improve the support and service system for population development. We must apply continuous effort toward ensuring that young children are nurtured, students are educated, workers are rewarded, the sick are treated, the elderly are cared for, residents have housing, and the weak are supported [9]. In doing so, the people’s sense of fulfillment will be more substantial, their sense of happiness more sustainable, and their sense of security better guaranteed, turning the people’s yearning for a better life into reality step by step.
(The author is a professor at the School of Marxism, Gannan University of Science and Technology) Source: Guangming Daily February 27, 2025 Web Editor: Huihui