The Fifth Session of the "21st Century Marxism Grand Lecture" Successfully Held: Director Chen Xiwen Discusses "Agricultural Modernization with Chinese Characteristics"

On April 27, 2022, the fifth session of the "21st Century Marxism Grand Lecture Hall," sponsored by the Division of Marxist Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and organized by the Institute of Marxism Studies, was held. The lecture featured a special invitation to Chen Xiwen, a member of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress and Chairman of the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, who delivered a presentation titled "Chinese-Path Socialist Agricultural Modernization." Xin Xiangyang, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Institute of Marxism Studies, presided over the event.

Director Chen Xiwen provided an in-depth explanation focusing on two main aspects: the fundamental connotation and the institutional basis of Chinese-path socialist agricultural modernization.

Regarding the concept and fundamental connotation of Chinese-path socialist agricultural modernization, Chen Xiwen pointed out that understanding this concept requires grasping three keywords: agricultural modernization, Chinese characteristics, and the path. First, agricultural modernization—or modern agriculture—is described in contrast to traditional agriculture; it is a description of the current state of agriculture within the context of industrialization. Modern agriculture is an industry characterized by the continuous refinement of the social division of labor, the ongoing innovation of agricultural production and management organizations, the increasing strength of state support and protection, the constant renewal of agricultural infrastructure, and the continuous extension of industrial and value chains. Unlike traditional agriculture, modern agriculture benefits from scientific and technological progress, with the contribution rate of such progress steadily rising. Additionally, certain social and institutional factors influence the process of agricultural modernization, which is closely linked to specific stages of economic and social development. Second, differences in resource endowments—such as land, resources, and population—along with historical traditions and development stages, determine the Chinese characteristics of agricultural modernization. Both history and the current reality of "many people and little land" ^[1] and a high proportion of agricultural population dictate that we must forge a unique path for agricultural modernization to succeed. From the perspective of its social attributes and institutional prescriptions, the fundamental premise of "socialism with Chinese characteristics" and the features of Chinese-path modernization mean that our social nature and social system dictate we must follow the path of Chinese-path socialist agricultural modernization. While our agricultural modernization needs to draw on the experiences of other countries, it cannot simply copy them. Third, the "path" prescribes the direction and methods for agricultural modernization with Chinese characteristics. The process of Chinese-path socialist agricultural modernization cannot be achieved overnight ^[2]; it requires holistic planning and all-round consideration to coordinate the development of agriculture with the common prosperity of the peasantry, while simultaneously focusing on food security, ecological environmental protection, and the inheritance of fine traditional Chinese culture. In practice, we cannot adopt a "one-size-fits-all" ^[3] approach; we must promote it according to local conditions, with different regions exploring specific forms of realization based on their actual circumstances.

Chen Xiwen emphasized that understanding Chinese-path socialist agricultural modernization also requires a deep understanding of China's four basic rural systems: the land system, the organizational system, the management system, and the social governance system. First, regarding the collective ownership of rural land, he pointed out that China implements state ownership and collective ownership by farmers; private land ownership does not exist. Adhering to the collective ownership of rural land is of great significance for maintaining China's basic economic system, in which public ownership is the mainstay. Collective ownership of rural land is not an abstract concept but a basic system for each specific village, and the boundaries of this ownership are very clear. Adhering to collective ownership respects both history and the collective ownership rights of farmers, ensuring equal rights for every member within the collective economic organization. Second, regarding the system of rural collective economic organizations, due to historical inheritance, some Villagers' Committees and villagers' groups exercise ownership rights and contract out land. While Villagers' Committees and groups may perform functions on behalf of rural collective economic organizations, they cannot completely replace them. "Rural collective economic organization" has a specific meaning: here, collective assets are indivisible, which is fundamentally different from a co-ownership economy based on private property. In the reform of the rural collective property rights system and the establishment of shareholding cooperatives, the "shares" represent the right of each member of the collective economic organization to participate in the distribution of returns; the so-called "confirming rights to shares and individuals" refers specifically to this right of distribution. Furthermore, the circulation of these "shares" within the collective economic organization is strictly limited. Third, the dual-tier management system—based on household-contracted management and combining unity with division ^[4]—is the basic rural management system in China. This system does not change the collective ownership of rural land; rather, it has found an effective form for realizing such ownership and has given households fuller autonomy. Additionally, only members of the collective economic organization are eligible to contract land. The basic rural management system is the policy cornerstone of our Party in the countryside and must be adhered to unswervingly. Adhering to this system requires grasping three major principles: first, respecting the will of the farmers; second, properly managing the degree of land transfer and large-scale management, avoiding "scaling up for the sake of scaling up"; third, not neglecting ordinary smallholder households. He emphasized that rural collective land ownership, rural collective economic organizations, and the basic rural management system form a "Trinity" ^[5] that guarantees three basic rights for farmers: the right of every collective member to contract land, to hold a residential land base (zhaijidi), and to participate in the distribution of returns from collective commercial operations. These three basic systems and the three basic rights of farmers are an integrated whole.

Chen Xiwen also discussed several issues existing in the process of China's rural reform and development, such as the lag in agricultural and rural development; the practical and institutional difficulties in housing, social security, and education for accompanying children faced by the transfer of the agricultural population and their urbanization (shimin-hua); the lack of a prominent role for farmers as the main subjects of development; and the lack of clarity in institutional norms.

Finally, Chen Xiwen introduced the progress and expectations regarding legislation for rural collective economic organizations.

In his summary, Secretary Xin Xiangyang spoke highly of the lecture, noting its high quality, brilliant content, rich connotations, and its depth in both theory and practical significance. He remarked that Director Chen's explanation was profound yet easy to understand, demonstrating a very thorough understanding of the path of Chinese-path socialist agricultural modernization. Director Chen's research on the fundamental connotations and characteristics of this path, along with his analysis of the four basic rural systems, showcased the historical continuity, institutional innovation, and powerful vitality of Chinese-path socialist agricultural modernization, while also allowing for an understanding of the complexity and arduousness of this path. Xin Xiangyang emphasized that the Institute of Marxism Studies has always attached importance to research on major theoretical and practical issues, encouraging researchers to commit to the integrated development of basic theoretical research and applied policy research. Many issues mentioned by Director Chen—such as the basic rural systems, the modernization of agriculture and rural areas, and the common prosperity of farmers and the countryside—are also major theoretical and practical issues that scholars at the Institute of Marxism Studies need to research in depth.

The lecture strictly implemented all requirements for pandemic prevention and control. Gong Yun, Vice President of the Institute of Marxism Studies, and several researchers attended the lecture in person.