The 2nd Academic Exchange Conference for Graduate Students of Basic Principles of Marxism Held at the Academy of Marxism

On the morning of May 16, 2024, the 2nd Graduate Academic Exchange Seminar on the Basic Principles of Marxism was held in the conference room of the Institute of Marxism Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS). The topics discussed at this meeting were "The Theoretical Foundations, Practical Basis, and Indicator Systems for the Evaluation of Common Prosperity" and "The Theoretical Foundations, Implementation Paths, and Countermeasures for Chinese-path Agricultural Modernization." Presentation reports were delivered respectively by Chen Qiujie and Wang Jun, two graduating master's students from the School of Marxism at the University of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (UCASS). Comments were provided by Research Fellows Zhang Jiangang, Peng Haihong, and Wang Zhongbao from the CASS Institute of Marxism Studies. The meeting was presided over by Research Fellow Wang Zhongbao.

During the first stage of the seminar, master's student Chen Qiujie delivered an excellent report centered on the construction of an indicator system for common prosperity. By sorting through the ideological and theoretical frameworks of common prosperity, she summarized its connotations, significance, and distinctive features. Integrating this with the practical course of common prosperity, she analyzed the empirical insights and realistic difficulties of its implementation. Taking the theoretical foundations and practical explorations of common prosperity as a foothold, she proposed four dimensions that the evaluation of common prosperity should cover: affluence, sharing, security, and sustainability, establishing an evaluation indicator system containing 20 tertiary indicators. By conducting an actual measurement of the common prosperity level in Zhejiang Province from 2013 to 2022, she combined the empirical results with survey findings from local residents regarding the construction of the Zhejiang Common Prosperity Demonstration Zone ^[1] to form a comprehensive evaluation. Concurrently, she proposed policy recommendations for further advancing common prosperity across five areas: refining top-level design ^[2], focusing on balanced development, emphasizing the developmental stages of common prosperity, achieving high-quality development, and leveraging the role of pilot programs.

Research Fellow Zhang Jiangang fully affirmed the innovation of constructing a common prosperity indicator system, while suggesting that attention must be paid to the correlation between different indicators and the issue of standardization. He noted that data analysis must revolve closely around theory, there must be a clear interpretation of the connotation of common prosperity, and different weights should be assigned to various types of indicators based on the connotations and characteristics of common prosperity.

Research Fellow Peng Haihong pointed out that common prosperity constitutes the comprehensive affluence of both material and spiritual life; therefore, the selection of indicators to examine the degree of realization must focus on reflecting "spiritual prosperity." Furthermore, the reasons for choosing the Zhejiang Common Prosperity Demonstration Zone as the object of empirical research should be elucidated.

Research Fellow Wang Zhongbao proposed that the thought on common prosperity in Sinicized Marxism should not only elaborate on the important expositions of the leaders of the Communist Party of China (CPC), but also summarize the theoretical research and innovations made by Marxist scholars. When examining common prosperity, a distinction must be made between the degree of affluence and the degree of disparity in affluence, inspecting their respective influences on the common prosperity level indicators.

In the second stage of the seminar, master's student Wang Jun delivered an excellent report on the theme of Chinese-path agricultural modernization. Building a strong agricultural country and achieving agricultural modernization must draw lessons from foreign models while remaining rooted in China's national conditions. The policy formulation and path selection for Chinese-path agricultural modernization should be based on the relevant theories of classical Marxist writers and CPC personnel regarding agricultural modernization, using the practical history of Chinese-path agricultural modernization as a thread, and taking the specific requirements of the "14th Five-Year Plan" for advancing agricultural modernization as a guide. Facing many practical difficulties, we must construct a modern agricultural industrial system, refine the agricultural production system, and promote green agricultural development; improve the modern agricultural management system and establish a sound socialized service system for agriculture; build a modern rural market system and accelerate the construction of a distribution system for agricultural products; cultivate modern "new-type farmers" and refine support policies for new-type farmer management entities; and construct a complete system for technological innovation while strengthening the cultivation of agricultural science and technology talent. The construction of agricultural modernization in different regions of China should be based on China's national conditions and agricultural realities, critically drawing on foreign experience while selecting different developmental paths.

Research Fellow Peng Haihong suggested emphasizing the academic interpretation of Chinese-path agricultural modernization, accurately grasping the viewpoints and expositions of CPC leaders on the subject and the history of its exploration. The summary of the characteristics of agricultural modernization models in different countries must be rational and accurate, and the reasons behind the formation of these characteristics must be considered.

Research Fellow Wang Zhongbao pointed out that modernization is a dynamic and changing process. Today, Chinese-path agricultural modernization has moved beyond the standards of the era of large-scale mechanical industry—agricultural mechanization—and now encompasses the informatization and intelligentization of agricultural production and management. It is necessary to be rooted in the New Era, focus on the New Era, and clarify the specific implementation path of Chinese-path agricultural modernization in terms of where it came from and where it is going. Attention must be paid to grasping the dialectical unity between agricultural modernization, rural modernization, and the modernization of farmers.

Research Fellow Zhang Jiangang argued that the characteristics of Chinese-path agricultural modernization should be highlighted through comparison with foreign models. Only after clarifying its connotation can the implementation path of Chinese-path agricultural modernization be accurately grasped.

Subsequently, the participating doctoral and master's students actively engaged in the discussion. Liu Zhipeng, a doctoral student at UCASS, discussed the applicability of drawing on different countries' agricultural modernization models for different regions in China. Dou Yibo, a master's student at UCASS, expressed views on the construction of the common prosperity indicator system.

The academic atmosphere of this exchange was profound, featuring reports with novel viewpoints, unique perspectives, and rigorous academic deliberation, innovatively applying the basic principles of Marxism to the study of common prosperity and agricultural modernization. After the reports, the participating faculty and students engaged in heated academic discussion. Through exchange and mutual learning, they stimulated a collision of academic viewpoints, expanded the horizons of academic research, and inspired innovative wisdom for deepening their writing.

It is reported that this Graduate Academic Exchange Seminar on the Basic Principles of Marxism was organized by the editorial departments of International Critical Thought and the World Review of Political Economy, the CASS Center for Research on Marxist Economic and Social Development, and the China Society of Political Economy. (Contributed by Gao Yarong, master's student at the School of Marxism, UCASS.)