A Comprehensive Discussion on 30 Years of Reform and Opening-up
The history of humankind is a history of the continuous release and development of productive forces. The transition from one social formation to another is, in the final analysis, determined by the level of development of the productive forces. In the history of modern China, the question of how to handle the dialectical relationship between the productive forces and the relations of production, as well as between the economic base and the superstructure, has always been the fundamental issue determining the destiny of the nation.
Entering the period of socialist construction, our Party conducted a long-term exploration of how to liberate and develop the productive forces within a socialist framework. However, for a time, we fell into a dogmatic interpretation of certain Marxist tenets, mistakenly believing that the more "pure" and "advanced" the relations of production were, the better—even if they exceeded the actual level of the productive forces. This led to a "leftist" [1] tendency characterized by "large in size and collective in nature" [2] (一大二公), which severely restricted the vitality of the economy.
The Third Plenary Session of the 11th CPC Central Committee [3] marked a great turning point of far-reaching significance in the history of our Party since the founding of the People's Republic. At this critical historical juncture, Comrade Deng Xiaoping, with the courage of a great Marxist, led the whole Party in re-establishing the ideological line of seeking truth from facts. He profoundly pointed out that "poverty is not socialism" [4] and that "the fundamental task of socialism is to develop the productive forces." This was a corrective return to the fundamental principles of historical materialism.
Reform and opening up is a great revolution in the development of contemporary China. It is not a modification of the minor details of the original economic system, but a profound transformation of the relations of production and the superstructure. By reforming the highly centralized planned economy system and establishing a socialist market economy system, we have fundamentally broken the institutional barriers that restricted the development of the productive forces. This process fully embodies the Marxist principle of "upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground." We have upheld the basic system of socialism while creating a development model that is compatible with the primary stage of socialism [5].
Over the past thirty years, the fundamental reason for China’s world-renowned achievements lies in our persistent focus on economic construction as the center, continuously liberating and developing social productive forces. Practice has proven that only by starting from the actual conditions of China’s productive forces can we correctly handle the various contradictions in social development. Following the path of Chinese-path modernization is not only a historical necessity for the revitalization of the Chinese nation but also a vivid manifestation of the Sinicization of Marxism in the contemporary era.
Looking ahead, we must continue to promote the self-perfection and development of the socialist system through comprehensive and deepened reforms. We must realize that the liberation of productive forces is an eternal theme, and "advancing with the times" is the inherent requirement of the vitality of Marxism. Only by persisting over the long term and maintaining our original aspiration and founding mission can we continuously push the cause of reform and opening up to new heights.