Gao Peiyong: Study Xi Jinping's Economic Thought Deeply and Closely Around the New Development Philosophy
The 2017 Central Economic Work Conference [1] first proposed Xi Jinping Thought on Socialist Economy with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era (Xi Jinping’s economic thought), noting: "Over the past five years, we have persisted in observing general trends, planning for the overall situation, and performing substantive work. We have successfully steered the overall situation of our country’s economic development and, through practice, formed Xi Jinping Thought on Socialist Economy with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, with the new development philosophy as its main content." In January 2021, General Secretary Xi Jinping explicitly pointed out at a provincial-and-ministerial-level leading cadre seminar on implementing the spirit of the Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee: "Since the 18th National Congress [2], we have proposed many major theories and concepts regarding economic and social development, among which the new development philosophy is the most important and primary." The first volume of the Selected Economic Works of Xi Jinping (hereinafter referred to as the Selected Works) includes the most important and fundamental writings of General Secretary Xi Jinping on economic construction from November 2012 to December 2024. It provides profound answers to a series of major theoretical and practical questions, such as how to view and how to conduct China's economic development. Within this, the content that serves as a general program and is most important and primary is the new development philosophy.
The prominent status of the new development philosophy within Xi Jinping’s economic thought originates from the importance of economic development itself. Our country is the world's largest developing nation and is currently in, and will remain for a long time in, the primary stage of socialism [3]. Development remains the foundation and key to solving all our country’s problems. Whether for the comprehensive building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects and the realization of the First Centenary Goal [4], or for the comprehensive building of a modern socialist country and the march toward the Second Centenary Goal, this macro-logic has never changed.
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out in "Accelerate the Construction of a New Development Paradigm and Strive to Promote High-Quality Development" that: "High-quality development is the primary task of comprehensively building a modern socialist country. Development is the Party’s top priority in governing and rejuvenating the country." Only by regarding development as the Party's top priority in governing and rejuvenating the country, treating high-quality development as the "hard truth" [5] of the New Era, and concentrating energy on managing our own affairs, can we continuously expand our country’s economic strength, scientific and technological strength, and comprehensive national power. This provides a more solid material and technical foundation for resolving various risks and challenges as we advance toward the magnificent goal of comprehensively building a great modern socialist country.
The importance of economic development is not only fully reflected in the Selected Works, where many writings revolve around development, but also in the Study Outline for Xi Jinping’s Economic Thought. In the organizational structure of that book, besides the 13 chapters of the general introduction and conclusion, every chapter's subtitle revolves around economic development. These include: the fundamental guarantee for our country's economic development, the fundamental position, the historical orientation, the guiding principles, the choice of path, the distinct theme, the institutional foundation, the strategic measures, the primary driving force, the main focus points, the important "magic weapon," [6] the important safeguards, and the methodology for conducting economic work. In this sense, Xi Jinping’s economic thought is a theoretical system that researches development and takes development as its theme. "Economic development" is the most important keyword in Xi Jinping’s economic thought; thus, the new development philosophy must necessarily become its primary content.
The prominent status of the new development philosophy also originates from the importance of development concepts to economic development itself. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out in "Grasp the New Development Stage, Implement the New Development Philosophy, and Build a New Development Paradigm" that: "In our Party's leadership of the people in governance, a very important aspect is to provide a good answer to the major questions of what kind of development to achieve and how to achieve it." Economic and social development is a complex and massive system; there must be an overarching requirement to ensure consistent direction and unified standards. The development philosophy is such an overarching requirement; any specific developmental practice is guided by a specific development philosophy.
As the concentrated expression of development ideas, modes, and focus points, whether a development philosophy is correct fundamentally determines the effectiveness, and even the success or failure, of development. As the general program and macro-logic governing development, the development philosophy must not only answer major questions such as what kind of development to achieve and how to achieve it, but also clarify major issues regarding the political stance, value orientation, development model, and development path. As the "baton" [7] governing development, the development philosophy must not only provide top-level design for the future development blueprint but also answer a series of theoretical and practical questions regarding the purpose, power, mode, and path of development.
In grasping development on the new journey of the New Era, we must base ourselves on the overall situation of the causes of the Party and the state, and more prominently highlight the leading role of the new development philosophy for economic development. For example, only by linking the development of new quality productive forces with the complete, accurate, and comprehensive implementation of the new development philosophy—and developing new quality productive forces according to local conditions—can we fundamentally solve the problem of development momentum and continuously promote the effective improvement of economic quality and the reasonable growth of economic quantity. Only by using the new development philosophy to lead the further comprehensive deepening of reform, basing ourselves on the new development stage, deepening supply-side structural reform, and improving the incentive and constraint mechanisms for promoting high-quality development, can we continuously shape new drivers and advantages for development, providing powerful impetus and institutional guarantees for Chinese-path modernization.
The prominent status of the new development philosophy in Xi Jinping’s economic thought stems even more from its importance to economic development on the new journey of the New Era. General Secretary Xi Jinping proposed the development philosophy of innovation, coordination, green development, openness, and sharing at the Fifth Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee. During the 30th collective study session of the Political Bureau of the 18th Central Committee, he emphasized that the new development philosophy is the "baton" and the "traffic light." The new development philosophy did not emerge out of thin air; it was formed on the basis of profoundly summarizing domestic and international experiences and lessons of development, and on the basis of profoundly analyzing the general trends of domestic and international development. In other words, the new development philosophy is rooted in the practice of our country's economic development and is aimed at solving the practical problems therein.
Specifically, each of the five development concepts—innovation, coordination, green development, openness, and sharing—corresponds to the weak links and shortcomings of our country’s economic development. They unfold around important focus points such as development momentum, developmental coordination, the harmonious coexistence of man and nature, the internal and external linkage of development, and social equity and justice. Innovation-driven development focuses on solving the problem of development momentum, requiring that innovation be placed at the prominent position of the overall national development situation so that it permeates all work of the Party and the state. Coordinated development focuses on solving the problem of unbalanced development, requiring the correct handling of major relationships in development to continuously enhance the integrity and coordination of development. Green development focuses on solving the problem of harmony between man and nature, requiring the promotion of economic and social development in synergy with ecological environmental protection to create a good production and living environment for the people. Open development focuses on solving the problem of internal and external linkage, requiring the construction of a new system for a higher-level open economy and using expanded openness to advance reform and development. Shared development focuses on solving the problem of social equity and justice, requiring adherence to sharing by all, sharing in all aspects, sharing through joint construction, and progressive sharing, so as to continuously promote the realization of common prosperity for all people.
The new development philosophy is an internally connected whole. The primary task of our country's economic construction on the new journey of the New Era is to completely, accurately, and comprehensively implement the new development philosophy and promote high-quality development. Innovation, coordination, green development, openness, and sharing constitute a highly coupled and indivisible systematic project. They have different focuses yet support each other synergistically; one cannot be neglected at the expense of another, nor can they substitute for one another. They must be implemented in a unified manner, with not a single one missing. Only by treating the new development philosophy as a whole that permeates the entire process and all fields of economic development—interconnecting and mutually reinforcing—and by always grasping, measuring, and promoting development through the internal unity of these five concepts, can all parties form a synergy to truly value innovation, emphasize coordination, advocate green development, cultivate openness, and advance sharing.
The new development philosophy is also a theoretical innovation of Marxism that advances with the times. Xi Jinping’s economic thought originates from practice and is continuously enriched and developed along with it. The same is true for the new development philosophy. From General Secretary Xi Jinping’s emphasis in October 2015 that "adhering to the new development philosophy is a profound transformation involving the overall situation of our country’s development," to his January 2021 emphasis that "the whole Party must completely, accurately, and comprehensively implement the new development philosophy," requiring that it be grasped through its fundamental purpose, problem-orientation, and awareness of potential dangers, to his March 2022 emphasis during a deliberation with the Inner Mongolia delegation at the Fifth Session of the 13th National People's Congress that "implementing the new development philosophy is the inevitable path for our country's development and growth in the New Era"—the adjustments and changes in phrasing and formulations reflected in this period are precisely the continuous deepening and sublimation of our understanding of the new development philosophy. Facing a series of new and profound changes in economic development on the new journey of the New Era, only by treating the new development philosophy as an open theory that continuously evolves toward the future, and by understanding and grasping it in a way that advances with the times, can we continuously use the Party's innovative theories to study new situations, solve new problems, and propose new ideas, strategies, and measures.
Taken as a whole, the new development philosophy constitutes the most important and primary content of Xi Jinping’s economic thought. It is the "ox's nose" [8] that we must grasp and hold onto firmly as we study and implement Xi Jinping’s economic thought in depth. While persisting in reading the original works, studying the original texts, and comprehending the underlying principles, we can only accurately grasp the stance, viewpoints, and methods permeating Xi Jinping’s economic thought if we take the study of the new development philosophy as the main thread and starting point. This allows us to know not only what is said but also what is meant, to know the facts and the reasons behind them, and thus achieve twice the result with half the effort. Furthermore, only by thinking deeply and comprehending profoundly around the new development philosophy—the most important and primary content—can we accurately grasp the latest scientific judgments and strategic deployments of General Secretary Xi Jinping and the Party Central Committee, truly clarify situations, identify problems accurately, propose solid countermeasures, and continuously improve our ability and level of performing economic work.