Qu Qingshan: Comprehensively and Accurately Understand and Grasp the Principles of Further Deepening Reform Comprehensively
The Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee emphasized that further comprehensively deepening reform must implement the principles of: upholding the Party’s overall leadership; remaining people-centered; upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground; taking institutional building as the main line; maintaining the comprehensive rule of law; and adhering to a systems thinking. The "Six Upholds" major principles are a highly condensed and concentrated summary of a series of new ideas, new viewpoints, and new judgments put forward by General Secretary Xi Jinping regarding comprehensively deepening reform. We must comprehensively and accurately comprehend and grasp them, unwavering in our adherence to them in reform practice, while continuously enriching and developing them.
Deeply Understanding the Major Significance of the "Six Upholds" Major Principles
Facing the world’s major changes unseen in a century [1], the complex international and domestic situations, a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, and the new expectations of the masses, a major task facing our Party and country is the necessity to push reform forward. The "Six Upholds" major principles scientifically answer a series of major theoretical and practical questions involved in reform; they constitute the correct worldview and scientific methodology of reform, providing the "bridge and boat" [2] to complete the task of "crossing the river." They possess great guiding significance for further comprehensively deepening reform and promoting the steady and long-term progress of the cause of the Party and the state.
From a historical dimension, the "Six Upholds" major principles are a scientific summation of the precious experience gained since the start of reform and opening up, particularly in comprehensively deepening reform in the New Era. The great practice of over 40 years of reform and opening up has yielded fruitful results and accumulated valuable experience. In particular, as one of the most magnificent chapters in the historical process of China's reform and opening up, comprehensively deepening reform in the New Era has achieved a series of major practical, institutional, and theoretical results, providing a solid foundation and precious experience for further comprehensively deepening reform on the new journey. The "Six Upholds" major principles are a profound reflection on the historical experience of over 40 years of reform and opening up, and more importantly, a concentrated manifestation of over a decade of fresh experience in comprehensively deepening reform in the New Era. They demonstrate our Party’s historical confidence and historical initiative in leading further comprehensive deepening of reform, providing important historical enlightenment for opening up broad prospects for Chinese-path modernization through reform and opening up.
From a realistic dimension, the "Six Upholds" major principles are an important compliance for promoting comprehensively deepening reform toward greater breadth and depth. Further comprehensively deepening reform is a pioneering undertaking and a broad and profound social transformation; it cannot be achieved easily by just "beating drums and gongs" [3], and will inevitably face difficulties, risks, and challenges from all sides. The "Six Upholds" major principles possess strong realistic pertinence and guidance. They are our "stabilizing sea-needle" [4] for strengthening our strategic initiative and initiative in struggle, as well as for overcoming various risks and challenges on the road ahead. They will surely guide us to nurture new opportunities in crises and open new prospects amidst changes, continuing to write new chapters of the "Two Miracles" [5].
From a theoretical dimension, the "Six Upholds" major principles are a major achievement of our Party’s continuous deepening of its understanding of the laws of reform. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping has led the whole Party in continuously advancing theoretical innovation through reform, scientifically grasping the trends, momentum, crises, and opportunities facing reform, summarizing fresh experiences in a timely manner, and continuously deepening the understanding of the laws governing reform. This has formed a series of new ideas, new viewpoints, and new judgments on comprehensively deepening reform. The "Six Upholds" major principles are refined from these new ideas, viewpoints, and judgments, marking a new height in our Party’s understanding of the laws governing socialist reform and opening up.
From a practical dimension, the "Six Upholds" major principles are scientific methods for enhancing the scientific nature, foresight, initiative, and creativity of further comprehensively deepening reform. Further comprehensively deepening reform involves a wide scope, touches deep-seated interests, and presents great difficulties in "tackling fortifications" [6]. This places higher demands on the ability of Party organizations and leading cadres at all levels to plan and promote reform. The "Six Upholds" major principles provide us with the methodology to better transform the "grand brushwork" of the 20th CPC Central Committee’s decisions and deployments into "fine-line paintings" and "construction blueprints" [7]. They set clear requirements for us to implement various reform measures thoroughly and meticulously, ensuring we learn reform, implement reform, and master reform through the process of reform itself.
Since the beginning of the New Era, breakthroughs in scientific and technological innovation have been continuously achieved, and the capacity for innovation-driven development has steadily increased, sketching a new picture of Chinese-path modernization. The photo shows the first commercial flight of the domestically produced large aircraft C919 on May 28, 2023.
Accurately Grasping the Scientific Connotation of the "Six Upholds" Major Principles
The "Six Upholds" major principles constitute a systematic, complete, interconnected, and mutually reinforcing organic whole. We must accurately comprehend and grasp their rich connotations from the heights of combining theory with practice, connecting history with reality, and unifying epistemology with methodology.
Upholding the Party's overall leadership answers the question of who leads the reform and who must lead it for it to succeed. The Communist Party of China vigorously advocates, implements, and promotes reform. In contemporary China, reform can only succeed by upholding the leadership of the Communist Party of China. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, at critical junctures and on major issues, the Party Central Committee has "held the flag and set the direction" and "planned the overall layout," with General Secretary Xi Jinping personally taking command and taking action, providing the strongest and most powerful leadership guarantee for comprehensively deepening reform. Currently, as comprehensively deepening reform becomes more difficult and dangerous as it progresses—yet remains a process where we must move forward or fall back—we must profoundly understand the decisive significance of the "Two Establishments," resolutely achieve the "Two Upholds," and give full play to the Party's core leadership role in overseeing the overall situation and coordinating all parties. We must integrate the Party's leadership into all aspects and the whole process of reform, ensuring that reform always proceeds in the correct direction under the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee, gathering a majestic force of millions of people to overcome difficulties together.
Remaining people-centered answers the question of for whom the reform is intended. Only by reforming for the people does reform have meaning; only by relying on the people for reform does reform have momentum. Our efforts to grasp reform and promote development are, in the final analysis, intended to enhance the people’s sense of gain, happiness, and security, and to allow the people to live better lives. Facing the people’s new expectations for a better life, we must respect the people’s principal position and pioneering spirit. Reform should respond to what the people call for. We must always take the promotion of social fairness and justice and the enhancement of people’s well-being as our starting point and ultimate goal, being adept at pooling the wisdom of the people and uniting their hearts, so that the fruits of reform benefit all people more extensively and equitably.
Upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground answers the question of the position and direction of reform. Upholding the fundamentals means guarding the lifeblood; fundamental elements such as upholding the Party’s overall leadership, Marxism, the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and the people’s democratic dictatorship must never be shaken. If they are shaken, it can no longer be called socialism; subversive errors will be committed, and reform will be led down a wicked path. Breaking new ground means creating the future; it requires using indomitable courage and spirit to conform to new trends in social development, new requirements of practical development, and new expectations of the masses. We must vigorously promote innovation in theory, practice, institutions, culture, and all other aspects to provide a powerful impetus and institutional guarantee for Chinese-path modernization.
Taking institutional building as the main line answers the question of the goals of reform. The overall goal of comprehensively deepening reform is to improve and develop the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics and to promote the modernization of China’s governance system and capacity. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, we have highlighted institutional building as the main line, perfecting various systems through comprehensively deepening reform, making the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics more mature and well-defined, and significantly improving the modernization level of the national governance system and capacity. This provided a strong institutional guarantee for building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. Meanwhile, perfecting the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics is a dynamic process that will inevitably develop along with practice. To further comprehensively deepen reform and promote Chinese-path modernization, we must consolidate fundamental systems, improve basic systems, and innovate important systems, continuously better transforming our institutional advantages into national governance efficacy.
Maintaining the comprehensive rule of law answers the question of the pathway of reform. The rule of law is a great invention of human society and an important sign of a society reaching maturity. Comprehensively deepening reform adheres to the unity of reform and the rule of law, promoting the integrated development of the rule of law for the country, the government, and society. Currently, reform emphasizes "simultaneous breaking and establishing, with establishing taking precedence over breaking" [8], combining top-level design with "crossing the river by feeling the stones." The status and role of the rule of law have become even more prominent. We must be adept at using legal thinking and methods to advance reform, ensuring that major reforms have a legal basis and that reform achievements are codified into legal systems in a timely manner, ensuring that reform proceeds and deepens in an orderly fashion on the track of the rule of law.
Adhering to a systems thinking answers the question of the method of reform. Reform is a complex systemic project; from the "first kilometer" of planning and design to the "last kilometer" of implementation and effectiveness, we must properly handle major relationships—such as those between the economy and society, the government and the market, efficiency and fairness, vitality and order, and development and security. This ensures that various reform measures coordinate with each other in policy orientation, promote each other in the implementation process, and complement each other in reform outcomes, thereby enhancing the systemic, holistic, and synergistic nature of reform.
In recent years, various regions have focused on solving the difficulties and high costs of nursery care for families with children under three years old. They have vigorously developed and perfected the inclusive childcare service system, continuously enhancing the people's sense of gain and satisfaction, and promoting the healthy growth of infants and toddlers. The photo shows teachers and children in the nursery class of the Model Kindergarten in Fengxin County, Jiangxi Province, playing happily on September 4, 2024.
Deeply Practicing the Practical Requirements of the "Six Upholds" Major Principles
Adhering to and applying the "Six Upholds" major principles is an important part of how various regions and departments implement the spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee in accordance with their actual conditions. It is an inevitable requirement for central and state organs to lead the "first phalanx" in practicing the "Two Upholds" and to serve as a "vanguard" in studying, publicizing, and implementing the spirit of the session. It is also a practical requirement for us to comprehensively and accurately comprehend and grasp General Secretary Xi Jinping’s series of new ideas, viewpoints, and judgments on comprehensively deepening reform, to implement the strategic deployments of the Party Central Committee, and to ensure all reform measures are put into place.
In the practice of further comprehensively deepening reform, we must take upholding the Party’s overall leadership as the fundamental guarantee. From analyzing the reform situation and building consensus to making decisions and deploying tasks, and further to removing obstacles and ensuring implementation, we must firmly maintain the authority and centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee, ensuring that its decrees are executed without fail and its prohibitions are strictly respected. We must take remaining people-centered as our value orientation, planning and advancing reform based on the overall, fundamental, and long-term interests of the people. We must follow the Party’s mass line in the New Era, reasonably guide expectations for reform, and focus on identifying the starting points and breakthroughs for reform from the urgent needs and anxieties of the common people. We must take upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground as a basic principle, always following the right path while being adept at forging new trails, unswervingly adhering to socialism with Chinese characteristics, resolutely breaking down institutional and mechanistic barriers in all areas, and promoting continuous new breakthroughs in reform. We must take institutional building as the main line as a vital requirement—strengthening foundations, leveraging advantages, mending shortfalls, and reinforcing weak links. We must combine central requirements, the people’s expectations, practical needs, and fresh experiences so that various systems are sustainable, feasible, and truly effective. We must take maintaining the comprehensive rule of law as an effective pathway, giving better play to the positive role of the rule of law in removing reform obstacles and consolidating reform achievements. We must safeguard legal authority, further deepen reform in the field of the rule of law, continuously improve the system of socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics, and equally protect the legitimate rights and interests of all citizens and legal persons. We must take adhering to a systems thinking as a scientific method, placing more emphasis on systematic integration, highlighting key points, and prioritizing reform effectiveness. We must consider the "points, lines, surfaces" [9] of reform as well as its timing, intensity, and efficacy, scientifically formulating reform "task books," timetables, and priority sequences, while strengthening the coordination and support of various reform measures to strive for holistic efficacy.
On the new journey in the New Era, we must unite more closely around the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, unswervingly carry reform through to the end, and consistently implement the "Six Upholds" major principles. We must be down-to-earth, overcome difficulties, persevere over the long term, and with firm determination and tenacious struggle, strive to open up new horizons for reform and development.
(Author: Qu Qingshan, President of the Institute of Party History and Literature of the CPC Central Committee) Source: Flag (旗帜), Issue No. 1, 2025