Yang Jiahui and Hong Xianghua: The Triple Logic of the Relationship Between Strategy and Tactics in the Process of Chinese Modernization
Xi Jinping has noted: "Advancing Chinese-path modernization is a systematic project that requires balancing multiple factors, systematic planning, and holistic advancement. It requires correctly handling a series of major relationships, such as top-level design and practical exploration, strategy and tactics, upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground, efficiency and equity, vitality and order, and self-reliance and opening up to the outside world." Within this framework, strategy involves making judgments and decisions based on the overall situation, the long term, and general trends; tactics serve the strategy and operate under its guidance. The two exist in a relationship of dialectical unity. Correctly handling the relationship between strategy and tactics, and organically combining strategic rigidity with tactical flexibility, has been the "winning formula" for the Communist Party of China (CPC) in overcoming countless risks and challenges and moving from victory to victory. It is also the scientific methodology for comprehensively advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-path modernization on the New Journey.
I. Theoretical Logic: Marxist Theory of Strategy and Tactics
The question of strategy and tactics is a fundamental and critical issue for any political party or nation. Correctly handling their relationship is a consistent requirement for Marxist political parties. The concepts of strategy and tactics can be understood in both narrow and broad senses. In the narrow sense, they originate from human warfare and belong to military categories corresponding to campaigns and maneuvers. "Strategy is the use of combat to achieve the ends of war." Tactics are the specific operational means that can be employed. Strategy determines the direction of the war, while tactics provide the path of execution; the stability of the strategy depends on the flexibility of the tactics. In the broad sense, strategy refers to macro-level, long-term goals and planning, while tactics refer to specific action plans under strategic guidance. The two are interdependent and form a dialectical unity of internal essence and external manifestation; one must combine strategic principle with tactical flexibility.
(1) The Development of Strategic Theory The term "strategy" was long confined to the military field, primarily referring to pure military strategy used to guide the overall situation of war. Later, as human social practice and social interaction became richer and deeper, strategy was gradually applied to many other areas, referring to the holistic, overarching, and long-term planning and guidance of a specific field—such as economic development strategy, national strategy, or international strategy. The earliest seeds of strategy appeared during the era of the first "Great War" in European history—the Greco-Persian Wars. Subsequently, with the eruption of a series of historic wars, in order to win military and international struggles, nations had to mobilize their military, political, economic, diplomatic, and cultural forces to conduct so-called "total war." Addressing the objective practice of such strategic applications, the famous British military theorist B.H. Liddell Hart proposed the concept of "Grand Strategy." Its task is to coordinate and direct all the resources of a nation toward the attainment of the political object of the war—the goal defined by national policy. At that time, this concept of "Grand Strategy" mainly referred to the use of political, economic, diplomatic, and military means to achieve the objectives of war. There are many historical examples of the application of "Grand Strategy," such as the "national mobilization" system during the Napoleonic Wars, which for the first time extended the reach of strategic planning to the national economic system; or the establishment of the German Customs Union (Zollverein), which demonstrated how economic strategy could achieve political unification through market integration. From this, we can see that the emergence of "Grand Strategy" marked the differentiation of a higher strategic level from traditional military strategy, a division that facilitated deeper and more refined exploration of every level and aspect of modern strategy.
(2) The Dialectical Program of Marxist Strategic and Tactical Theory Classical Marxist writers utilized concepts such as "political strategy" and "tactics" quite early on, applying strategic planning to the theory and practice of proletarian revolution. Marx and Engels placed great emphasis on strategic reflection and planning for the proletarian revolutionary struggle and the socialist movement, establishing the general strategic goal that "the downfall of the bourgeoisie and the victory of the proletariat are equally inevitable." Marx and Engels referred to the scientific theory guiding the proletarian revolution as "tactics" and proposed a series of thoughts on the subject. In the Manifesto of the Communist Party, they noted: "The Communists fight for the attainment of the immediate aims, for the enforcement of the momentary interests of the working class; but in the movement of the present, they also represent and take care of the future of that movement." This thought is the core of Marxist strategic and tactical thinking. In the process of guiding the revolutionary struggle of working-class parties, Marx and Engels always maintained a firm proletarian stand. While adhering to strategic principles, they used dialectical thinking to flexibly employ various modes of struggle and organization—violent and non-violent, legal and illegal, secret and open—based on changes in the objective situation, ensuring the realization of the Party's interests and goals at different periods. In the early days of the International Workingmen's Association [1], in order to unite various factions of workers' organizations across countries, Marx adopted a compromise tactic that was "firm in substance, but mild in form," fully embodying the organic combination of strategic principle and tactical flexibility. Lenin was the first to integrate Marxist strategic and tactical theory with the reality of the Russian Revolution. He pointed out that the successful advancement of the revolution by a proletarian revolutionary party "depends on the correctness of the political leadership exercised by this vanguard, and on the correctness of its political strategy and tactics." This is a full manifestation of Lenin's thought on the leadership of the proletariat in the struggle for liberation, and the logical starting point of his strategic and tactical thinking. The outbreak of the February Revolution in 1917 caused a massive shift in Russia's political situation. At this life-and-death historical juncture, Lenin's April Theses clarified the strategic goal and fundamental direction of transitioning to a socialist revolution. It was precisely this far-sighted strategic planning that created the fundamental prerequisite for the victory of the October Revolution.
(3) The CPC’s Innovation and Development of Marxist Strategic and Tactical Theory Mao Zedong was a great proletarian strategist. He organically combined the strategic theories of Marx, Engels, and Lenin with the practice of the Chinese revolution, forming a complete set of strategic thoughts suited to China's national conditions. Mao highly valued the extreme importance of strategy and tactics. He pointed out that "policy and tactics are the very life of the Party" and that "the proletariat depends entirely on the correctness and firmness of the strategy of its party—the Communist Party—for its victory." Mao noted that "strategic problems are those that study the laws of the whole situation of war," thereby revealing the most essential core of strategy and laying the foundation for the definition of modern Chinese strategy. Mao also creatively proposed that to correctly handle the relationship between strategy and tactics, one must "despise the enemy strategically, but take him seriously tactically," which is a concentrated expression of Mao's guiding ideology and principles for strategy and tactics. Xi Jinping’s series of important discourses on the Party's strategy and tactics are consistent with Mao Zedong's strategic thinking while also advancing with the times, providing a fundamental guideline for correctly handling the relationship between strategy and tactics in the process of Chinese-path modernization. Xi Jinping has pointed out: "Strategic issues are fundamental issues for a political party and a nation. If the strategic judgment is accurate, the strategic planning scientific, and the strategic initiative secured, the cause of the Party and the people will be full of hope." On this basis, he further emphasized: "The correct application of strategy and tactics is the secret of our Party's success in creating a glorious history, achieving accomplishments for the ages, overcoming various risks and challenges, and moving from victory to victory." "Strategy and tactics are powerful weapons for our Party to lead the people in transforming the world, changing practice, and driving historical development." This series of major assertions further points to the prominent status and role of strategy and tactics. With a fresh theoretical perspective, Xi Jinping has proposed a series of new ideas regarding the Party's strategic foresight. He noted that "strategy involves making judgments and decisions based on the overall situation, the long term, and general trends," and emphasized with foresight that advancing Chinese-path modernization requires enhancing the foresight, comprehensiveness, and stability of strategy. This series of incisive discourses has achieved an innovative sublimation of strategic thought. Meanwhile, guided by Marxist theory, Xi Jinping has profoundly revealed the principles of applying strategy and tactics. He emphasized that "a correct strategy requires correct tactics for implementation. Tactics serve the strategy under its guidance. Strategy and tactics are in a relationship of dialectical unity, and one must combine strategic firmness with tactical flexibility," profoundly elucidating the dialectical unity between the two. Xi Jinping’s series of important discourses on the Party's strategy and tactics have enriched and developed Marxist strategic and tactical theory, providing strong theoretical support for handling the relationship between strategy and tactics in the process of Chinese-path modernization.
II. Historical Logic: Historical Experience of Handling the Relationship Between Strategy and Tactics in the Process of Chinese-path Modernization
Correctly handling the relationship between strategy and tactics is the secret of our Party's success in creating a glorious history, achieving accomplishments for the ages, and overcoming various risks and challenges. Correct strategy and tactics have played an important role in the historical process of the CPC uniting and leading the Chinese people to advance Chinese-path modernization.
(1) The "Two-Step" Strategic Goal and the Tactical Deployment of "Five-Year Plans" Mao Zedong insisted on combining the basic principles of Marxism with China's specific realities. In the process of exploring the path to socialist modernization, he gradually established a strategic goal for building a powerful socialist country in steps, using "Five-Year Plans" as the yardstick and stage-based development goals as the foundation. In 1952, Mao first proposed the strategic goal of transitioning to socialism, and in 1953, he formally proposed the Party's General Line for the Transition Period: to basically complete the country's industrialization and the socialist transformation of agriculture, handicrafts, and capitalist industry and commerce (referred to as "One Industrialization and Three Transformations") over a period of ten to fifteen years or more. Precisely because of this far-sighted strategic planning, the Party Central Committee concentrated its forces to establish the preliminary foundation for China's socialist industrialization while completing the Three Great Transformations [2]. This series of specific tactical policies effectively realized the strategic goal of "One Industrialization and Three Transformations." Mao proposed the basic policy of mobilizing all positive factors—both inside and outside the Party and the country—to strive to build China into a powerful socialist country; this was an extremely important strategic policy during the period of socialist construction. On this basis, the Second Five-Year Plan clarified the strategic plan to basically build a complete industrial system through active but steady and reliable steps, turning China from a backward agricultural country into an advanced socialist industrial country. However, due to targets being set too high, instances occurred where construction became detached from reality during tactical implementation. Consequently, while remaining firm on the strategic policy, the Party Central Committee promptly and flexibly adjusted its tactical methods. By implementing the "Eight-Character Policy" of "adjustment, consolidation, enrichment, and improvement" [3] for the national economy, the economic and social situation improved across the board, and the national economy gradually moved onto a track of steady growth. In 1964, the Party Central Committee formally proposed the strategic plan to build China into a powerful socialist modernized country with modern agriculture, modern industry, modern national defense, and modern science and technology. To realize this strategic plan for the "Four Modernizations," the Party Central Committee initially proposed a "two-step" development strategy for the national economy starting from the Third Five-Year Plan: the first step was to build an independent and relatively complete industrial and national economic system; the second step was to comprehensively achieve the modernization of agriculture, industry, national defense, and science and technology. Advancing the cause of socialist modernization in steps and phases based on the development of productive forces and the will of the masses, while remaining firm on strategic goals, became a valuable piece of experience for our Party in leading the people to explore the path of Chinese-path modernization.
(2) The Establishment of the Reform and Opening Up Socialist Market Economy System Driven the Development of the "Three-Step" Strategy...
Since the beginning of the Reform and Opening-up [4], the Party Central Committee with Comrade Deng Xiaoping as its core explicitly proposed the concept of "Chinese-style modernization." Deng Xiaoping pointed out: "What is our primary task at present and for a considerably long historical period to come? In a word, it is to carry out modernization construction." The 13th National Congress of the CPC formally established the "three-step" development strategy for modernization construction: the first step was to double the 1980 Gross National Product (GNP) and solve the problem of food and clothing for the people; the second step was to double the GNP again by the end of the 20th century so that the people's lives reached a moderately prosperous level; and the third step was to bring the per capita GNP to the level of moderately developed countries by the middle of the 21st century, ensuring a relatively affluent life for the people and basically achieving modernization. Under the guidance of this strategy, the Party led the people in achieving a historic breakthrough from a state of relatively backward productive forces to becoming the world's second-largest economy. Indicators for the growth rate of the national economy, structural adjustment, and the people's standard of living all improved accordingly, providing a solid material foundation for Chinese-style modernization. The 13th National Congress explicitly proposed the Party's basic line for the primary stage of socialism: "taking economic construction as the center, while adhering to the Four Cardinal Principles and adhering to reform and opening up" (abbreviated as "one center, two basic points"). This was the tactical guideline proposed by the Communist Party of China based on the major strategic layout of modernization construction during this period, pointing the way forward for Chinese-style modernization. Deng Xiaoping pointed out that reform meant carrying out profound institutional reform, which is "the self-perfection of the socialist system and, within certain limits, has also produced a degree of revolutionary change." On this basis, he formulated the tactical guideline for the gradual establishment and development of the socialist market economy system. The 15th National Congress further refined the third-step development goals and stages over a longer time span, forming the "three small steps" development strategy. Specifically, for the 21st century: "In the first decade, double the GNP of the year 2000, make the people's moderately prosperous life more affluent, and form a relatively complete socialist market economy system; after another decade of effort, by the centenary of the founding of the Party [5], make the national economy more developed and various systems more complete; by the centenary of the founding of the People's Republic at mid-century, basically achieve modernization and build a prosperous, strong, democratic, and civilized socialist state." The 16th National Congress further proposed the strategic task of comprehensively building a higher-level moderately prosperous society that benefits over a billion people in the first 20 years of the 21st century. From the 12th to the 17th National Congresses, our Party persisted in taking economic construction as the central task, focused on the goals of building a moderately prosperous society and achieving modernization, significantly accelerated the pace of reform and opening up, and continuously deepened reforms in the economic, political, and cultural spheres.
(3) Comprehensively Advancing the Great Rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation through Chinese-path Modernization
Since the 18th National Congress, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as its core has closely focused on the "Two Centenaries" strategic goals, coordinately advancing the Five-Sphere Integrated Plan and the Four Comprehensives strategic layout. It has formed an integrated national development strategic system with the strategy of Chinese-path modernization as the overarching guide, characterized by unified cohesion, clear levels, close associations, and strong support. The 19th National Congress comprehensively analyzed the international and domestic situations and domestic development conditions, making a strategic arrangement for the two-step process of building a great modern socialist country in all respects from 2020 to the middle of the 21st century. Specifically: in the first stage, from 2020 to 2035, building on the foundation of having comprehensively built a moderately prosperous society, struggle for another fifteen years to basically achieve socialist modernization; in the second stage, from 2035 to the middle of this century, building on the foundation of having basically achieved modernization, struggle for another fifteen years to build our country into a prosperous, strong, democratic, civilized, harmonious, and beautiful great modern socialist country. At the same time, the 19th National Congress also proposed a new "three-step" strategy for the modernization of national defense and the armed forces: achieving the centenary goal of the founding of the People's Liberation Army by 2027, basically achieving the modernization of national defense and the armed forces by 2035, and fully building world-class forces by the middle of this century. From the 18th National Congress to the present, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as its core has always insisted on combining strategic firmness with tactical flexibility in the process of advancing Chinese-path modernization. At the strategic level, it carries forward the "nail-driving" spirit [6], seeing one blueprint through to the end. At the tactical level, it emphasizes flexibility, coordination, and complementarity, keeping a close watch on the changes in the principal contradiction of our society [7]. It coordinately advances economic, political, cultural, social, and ecological civilization construction, and resolutely implements the strategy for invigorating the country through science and education, the strategy on developing a quality workforce, the innovation-driven development strategy, the rural revitalization strategy, the coordinated regional development strategy, the sustainable development strategy, and the military-civilian integration strategy. It highlights focusing on key areas, addressing weaknesses, and strengthening fragile links, especially resolutely fighting the "tough battles" of preventing and defusing major risks, targeted poverty alleviation, and pollution prevention and control. It is precisely under the deployment and guidance of this series of strategies and tactics that China's economic strength, technological strength, and comprehensive national power have continued to grow, and Chinese-path modernization has taken solid new steps.
III. Practical Logic: The Practical Path for Handling the Relationship Between Strategy and Tactics in the Process of Chinese-path Modernization
Historical practice has fully proven that the Communist Party of China's ability to lead the Chinese people to successfully blaze a path of Chinese-path modernization is inseparable from the formulation and implementation of correct strategies and tactics. We must focus on the rich connotations of Chinese-path modernization and formulate tactical measures based on reality. On the one hand, we must advance strategic implementation in an orderly manner, stage by stage and step by step; on the other hand, we must grasp tactical flexibility and adjust tactics in a timely manner according to changes in the situation. If these two steps are performed well, Chinese-path modernization will comprehensively advance the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
(1) Scientifically planning the "15th Five-Year Plan" to promote the basic realization of socialist modernization
This year is the concluding year of the "14th Five-Year Plan." According to the "two-step" strategic plan, to achieve the strategic goal of basically realizing socialist modernization by 2035, we must adapt to changes in the situation, grasp strategic priorities, and scientifically plan arrangements for all aspects of economic and social development during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period.
We must accurately grasp the stage-specific requirements of the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, focus on the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation, and closely revolve around the goal of basically achieving socialist modernization to reasonably determine the goals and tasks of each field and propose ideas and measures. For the goals and tasks in all aspects, we must conduct in-depth analysis and demonstration to ensure they are scientific and precise and can be achieved as scheduled. We must plan holistically, grasp key and decisive factors, manage the rhythm and progress effectively, and focus on consolidating and expanding advantages, breaking through bottlenecks, strengthening weak links, and improving quality and efficiency, maintaining consistency with the overall goal orientation. Regarding economic and social development, we must proactively grasp the impact of international situation developments on our country and adjust and optimize the economic layout by guiding actions according to circumstances. We must unswervingly manage our own affairs well, unswervingly expand high-level opening up to the outside world, and take multiple measures to stabilize employment, enterprises, the market, and expectations, effectively stabilizing the basic economic floor, accelerating the construction of the dual circulation pattern, and comprehensively promoting high-quality development. We must pay more attention to coordinating development and security, take a holistic view of internal and external risks and challenges, improve the national security system, enhance the capacity to maintain security, promote the benign interaction between high-quality development and high-level security through high-efficiency governance, and guarantee the new development pattern with a new security pattern. We must place the development of new quality productive forces according to local conditions in a more prominent strategic position, taking technological innovation as the lead and the real economy as the foundation. We must persist in simultaneously advancing the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries, actively developing emerging industries, and planning for future industries ahead of time, while accelerating the construction of a modernized industrial system. We must improve the national innovation system, stimulate the vitality of various innovation entities, aim at the frontiers of world science and technology, continue efforts in strengthening basic research and improving original innovation capabilities, and lose no time in tackling key core technologies and frontier technologies. We must coordinately advance the integrated development of education, technology, and talent to consolidate the foundational and strategic support for the development of new quality productive forces. Regarding Party building, we must unswervingly promote the comprehensive and strict governance of the Party, improve the system of norms for the Party's self-revolution, deeply advance the construction of a clean government and the anti-corruption struggle, and grasp the implementation of reforms with the "nail-driving" spirit. In terms of building democratic politics, we must actively develop whole-process people's democracy, strengthen institutional construction for the people's status as masters of the country, improve the mechanism of consultative democracy, improve the grassroots democracy system, and perfect the "Grand United Front" pattern. In terms of legal construction, we must fully implement the Constitution and advance the construction of a "Law-based China" to provide a legal guarantee for Chinese-path modernization. In terms of cultural construction, we must develop advanced socialist culture, promote revolutionary culture, inherit excellent traditional Chinese culture, build a more effective international communication system, and continuously strengthen the spiritual power of Chinese-path modernization. In terms of national defense construction, we must maintain the Party's absolute leadership over the people's armed forces and deeply implement the strategy of strengthening the military through reform to provide a powerful guarantee for achieving the centenary goal of the founding of the People's Liberation Army as scheduled and basically achieving the modernization of national defense and the armed forces.
(2) Focusing on the five characteristics of Chinese-path modernization to fully build a great modern socialist country
To achieve the strategic goal of fully building a great modern socialist country, we must both base ourselves on the present and look to the long term, enhancing strategic foresight and globality, while also remaining flexible and adaptable, organically combining strategic principle with tactical flexibility. The report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC pointed out: "Chinese-path modernization is the socialist modernization led by the Communist Party of China. It shares common features with the modernization processes of all countries, but more importantly, it has Chinese characteristics based on our own national conditions." The Chinese characteristics of Chinese-path modernization are: "it is the modernization of a huge population, the modernization of common prosperity for all, the modernization of material and cultural-ethical advancement, the modernization of harmony between humanity and nature, and the modernization of peaceful development." This requires the organic combination of strategic principle and tactical flexibility in the process of advancing Chinese-path modernization to build a great modern socialist country.
The enormous size of the population is a significant feature of Chinese-path modernization; therefore, in the process of advancing Chinese-path modernization to achieve the second-stage struggle goal, we must further improve the level of institutionalization, standardization, and proceduralization of whole-process people's democracy. Common prosperity for all is the essential requirement of Chinese-path modernization, which requires taking the benefit of the people as the fundamental value orientation, persisting in guaranteeing and improving people's livelihoods during development, and steadily promoting common prosperity. We must conduct in-depth research on effective measures to optimize regional layouts, promote coordinated regional development, consolidate and expand the achievements of poverty alleviation, promote comprehensive rural revitalization and urban-rural integrated development, and accelerate the modernization of agriculture and rural areas, so as to steadily increase the income of urban and rural residents. We must research and launch a batch of livelihood policy measures with strong balance and accessibility, focusing on solving the urgent, difficult, and anxious problems that the masses worry about. Regarding matters involving the common people, the key lies in being "practical" (shí); various policy measures must be substantive and effective, adhering to the principle of "doing our best while acting within our means" [8]. The coordination of material and cultural-ethical advancement is the lofty pursuit of Chinese-path modernization. While continuously enriching the material foundation of modernization and consolidating the material conditions for the people's happy life, we must build a strong socialist culture, stimulate the cultural innovation and creative vitality of the entire nation, and promote the comprehensive abundance of things and the comprehensive development of people. Harmony between humanity and nature is a distinct characteristic of Chinese-path modernization. We must always adhere to sustainable development, persist in the tactical guidelines of giving priority to conservation, protection, and natural restoration, and unswervingly follow a path of civilized development characterized by developed production, affluent life, and sound ecology. At the same time, we must also adjust the focus of tactical implementation in different stages and periods according to the actual situation of economic and social development. Following the path of peaceful development is a prominent feature of Chinese-path modernization. We must always be committed to promoting world peace and development and continuously promote the building of a community with a shared future for humanity; this is a strategic principle that must be strictly followed. From this, we can conclude that Chinese-path modernization is the only way to realize the comprehensive construction of a great modern socialist country. To successfully advance Chinese-path modernization and achieve the Second Centenary Goal, we must correctly handle the relationship between strategy and tactics in practice. Under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China, through the unremitting struggle of the whole Party and the people of all ethnic groups with perseverance and united hearts, the goal of fully building a great modern socialist country will surely be realized, and the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation will surely be achieved as scheduled.
(The authors' affiliations: Department of Party Building, Central Party School; Research Department, Central Party School) Source: Theoretical Horizon, Issue 5, 2025