Huang Jianjun: Profitably Grasping the Fourfold Significance of Promoting High-Quality Development
High-quality development is the "master key" to solving all problems and serves as the foundation and critical path for building a modern socialist country in all respects on the New Journey [1]. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has coordinated the overall strategy for national rejuvenation and the profound changes in the world unseen in a century. Grounded in a new temporal positioning, the Central Committee has fully, accurately, and comprehensively implemented the new development philosophy, continuously deepened its understanding of the fundamental characteristics and economic laws of the new development stage, and mapped out a blueprint for high-quality development, thereby injecting powerful momentum into Chinese-path modernization.
The report to the 19th CPC National Congress proposed that "China's economy has transitioned from a stage of high-speed growth to a stage of high-quality development." The report to the 20th CPC National Congress emphasized that "high-quality development is the primary task of building a modern socialist country in all respects." The Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee proposed to "improve the institutions and mechanisms for promoting high-quality economic development," while the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee emphasized "accelerating the construction of a high-level socialist market economy system and enhancing the momentum for high-quality development." In particular, the recommendations for the "15th Five-Year Plan" [2] are consistent with the "14th Five-Year Plan," continuing to define the promotion of high-quality development as the theme of economic and social development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. These major theoretical assertions and important top-level designs fully demonstrate that promoting high-quality development has become the ideological consensus and conscious action of the entire Party and society; it is a major principle that must be followed for China's economic and social development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. We must profoundly grasp General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions on high-quality development, and comprehensively master the relationship between "the occasion" and "the trend," "quality" and "quantity," "peril" and "opportunity," and "knowledge" and "action," so as to shape new momentum and new advantages for moving toward a great modern socialist country in all respects.
1. Recognizing "the occasion" and "the trend": Clarifying the mission statement for high-quality development
Only by recognizing "the occasion" (shí) and "the trend" (shì) can we firm up our confidence and gain the strategic initiative. Since the 20th CPC National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping has presided over a series of important meetings aimed at implementing regional development strategies. These include symposiums on promoting the construction of the Xiong'an New Area [3] with high standards and high quality, further advancing the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, promoting the full revitalization of Northeast China in the New Era, promoting the rise of the Central Region in the New Era, promoting the Great Western Development in the New Era, and comprehensively promoting ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin. He has successively provided explanations regarding the Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Further Comprehensively Deepening Reform and Advancing Chinese-path Modernization and the Recommendations of the CPC Central Committee for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development. By scientifically and accurately assessing the "occasion" and "trend" of high-quality development, and by adhering to the principle of advancing with the times and innovating according to the trend, he has positioned high-quality development as an inevitable requirement of Chinese-path modernization, further clarifying the mission statement for its promotion.
High-quality development is the primary task of building a modern socialist country in all respects. General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized that "accelerating the realization of high-level self-reliance and strength in science and technology is the inevitable path to promote high-quality development," and "currently, the prominent problem facing the promotion of high-quality development remains unbalanced and inadequate development." These important expositions calibrate the strategic position and historical significance of high-quality development in the construction of a great modern socialist country, clarifying that high-quality development is the theme of China's economic and social development for the 14th and 15th Five-Year Plans and even longer.
In the New Era and on the New Journey, high-quality development has become the inevitable path for us to respond to the profound adjustments in the global political and economic landscape and its attendant risks and challenges; more importantly, it is a major subject for overcoming various difficulties and obstacles in the process of Chinese-path modernization. Facing a complex external environment, we must firm up our confidence, unswervingly manage our own affairs well, unswervingly expand high-level opening up to the outside world, and focus on stabilizing employment, enterprises, markets, and expectations. We must use the certainty of high-quality development to respond to all manner of uncertainties. The 15th Five-Year Plan period is a critical period for laying a solid foundation and fully exerting the effort to basically realize socialist modernization. We must comprehensively grasp the "occasion" and "trend" facing high-quality development, anchor our goals and tasks, and promote changes in quality, efficiency, and momentum to build a solid foundation for Chinese-path modernization.
2. Balancing "quality" and "quantity": Solving the core problems of high-quality development
Currently, the world’s once-in-a-century changes are accelerating, and the relations between major powers affect the international situation, the evolution of which profoundly impacts domestic development. The turbulent and volatile state of the world economy fully illustrates that the development of any economy cannot be smooth sailing. In this critical period where China’s development environment faces profound and complex changes, we will encounter various new situations and problems. Particularly in recent years, "countercurrents" such as unilateralism, protectionism, and anti-globalization sentiments—which deviate from the logic of economic globalization—have spread. China's development has entered a period where strategic opportunities and risks/challenges coexist, and where uncertain and unpredictable factors are increasing.
The Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has assessed the situation, made scientific predictions, and anchored the overall direction, clearly pointing out: "Economic development is a process of spiral ascent; the ascent is not linear. When the accumulation of quantity reaches a certain stage, it must turn toward the improvement of quality. China's economic development must also follow this law." The fundamentals of China's economy—including favorable conditions such as a vast market, strong economic resilience, and great potential—have not changed. High-quality development means conforming to the objective law of economic transition from quantitative change to qualitative change. We must not only grasp the question of "whether it exists" in terms of quantity but, more importantly, answer the question of "how good it is" in terms of quality. That is, we must better coordinate the effective improvement of quality with the reasonable growth of quantity, always adhering to the principles of "quality first" and "priority on benefits."
In essence, high-quality development requires the coordination of "quality" and "quantity." It must rely on technological innovation to effectively improve the quality of supply, continuously improving quality through "progress" (jìn) and strengthening new momentum for development. At the same time, it must maintain a reasonable growth of quantity to build a foundation through "stability" (wěn), providing a baseline for achieving high-quality development. Meanwhile, high-quality development needs to rely on the incremental and qualitative improvements provided by new quality productive forces; accelerating the development of new quality productive forces is an inherent requirement and an important focus for promoting high-quality development. To promote high-quality development, the most important task is to accelerate high-level self-reliance and strength in science and technology and actively develop new quality productive forces.
High-quality development must be guided by the new development philosophy, taking new quality productive forces formed by technological innovation as a strong driving force and support—adapted to local conditions—thereby forming new industries, new models, and new momentum. Technological innovation and industrial innovation are the basic paths for developing new quality productive forces. High-quality development is inseparable from innovation-driven growth and industrial support, from the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries, and from the opening of new frontiers in strategic emerging industries and future industries. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "We must unswervingly follow the path of high-quality development, stick to the main business, strengthen the real economy, enhance independent innovation, and transform development modes. We must continuously improve the quality, efficiency, and core competitiveness of enterprises, and strive to contribute more to promoting technological innovation, cultivating new quality productive forces, building a modern industrial system, comprehensively promoting rural revitalization, promoting regional coordinated development, and ensuring and improving people's livelihoods." Therefore, only by dialectically understanding "quality" and "quantity" and organically unifying them can we pursue progress while maintaining stability and realize sustainable economic development.
3. Insight into "peril" and "opportunity": Smoothing the dual circulation of high-quality development
To firmly grasp the primary task of high-quality development, we need to seize opportunities in the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation and accelerate the construction of a modern industrial system. Entering the new development stage, profound changes in the domestic and international environment bring both a series of new opportunities and a series of new challenges. Especially when faced with the all-round containment, blockade, and suppression by external forces, we must take the accelerated construction of a new development pattern as the strategic base point and top priority for promoting high-quality development.
We must base ourselves on the new development stage, implement the new development philosophy, and construct a new development pattern. We must profoundly recognize the new characteristics and requirements brought by the changes in the principal contradiction [4] of Chinese society, further enhance our awareness of potential dangers, opportunities, and risks, and be adept at turning "peril" into "opportunity." This means carving out a path of high-quality development suited to our conditions, strengthening the domestic cycle, and smoothing the domestic and international dual circulation.
"Dual circulation" does not mean closing the country to the world; rather, it ensures that when others exclude, suppress, or blockade us, we can still survive and live better. This is an important aspect of enhancing China’s economic resilience and strategic depth. Only by basing ourselves on our own strength, smoothing the domestic cycle, and striving to forge a "body that is immune to all poisons and indestructible" [5] can we survive and continue to develop with vitality regardless of how the international winds and clouds change. Promoting high-quality development requires accelerating the achievement of high-level technological self-reliance and strength amidst fierce international competition. Only by opening new fields and shaping new arenas in economic and social development can we activate new momentum and new advantages for development.
General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "We must keep in mind that high-quality development is the hard truth (yìng dàolǐ) [6] of the New Era. we must fully, accurately, and comprehensively implement the new development philosophy, and ensure that strategic tasks—such as accelerating the construction of a modern economic system, promoting high-level technological self-reliance and strength, accelerating the construction of a new development pattern, coordinating the promotion of deep-level reform and high-level opening up, and coordinating high-quality development with high-level security—are implemented effectively. We must improve the evaluation and assessment system for high-quality development to lay a solid foundation for it." Therefore, on the New Journey, we must aim at the bottlenecks and "choke points" that restrict the construction of the new development pattern and the promotion of high-quality development, as well as the "pain points" and difficulties in the field of people's livelihoods. We must set reform agendas and generate reform plans to focus on resolving deep-seated contradictions and breaking down institutional and mechanistic barriers.
4. Coordinating "knowledge" and "action": Mastering the methodology of high-quality development
Promoting high-quality development is by no means the work of a single day; rather, it requires mastering scientific methodological principles and coordinating the relationship between "knowledge" (zhī) and "action" (xíng). Guided by the concept of "practice first," we must have both the drive to seize opportunities and the tenacity to persist over the long term. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized, "Adhering to high-quality development must become an important part of the view of performance (zhèngjìguān) held by leading officials." Therefore, the vast number of leading officials must continuously improve their ability to promote high-quality development, serve the masses, and prevent and resolve risks. Taking "learning" as the lead, they should adhere to promoting action through learning and rejuvenating the nation through practical work.
We must maintain focus and patience, make scientific decisions, implement precise policies, and handle the relationship between speed and efficiency. We must adhere to the people-centered development philosophy, persist in high-quality development, and oppose the pursuit of "grandeur and foreign styles" (tāndà qiūyáng) [7] or acting blindly and recklessly. We must insist on taking practical measures to seek practical results, and oppose superficiality (huá’ér bùshí) [8] or data falsification. We must insist on laying foundations for long-term benefits and oppose "draining the pond to catch the fish" [9] or exhausting the people and wasting resources.
From a long-term and global perspective, high-quality development is a shared cause for hundreds of millions of Chinese people. We must fully mobilize the enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity of the people, so that the hundreds of millions of masses can gather into a majestic force to promote high-quality development. In this regard, we should always keep the fundamental interests of the broadest number of people in mind, unswervingly promote the well-being of the people's livelihoods, and closely integrate high-quality development with meeting the people's needs for a better life. This ensures that prioritizing ecology, promoting high-quality development, and creating a high-quality life are organically combined and complement one another.
High-quality development is an inevitable requirement for achieving common prosperity for all people. Leading officials should establish a global perspective and a concept of regional coordinated development, looking at the whole country as a "single chessboard" (yīpánqí) [10]. They should respect the characteristic advantages of each region, cultivate more regional economic growth poles and belts, and adhere to the principles of "pioneering the way, leading by example, and driving development through radiation" to cultivate new power sources for high-quality development across the country. At the same time, promoting high-quality development must proceed from reality, adhering to the methodology of "concrete analysis of concrete conditions" to handle the relationship between the universality and particularity of contradictions. Different regions have different resource endowments and foundational conditions. Promoting high-quality development must not only maintain the correct direction but also adhere to the principle of adapting to local conditions. We must find comparative advantages, highlight regional characteristics, and play the "specialty card" (tèsè pái), rather than developing blindly in violation of the laws of economic and social development.
On the New Era and the New Journey, we must adapt to new situations and tasks, focusing on improving the Party's ability to lead economic and social development and the level of its own construction. We must strengthen the Party's leadership over economic work, implement the new development philosophy fully, accurately, and comprehensively, and adhere to the combination of an "effective market" and a "capable government." We must accelerate the construction of a new development pattern and solidly promote high-quality development. Particularly as we look toward the main goals of economic and social development for the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, we must firmly grasp high-quality development as the primary task. Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and specifically Xi Jinping's economic thought, we must persist in liberating the mind, reforming and innovating, and pursuing progress while maintaining stability. We must establish correct values, views of right and wrong, and views of performance. We must comprehensively implement various strategic plans for promoting high-quality development, uphold and improve the basic socialist economic system, and give better play to the leading role of economic structural reform. By improving the macroeconomic governance system, and with a proactive spirit of "seizing the hour, seizing the day" (zhǐzhēng-ǎoxī) [11] and more pragmatic strategic measures, we will continue to promote the effective improvement of "quality" and the reasonable growth of "quantity" in the economy, ensuring that high-quality development proceeds steadily and reaches far.