Gong Yun and Zhang Chi: Guiding Great Practice with Scientific Theory—Successfully Studying and Utilizing "Questions and Answers on Studying Xi Jinping's Economic Thought"
Not long ago, the book Questions and Answers on the Study of Xi Jinping Economic Thought (hereafter referred to as Questions and Answers) was published and distributed. This follows works such as the Outline for the Study of Xi Jinping Economic Thought and the first volume of the Selected Economic Works of Xi Jinping, serving as another important auxiliary reading for the in-depth study and implementation of Xi Jinping Economic Thought.
The "15th Five-Year Plan" period [1] is a critical window for consolidating the foundation and exerting full force toward the basic realization of socialist modernization. The Outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan explicitly requires "adhering to economic construction as the center." Great practice requires the correct guidance of scientific theory to forge consensus and pool strength. Questions and Answers helps the broad masses of Party members, cadres, and the public to more deeply study and comprehend the Party’s innovative theories, becoming more conscious in using them to arm their minds, guide practice, and promote work. We must study and utilize Questions and Answers well, effectively transforming scientific theory into a powerful force for promoting high-quality development.
Reflecting a More Systematic and Complete Theoretical System
Xi Jinping Economic Thought is a systematic theoretical generalization of the practical experience of our country’s economic development in the New Era; it is a scientific theoretical system with rich connotations and rigorous logic. Marx and Engels pointed out that "all epoch-making systems have as their real content the needs of the time in which they arose." In the great practice of guiding the Chinese economy to overcome difficulties and achieve sustained development, Xi Jinping Economic Thought has been continuously enriched and developed. Questions and Answers reflects that this scientific theoretical system has become more systematic and complete.
General Secretary Xi Jinping has engaged in profound reflection and systematic exposition on a series of major theoretical and practical issues concerning economic development in the New Era. During the 28th collective study session of the Political Bureau of the 18th CPC Central Committee in 2015, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "We must base ourselves on our national conditions and our developmental practice, deeply study the new situations and problems facing the world economy and our country's economy, reveal new characteristics and laws, refine and summarize the programmatic achievements of our country's economic development practice, and elevate practical experience into a systematic economic doctrine." The Outline for the Study of Xi Jinping Economic Thought published in 2022 organized and summarized the basic content of Xi Jinping Economic Thought into thirteen aspects: strengthening the Party's overall leadership over economic work is the fundamental guarantee for our country's economic development; adhering to the people-centered development philosophy is the fundamental standpoint; entering a new stage of development is the historical orientation; adhering to the new development philosophy is the guiding principle; constructing a new development pattern is the path choice; promoting high-quality development is the distinct theme; adhering to and improving the basic socialist economic system is the institutional foundation; adhering to a problem-oriented approach in deploying and implementing major national development strategies is the strategic measure; adhering to innovation-driven development is the primary driving force; vigorously developing manufacturing and the real economy is the main focus; unswervingly expanding opening-up in an all-round way is the important magic weapon [2]; coordinating development and security is the important protection; and adhering to correct work strategies and methods is the methodology for doing economic work well.
Centered on these basic elements, Questions and Answers is divided into 14 chapters, demonstrating the increasingly complete nature of the theoretical system of Xi Jinping Economic Thought. In the setting of specific questions, it incorporates and supplements the latest achievements of Xi Jinping Economic Thought. For example, in the chapter "Entering a New Stage of Development," it sets questions such as "How to grasp the six major relationships in comprehensively promoting the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-path modernization" and "How to understand that our country's development has entered a period where strategic opportunities and risks/challenges coexist, and uncertain and unpredictable factors are increasing." These reflect the analysis and judgment of the new situation facing our country's economic development, providing a compliance framework for our economic work at present and in the period to come. In the chapter "Adhering to and Improving the Basic Socialist Economic System," it poses the question "What key points need to be grasped in constructing a high-level socialist market economy system," clarifying the principal contradictions and key tasks, which helps to better stimulate the endogenous momentum and innovative vitality of the whole society. In the chapter "Adhering to Innovation-Driven Development," it sets the question "How to understand that the salient feature of new quality productive forces is innovation," elucidating the important characteristics, basic connotations, and core hallmarks of new quality productive forces, which helps deepen the understanding of the laws governing the development of productive forces and provides solid theoretical support for further liberating and developing productive forces under new historical conditions.
Demonstrating More Profound and Rich Theoretical Connotations
Xi Jinping Economic Thought is characterized by its scientific nature, providing a systematic theoretical generalization of economic development practice in the New Era. It has proposed a series of new concepts and categories, forming a body of original theoretical achievements that profoundly answer the questions of the times, the people, and history regarding our country's economic development. Questions and Answers focuses on theoretical hotspots and difficulties in a Q&A format, specifically demonstrating the core essentials and rich connotations of Xi Jinping Economic Thought, reflecting the deepening of our Party’s understanding of the laws of socialist economic construction.
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "The scientific and revolutionary nature of Marxist theory stems from the scientific worldview and methodology of dialectical materialism and historical materialism, providing us with a powerful ideological weapon to understand and transform the world, and pointing out the correct forward direction for world socialism." Xi Jinping Economic Thought adheres to the basic principles and methods of Marxist political economy, systematically answering major questions such as the historical orientation, guiding principles, and path choices of our country's economic development in the New Era, achieving a new leap in the Sinicization and modernization of Marxist political economy at the theoretical level. For example, it enriches and develops the Marxist political economy theory on the relationship between economics and politics by creatively proposing the strengthening of the Party's overall leadership over economic work; it enriches and develops the Marxist theory on the purpose of socialist production by creatively proposing the people-centered development philosophy; it enriches and develops the Marxist theory on productive forces and relations of production by creatively proposing new views, judgments, and requirements such as the new development philosophy, the new development pattern, high-quality development, and new quality productive forces, etc. Questions and Answers presents these theoretical innovations in an easily accessible manner.
The extraordinary achievements in our country's economic and social development since the New Era began demonstrate the power of truth and the practical might of Xi Jinping Economic Thought. Under the scientific guidance of Xi Jinping Economic Thought, our country has effectively responded to a series of major risks and challenges, seized opportunities from the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, and continuously promoted high-quality economic and social development. Economic, technological, and comprehensive national strength have reached new heights. Our country's total economic output increased from 53.9 trillion yuan in 2012 to 140.19 trillion yuan in 2025; during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, the average annual contribution rate to world economic growth remained around 30%. Technological innovation has yielded fruitful results; our country currently possesses the world's largest pool of R&D personnel, and R&D applications in fields such as artificial intelligence, biomedicine, robotics, and quantum technology are at leading global levels. The industrial structure continues to optimize, with high-tech and equipment manufacturing performing remarkably. In 2025, the annual production of new energy vehicles exceeded 16 million units, and electric vehicle charging facilities surpassed 20 million. We won the largest battle against poverty in human history, historically solving the problem of absolute poverty and making a major contribution to the global cause of poverty reduction. Through detailed text, data, images, and vivid specific cases, Questions and Answers fully demonstrates the achievements of our country's economic and social development, providing a vivid footnote to how Xi Jinping Economic Thought guides high-quality development.
Permeated by Problem-Awareness and a Practice-Oriented Approach
Practicality is a distinct character of Xi Jinping Economic Thought. Xi Jinping Economic Thought is the guide to action for doing economic work well in the New Era and a powerful ideological weapon to help us consciously recognize and better follow the laws of economic development to promote high-quality development.
Questions and Answers adheres to problem-awareness and profoundly elaborates on a series of major practical issues. Xi Jinping Economic Thought is broad and profound, involving all aspects of productive forces and relations of production, the economic base and the superstructure, and covering all links of production, distribution, exchange, and consumption. It profoundly answers many major theoretical and realistic questions that classical Marxist writers did not address, that our predecessors never encountered, and that Western economic theories have consistently been unable to solve. The book contains a total of 50 questions, many of which land on how to solve the realistic problems of economic and social development. It is close to practice and explained in simple terms, providing ideological wisdom for solving real-world problems.
Questions and Answers helps to promote the deep and substantive progress of the study and education for establishing and practicing a correct view of political performance [3]. This year marks the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China and the opening year of the "15th Five-Year Plan." The Party Central Committee has decided to carry out a Party-wide education on establishing and practicing a correct view of political performance. This is crucial for implementing the strategic deployments of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee [4] and ensuring decisive progress in basically realizing socialist modernization. Whether the view of performance and the view of development are correct determines the effectiveness or даже the success or failure of development. Regarding the new development philosophy, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Party committees and governments at all levels must firmly grasp the new development philosophy to promote development, focus attention on solving various problems of unbalanced and inadequate development, and must never return to the old path of simply 'judging heroes by GDP growth rate' [5], never return to the practice of pursuing so-called development at the cost of environmental destruction, and certainly never return to the model of extensive development." Regarding high-quality development, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "High-quality development is the primary task of comprehensively building a modern socialist country; adhering to high-quality development must become an important part of the view of political performance for leading cadres." Currently, the deviations in the view of political performance in the economic field stem largely from some leading cadres failing to deeply study and implement Xi Jinping Economic Thought or failing to consciously use it to arm their minds, guide practice, and promote work. Questions and Answers will serve as a useful reference textbook for the study and education on establishing and practicing a correct view of performance, providing valuable ideological inspiration for continuously opening new horizons in economic and social development.
(The authors are researchers at the CASS Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era)
Source: Economic Daily (April 2, 2026) Editor: Huihui