The 2024 Annual Meeting of the New Collective Economy Research Branch of the Chinese Society of Political Economy and the 3rd Rural Revitalization Forum Successfully Held
On December 21, 2024, the 2024 Annual Meeting of the New Collective Economy Research Branch of the Chinese Society of Political Economy and the 3rd Rural Revitalization Forum were held at the Institute of Economics of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS). Hosted by the New Collective Economy Research Branch of the Chinese Society of Political Economy, the forum's theme was "The Development of the New Collective Economy and the Construction of Socialist Ideology." The event aimed to deeply study, research, publicize, and implement the spirit of the 20th CPC National Congress and the second and third plenary sessions of the 20th Central Committee, promote the high-quality development of the new rural collective economy, and build a socialist ideology with strong cohesion and leadership. Experts and scholars from institutions including CASS, the Agricultural and Rural Development Research Center of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the Development Research Center of the State Council, Peking University, Tsinghua University, Minzu University of China, China Agricultural University, and the Hunan Academy of Social Sciences attended to engage in exchange and discussion.
The opening ceremony was presided over by Research Fellow Fan Jianxin, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Institute of Political Science of CASS. Opening addresses were delivered by Research Fellow Luo Wendong, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Institute of Marxism Studies of CASS; Research Fellow Gong Yun, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Institute of Economics of CASS and President of the New Collective Economy Research Branch; and Research Fellow Hou Weimin, President of the Chinese Society of Political Economy, representing respectively the supervisory unit (the Institute of Marxism Studies of CASS), the New Collective Economy Research Branch, and the Chinese Society of Political Economy.
Fan Jianxin first expressed his gratitude to the organizers and participants. He noted that while academic conferences are currently numerous, the theme of "The Development of the New Collective Economy and the Construction of Socialist Ideology" is rare. He remarked that this conference took a clear-cut stand and showed commendable courage. It is of great significance, as it concerns whether the modernization of agriculture and rural areas, Chinese-path modernization, the construction of a strong country, and the great cause of national rejuvenation can proceed smoothly.
Luo Wendong pointed out that the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee was a milestone meeting held at a critical period for comprehensively advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-path modernization, issuing a call to action for further comprehensively deepening reform. The meeting required developing the new rural collective economy, constructing operational mechanisms with clear property rights and reasonable distribution, and granting farmers more substantial property rights and interests. The meeting also proposed improving the responsibility system for ideological work and perfecting the system for arming the whole Party, educating the people, and guiding practice with the Party’s innovative theories. He expressed hope that this forum would deeply study and implement General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important instructions on work concerning "agriculture, rural areas, and farmers" and the spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee. He urged participants to conduct in-depth discussions on major issues such as the development of the new collective economy and the construction of socialist ideology, making due contributions as researchers to the modernization of agriculture and rural areas and the swift realization of rural revitalization.
Gong Yun argued that developing the new collective economy and continuously consolidating the foundation of the rural socialist collective economy are major issues concerning the socialist direction of agricultural and rural development, the common prosperity of farmers, and Chinese-path modernization. Developing the new collective economy is an urgent task that brooks no delay; it is an important lever and effective measure for advancing work on "agriculture, rural areas, and farmers" and realizing Chinese-path modernization. Regarding ideological understanding, it is necessary to "clear the source and rectify the root" [1] in building socialist ideology and to uphold the guiding status of Marxism. Developing the public-ownership economy is an intrinsic requirement of socialism. CASS has always attached importance to collective economy research, but the current academic attention to this field is insufficient. He expressed hope that young scholars would treat collective economy research as an academic "rich mine" to be continuously excavated and passed down.
Hou Weimin argued that the collective economy is an important prerequisite for upholding the leadership of the Party. The modernization of agriculture and rural areas requires the support of the collective economy. Developing the new collective economy is an effective means of organizing farmers and the "only road" [2] to promoting rural revitalization; it plays a vital role in consolidating the guiding position of socialist ideology. Valuing collective economy research is an unswerving tradition and commitment of the Chinese Society of Political Economy. He expressed hope that Chinese Marxist political economy scholars would continue to focus on and study major issues concerning collective economy development, promote the development of agricultural new quality productive forces, and make due contributions to accelerating the modernization of agriculture and rural areas.
The keynote report session was presided over by Gong Yun. Speakers included Research Fellow Wu Li, former Deputy Director of the Institute of Contemporary China Studies of CASS; Research Fellow Fan Jianxin, Party Secretary of the Institute of Political Science of CASS; Professor Zhu Youzhi, former President and Party Secretary of the Hunan Academy of Social Sciences (attending online); Yang Chunhua, Deputy Director of the Rural Economic Research Center of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs; and Professor Wang Chuanli from the School of Marxism at Tsinghua University.
Wu Li argued that the new collective economy is an important component of the economy of socialism with Chinese characteristics. It was formed during the 70-year history of socialist exploration in New China. Through innovation, development, and transformation under market economy conditions, it has become a new economic form adapted to the socialist market economy. It plays a major role in achieving common prosperity in rural areas, advancing rural grassroots governance, and ensuring the Party's grassroots leadership. It is necessary to fully inherit and carry forward historical experience while continuously developing, improving, and exploring the path of new collective economy construction.
Fan Jianxin argued that upholding collective ownership of rural land and developing the new collective economy are essential for maintaining the political direction of the rural revitalization strategy and achieving the "second leap" [3] of rural reform. These are also necessary requirements and important guarantees for developing modern large-scale agriculture, consolidating the Party's foundation for governing in rural areas, and reconstructing rural communities in the New Era.
Zhu Youzhi argued that developing the new rural collective economy essentially means activating "red resources," "red funds," and "red assets," while expanding market resources, market funds, and market assets. The more the new collective economy develops, the stronger the Party’s ability to lead, serve, and unite farmers becomes. This is a concrete manifestation of the continuous strengthening of the Party's leadership in rural areas and the consolidation of its governing status.
Yang Chunhua argued that the rural collective economy is an important part of the socialist public-ownership economy. It is the bottom line and the direction of rural reform, as well as a basic requirement for consolidating socialist public ownership and perfecting the basic socialist economic system. New urbanization and comprehensive rural revitalization are highly correlated and mutually reinforcing; they are the "two wings of a bird and two wheels of a cart" for Chinese-path modernization. To advance people-centered new urbanization, it is crucial to vigorously develop the new rural collective economy, accelerate the "citizenization" of the rural migrant population, and implement comprehensive measures with urban-rural linkage. Using the county level as an important point of entry, we must dismantle the urban-rural dual structure and promote integrated urban-rural development.
Wang Chuanli argued that individualized and fragmented operations easily lead to rural economic and cultural disorder, as well as crises in social governance and social security. The collective economy is a vital support for mainstream rural values, the "source" of socialist ideology, the material basis for constructing a new type of worker-peasant and urban-rural relationship, and an internal requirement for developing rural grassroots Party building. Only on the basis of the collective economy can the spontaneity and looseness of small-scale farmers be overcome, leading toward organization and the implementation of Party building work.
The first stage of the thematic reports was presided over by Peng Haihong, Research Fellow at the Institute of Marxism Studies of CASS and Vice President and Secretary-General of the New Collective Economy Research Branch of the Chinese Society of Political Economy. Speakers included Research Fellow Yang Tuan from the Institute of Sociology of CASS; Professor Song Chaolong, Vice Dean of the School of Marxism at Peking University; Duan Chunting, Party Branch Secretary of Nanyu Village, Sanpo Town, Laishui County, Baoding City, Hebei Province; Professor Yan Hairong from the Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities and Social Sciences at Tsinghua University; and Professor Zhang Hui, Dean of the School of Marxism at China Agricultural University.
Yang Tuan argued that the new collective economy is a new form of rural collective economy centered on rural collective economic organizations. It involves multiple participants and diverse construction methods across markets both inside and outside rural areas. It perfects the basic rural operation system and realizes diversified operations that integrate "unified and decentralized" [4] management. Rural collective economic organizations serve as implementers of national policies, operators and preservers of collective property, protectors of smallholders' rights, leaders of various economic entities, and creators of local experience. Currently, the new rural collective economy faces problems such as weak organizations, insufficient capacity building, and imbalanced development. To uphold rural land collective ownership, the Law of the People's Republic of China on Rural Collective Economic Organizations must be resolutely implemented to improve the quality of these organizations and lay the foundation for a new wave of collective economic development.
Song Chaolong argued that the core of industrial development is the replacement of the kinship community by factory labor as the basic organizational unit of labor. "Three-level ownership with the production team as the basis" [5] was the institutional design of Marxist political economy regarding ownership structures. This system, which divided ownership based on spatial units, provides important insights for current collective economic development. To resolve crises in the industrial system and various rural problems, one must rise to the level of ownership structures, premised on the continuous improvement of the public-ownership economy and the expansion of the collective economy.
Duan Chunting reviewed the successful experience of Nanyu Village in recent years, where the Party branch led the establishment of cooperatives to develop the village collective economy. He emphasized that in the future, Nanyu Village will further stimulate grassroots development vitality, improve outcomes, and develop new types of business entities. By coordinating village-level collective funds, assets, and resources, and developing joint-stock cooperative operations, the village will continue to expand its collective economy.
Yan Hairong interpreted the new collective economy from the perspectives of "resource integrity" and "holistic productive forces." She argued that holistic productive forces constitute a type of "new quality productive forces" and represent an advantage of the new collective economy. Taking the practice of collective economic development in Gacuo Township, Tibet, as an example, she pointed out that it significantly expanded the connotation of holistic productive forces, embedded production within ecology, and fostered member subjectivity and initiative. This approach broke through the dualistic opposition between subject and object, forming a "life community" encompassing mountains, rivers, forests, fields, lakes, grass, and sand, thereby practicing Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization.
Zhang Hui argued that developing the new rural collective economy on the new journey of the New Era places higher demands on the leadership capabilities of rural grassroots Party organizations. They must not only maximize economic returns and welfare but also focus on improving comprehensive efficiency to ensure sustainable and competitive development. She analyzed the fundamental question of why and how rural grassroots Party organizations can lead development through five lenses: policy comprehension, social mobilization, stable income growth, reasonable distribution, and supervisory management.
The second stage of thematic reports was presided over by Research Fellow Hou Weimin. Speakers included Research Fellow Zhao Zhikui from the Institute of Marxism Studies of CASS; Research Fellow Jiang Yu from the Development Research Center of the State Council; Research Fellow Liu Jianjin from the Rural Economic Development Research Institute of CASS; Professor Chen Yiyuan from China Agricultural University; Professor Zhao Yihuan from Henan Agricultural University; and Huang Kai, Party General Branch Secretary of Hexie Village, Guiyang County, Chenzhou City, Hunan Province (attending online).
Zhao Zhikui, based on surveys in villages such as Maojiayu in Tianjin, Xingfoushi in Heilongjiang, Liuzhuang in Henan, Tangxi in Zhejiang, and Yingdong in Shanghai, analyzed the development process, achievements, problems, and future trends of China’s new rural collective economy since the 18th CPC National Congress. He argued for the importance of "telling the China story" well, particularly the story of China's rural development, and strengthening the external publicity of the new collective economy.
Jiang Yu argued that rural collective economic organizations have set a "bottom line" for collective development, and cooperatives led by Party organizations provide a way for these collective organizations to engage with the large-scale market. Developing the rural collective economy requires solving the problems of consolidating collective ownership and strengthening collective management. Persisting in guiding farmers toward organized and collectivized paths through Party-led cooperatives is a feasible route for high-level collective economic development.
Liu Jianjin argued that research on the new collective economy should focus not only on its "extension" (scope) but also on its "intension" (core meaning). The new collective economy refers to new forms of collective economy with clear property rights and well-defined responsibilities emerging after the reform of the property rights system. It has multiple significances, including promoting economic development, maintaining social order, and enhancing resource mobility and social openness.
Chen Yiyuan analyzed the significance of developing the new collective economy for village re-organization, starting from the practice of "Party branch-led cooperatives" in Yantai City. She argued that under conditions of smallholder production, the most important task is to re-organize farmers through new collective economic organizations. A specific village in Yantai achieved coordination in agricultural production through a Party-led cooperative, solving the production dilemmas and structural adjustment difficulties of smallholders. This boosted farmers' income, established the prestige of Party members, leveraged the role of rural grassroots Party organizations as "combat bastions," and reconstructed fairness and order within the village.
Zhao Yihuan argued that the relationship between the development of the rural collective economy and the growth of collective members' welfare is the relationship between production, distribution, and consumption. The development of the rural collective economy can effectively promote the growth of collective members' welfare. Materially, it is conducive to the effective enhancement of the productive forces and efficiency of labor, and it facilitates transformations in the productive forces of labor and the rational distribution of the fruits of labor. Spiritually, it favors the scientific integration of education with productive labor and promotes the well-rounded development of collective members. It is essential to correctly understand the relationship between individual prosperity and collective prosperity, persist in distribution according to work, gradually increase the supply of collective welfare, and continuously develop and strengthen the rural collective economy.
Focusing on the theme of "Leading Revitalization through Party Building and Promoting Development through Culture-Tourism Integration," Huang Kai shared the practices and achievements of Hexie Village, Zhenghe Town, Guiyang County, Hunan Province, in promoting comprehensive rural revitalization in recent years. Hexie Village has adopted a new grassroots governance model characterized by "Party building leadership, village-enterprise alliances, industrial development, and benefit to the masses." By formulating plans based on local conditions, optimizing services from the inside out, and seizing opportunities to "string pearls into a necklace" [6], the village has actively explored the "three-chain" Party building model—building branches on the industrial chain, gathering Party members on the industrial chain, and enriching the masses on the industrial chain. It established branch-led farms and founded "strong-village companies" [7], employing an operating model of "Branch + Company + Base + Farmers." By taking equity in enterprises through land and capital contributions, the village collective economic cooperatives have become integrated with enterprises, forming a new "common prosperity" model of village-enterprise alliances. This has resulted in a more beautiful living environment, wealthier villagers, and more harmonious rural governance, thereby promoting comprehensive rural revitalization.
The conference also featured four sub-forums. Participating experts and scholars conducted academic discussions on topics such as "Agricultural and Rural Modernization and Chinese-path Modernization," "Rural Collective Economy and Rural Revitalization," "Rural Grassroots Party Building and Rural Governance," and "Socialist Ideology and the Construction of Rural Spiritual Civilization." They reached a broad consensus on developing and strengthening the new quality rural collective economy and strengthening the construction of socialist ideology, while offering suggestions on developing the rural collective economy, advancing rural revitalization, and accelerating the realization of agricultural and rural modernization.
The closing ceremony of the forum was presided over by Zhang Jiangang, a researcher at the Institute of Marxism Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and deputy director of the editorial department of Marxism Studies (Makesizhuyi yanjiu). Liu Haihua, an official from the Research Office of the CASS Institute of Marxism Studies; Lu Fengyi, a doctoral student at the School of Marxism of the University of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; Guo Benyong, vice principal of the Party School of the Linyi County Committee of the CPC; and Wang Jiaqi, a doctoral student at the School of Marxism of the University of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, delivered group reports on behalf of their respective sub-forums. Researcher Peng Haihong provided the concluding remarks for the forum.
(Contribution and photography by Lu Fengyi, Yue Xiaofeng, and Peng Haihong)