Gao Peiyong: Leading High-Quality Economic Development with Xi Jinping's Economic Thought
Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has made scientific judgments on the economic situation and timely adjustments to development concepts and ideas. Centering on the major question of "what kind of development to achieve and how to achieve it," it has proposed a series of new concepts, new ideas, and new strategies, forming and developing Xi Jinping's economic thought in practice. Xi Jinping's economic thought is an important component of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. It is the precious ideological crystallization formed by the Communist Party of China's unremitting exploration of the path of socialist economic development. It represents the latest theoretical achievement of Marxist political economy in contemporary China and the 21st-century world, serving as the scientific guide for our country's high-quality development and the comprehensive building of a modern socialist country.
To learn, understand, master, and implement Xi Jinping's economic thought, one must accurately grasp the following points:
First, grasp the vital keywords. "Economic development" is the most important keyword in Xi Jinping's economic thought. In the Outline for the Study of Xi Jinping's Economic Thought (hereafter referred to as the Outline), compiled by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee and the National Development and Reform Commission, the subtitles of twelve chapters use the term "economic development." Taking economic development as the core concept of Xi Jinping's economic thought has sufficient theoretical and practical basis.
Our country remains the world's largest developing nation. Development is the foundation and key to solving all of our country's problems, and we must take development as the Party's top priority in governing and rejuvenating the country [1]. The new development stage is still a stage within the primary stage of socialism [2]. Looking toward the future, we must persist in managing our own affairs well, continuously growing our comprehensive strength through development to provide more robust material support for defusing various risks and challenges, and move steadily toward the grand goal of comprehensively building a great modern socialist country.
Promoting economic development is the central task of the Party and the state in the New Era. The Outline systematically expounds on a series of major theoretical and practical propositions—including the fundamental guarantee, fundamental position, historical orientation, guiding principles, path selection, distinct theme, institutional foundation, strategic measures, primary driving force, main focus points, important "magic weapon" [3], important safeguards, and methodology of our country's economic development—demonstrating the rich connotations of Xi Jinping's economic thought.
Second, grasp the main logical line. To summarize, the main logical line running through Xi Jinping's economic thought is: grasping the new development stage, implementing the new development philosophy, constructing a new development pattern, and promoting high-quality development.
Entering the new development stage clarifies the historical orientation of our country's development. After achieving the First Centenary Goal [4], we must start from a new historical starting point, continue to advance Chinese-path modernization, and promote the transition of our country's socialism from the primary stage to a higher stage.
Implementing the new development philosophy [5] clarifies the guiding principles for our country's modernization. The new development philosophy systematically answers a series of major questions regarding the purpose, driving force, method, and path of development. It serves as the "conductor's baton" for economic policymaking in the new development stage and is a strategic orientation that governs the overall, fundamental, and long-term situation; it must be implemented fully, faithfully, and accurately.
Constructing a new development pattern clarifies the path selection for our country's economic modernization. The key is to rely on the advantages of the massive domestic market against a backdrop of increased external instability and uncertainty, stimulate the vitality of market entities, enhance independent innovation capabilities, smooth the circulation of the national economy, and achieve high-level self-reliance and self-strengthening. This ensures the normal operation of our country's economy and the stability of the overall social situation under extreme circumstances, ensuring that the process of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is not delayed or interrupted.
Promoting high-quality development is the distinct theme of our country's economic development. Grasping the new development stage, implementing the new development philosophy, and constructing a new development pattern are, in the final analysis, intended to resolve the contradiction between the people's ever-growing needs for a better life and unbalanced and inadequate development [6]. Unbalanced and inadequate development is, in fact, a manifestation of low development quality; the problems in our country's economic development during the new development stage are concentrated in the quality of development. Therefore, improving development quality is an inevitable requirement for comprehensively building a modern socialist country.
Third, grasp the practical requirements. Accelerating the improvement of the socialist market economy system is the practical requirement for grasping the new development stage, implementing the new development philosophy, constructing a new development pattern, and promoting high-quality development. Based on the new development stage, we must continue to deepen economic structural reform. By building a more mature and more finalized socialist market economy system, we provide the institutional and mechanistic guarantee for implementing the new development philosophy, ensuring that all reforms focus on and contribute to the construction of a new development pattern, and solving development difficulties through reform measures.
To solidly advance economic structural reform, we must always adhere to the direction of socialist market economy reform. We must continue to work on the integration of the basic socialist system with the market economy, bringing the advantages of both into play, and striving to solve this "world-class puzzle" of economics through practice. We must take the essential requirements of socialism—such as manifesting fairness and justice and achieving common prosperity—as the value orientation for improving the socialist market economy system, coordinating efficiency and equity. We must take achieving more secure development as a new dimension of improving the socialist market economy system, balancing development and security. We must take respecting economic and natural laws as an important principle for improving the socialist market economy system, promoting the harmonious coexistence of man and nature. Finally, we must take the better integration of an "effective market" and a "competent government" as an important goal for improving the socialist market economy system, correctly handling the relationship between the government and the market.
Xi Jinping's economic thought professionally addresses the "Questions of China, the World, the People, and the Times" in the field of economic development. It opens up new realms for the Sinicization of Marxist political economy and represents the culmination of economic theoretical and practical innovation since the 18th CPC National Congress. It is a precious spiritual asset for the whole Party and the people of the whole nation. We must profoundly recognize the great significance of studying and implementing Xi Jinping's economic thought from the heights of the "Two Establishments" and the "Two Upholds." We should treat this as a long-term political task, putting greater effort into "learning, understanding, mastering, and implementing." We must accurately grasp the Marxist stance, viewpoints, and methods running through it; deeply comprehend its theoretical, historical, and practical logic; and truly experience the power of truth, ideological charm, and practical might contained within it. We should consciously become firm believers, faithful practitioners, and active disseminators of Xi Jinping's economic thought.
(The author is the Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences)