Ding Jinqing: The Historical Status and Global Significance of Xi Jinping's Economic Thought
Xi Jinping Economic Thought takes a holistic grasp of the great trends of human development, the grand pattern of world changes, and the long arc of Chinese development. It provides scientific answers to the major questions facing the development of contemporary China and the world. It has not only propelled the giant ship of the Chinese economy to brave the wind and waves and achieve steady and sustained progress, but has also provided directional guidance for the progress of human civilization. Xi Jinping Economic Thought is the unique contribution of Chinese Communists to Marxist development theory; it is not only historical but also global, possessing a significant historical status and world significance.
Deeply Grasping the Logic of Historical Progress and Opening New Horizons for Scientific Socialism
Facing a world characterized by profound and complex changes, and integrating the reality of the development of socialism with Chinese characteristics, General Secretary Xi Jinping has gained profound insight into the laws of human social development and accurately grasped the laws of socialist economic construction. Adhering to the unity of freeing the mind and seeking truth from facts, as well as the unity of strengthening foundations and upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground, he has creatively proposed a series of new concepts, thoughts, and strategies. These include strengthening the Party's overall leadership over economic work, adhering to a people-centered approach, grasping the new stage of development, implementing the new development philosophy, constructing a new development pattern, promoting high-quality development, and coordinating development and security. Through practice, these have formed Xi Jinping Economic Thought. This thought provides profound answers to many major theoretical and practical questions that classical Marxist writers did not discuss, that our predecessors never encountered, and that Western economic theories have consistently failed to solve. It profoundly answers a series of questions of the times in the New Era, such as "what kind of development to achieve and how to achieve it," providing scientific guidance for accurately grasping the logic of economic and social development and advancing socialist economic construction.
Taking economic construction as the center is the key to national rejuvenation. Liberating and developing the productive forces is an essential requirement of socialism and a major issue that Chinese Communists have explored and focused on solving through successive generations. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC [1], under the scientific guidance of Xi Jinping Economic Thought, China's economic development has achieved great accomplishments that have attracted worldwide attention. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has grown from 54 trillion yuan to 114 trillion yuan; the total economic volume accounts for 18.5% of the world economy, an increase of 7.2 percentage points, firmly maintaining its position as the world's second-largest economy. Per capita GDP has increased from 39,800 yuan to 81,000 yuan. Total grain output ranks first in the world, and the scale of manufacturing and foreign exchange reserves also remain first globally. The Party has led the people in writing a new chapter of the "two miracles"—rapid economic development and long-term social stability. It has realized the Chinese nation’s millennial dream of xiaokang [2], and the Chinese nation has welcomed a great leap from standing up and becoming prosperous to becoming strong. The realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation has entered an irreversible historical process.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, with the drastic changes in Eastern Europe and the disintegration of the Soviet Union, world socialism suffered serious setbacks. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the brilliant achievements China has made have verified the scientific guidance and truthful power of Xi Jinping Economic Thought for China's economic development. It has allowed scientific socialism to radiate strong vitality in China and has changed the situation of a serious imbalance in the balance of power between socialism and capitalism in the world. This has caused a major shift in favor of socialism in the historical evolution and competition between the two ideologies and two social systems on a global scale.
Xi Jinping Economic Thought not only profoundly answers questions about China's development but also addresses the major problem of how relatively backward socialist countries can build, consolidate, and develop socialism. It provides a path of choice for the vast number of developing countries to learn from, benefiting not only the Chinese people but also people of all countries in the world.
Profoundly Elucidating the Laws of Human Historical Development and Providing Scientific Guidance for All-Around Human Development
General Secretary Xi Jinping noted, "History has its laws of development, but man is not entirely passive within it." Xi Jinping Economic Thought grasps the general trend of historical development. With the historical confidence and historical initiative of always standing on the right side of history, it scientifically reveals the driving forces of human history. While solving China's own development problems, it leads the trend of human historical development, possessing profound historical appeal and practical leadership.
Society is a complex organism composed of people and all social living conditions and elements, which are interdependent and interacting. Within this, the productive forces are the foundation and prerequisite for the survival and development of human society, and the ultimate decisive force of social development. Marx and Engels regarded the "reconciliation of humanity with nature and the reconciliation of humanity with itself" as the two most basic issues of human development. They believed the ideal state for humanity is "the true resolution of the conflict between man and nature, and between man and man," namely, the realization of the "two reconciliations." The "two reconciliations" proposed the two fundamental tasks facing human society: to sublate the alienation of man from nature, man from society, and man from man that appeared in capitalist society. This reflects the noble value pursuit of Marx and Engels in correctly handling the relationship between man, nature, and society.
Xi Jinping Economic Thought emphasizes that "the fundamental task of socialism is to liberate and develop the productive forces" and that "high-quality development is the primary task of building a modern socialist country in all respects." It insists that the requirements of high-quality development must be reflected in various fields such as economy, society, culture, and ecology. It promotes the coordinated development of material, political, spiritual, social, and ecological civilizations, ensuring that the people are prosperous in both material and spiritual life and promoting all-around human development. Xi Jinping Economic Thought has broadened the connotation, vision, and path of economic development. It helps us understand and grasp the laws of economic and social development from the contradictory movements between the productive forces and relations of production, and between the economic base and the superstructure. Proceeding from the holistic requirements of the social organism, it adheres to the coordinated advancement of the Five-Sphere Integrated Plan and the Four Comprehensives.
On one hand, this is conducive to achieving harmony between individuals and overcoming the alienation between man and society and between man and man found in capitalism. Xi Jinping Economic Thought creatively proposed the people-centered development philosophy, emphasizing a firm people's standpoint, grasping people's aspirations, respecting people's creativity, and pooling people's wisdom. It continuously ensures that development is for the people, relies on the people, and its fruits are shared by the people, making the people's sense of gain, happiness, and security more substantial, better guaranteed, and more sustainable—truly unifying human development with economic and social development. On the other hand, it is conducive to achieving harmony between man and nature and overcoming the alienation between man and nature in capitalism. Xi Jinping Economic Thought focuses on solving the problem of harmonious coexistence between man and nature. It adheres to the concept that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" [3]. It insists on respecting, adapting to, and protecting nature, and adheres to the integrated protection and systematic management of mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands, and deserts. It incorporates carbon peaking and carbon neutrality into the overall layout of economic and social development and ecological civilization construction, realizing the harmonious coexistence of man and nature. Xi Jinping Economic Thought adheres to the unity of being people-centered and respecting the laws of social development, the unity of focusing on economic construction and overall social development, and the unity of human development and respecting nature. It systematically summarizes and scientifically categorizes the understanding of the two major relationships—between man and nature, and between man and society—providing scientific guidance for humanity to achieve its own perfection and development within the harmony of man, nature, and society.
Enriching and Developing the Methodology of Marxist Political Economy, Injecting "Chinese Certainty" into an Uncertain World Economy
Wherever history begins, the process of thought must also begin. In recent years, the world has entered a new period of turbulence and transformation. Global economic uncertainty and instability have intensified, and the development of many countries has stalled. China, however, has withstood various risks and tests, achieving brilliant accomplishments that have "astonished the world" [4] and demonstrating a developmental trend where "the scenery here is uniquely grand" [5]. Within this, the scientific methods, scientific thinking, and scientific concepts contained in Xi Jinping Economic Thought are crucial. As the latest theoretical achievement of Marxist political economy in contemporary China and the 21st-century world, Xi Jinping Economic Thought shines with the light of the Marxist worldview and methodology.
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, "We must constantly receive the nourishment of Marxist philosophical wisdom, more consciously adhere to and apply the dialectical materialist worldview and methodology, strengthen our capacity for dialectical thinking and strategic thinking, and strive to improve our ability to solve the basic problems of our country's reform and development." He also stated, "We must apply the methodology of Marxist political economy to deepen our understanding of the laws of our country's economic development and improve our ability and level of leading our country's economic development." This requires the use of scientific thinking methods to promote economic and social development and to prevent situations where "new methods cannot be used, old methods do not work, hard methods dare not be used, and soft methods are ineffective."
In the practice of leading and advancing the construction of socialism with Chinese characteristics, General Secretary Xi Jinping proposed "continuously improving the capacity for strategic thinking, historical thinking, dialectical thinking, systems thinking, innovative thinking, legal thinking, and bottom-line thinking." These serve as scientific methods for answering theory and practice questions regarding contemporary socialism with Chinese characteristics, opening a new realm for political economy with Chinese characteristics.
In the practice of steering the overall situation of economic and social development in the New Era, a stand, viewpoint, and method have been formed characterized by "persisting in putting the people first, persisting in self-confidence and self-reliance, persisting in upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground, persisting in a problem-oriented approach, persisting in a systems concept, and persisting in maintaining a global vision." Additionally, a series of correct strategies and scientific methods have been established, such as adhering to the general principle of seeking progress while maintaining stability, persisting in concentrating efforts on managing our own affairs, persisting in the "nail-driving" spirit [6] in implementation, and persisting in the combination of a goal-oriented and problem-oriented approach. These provide guidance for our economic work in the New Era. Only by mastering this series of important methods can we effectively enhance the foresight, initiative, and creativity of economic work, always maintain strategic initiative, and effectively prevent and resolve major risks.
Xi Jinping Economic Thought closely integrates scientific thinking methods and concepts with the process of economic and social development. It achieves the organic unity of a scientific cognitive attitude and a realistic scientific spirit, the organic unity of scientific thinking modes and the process of human social development, and the unity of subjective and objective, theory and practice. It provides methodological inspiration for solving the global puzzle of development, preventing global economic risks, and improving the capacity and level of global economic governance, demonstrating powerful truthful force. In the face of turbulent global geopolitical situations, a stormy international environment, and severe global challenges, it is even more necessary to skillfully master and scientifically apply the methods and concepts within Xi Jinping Economic Thought to stabilize China’s economic fundamentals and inject "Chinese certainty" into an uncertain world economy.
Leading China onto the Path of Chinese-Path Modernization, Providing a New Choice for Humanity to Achieve Modernization
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "There is no single authorized model of modernization in the world, nor is there a universal standard for modernization that fits all." Based on China's national conditions, Xi Jinping Economic Thought profoundly answers the major contemporary question of what Chinese-path modernization is and how to build it, providing scientific guidance for advancing modernization, with global influence.
For a long time, by occupying the early dividends of modernization, Western capitalist countries have controlled the discourse hegemony of modernization. Many people equate modernization with Westernization, even believing that modernization can only occur in the soil of Western culture. Throughout world history since World War II, many developing countries, when seeking their own development paths, fell into developmental dilemmas because they copied the past paths of Western modernization. Under the guidance of Xi Jinping Economic Thought, China's modernization construction has achieved extraordinary results. Practice has proved that modernization is not a multiple-choice question with only one answer; the diversity of historical conditions determines the diversity of developmental paths chosen by different countries.
The path of Chinese-path modernization is distinctly different from Western modernization; it is a path rich in Chinese characteristics and national features. Adhering to the leadership of the Communist Party of China is the most essential feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics and an essential requirement of Chinese-path modernization. Chinese-path modernization is socialist modernization led by the CPC. It shares common features of modernization in all countries but, more importantly, possesses Chinese characteristics based on its own national conditions. It is a modernization with specific social attributes that differs from both Western developed countries and other developing countries. Facts have proved that our success in creating the path of Chinese-path modernization fundamentally lies in the strong leadership of the CPC. Only by adhering to the Party's leadership can we ensure that Chinese-path modernization always moves firmly in the correct direction. Strengthening the Party's overall leadership over socialist modernization, giving full play to the Party's core leadership role in overseeing the whole situation and coordinating all parties, and effectively transforming the institutional advantages of the Party's leadership over economic work into governance efficiency are the fundamental guarantees for China's continuous advancement and expansion of modernization.
The complete, accurate, and comprehensive implementation of the new development philosophy [7], which focuses on promoting high-quality development, reveals the critical path for an actualized Chinese-path modernization. The new development philosophy constitutes the primary content of Xi Jinping’s economic thought. By implementing this philosophy completely, accurately, and comprehensively, the connotations of modernization are expanded across multiple dimensions—including the economic, political, cultural, social, and ecological—rendering the characteristics and advantages of Chinese-path modernization increasingly prominent and its trajectory increasingly broad. Xi Jinping’s economic thought emphasizes that science and technology are the primary productive forces, talent is the primary resource, and innovation is the primary driver of development. It uses technological innovation to catalyze new developmental momentum and employs the deepening of reform to stimulate new developmental vitality, continually liberating and developing the social productive forces to lead a major power of over 1.4 billion people into a state of holistic modernization.
It insists on coordinated development to enhance the stamina for future growth. By maintaining economic construction as the central task while simultaneously advancing political, cultural, social, and ecological progress, it strengthens the integrity and coordination of development. This approach strives to achieve comprehensive social progress alongside economic growth, resulting in a modernization where material and spiritual civilizations [8] are harmonized. It insists on sustainable development, unswervingly following a path of civilized development characterized by increased production, affluent living standards, and sound ecosystems. By integrating ecological civilization [9] into the Five-Sphere Integrated Plan of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, it comprehensively strengthens ecological construction. It emphasizes that humanity and nature form a community of life [10], positions a "Beautiful China" as a key goal of socialist modernization, and achieves a modernization defined by the harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature.
It insists on the fundamental national policy of opening up to the outside world and unswervingly pursues an opening-up strategy of mutual benefit and "win-win" results. Holding high the banner of peace, development, cooperation, and mutual benefit, it constructs a pattern of opening up across wider areas, broader fields, and deeper levels. It promotes the high-quality development of the "Belt and Road Initiative" and the construction of an open world economy, steering economic globalization toward a direction that is more open, inclusive, balanced, and beneficial for all, thereby building a community with a shared future for humanity and achieving a modernization that follows the path of peaceful development. It insists on taking the realization of the people’s aspirations for a better life as the starting point and ultimate goal of modernization. This involves focusing on resolving the pressing difficulties and anxieties that concern the masses, as well as maintaining and promoting social fairness and justice. First, the "cake" is made larger and better through the collective struggle of the entire people; then, the "cake" is properly sliced and distributed through rational institutional arrangements, achieving a modernization characterized by common prosperity for all.
China’s exploration of modernization rejects the old Western path of modernization that is capital-centered, polarized, driven by runaway materialism, and defined by external expansion and plunder. It expands the pathways for developing countries to achieve modernization, providing a brand-new choice for those nations and peoples who wish to accelerate their development while maintaining their independence. It offers a Chinese solution for humanity’s exploration of better social systems and presents a new vision for the future development of human society.
(The author is the Vice President of the Guangdong Academy of Social Sciences) Web Editor: Lian Yu Source: Economic Daily, October 30, 2022