Marxism Research Network
Unofficial English Translation

Liu Shuyang and Wang Puqu: The Leadership of the Communist Party of China is the Fundamental Characteristic of Chinese Modernization

Academy News

Abstract: The leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) is the fundamental characteristic of Chinese-path modernization. This characteristic is rooted in the Party’s own nature, formed through the Party’s great practice and significant role within China's modernization process, and evidenced by the relationship between the Party's leadership and the basic characteristics of Chinese-path modernization. The Party's unique qualities have cast the socialist undertone of Chinese-path modernization and forged its foundation of belief, its essential attributes, and its developmental connotations. The Party's leadership ensures that Chinese-path modernization remains scientific, people-centered, innovative, and effective; it is the greatest advantage for the victorious advancement of Chinese-path modernization. The Party’s leadership has brought about the unique development of Chinese-path modernization and is the source of its basic appearance and numerous features. Therefore, the Party’s leadership essentially manifests the integration of the Party’s subjective qualities and political functions, and profoundly reflects the organic combination of historical consciousness [1] and objective laws in the Party’s leadership of Chinese-path modernization.

The report to the 20th CPC National Congress is a programmatic document for the comprehensive building of a modern socialist power. The report profoundly expounded on the leading force, fundamental attributes, basic characteristics, essential requirements, and practical principles of Chinese-path modernization, constructing a theoretical system for it. The report explicitly stated: "Chinese-path modernization is socialist modernization led by the Communist Party of China." At the opening of a study session for principal officials at the provincial and ministerial level to study and implement the spirit of the 20th CPC National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping further pointed out: "The Party's leadership directly relates to the fundamental direction, future destiny, and ultimate success or failure of Chinese-path modernization." This demonstrates that the Party’s leadership is the fundamental characteristic of Chinese-path modernization.

The Party’s leadership is rooted in its own qualities and endowments, formed through its great practice and political role, and evidenced by its foundational significance to the basic characteristics of Chinese-path modernization. It vividly manifests the integration of the CPC’s subjective qualities and political functions, profoundly reflecting the organic combination of the CPC’s historical consciousness and objective laws in leading Chinese-path modernization.

I. The Party’s qualities determine the foundation of belief, essential attributes, and developmental connotations of Chinese-path modernization

The CPC is a Marxist party with unique qualities. In the process of China’s modernization, the Party’s qualities constitute the subjective source and constructive basis for the uniqueness of Chinese-path modernization, determining its foundation of belief, essential attributes, and developmental connotations.

(1) The Party’s original aspiration and founding mission laid the foundation of belief for Chinese-path modernization

"As soon as it was born, the Communist Party of China established seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation as its original aspiration and founding mission." Chinese-path modernization took shape in the historical process of the Party deeply practicing its original aspiration and founding mission. These mandates profoundly dictate that Chinese-path modernization must inevitably take the realization of the Chinese people’s happiness and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation as its fundamental goal and value pursuit.

The Party’s original aspiration and founding mission have shaped the values and spiritual soul of Chinese-path modernization. The reason Chinese-path modernization has been able to "catch up from behind" and "reclaim the 'lost two hundred years' [2]" is the existence of the Party’s original aspiration and founding mission as a fundamental spiritual pillar. In 1925, Comrade Mao Zedong pointed out in the "Publication Manifesto of the Political Weekly" that the CPC's revolution was "for the liberation of the Chinese nation, for the realization of the people’s rule, and for the economic happiness of the people." The way to achieve this goal was through the realization of China’s modernization. By injecting its original aspiration and founding mission into the cause of China's modernization, the Party pointed the way forward for the Chinese people, enabling the Chinese nation to achieve self-awakening [3] amid hardships and tribulations, and establishing a brand-new belief that only socialism could save China. The Party's original aspiration and founding mission have stimulated unprecedented great power from the Chinese people and the Chinese nation, serving as the spiritual North Star for the successful development of Chinese-path modernization. From this, it is evident that the Party’s original aspiration and founding mission are the pillars of belief for the Party in leading the people to continuously advance China’s modernization.

The Party’s original aspiration and founding mission constitute the inexhaustible driving force and navigating lighthouse for the continuous development of Chinese-path modernization. The CPC is a Marxist mission-oriented party. Its original aspiration and founding mission have created its strong subjective consciousness and a sense of responsibility that says "if I don't do it, who will?" [4]. This has galvanized the Chinese people’s spirit of historical initiative, driving modernization forward. For over a century, the CPC has united and led the people in a heroic and unyielding bloody struggle, overcoming countless difficulties and obstacles to achieve major progress in modernization. In the New Era, facing changes unseen in a century, the Party has united and led the people to effectively respond to the severe and complex international situation and successive major risks and challenges, enabling Chinese-path modernization to achieve historic accomplishments. History and practice show that it is precisely the Party’s original aspiration and founding mission that have illuminated the prospects for the development of Chinese-path modernization, tempered the character and will of the Chinese people for self-reliance, and converged the majestic force for the development of Chinese-path modernization.

(2) The Party’s nature and purpose define the essential attributes of Chinese-path modernization

The CPC is the vanguard of the Chinese working class, the Chinese people, and the Chinese nation. Serving the people wholeheartedly is the Party's fundamental purpose.

The nature and purpose of the CPC determine that the fundamental task of Chinese-path modernization is to liberate and develop the productive forces. The Party’s nature and purpose require a profound grasp of the basic contradictions of Chinese society and an accurate grasp of the principal social contradiction [5]. It must always take the liberation and development of productive forces as the fundamental starting point, consciously adjusting the relations of production to promote modernization. The developmental momentum and logical path of Chinese-path modernization are essentially the practical manifestation of the Party’s nature and purpose in modernization construction. Entering the New Era, with the change in the principal social contradiction, resolving the problem of unbalanced and inadequate development has become the central task for further liberating and developing the productive forces. Promoting common prosperity through high-quality development and fostering a balance between efficiency and equity have become new requirements for Chinese-path modernization in the new period. Therefore, the Party’s nature and purpose require Chinese-path modernization to adhere to the liberation and development of productive forces as its target orientation. By improving the basic socialist economic system and continuously resolving structural contradictions in economic and social development, it releases and activates the developmental and creative potential of society, continuously promoting the development of the productive forces.

The nature and purpose of the CPC determine that Chinese-path modernization is socialist modernization. The practical experience of Chinese-path modernization shows that "only socialism can save China, only socialism with Chinese characteristics can develop China," and only socialism with Chinese characteristics in the New Era can make China strong. Chinese-path modernization is essentially the practical manifestation of modernization with Chinese characteristics. Socialism with Chinese characteristics dictates the fundamental direction and essential attributes of Chinese-path modernization; it is the distinct hallmark that distinguishes it from other forms of modernization.

The nature and purpose of the CPC determine that Chinese-path modernization is a modernization for all the people. The Party "always represents the fundamental interests of the broadest possible range of the people, shares weal and woe with the people, stays with them through thick and thin, has no special interests of its own, and never represents the interests of any individual interest group, any power group, or any privileged stratum." This attribute of representing the people’s interests determines that Chinese-path modernization always persists in a people-centered approach and adheres to the code of action that "development is for the people, development relies on the people, and the fruits of development are shared by the people." At the same time, it respects the pioneering spirit of the masses [6], always taking the people as the principal force in modernization construction. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the Party has deeply implemented the people-centered view of development, persisting in continuously meeting the people’s needs for a better life, guaranteeing the people’s rights and opportunities for development, and encouraging the broad masses of workers to combine personal interests with national and public interests. It is thus clear that the Party’s nature and purpose profoundly influence the interest relations and the distribution of benefits in China’s modernization, ensuring that modernization construction is always committed to maintaining, realizing, and developing the fundamental interests of all the people.

The nature and purpose of the CPC determine that Chinese-path modernization is a comprehensive modernization. Socialist society is a "social form based on the principle of the full and free development of every individual." The Party’s nature and purpose determine that Chinese-path modernization takes the realization of well-rounded human development as the ultimate goal of modernization construction. It takes the provision of comprehensive and rich material and spiritual conditions for human development as the core content of modernization, so that Chinese-path modernization ultimately manifests as the modernization of humanity itself. It is for this reason that Chinese-path modernization has been able to break through the object-based [7] developmental logic of Western modernization, creating a new type of socialist modernization that is human-centered and meets the needs of well-rounded human development.

(3) The Party’s theory and program define the developmental connotations of Chinese-path modernization

Chinese-path modernization is a major theoretical innovation of the Party, and the Party’s theory and program also define its developmental connotations. First, the Party’s dialectical materialist worldview requires Chinese-path modernization to organically combine following the laws of historical development with exerting historical initiative and consciousness. Therefore, to advance Chinese-path modernization, "it is necessary to have a profound insight into the general trends of world development, accurately grasp the common aspirations of the masses, deeply explore the laws of economic and social development, and ensure that the formulated plans and policy systems reflect the characteristics of the times, grasp the regularity of development, and are full of creativity." The development of Chinese-path modernization is the historical manifestation of the development laws of Chinese society and the active deduction of the logic of China’s modernization by the Party leading the people. The developmental process of Chinese-path modernization is also the process of the Party putting its worldview into practice—the process of the Party exerting its subjective initiative, historical initiative, and developmental creativity in practice, organically combining understanding the world with transforming it, and grasping laws with applying them scientifically. The unique worldview, values, history, civilization, democracy, and ecology inherent in Chinese-path modernization and its great practice are the practical manifestation of the CPC’s worldview and a major innovation by the CPC and the Chinese people in world modernization theory and practice.

Second, the Party’s ideological methodology requires that Chinese-path modernization must dialectically grasp and handle various complex relationships in the process of modernization. "Advancing Chinese-path modernization is a systematic project that requires overall planning, systematic design, and holistic advancement. It requires correctly handling a series of major relationships, such as top-level design and practical exploration, strategy and tactics, upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground, efficiency and equity, vitality and order, and self-reliance and opening up to the outside world." Based on materialist dialectics, the Party has formed a systematic, strategic, historical, dialectical, innovative, rule-of-law, and bottom-line thinking for leading the development of Chinese-path modernization. In the process of correctly understanding, accurately grasping, and dialectically handling various contradictions and their movements, the Party promotes the comprehensive, systematic, and coordinated development of Chinese-path modernization.

Third, the Party’s practical epistemology requires using practice and its results as the standard for measuring the theory of Chinese-path modernization construction. It requires that Chinese-path modernization must promote the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism through practice. "The history of our Party is a history of continuously advancing the Sinicization of Marxism, a history of continuously advancing theoretical innovation and creation." Therefore, adhering to seeking truth from facts, proceeding from reality, and persisting in and developing Marxism in the practice of modernization are the fundamental principles of the Party’s practical epistemology. In other words, as an important achievement of the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism, Chinese-path modernization can only solve specific problems in China's modernization through the universal truths of Marxism and let scientific socialism bear fruit and develop continuously in China's modernization practice if it "combines the basic principles of Marxism with China’s specific realities and with China’s fine traditional culture."

Finally, the Party's political program requires Chinese-path modernization to adhere to the dialectical unity of being goal-oriented and problem-oriented, advancing modernization through a gradual process of sequential progress. The Party's maximum program defines its long-term goals of struggle, while the basic program determines the Party’s central tasks for different periods and stages [8]. Adhering to the dialectical unity of the maximum and basic programs is a precious experience accumulated by the Party over the long term in the process of modernization construction. This requires Chinese Communists to remain grounded, persist over the long term, and advance the Party’s great cause in stages and steps. As the core of leadership for Chinese-path modernization, the Party’s political program profoundly influences the means of realization and the implementation strategies of modernization: the Party’s common ideal of socialism with Chinese characteristics and the lofty ideal of Communism establish the long-term goals of Chinese-path modernization; the blueprint for development mapped out under Party leadership clarifies the centenary goal [9] of comprehensively advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-path modernization; and the Party, proceeding from China’s national conditions—characterized by a massive population, a complex demographic structure, and the overlapping of multiple stages of modernization tasks—has proposed the "two-step" [10] strategic arrangement to build a great modern socialist country in all respects, clarifying the immediate and long-term tasks for Chinese-path modernization. The dialectical combination of the Party’s maximum and basic programs allows China to maintain an action strategy that combines goal-orientation with problem-orientation in its modernization construction. This approach emphasizes both the top-level design and overall layout of modernization, while also prioritizing the identification and resolution of problems, using major theoretical and practical issues as powerful levers for development and governance to push the cause of modernization forward in an orderly manner.

II. Party Leadership Ensures the Correct Development and Historical Success of Chinese-path Modernization

The leadership of the Party, as the fundamental characteristic of Chinese-path modernization, is formed by the Party’s important status and pivotal role in advancing the practice of Chinese modernization. The experience of modernization shows that a strong and powerful core of leadership is the primary condition for late-developing countries to achieve catch-up development in economy and society. Precisely by following this historical and practical logic, the Communist Party of China has remained the pioneer, promoter, and leader of China’s modernization cause and the pillar of modernization construction throughout its century-long history.

Viewed holistically, Party leadership determines the fundamental nature of Chinese-path modernization, ensuring it remains anchored to its goals and moves forward steadily over the long term; it ignites the powerful momentum for building Chinese-path modernization and mobilizes the majestic force required for its realization. Therefore, only by unswervingly upholding Party leadership can we safeguard the essence and source, the root and soul of Chinese-path modernization, and unswervingly maintain its Chinese characteristics, essential requirements, major principles, and correct direction.

In the practice of advancing Chinese-path modernization, Party leadership guarantees its scientific nature, its people-centered nature, its innovativeness, and its effectiveness. It is the greatest strength and fundamental guarantee for the victorious development of Chinese-path modernization, and an indispensable "magic weapon" [11] for its progress. As General Secretary Xi Jinping has stated, "Only by unswervingly upholding Party leadership can Chinese-path modernization have a bright future and achieve prosperity."

(1) Party leadership guarantees the scientific nature of Chinese-path modernization development

First, Party leadership provides Chinese-path modernization with scientific theoretical guidance. Comrade Mao Zedong once profoundly summarized: "Once the Chinese people grasped Marxism-Leninism, they changed from being passive to being active in spirit." Entering the New Era, the CPC created Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, continuously deepening the understanding of the laws governing the development of Chinese-path modernization. It has promoted the creative transformation and innovative development of fine traditional Chinese culture, enabling Chinese-path modernization to deeply reinforce a sense of ideological, theoretical, and spiritual self-consciousness characterized by self-confidence and self-reliance.

Second, Party leadership ensures that Chinese-path modernization adheres to the correct direction of development. "Direction determines the path, and the path determines destiny." Party leadership determines the socialist direction and path of Chinese-path modernization. Practice has proven that socialism with Chinese characteristics is the fundamental achievement attained by the Party leading the people through the historical process of Chinese modernization at the cost of immense hardships and a great price. It is precisely because of the adherence to Party leadership that Chinese-path modernization has progressed firmly along the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, achieved the great success of developing and strengthening China, and become the broad road toward realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Third, Party leadership provides Chinese-path modernization with development strategies that conform to objective reality and the laws of development. "Strategic issues are fundamental issues for a political party or a country." Whether the setting of a development strategy is rational concerns the success or failure of the cause of Chinese modernization. To realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, the CPC has followed the objective reality and laws of development of Chinese society and modernization, formulating and implementing different modernization strategies across various periods, achieving remarkable historical successes. Facts show that Party leadership not only ensures the continuity and steady advancement of Chinese-path modernization, but also ensures that the Party proceeds from the objective reality of modernization construction to formulate and implement strategic deployments. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has profoundly grasped the laws of Chinese-path modernization, formulated and deployed strategies for its development in the New Era, planned the long-range objectives of basically realizing socialist modernization by 2035, and advanced the comprehensive development and progress of Chinese-path modernization.

Finally, Party leadership enables Chinese-path modernization to construct an effective mechanism for self-renewal. As a Marxist party, the courage for self-revolution is the innate and distinctive character of the CPC. This courage gives Party leadership a powerful self-repair function, ensuring the advanced nature and purity of the long-term governing party; it is the fundamental guarantee for the Party to continuously move from victory to new victory. In the practice of modernization construction, the Party’s mechanism for self-revolution has formed a self-renewal mechanism for Chinese-path modernization. In practice, the organic combination of the Party's self-revolution with the self-renewal of modernization, and the Party's self-revolution with social revolution, allows the Party to lead social revolution through self-revolution. This "promotes theoretical, practical, institutional, and cultural innovation, as well as innovation in all other aspects," continuously opening up new vistas for modernization by "discarding the old and establishing the new" [12].

(2) Party leadership ensures the people-centered nature of Chinese-path modernization

First, Party leadership adheres to the path of socialist political development with Chinese characteristics, ensuring the people-oriented attribute of modernization by continuously advancing the modernization of national governance. The organic unity of upholding Party leadership, the people being masters of the country, and the law-based governance of the country is the essential requirement for advancing socialist modernization and the fundamental path for realizing socialist democratic politics. "We emphasize the organic unity of Party leadership, the people as masters of the country, and law-based governance; the most fundamental element is upholding Party leadership." Adhering to Party leadership ensures that Chinese-path modernization always practices "politics for the people," safeguards the principal status of the people, and ensures that Chinese-path modernization adheres to the fundamental, basic, and important systems [13] through which the people act as masters of the country. It actively leverages the significant advantages of the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, continuously reforming and optimizing institutional mechanisms across economic, political, social, and cultural sectors. This ensures that Chinese-path modernization "adheres to the people-centered development philosophy, develops whole-process people's democracy, and fully stimulates the sense of ownership among all people." Under Party leadership, Chinese-path modernization has developed from people's democracy into an organic combination of "politics for the people" and "governance by the people," ensuring that the people are always the principal force in modernization construction and the creators and practitioners of Chinese-path modernization.

Second, Party leadership ensures that the fruits of Chinese-path modernization are shared by the people. Party leadership is the fundamental force for maintaining and ensuring that development fruits benefit all people. At the level of institutional construction, Chinese-path modernization integrates the Party’s people-centered philosophy into the construction of economic, political, cultural, social, and ecological civilization systems, forming an institutional system that guarantees the people equal opportunities for development, fair rights to development, and just distribution of results. At the level of policy formulation, Chinese-path modernization focuses closely on the most immediate and realistic interests that concern the people most, using the resolution of the people’s "urgent, difficult, and anxious" [14] problems as a lever to formulate pro-people policies, improve the public service system, and enhance the equalization of public services. At the level of policy implementation, Party leadership ensures that Chinese-path modernization translates the systems and policies of socialism with Chinese characteristics into the people’s sense of gain, happiness, and security. The experience of Chinese-path modernization demonstrates that only by adhering to Party leadership can modernization always prioritize the fundamental interests of the people and achieve the organic unity of individual happiness, national prosperity, and national rejuvenation, thereby realizing the dual goals of national modernization and the well-rounded development of the individual.

(3) Party leadership ensures the innovativeness of Chinese-path modernization

Chinese-path modernization represents a theoretical and practical breakthrough and innovation by the Party. Party leadership ensures that Chinese-path modernization always upholds the developmental stance of upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground, adheres to the basic positions, viewpoints, and methods of Marxism, and innovates the development of human civilization.

  1. Party leadership ensures that Chinese-path modernization adheres to the basic positions, viewpoints, and methods of Marxism.

First, Party leadership ensures that Chinese-path modernization takes Marxism as its fundamental guidance. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out that Marxism is a scientific theory, a people-centered theory, a practical theory, and a constantly developing open theory. It creatively revealed the laws of human social development, always stands at the forefront of the times, and guides the people’s actions to transform the world. In the practice of Chinese modernization, "the fate of Marxism has long been closely linked with the fate of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese people, and the Chinese nation. Its scientific nature and truth have been fully tested in China; its people-centered and practical nature have been fully implemented in China; and its openness and contemporaneity have been fully manifested in China!" Only by adhering to Party leadership can we ensure that Chinese-path modernization persists in the truth of Marxism, abides by the essence of "practice first," and transforms their ideological power into the forward momentum of modernization construction and development.

Second, Party leadership ensures that Chinese-path modernization adheres to Marxism Sinicized and modernized as its guide. In the New Era, the Party adheres to dialectical materialism and historical materialism, closely integrates them with the actual national conditions and practical requirements of the New Era, and has formed Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. This Thought adheres to and applies the Marxist worldview and methodology, forming the positions, viewpoints, and methods that permeate the practice of the New Era: namely, Putting the People First, Maintaining Self-Confidence and Self-Reliance, Upholding the Fundamentals and Breaking New Ground, Staying Problem-Oriented, Applying Systems Thinking, and Maintaining a Global Vision [15]. In the New Era, only by adhering to Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and consistently implementing these positions, viewpoints, and methods can the successful development of Chinese-path modernization be ensured.

Finally, Party leadership ensures that Chinese-path modernization adheres to, follows, and realizes its essential requirements. In the process of development, Chinese-path modernization has formed its own essential requirements: upholding the leadership of the Communist Party of China, adhering to socialism with Chinese characteristics, achieving high-quality development, developing whole-process people's democracy, enriching the people's spiritual world, achieving common prosperity for all, promoting harmony between humanity and nature, promoting the building of a community with a shared future for humanity, and creating a new form of human civilization. These essential requirements are also important principles for the continued progress of Chinese-path modernization. To uphold the requirements of Marxism in the process of Chinese-path modernization, one must adhere to, follow, and realize these essential requirements. Among them, upholding Party leadership is the primary and most essential requirement, serving as the political prerequisite and fundamental guarantee for realizing the others. Therefore, only by adhering to Party leadership can Chinese-path modernization be ensured to uphold Marxist truth in the integration of theory and practice.

  1. Party leadership enables Chinese-path modernization to create a new form of human civilization.

Innovation means "guiding new practice with new theory" and continuously opening up new frontiers in the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism. Adhering to Party leadership allows Chinese-path modernization to treat science with a scientific attitude and pursue truth with the spirit of truth. By continuously answering the "Questions of China, the World, the People, and the Times" [16] in modernization construction, it creates a new form of human civilization.

First, Party leadership ensures that Chinese-path modernization possesses a powerful and sustained pioneering and innovative character. Under the Party's leadership, Chinese-path modernization has enriched and developed Marxism, imbuing scientific socialism with even greater vitality and innovative power, and allowing fine traditional Chinese culture to undergo creative transformation and innovative development [17]. Under the Party's leadership, the Chinese people established and developed a new socialist China through political and social revolution; under the Party's leadership, China identified reform and opening up as the "critical move" [18] determining the future and destiny of contemporary China. As General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, "Reform and opening up was a great awakening for our Party, and it was precisely this great awakening that gave birth to our Party’s great creations from theory to practice. Reform and opening up is a great revolution in the history of the development of the Chinese people and the Chinese nation, and it is precisely this great revolution that propelled the great leap forward for the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics!" Therefore, upholding Party leadership and upholding reform and opening up are the sources of power for the strong, sustained, pioneering, and innovative development of Chinese-path modernization.

Second, Party leadership has constructed a new model for China's economic and social development. Entering the New Era, the Party has led the people in comprehensively deepening reform and opening up, continuously reforming and improving economic and social systems and mechanisms, creating a brand-new model for Chinese economic and social development, and writing the Marxist political economy of the New Era. Chinese-path modernization has broken through the binary opposition between government and market found in traditional Western theories, constructing a benign interaction between the two to "strive for a pattern where the roles of the market and the government are unity in an organic whole, mutually complementary, mutually coordinated, and mutually reinforcing." Through the strategy of comprehensive and coordinated development, Chinese-path modernization has solved the difficult problem of "superimposed periods" and "parallel development" in modernization [19], creating a unique experience of developmental modernization. Chinese-path modernization correctly handles a series of major relationships within modernization, formulating and implementing a unique development plan based on the principle of balanced and sufficient development. Facts have proven that only under the Party's leadership can Chinese-path modernization continuously overcome difficulties and open up new horizons for China's economic development.

Finally, Party leadership has fostered a new form of Chinese national governance. In practice, Party leadership provides Chinese-path modernization with the highest political authority representing the people, forming a modern governance state characterized by the unified leadership of the Party and government with the collaborative participation of diverse social forces. In this form, the Party holds the position of supreme leadership in national and social governance, firmly maintaining the "people-centeredness" and public nature of national governance, ensuring that the lines, principles, and policies of national development are not captured by privileged strata or powerful interest groups. At the same time, through Party leadership and "Party building-led" [20] governance, the rights, status, and participation qualifications of diverse subjects are guaranteed, encouraging various social actors to participate in modern governance and achieving the dialectical unity of national governance's oneness and diversity. Consequently, following a path of unified leadership and multi-party participation, China's national and social governance has constructed a new governance pattern and mechanism of collaborative co-governance and mutual reinforcement between the ruling party, the government, and society.

(4) Party leadership ensures the effectiveness of development and governance in Chinese-path modernization.

Upholding Party leadership has allowed Chinese-path modernization to create the "two miracles" of rapid economic development and long-term social stability, providing the leadership system and institutional guarantee for the effectiveness of development and governance.

First, Party leadership ensures the effective implementation of the strategies and tactics of Chinese-path modernization. The CPC's leadership system of "exercising overall leadership and coordinating all efforts" has fully mobilized all positive factors and gathered a massive force for modernization. The Party has more than 96 million members [21], possessing immense political advantages, high political authority, unique mobilization capabilities, and powerful organizational energy. Meanwhile, the Party adheres to the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee, insists on the Two Establishments, and achieves the Two Upholds, ensuring the authority of the Central Committee and the high degree of consistency in the ideology and politics of the entire Party. The Party follows the organizational principle of democratic centralism, forming an organizational mechanism that combines top-down and bottom-up approaches. Therefore, only by upholding Party leadership can the Party's political leadership and organizational execution in modernization be brought into full play, ensuring the centralized and effective realization of central authority and decision-making, and solving many problems in China's modernization.

Second, Party leadership transforms the institutional advantages of Chinese-path modernization into development and governance efficacy. The vitality of a system lies in its execution. The significant institutional advantage of the Party leading Chinese-path modernization is the ability to "concentrate resources to accomplish major undertakings" [22] through efficient systems and mechanisms, ensuring that the concepts, strategies, and deployments of modernization are implemented according to institutional requirements. Practice has proven that only by upholding Party leadership can a rigorous and efficient institutional execution and supervision mechanism be built to effectively strengthen the supervision of institutional implementation. Only by upholding Party leadership can a scientific and rational accountability system and mechanism be formed, transforming institutional advantages into the efficacy of Chinese-path modernization. In short, only by upholding and strengthening the Party’s comprehensive leadership and giving full play to the Party's key role can Chinese-path modernization be smoothly advanced, effectively unfolded, and fully realized.

III. Party Leadership Shapes the Specific Configuration and Basic Characteristics of Chinese-path Modernization

That Party leadership constitutes the fundamental feature of Chinese-path modernization is also evidenced by the relationship between Party leadership and the specific configuration and basic characteristics of Chinese-path modernization. In the process of development, Chinese-path modernization has formed a specific configuration and various characteristics. Regarding its generative logic, these features are actually the logical unfolding, practical externalization, and concrete manifestation of the fundamental feature of Party leadership. Therefore, Party leadership holds a primordial status, a prerequisite meaning, and a generative role for the specific configuration and basic characteristics of Chinese-path modernization.

First, modernization involving a huge population is the national condition, political prerequisite, and strategic task of Chinese-path modernization led by the Party, as well as its inevitable result. A huge population is China's basic national condition. This condition intensifies the complexity and difficulty of achieving modernization, inevitably requiring a centralized, unified, and strong leadership core to integrate and coordinate complex interest contradictions and diverse interest demands, maintain social identity and unity, and mobilize forces from all sides. Party leadership is the political guarantee for maintaining national unity, the unity of the legal system, the unity of government decrees, and the unity of the market in the process of Chinese-path modernization. Therefore, the unique national condition of a huge population inevitably requires upholding Party leadership as the cornerstone of advancing modernization. Simultaneously, the Party's core leadership role inevitably requires the comprehensive and centralized leadership of the Party to promote and coordinate the continuous and deep development of modernization, ensuring that 1.4 billion people truly achieve equality of rights and opportunities and share the fruits of modernization. Thus, Party leadership is the political prerequisite for a China with a massive population to achieve modernization.

Second, modernization for the common prosperity of all people is an inevitable requirement of Party leadership. Party leadership determines the socialist nature and direction of Chinese-path modernization. Socialist modernization requires not only the prosperity of a few people or certain regions but the common prosperity of all people, using high-quality development to narrow the gap between rich and poor and improve the quality of life for everyone. Therefore, upholding Party leadership inevitably requires Chinese-path modernization to take common prosperity as its developmental goal. And this goal can only be achieved through upholding Party leadership.

Third, upholding the coordinated development of material and cultural-ethical civilizations is the substantive manifestation of Party leadership in modernization. The profound meaning of Party leadership lies in achieving the well-rounded development of the person; therefore, the Chinese-path modernization led by the Party must transcend development models centered on capital or "one-dimensional" growth [23], implementing the developmental purpose of unifying the comprehensive abundance of material things with the well-rounded development of people. On one hand, the comprehensive, systematic, and holistic nature of Party leadership requires that it be applied to all aspects of modernization, achieving coordinated development within the Five-Sphere Integrated Plan. On the other hand, the Party attaches great importance to the dialectical relationship between material and cultural-ethical civilizations, requiring the elimination of one-sided views such as "material civilization is primary, cultural-ethical civilization is secondary" or "if material civilization improves, cultural-ethical civilization will naturally follow." It emphasizes the mutual promotion and reinforcement of both. Thus, upholding Party leadership inevitably focuses on synchronous coordination, building a socialist power that is highly prosperous and highly civilized.

Fourth, modernization characterized by harmony between humanity and nature is the scientific demonstration of Party leadership in ecological civilization construction. With the development of modernization, serious ecological problems brought about by industrial civilization began to manifest. Since the New Era, under the leadership of the Party and in the face of the contradiction between humanity and nature, Chinese-path modernization has established the environmental awareness that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" [24], determined a path for ecological civilization, and actively built a life community of harmony between humanity and nature. This shows that it is precisely under the Party's leadership that China can construct and implement the strictest ecological protection systems, building a new relationship between humanity and nature to achieve the sustainable development of the Chinese nation.

Finally, following the path of peaceful development is a strategic innovation by the Party regarding China's modernization method. Party leadership determines that Chinese-path modernization must be achieved through peace, harmony, and concord. Chinese-path modernization follows neither the path of colonial expansion ("a strong country must seek hegemony") nor the detour of dependent development; rather, it persists in a strategy of peaceful development through independence, mutual benefit, and win-win cooperation. As General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, "Without peace, neither China nor the world can develop smoothly; without development, neither China nor the world can have lasting peace." Chinese-path modernization upholds the concept of a community with a shared future for humanity, follows the trend of economic globalization, and achieves the great mission of the CPC to serve both the Chinese people and the people of the world with an open, inclusive, balanced, and win-win attitude.

In summary, the unique qualities of the Party, the significant advantages, immense functions, and outstanding achievements demonstrated by Party leadership in the construction of Chinese-path modernization, and the primordial significance of Party leadership for the basic characteristics of Chinese-path modernization all profoundly prove: Party leadership is the fundamental feature of Chinese-path modernization. Therefore, upholding and strengthening the comprehensive leadership of the Party is the most essential requirement for building a modern socialist power in all respects.