Gong Yun: The Theory of Chinese Modernization is the Latest Major Achievement of Scientific Socialism
On February 7, 2023, General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered an important speech at the opening ceremony of a study session for newly elected members and alternate members of the Central Committee, as well as principal officials at the provincial and ministerial levels. He emphasized that the summarization and in-depth elucidation of the theory of Chinese-path modernization was a major theoretical innovation of the 20th National Congress of the CPC and represents the latest major achievement of scientific socialism.
A Major Theoretical Achievement of the CPC’s Arduous Exploration
The theory of Chinese-path modernization is a major theoretical achievement secured by the CPC in leading the people of all ethnic groups along the great road of socialism. It was attained through long-term exploration and practice, marked by immense hardships and great costs.
Realizing modernization has been the common dream of all countries in the modern era. Since the Opium War [1], under the invasion of foreign powers and the corrupt rule of feudalism, China missed the opportunity of the Industrial Revolution and fell significantly behind the times; the Chinese nation suffered unprecedented misery. Following the Opium War, the Chinese people and countless people of vision fought unyieldingly, searching bitterly for a path toward Chinese modernization. The modernization practices conducted before the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC) were essentially an attempt to learn from Western capitalist modernization. History has proven that the path of capitalist modernization is a dead end in China. The heavy responsibility of exploring a Chinese path to modernization fell historically upon the CPC. Since its founding over a century ago, all the struggles of the CPC in uniting and leading the Chinese people have been for the purpose of building China into a modern powerful country and realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
During the period of the New Democratic Revolution [2], the CPC united and led the people in bloody battles and unyielding struggles. Through the Northern Expedition, the Agrarian Revolutionary War, the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, and the War of Liberation, they overthrew the "three big mountains" [3] of imperialism, feudalism, and bureaucrat-capitalism. They established the PRC, where the people are masters of the country, achieving national independence and people's liberation, thereby creating the fundamental social conditions for realizing modernization.
After the founding of the PRC, the CPC united and led the people in carrying out the socialist revolution, eliminating the feudal system that had persisted in China for thousands of years, and establishing the basic socialist system. This achieved the most extensive and profound social transformation in the history of the Chinese nation. It established an independent and relatively complete industrial system and national economic system. The socialist revolution and construction achieved original theoretical results and great successes, providing the fundamental political prerequisites, valuable experience, theoretical preparation, and material foundation for modernization.
During the new period of reform and opening up and socialist modernization, the CPC made the historic decision to shift the focus of Party and state work onto economic construction and to implement reform and opening up. It vigorously promoted theoretical, institutional, cultural, and various other forms of innovation based on practice. By implementing the socialist market economy system, China achieved a historic breakthrough, rising from a state of relatively backward productive forces to become the world's second-largest economy. It achieved a historic leap in people's living standards, from lack of basic food and clothing to a generally well-off society [4], and then toward a moderately prosperous society in all respects. This provided the institutional guarantee of new vitality and the material conditions for rapid development for Chinese-path modernization.
Since the 18th National Congress [5], the CPC has continued to move forward on the existing foundation, continuously achieving innovations and breakthroughs in theory and practice, successfully advancing and expanding Chinese-path modernization.
First, understanding has been continuously deepened. The Party founded Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, achieving a new leap in the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism, providing the fundamental guidance for Chinese-path modernization. We have further deepened our understanding of the connotation and essence of Chinese-path modernization, summarized and formed its Chinese characteristics, essential requirements, and major principles, and preliminarily constructed a theoretical system. This has made Chinese-path modernization clearer, more scientific, and more perceptible and feasible.
Second, strategy has been continuously improved. We have deeply implemented a series of major strategies, such as the strategy for invigorating China through science and education, the strategy on developing a quality workforce, and the rural revitalization strategy, providing solid strategic support for Chinese-path modernization.
Third, practice has been continuously enriched. We have advanced a series of transformative practices, achieved a series of breakthrough developments, and obtained a series of landmark results. We have promoted historic achievements and historic changes in the cause of the Party and the country. In particular, we have eliminated absolute poverty and finished building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, providing a more refined institutional guarantee, a more solid material foundation, and more proactive spiritual strength for Chinese-path modernization. After more than 100 years of practical exploration by the CPC, the theory of Chinese-path modernization has been formed. The core content of this theory includes:
The leadership of Chinese-path modernization. Chinese-path modernization was created by the CPC. The Party's leadership directly concerns its fundamental direction, future, destiny, and ultimate success or failure. The Party's leadership determines the fundamental nature of Chinese-path modernization. Only by unswervingly upholding the leadership of the CPC can Chinese-path modernization have a bright future and prosper; otherwise, it will veer off course, lose its soul, or even commit subversive errors. The Party's leadership ensures that Chinese-path modernization anchors its goals and makes steady progress over the long term. The Party's goals have been consistent, pursued by successive generations, achieving brilliant feats that have attracted worldwide attention and will shine through history. The Party's leadership stimulates strong momentum for building Chinese-path modernization. The CPC has the courage for reform and innovation, continuously breaking down institutional and mechanistic barriers in all areas to inject inexhaustible power into modernization. The Party's leadership mobilizes the tectonic power for building Chinese-path modernization. The CPC adheres to the mass line, stays committed to the people-centered development philosophy, develops whole-process people’s democracy, and fully stimulates the sense of ownership among all people.
The scientific connotation of Chinese-path modernization. For a country to move toward modernization, it must follow the general laws of modernization and, more importantly, conform to its own realities and possess its own characteristics. Chinese-path modernization shares features common to all modernization processes but is more characterized by distinct features based on China's own national conditions. The report to the 20th National Congress clearly summarized five aspects of Chinese characteristics: it is the modernization of a huge population, of common prosperity for all, of material and cultural-ethical advancement, of harmony between humanity and nature, and of peaceful development. These profoundly reveal the scientific connotation of Chinese-path modernization. This is both a theoretical summarization and a practical requirement, pointing out a broad road toward building a modern socialist powerful country in all respects and realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
The essential requirements of Chinese-path modernization. The essence of Chinese-path modernization is socialist modernization. This is specifically manifested in: upholding the leadership of the CPC and socialism with Chinese characteristics, achieving high-quality development, developing whole-process people's democracy, enriching the people's cultural-ethical world, achieving common prosperity for all, promoting harmony between humanity and nature, building a community with a shared future for humanity, and creating a new form of human advancement.
The major principles of Chinese-path modernization. These include: upholding and strengthening the Party's overall leadership, following the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, staying committed to a people-centered development philosophy, remaining committed to deepening reform and opening up, and carrying forward our fighting spirit.
The development path of Chinese-path modernization. Advancing Chinese-path modernization is a systemic project that requires holistic planning, systematic design, and overall advancement. We must correctly handle a series of major relationships: top-level design versus practical exploration, strategy versus tactics, upholding fundamentals versus breaking new ground, efficiency versus fairness, vitality versus order, and self-reliance versus opening up to the outside world. Advancing Chinese-path modernization is an unprecedented and pioneering undertaking. It will inevitably encounter various predictable and unpredictable risks, challenges, difficulties, and even "stormy seas." We must strengthen our awareness of potential dangers, adhere to bottom-line thinking, be prepared for danger in times of peace, plan ahead, and be both brave and adept in struggle, opening up new horizons for the development of our cause through tenacious struggle. We must maintain strategic clarity and have a clear grasp of various risks; maintain strategic confidence and strengthen the resolve for struggle; and maintain strategic initiative to enhance the ability to struggle. We must improve capabilities, ensuring that leading officials, especially the young ones, undergo rigorous ideological tempering, political training, practical experience, and professional training—weathering the storm, seeing the world, strengthening their mettle, and growing their talents in complex and severe struggles. We should focus on inspecting and identifying officials in the midst of severe and complex struggles, supporting those who are brave and adept in struggle, willing to take responsibility, and dare to manage strictly without fear of offending others. Those who are proven capable should be used boldly.
The historical contributions of Chinese-path modernization. Chinese-path modernization is deeply rooted in fine traditional Chinese culture, embodies the advanced nature of scientific socialism, and draws on all outstanding achievements of human civilization. It represents the direction of progress in human civilization and presents a new picture different from the Western modernization model; it is a brand-new form of human advancement. Chinese-path modernization shatters the myth that "modernization = Westernization," displays another picture of modernization, expands the path choices for developing countries to modernize, and provides a Chinese solution for humanity's search for a better social system. The unique worldview, values, and outlooks on history, civilization, democracy, and ecology inherent in Chinese-path modernization and its great practice constitute major innovations in the theory and practice of global modernization. It sets a model and provides a brand-new choice for the vast number of developing countries to move toward modernization independently.
A Major Theoretical Innovation in the History of Scientific Socialism
The theory of Chinese-path modernization is essentially a theory of socialist modernization. Its proposal is the latest major theoretical achievement of scientific socialism, creatively answering the major question in the history of scientific socialism: what is socialist modernization and how is it to be built?
It answers a brand-new question in the history of scientific socialism. The socialism envisioned by the classical Marxist writers was built on the foundation of developed capitalist countries; therefore, modernization was not the fundamental task of socialism. Real-world socialist countries, however, were all established in countries with backward productive forces, making the realization of modernization their primary task. Therefore, how to realize socialist modernization is a brand-new topic raised by socialist practice and a brand-new question that the development of scientific socialist theory must solve. Although "socialist modernization" is a new concept in Marxism, the relevant expositions of classical Marxist writers provide the fundamental basis for the theory of Chinese-path modernization.
First is the Marxist revelation of the laws of capitalist development. Marxism revealed the essence and defects of capital-centered capitalist modernization and, starting from the inherent contradictions of capitalist development, proved its inevitable demise. This laid the theoretical cornerstone for Chinese-path modernization from the height of the laws of social and historical development.
Second is the Marxist vision for a future society. Marxism outlined an institutional conception of a future society that protects the interests of the people, achieves common prosperity, and is committed to the free and well-rounded development of individuals and human liberation.
Third is the Marxist exposition on the diversity of modernization paths. When Marx studied the social structures, development paths, and laws of Eastern societies, he arrived at the important conclusion that Eastern societies could realize a development path different from that of Western societies. He proposed the important theory of bypassing the "Caudine Forks" [6] of capitalism, providing important theoretical support for backward countries to break out of their backwardness.
Fourth, Marxist theory provides a scientific worldview and methodology. Dialectical materialism and historical materialism laid the scientific worldview and methodological foundation for Chinese-path modernization. The successful advancement and expansion of Chinese-path modernization in the New Era is a milestone in the history of China's socialist modernization. It shows that, through long-term practice, the CPC has explored a brand-new path of socialist modernization for the Chinese people.
A new theory of socialist modernization has been created. From the perspective of socialist practice, the Soviet Union, as the first socialist state, explored the first theory of socialist modernization in human history. This was based on the conceptions of socialism held by the classical Marxist writers, adapted to the international situation of being surrounded by capitalist countries at the time, and proceeded from the national conditions of the Soviet Union. This theory of socialist modernization was followed by many socialist countries after the end of the Second World War. However, deep-seated problems existed within this theory of socialist modernization, necessitating adjustments. Beginning in the mid-1950s, China took the Soviet Union as a warning [7] while simultaneously absorbing its rational elements. The theory of Chinese-path modernization began its exploration precisely from reflections on the modernization processes of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Based on this reflection on Soviet history and its modernization theory, General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized the importance of "taking one's own path," noting: "No matter what useful things we absorb, they must ultimately be localized. The wind of the October Revolution blew in, but our Party did not ultimately become a Soviet-style party. After the Cold War ended, the Soviet Union collapsed and Eastern Europe underwent drastic changes [8], but we continued to take our own path, which is why we are where we are today." The theory of Chinese-path modernization both transcends Western capitalist modernization theory and transcends the traditional socialist modernization theory represented by the Soviet Union, exploring a brand-new socialist modernization theory for humanity that is both realistic and highly effective.
Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, and particularly since the start of reform and opening up, China has completed the industrialization process that Western developed countries took several hundred years to achieve in just a few decades. It has created the "two miracles" of rapid economic development and long-term social stability, opening up broad prospects for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Practice has proven that Chinese-path modernization is feasible and stable; it is the only correct path for building a strong country and achieving national rejuvenation. The theory of Chinese-path modernization is a theory of scientific socialism that has been proven effective through practice. This theory has opened up a new realm of Marxism and opened new prospects for demonstrating the superiority of the socialist system. The theory of Chinese-path modernization has stimulated a rethinking of Marxism and socialism within the international theoretical community, allowing Marxism to present itself to the contemporary world with a brand-new image. It has allowed scientific socialism to regain its vigorous vitality and has brought about a major shift in favor of socialism in the historical evolution and contest between the two ideologies and two social systems—socialism and capitalism—on a global scale. "Practice shows that Chinese-path modernization both fits China's reality and reflects the laws of socialist construction as well as the laws of human social development. We must unswervingly advance Chinese-path modernization, promote the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-path modernization, and continuously make new and greater contributions to humanity." Khamphao Ernthavanh, the Ambassador of Laos to China, believes that: "Chinese-path modernization holds significant global importance, inspiring all countries that desire development to explore how to develop themselves based on mutual respect and win-win cooperation by achieving regional common prosperity, ensuring that no country is left behind. We must seriously study and apply China's valuable experience in realizing the dream of the people's happiness to the development process of Laos."