Chen Yumeng: Seeking Momentum from Reform and Building Synergy through Reform — Insights from General Secretary Xi Jinping’s "Several Major Theoretical and Practical Issues in Further Comprehensively Deepening Reform"
Achieving new breakthroughs in further comprehensively deepening reform is one of the primary goals for economic and social development during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period [1]. "Several Major Theoretical and Practical Issues in Further Comprehensively Deepening Reform" is the principal portion of an important speech delivered by General Secretary Xi Jinping on October 29, 2024, at a workshop for principal officials at the provincial and ministerial levels [2] to study and implement the spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee. It is collected in the fifth volume of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China. This important document further deepens our understanding of the regularities [3] of reform, directly addresses significant issues in further comprehensively deepening reform, and promotes its implementation, providing the fundamental adherence and guide to action for further comprehensively deepening reform on the new journey.
Deepening the Understanding of the Regularities of Reform
This important document systematically summarizes the historic achievements of comprehensively deepening reform in the New Era. Focusing on major theoretical and practical questions—such as why we must comprehensively deepen reform in the New Era and how to further do so—it deepens our understanding of the regularities of reform. It summarizes experience, points out the direction, and clarifies methods for future work, possessing significant theoretical importance.
Fully affirming the historic achievements of comprehensively deepening reform in the New Era establishes the practical starting point for further steps. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Comprehensively deepening reform in the New Era has achieved major practical, institutional, and theoretical results that have attracted worldwide attention and have far-reaching influence." Further comprehensively deepening reform begins precisely on the foundation of the historic achievements made since the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee. The subsequent task is to "continue the work" based on these foundations, rather than to "repeat the work." Summarizing the historical experience and major achievements of reform in the New Era both clarifies the tasks and focus of future work and strengthens the confidence and courage to further comprehensively deepen reform.
Emphasizing that reform must uphold the fundamentals and break new ground clarifies the general goal and central task of further comprehensively deepening reform. General Secretary Xi Jinping noted: "Upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground is a major principle that must be firmly grasped and consistently adhered to in further comprehensively deepening reform." Upholding the fundamentals ensures that further reform does not "change the flag or the path" [4] and must proceed along the correct direction; breaking new ground ensures that reform does not become complacent or stuck in old ways, but rather advances with the times to create reform momentum. The general goal of continuing to improve and develop the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics and advancing the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity is a continuation of the general goal of reform proposed at the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee. Although specific reform tasks have deepened progressively over the past decade, this general goal must be maintained over the long term. This reflects the Central Committee’s firm determination to "draw a single blueprint to the end" [5]. General Secretary Xi Jinping also emphasized: "The central task of the Party and the country on the new journey in the New Era is to comprehensively advance the great cause of building a strong country and achieving national rejuvenation through Chinese-path modernization. Further comprehensively deepening reform must be carried out closely around this central task." This clearly requires conforming to new trends in era-based development, new requirements of practical development, and new expectations of the people to promote innovation in all aspects.
Fully utilizing the method of contradiction analysis [6], he emphasized that further comprehensively deepening reform must focus on key points while emphasizing overall coordination. General Secretary Xi Jinping attaches great importance to and creatively applies the basic principles of Marxism, integrating contradiction analysis throughout all aspects, fields, and processes of further comprehensively deepening reform. First, it highlights the reform of the economic system as the key point. Deepening economic system reform remains the prominent task, and it should play a leading role in driving the overall situation. Second, it coordinates work in all fields of reform. The connotation of Chinese-path modernization is extremely rich, and further comprehensively deepening reform must necessarily be all-encompassing. Democracy, the rule of law, culture, society, ecological civilization, national security, national defense and armed forces construction, and Party building must all be advanced as one, exerting force in the same direction toward the general goal. Third, it coordinates several major relationships, including reform and the rule of law, breaking and establishing [7], reform and opening up, and deployment and implementation, ensuring that reform proceeds in an orderly manner and achieves progress while maintaining stability.
Directly Addressing Important Issues in Further Comprehensively Deepening Reform
To persist in further comprehensively deepening reform, we must focus on using reform methods to solve development problems, adding momentum and vitality to development. In this important document, General Secretary Xi Jinping placed requirements on Party members and cadres. Facing the "difficult and complicated diseases" [8], obstacles, and doubts encountered in reform, we must on one hand use scientific methods and a fighting spirit to break through resistance and solve problems; on the other hand, we must continuously respond to social concerns and strengthen the guidance of public opinion to gather the broadest possible force for reform.
Regarding blurred understandings of reform, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out in this document the need to "guide the whole of society to correctly understand the strategic considerations of the Party Central Committee, and to correctly understand the practical significance and goal orientation of various reform measures." Clarifying the significance of further reform is the prerequisite for mobilizing the whole of society. We must fully and clearly explain the historic achievements of reform, using facts, cases, and data to elucidate the truth that "reform and opening up is the key move that determines the fate of contemporary China, and also the key move for achieving the 'Two Centenary Goals' and the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation." At the same time, integrated with the central tasks of the current and future periods, we must clarify that Chinese-path modernization is continuously advanced through reform and opening up. Only by persisting in reform and opening up can Chinese-path modernization receive strong momentum and institutional guarantees, and it will surely open up broad prospects through further comprehensive deepening of reform.
Regarding the issue of unreasonable reform expectations, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "We must reasonably guide reform expectations. It should be recognized that reform is a process of adjusting the landscape of interests, and it is impossible to satisfy the interest demands of everyone at the same time." We must guide the public to establish rational reform expectations, understanding that reform is a gradual process that cannot be achieved overnight or through "reaching for the moon" [9]. We must clarify reform policies in various fields to ensure a correct approach toward the adjustment of interest relations and individual gains and losses. We should use small stories from the people’s daily lives to explain the "great logic" of reform, using diverse forms to narrate reform policies so that the masses can better understand the causes and effects of reform and increase their sense of identification with it. Simultaneously, we encourage the public to participate in the process of further comprehensively deepening reform, realizing the expression of interests through channels such as hearings and information disclosure, truly allowing the masses to continuously enhance their sense of participation and sense of gain [10] in reform, creating the broadest possible synergy for reform.
Over the last decade and more, the results of comprehensively deepening reform have been significant. Building on this, further comprehensively deepening reform should focus on solving the "bottlenecks and blockages" [11] restricting the construction of the new development pattern and the promotion of high-quality development, the "pain points and difficulties" in the development environment and people’s livelihoods, and the "focus points and hot spots" that run contrary to social fairness and justice. It can be said that General Secretary Xi Jinping possesses great foresight regarding the pain points and difficulties of further reform, addressing these challenges directly with deployments that powerfully promote the implementation of reform, injecting strong confidence and a sense of "action consciousness" into the whole of society.
Promoting the Implementation of Further Comprehensively Deepening Reform
The key to further comprehensively deepening reform lies in implementation. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "Reform is a systematic project that requires handling relationships in all aspects and requires the use of scientific methods." Implementing further reform must adhere to a systems perspective, considering policy formulation, institutional implementation, and the subjects of implementation from all angles to promote the landing and fulfillment of various reform measures in a steady and orderly fashion.
Regarding the formulation of reform policies, adhere to "establishing the new before breaking the old" (xian li hou po). Reform is a process of both breaking and establishing; only by breaking the old can the new be established. General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly pointed out: "We cannot break the old before the new is established, leaving an institutional vacuum that leaves people at a loss and causes disorder and chaos." New institutions and policies must take the "first move" (xianshouqi) [12]—they must be meticulously designed, fully evaluated, and carefully demonstrated; only under safe and reliable conditions should old policies be dismantled. Furthermore, this "breaking" must be thorough and resolute, without hesitation or reliance on luck, striving for a smooth transition between old and new systems.
Regarding the implementation of reform policies, adhere to being scientific and efficient. Reform cannot be "warfare on paper" [13]; it must be put into practice. This requires, on one hand, that reform policies are realistic and feasible, and on the other, an emphasis on implementation to prevent "water on a beach that never reaches the end" [14]. To this end, we must handle the relationship between deployment and implementation, strengthening investigation and research during the deployment stage to explore objective regularities and formulate scientific policies that are strategic, forward-looking, and directional. Simultaneously, in the implementation stage, we must ensure clear responsibilities, a complete chain of action, and closely linked steps, strengthening supervision, inspection, and full-process tracking to ensure policies are implemented in place.
Regarding the protection of reform results, adhere to acting according to the law. Reform and the rule of law complement each other and emerge together. Reform is not about making "morning orders and evening changes" [15] or acting willfully; it must use the rule of law mindset and methods to advance reform and maintain the authority of the law. Moreover, the results of reform are not temporary measures; they should be incorporated into the legal track to receive due legal protection. Further comprehensively deepening reform should be more closely integrated with the comprehensive rule of law to better play the role of the rule of law in consolidating foundations, stabilizing expectations, and benefiting the long term.
Regarding the subjects of reform responsibility, adhere to gathering synergy. The key to grasping reform implementation is implementing it through people, especially Party leading cadres who shoulder the important responsibility of advancing reform. First, in terms of selection, we must vigorously select cadres who are politically reliable, dare to take responsibility, are keen on reform, have outstanding achievements, and are clean and honest. Second, in terms of appointment, we must implement the "Three Distinctions" [16] to encourage cadres to be enterprising, to start businesses and take action, and to dare to face contradictions directly. Third, in terms of cultivation, we must improve the mechanism for normalized training—especially basic training—strengthening professional and practical exercise to comprehensively improve cadres' ability for modernization construction.
Source: Study Times (Xuexi Shibao), November 14, 2025