Ding Jinqing: Developing New Quality Productive Forces to Shape New Competitive Advantages
The third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee clearly proposed to accelerate high-level self-reliance and strength in science and technology, and to lead the development of new quality productive forces. As an advanced state of productive forces catalyzed by revolutionary technological breakthroughs, innovative allocation of production factors, and deep industrial transformation and upgrading, new quality productive forces not only meet the requirements of the new development philosophy but have already taken shape in practice and demonstrated strong driving and supporting force for high-quality development. Faced with the historical opportunities of the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, only by firmly grasping the key variable of new quality productive forces can we fundamentally enhance the endogenous momentum of China's economic development, reshape our advantages, and seize strategic initiative in increasingly fierce global competition.
Strengthening Innovation-Driven Development and Cultivating Core Kinetic Energy
Scientific and technological innovation determines the developmental height of new quality productive forces and influences China's future strategic position in the global competitive landscape. Although the situation where core technologies in some of China's key fields are controlled by others [1] has not been fundamentally changed, these "bottlenecks" and "choke points" [2] that urgently need to be broken through are precisely the main directions of our future efforts. Behind them lies enormous potential and strategic space for constructing new national competitive advantages.
Scientific and technological innovation is the core element for developing new quality productive forces. Unlike traditional productive forces, new quality productive forces place greater emphasis on the transformation of the "quality" of the productive forces. The "new quality" of these productive forces lies in the fact that they are catalyzed by revolutionary and disruptive new technologies, thereby systematically integrating new kinetic energy and fostering a state of advanced productive forces characterized by high technology, high efficiency, and high quality. Accelerating the development of new quality productive forces is conducive to achieving high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and strength, and enhancing economic competitiveness. This requires targeting the frontiers of science and technology, making every effort to tackle key core technologies, and generating new kinetic energy through breakthrough achievements. We must persist in the integrated promotion of development in education, technology, and talent; promote the deep integration of scientific innovation with industrial innovation; enhance the overall effectiveness of the national innovation system; strengthen the capacity for independent innovation; and seize the commanding heights of future technology. At the same time, we must leverage the leading role of technological innovation, fully implement the "Artificial Intelligence Plus" action, focus on improving total factor productivity, accelerate the transition from old to new kinetic energy, and promote the effective transformation of innovation potential into the momentum for high-quality development.
Developing new quality productive forces is an inherent requirement for high-quality development. China's ranking in the Global Innovation Index has risen to 10th place, yet it still faces the challenge of intertwined structural, institutional, and cyclical problems. The core issue lies in the insufficient capacity for technological innovation, the fact that its supporting role for economic and social development has not been fully manifested, and the continued deficiency in high-quality technological supply. At the level of the carrier, new quality productive forces are more reflected in new industries of high quality, high efficiency, and high value. Accelerating the development of new quality productive forces can lead high-quality development through technological innovation and enhance economic innovativeness. This requires the thorough implementation of the innovation-driven development strategy, the promotion of seamless docking between the innovation chain and the industrial chain, and the enhancement of the overall effectiveness of the industrial system through strengthening, supplementing, and extending the chains. Through technological innovation, we must optimize and upgrade traditional industries, expand strategic emerging industries, and proactively lay out future industries, continuously improving technical levels and the quality of industrial development. We must optimize the combination and allocation of various factors of production, promote the green transition of development modes, and achieve the synergistic enhancement of economic, social, and ecological benefits.
It cannot be ignored that technology is a "double-edged sword" that both drives development and contains hidden risks. It is necessary to find a balance between development and security to safeguard the development of new quality productive forces according to local conditions. To this end, we must accelerate the improvement of the national innovation system, break through bottlenecks in key core technologies, enhance independent innovation capabilities, effectively reduce external dependence, and improve the resilience of industrial chains. We must strengthen the forward-looking judgment and dynamic tracking of technological development trends and frontier fields; conduct systematic assessments and prepare contingency plans for potential rule conflicts, social risks, and ethical challenges; build a monitoring, early warning, and response system for technological security risks; and strengthen the independent guarantee of basic technological conditions. At the same time, we must actively participate in global technology governance, promote the concept of "tech for good," and ensure that technological development benefits all countries and their peoples.
Improving the Industrial System and Elevating Developmental Level
A modernized industrial system is the important carrier of new quality productive forces. China's manufacturing industry has already formed developmental advantages characterized by the world's largest scale, the most complete categories, the most comprehensive system, and strong international competitiveness, providing supporting facilities and rich application scenarios for the development of new quality productive forces. However, problems still exist, such as the industrial system being "large but not strong" and "comprehensive but not refined." We must persist in placing the focus of economic development on the real economy, accelerate the development of new quality productive forces, and construct a modernized industrial system with advanced manufacturing as the backbone, making it more complete, advanced, and secure.
Focusing on completeness, we must accelerate the transformation, upgrading, and quality-efficiency improvement of traditional industries. The completeness of an industrial system is manifested in comprehensive industrial categories and a well-equipped industrial system, forming complete and resilient industrial chains. Traditional industries play an important role in China's industrial development; they are both the foundation for building a modernized industrial system and an important focal point for accelerating the development of new quality productive forces. Traditional industries are not equivalent to backward industries. Using new technologies to transform and upgrade them is an important path for developing new quality productive forces according to local conditions. As the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation develops in depth, traditional industries are widely introducing new technologies, processes, and materials, and continuously launching innovative products with high performance, high quality, and low energy consumption. This indicates that the development of new quality productive forces is inseparable from the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries. Developing new quality productive forces in no way means ignoring or even abandoning traditional industries; rather, it means promoting their transformation toward high-end, intelligent, and green development on the basis of maintaining a reasonable proportion of manufacturing and promoting the expansion and quality improvement of the service industry. Specifically, we must persist in digital empowerment, using digital and intelligent technologies to promote digital industrialization and industrial digitalization, achieving a deep "metamorphosis" [3] of traditional industries. At the same time, we should actively apply new energy and energy-saving environmental protection technologies, optimize process flows, and promote traditional industries to strengthen their advantages in areas of strength and make up for deficiencies in weak links, achieving cost reduction, quality improvement, and efficiency gains.
Focusing on advancement, we must vigorously develop emerging and future industries. The advancement of a modernized industrial system primarily refers to the system possessing strong technological innovation capabilities, being able to adapt to the requirements of the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, and meeting the requirements of intelligence, greening, and integration. Strategic emerging industries and future industries are important frontiers for generating and developing new quality productive forces, important manifestations of the advancement of the industrial system, and key forces for optimizing economic structures and changing the competitive landscape. The strong competitiveness of the world's major powers stems largely from their forward-looking layout and strategic investment in strategic emerging industries and future industries. Currently, China's old combination of production functions is difficult to sustain; we must accelerate the elevation of the industrial system's advancement. We must focus on building new pillar industries, implement industrial innovation projects, accelerate the cluster development of strategic emerging industries such as new energy, new materials, aerospace, and the low-altitude economy, improve the industrial ecosystem, and accelerate the large-scale development of emerging industries. We must proactively lay out future industries, promoting quantum technology, biomanufacturing, hydrogen energy and nuclear fusion energy, brain-computer interfaces, embodied intelligence, and 6G communications to become new economic growth points. We should establish growth and risk-sharing mechanisms for investment in future industries, promote the specialized, refined, unique, and innovative [4] development of small and medium-sized enterprises, and better promote sustainable economic development.
Focusing on security, we must enhance the resilience and competitiveness of industrial chains. The security of the industrial system is mainly manifested in the safety and reliability of industrial and supply chains, the independent controllability of key core technologies, the orderly connection of various industries, and the efficient and smooth circulation of the national economy. In practice, we must strengthen research into key core technologies, gradually move away from external dependence, and improve our ability to respond to the impact of "decoupling and severing chains." We must accelerate the consolidation and strengthening of the foundation of the real economy, layout industrial and supply chains around the development of new quality productive forces, and promote the "supplementing of chains" for industries with shortcomings, the "extension of chains" for advantageous industries, the "upgrading of chains" for traditional industries, and the "building of chains" for emerging industries, thereby enhancing the resilience and security level of industrial and supply chains. We must optimize the layout of major productive forces, leverage the role of key regional growth poles, promote the orderly transfer of industries between different regions, build national strategic hinterlands and backups for key industries, and improve the risk-resistance capacity of the industrial system.
Expanding Demand Space and Creating Market Advantages
In today's world, the market has become the scarcest resource, and the ultra-large-scale domestic market possessed by China is precisely our key advantage in participating in international competition. The development of new quality productive forces cannot be separated from the wide diffusion of technology and the continuous expansion of the market, which provide rich application scenarios and market space for the promotion and application of new technologies and products. Historical experience shows that countries and regions with ultra-large-scale markets often possess strong international competitiveness. However, it must also be noted that China's current market system is still imperfect; "involutionary" [5] competition and market fragmentation still exist, restricting the release of overall effectiveness. Faced with external shocks and demand fluctuations, we must focus on breaking down barriers and smoothing circulation, upgrading the volume advantage of "ultra-large scale" into the systematic advantage of "ultra-strong scale," and subsequently transforming this into a tangible national competitive advantage.
Building a unified national market is the foundational support for promoting the generation of new quality productive forces. it helps promote the smooth flow and efficient combination of various production factors within a larger scope, laying the factor foundation for the development of new quality productive forces. As the market with the greatest growth potential in the world, China must continuously improve the basic systems of the market economy, such as property rights protection, market access, fair competition, and social credit, and build a high-standard market system. Crucially, efforts must be made to dismantle market barriers, break down regional fragmentation and various forms of local protectionism, and fully stimulate the market's endogenous drive. By building a unified national market, we can guide advanced and high-quality production factors to gather smoothly in the fields of new quality productive forces, achieving integrated development across industries and regions. This will, in turn, promote the efficient coordination of production, distribution, circulation, and consumption links nationwide, enhancing the overall efficiency of resource allocation. At the same time, we must adhere to the strategic basis of expanding internal demand, closely combining the improvement of people's livelihoods with the promotion of consumption, and investment in goods with investment in people. We must lead new supply with new demand and create new demand with new supply, promoting benign interaction between consumption and investment, and supply and demand, thereby enhancing the endogenous momentum and reliability of the domestic grand circulation. We must vigorously boost consumption, implement policies related to large-scale equipment updates and the trade-in of consumer goods, and transform the market advantages of China's ultra-large-scale market demand and rich application scenarios into a powerful endogenous drive for the development of new quality productive forces.
Market fragmentation and local protectionism are the main obstacles to building a unified national market, as well as deep-seated bottlenecks restricting the development of new quality productive forces and the free flow of factors. Developing new quality productive forces requires adhering to the "national chess game" [6] approach, opening up the "bottlenecks" and "choke points" that restrict the smooth flow of factors, and achieving efficient resource combination and collaborative innovation. To this end, we must combine an efficient market with a proactive government, unify the standards of government behavior, consciously dismantle closed small markets and self-contained small circulations, create unified markets for factors and resources, and rectify "involutionary" competition. At the same time, we should strengthen the leading and safeguarding role of the rule of law, use legal means to regulate market competition, strengthen institutional unification and regulatory coordination, and accelerate the cleanup and abolition of various regulations and practices that hinder the unified national market and fair competition. We must fully implement the "one national negative list" management mode and accelerate the establishment of unified national market systems and rules to create a fair and transparent competitive environment for business entities.
New quality productive forces take technological innovation as an important engine and market demand as a key pull. Accelerating the development of new quality productive forces can not only meet the needs of consumption upgrading but can also create demand through disruptive technologies and innovative products, promoting the iterative upgrade and mutual reinforcement of both supply and demand to achieve a high-level dynamic balance. To leverage China's ultra-large-scale market advantage and move the market from "ultra-large" to "ultra-strong," the key lies in improving the factor market system, regulating the order of competition, refining the factor allocation mechanism, and creating a fairer and more vibrant market environment. We must coordinate the relationship between competition and cooperation among regions, enhance policy synergy, and promote the cross-regional sharing and integration of innovation resources to form a regional collaborative innovation pattern of benign interaction, complementary advantages, and win-win cooperation. We must expand high-level opening up to the outside world, utilize the synergistic effects and economies of scale of both domestic and international markets, connect domestic and foreign high-end factor markets, enhance the ability to aggregate global high-quality resources, and create a "gravitational field" that attracts international innovation elements.
Consolidating the Green Foundation and Deepening the Ecological Rooting
Green development is the defining feature of high-quality development, and new quality productive forces are, in themselves, green productive forces. New quality productive forces represent a more innovative, sustainable, and competitive direction of development and are an important driver for promoting the construction of ecological civilization. The development of new quality productive forces...
"High quality" is largely manifested in green development. Lucid waters and lush mountains [7] contain infinite economic value and can continuously create comprehensive benefits, supporting sustainable economic and social development. Currently, although the tasks of ecological and environmental protection remain arduous, the ecological environment continues to improve, constantly nurturing new competitive advantages. This helps promote the vigorous development of low-carbon, ecological, and circular economies, accelerating the formation of green production and lifestyles, and continuously consolidating the "green foundation" of high-quality development.
New quality productive forces are essentially a state of advanced productive forces. They not only require a reconstruction of the logic of development for productive forces but also emphasize the harmonious coexistence of man and nature. By adhering to innovation-driven green transformation and promoting the green transition and efficient allocation of factors of production through technological empowerment, green technologies, advanced industries, and low-carbon lifestyles can be comprehensively integrated into the construction of ecological civilization [8]. This aims to break through resource and environmental constraints and open up new paths for sustainable development. In practice, we must comprehensively enhance green technological innovation capabilities, organize and carry out key green technology research, strengthen the fusion of digital and green technologies, and accelerate the green transformation and upgrading of industries to create efficient, ecological, and green industrial clusters. We must accelerate the construction of an economic system for green, low-carbon, and circular development, expand the scale of green industries and the green economy, significantly reduce energy and material consumption across the entire chain, and form an industrial structure characterized by high technological content, low resource consumption, and minimal environmental pollution.
An important aspect that distinguishes new quality productive forces from traditional productive forces is the inclusion of factors such as the ecological environment into the production function, thereby strengthening green technological innovation and improving resource utilization efficiency. To accelerate the development of new quality productive forces, we must firmly establish and practice the concept that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets [9], unswervingly follow the path of prioritizing ecology and green development, and plan development from the height of harmonious coexistence between man and nature. Guided by the goals of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality [10], we must coordinately promote carbon reduction, pollution reduction, green expansion, and growth. We must build a clean, low-carbon, safe, and efficient energy system, accelerate the application of green and low-carbon technologies, and promote the formation of spatial patterns, industrial structures, production methods, and lifestyles that conserve resources and protect the environment, enhancing the "gold content" of development through the "green content" of the ecosystem.
Ecological security is an important cornerstone of national security. As green productive forces, the development of new quality productive forces is closely linked to ecological security. We must adhere to the guidance of the Holistic Approach to National Security [11], and proceeding from the height of guaranteeing national ecological security and achieving the sustainable development of the Chinese nation, comprehensively enhance the diversity, stability, and sustainability of ecosystems. We must solidly promote ecological protection and restoration, strengthen regulatory effectiveness, and accelerate the construction of national ecological security barriers to leave behind an ecological space of clear waters and green mountains for future generations. We must continue to push forward the battle for the prevention and control of pollution and the optimization of ecosystems, actively and effectively respond to various ecological and environmental risks and challenges, incorporate ecological risks into normalized management, and systematically build a whole-process, multi-level prevention system for ecological risks. At the same time, we should improve the coordination mechanism for national ecological security work, enhance capabilities for risk assessment, monitoring, early warning, emergency response, and disposal, thereby achieving a virtuous cycle of mutual promotion between the development of new quality productive forces and the guarantee of ecological security.