Gong Yun: Solidly Promoting Common Prosperity for All People
"Common prosperity is a fundamental goal of Marxism, and it has also been a fundamental ideal of our people since ancient times." When General Secretary Xi Jinping provided explanations to the Plenary Session regarding the drafting of the "Recommendations of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Formulating the Fifteenth Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development" (hereinafter referred to as the Recommendations), he pointed out that the draft Recommendations emphasize making solid strides toward common prosperity for all people within its guiding ideology. This is a general requirement for guiding economic and social development during the "Fifteenth Five-Year Plan" period. This requirement holds great and far-reaching historical significance.
I. The Importance and Urgency of Solidly Advancing Common Prosperity for All People
General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: "On the new journey of comprehensively building a modern socialist country, we must place the promotion of common prosperity for all people in a more prominent position." This is primarily based on the following considerations.
First, it is an intrinsic requirement for upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics. "Socialism with Chinese characteristics is socialism and not any other 'ism'; the basic principles of scientific socialism cannot be discarded, for discarding them would mean it is no longer socialism." Common prosperity is an essential requirement of socialism. Marx pointed out in the Economic Manuscripts of 1857–1858 that in a socialist society, the development of social productive forces will be so rapid that production will be aimed at the prosperity of all people. Successive primary leaders of the Communist Party of China have closely linked common prosperity with socialism. Mao Zedong pointed out: "To consolidate the worker-peasant alliance, we must lead the peasants onto the socialist road so that the peasant masses can achieve common prosperity—the poor must become prosperous, all peasants must become prosperous, and the degree of prosperity must greatly exceed that of the current well-to-do middle peasants [1]." Deng Xiaoping proposed: "The principles of socialism are: first, to develop production, and second, common prosperity." Realizing common prosperity for all people is an original requirement for upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics, and it serves as a hallmark of the continuous development and progress of our socialist cause. "Common prosperity is the fundamental principle of socialism with Chinese characteristics, so we must ensure that the fruits of development benefit all people more extensively and fairly, and advance steadily toward the goal of common prosperity."
Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the Communist Party of China has remained true to its original aspiration and founding mission, unswervingly following the path of common prosperity. It has won the battle against poverty, comprehensively built a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and seen the middle-income group exceed 400 million people, creating favorable conditions and laying a solid material foundation for promoting common prosperity. Common prosperity is the essential requirement of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics in the New Era requires that we must not be passive or idle regarding the realization of common prosperity for all. Instead, we should take proactive initiative, doing everything possible based on current conditions to continuously advance common prosperity for all people.
Second, it is an urgent requirement for advancing Chinese-path modernization. Advancing Chinese-path modernization requires activating internal demand through common prosperity and preventing polarization. A widening gap between rich and poor leads not only to a general insufficiency of domestic demand but also to polarization. Under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, "the per capita disposable income of all residents nationwide increased from 35,100 yuan in 2021 to 41,300 yuan in 2024, and the income ratio between urban and rural residents narrowed to 2.34:1." At the same time, we must clearly recognize that behind these averages, the gaps in development and income distribution between urban and rural areas and across regions in our country remain relatively large. The Gini coefficient, which measures income disparity, is still high, and the incomes of the vast majority of urban and rural laborers are not yet high, which seriously constrains internal demand. Due to their social systems, capitalist countries are unable to solve the problem of wealth polarization during the process of modernization, leading to a relative contraction of the effective demand of the working people. This is one of the reasons for the cyclical occurrence of economic crises. As a socialist modernization led by the Communist Party of China, Chinese-path modernization must not repeat the mistakes of capitalism. It must "persist in taking the realization of the people’s aspirations for a better life as the starting point and goal of modernization construction, strive to maintain and promote social equity and justice, strive to promote common prosperity for all people, and resolutely prevent polarization."
Advancing Chinese-path modernization requires long-term social stability. Thousands of years of Chinese history have repeatedly proven that an excessive gap between the rich and the poor, especially social polarization, will greatly affect social stability. Confucius said: "One should not worry about scarcity but about inequality; one should not worry about poverty but about instability. For where there is equality, there is no poverty; where there is harmony, there is no scarcity; and where there is stability, there is no danger of upheaval [2]." Deng Xiaoping pointed out that if the gap between rich and poor becomes too large, "ethnic contradictions, regional contradictions, and class contradictions will all develop, and accordingly, the contradictions between the central and local governments will also develop, which could lead to trouble." Looking at the general laws of global modernization, if the problem of the wealth gap is handled poorly during the process of modernization, society is prone to turmoil. Our country must resolutely prevent polarization, promote common prosperity, and achieve social harmony and stability.
Third, it is an inevitable requirement for consolidating the Party's long-term governing foundation. Realizing common prosperity for all people is the unchanging original aspiration of the Communist Party of China. "The people are the deepest foundation and the greatest source of confidence for our Party's governance." In its more than 100 years of struggle, the CPC has always represented the fundamental interests of the broadest possible range of the Chinese people. During the period of the New Democratic Revolution, the CPC united and led the Chinese people to overthrow the "three great mountains" [3], winning the heartfelt support of the people. During the period of socialist revolution and construction, the CPC led the people in establishing the socialist system and carrying out construction on the socialist road, winning the hearts of hundreds of millions. During the new period of reform, opening up, and socialist modernization, the CPC made the major decision to pursue reform and opening up, aligning with the wishes of the Chinese people. In the New Era of socialism with Chinese characteristics, realizing common prosperity for all Chinese people has fulfilled their expectations. Poverty is a chronic malady of human society; anti-poverty has always been a major task of statecraft throughout history and across the world. The history of China is a history of the Chinese nation struggling against poverty and pursuing the ideal of common prosperity.
Realizing common prosperity is the concrete manifestation of the CPC's adherence to its fundamental purpose of "serving the people heart and soul." It is a major responsibility of the Party and the government and an urgent need for consolidating the Party's long-term governing foundation. Common prosperity reflects the essential requirement of socialism and embodies the Party's fundamental "people-centered" stance. Achieving common prosperity can win the heartfelt support of hundreds of millions of people, especially the working people, and consolidate the class and mass foundations of the Party's long-term governance. Only by adhering to the people-centered development philosophy—ensuring that development is for the people, relies on the people, and its fruits are shared by the people—can the Party achieve long-term governance. General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized the need to learn from the lessons of other countries where parties and states collapsed during modernization because they became detached from the people. "The Soviet Union was the world's first socialist country and achieved brilliant successes, but it later failed and disintegrated. One important reason was that the Communist Party of the Soviet Union became detached from the people, turning into a privileged bureaucratic clique that only protected its own interests. Even in countries that have achieved modernization, if the governing party turns its back on the people, the fruits of modernization will be undermined."
II. Adhering to General Secretary Xi Jinping's Important Discourses on Common Prosperity as Guidance
Adhering to Marxist guidance is a powerful ideological weapon for driving our country toward common prosperity for all. In his great practice of leading the advancement of common prosperity for all, General Secretary Xi Jinping has formed important discourses on the subject. To effectively advance common prosperity, we must adhere to these discourses as our guide.
Regarding the basic connotation of common prosperity: Common prosperity for all is a collective concept for society as a whole. It does not mean that everyone becomes rich at the same time, nor does it mean all regions reach the same level simultaneously. "The common prosperity we speak of is common prosperity for all people; it is a prosperity in which the people are rich in both material and spiritual life. It is not prosperity for a few, nor is it uniform egalitarianism."
Regarding the timetable for common prosperity: We must conduct in-depth research on goals for different stages and promote common prosperity in phases. Advancing common prosperity for all is roughly divided into four stages: By the end of the "Fourteenth Five-Year Plan," the gap in residents' income and actual consumption levels will gradually narrow; during the "Fifteenth Five-Year Plan" period, solid strides will be made toward common prosperity for all; by 2035, more obvious and substantive progress will be achieved; and by the middle of the 21st century, common prosperity for all will be basically realized.
Regarding the basic principles of common prosperity: To promote common prosperity, we must grasp the following principles. First, encourage prosperity through hard work and innovation. This principle emphasizes that common prosperity must respect labor, knowledge, talent, and creativity. It means creating a stage and environment for workers, entrepreneurs, innovators, and cadres at all levels to play their roles, preventing social stratification from hardening, and creating a development environment with universal participation. Second, adhere to the basic economic system. This principle emphasizes that we must unswervingly consolidate and develop the public sector of the economy, while also unswervingly encouraging, supporting, and guiding the development of the non-public sector. Third, do our best while acting within our means. This principle emphasizes that we must not give up on common prosperity because it is arduous—we must exert our full effort—but it must also align with China’s national conditions and not be detached from reality. Fourth, persist in making gradual progress. This principle emphasizes that achieving common prosperity is a long-term goal that requires a step-by-step process. We must have patience, do one thing at a time solidly, and encourage different regions to explore effective paths based on local conditions.
Regarding the practical path to common prosperity: The general approach is to adhere to the people-centered development philosophy and promote common prosperity through high-quality development. The specific paths are: improving the balance, coordination, and inclusiveness of development; focusing on expanding the size of the middle-income group; promoting the equalization of basic public services; strengthening the regulation and adjustment of high incomes; promoting common prosperity in people's spiritual lives; and promoting common prosperity for farmers and rural areas.
Regarding lessons from others for common prosperity: To achieve common prosperity, China must learn from lessons abroad. We must prevent polarization caused by neglecting common prosperity, but we must also guard against the "welfare-ism trap." Some scholars have described the phenomenon of wealth polarization caused by privatization in Latin America and "shock therapy" in Russia since the 1990s: Carlos Slim Helú of Mexico was ranked third on the Forbes World's Billionaires list in 2009; he rose to prominence precisely through the privatization of Mexico's telecommunications industry in the early 1990s, a wave that saw several Mexicans enter the Forbes list overnight. Similar to Mexico, the "shock therapy" used during Russia's economic transition once placed nearly half of the country's output under the control of seven oligarchic groups. During his tenure, Putin has been "at war" with these oligarchs. At the same time, we must prevent falling into the welfare trap that some Western countries find difficult to escape. "In the past, some countries engaged in populism, and high welfare produced a group of 'lazy people' and those who lived without working. As a result, the national treasury was overburdened, falling into the 'middle-income trap' for a long time. Once welfare benefits go up, they cannot come down. 'Welfare-ism' that exceeds capacity is unsustainable and will inevitably bring serious economic and political problems!"
Realizing common prosperity is an essential requirement of socialism, one of the fundamental differences between socialism and capitalism, and the shared expectation of the people. Realizing common prosperity for all is the goal of the new stage of development and a historical task that must be completed. Common prosperity must be guided by scientific theory. General Secretary Xi Jinping's important discourses on common prosperity have made strategic deployments, clarified the timetable and roadmap, and set phased goals. This has made the direction clearer, the goals more specific, and the measures more effective, allowing the masses to see changes and receive tangible benefits, while continuously enhancing the people's sense of gain, happiness, and security. General Secretary Xi Jinping's important discourses on common prosperity are a synthesis of the CPC's exploration of common prosperity practices, a major development of Marxist common prosperity theory, and the fundamental compliance and guide for action for advancing common prosperity for all. They are of great significance for strengthening our country's confidence in achieving common prosperity, guiding and testing the work of various departments, and responding to the concerns of the people.
Being theoretically firm and clear is the prerequisite for being ideologically and politically firm and clear; unity of thought is the basis for political and action-based unity. Currently, understanding of common prosperity in society is not yet unified, and various fuzzy understandings still exist. General Secretary Xi Jinping clearly proposed at the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee that solid strides must be made toward common prosperity for all during the "Fifteenth Five-Year Plan" period. This is a re-mobilization for advancing common prosperity for all. On the new journey, we must take General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important discourses on common prosperity as our guide, strengthen our theoretical armament, and consolidate the ideological and political foundation for advancing common prosperity for all people.
III. Leverage Advantages to Ensure Solid Strides Toward Common Prosperity for All People
During the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, solidly advancing common prosperity for all people and ensuring that common prosperity takes a firm step forward requires leveraging our country's comprehensive advantages.
First, leverage the advantage of Party leadership by adhering to the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee, providing a strong political guarantee for advancing common prosperity for all people. The greatest advantage of the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics is the leadership of the Communist Party of China. Deng Xiaoping pointed out: "The leadership of the Party is an advantage." The Communist Party of China always represents the fundamental interests of the broadest possible majority of the people. It possesses incomparable leadership, appeal, organizational capacity, and execution power. It is the most reliable leading force to unite and lead the Chinese people in achieving common prosperity and has consistently struggled to realize common prosperity for all people. Gennady Zyuganov, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, believes that "upholding the comprehensive leadership of the Party" is the primary principle that must be followed for the comprehensive economic and social development of China during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, as well as the prerequisite and key to the success of all undertakings.
To leverage the advantage of Party leadership, we must adhere to the Party Central Committee’s centralized and unified leadership over common prosperity. We must utilize the advantages of the world's largest Marxist governing party to ensure "the whole country works as a single chessboard" [4], unifying the thought, will, and action of the entire Party. This will create a situation of mobilization across the Party and collective struggle across society, building primary-level Party organizations into strong fighting bastions that lead all people toward common prosperity, and fully giving play to the vanguard and exemplary role of over 100 million Party members in the practice of common prosperity. During the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, as long as we adhere to the comprehensive leadership of the Party and remain anchored to the goal of common prosperity, we will surely overcome any difficulties and obstacles and push forward so that common prosperity for all people takes a firm step forward!
Second, leverage the advantage of whole-process people's democracy by adhering to the people-centered development philosophy, pooling massive strength to advance common prosperity for all people. Common prosperity belongs to the people; it is the people’s cause. The people are the subjects in achieving common prosperity. Only by relying closely on the people can common prosperity be realized. Realizing common prosperity is an unprecedentedly arduous task in the history of human social development. It requires drawing on the wisdom of the masses and using the strength of the masses [5], fully stimulating the innovative and creative vitality of hundreds of millions of Chinese people, and pooling the massive strength of all Chinese sons and daughters to jointly achieve this great undertaking, providing a powerful impetus for common prosperity.
We must fully leverage the advantage of whole-process people's democracy. Common prosperity has deep political connotations, implying the respect for and realization of the people’s democratic rights. Realizing common prosperity for all people cannot be approached from the economy alone; it must also be addressed politically. High-level democracy is needed to stimulate the internal motivation of the masses. "Without democracy, there would be no socialism, and no socialist modernization." Only by realizing people's democracy can the masses feel they are the masters of society and take the initiative to participate in the practice of common prosperity. Whole-process people's democracy is the essential attribute of socialist democratic politics; it is the most extensive, true, and effective democracy. Whole-process people's democracy must be implemented throughout the practice of achieving common prosperity to provide a strong political guarantee. Classical Marxist writers pointed out long ago that in the ideal society of the future, "every member of society will not only have the possibility to participate in the production of social wealth, but also to participate in its distribution and management, and through planned management of the totality of production, ensure that social productive forces and their fruits grow continuously, enough to ensure that everyone's reasonable needs are satisfied to an ever-increasing degree." Currently, it is particularly important to improve the system of primary-level democracy, allowing the working masses outside the state system [6], especially those in the non-public sectors of the economy, to participate in various forms of management, thereby stimulating their inherent motivation to promote common prosperity.
We must adhere to the people-centered development philosophy. "The people-centered development philosophy is not an abstract or cryptic concept. It cannot remain merely a slogan or stop at the level of thought; it must be reflected in every link of economic and social development." Adhering to the people-centered approach must be implemented across the links of production, exchange, distribution, and consumption. In the sphere of production, we must strengthen the protection of workers' rights and interests and create a fair and orderly employment environment. In the link of exchange, we must safeguard workers' rights and regulate the behavior of platforms. In the sphere of distribution, we must achieve the unification of efficiency and equity, allowing technical workers, small and medium-sized enterprise owners, individual industrial and commercial households, migrant workers, civil servants, and primary-level employees of state-owned enterprises and public institutions to join the middle-income group as quickly as possible. In the sphere of consumption, we must vigorously boost consumption, coordinate efforts to promote employment, increase incomes, and stabilize expectations, enhancing the consumption capacity of residents, especially that of the broad masses of workers. The people are the true heroes. Stimulating the endogenous motivation of the masses for common prosperity is crucial to realizing common prosperity for all people. Only by adhering to the principles of being for the people and relying on the people, respecting the people’s status as subjects and their pioneering spirit, and stimulating the wisdom and strength inherent in the masses can we continue to create the human miracle of common prosperity for all people.
Third, leverage the advantage of capital by fully manifesting the important role of public capital and the positive role of non-public capital, utilizing the vitality of capital to advance common prosperity for all people. Along with the process of establishing and developing China's socialist market economy, capital has fully played its important role as a factor of production, resulting in a situation where various forms of capital—such as state-owned capital, collective capital, private capital, foreign capital, and mixed capital—coexist. These different forms of capital have promoted the development of China's social productive forces, fostered economic prosperity, and laid a solid material foundation for achieving common prosperity for all people.
During the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, ensuring that common prosperity takes a firm step forward requires leveraging the advantages of capital in resource allocation and economic development. Whether state-owned enterprises or private enterprises, both are important forces in promoting common prosperity and must shoulder the social responsibility to do so.
We must leverage the important role of public capital. Public capital includes state-owned capital and collective capital, and it is the fundamental guarantee for realizing common prosperity. Deng Xiaoping pointed out: "As long as public ownership remains the mainstay of our economy, we can avoid polarization." State-owned capital is, in essence, capital owned by the whole people; it is the most important pillar for achieving common prosperity for all people and a powerful means to guide the healthy development of non-public capital. In response to views that negate state-owned enterprises, General Secretary Xi Jinping clearly refuted them at the National Conference on Party Building in State-Owned Enterprises on October 10, 2016: "If state-owned enterprises are made smaller, collapsed, or eliminated, how can we uphold the mainstay status of public ownership and the leading role of the state-owned economy? How can we uphold the leading position of the working class? How can common prosperity be realized? How can our Party's governing foundation and governing status be consolidated? How can socialism with Chinese characteristics be maintained and developed?" Collective capital is a form of capital that directly embodies the principle of common enrichment. Overall, in the 40-plus years of reform and opening up, the collective economy, especially the urban collective economy, has not received the attention it deserves, which has affected China's progress toward common prosperity. In the section on "accelerating the modernization of agriculture and rural areas and solidly promoting the comprehensive revitalization of the countryside," the Proposals [7] suggested "supporting the development of a new type of rural collective economy." During the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, to ensure that common prosperity takes a firm step forward, effective measures must be taken to vigorously develop the collective economy.
We must leverage the positive role of non-public capital. Non-public capital is a form of capital that emerged alongside China's reform and opening up, in line with the development of the socialist market economy. Due to its flexible operating mechanisms and sensitivity to market signals, it has grown from nothing in China to become an important part of the socialist market economy. It has played a positive role in creating jobs, providing tax revenue, and expanding exports. It has formed a relationship of complementary advantages and common development with public capital, playing a positive role in promoting common prosperity. Marx pointed out: "In all forms of society there is one specific kind of production which predominates over the rest, whose relations thus assign rank and influence to others. It is a general illumination which bathes all the other colours and modifies their particularity." [8] Under the influence of the "general illumination" of socialism, China's non-public capital exhibits the contemporary characteristic of the "first-to-be-wealthy leading the later-to-be-wealthy" to promote common prosperity. Regarding the relationship between public and non-public capital, we should recognize their competitive relationship, but even more so their cooperative relationship; both need to be vigorously developed to leverage their respective vitality and advantages. While giving play to the positive role of non-public capital, we should utilize the leading role of public capital. The Proposals state that during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, the Private Economy Promotion Law must be implemented to ensure the equal use of factors of production, fair participation in market competition, and effective protection of legal rights and interests through laws and institutions, thus developing and strengthening the private economy.
Fourth, leverage the advantages of the socialist market economy system to achieve deep integration between the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics and the market economy system, providing systematic advantages for advancing common prosperity for all people. Developing a socialist market economy is a great creation of the Communist Party of China. In November 2015, in a speech while presiding over the 28th collective study session of the Political Bureau of the 18th CPC Central Committee, General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly pointed out: "A key factor in the great success of our country's economic development is that we have leveraged both the strengths of the market economy and the superiorities of the socialist system." Advancing common prosperity for all people requires both the efficiency of the market economy system in allocating resources and the superiority of the socialist system in ensuring fairness.
Leveraging the advantages of the socialist market economy system requires properly handling the relationship between upholding the socialist system and vigorously developing the market economy, utilizing the strengths of both to construct a brand-new set of socialist relations of production. In September 1993, Deng Xiaoping pointed out: "We speak of preventing polarization, but in reality, polarization appears naturally." From the historical experience of China's establishment and development of the socialist market economy, we must leverage market advantages to drive socialist economic development and unswervingly follow the path of common prosperity, while also overcoming the natural polarization brought about by the market economy. This necessitates the organic integration of the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics with the market economy system.
To this end, three key links must be mastered: first, we must promote advantages and avoid disadvantages, combining the superiorities of the socialist system with those of the market economy system; second, we must prevent tendencies toward "neglecting one while attending to the other" or "taking a part for the whole," ensuring the socialist market economy always maintains the correct direction; and third, we must correct and prevent the tendency of a "combination of disadvantages" between the old and new systems, ensuring the transition from a planned economy to a socialist market economy is realized. This provides important guidance for building a high-level socialist market economy system, leveraging its advantages, and pushing forward common prosperity for all people.
Fifth, leverage the advantages of socialist spiritual civilization by adhering to the lofty ideal of communism and the socialist core values, providing spiritual strength for advancing common prosperity for all people. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out in the report to the 20th CPC National Congress: "Chinese-path modernization is the modernization of material and spiritual civilization in coordination. Material abundance and spiritual richness are fundamental requirements of socialist modernization. Material poverty is not socialism, nor is spiritual poverty." Advancing common prosperity for all people must leverage the advantages of socialist spiritual civilization, giving play to the guaranteeing role of spiritual strength in promoting common prosperity.
To leverage the advantage of socialist spiritual civilization, we must give play to the inspiring role of the lofty ideal of communism and establish the concept of sharing. Faith in Marxism and belief in socialism and communism are the political soul of Communists and the spiritual pillar that allows them to withstand any test. On April 23, 2018, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out during the fifth collective study session of the Political Bureau of the 19th CPC Central Committee: "The Communist Manifesto established that the highest goal of a Marxist party is the realization of communism and regarded the realization of the free and well-rounded development of individuals as the essential characteristic of communism." Realizing common prosperity is the great practice of the lofty ideal of communism in contemporary China, and it is a necessary requirement for upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics. During the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, firming up the lofty ideal of communism requires establishing the concept of sharing throughout society. The essence of the sharing concept is to adhere to the people-centered development philosophy; it embodies the requirement for the gradual realization of common prosperity, the Party's fundamental purpose of serving the people wholeheartedly, and the historical materialist view that the people are the fundamental force driving social development.
To leverage the advantage of socialist spiritual civilization, we must give play to the supporting role of socialist core values and strengthen collectivism.
"The promotion of common prosperity and the promotion of well-rounded human development are highly unified. We must strengthen the leadership of core socialist values, and reinforce education in patriotism, collectivism, and socialism." Core values are the spiritual tie upon which a nation relies for its sustenance; they are the common ideological and moral foundation of a country. Collectivism is the essence of core socialist values, a traditional virtue of the Chinese nation, and the spiritual foundation of common prosperity. Mutual aid and fraternal love are socialist virtues. Realizing common prosperity requires people to properly handle the relationship between collective and individual interests, oppose extreme individualism, and establish collectivist values. Collectivism is a powerful force for coalescing the will of the people and pooling their strength. We must remain firm in our moral pursuits, continuously stimulate the positive energy of "upward and toward the good" [9] across the entire society, and foster a noble sentiment of esteeming and pursuing common prosperity. This will influence the ideological concepts, value judgments, and moral sentiments of the whole society in a way that "moistens things silently" [10], providing inexhaustible spiritual strength for the common prosperity of all people. Entrepreneurs should establish collectivist values, carry forward the entrepreneurial spirit, and strengthen their sense of social responsibility to become paragons of giving back to society: "They must inherit and carry forward the traditional virtues of the Chinese nation, actively participate in and establish social welfare and charitable undertakings, and ensure they are wealthy yet responsible, wealthy yet righteous, and wealthy yet compassionate."
Standing at a new historical starting point, the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee issued a mobilization order to the entire Party and society to advance common prosperity for all people during the period of the "15th Five-Year Plan" [11]. Marcelo Muñoz, honorary president of the "Know China" (Spain) think tank, believes that China's development is the most profound, extensive, and positive transformation of the contemporary era, reflecting a governance philosophy oriented toward the well-being of all people, and providing enlightenment for countries seeking to balance sustainable growth, political stability, and social equity. The entire Party, the entire military, and the people of all ethnic groups throughout the nation must unite more closely around the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, striving together to solidly advance common prosperity for all people, and continuously creating a new situation for comprehensively advancing the great cause of building a strong country and achieving national rejuvenation through Chinese-path modernization!
Author’s affiliation: Institute of Economics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) Source: Marxist Studies (Makesizhuyi yanjiu) Issue No. 1, 2026 Editor: Huihui