Qiu Gengtian: The Development Philosophy of the Communist Party of China and Its Evolution in the New Era
In the practical struggle to achieve national prosperity and the happiness of the people, the New China has traversed a glorious 76-year journey. In the early period following the founding of the People's Republic of China, under the prerequisite of having established the socialist system, we embarked on a new course of Chinese-path development amidst twists and turns. On this foundation, there emerged a Party philosophy of development that is both consistent in its lineage and characterized by advancing with the times. Following a research approach that unifies the logical and the historical, this article intends to systematically organize and summarize the dimensions through which the Party promotes Chinese-path development, as well as the basic content, characteristics, logical implications, and innovative evolution of the Party's development philosophy in the New Era. This is done with the hope of providing theoretical reflection and guidance rich in contemporary characteristics for Chinese development, which encapsulates "modernity."
I. The Four Dimensions of the Communist Party of China's Promotion of Development
With the establishment of "development" as the theme of the era, our Party constructed a development perspective for understanding and solving China's problems. Consequently, we resolutely entered a new period of "concentrating all energies on the construction of the Four Modernizations" [1] and initiated a new process of Chinese-path development. China's development is a social systems engineering project characterized by complex elements, vast scale, numerous facets, and arduous tasks, carried out along a socialist path in a large Eastern country with a massive population and a relatively backward economy and culture. The Communist Party of China is the leading subject of Chinese-path development, while the Chinese people are the foundational subject; together, they constitute the complete picture of the subjects of Chinese-path development.
The Party's work in leading the people to promote development primarily involves four aspects: practical advancement, theoretical guidance, discourse articulation, and emotional verification. From these emerge the development practice, development philosophy, development discourse, and development sentiments concerning China. Social development is a unity of practice and theory; development practice and the philosophy or theory of development are two sides of the same coin in social development, and they possess primordial significance. However, because development is a social project involving millions of people, it requires the mobilization of the broad masses, and thus cannot be separated from the construction of a development discourse and the cultivation of development sentiments. Compared to development practice and development philosophy, development discourse and development sentiments are derivative and subordinate. These four aspects constitute the basic and complete dimensions through which our Party promotes development. Only by proceeding from these four dimensions can we accurately grasp the status and role of the Party’s development philosophy and deeply understand the objective necessity of its emergence.
1. Promoting Development through Practical Innovation
Promoting development through practical innovation is a profound revelation of the close relationship between practice and development. From the perspective of the philosophy of development, social practice is the "key" to understanding social development. It is within the unified relationship of interdependence and mutual interaction that the dependent relationship between practice and development is displayed. The interdependence of practice and development means that neither can exist without the other; each takes the other as the prerequisite for its own existence. Practice cannot be separated from development; practice is practice within development, and only through development can practice present its complete form and true meaning. Similarly, development cannot be separated from practice; the foundation and basic material means of development is practice, and development occurs and is realized through practice. From the perspective of praxeology, so-called development refers to a form of social movement—both conforming to laws and possessing purpose—that occurs within a social system in a specific time and space (such as a national system) under the support of social practice. The interdependence of practice and development is manifested through their mutual interaction, including their mutual transformation. Based on a positive analysis, the fruits of practice—whether material or spiritual—are transformed into the resources, momentum, and other conditions required for social development, as well as various symbolic elements that characterize the level of social development. All developmental achievements are, in fact, achievements of social practice, especially production practice. For instance, new quality productive forces can facilitate "new development" in the New Era; to promote new development, it is essential to vigorously cultivate new quality productive forces.
The fundamental methodological significance of promoting development through practical innovation lies in the fact that Chinese-path development is, first and foremost, a practical issue, or a question of "doing." "The achievements socialist China has attained today did not fall from the sky, nor were they bestowed as charity by others; rather, they were 'done' by the broad masses of the people under the leadership of the Party using their industry, wisdom, and courage!" It is evident that the fact that China’s development and progress possess "is-ness" (reality) is because it is a process in which the practical power of the Chinese people is fully exerted and mobilized. Only by committing to practical struggle can the country become prosperous and strong, society progress, and the people be happy.
2. Promoting Development through Theoretical Guidance
Social development is not a purely perceptual practical process; it also contains factors of rational thinking and philosophy. On one hand, practice has certain limitations in promoting development: social practice, which possesses direct reality, cannot directly answer "questions of development" such as "what it is," "why it is," and "how it is." These can only be answered by theoretical concepts that originate from practice yet stand above it, possessing the function of abstract generalization. On the other hand, regarding the subject of development, the development subject, as a "real individual," is a conscious and thinking social being. A key manifestation of the cognitive-philosophical nature possessed by humans is that before engaging in developmental activities, they have a clear purpose and, based on the reality of development, construct theoretical concepts regarding specific development, propose developmental plans and policies, and then choose certain methods and means to achieve the set goals. It is clear that the factor of human rational thinking runs through the entire process of social development, guiding development and thereby forming theoretical concepts regarding it. The purpose of promoting development through theoretical concepts lies in continuously eliminating fallacies and acquiring true knowledge and methods regarding development, so that all construction and developmental activities can attain consciousness and initiative under the guidance of scientific theory. How is development promoted through theoretical guidance? This is mainly manifested in the conceptual reflection, construction, shaping, and methodological guidance that theory provides for social development.
Theoretical concepts regarding development must contain objective content reflecting specific developmental activities. This objectivity in content determines the objectivity of developmental understanding, thereby forming the principles of truth that guide social development. On the basis of conceptual reflection, new theoretical constructions must also be carried out according to the current position, evolutionary trends, tasks faced, and problems existing in social development—that is, one must create a development theory that originates from but rises above developmental reality and embodies the nature of advancing with the times. Thinking-conceptual construction also includes the formative function of looking toward the future; that is, in addition to its reflective or revealing functions, development philosophy must also, based on such reflection or understanding, proactively shape an ideal future developmental existence within conceptual consciousness, sketching a beautiful future prospect through thought. This is because human thought can not only reveal or reproduce the original state of a specific developmental existence but can also prospectively reveal the ideal state that social development ought to possess for human survival and development. Development philosophy simultaneously possesses a methodological guiding function; that is, based on a profound revelation of the laws of development, it tells the development subject how to engage in developmental creation, including what kind of stance to hold, what kind of principles to follow, and what kind of methods to adopt in development practice.
The fundamental methodological significance of promoting development through theoretical creation lies in adhering to the basic principles of theoretical innovation. Our correct attitude toward the Party’s development philosophy is to adhere to the principle of upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground—that is, we must continuously open new frontiers for the Party’s development philosophy according to the ever-changing practice of development. "As long as we have the courage to continuously promote theoretical innovation in combination with new practices and are adept at using new theories to guide new practices," the Party's development philosophy will surely demonstrate a more powerful and persuasive force of truth in the process of Chinese-path development.
3. Promoting Development through the Construction of Development Discourse
Promoting development through discourse refers to leading or advancing development through the construction and application of a development discourse. Development discourse is the bridge connecting development theory and development practice; it is the basic channel for expressing, disseminating, or propagating the aspirations, will, philosophies, and policies of the Party and the people regarding development; and it is the basic means for the Party to organize and mobilize the broad masses to participate in development. Only when the Party’s philosophy of development is transformed into a specific development discourse can it be known and accepted by the public. The so-called development discourse is a relational discourse system constructed around the core concept of social development. The most significant sign of the formation of a discourse system is the proposal of its core concept and its general acceptance and identification by the public. The core concept of Chinese-path development discourse is "development." From a linguistic or semiotic perspective, Chinese-path development discourse is a massive system composed of various symbols, rhetorics, and allegories, unfolding around the foundational concept of "development." The extensive and sustained use of the concept of "development" has been clearly presented in the reports of every Party Congress since the beginning of Reform and Opening-up. From the report of the 12th Party Congress to the report of the 20th Party Congress, "development" appeared 101, 167, 147, 171, 211, 264, 255, 212, and 214 times respectively. It is evident that for over 40 years, across nine political reports of the Party Congress, "development" has remained a high-frequency concept. This fully demonstrates that "development" has already become a mainstream discourse concept in China's political and social life during the new period, including the New Era.
The fundamental methodological significance of promoting development through discourse lies in the need to devise ways to construct a development discourse system that possesses contemporary requirements and localized characteristics within Chinese-path development. The construction of development discourse should be regarded as an important task in promoting social development, realizing a shift from the spontaneous construction and use of development discourse to its conscious construction and use. The reason why constructing a development discourse and mastering the power of discourse [2] is essential is that "if we are backward, we will be beaten; if we are poor, we will starve; if we are speechless, we will be scolded... Through the unremitting struggles of several generations, the first two problems have been basically solved, but the problem of 'being scolded' has not yet been fundamentally resolved. Gaining international discourse power is a major problem we must solve." Therefore, we must follow the requirement emphasized in the report of the 20th Party Congress to "accelerate the construction of a Chinese discourse and Chinese narrative system" and to "strengthen the construction of international communication capacity, comprehensively improve the effectiveness of international communication, and form international discourse power commensurate with our comprehensive national strength and international status."
4. Promoting Development through the Cultivation of Sentiments
The process through which our Party organizes and promotes development is simultaneously a process of cultivating development sentiments among the broad masses of the people. So-called development sentiment refers to the positive and affirmative subjective attitude and corresponding psychological experience that the people hold toward specific development. In Marx's view, man "is a passionate being. Passion and enthusiasm are the essential forces of man strongly pursuing his own object." Guided by a passionate development subject, the process of social development is destined to be permeated with and embody non-rational factors such as human emotion, will, and belief. Sentiment is a relationship; development sentiment is the relationship between the development subject or the broad masses and specific developmental activities, and it serves as a validation of successful development practice. When specific development practices and their results satisfy the needs of the masses and realize their interests, the masses will naturally hold positive attitudes such as satisfaction and approval toward development, and subsequently develop attitudes and psychological experiences such as support, love, and loyalty toward the leadership subject organizing and promoting development. As Mao Zedong pointed out: "If we satisfy the needs of the masses, we truly become the organizers of their lives, and the masses will truly gather around us and warmly support us." General Secretary Xi Jinping also emphasized: "The reason the common people sincerely support the Communist Party of China is that the Communist Party of China has always served the people heart and soul and sought happiness for all ethnic groups."
The emotional factors generated at the intersection of the principle of truth and the principle of value play a role in promoting social development that cannot be ignored. The important roles of non-rational factors such as sentiment are mainly manifested in: first, a major boosting effect on social development. There is no stronger support and promotion for development than the development—
The generation of a "complex." For more than 40 years of reform and opening up, the Chinese people have generally harbored a deep-seated development complex; the idea that "development is the absolute principle" [3] has increasingly taken root in the hearts of the people, which undoubtedly generates a powerful force for supporting and maintaining development. Second, a role in evaluating and testing social development. How effective is development? Have the broad masses of people generally benefited from social development? This must, of course, be tested by the people themselves. The most important and effective "sharp weapon" for the people to test the effects of development is their emotional attitude toward it. If the masses are satisfied with, recognize, approve of, and support development and its achievements, it proves that development is effective; otherwise, it indicates that problems exist in certain aspects of development. Third, the "sensor" role of developmental emotion. Once a specific subject generates a certain developmental emotion, they often radiate this emotion to other groups, thereby forming emotional interaction or what is called "empathy" (gòngqíng); and only through empathy can a combined force (hélì) for development be formed. "Empathy is the bond that connects individuals; there is a share for me in the happiness of others. That is to say, because of empathy, the countless instances of 'what's in it for me' in the world are linked with the benefit of everyone. Therefore, it is precisely because of empathy that we care about the collective interest."
Since the founding of New China, and especially since the beginning of reform and opening up, our Party has cultivated the developmental emotions of the masses primarily through two avenues. The first is through development and its achievements, fostering people's developmental emotions on the basis of their sense of gain, happiness, and security. The second is through the planning and design of grand blueprints for future development. The series of medium- and long-term development plans successively formulated by our Party can be described as grand blueprints for future development—this is a kind of development as it "ought to be" (yìngránxìng) [4] possessed of aesthetic significance. Under the inspiration of such developmental blueprints, a prospective "emotion of development" oriented toward the future tense is generated. The building of the "Four Modernizations" proposed by our Party in the 1960s and 70s, the building of a moderately prosperous society (xiǎokāng shèhuì) [5] proposed in the new historical period, and the goal of finishing the building of a great modern socialist country in all respects proposed for the New Era and the new journey, all possess a powerful strength to inspire the people, aggregate their power, and stimulate their sentiments. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out, "Our Party inspires, encourages, and calls upon people with the beautiful vision of Chinese-path modernization," thereby "coalescing the majestic force for building a modern socialist country in all respects."
The fundamental methodological significance of advancing development through emotional sublimation lies in the need to persist in the people-centered philosophy of development and the principle of "testing by the people." We must "realize, safeguard, and develop the fundamental interests of the broadest possible range of people, and take whether the people support it, whether they approve of it, whether they are happy with it, and whether they agree to it as the fundamental standard for measuring the success or failure of all work." This "fundamental standard" will facilitate the occurrence of "empathy," subsequently forming a powerful "spiritual combined force" to propel Chinese-path modernization.
It must be pointed out that in grasping the Party’s development philosophy, we must not only understand "what it is" but also know "why it is." The four dimensions through which our Party advances development discussed above—especially "advancing development through theoretical guidance"—have already elucidated the importance of the development philosophy within the process of development as a whole, and have in fact answered the question of "why" a development philosophy is needed. From a genetic (fāshēngxué) perspective, development philosophy is an inherent and necessary link within real developmental practice; this means that the generation or existence of a development philosophy does not shift according to human will. As Lenin pointed out: "Without revolutionary theory, there can be no revolutionary movement." General Secretary Xi Jinping also clearly stated: "Philosophy is the precursor of action; any given developmental practice is led by a certain development philosophy. Whether the development philosophy is correct fundamentally determines the effectiveness of development and even its success or failure." These important expositions profoundly indicate the significance of development philosophy for the unfolding and success of developmental practice, and they serve as our fundamental theoretical basis for grasping the "why" of development philosophy in a holistic sense.
II. The Basic Content of the CPC’s Development Philosophy
The development philosophy of the Communist Party of China is a theoretical concept concerning China’s realization of development since the founding of New China, especially since reform and opening up. It is a scientific conceptual system concerning Chinese development formed by combining the basic principles of Marxist social development with China’s specific developmental practices. The Party's development philosophy adheres to the Marxist worldview and methodology regarding development, and creatively answers major questions such as whether development is needed, what kind of development is needed, and how to advance development in a large Eastern country that has embarked on the path of socialist development. In answering these "questions of development," four major theoretical modules have been formed—ontology, epistemology, axiology, and methodology—which constitute the basic content of the Party’s development philosophy.
1. Developmental ontology primarily answers the question of whether development is necessary.
"Whether development is necessary" belongs to the questions answered by developmental ontology. "Ontology" (běntǐlùn) is an important philosophical category; it is the affirmation or expression of those things and their attributes that possess the greatest universality and highest status. "Developmental ontology" is the revelation and affirmation of the "identity" of development as occupying a supreme status and constituting the central task in the cause of the Party and the state. From the perspective of developmental ontology, we not only need development, but from the very beginning, we must place development in a supreme position, making it the most fundamental pursuit in the practice of the people of the entire country since the new period: that is, "development" is a fundamental thing that the entire Party and the people of the whole country have unified their conceptual identification around and "anchored" universally in practice. It is precisely under the great banner of development that we have united the vast majority of people, drawn the largest possible concentric circles, and found the thing that commands the greatest attention in the whole of society.
Why does development possess such an important status? First, within the perspective of dialectical materialism, motion is the form of existence for all things; the motion and development of the material world itself possess an ontological status. "The first and most important of the inherent qualities of matter is motion"—this is our deepest philosophical basis for confirming the ontological status of development. Similarly, from the perspective of historical materialism, under the influence of the natural laws of metabolism and the social laws of the movement of basic contradictions, human society presents a state of incessant motion and development. Development that possesses creativity actually constitutes the form of existence for both humans and society; therefore, we must find ways to value and pursue development.
Second, from the perspective of the philosophy of development, the reason development possesses ontological status is that development itself has special value-functions and contains the "magic" of transforming backwardness into strength. This "secret" originating from development itself can be explained by the inherent unity of development as both an end and a means. On the one hand, development is teleological (mùdìxìng) or luòlì (profitable). As an end, development represents the hopes and interests of the broad masses and possesses the power to undertake the heavy tasks of national construction and national rejuvenation. In Deng Xiaoping’s view: "China’s main objective is to develop, to rid itself of backwardness, to increase the country’s strength, and to gradually improve the people's standard of living." On the other hand, development also possesses the efficacy of a means or instrumental rationality. The instrumental nature of development means that development is the "fundamental remedy" (gēnběn dàfǎ) for solving all of China’s problems. Specifically, we became prosperous (fù qǐlái) through development, and now we must solve the problem of becoming strong (qiáng qǐlái) [6] through development. The reason this "fundamental remedy" is "magical" lies fundamentally in the fact that "development is the Party’s top priority in governing and rejuvenating the country, and is the basis and key to solving all problems in our country."
Third, regarding the lessons of reality, we previously took a detour in development, neglecting its ontological status and failing to shift the center of gravity of the Party and state’s work toward promoting the development of the productive forces, which led to the widespread problem of backward social production. Facing the situation at that time where the people were poor and the country was weak, Deng Xiaoping issued this challenge: "Socialism must demonstrate its superiority. How can it be like it is now, still so poor after twenty-odd years? What is the use of such a socialism?" Therefore, as the wheels of history turned into the new period of reform and opening up, Deng Xiaoping demanded that the entire Party must consistently focus on "this matter" of developing the productive forces, "centered entirely on this matter, without any interference... be a bit 'stubborn' and do not waver in the slightest."
Precisely because development is the unity of objective and means, or the unity of value rationality and instrumental rationality, we naturally need development and must naturally place it in a supreme position, viewing it as the "absolute principle," the "master key," the "top priority," and the "greatest politics." The ontological status of development determines that all other problems are "incidental" (zhījiéxìng) [7]; these "incidental" problems must cease their questioning or interrogation when confronted with development.
2. Developmental epistemology primarily eliminates ignorance and uncertainty regarding development.
Developmental epistemology is the theory regarding human cognitive activities concerning social development; development philosophy is precisely the direct conceptual result formed by human developmental cognitive activities. Developmental epistemology with Chinese characteristics is a revelation and answer to what kind of development China should achieve since the founding of New China and especially in the new period. Generally speaking, the reason people engage in cognitive activities regarding development is that developmental cognition, through the collection and grasping of information, possesses two major functions. First, the elimination of ignorance (mángzhīxìng)—that is, using cognitive activities to eliminate people’s lack of knowledge regarding social development. Humans are the subjects of development; for humans to engage in developmental activities, they must first, or at least simultaneously, understand social development, which includes mastering the essence, laws, attributes, relations, conditions, and trends of development, as well as the objectives, steps, methods, means, and requirements for engaging in it. If they do not master this information regarding development itself and the developmental subjects themselves through cognitive activities, then human developmental activities will be blind. Second, the elimination of uncertainty—that is, the continuous grasping of information related to development through cognitive activities to maximize the elimination of developmental uncertainty. In the process of social development, there exist various uncertain factors or phenomena, such as "black swan" or "gray rhino" [8] events; the overcoming and prevention of these events or problems cannot be separated from the full mastery of relevant, truthful information.
From the perspective of informatics, human cognitive activity is a process of receiving and processing information about things. Information, along with matter and energy, is classified as one of the three major foundational elements of human social development. Within social development, there exists both the flow and exchange of matter and energy, and the generation, reception, processing, and dissemination of information. Norbert Wiener believed: "Information is information, not matter or energy. No materialism which does not admit this can survive at the present day." Within the motion and development of social systems, there exist complex and diverse elements that support or sustain their operation; it is precisely the interaction between these elements that produces information characterizing social development. Human developmental cognitive activities seek to collect and process this information, thereby producing new information capable of regulating development to ensure the robustness of social development. R.V.L. Hartley pointed out in Transmission of Information that information is the elimination of uncertainty in a message. In the 1940s, Claude Shannon, the founder of information theory, believed that information is something used to eliminate random uncertainty. These views reveal the key role of information: as a type of negative entropy, information characterizes the degree of order in a thing or organization; the more fully true and useful information is mastered, the higher the degree of order will be. The basic contradiction in information processing practice is the dialectical relationship between certainty and uncertainty. On the one hand, information itself represents negative entropy, indicating the certainty of the state of existence, motion, and development of a thing; if information is mastered, it means the mastery of certainty and the elimination of uncertainty. On the other hand, when people cannot grasp information in a timely and accurate manner, they remain in a state of ignorance or the unknown; in this case, human practical activities—especially developmental activities—face risks or dangers to a large extent; that is, developmental uncertainty brings about developmental risk or insecurity. Thus, to realize safe development, it is extremely important to fully master information through cognition. In today's world, so-called developmental competition is actually competition over the ability to collect and process developmental information. From the perspective of the developmental subject, whichever subject can more fully, timely, and accurately master relevant information will often seize the initiative, stay one step ahead, avoid blindness, eliminate uncertainty, and enhance developmental resilience.
Naturally, developmental cognition must be completed through methods such as investigation, research, and learning on the foundation of developmental practice. Regarding learning, our Party has always attached great height of importance to the study and research of social reality, including the laws of economic and social development; the history of the Party is a history of learning. As Xi Jinping has pointed out:
“The Communist Party of China has always attached importance to learning and has been adept at it; the history of the Party leading the Chinese revolution, construction, and reform is a history of creative learning.” In other words, it is precisely because our Party is a Marxist governing party that attaches great importance to the cognitive activities of development that we have ensured the continuous success of the Party in leading the processes of China’s revolution, construction, and reform.
3. The axiology of development primarily answers the question of for whom development is intended
Within the epistemology of development, there is also an axiology of development—that is, the evaluative understanding concerning social development. Due to the particularity of the axiology of development, it is necessary to treat it as an independent category alongside the epistemology of development. The axiology of development is an exploration and grasping of the value attributes, significance, and functions of development; it primarily answers the question of for whom development is intended in order to determine the fundamental direction of development. The epistemology of development and the axiology of development together constitute the main content of the Chinese Communists’ worldview regarding development.
The purposiveness or value rationality inherent in development itself provides the practical basis for our construction of the axiology of development. A fundamental starting point for our high regard for and active promotion of Chinese-path development is that it possesses value-oriented functions that benefit both the country and the people. Looking back at history, our Party has possessed a clear understanding of the value-functions of development. In the early period of reform and opening up, Deng Xiaoping pointed out: “We introduce advanced technology in order to develop the productive forces and raise the people’s standard of living, which is beneficial to our socialist country and socialist system.” Within the Theory of Three Represents [9], there is a value orientation stating that the Communist Party of China must always represent the fundamental interests of the overwhelming majority of the Chinese people. At the beginning of the 21st century, our Party proposed the Scientific Outlook on Development [10] and established the people-centered (yì rén wéi běn) [11] value orientation. Entering the New Era, our Party created the People-Centered Philosophy of Development. The history of development since the founding of the People’s Republic, and especially since reform and opening up, demonstrates that “leading the people in creating a better life is the unswerving goal of our Party. We must always place the interests of the people in the supreme position, allow the fruits of reform and development to benefit all people more extensively and equitably, and move continuously toward the realization of common prosperity for all.”
4. The methodology of development primarily answers the question of how to achieve development
The methodology of development refers to the theoretical concepts regarding why and how to promote development. Why must we promote development? Because development itself possesses the efficacy of a “fundamental grand law” (gēnběn dàfǎ). This so-called “fundamental grand law” means that development possesses a powerful instrumental function, playing a fundamental role in the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation. The basis for this judgment lies in the fact that “Marxists believe that human productive activity is the most basic practical activity, the thing that determines all other activities.” As a means, development is the fundamental path for us to achieve phased and strategic goals. Since reform and opening up, our Party has had a clear understanding of development as a “fundamental grand law.” Deng Xiaoping pointed out: “The key to solving all of China’s problems lies in our own development.” General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: “Development is the foundation; without economic development, nothing can be discussed.” The practical significance of development as a “fundamental grand law” is that we must firmly establish an ontological mindset of development, consistently using the perspective and methods of development to deal with the various problems encountered in our progress.
On the question of how to promote or achieve development, our Party has also proposed a series of concepts, propositions, and requirements, such as holistic planning and all-round consideration (tǒngchóu jiāngù), comprehensive balance, reform and opening up, innovation, top-level design, “crossing the river by feeling the stones” [12], and persisting in the systemic concept (xìtǒng guānniàn). Although the methods or practices for promoting development have varied across different periods, “holistic planning and all-round consideration” can be described as a consistently upheld and effective method of development for our Party. Mao Zedong regarded “holistic planning, all-round consideration, and proper arrangement” as “our long-standing policy”; Deng Xiaoping required that in modernization, “all aspects need comprehensive balance and cannot be handled in isolation”; the Scientific Outlook on Development took holistic planning and all-round consideration as the “fundamental method” for promoting scientific development; and the 20th National Congress of the CPC established the major principle that we “must persist in the systemic concept.” General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that “the systemic concept is a foundational ideological and working method.” The systemic concept is the practical application of the Marxist dialectical view of universal connection within Chinese-path development; it is the essence and key we must grasp to profoundly understand and correctly apply the Party’s methodology of development. It should be noted that although the systemic concept and “holistic planning and all-round consideration” share the same nature and direction, the two are ultimately distinct. The systemic concept is the conceptual expression and sublimation of holistic planning and all-round consideration, while holistic planning and all-round consideration is the concrete manifestation of the systemic concept, serving as the bridge or intermediary through which the systemic concept moves toward practice.
III. Important Characteristics of the CPC’s Development Philosophy
The development philosophy of the Communist Party of China shares commonalities with the developmental ideas of other parties or countries—such as emphasizing the development of productive forces, the application of science and technology, and environmental protection. However, our Party’s development philosophy also possesses its own particularities, which constitute its important characteristics. Grasping these characteristics is of great significance for our deep understanding and earnest implementation of the Party’s development philosophy.
Practicality. Practicality is the primary attribute of the Party’s development philosophy. This characteristic profoundly expresses the roadmap of the Party’s development philosophy: originating from practice and ultimately returning to practice. Returning to practice means, on the one hand, guiding the practice of development and, on the other, undergoing the test of development practice and its effects. It is precisely within the contradictory movement between development practice and development philosophy that the Party’s development philosophy acquires the theoretical quality of advancing with the times.
People-centeredness. People-centeredness is the essential attribute of the Party’s development philosophy. If practicality reveals the source and purpose of the Party’s development philosophy from a material-technical level, then people-centeredness further reveals its source from a value level—that is, the Party’s development philosophy comes from the practice of the people, embodies the purpose of serving the people, and contains the function of benefiting the people; its effectiveness must also be tested by the people. This characteristic requires that “we must stand firm on the people’s position, grasp the people’s aspirations, respect the people’s creativity, and concentrate the people’s wisdom, forming a theory that is loved, recognized, and owned by the people, making it a powerful ideological weapon for guiding the people in understanding and transforming the world.”
Dialectics. The Party’s development philosophy is permeated with contradictory thinking and embodies dialectical characteristics. In the view of the Party’s development philosophy, Chinese-path development is manifested as the unity of theory and practice, the unity of following objective laws and conforming to human purposes and aspirations, the unity of progress and costs, and the unity of long-term and phased characteristics. Faced with a complex developmental existence characterized by non-linearity, only by persisting in contradictory thinking can it be scientifically grasped. The dialectical characteristic requires us to view and guide development using Marxist dialectics. Mao Zedong pointed out: “In doing things, follow dialectics. This was said by Comrade Deng Xiaoping.” General Secretary Xi Jinping required us to “study and master the fundamental methods of dialectical materialism, continuously enhance the ability for dialectical thinking, and improve the skills for managing complex situations and handling complex problems.”
Phased Nature. The Party’s development philosophy is not static but changes along with changes in development practice. “Practice tells us that development is a constantly changing process; the development environment will not remain unchanged, the conditions for development will not remain unchanged, and naturally, the development philosophy will not remain unchanged either.” In a certain sense, the Party’s development philosophy is a unity of change and invariance. Its invariance is primarily manifested in its persistence regarding theoretical origins, practical foundations, value orientations, and practical goals. Of course, there is also a changeable side. Mao Zedong pointed out: “All things have ‘boundaries’ (biān). The development of things proceeds from one stage to another, and each stage also has its ‘boundaries.’” Precisely because the development of things has “boundaries” or stages, “correctly understanding the historical coordinates and development stage in which the causes of the Party and the people are situated is the fundamental basis for our Party to clarify phased central tasks and formulate lines, principles, and policies, as well as an important experience for our Party in leading the revolution, construction, and reform toward continuous victory.” It is precisely the changes in “historical coordinates and development stages” that lead to the phased characteristics of the Party’s development philosophy.
During the New Democratic Revolution period, the main task facing our Party was to use revolutionary means to “strive for national independence and people’s liberation, creating the fundamental social conditions for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.” At that time, revolution was the core content of the Party’s development philosophy. “Although Marxists at that time could not yet clearly define the nature and characteristics of the Chinese revolution, they already soberly realized that ‘revolution’ was the primary task of development. Before the revolution was completely victorious, modern China had no social soil or material basis to carry out modernized development. Consequently, achieving revolutionary victory first became the consensus within the Party, serving as the benchmark for promoting the formulation of systems and policies.”
During the period of socialist revolution and construction, our Party began the initial construction of its development philosophy. In the 1950s, Mao Zedong's works such as On the Ten Major Relationships and On the Correct Handling of Contradictions Among the People, as well as the series of principles and policies formulated by the 8th National Congress of the CPC, incisively analyzed the ten major relationships and twelve problems of a global nature within our country’s socialist construction. They answered questions about the direction in which China should develop and how it should develop under the historical conditions of that time.
During the new period of reform and opening up and socialist modernization, our Party engaged in creative theoretical construction regarding a series of “questions of development”—such as whether to develop, what kind of development is needed, and how to develop. It constructed a development philosophy consistent with the actual conditions of China’s development at that time, primarily including: regarding the mode of development, breaking through the traditional socialist model, abandoning the practice of copying and transplanting, and starting from China’s reality to “follow the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics”; regarding the political guarantee of development, consistently adhering to the Four Cardinal Principles [13]; regarding the focus of development, emphasizing the foundational role of economic construction and raising productive forces as quickly as possible; regarding the strategic goals of development, committing to the realization of socialist modernization and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation; regarding the fundamental orientation of development, re-examining and highly prioritizing the needs and interests of the broad masses, taking the satisfaction of the people’s needs and the realization of their interests as the highest value pursuit of our social development; regarding the driving force of development, persisting in the basic state policy of reform and opening up, pursuing scientific and technological progress, injecting a steady stream of power into our country’s development through reform and opening up, and supporting and leading development through scientific and technological progress; regarding the testing mechanism of development, persisting in the “Three Favorables” [14] criteria; regarding the steps of development, adhering to the “three-step” development strategy carried out steadily, level by level, and in stages; and regarding the relationships involved in development, persisting in the coordinated handling of various relationships, “comprehensive balance,” and “grasping with both hands” [15] to achieve scientific development. This series of propositions and practices regarding development constituted the basic picture of the Party’s development philosophy in the new period.
In the New Era of comprehensively deepening reform, accompanying the change in the principal contradiction [16] in our society, China’s development has overall entered a historical stage of transitioning from factor-driven development to holistic development. Along with this shift toward holistic development, the Party’s development philosophy has also displayed prominent holistic or systemic characteristics. This holistic development philosophy is mainly manifested in aspects such as: the New Development Philosophy with holistic qualities, the view of reform based on comprehensively deepening reform, the ecological view of harmonious coexistence between man and nature, the holisitic approach to national security, and the concept of a community with a shared future for humanity, which reflects the idea that “humanity is a whole.”
Innovation. The historical phased nature of the Party’s development philosophy does not occur in a vacuum; behind it lies an innovation mechanism and the resulting innovative characteristics. Persisting in theoretical innovation is a valuable experience accumulated by the Party in leading the people through great struggles for over a century, and this experience is entirely applicable to the Party’s development philosophy. The innovation mechanism is the mechanism of contradictory movement between development practice and development philosophy—that is, development practice is prone to change, while development philosophy possesses relative stability or even lag. When development practice changes—such as the emergence of new development trends, new goals and tasks, and especially new problems—it is necessary to create a new development philosophy or a new form of development philosophy to respond to these changes. This “response” is manifested in both worldview and methodology. In terms of worldview, it reflects and reveals the changes in new development practices by forming new development philosophies or new forms thereof, thereby continuously answering the “questions of development”; in terms of methodology, it guides people in how to achieve new goals and solve new problems emerging in development through the formation of new development philosophies.
IV. The Logical Dimensions of the CPC’s Development Philosophy
The logical dimension reveals the rich connotations and epochal significance of the Party's development philosophy, representing a further grasping of its practical functions based on its theoretical essence. Among these, the logic of practice is the primary logical form of the Party's development philosophy. This logic reveals the dialectical principle that developmental practice possesses primality, development philosophy possesses secondarity, and development philosophy exerts a major counter-reaction [17] upon developmental practice. It is upon the foundation of the logic of practice that the political logic, the reform logic, and the world logic are generated.
1. Political Logic The political logic reveals the political characteristics and political functions of the Party's development philosophy; it reflects the logical trajectory of our Party in always planning development from a political perspective. Deng Xiaoping pointed out: "Socialist modernization is our greatest politics [18] at present." The Central Economic Work Conference held at the end of 2023 also put forward the judgment that "we must take the promotion of Chinese-path modernization as the greatest politics." The formulation of "the greatest politics" vividly expresses the political functions inherent in Chinese-path development or Chinese-path modernization. On the one hand, actual Chinese development possesses distinct political characteristics—that is, it is development that upholds the leadership of the Party and the path of socialism with Chinese characters. Upholding the leadership of the Party is the most precious experience accumulated by our Party over more than 100 years, and this experience is fully embodied in the processes of China's revolution, construction, and reform. The Party's leadership determines that Chinese development must always adhere to the direction of socialism with Chinese characteristics, while socialism with Chinese characteristics endows Chinese development with its nature as a political path. "Facts prove eloquently that to develop China, stabilize China, comprehensively build a moderately prosperous society [19], accelerate the promotion of socialist modernization, and realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, we must unswervingly uphold and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics."
On the other hand, in addition to its political characteristics, Chinese-path development also possesses political functions. That is, the Party's development philosophy contains the implication and requirement of realizing the Party's political goals through development. In other words, only successful development can eloquently prove that the Communist Party of China is "capable" (neng), socialism is "good" (hao), Marxism is "workable" (xing), and Sinicized and modernized Marxism is "workable" [20]. Deng Xiaoping believed: "In upholding socialism, if we are to build a socialism that is superior to capitalism, we must first rid ourselves of poverty. Although we say we are practicing socialism now, in fact, we are 'unqualified' [21]. Only when we reach the level of a mid-level developed country by the middle of the next century can we say we have truly practiced socialism and confidently claim that socialism is superior to capitalism." Therefore, in Deng's view, "In talking about socialism, the first priority is to develop the productive forces; this is primary. Only in this way can the superiority of socialism be demonstrated."
2. Reform Logic The reform logic expresses the theoretical implication and practical orientation contained within the Party's development philosophy to promote or realize Chinese-path development through reform. Reform and opening up is the important "magic weapon" [22] for China to catch up with the "crest of the wave" of world development in giant strides. Regarding the relationship between reform and development, on the one hand, development is the foundation and goal of reform, and development governs reform. Different types of development necessitate different reforms; development and reform generally possess isomorphism, synchronicity, and co-directionality. In the past, China’s development and reform largely presented a posture of factor-based development and localized [23] reforms. "In the past, we also proposed reform goals, but most were proposed from specific fields." Since the beginning of the New Era, China’s development and reform have increasingly presented a posture of holistic development and synergistic reform; this synergistic reform is a type of comprehensively deepening reform. Such reform is "not the promotion of reform in one field, nor the promotion of reform in a few fields, but rather the promotion of reform in all fields." "This project is extremely grand; mere piecemeal adjustments will not work, nor will fragmented repairs. It must be a comprehensive and systematic reform and improvement, the connectivity and integration of reforms and improvements across all fields." Such development and reform reflect the objective process of Chinese-path development moving from the "first half" into the "second half."
On the other hand, reform is the means and driving force of development; reform plays a massive role in promoting China's development. Since the start of the New Period [24] and especially since the New Era, China's development has always been advanced through reform. Deng Xiaoping pointed out: "Without reform, there will be no sustained development in the future." Reform eradicates all obstructive factors in China’s development and straightens out the various relationships, systems, and mechanisms that support development. Of course, the problems existing in China's development also reflect problems in reform. Therefore, since the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee, our Party has issued the epochal call to comprehensively deepen reform. "Reform and opening up has only a 'starting point' and no 'finish line' [25]. The whole Party must consciously place reform in a more prominent position and further comprehensively deepen reform closely around the promotion of Chinese-path modernization." Directly influenced by China's "reform-style development," the Party's development philosophy itself is generated within the ever-changing transformations of practice, embodying the principles of upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground. Within the Party's development philosophy is contained a rich worldview and methodology regarding reform.
3. World Logic The world logic refers to the fact that the Party's development philosophy is both rooted in China and oriented toward the world. In its pursuit of values, it unifies the happiness of the Chinese people with the well-being of the people of the world, presenting a global vision in its scope of concern and value orientation. The Party's development philosophy was generated in an open world and in the practice of opening up to the world. Guided by historical materialism and combined with the actualities of China’s development, it has absorbed and drawn upon all beneficial theoretical achievements of human development. It requires both an adherence to independence and the Chinese path, as well as standing on the right side of history and the side of human progress. This quality of unifying universality and particularity contains a unique humanistic sentiment and world-historical significance, presenting the valuable theoretical quality of "deeply insighting the trends of human development and progress, actively responding to the universal concerns of people of all countries, and contributing to the resolution of common problems facing humanity."
It must be pointed out that the world logic runs through the entire process of socialist China's development. Mao Zedong pointed out: "China ought to make a greater contribution to humanity." This "greater contribution" is mainly realized through China’s own development and progress; an "impoverished and weak" China could certainly not make a greater contribution to humanity. Deng Xiaoping emphasized: "China views its own development as a matter of contributing to humanity and as a matter of ensuring world peace. Our ability to contribute to humanity depends on our own efforts." Since the New Era, facing the epochal grand pattern where "China's development cannot be separated from the world, and the world's prosperity also needs China," General Secretary Xi Jinping has creatively proposed the building of a community with a shared future for humanity and the "Four Global Initiatives" [26]. He pointed out: "Our country must unswervingly promote Chinese-path modernization, promote the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-path modernization, and continuously make new and greater contributions to humanity."
V. Promoting Productive Innovation in Development Philosophy and Practice through Chinese-path Modernization The Report to the 20th CPC National Congress pointed out: "From this day forward, the central task of the Communist Party of China will be to lead the Chinese people of all ethnic groups in a concerted effort to realize the Second Centenary Goal of building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects and to further the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through Chinese-path modernization." In the New Era and on the new journey, promoting Chinese-path modernization has become the overriding central task. The comprehensive promotion of Chinese-path modernization indicates that Chinese-style development has entered a new historical stage and manifested a new historical form. This means that in the New Era, the Party's development philosophy and the developmental practices of the Chinese people must continuously adhere to the general direction of Chinese-path modernization. The Party's development philosophy and the Chinese people's practice must undoubtedly continue to manifest the essence of development as the "top priority" [27], but the core lies in highlighting the "modernization" form of development or "modernization-style" development. In view of this, against the background of the New Era, when we reflect on development philosophy and practice, we should take Chinese-path modernization as the theoretical "handle." On the one hand, we must understand and promote development within the perspective or context of Chinese-path modernization; on the other hand, we must promote innovative changes in the Party's development philosophy centered on Chinese-path modernization. In other words, we must strive to carry out theoretical construction around Chinese-path modernization, further unifying the Party's development philosophy under Chinese-path modernization to form a theoretical system, ensuring the Party's development philosophy better plays its guiding role for Chinese-path modernization on the basis of advancing with the times.
In each developmental stage since the founding of New China, building socialist modernization can be said to be a "main thread" running through them all, and it has always been the "underlying hue" of our Party’s development philosophy. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "From the First Five-Year Plan to the 14th Five-Year Plan, the consistent theme has been building our country into a modern socialist country... In this process, our Party's understanding of building a modern socialist country has continuously deepened, its strategy has continuously matured, and its practice has been continuously enriched." Our Party has successively used concepts or formulations such as the "Four Modernizations," "socialist modernization construction," and "Chinese-path modernization" to construct or express the Party's development philosophy and policies. In the more than 70 years of development, "socialist modernization construction" has played a fundamental restrictive role in the formation and enrichment of the Party's development philosophy: it has ensured that the philosophy closely aligns with socialist modernization in both its thematic reflection and practical orientation—reflecting the reality of modernization, serving the practice of modernization, solving the problems of modernization, and changing along with the connotations and forms of socialist modernization. In a certain sense, the Party's development philosophy is the theoretical conception regarding China's socialist modernization construction. Compared with China's previous modernization efforts, a prominent feature of China's modernization in the New Era is its comprehensiveness or holistic synergy. This new form of modernization-style "development" naturally requires our theoretical conceptions to undergo corresponding changes to adapt to the changes in developmental practice.
In the New Era and on the new journey, comprehensively building a modern socialist country must undoubtedly be guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. This is because this scientific thought "has achieved a new leap in the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism, providing the fundamental follow-through [28] for Chinese-path modernization." Within the profound theoretical system of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, the theory of Chinese-path modernization is an important component. In the New Era, our Party has "further deepened its understanding of the connotations and essence of Chinese-path modernization, summarized and formed the Chinese characteristics, essential requirements, and major principles of Chinese-path modernization, and preliminarily constructed a theoretical system for Chinese-path modernization, making it clearer, more scientific, and more perceptible, feasible, and effective." It can be seen that Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, which includes the theory of Chinese-path modernization, provides the fundamental guidance of worldview and methodology for our comprehensive construction of a modern socialist country in the New Era.
Based on the practice of Chinese-path development in the New Era, and facing new developmental situations, tasks, and problems, our Party has proposed the New Development Philosophy. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "Since the 18th National Congress, we have proposed many major theories and concepts regarding economic and social development, among which the New Development Philosophy is the most important and primary." This important judgment indicates that the main form of the Party's development philosophy in the New Era is the New Development Philosophy, which plays a direct and specific guiding role in Chinese-style development or Chinese-path modernization construction. In the practice of comprehensively promoting Chinese-path modernization, we must hold high the great banner of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and firmly grasp the New Development Philosophy as a "theoretical handle." So, why is the New Development Philosophy "the most important and primary"? Because the New Development Philosophy possesses systematicity in its theoretical form and a commanding nature in its practical form.
Firstly,
“The New Development Philosophy is a systematic theoretical system” and “the New Development Philosophy is a whole.” These important expositions by General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly reveal the systemic characteristics of the New Development Philosophy. This systematicity is expressed through the oneness [29] of its status, the integration of its content, and the unidirectionality of its orientation toward practice. Consequently, it aligns highly with Chinese-path modernization in the New Era—which possesses a holistic and synergistic nature—and serves a major guiding role in positioning, directing, and establishing norms for Chinese-path modernization from multiple angles and aspects. Secondly, regarding the mode of practice, “implementing the New Development Philosophy is a profound transformation that concerns the overall situation of our country’s development.” The practical aim of this “profound transformation” is to foster a type of “new development” through the process of vigorously cultivating new quality productive forces and actively achieving high-quality development, thereby supporting the construction of Chinese-path modernization. Specifically, the New Development Philosophy emphasizes stimulating the powerful momentum of Chinese-path modernization through the philosophy of innovative development; balancing the major and complex relationships facing Chinese-path modernization through the philosophy of coordinated development; realizing the harmony between humanity and nature [30] as prescribed by Chinese-path modernization through the philosophy of green development; constructing a new development pattern with smooth internal and external circulation for Chinese-path modernization through the philosophy of open development; and achieving the common prosperity for all people sought by Chinese-path modernization through the philosophy of shared development. Therefore, “whether at the central or departmental level, whether at the provincial level or levels below the province, in the process of implementation, all must completely grasp, accurately understand, and comprehensively implement the philosophy, carrying it through the entire process and all fields of economic and social development.” The so-called “comprehensive implementation” and “carrying the New Development Philosophy through the entire process and all fields of economic and social development” fully reveal the significant guiding significance of the New Development Philosophy for the practice of Chinese-path modernization. It requires that in the process of advancing Chinese-path modernization, we must comprehensively implement the New Development Philosophy, ensuring that under the guidance of this scientific New Development Philosophy, Chinese-path modernization moves forward steadily and with great strides toward its established goals.