Gu Hailiang: Our Party's Understanding of the Laws Governing High-Quality Development Continues to Deepen
In accordance with the "Recommendations of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on the Formulation of the Fifteenth Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development," deliberated and adopted at the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, the State Council has drafted the "Outline of the Fifteenth Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development of the People's Republic of China (Draft)," which has been submitted to the Fourth Session of the 14th National People's Congress for review. The Outline (Draft) elucidates the major strategic tasks for development during the "Fifteenth Five-Year Plan" period across various fields, highlighting four key aspects, the primary of which is "promoting high-quality development."
High-quality development is a significant original and iconic concept within Xi Jinping Thought on Economy. From General Secretary Xi Jinping’s declaration in the report to the 19th Party Congress that "China's economy has transitioned from a stage of high-speed growth to a stage of high-quality development," to his emphasis in the report to the 20th Party Congress that "high-quality development is the primary task in comprehensively building a modern socialist country," and to his instruction at the second plenary meeting of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee to "unswervingly promote high-quality development"—since the start of the New Era, General Secretary Xi Jinping, with the profound insight, keen judgment, and theoretical creativity of a Marxist statesman, thinker, and strategist, has proposed a series of new ideas, viewpoints, and assertions on promoting high-quality development. These have continuously deepened our Party’s understanding of the laws governing high-quality development, providing scientific guidance for expanding the new realms and patterns of China's high-quality economic and social development and creating a new atmosphere and model for the systematic integration of high-quality development.
High-quality development is an inevitable requirement of Chinese-path modernization
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "High-quality development is an inevitable requirement of Chinese-path modernization." Promoting high-quality development has theoretically deepened the understanding of the laws governing China's economic development and transformation in the New Era; it represents a theoretical innovation and academic sublimation of the autonomous knowledge system of Chinese economics.
Viewed from the general provisions of the laws of economic and social development, expanded reproduction [1] is a basic characteristic of socialized mass production and the foundation of economic and social development. In expanded reproduction, the expansion of production sites constitutes extensional expansion, while the improvement of production efficiency constitutes intensional expansion. The former is often regarded as extensive expanded reproduction dominated by quantitative expansion, while the latter is generally considered intensive expanded reproduction dominated by qualitative improvement—it is also a form of expanded reproduction based on the elevation of the technical composition of capital [2]. The shift from extensional expanded reproduction to intensional expanded reproduction is a major issue in economic development and transformation, and it is also an inherent element of promoting high-quality development. Promoting high-quality development is an intrinsic requirement for grasping the changes in the principal contradiction in Chinese society [3] and promoting sustained and healthy economic and social development; it is also an essential provision for comprehensively advancing the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation through Chinese-path modernization.
It is an inevitable requirement for adapting to the changes in the principal contradiction of our society, meeting the people's needs for a better life, and resolving the problem of unbalanced and inadequate development. Only by accurately recognizing and grasping the principal contradiction in society and determining the central task can we advance the cause of the Party and the people in the right direction. When the 19th Party Congress put forward the major judgment that the principal contradiction in our society had transformed, it was at the decisive stage of finishing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects and the critical period when socialism with Chinese characteristics entered a New Era. In resolving the principal contradiction of the New Era—whether it be meeting the people's needs for a better life or resolving the problem of unbalanced and inadequate development—it fundamentally requires a transition in the mode of economic and social development from an extensional to an intensional one.
When the Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee was held in 2020, it coincided with the important juncture where China was about to finish building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, enter a new stage of development, and head toward new development goals; it was also the critical moment for planning the "Fourteenth Five-Year Plan." A profound grasp of the principal contradiction in our society requires that we not only value the quantitative growth of economic and social development, but also pay high attention to and effectively resolve the qualitative improvement of that development. Under such developmental circumstances, promoting high-quality development inevitably becomes the pivot for effectively resolving the principal social contradiction and the intrinsic requirement and essential provision for China's development in the New Era.
It is the inevitable result of fully, accurately, and comprehensively implementing the new development philosophy and continuously deepening the exploration of the staged characteristics of China's economic development. Development concepts guide development practice. The new development philosophy is a fundamental remedy [4] proposed in response to China's economic development entering a "new normal" and the sluggish recovery of the world economy. Since the start of the New Era, under the guidance of the new development philosophy, China's national economy and social development have made enormous progress. This has practically proven the scientific and truthful nature of the new development philosophy, demonstrating that its implementation is the only path for China's development and growth in the New Era. The new development philosophy—which requires championing innovation, emphasizing coordination, advocating green development, fostering openness, and promoting sharing—has provided high-quality development with essential provisions backed by solid practical testing and clear theoretical proof, rendering the theme of high-quality development theoretically reliable and practically feasible. Facing the accelerating evolution of a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, and examining the characteristics of the critical stage of China's transition in development modes—particularly in the face of rising labor costs, tightening resource and environmental constraints, the increasing difficulty of the extensive development mode, and impediments to economic operation and circulation—implementing the new development philosophy inevitably requires the construction of a new development pattern [5]. From the dimension of the overall process of smoothing the economic cycle of production, distribution, circulation, and consumption, this has elevated the theoretical meaning and academic essence of high-quality development.
It is the inevitable choice for comprehensively advancing the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation through Chinese-path modernization. Development is the Party’s top priority in governing and rejuvenating the country. Without a solid material and technological foundation, it is impossible to comprehensively build a great modern socialist country. The 20th Party Congress explicitly identified the realization of high-quality development as one of the essential requirements of Chinese-path modernization. Promoting high-quality development has become the fundamental requirement for clarifying development ideas, formulating economic policies, and implementing macroeconomic regulation at present and for a period to come. Sustaining high-quality development requires a concerted effort to build a modernized economic system. This is both China's strategic goal for development and an urgent requirement for transforming the mode of economic development, optimizing the economic structure, and shifting the drivers of economic growth. It necessitates accelerating the construction of an industrial system where the real economy, technological innovation, modern finance, and human resources develop in coordination, and forging an economic system where market mechanisms are effective, micro-entities are vibrant, and macro-regulation is moderate. The construction of a modernized economic system provides the practical foundation for comprehensively advancing Chinese-path modernization through high-quality development, while Chinese-path modernization expands the basic connotation and essential requirements of a modernized economic system. Under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee, China has accelerated the formation of an indicator system, policy system, standard system, statistical system, performance evaluation, and official performance assessment for promoting high-quality development. By creating and improving the institutional environment and pushing for new achievements in the construction of a modernized economic system, high-quality development has increasingly and prominently become the primary task for comprehensively building a modern socialist country and the distinct theme of China's economic and social development in the New Era.
In the formulation and implementation of the five-year plans in the New Era, the connotation of high-quality development has been further enriched and developed
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Since the New Era, the Party Central Committee has made a series of major decisions and deployments, driving high-quality development to become the consensus and conscious action of the entire Party and society, and making high-quality development the 'main theme' (主旋律)." Since its inception, this "main theme" of high-quality development has been continuously deepened in practice, particularly achieving theoretical deepening and academic leaps during the formulation and implementation of the "Thirteenth" and "Fourteenth" Five-Year Plans and the planning of the "Fifteenth" Five-Year Plan.
When the Fifth Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee studied the recommendations for the "Thirteenth Five-Year Plan," General Secretary Xi Jinping analyzed the new characteristics of China's economic development under the "new normal." He pointed out that during the "Thirteenth Five-Year Plan" period, China's development "must focus on achieving growth that is characterized by quality, efficiency, the absence of 'water' [inflated data], and sustainability; it must focus on achieving economic growth through transforming the mode of economic development, optimizing the economic structure, improving the ecological environment, and enhancing the quality and efficiency of development." He further noted that "the strategic idea that development is the 'hard truth' [absolute principle] must be unswervingly upheld; at the same time, we must adhere to scientific development, increase the intensity of structural reforms, and center on improving the quality and efficiency of development to achieve growth that is of higher quality, more efficient, more equitable, and more sustainable." Since the beginning of Reform and Opening-up, China's economic and social development has achieved great successes, but problems such as low quality and efficiency and insufficient traditional development drivers also existed. There was an urgent need to accelerate the transformation of the development mode and improve the quality and efficiency of development. During the formulation and implementation of the "Thirteenth Five-Year Plan," we focused closely on improving development quality and efficiency, looking at speed and increment but looking even more closely at quality. We strove to promote the rapid realization of the "three transformations"—quality, efficiency, and momentum—in economic and social development, grasping the spiritual essence of high-quality development as the "main theme." Under the guidance of the "Thirteenth Five-Year Plan," China's economic strength, technological strength, comprehensive national strength, and people's living standards leaped to a new level, great historical achievements were made in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and a major new step forward was taken toward the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
When the Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee studied the recommendations for the "Fourteenth Five-Year Plan," General Secretary Xi Jinping elucidated the essential provisions of high-quality development from the dimension of the new development philosophy, endowing high-quality development with the profound meanings of innovation, coordination, green development, openness, and sharing. He not only pointed out that economic and social development during the "Fourteenth Five-Year Plan" period "must take promoting high-quality development as its theme, which is a scientific judgment based on changes in China's development stage, environment, and conditions," but also emphasized that "development in the New Era and new stage must implement the new development philosophy and must be high-quality development." This fully demonstrates that the new development philosophy and high-quality development are intrinsically unified. High-quality development is development in which innovation becomes the primary driver, coordination becomes an endogenous characteristic, green becomes the ubiquitous form, openness becomes the only path, and sharing becomes the fundamental purpose. During the implementation of the "Fourteenth Five-Year Plan," our Party fully, accurately, and comprehensively implemented the new development philosophy, adhered to the principle of "quality first, efficiency prioritized," and accelerated the implementation of the innovation-driven development strategy, the development of a modernized industrial system, and the enhancement of people’s well-being, so that the fruits of development better benefit all people. Meanwhile, facing a complex and severe international situation, we concentrated our efforts on managing our own affairs well, enhancing international competitiveness while improving development quality. This both strengthened the country's comprehensive power and risk-resistance capacity and achieved steady economic progress and social harmony.
When the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee studied the recommendations for the "Fifteenth Five-Year Plan," General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "The Recommendations are in the same lineage as the 'Fourteenth Five-Year Plan,' continuing to identify the promotion of high-quality development as the theme of economic and social development during the 'Fifteenth Five-Year Plan' period, and requiring adherence to economic construction as the center and the full, accurate, and comprehensive implementation of the new development philosophy." At the same time, he further clarified that the most important aspects for promoting high-quality development are "accelerating high-level technological self-reliance and self-strengthening, actively developing new quality productive forces, and achieving substantive and breakthrough progress in promoting technological innovation, accelerating the cultivation of new momentum, and promoting the optimization and upgrading of economic structures." Currently, as a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation accelerates, whoever can lead in realizing high-level technological self-reliance and self-strengthening will seize the initiative in development. The recommendations for the "Fifteenth Five-Year Plan" highlight the leading role of technological innovation, making deployments for building a modernized industrial system, accelerating high-level technological self-reliance, and speeding up the comprehensive green transition of economic and social development. They propose optimizing and upgrading traditional industries, cultivating and expanding emerging and future industries, and consolidating the foundation of the real economy; strengthening original innovation and tackling key core technologies; promoting the deep integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation; advancing education, technology, and talent development as a unified whole; and deeply advancing the "Digital China" initiative. They also call for accelerating the construction of a new energy system and the formation of green production and lifestyles. These specific deployments for promoting high-quality development serve as an action guide for accelerating the realization of high-level technological self-reliance, developing new quality productive forces, and achieving high-quality development, while further enriching the connotations of high-quality development and achieving a dual sublimation of theory and practice.
Further sublimating and expanding the understanding of the laws of high-quality development in the process of solving the problems of the times
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Respond to various uncertainties with the certainty of high-quality development" and "Focus on prominent problems and obvious shortcomings, respond to the demands and expectations of the people, and propose a series of new major strategies and important measures, which play an important role in promoting the sustained and healthy development of the economy and society." Currently, the world has entered a new period of turbulence and change; the clouds of Cold War mentality, hegemonism, and protectionism persist, and new threats and challenges continue to increase. We must respond to the new trends and requirements of high-quality development while navigating various uncertainties, enrich the connotations of high-quality development, and further sublimate and expand our understanding of the laws governing it.
During the "Fifteenth Five-Year Plan" period (2026–2030), the strategic opportunities and risky challenges facing China’s development coexist, with an increase in uncertain and unpredictable factors. From an international perspective, the world's once-in-a-century changes are accelerating, the international balance of power is undergoing profound adjustment, and a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation is accelerating toward breakthroughs. Simultaneously, geopolitical risks continue to rise, the threats of unilateralism, hegemonism, and power politics are increasing, the international economic and trade order is encountering severe challenges, and the global economic growth momentum is insufficient. From a domestic perspective, China's economic foundation is stable, its advantages are numerous, its resilience is strong, and its potential is vast. The supporting conditions and fundamental trend of long-term improvement remain unchanged. The advantages of the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, the advantages of a super-large-scale market, the advantages of a complete industrial system, and the advantages of abundant human resources continue to be demonstrated. At the same time, the problem of unbalanced and inadequate development remains prominent. To promote high-quality development against this backdrop, we must enhance our ability and proficiency in recognizing changes, responding to changes, and seeking changes [6], concentrating our strength to ensure that China's high-quality development exhibits a new outlook and forges a new pattern.
To enhance the ability and proficiency in recognizing, responding to, and seeking changes, we must continuously strengthen our ideological and operational consciousness in studying and practicing the Party’s innovative theories. We must be adept at using Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, especially Xi Jinping's economic thought, to analyze various contradictions and problems in China’s economic and social development. We must overcome difficulties with a spirit of historical initiative [7], battle risks with the courage of historical confidence, and meet challenges with the mettle of historical patience. On this basis, we should proactively grasp the overall process, manage key links, continuously deepen our understanding of regularities, and resolve a series of major theoretical and practical issues facing China’s economic and social development. The most principal aspects include: how to lead the construction of a modern industrial system through scientific and technological innovation, particularly by using disruptive and frontier technologies to spawn new industries, new models, and new momentum; how to persist in the close integration of benefiting people's livelihoods with promoting consumption, and of "investing in things" with "investing in people," focusing on expanding domestic demand, stimulating potential consumption, and expanding productive investment to form a virtuous cycle where consumption and investment promote each other; how to deepen reforms in key areas to inject powerful impetus into promoting high-quality development and advancing Chinese-path modernization; how to expand high-level opening up to the outside world and promote the high-quality joint construction of the "Belt and Road"; how to persist in "doing our utmost while acting within our means," guaranteeing and improving people's livelihoods during development, and catching, targeting, and securing the "bottom line" of people's well-being; and so forth.
The important deployments made in the "Suggestions for the Fifteenth Five-Year Plan" regarding these critical issues constitute new answers to the new characteristics and changes faced in promoting high-quality development on the New Journey [8]. In the rich practice of resolving the problems of the times, these deployments have sublimated and expanded the connotation and extension of "high-quality development"—an original and landmark concept—and further deepened our Party's understanding of the regularities of promoting high-quality development.
For example, promoting high-quality development requires the construction of a modern industrial system. This is not only conducive to creating complete and resilient industrial and supply chains, firmly holding industrial and national security in our own hands, and providing strategic support for China's economy to brave the wind and waves while maintaining strong resilience and vitality; it is also conducive to accelerating the transition between old and new growth drivers, continuously improving basic industrial capacity, promoting the optimization and upgrading of traditional industries, and fostering strategically emerging industries with international competitiveness, thereby continuously improving the quality and efficiency of China’s economic development. Furthermore, it is conducive to increasing economic and technological strength, consolidating the material and technological foundation for the comprehensive building of a modern socialist country, and supporting China's per capita GDP to reach the level of a moderately developed country. Therefore, the "Suggestions for the Fifteenth Five-Year Plan" place the construction of a modern industrial system as the first item among various strategic tasks, proposing to maintain a reasonable proportion of manufacturing, build a modern industrial system with advanced manufacturing as the backbone, and construct a modern infrastructure system, reflecting the long-term vision of the Party Central Committee.
As another example, promoting high-quality development must achieve the balance of both "letting it be flexible" (fang de huo) and "managing it well" (guan de hao). This is conducive to allowing the "invisible hand" of the market and the "visible hand" of the government to each fulfill their respective responsibilities. Through "letting be" (fang), we break down institutional and mechanistic barriers affecting the development of productive forces, effectively ensuring that various ownership economies use production factors equally according to the law, participate in market competition fairly, and receive equal legal protection, fully stimulating the vitality of various types of business entities. Through "management" (guan), we build a credit-based and rule-of-law economy, focusing on correcting behaviors that damage market order or disturb market expectations, constructing a unified, open, competitive, and orderly market system, and continuously strengthening the drive and vitality of high-quality development. The "Suggestions for the Fifteenth Five-Year Plan" propose forming an economic order that is both "vibrant" and "well-managed." Compared to the proposal of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee to be both "vibrant" and "well-controlled" (guan de zhu), the change of a single character [9] reflects the continuous deepening of our Party’s understanding of the laws of the socialist market economy, especially regarding "better playing the role of the government." It emphasizes service optimization and policy coordination, demonstrating historical consciousness and theoretical confidence in strengthening macroeconomic governance on the New Journey of the New Era.
Furthermore, promoting high-quality development must persist in the close integration of investing in things and investing in people. This is conducive to seizing the important opportunities created by the accelerating evolution of a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, which spawn massive new investment demands. By focusing on the real economy and scientific and technological innovation to optimize investment layout and expand effective investment, we can consolidate the material and technological foundation for economic and social development and enhance the anti-risk capability and development resilience of China's economy. At the same time, in response to the trend where the rate of return on "investing in things" has declined in recent years and global industrial competition has shifted from "capital-intensive" to "talent-intensive," establishing a long-term mechanism for "investing in people" and expanding effective investment covering the entire population and the full life cycle will help form a "human capital dividend." This will drive the transition of China’s economic growth momentum mechanism and provide basic and strategic support for high-quality development. The "Suggestions for the Fifteenth Five-Year Plan" propose to persist in the close integration of investing in things and investing in people, fully reflecting the upgrading and optimization of China’s investment philosophy, direction, and focus, which will drive China to gain strategic initiative in the new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation.
These understandings of regularities further enrich and develop Xi Jinping's economic thought, providing a powerful ideological guide for solidly promoting the high-quality economic and social development of our country and achieving a good start for the "Fifteenth Five-Year Plan." Promoting high-quality development is a systemic project involving all aspects of economic and social development; we must continuously improve systematicity, integrity, and synergy. Following General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important requirement regarding "system integration," and based on an accurate grasp of the major principles that must be followed and a profound understanding of the main goals for economic and social development during the "Fifteenth Five-Year Plan" period, we must effectively integrate forces from all sides in the practice of advancing and expanding Chinese-path modernization, forming a majestic force for promoting high-quality development.
(The author is the Chairman of the Academic Committee of the Ministry of Education's Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era)
Source: People's Daily (March 9, 2026) Editor: Huihui