In his speech celebrating the 40th anniversary of reform and opening up, General Secretary of the Supreme Leader pointed out: The Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee was held by our Party, which realized a great turning point with far-reaching significance in the history of the Party since the founding of New China and started a great journey of reform, opening up and socialist modernization. The practice of 40 years has fully proved that China’s development has provided successful experience and bright prospects for the vast number of developing countries to move toward modernization, is a powerful force for promoting world peace and development, and is a major contribution made by the Chinese nation to the progress of human civilization.
Modernization has been a common theme in the development of countries all over the world since the 20th century. In his speech to celebrate the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC), General Secretary of the Supreme Leader pointed out that the great victory of the people of China led by the Communist Party of China (CPC) has enabled the Chinese nation with a history of more than 5,000 years of civilization to fully modernize, and enabled Chinese civilization to glow with new vitality in the process of modernization. Modernization theory is not a patent in the West. It is the only way to form our own modernization theory by unifying reference and innovation and combining general modernization theory with the practice and essential characteristics of China’s reform and opening up. Modernization theory provides a new perspective for studying China’s reform and opening up. The field of modernization in China was different from the environment and conditions of modernization in the West at that time, and the practice of reform and opening up in China also provided a new interpretation for modernization theory. Since the reform and opening-up, with the emancipation of thoughts, the development of productive forces and the enhancement of social vitality, the formation, cultivation and maturity of China’s development subjectivity, as well as the social transformation and structural changes in the past 40 years, have fully reflected the uniqueness of China’s modernization road. If it is promoted to the general theory of modernization and summarized the development law, it will certainly contribute a unique China perspective and China experience to the pluralistic construction of modernization paradigm.
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General Secretary of the Supreme Leader pointed out that over the past 40 years, we have always adhered to emancipating the mind, seeking truth from facts, advancing with the times, seeking truth and being pragmatic, unswervingly adhering to the guiding position of Marxism, unswervingly adhering to the basic principles of scientific socialism, bravely promoting theoretical innovation, practical innovation, institutional innovation, cultural innovation and all aspects of innovation, and constantly endowing Socialism with Chinese characteristics with distinctive practical characteristics, theoretical characteristics, national characteristics and characteristics of the times. Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s road, theory, system and culture have been formed, and the vivid vitality of scientific socialism has been demonstrated with irrefutable facts. The great banner of socialism has always been flying high on the land of China! Liberating and developing social productive forces and enhancing the comprehensive national strength of socialist countries are the essential requirements and fundamental tasks of socialism. One of the signs of China’s modernization is to emancipate the mind, develop the productive forces, enhance the social vitality and realize the economic modernization under the banner of Socialism with Chinese characteristics.
Modernization research needs to focus on the development of social productive forces and the improvement of people’s quality, and at the same time strengthen the understanding of the development environment and the grasp of social development, because people and events are the products of social movements, and social movements are always carried out in specific environments. At the beginning of reform and opening-up, Deng Xiaoping put forward the idea that "the primary task of socialism is to develop productive forces", and later put forward the idea that "the liberation and development of productive forces should be integrated". What Deng Xiaoping Theory is trying to solve is the problem of institutional constraints on the development of productive forces. The Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee clearly put forward "further emancipating the mind, liberating and developing social productive forces, and liberating and enhancing social vitality". Emancipating the mind is the Communist Party of China (CPC)’s consistent basic requirement. An important manifestation of our party’s maturity is to constantly emancipate the mind and regard emancipating the mind as its own regular cognitive process.
China’s reform and opening-up began with "ideological emancipation" and measured its development by "productivity standards", from "seeking truth from facts" to "keeping pace with the times". In the early days of reform and opening up, "common prosperity" and "well-off society" were set as the goal of reform and opening up. With the support of effective policies, great vitality was released through competition and social productive forces developed rapidly. Since the reform and opening up, the Party’s exploration of the road to modernization has broken through the shackles of the Soviet model, achieved a historic transformation, and finally formed a modernization model with China characteristics suitable for China’s national conditions. From the implementation of household contract, the sudden emergence of township enterprises, the abolition of agricultural tax, animal husbandry tax and specialty tax to the separation of "three powers" in rural contracted land, winning the battle against poverty, and implementing the strategy of rural revitalization, from the establishment of special economic zones such as Shenzhen, the opening up of coastal areas and inland central cities to China’s accession to the World Trade Organization, the establishment of the "Belt and Road", the establishment of a free trade pilot zone, the planning of a free trade port with China characteristics, and the successful holding of the first China International Import Expo.From single public ownership to public ownership as the main body, multiple ownership economies develop together and adhere to the "two unshakable", from the traditional planned economy system to the unprecedented socialist market economy system to make the market play a decisive role in resource allocation and better play the role of the government … … We emancipate our minds, seek truth from facts, boldly try and change, and have created a new world.
Social vitality is the foundation and condition of social progress, coordination and harmony, and also the source of social prosperity, progress and development. The increasing social vitality is an important feature of socialist society and an important symbol of modern society. An important task for the Communist Party of China (CPC) to unite and lead social forces is to unite people from all walks of life, encourage their entrepreneurial spirit, protect their legitimate rights and interests, commend outstanding elements among them, mobilize all positive factors, stimulate social vitality, create a social atmosphere that encourages people to do business and supports people to do business, and then let all the vitality of labor, knowledge, technology, management and capital compete with generate, and let all the sources of creating social wealth fully flow in order to benefit the people and realize the party’s ruling goal.
In the practice of reform and opening up, we "cross the river by feeling the stones" and gradually formed a government-led modernization model. This model is not only different from the traditional socialist modernization model, but also different from the modernization model of western developed countries. It can be said that this model is a unique development path different from other countries’ modernization path after China organically combines its own advantages with world trends under the background of economic globalization. The key to the success of China’s reform lies in the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the continuous production of theoretical innovations that can adapt to China’s national conditions, guide the reform process and meet the needs of modernization. From Mao Zedong Thought to Deng Xiaoping Theory, to Theory of Three Represents and Scientific Outlook on Development, and then to the Supreme Leader’s New Era Socialism with Chinese characteristics Thought, these are theoretical innovations that combine the universal principles of Marxism with the concrete practice of China and can promote the continuous and victorious development of China’s modernization drive.
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The General Secretary of the Supreme Leader pointed out that over the past 40 years, we have always insisted on safeguarding and improving people’s livelihood in development, comprehensively promoting education for young children, learning and teaching, income from labor, medical care for the sick, support for the old, shelter and support for the weak, and constantly improving people’s lives and enhancing people’s well-being. The second symbol of China’s modernization is the generation, cultivation and maturity of China’s development subjectivity, which has realized the modernization of human beings.
The traditional concept of development emphasizes the growth of things, ignoring the development of people and the overall progress of society. Man’s modernization is the starting point and the end result of the modernization process. This is the core of the theory of "human modernization" that has swept the world since 1950s and 1960s. The people’s position is the consistent position of our party. Since the reform and opening up, people-centered features have been increasingly emphasized in all fields, aspects and the whole process of Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s cause. Especially since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the General Secretary of the Supreme Leader has made a series of new conclusions on people-centeredness. The General Secretary of the Supreme Leader pointed out that "we must adhere to the people-centered development thought and constantly promote the all-round development of people and the common prosperity of all people". The Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee put forward the proposition of "promoting the modernization of national governance system and governance capacity", which marked a major change in China’s modernization task and discourse, and meant paying more attention to promoting human modernization. However, it cannot be ignored that there is still a wrong tendency in the study of "human modernization", that is, the value orientation of individualism and the tendency to talk about the historical idealism method of human modernization divorced from the real social structure. The harm of extreme individualism will inevitably corrode the cohesion and upward spirit of a nation and hinder the process of socialist modernization.
The transformation and liberation of human beings cannot be divorced from specific social and historical conditions. The development of social economy, culture and politics promotes the modernization and progress of human beings, and at the same time, human development is constantly reacting to social changes. The problem of human development has always been valued by human beings. If human development is not synchronized, social progress will become empty talk. The achievements of the 40 years of reform and opening up are the fruits of the people’s full play to their dominant position and hard work. The achievements made in the past 40 years did not fall from the sky, let alone be given alms by others, but were made by the whole party and people of all nationalities with diligence, wisdom and courage! It took us decades to complete the industrialization process that developed countries have gone through for hundreds of years. In the hands of the people of China, the impossible has become possible. This also inspires us more that we must take the fundamental interests of the overwhelming majority of the people as the fundamental starting point and end result of all our work, insist on taking people’s support, disapproval and happiness as the basis for formulating policies, conform to people’s hearts, respect people’s opinions, pay attention to people’s feelings and devote ourselves to people’s livelihood. We will not only lead people forward by putting forward and implementing correct theories, lines, principles and policies, but also gain momentum from people’s practical creation and development requirements, so that people can share the fruits of reform and opening up and inspire people to participate in reform, opening up and society more consciously.
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General Secretary of the Supreme Leader pointed out that with great political courage and wisdom, we put forward that the overall goal of comprehensively deepening reform is to improve and develop Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s system, promote the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity, focus on enhancing the systematicness, integrity and synergy of reform, focus on major institutional innovations, focus on improving people’s sense of gain, happiness and security, launch more than 1,600 reform programs, gnaw a lot of hard bones, break through many rapids and rapids, and make comprehensive efforts and make many breakthroughs in reform. The third symbol of China’s modernization is that the reform and opening-up has brought about changes in the economic structure, which in turn has led to all-round deepening reforms in the economic, political, cultural and social systems, and started the modernization process of the national governance system and governance capacity.
In the communist party Declaration, Marx pointed out: "The economic production of each historical era and the social structure inevitably generated from it are the historical basis of politics and spirit of that era." Modernization is the remolding of a nation’s civilization structure in the process of its historical changes. The further deepening and expansion of modernization after the 20th century is regarded as "the most far-reaching social transformation in human history", during which numerous ideological trends and movements emerged, which are essentially explorations of the process of modern transformation. The reform and opening up has brought great and far-reaching changes to China society. This process is called "social transformation" and this period is called "social transformation period". The 40-year cumulative change has basically completed the transformation of ordinary China people’s "life paradigm" from traditional to modern, greatly improved the degree of social autonomy, and the means used by the people to express their interests and participate in politics have been increasing. Reform and opening up have greatly changed the face of China, the face of the Chinese nation, the face of the people of China and the face of the Communist Party of China (CPC). The Chinese nation has ushered in a great leap from standing up, getting rich and becoming strong! Socialism with Chinese characteristics ushered in a great leap from creation, development to perfection! The people of China have ushered in a great leap from insufficient food and clothing to a well-off society! The Chinese nation is standing in the east of the world with a brand-new attitude!
Rationalization of economic activities is one of the essential characteristics of modern society, and the symbol of establishing modernity from the perspective of administrative management is that bureaucratic rational management replaces traditional experience management. Since the founding of People’s Republic of China (PRC), the toughness and vitality of China government’s governance tradition have been continued and developed. With the marketization, modernization and globalization of China’s economy and the rapid development of Internet technology, the traditional model of government governance is also facing some new challenges. At the important node of the national governance transition, we need to systematically reflect on the traditional characteristics, internal logic and the evolution path of the past 40 years, and predict the possible direction and challenges of future changes. Governance modernization is essentially a process of system maturity and finalization, which is always carried out and realized in the practice of governance modernization. However, the modernization of governance is not for the sake of governance, and its ultimate goal is to promote the maturity and stereotypes of the system. We must unswervingly consolidate and develop the public sector of the economy, unswervingly encourage, support and guide the development of the non-public sector of the economy, give full play to the decisive role of the market in resource allocation, give better play to the role of the government, and stimulate the vitality of various market players. What to change and how to change it must be based on whether it conforms to the overall goal of perfecting and developing the Socialism with Chinese characteristics system and promoting the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity. At the same time, we should adhere to the Party’s basic line, and unify the two basic points of taking economic construction as the center, adhering to the Four Cardinal Principles and persisting in reform and opening up with the great practice of Socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, and persist in it for a long time and never waver.
General Secretary of the Supreme Leader pointed out that 40 years’ practice has fully proved that reform and opening up is an important magic weapon for the Party and the people to catch up with the times, the only way to uphold and develop Socialism with Chinese characteristics, a key measure to determine the fate of contemporary China, and a key measure to achieve the goal of "two hundred years" and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Realizing the socialist modernization with China characteristics is the historical theme of China at this stage. We are carrying out modernization in a socialist society, and our modernization is called socialist modernization. After 40 years of exploration and struggle of reform and opening up, we have formed Socialism with Chinese characteristics Road, Socialism with Chinese characteristics Theory System, Socialism with Chinese characteristics System and Socialism with Chinese characteristics Culture. On the premise of maintaining social stability, China’s reform and opening up has promoted all-round economic and social development, correctly handled the relationship between reform, development and stability, and effectively avoided the rupture of social development. Therefore, Socialism with Chinese characteristics has accumulated a lot of theoretical achievements and practical experience, centering on the development goal and taking reform and opening up as the driving force, and contributed "China wisdom" to enrich the historical development of human society.
(Author: Qiao Zhaohong, a researcher at the World Institute of China Studies of Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, and a researcher at the Shanghai Socialism with Chinese characteristics Theory System Research Center)
