Furthering Reform to Create Broad Prospects for Chinese Modernization

From July 15 to 18, 2024, the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) was held in Beijing, garnering significant attention both across China and internationally.

This important meeting took place at a critical period in the endeavor to build a great country and move toward national rejuvenation through Chinese modernization. At the session, participants listened to and deliberated on a report on the work of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee, presented by Xi Jinping on behalf of the Political Bureau. They fully affirmed the Political Bureau’s work since the second plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee convened in February 2023 and spoke highly of China’s successful practices and great achievements in comprehensively deepening reform since the start of the new era in 2012. Participants also deliberated on and adopted the Resolution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Further Deepening Reform Comprehensively to Advance Chinese Modernization (hereinafter “the Resolution”). In an explanation of the Resolution, General Secretary Xi Jinping shed light on the considerations for determining the plenary session’s theme, the drafting process for the Resolution, as well as its basic framework and main content. He addressed a series of major questions, such as the reason why China should further pursue reform, the direction the reform should take, and the way the reform should be carried out. In his keynote speech to the plenary session, Xi Jinping set forth the theme, principles, measures, and fundamental guarantees for furthering reform and laid down clear requirements for implementing the session’s guiding principles and achieving good results in all respects.

The Resolution passed at the session presents strategic measures for furthering reform with a focus on the theme of advancing Chinese modernization. As an overall plan and call to action, the Resolution will see us comprehensively advancing broader and deeper reform on the new journey in the new era; it serves as a programmatic document to guide reform endeavors. This document shows that the CPC Central Committee with Xi Jinping at the core is taking the initiative to improve and develop the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics and modernize China’s system and capacity for governance, and that it is firmly determined to create broad prospects for Chinese modernization through further reform. A clear message has been sent—reform and opening up in China will not slow down, much less come to a halt.

The third plenary sessions in recent CPC history have always held great importance for the Chinese people.

The third plenary session of the 11th CPC Central Committee in 1978 was a landmark event that ushered in a new period: one of reform, opening up, and socialist modernization. The third plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee in 2013 was also of epoch-making significance. It marked the start of a new journey of comprehensively deepening reform in the new era with systematic and holistic plans, thus paving the way for a completely new stage in China’s reform and opening up endeavors. The most recent third plenary session shows that the 20th CPC Central Committee feels a strong sense of determination and responsibility to carry reform through to the end. This meeting is undoubtedly set to exert a far-reaching influence on our efforts to build a great country and advance national rejuvenation through Chinese modernization.

Reform and opening up have been crucial to the cause of our Party and our people, enabling us to catch up with the times in great strides. Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, the Central Committee under the leadership of Xi Jinping, with tremendous political courage and a strong sense of mission, has taken timely action and led the entire Party, the military, and the Chinese people in unshackling their thinking and breaking down the barriers erected by vested interests. It has braved uncharted waters, tackled tough problems, and navigated potential dangers, removing institutional obstacles in all areas. As a result, reform has evolved from a variety of trials and breakthroughs limited to certain areas into an integrated drive being advanced across the board. Foundational institutional frameworks have been basically put in place in all sectors, and historic, systemic, and holistic transformations have been achieved across many fields. Overall, our Party has accomplished the reform tasks set at the third plenary session of the 18th Central Committee in 2013 and attained the objective of achieving marked results in making all institutions more mature and better defined by the time of CPC’s centennial in 2021. All this has provided strong institutional support for completing the First Centenary Goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects in 2021 and set China on a new journey toward building a modern socialist country.

When we look around the world, it is hard to find any other nation or political party with the kind of political bravery and historical responsibility demonstrated by the CPC. Taking bold and decisive action, it has had the courage to turn the blade inward and carry out self-reform. No other country or party has been able to complete such extensive and in-depth reforms in such a short space of time. In the new era since 2012, the CPC’s all-encompassing, in-depth, and fundamental reforms have brought about historic, transformative, and groundbreaking achievements.

We owe the remarkable achievements in comprehensively deepening reform to General Secretary Xi Jinping, who has taken the helm and charted our course at the core of the CPC Central Committee and the Party as a whole, and to the sound guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. Xi Jinping has taken a personal hand in leading, planning, and advancing comprehensive reform. He has crafted new theories to guide innovation in reform, articulated the mission and direction of reform as well as its objectives, strategies, drivers, and methods, and put forward new ideas, viewpoints, and conclusions on furthering reform across the board. He has also provided well-conceived answers to the major theoretical and practical questions of the new era, such as the guidelines to uphold, the path to follow, the reason why we should carry forward comprehensive reform, and the way to do so. The tremendous power of these truths and practices has been fully demonstrated by their capacity to guide new endeavors and new transformations.

It is vital that we continue to advance reform if we are to deal with complex developments both at home and abroad, adapt to the new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, and live up to the new expectations of the people. Advancing reform is essential for upholding and improving the system of Chinese socialism and modernizing China’s system and capacity for governance, for putting the new development philosophy into practice and better adapting to the evolution in the principal challenges in Chinese society, and for adhering to a people-centered approach to see that the gains of modernization benefit all our people fairly. It is also crucial for responding to risks and challenges and ensuring steady and sustained progress in the cause of the Party and the country, for promoting the development of a global community of shared future and winning the strategic initiative amid accelerating global changes unseen in a century, and for further advancing the great new project of Party development and making our Marxist party stronger.

Making reform plans and arrangements with a focus on the central task has constituted a successful experience for our Party in leading reform and opening up. At its 20th National Congress in 2022, it decided on the central task of realizing the Second Centenary Goal of building China into a modern socialist country and advancing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through modernization. During the congress, it also affirmed the distinctive features, essential requirements, and guiding principles of Chinese modernization and made strategic plans for advancing modernization. At the fundamental level, to translate these strategic plans into action and turn the vision of Chinese modernization into reality, the Party must further reform and keep improving systems and mechanisms across all sectors, so as to create vitality and impetus for advancing Chinese modernization.

In November 2023, the Political Bureau decided that a document drafting group be set up for the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee. General Secretary Xi, who took charge of the group, played a crucial role in the drafting work, steering the overall process, organizing studies and research, providing detailed guidance, and charting the course.

At a new historical juncture, the Resolution defines the philosophy, objectives, and principles for further reform in order to advance Chinese modernization, with a focus on major measures to be implemented over the next five years. This document represents not only a continuation of our efforts to further reform since the third plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee but also the opening of a new chapter in advancing Chinese modernization.

The Resolution declares, “Regarding economic structural reform as the spearhead and greater social fairness and justice and increased wellbeing of the people as our ultimate objectives, we will channel greater energy into making our reforms integrated, focused, and effective. We will work to better adapt the relations of production to the productive forces, the superstructure to the economic base, and national governance to social development so as to provide strong impetus and institutional support for Chinese modernization.”

The Resolution states that the overall objective of furthering reform is to improve and develop the system of Chinese socialism and modernize China’s system and capacity for governance. By 2035, China will have finished building a high-standard socialist market economy, further improved the system of Chinese socialism, generally modernized the system and capacity for governance, and basically realized socialist modernization. All this will lay a solid foundation for building China into a modern socialist country by the middle of this century. In advancing reform, our Party will focus on the following objectives: building a high-standard socialist market economy, advancing whole-process people’s democracy, developing a strong socialist culture, improving the people’s quality of life, building a Beautiful China, advancing the Peaceful China Initiative to a higher level, and improving the Party’s capacity for leadership and long-term governance. The Resolution also states, “The reform tasks laid out in this resolution shall be completed by the time the People’s Republic of China celebrates its 80th anniversary in 2029.”

The direction, stance, and principles for deepening reform have all been defined, with the Resolution making it clear that the following major principles must be followed:

Upholding the CPC’s overall leadership. It is essential to firmly uphold the Central Committee’s authority and its centralized, unified leadership and see that the Party fulfills its core role of exercising overall leadership and coordinating the efforts of all sides. It must be ensured that Party leadership is exercised in every aspect and throughout the entire process of reform so that it always advances in the correct political direction.

Adhering to a people-centered approach. We must ensure that the principal position and pioneering spirit of the people are respected and make our reform measures highly responsive to the call of the people, so as to ensure that reform is for the people and by the people and that its fruits are shared among the people.

Upholding fundamental principles and breaking new ground. Staying committed to Chinese socialism, we must keep pace with the times, adapt to the evolution of practice, and take a problem-oriented approach, so that from a new starting point, we can promote innovations in theory and practice, in our institutions and culture, and in all other aspects.

Strengthening institutional building as the main task. Steps must be taken to strengthen top-level design and overall planning, always establishing new systems before abolishing old ones while attaching equal importance to efforts in both respects. It is necessary to consolidate foundational systems, refine basic systems, and innovate important systems.

Staying committed to law-based governance. Steps must be taken to deepen reform and advance Chinese modernization under the rule of law and ensure unity between reform and the rule of law, seeing that all reforms have a solid legal basis and that reform achievements are elevated to law in a timely manner.

Applying systems thinking. It is important to properly handle the relationships between the economy and society, between the government and the market, between efficiency and fairness, between vitality and order, and between development and security, thus pursuing reform in a more systematic, holistic, and coordinated manner.

These six principles are a succinct summary of the valuable experience we have gained in reform and opening up, especially in the new era of comprehensively deepening reform. They stand as a major achievement for the CPC, which has steadily worked to deepen its understanding of the laws underlying reform. These principles can guide our efforts to develop sounder, more proactive, more forward-looking, and more innovative reforms that will deliver steady and sustained progress.

In terms of its layout and content, the Resolution details over 300 reform measures in economic, political, cultural, social, and ecological advancement, as well as Party development. It places particular emphasis on giving play to the leading role of economic structural reform, developing support institutions and mechanisms for all-around innovation, advancing reform in a comprehensive manner, balancing development and security imperatives, and strengthening the Party’s leadership over reform. This document serves as a grand blueprint for further reform.

Opening up is a defining feature of Chinese modernization. Therefore, we must remain committed to the basic state policy of opening to the outside world. At present, momentous changes of a magnitude unseen in a century are accelerating across the world, and uncertainties are rising. This, however, will not weaken China’s determination or confidence in pursuing deeper reform and more expansive opening up.

The Resolution sets out arrangements for opening up. These include expanding institutional opening up, deepening foreign trade structural reform, advancing reform of the management systems for inward and outward investment, optimizing the layout of regional opening up, and improving the mechanisms for high-quality cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative. Together, these measures make it clear that China will pursue high-standard opening up on a broader scale.

China’s success ultimately hinges on the CPC.

Leadership by the CPC provides a fundamental guarantee for further reform to advance Chinese modernization. The Resolution consistently highlights the importance of our Party’s leadership and development in terms of past experience, the significance of reform, the principles to follow, and the measures to apply. It also dedicates a specific section to institutional reforms concerning the Party’s leadership and development and highlights the need to improve the Party’s leadership over efforts to further reform and advance Chinese modernization. It outlines plans for upholding the Central Committee’s centralized, unified leadership over the endeavor to further reform, advancing institutional reforms related to Party development, and intensifying efforts to improve conduct, build integrity, and combat corruption. On this basis, it calls on all Party members to maintain a keen awareness of the need to use the Party’s self-reform to steer social reform, to apply both the spirit of reform and rigorous standards in conducting Party self-governance, to improve the systems and regulations for the Party’s self-reform, and to work continuously to purify, improve, renew, and excel themselves. All this will enable our Party to remain the strong leadership core in building Chinese socialism.

The worth of any plan depends on its implementation. As we continue to deepen reform, more complex and acute conflicts of interest will arise, and tougher challenges will emerge. Every step forward will be hard won. Only by channeling greater energy into implementation can we overcome various obstacles, dismantle vested interests, and see that the gains of modernization benefit all our people fairly. The Resolution stresses the need to ensure “the implementation of reforms with relentless perseverance.” This statement carries profound weight. The whole Party must take pragmatic, resolute, and effective steps to ensure implementation of the Central Committee’s decisions and plans on further reform. It is necessary to work in concert from top to bottom across all departments and regions to set the tasks, timelines, and priorities for reform in a well-conceived way, and to designate competent departments for implementing each reform initiative and clearly define their responsibilities. The implementation of reforms will be subject to oversight and inspection, and the litmus test of reform will lie in how well it performs, what it delivers, and how much satisfaction it brings the people.

(Originally appeared in Qiushi Journal, Chinese edition, No. 15, 2024)