Adhere to the new development concept of innovation, coordination, green, openness and sharing

Development is the eternal theme of human society and also the eternal theme of Marxism. The concept of development is the forerunner of development actions and a concentrated embodiment of development ideas, development directions and development focuses. In the face of new trends and opportunities in economic and social development, as well as new contradictions and challenges, Comrade Xi Jinping clearly pointed out that the new development concept of innovation, coordination, green, openness and sharing has pointed out China’s development ideas, development directions and development focus. The new development concept profoundly answers the major question of “what kind of development and how to achieve development” in China in the new era, enriches and develops the Marxist outlook on development, marks that the CPC’s understanding of the trend and law of economic and social development has reached a new height, and is an important guideline that China’s economic and social development must adhere to for a long time.

Section 1: Scientific guidance that conforms to the trend of the times and reflects the law of development

The era is the mother of ideas, and practice is the source of theory. The new development concept is a scientific summary of the law of human economic and social development, conforms to the general trend of human development and the trend of the times, conforms to the new situation and new problems of China’s economic and social development, and is a scientific guide to lead the great practice of the new era.

1. the profound insight of the general trend of human development

The new development concept of innovation, coordination, green, openness and sharing does not come out of thin air;

Rather, it is formed on the basis of profoundly summing up the development experience and lessons of domestic and foreign development, and also on the basis of profoundly analyzing the general development trend at home and abroad, which reflects the profound insight of the Communist Party of China on the law of the development of human society. The development of human society tells us that development must rely on innovation to lead, and the old path will not work. Since the great geographical discoveries, especially since the industrial revolution, the wave of world development has been surging, all of which are guided by conceptual changes and scientific and technological progress. Marx and Engels said in the Communist Manifesto: “The productive forces created by the bourgeoisie in less than a hundred years of its class rule are greater and greater than all the productive forces created by all previous generations.“1 Such a huge historical development of productive forces is inseparable from the Renaissance and the Scientific Revolution breaking the ideological shackles that have long bound people. The scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation have brought about the rebirth of development and the rapid development of productive forces. Many Western countries seized the opportunity of the scientific and technological revolution and the industrial revolution to achieve a collective rise, which profoundly changed the balance of international forces. However, some countries and regions that have been in the leading position for a long time have failed to seize the opportunities of the scientific and technological revolution and the industrial revolution due to ideological imprisonment and isolation from the country, and their development has turned from prosperity to decline, gradually lagging behind the times, and even falling into a slump. The course of the development of human society tells us that development must be coordinated development, and the path of growth without development will not work. After the end of World War II, the task of developing the economy was put back on the agenda, and the “theory of economic growth” once again appeared, advocating that development is growth and growth is development. Under the guidance of this concept, many countries, especially developing countries, regard economic growth as the top priority, industrialization as the primary goal, and GDP growth as the only criterion. The “theory of economic growth” promoted the economic take-off of some countries after the war, but it also brought serious problems such as economic structural imbalance, unfair distribution of income, agricultural and rural decay, and excessive consumption of resources. The grim reality forces people to reflect on the one-sided pursuit of economic growth and re-understand the relationship between “growth and development.” Today, some developed countries overly advocate the financial industry and its derivatives, and the virtual economy is seriously disconnected from the real economy, resulting in the outbreak of the financial crisis and bringing profound disasters to the global economy. The development of human society tells us that development must be sustainable, and the path of “pollution first and treatment later” will not work.

Nature, the environment and ecosystems are prerequisites for sustainable human development. Human beings and nature are closely related to prosperity and decline, and human beings should respect nature, treat nature kindly, protect nature, and reasonably regulate the material exchange between man and nature. In the “Dialectics of Nature”, Engels warned us that man, as a subject, can make nature serve his own purpose through human activities. “But let’s not revel too much about our human triumph over nature. For each such victory, nature takes revenge on us. “1 However, Engels’ warning did not change the desire of capital to deprive nature, nor did it stop human beings from trampling on nature, and the concept of “pollution first and treatment later” in Western countries is still popular. Environmental pollution, especially the “eight major pollution incidents” that have occurred since the 30s of the 20th century, ozone layer damage, global warming, sharp decline in biodiversity, and air, water quality and soil pollution problems after the 70s, make people realize the importance of green, low-carbon, circular and sustainable development of production and lifestyle.

The development of human society tells us that development must be open to the world, and the path of closed development will not work. With the historical torrent of globalization, mankind has constantly made difficult choices in opening up and closed: from 1929 to 1939, in the face of the world economic crisis, countries adopted beggar-thy-neighbor economic policies, currency depreciation, tariff increases, and the formation of exclusive economic blocs, which was an important reason for the slide of human society into the abyss of World War II. After the end of the Second World War, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade determined the basic rules of international trade, countries reduced tariffs to each other, promoted free trade, and the world ushered in a new peak of globalization, and economic development showed a good trend.

In the second half of the 20th century, the world’s successful transition from middle-income to high-income economies all pursued the concept of open development. In the 21st century, mankind once again stands at the crossroads of globalization. Affected by the US financial crisis and the European debt crisis, protectionism, populism and isolationism have risen in some countries, the United States has held high the banner of “America First” and “America First”, and globalization has encountered twists and turns. Nevertheless, economic globalization is still the trend of the times, and openness and cooperation are still a powerful driving force for the development of all countries. The development of human society tells us that the fruits of development should be shared by society, and the path of abnormal development and polarization will not work. The traditional Western concept of development is essentially a development concept that “sees things but does not see people.”

This view of development holds that development is an economic process and that capital appreciation and expansion are the only purpose of economic growth. In a society where the laws of the market dominate everything, the growth of material wealth comes at the expense of polarization between the rich and the poor, and people often become a means of capital appreciation. The development of “seeing things but not seeing people” is popular, and the direct consequence is the abnormal development of society and the polarization of wealth. This is not only an important source of “color revolutions” and political and social turmoil in some countries, but also an important reason for the rise of populism and the rise of anti-globalization thinking in some countries. History and reality have repeatedly proved that if development is not premised on sharing and is not aimed at people, it not only lacks social fairness and justice, but also violates the law of social development and is unsustainable.

In today’s world, many countries are actively innovating development concepts, improving development strategies, and striving to win the development initiative. The United States issued the National Strategic Plan for Advanced Manufacturing and the Framework for Revitalizing American Manufacturing, aiming to occupy the commanding heights of high-end manufacturing; the European Union formulated the European 2020 Strategy, proposing to achieve intelligent growth based on the development of the knowledge economy, sustainable growth based on the development of a green economy, and comprehensive growth focusing on employment improvement and poverty eradication; Japan formulated the “Japan Revitalization Strategy” and proposed the development of “social 5 · 0”, the goal is to create a “more people-oriented super-intelligent society”; Russia has formulated the “National Goals and Strategic Tasks for the Development of the Russian Federation before 2024”, Germany has formulated the “National Industrial Strategy 2030”, and the United Kingdom launched the “Industry 2050 Strategy”, aiming at the commanding heights of scientific and technological innovation.

In the final analysis, the issue of development is a question of ideas, and the competition for development strategies also reflects the battle of development concepts. The Communist Party of China puts forward a new development concept of innovation, coordination, green, openness and sharing, conforms to the development requirements of the times, and draws lessons from the development of other countries. Establishing and implementing the new development concept is an important magic weapon for China’s development to occupy the commanding heights of the times, maintain and make good use of the important strategic opportunity period, and win advantages and take the initiative in international competition.