The great rejuvenation of China

2. The latest achievements of the Marxist outlook on development

The outlook on development is the world outlook and methodology of human development, and is people’s overall view on the connotation, essence, purpose and requirements of development. The Marxist outlook on development is an open and constantly developing theoretical system, and its actual form has always been revitalized and enriched in the process of integrating with specific countries, specific times, and specific practices. In the more than 70 years since the founding of New China, especially in the more than 40 years of reform and opening up, the Chinese Communists have always put forward corresponding development concepts and strategies in a timely manner in accordance with changes in the situation and tasks, leading and guiding China’s development to achieve new leaps.

The Chinese practice of the Marxist outlook on development has become an important part of the Sinicization of Marxism.

At the beginning of the founding of New China, Comrade Mao Zedong made a pioneering exploration on how to promote China’s social development on the basis of “one poor and two white” in light of China’s actual conditions. In important literatures such as “On the Ten Major Relations” and “On the Correct Handling of Contradictions Among the People,” he comprehensively and systematically expounded the overall major relations that must be handled well in socialist construction, put forward the development policy of comprehensive balance and overall consideration, and stressed the need to take agriculture as the foundation, industry as the lead, and coordinated development of agriculture as the priority, thus laying an important foundation for the formation of a Marxist development theory of Sinicization. After the reform and opening up, Comrade Deng Xiaoping, basing himself on China’s main contradictions and basic national conditions, clearly put forward that “development is the last word” and promoted the establishment of the party’s basic line centered on economic construction; he proposed that the fundamental task of socialism is to liberate and develop the productive forces, and that the key to solving all problems in China is to rely on its own development; he clearly defined the “three-step” modernization development strategy and formed a development theory for the initial stage of socialism. At the turn of the century, Comrade Jiang Zemin put forward that development is the most important task for the party to govern and rejuvenate the country, expounded that development is the main theme running through the important thinking of the “three represents,” stressed the need to coordinate the development of material, spiritual, and political civilizations, implement the strategy of rejuvenating the country through science and education, the strategy of sustainable development, and the strategy of large-scale development of the western region, and persist in following the road of new-type industrialization. After the 16th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, Comrade Hu Jintao proposed to take development as the key to solving all problems in China, firmly establish and fully implement the scientific outlook on development, emphasize that development is the first meaning, the core is people-oriented, the basic requirement is comprehensive, coordinated and sustainable, and the fundamental method is to take into account all aspects, and improve the “five-in-one” of economic construction, political construction, cultural construction, social construction and ecological civilization construction The convex layout of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics puts forward that to achieve the grand goal of building a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way, we must promote the coordinated development of socialist material, political and spiritual civilizations, persist in promoting all-round social progress and all-round human development on the basis of economic development, and persist in realizing harmonious coexistence between man and nature in the development and utilization of nature, and achieve sustainable economic and social development. All these have made important contributions to enriching the Marxist outlook on development. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, Comrade Xi Jinping has scientifically grasped the profound changes in the foundation, environment, conditions, goals and tasks of China’s economic and social development, vigorously promoted the innovation of the party’s development theory, clearly put forward a new development concept, and raised the party’s development theory to a new historical height.

The 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China took “adhering to the new development concept” as one of the basic strategies for adhering to and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, emphasizing that “development is the foundation and key to solving all problems in our country, development must be scientific development, and we must unswervingly implement the development concept of innovation, coordination, green, openness and sharing.”1

The new development concept adheres to the basic stance, viewpoint and method of the Marxist outlook on development, inherits the party’s development theory, and profoundly expounds major theoretical and practical issues such as current and long-term, fairness and efficiency, government and market, internal and external, and man and nature. The new development concept embodies the organic unity of development thinking and practical measures, scientifically answers major questions such as development direction, development mode, development momentum, development principles, and development path, and puts forward powerful measures such as conceptual change, improvement of system, and implementation well. The new development concept adheres to the organic unity of problem awareness and goal orientation, not only focuses on the contradictions, problems and shortcomings in China’s development, but also carries out top-level design and systematic planning for the goals to be achieved to solve these contradictions and problems. The new development concept reflects the organic unity of development in time and space, focusing not only on fairness, justice and sustainable development, but also on the balance of development in urban, rural and regional spatial layout. The new development concept adheres to the organic unity of development subjects and development objects, advocates promoting the common development of all social fields based on economic development, but also pays attention to the fundamental issue of development for people, emphasizing the promotion of all-round human development. It can be said that the new development concept accurately grasps the pulse of development in the new era, which is the summation of experience and theoretical improvement of the new concept and new thinking and strategy of the party governing the country on the development issue, and is the latest achievement of the Sinicization of the Marxist concept of development.

3. it has enriched and developed the political economy of socialism with Chinese characteristics

The new development concept is an important content of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, which deepens and expands the CPC’s understanding of the law of the development of the socialist economy with Chinese characteristics, and enriches and develops the political economy of socialism with Chinese characteristics. 1 Compilation of Documents of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, People’s Publishing House, 2017, p. 17.

The new development concept has written a new chapter in the political economy of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Marxist political economy has revealed the basic principle that productive forces determine production relations and that production relations must meet the requirements of the development of productive forces. The new development concept insists on closely integrating the basic principles of Marxist political economy with the reality of contemporary China, more clearly emphasizes that development is the foundation and key to solving all problems in our country, emphasizes real and waterless development, emphasizes promoting changes in the quality, power, and efficiency of economic development, and achieves high-quality development. Give better play to the role of the government, emphasize the continuous deepening of reform and opening up, establish the principle of market competition neutrality, and break down the institutional obstacles that hinder the development of productive forces; more clearly emphasize that innovation is the primary driving force for development, talent is the first resource to support development, and emphasize the promotion of comprehensive innovation in theory, system, science and technology, culture, etc.; more clearly emphasize the coordination and sustainability of the social reproduction process, emphasize inter-industry, urban-rural, inter-region, man and nature, domestic and international, The improvement of the relationship between people emphasizes the handling of the relationship between the present and the long-term, the local and the overall situation, and the key and the general; more clearly emphasizes the harmonious coexistence between man and nature, so that a good ecological environment becomes the growth point of people’s lives. It will become a driving force to show China’s good image and continue to move towards a new era of ecological civilization; more clearly emphasize that opening up is a basic national policy, emphasize promoting high-level two-way opening-up, implement a more proactive opening strategy, create a new pattern of comprehensive opening up, emphasize active participation in global economic governance, and promote the international economic order towards equality and justice. Develop in the direction of win-win cooperation; more clearly emphasize adhering to the people-centered development thinking, emphasizing that the people are the fundamental force for promoting development, adhering to the people’s dominant position, mobilizing the enthusiasm, initiative and creativity of all parties, and integrating into a powerful driving force for development. These understandings and summaries of laws conform to the general trend and trend of the development of human society, clarify the essence of the contemporary Chinese version of political economy, and realize a new leap in the political economy of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

The new development concept has enhanced the leading force of the political economy of socialism with Chinese characteristics. The new development concept has refined and summarized the theory and practical theory of socialist development with Chinese characteristics, giving it new meaning to the political economy of contemporary Chinese Marxism, and becoming a “classic discourse” and “logo concept” for interpreting China’s road, telling Chinese stories well, and spreading Chinese voices. Since the 80s of the 20th century, many developing countries have been trapped in the “middle-income trap”, it is difficult to get rid of the “trap” of the traditional growth model, and exploring new development concepts and development paths has become a more urgent issue.

The new development concept contains a summary and analysis of the successes and failures of global economic growth and development, especially a profound exploration of various growth and development dilemmas. A series of ideological viewpoints and practical directions put forward by the new development concept have increasingly become new concepts, new categories and new expressions understood and accepted by the international community, and have produced important enlightenment for many countries, including developing countries, to overcome the “middle-income trap.” At present, many developing countries no longer believe in the development path and development theory of Western countries, but have turned to study and learn from China’s development concept and experience. All these fully demonstrate the vigorous vitality and world influence of the “Chinese road”, “Chinese plan” and “Chinese wisdom” in the new era, and further enhance the international discourse power of the political economy of socialism with Chinese characteristics.