Qu Qingshan: Great Achievements in Comprehensively Deepening Reform in the New Era

Following the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 2012, socialism with Chinese characteristics entered a new era. This era has seen a comprehensive deepening of reform that has both built on the previous period of reform, opening up, and socialist modernization and opened a new chapter in China’s reform. This is articulated in the Resolution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Further Deepening Reform Comprehensively to Advance Chinese Modernization, adopted at the recent third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, which states:

“The third plenary session of the 11th CPC Central Committee 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 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 brand new stage in China’s reform and opening up endeavors.”

Accurately understanding the great reform achievements of the new era is crucial for helping the whole Party and the Chinese people to grasp and apply the guiding principles from the recent third plenary session. This understanding will foster unity in thinking, enhance our insight, boost our confidence, and inspire us to forge ahead.

At the 18th National Congress, the CPC not only set the grand goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, but also laid out strategic plans for comprehensively deepening reform. The new era of reform was officially launched at the 18th CPC Central Committee’s third plenary session in 2013. At this session, the Central Committee put forward an overarching strategic plan for deepening reform, detailing overall goals, strategic priorities, key focus points, working mechanisms, implementation methods, and timelines and roadmaps. With its well-defined objectives, systematic and comprehensive content, and intensive measures, this plan enabled reform to exert a more profound impact than ever before.

An aerial view of Pioneer II during a successful sea trial, June 22, 2024. Pioneer II is an engineering prototype of a deep-sea heavy-duty mining vehicle independently developed by Shanghai Jiao Tong University (drone photo). XINHUA / PHOTO PROVIDED BY SHANGHAI JIAO TONG UNIVERSITY

The work of reform proceeded under the personal planning and guidance of President Xi Jinping. Presiding over 72 meetings of the Central Commission for Comprehensively Deepening Reform (previously the Central Leading Group on Comprehensively Deepening Reform), President Xi ensured alignment in thinking and understanding, made work arrangements, reviewed major reform plans, analyzed reform trends, and advanced the implementation of reform measures. All this ensured the robust leadership needed to deepen reform across the board.

Thanks to the CPC Central Committee’s strong leadership and the collective efforts of the entire Party, the military, and all the Chinese people, the reform tasks set forth in 2013 at the third plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee have been largely accomplished. In the current new era, we have pushed ahead with furthering reform and tackled challenges head-on. We have resolved many issues that were long on the agenda but remained unsolved and delivered many accomplishments that were wanted but remained out of reach. The reforms of the new era have been all-encompassing, in-depth, and fundamental in nature and have yielded historic, transformative, and groundbreaking achievements, most notably in the following areas.

Bronze human heads with braided hair on display at an exhibition entitled “Exploring Ancient Shu Civilization: Sanxingdui and Jinsha,” which opened at the Grand Canal Museum of Beijing, June 27, 2024. As one of the great archaeological discoveries of the 20th century, Sanxingdui has not only yielded numerous precious artifacts but has also become an important window into the origins and development of ancient Chinese civilization thanks to its unique cultural features and profound historical content. PEOPLE’S DAILY / PHOTO BY SONG JIARU 

Economic development

In the new era, economic reform has been focused on ensuring that the market plays the decisive role in resource allocation and that the government better fulfills its role. Working to uphold and improve our basic economic systems, we have accelerated efforts in numerous areas, taking steps to refine our modern market system, macro regulation system, and open economy, to transform our growth model, and to turn China into a nation of innovators. These efforts have helped propel higher-quality economic development that is more efficient, equitable, sustainable, and secure.

We have worked with unswerving commitment to consolidate and develop the public sector, optimizing its layout and adjusting its structure. We have also remained unswerving in our commitment to encourage, support, and guide the development of the non-public sector and have fostered a cordial and clean relationship between government and business. We have kept distribution according to work as the mainstay, with multiple forms of distribution existing alongside it, and improved the system for distribution based on factors of production. This has enabled a steady expansion in the size of China’s middle-income group.

We have stepped up efforts to improve the socialist market economy by strengthening underlying systems, such as those for property rights and fair competition, and made steady strides in developing a credit system. These efforts have helped cultivate a business environment that is increasingly market-oriented, law-based, and international. The market access negative list system has been implemented on a nationwide basis, and we have intensified efforts to oppose monopolies and rein in the blind expansion of capital. Steady progress in developing a high-standard market system has helped amplify the economies of scale in China’s national unified market. These economic reforms have been pivotal in driving high-quality economic development in the country.

From 2012 to 2023, China was one of the world’s fastest-growing major economies and served as the largest contributor to global economic growth. The country’s GDP climbed from 51.9 trillion yuan to 126.1 trillion yuan. Our push for self-reliance and strength in science and technology also steadily bore fruit, with new technologies and new forms and models of business flourishing. The institutions and mechanisms for promoting integrated urban-rural development were continuously refined. We made steady progress in promoting the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the development of the Yangtze Economic Belt, the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta, and ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River basin.

Economic reforms have injected fresh vitality into the market. By the end of 2023, China was home to over 184 million business entities in total, including more than 124 million self-employed individuals, releasing a fresh wave of impetus throughout the economy.

We have implemented a more proactive opening up strategy and moved more quickly to develop new institutions for a higher-standard open economy. The Belt and Road Initiative has been fully embraced by people and delivered substantial gains, while the China Railway Express has continued to demonstrate its unique advantages in international rail transport. We have fully implemented a foreign investment management system based on pre-establishment national treatment plus a negative list. Rapid progress has been made in developing global networks for trade, investment, financing, production, and services, and institutional opening up in terms of rules, regulations, management, and standards has advanced quickly. Our 22 pilot free trade zones and the Hainan Free Trade Port have all developed at an impressive pace.

Today, China stands as the world’s largest trader in goods, the second-largest trader in services, the second-largest country for utilized foreign investment, and the largest outbound investor. As a major trading partner of over 200 economies, it has made rapid progress in creating a new paradigm of all-around opening across multiple levels and fields.

Through the comprehensive deepening of reform in the new era, our economic development has become much more balanced, coordinated, and sustainable. As a result, China’s economic strength, scientific and technological capabilities, and composite national strength have all reached new heights.

Political development

In the new era, we have deepened political reform with a focus on ensuring unity between leadership by the Party, the running of the country by the people, and law-based governance. We have moved at a faster pace to improve the institutions, standards, and procedures of our socialist democracy and fostered broader, fuller, and sounder people’s democracy.

We have strengthened and upheld the CPC Central Committee’s authority and its centralized, unified leadership and actively developed whole-process people’s democracy. This has seen us advancing comprehensive, extensive, and coordinated development of the systems and institutions through which the people run the country, establishing diverse, unimpeded, and well-organized democratic channels, diversifying the forms of democracy, and expanding people’s orderly political participation at all levels and in various fields. In doing so, we have ensured that China’s governance and institutions in all sectors give full expression to the will of the people, protect their rights and interests, and spark their creativity. While remaining committed to the path of socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics, we have thus promoted the steady development of socialist democracy.

Through the comprehensive deepening of reform in the new era, we have given better play to the strengths of the socialist political system with Chinese characteristics, leading to the consolidation and development of a lively, stable, and united political atmosphere.

Moreover, we have continued to develop the system of socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics and secured substantial progress in advancing the rule of law in China. This has enabled us to better leverage the rule of law to consolidate foundations, ensure stable expectations, and deliver long-term benefits. The CPC’s ability to lead and govern the country through law-based methods has also been notably enhanced.

Tongmu Village in Wuyi Mountain National Park, Fujian Province, resembles a fairyland after a rain shower on January 30, 2024. The establishment of a system of national parks is a major institutional innovation with overarching, guiding, and landmark significance for advancing ecological conservation and the building of a Beautiful China. PHOTO BY XINHUA REPORTER JIANG KEHONG

Cultural development

In the new era, cultural reform has been focused on developing the system of core socialist values and fostering a strong socialist culture in China. We have made swift strides in improving the systems for cultural management, production, and operations, and enhanced both modern public cultural services system and cultural markets. This has paved the way for our socialist culture to thrive.

We have established and upheld the foundational system for ensuring the guiding role of Marxism in the way of thinking and improved the responsibility system for ideological work, engaging all CPC members to enhance communication and outreach. We have used our Party’s new theories to arm all Party members, educate the people, and guide our practice. We have placed an emphasis on developing and creating new means of communication and promoted integrated development of media. We have also improved the leadership and management systems for the internet and regulated cyberspace according to the law.

Using the core socialist values to guide cultural development, we have raised public awareness of Chinese socialism and the Chinese Dream, developed and institutionalized regular activities to foster ideals and convictions, and improved the system for theoretical and political work. We have promoted the development of cultural programs and the cultural sector, improved the system of public cultural services, stepped up efforts to protect cultural artifacts and heritage, and enhanced our capacity for international communication.

Thanks to the comprehensive deepening of reform in the new era, we have seen a sweeping and fundamental shift in the ideological domain, a notable boost in confidence in our culture among all CPC members and all Chinese people, and a major increase in cohesiveness throughout society. All of this has provided solid ideological guarantees and powerful inspiration for opening up new horizons for the cause of our Party and the country in the new era.

Social development

In the new era, social reform has been focused on ensuring and improving people’s wellbeing and promoting social fairness and justice. We have reformed the income distribution system to promote common prosperity, created new social systems, and ensured more equitable access to basic public services. We have made faster progress in creating a well-designed and effective social governance system to see that society is both harmonious and orderly and filled with vitality.

We secured a decisive victory in the battle against poverty, eradicating absolute poverty in China. This ensured that we completed the goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects as scheduled.

We have rolled out a series of major reform measures in several areas, such as income distribution, employment, education, social security, elderly care, childcare, healthcare, and housing support, and made significant strides in ensuring people’s access to childcare, education, employment, medical services, elderly care, housing, and social assistance. Moreover, we have also built the largest social security network in the world.

We have made improvements to the social governance system, enhancing CPC-led urban and rural community governance on the basis of self-governance, the rule of law, and the rule of virtue and developing institutions to promote greater collaboration, participation, and shared benefits.

Through the comprehensive deepening of reform in the new era, we have brought about social advancement across the board. People’s lives have improved, public participation in social governance has grown, and social governance has become smarter, more law-based, and more specialized. We have fostered a social atmosphere in which people can live and work in peace and contentment and stability and order prevail. As a result, the miracle of long-term social stability in China continues to unfold.

Ecological conservation

In the new era, reform concerning ecological conservation has been focused on advancing the Beautiful China Initiative. We have moved faster to develop ecological conservation systems and enhanced the mechanisms for territorial space development, resource conservation, and environmental protection. In doing so, we have worked to develop a new paradigm in modernization that sees humans developing in harmony with nature.

We have fully embraced the notion that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets. On this basis, we have refined the mechanisms for addressing air, water, and soil pollution, helping us to secure initial success in the critical battle against pollution. We have also adopted a holistic and systematic approach to the conservation and improvement of mountains, waters, forests, farmlands, grasslands, and deserts, which has facilitated an overall improvement in the quality of the environment.

We have established a basic framework for ecological conservation based on the principles of preventing pollution at its source, controlling processes strictly, ensuring compensation for ecological damage, and severely punishing wrongdoing. We have redoubled our efforts to preserve and restore ecosystems and worked to create spatial layouts, industrial structures, and ways of production and living that help conserve resources and protect the environment. A central government environmental inspection system has also been introduced.

On the international stage, China has played an active role in global environmental and climate governance. It has pledged to reach peak carbon emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060, demonstrating our commitment to act as a responsible major country.

Through the comprehensive deepening of reform in the new era, we have made significant progress in building a Beautiful China. The whole Party and the entire nation have become more conscious and proactive in pursuing green development, and our environmental protection endeavors have seen sweeping, historic, and transformative changes.

National security

Reform in this domain has been focused on modernizing China’s system and capacity for national security. Fully applying a holistic approach to national security, we have established a national security commission under the Central Committee to ensure the centralized leadership system in this sphere is both high-performing and authoritative. We have also refined the legal, strategy, and policy systems for national security and put in place coordination and emergency management mechanisms.

Security imperatives have been incorporated into all areas of the process of national development. We have strictly prevented and cracked down on infiltration, sabotage, subversion, and separatist activities by hostile forces, withstood and pushed back against extreme suppression and containment, and stood up on issues such as those related to Hong Kong, Taiwan, Xinjiang, Xizang, and territorial waters. Through all these efforts, we have effectively safeguarded national security.

Thanks to the comprehensive deepening of reform in the new era, we have reinforced national security on all fronts and overcome many political, economic, ideological, and natural risks, challenges, and trials. This has helped ensure that our Party and the country thrive and enjoy lasting stability.

National defense and the armed forces

In the new era, reform in this sphere has been focused on building well-consolidated national defense and a strong people’s military commensurate with China’s international standing and security and development interests. To this end, we have pursued both the new era military strategy and the goal of building a strong military in this era. We have firmly upheld the fundamental principle and system of absolute CPC leadership over the military, ensured that supreme leadership and command authority rest with the CPC Central Committee and the Central Military Commission (CMC), and fully enforced the system of the CMC chairman assuming overall responsibility.

We have taken steps to reshape the leadership and command system of the military, its system of modern military forces, and its system of military policies. A new military structure has been established with the CMC exercising overall leadership, the theater commands responsible for military operations, and the services focusing on developing capabilities.

Through the comprehensive deepening of reform in the new era, the people’s military has undergone an all-around revolutionary restructuring in preparation for the next stage. Our defense capabilities have grown in step with our economic strength, and the integration of national strategic systems and capabilities has accelerated. Firmly carrying out the missions of the new era, the people’s military has taken concrete actions to safeguard our national sovereignty, security, and development interests with an indomitable fighting spirit.

CPC development

In the new era, reform in the area of Party development has been focused on enhancing our capacity to conduct sound, democratic, and law-based governance. We have enhanced the system of democratic centralism, refined leadership systems and governance methods, and maintained our Party’s advanced nature and integrity. This has ensured a strong political guarantee for reform, opening up, and socialist modernization.

Our Party has worked to strengthen its leadership systems. It has put in place sound systems for ensuring its leadership over major endeavors of the state. The functions and roles of the Central Committee’s decision-making, deliberative, and coordinating institutions have been boosted, and the mechanisms for ensuring implementation of the Central Committee’s major policies have been improved. Our Party has strictly implemented the system for requesting instructions from and submitting reports to the Central Committee and tightened up political oversight and inspection. It has formulated and enforced the eight-point rule on improving Party and government conduct and made consistent efforts to tackle pointless formalities, bureaucratism, hedonism, and extravagance. We have made sure that ideological work is aligned with our institution-building efforts and adopted a sound approach to appointing officials, in order to rectify misconduct concerning the selection and appointment of officials.

The Party has remained committed to the principles that Party discipline should be even more stringent than the law and that discipline and law enforcement efforts should go hand in hand. It has conducted four forms of oversight to ensure discipline compliance, namely: criticism and self-criticism activities and oral and written inquiries, which are to be conducted regularly to ensure that those who have committed minor misconduct are made to “feel embarrassed and uneasy”; light penalties and minor organizational adjustments to official positions, which are to be applied in the majority of cases; heavy penalties and major adjustments to official positions, which are to be applied in a small number of cases; and investigation and prosecution, which are to be undertaken in a very small number of cases involving serious violations of discipline and suspected criminal activity. Through all these efforts, we have developed a sound system of internal Party regulations and ensured strict compliance with all Party institutions.

Our Party has also taken the lead in improving both Party and state oversight systems. It promoted the establishment of the National Commission of Supervision, developed an oversight network that facilitates coordination between disciplinary inspections at different levels, and instituted coordinating mechanisms for various forms of oversight, with intraparty oversight playing the main role. All this has helped strengthen checks and oversight on the exercise of power.

Through the comprehensive deepening of reform in the new era, the CPC’s leadership systems have been improved, and our capacity to improve, renew, and excel ourselves has risen markedly. We have fundamentally addressed the problem of lax and weak governance over Party organizations, achieved an overwhelming victory in the fight against corruption, and taken steps to consolidate this momentum. We have harnessed the role of full and rigorous Party self-governance in providing political guidance and guarantees and have seen our Party grow stronger through revolutionary tempering.

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