Authorized to issue the Supreme Leader： Explanation of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China’s Decision on Further Comprehensively Deepening Reform and Promoting Chinese Modernization
Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, July 21st
Explanation of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China’s Decision on Further Comprehensively Deepening Reform and Promoting Chinese Modernization
Supreme leader
Comrades:
Entrusted by the Political Bureau of the Central Committee, I will explain to the plenary session about the drafting of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China’s Decision on Further Comprehensively Deepening Reform and Promoting Chinese Modernization.
I. Considerations on Determining the Topics of the Plenary Session
Planning and deploying reforms around the party’s central task is a successful experience of the party’s leadership in reform and opening up. Proceeding from practical experience and practical needs, the Political Bureau of the Central Committee decided that the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China should further comprehensively deepen reform and promote Chinese-style modernization, mainly considering the following aspects.
First, this is an urgent need to unite people’s hearts and gather strength to realize the central task of the party in the new era and new journey. Practice has fully proved that in the new era of reform and opening up and socialist modernization, China has made great strides to catch up with the times, relying on reform and opening up. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, historic achievements and changes have taken place in the cause of the party and the state, which also depend on reform and opening up. In the new era and journey, to create a new situation of Chinese modernization, we still have to rely on reform and opening up. The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China established the central task of building a socialist modernization power in an all-round way, realizing the goal of the second century, and comprehensively promoting the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with Chinese modernization, expounded the China characteristics, essential requirements and major principles of Chinese modernization, and made strategic arrangements for promoting Chinese modernization. To put these strategic arrangements into practice and turn the blueprint of Chinese modernization into reality, it is essential to further comprehensively deepen reform, constantly improve various institutional mechanisms, and provide institutional guarantee for promoting Chinese modernization.
Second, it is an urgent need to improve and develop the Socialism with Chinese characteristics system and promote the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, we have highlighted the main line of system construction, comprehensively deepened reform and improved various systems, promoted Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s system to be more mature and stereotyped, and significantly improved the modernization level of the national governance system and governance capacity, providing a strong institutional guarantee for building a well-off society in an all-round way. At the same time, we should be soberly aware that the improvement of Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s system is a dynamic process, which will inevitably develop with the development of practice. The existing system needs to be continuously improved, and new practices in new fields need to promote institutional innovation and fill the gaps in the system. In the face of the new situation and tasks, we must further deepen the reform in an all-round way, continue to improve all aspects of institutional mechanisms, consolidate the foundation, promote advantages, fill shortcomings, strengths and weaknesses, and constantly transform China’s institutional advantages into the effectiveness of national governance.
Third, this is an urgent need to promote high-quality development and better adapt to the changes in major contradictions in our society. At present, the outstanding problem in promoting high-quality development is still insufficient development imbalance. For example, the market system is still not perfect, the market development is not fully developed, the relationship between the government and the market has not been completely straightened out, the innovation ability does not meet the requirements of high-quality development, the overall industrial system is large but not strong, and the key core technologies are not fundamentally changed due to people’s conditions, the agricultural foundation is not stable, the gap between urban and rural regional development and income distribution is still large, and there are still shortcomings in people’s livelihood security and ecological environment protection, and so on. To sum up, these problems are the reflection of the changes in the main social contradictions, and they are developing problems. We must further deepen the reform in an all-round way and promote the solution from the institutional mechanism.
Fourth, this is an urgent need to cope with major risk challenges and promote the cause of the party and the country to be stable and far-reaching. Promoting Chinese-style modernization is a brand-new undertaking, and all kinds of contradictions and risk challenges will inevitably be encountered on the way forward. In particular, at present, the great changes in the world that have never happened in a century are accelerating, local conflicts and turbulence are frequent, global problems are intensifying, external repression and containment are escalating, and China’s development has entered a period in which strategic opportunities and risk challenges coexist and uncertainties are increasing, and various "black swan" and "grey rhinoceros" incidents may occur at any time. To effectively cope with these risks and challenges and win the strategic initiative in the increasingly fierce international competition, we need to further deepen the reform in an all-round way, use a sound system to prevent and resolve risks, effectively respond to challenges, cultivate new opportunities in the crisis, and open up new opportunities in the changing situation.
Second, about the drafting process of the draft decision
In November, 2023, the Political Bureau of the Central Committee decided to set up a document drafting group for the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, with me as the team leader and Wang Huning, Cai Qi and Ding Xuexiang as the deputy team leaders to undertake the document drafting work under the leadership of The Politburo Standing Committee (PSC). On December 8, the first plenary meeting of the document drafting group was held, and the document drafting work was officially started. In more than seven months, the document drafting group conducted in-depth investigation and study, solicited opinions extensively, carried out special argumentation, and discussed and revised it repeatedly.
In the process of drafting the draft decision, we focus on the following points: First, summarize and apply the valuable experience of comprehensively deepening reform since the reform and opening up, especially in the new era, determine the principles to follow, and adhere to the correct political direction. Second, closely focus on promoting Chinese-style modernization and implementing the Party’s 20th strategic plan to further comprehensively deepen reform and adhere to the problem orientation. The third is to grasp the key points, highlight the reform of institutional mechanisms, highlight strategic and overall major reforms, highlight the traction role of economic system reform, and highlight the leading role of reform. Fourth, adhere to the people first, and plan and promote reforms from the overall interests, fundamental interests and long-term interests of the people. Fifth, strengthen system integration, strengthen the overall planning and system layout of reform, so that all aspects of reform can cooperate with each other, coordinate and be efficient.
The drafting of this plenary session document has carried forward democracy and brainstormed ideas throughout the whole process. On November 27, 2023, the CPC Central Committee issued a notice to solicit opinions from all sectors in various regions and some cadres and the masses on the topic of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee. Everyone agrees that the decision of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee to focus on further comprehensively deepening reform and promoting Chinese-style modernization shows the strong determination and strong mission to carry out the reform to the end, and it is a re-declaration of what flag to raise and what road to take in the new era and new journey, which is of great and far-reaching significance for comprehensively promoting the construction of a strong country and the great cause of national rejuvenation with Chinese-style modernization. Various departments and departments in various regions put forward many valuable suggestions on the theme, framework and important measures of the document, which provided an important reference for the drafting of the draft decision.
On May 7, 2024, the draft decision was distributed to a certain extent within the party for comments, soliciting the opinions of the old comrades within the party, specifically listening to the opinions of the leaders of the democratic parties, the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce and representatives of non-party members, and listening to the opinions of relevant enterprises, experts and scholars. Judging from the feedback, everyone agreed that the decision draft closely focused on the theme of promoting Chinese-style modernization, and further comprehensively deepened the reform strategic measures, adhered to the correct political direction, and focused on grasping the major institutional and institutional issues that need to be solved in promoting Chinese-style modernization to plan reforms. The theme is clear, the key points are prominent, and the measures are pragmatic and feasible. It is the general mobilization and general deployment to promote comprehensive deepening reform in the new era and new journey. It fully embodies the historical initiative to improve and develop Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s system and promote the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity, and will certainly provide strong impetus and institutional guarantee for Chinese modernization. At the same time, various parties put forward opinions and suggestions on the revision of Article 1911. The document drafting group carefully studied these opinions and suggestions, absorbed them as much as possible, and made 221 amendments.
During the drafting process, The Politburo Standing Committee (PSC) held three meetings and the Political Bureau of the Central Committee held two meetings for deliberation and revision, resulting in a draft decision submitted to this plenary session for deliberation.
III. Basic framework and main contents of the draft decision
In addition to the introduction and conclusion, the draft decision has 15 parts, which are divided into three major sections. The first part is the first section, which is a general introduction, mainly expounding the great significance and overall requirements of further comprehensively deepening reform and promoting Chinese modernization. The second to fourteenth parts are the second part, which is a sub-discussion, mainly from the aspects of economy, politics, culture, society, ecological civilization, national security, national defense and the army. The fifteenth part is the third part, which mainly focuses on strengthening the party’s leadership over reform, deepening the reform of the party’s construction system, building a clean and honest party style and fighting corruption. The content items are sorted throughout, with 60 items listed.
The draft decision anchors the goal of basically realizing socialist modernization in 2035, focusing on major reform measures in the next five years, and has the following characteristics in terms of content control.
First, pay attention to the traction role of economic system reform. Deepening the reform of the economic system is still the focus of further deepening the reform in an all-round way. The main tasks are to improve the system and mechanism conducive to promoting high-quality development, shape new development momentum and new advantages, adhere to and implement the "two unwavering", build a unified national market, and improve the basic system of the market economy.
Focusing on the core issue of properly handling the relationship between the government and the market, the draft decision puts the construction of a high-level socialist market economic system in a prominent position and makes arrangements for key areas and key links of economic system reform. Focusing on enhancing the core functions and competitiveness of state-owned enterprises, it is proposed to strengthen the strategic coordination of relevant management departments, promote the optimization of the layout and structural adjustment of the state-owned economy, and promote the state-owned capital and state-owned enterprises to become stronger, better and bigger; Focusing on promoting the development of the non-public economy, it is proposed to formulate a private economy promotion law, strengthen the judicial protection of property law enforcement, and prevent and correct the use of administrative and criminal means to interfere in economic disputes. It is proposed to strengthen the rigid constraint of fair competition review, clean up and abolish various regulations and practices that hinder the national unified market and fair competition, and improve the system and rules of factor market, and so on. These measures will better stimulate the endogenous motivation and innovation vitality of the whole society.
The draft decision makes arrangements for improving the system and mechanism for promoting high-quality economic development and promoting the development of new-quality productive forces. Focusing on the development of productive forces characterized by high technology, high efficiency and high quality, it is proposed to strengthen the supply of new fields and new track systems, establish a future industrial investment growth mechanism, lead the optimization and upgrading of traditional industries with the promotion of national standards, and promote the agglomeration of various advanced production factors to the development of new quality productive forces.
The draft decision makes arrangements for improving the macroeconomic governance system. Put forward to improve the national strategic planning system and policy coordination mechanism; Promote the reform of the fiscal and taxation system as a whole, increase local independent financial resources, expand local tax sources, reasonably expand the scope of support for local government special bonds, appropriately strengthen the central government’s power and increase the proportion of central fiscal expenditure; Improve the positioning and governance of financial institutions, improve the capital market function of coordinating investment and financing, and improve the financial supervision system.
The draft decision makes arrangements for improving the system and mechanism of urban-rural integration development. Put forward and improve the system and mechanism of promoting new urbanization; Consolidate and improve the rural basic management system; Improve the support system for strengthening agriculture, benefiting farmers and enriching farmers; Deepen the reform of land system.
The draft decision makes arrangements for improving the high-level opening-up system and mechanism. Put forward the steady expansion of institutional opening; Deepen the reform of foreign trade system; Deepen the reform of foreign investment and foreign investment management system; Optimize the regional open layout; Improve and promote the "One Belt, One Road" mechanism with high quality.
Second, pay attention to building an institutional mechanism to support comprehensive innovation. The draft decision promotes the reform of the system and mechanism of educational science and technology talents as a whole, emphasizing deepening the comprehensive reform of education, deepening the reform of the system of science and technology, deepening the reform of the system and mechanism of talent development, and improving the overall efficiency of the national innovation system.
In the aspect of educational system reform, it is proposed to promote the reform of colleges and universities by classification, establish a discipline setting adjustment mechanism and talent training mode driven by scientific and technological development and national strategic needs, and urgently need disciplines and majors in extraordinary layout; Improve the mechanism of scientific and technological innovation in colleges and universities and improve the efficiency of transformation of achievements.
In the aspect of scientific and technological system reform, it is proposed to strengthen the construction of national strategic scientific and technological forces, optimize the positioning and layout of national scientific research institutions, high-level research universities and leading scientific and technological enterprises, improve the management of scientific and technological plans, and strengthen the forward-looking and leading layout of basic research fields, cross-frontier fields and key fields; Strengthen the dominant position of enterprises in scientific and technological innovation, and establish a mechanism to cultivate and expand leading enterprises in science and technology; Allow scientific research institutions to implement a more flexible management system than ordinary institutions, and explore the implementation of enterprise management; Deepen the reform of empowerment of post scientific and technological achievements.
In the reform of the system and mechanism of talent development, it is proposed to speed up the construction of national strategic talent force and improve the quality of all kinds of talents; Improve the mechanism of discovery, selection and training of young innovative talents to better protect the treatment of young scientific and technological personnel; Strengthen the talent incentive mechanism, insist on authorizing the main body of employment and loosening the talents; Improve the support and guarantee mechanism for overseas talent introduction.
Third, pay attention to comprehensive reform. Under the framework of promoting the overall layout of the "five in one" and coordinating the promotion of the "four comprehensive" strategic layout, the draft decision plans to further comprehensively deepen reforms and make overall arrangements for economic system reform and reforms in other fields.
In the areas of democracy and the rule of law, we have made arrangements to improve the people’s democratic system in the whole process and the rule of law system in Socialism with Chinese characteristics. Put forward to strengthen the construction of the system of people being the masters of the country; Improve the deliberative democratic mechanism; Improve the grass-roots democratic system; Improve the pattern of great United front work. Propose strengthening legislation in key areas, emerging areas and foreign-related areas; Improve the system and mechanism in which supervisory organs, public security organs, procuratorial organs, judicial organs and judicial administrative organs perform their respective duties, and the supervisory power, investigation power, procuratorial power, judicial power and execution power cooperate and restrict each other; Improve the mechanism to promote the construction of a society ruled by law.
In the aspect of cultural system reform, focusing on promoting the modernization of material civilization and spiritual civilization, it is proposed to promote the normalization and institutionalization of ideal and belief education and improve the working mechanism of cultivating innovative civilization, practicing civilization and creating civilization; Optimize the supply mechanism of cultural services and cultural products, and establish a mechanism for high-quality cultural resources to reach the grassroots level; Improve the comprehensive network management system; Promote the reconstruction of international communication pattern and build a more effective international communication system.
In improving the system of safeguarding and improving people’s livelihood, it is proposed to improve the income distribution system and standardize the income distribution order; Optimize the policy environment of entrepreneurship to promote employment, support and standardize the development of new employment forms; Improve the social security system for flexible employees, migrant workers and new employment forms, and completely cancel the household registration restrictions for participating in employment; Put forward to speed up the construction of a new model of real estate development, and fully give the city governments the autonomy to regulate the real estate market; Put forward to deepen the reform of medical and health system and implement the strategy of health priority development; It is proposed to improve the population development support and service system, improve the birth support policy system and incentive mechanism, improve the policy mechanism for the development of pension undertakings and pension industries, and steadily and orderly promote the gradual reform of delaying the statutory retirement age in accordance with the principles of voluntariness and flexibility.
In the reform of ecological civilization system, it is proposed to improve the basic system of ecological civilization, improve the ecological environment governance system and improve the green and low-carbon development mechanism; It is proposed to implement a sub-regional, differentiated and precise eco-environmental management system, improve the compensation mechanism for horizontal ecological protection, implement fiscal, taxation, finance, investment, price policies and standard systems that support green and low-carbon development, and accelerate the planning and construction of a new energy system.
Fourth, pay attention to overall development and security. National security is an important foundation for Chinese modernization. The draft decision puts the maintenance of national security in a more prominent position. Focusing on the modernization of the national security system and capabilities, it proposes to build a coordinated and efficient national security protection system and promote the empowerment of national security science and technology; Improve the security system for handling major public emergencies; Establish an artificial intelligence safety supervision system; Explore the establishment of a unified national population management system; Improve the overall prevention and control system of social security, and severely punish illegal and criminal activities that are strongly reflected by the masses according to law. Put forward to establish and improve the coordination mechanism of peripheral security work; Improve the mechanism of anti-sanctions, anti-interference and anti-"long arm jurisdiction"; We will improve the trade risk prevention and control mechanism, improve the foreign-related laws and regulations system and the rule of law implementation system, and deepen international cooperation in law enforcement and justice. Focusing on the continuous deepening of national defense and military reform, it is proposed to improve the leadership and management system and mechanism of the people’s army, deepen the reform of the joint combat system, and deepen the reform across the military.
Fifth, pay attention to strengthening the party’s leadership over reform. The leadership of the Party is the fundamental guarantee for further deepening reform and promoting Chinese modernization. The draft decision proposes to improve the implementation mechanism of major decision-making arrangements of the CPC Central Committee; Deepen the reform of the cadre and personnel system, clearly establish the correct orientation of selecting and employing people, vigorously select cadres who are politically competent, dare to take responsibility, are determined to reform, have outstanding performance, and are honest and clean, and strive to solve the problems of cadres’ chaos, inaction, dare not act, and incompetence; Establish and practice a correct view of political achievements, implement the "three distinctions", and encourage cadres to forge ahead and start businesses; Strengthen the political function and organizational function of the party organization; We will improve the system and mechanism for preventing formalism and bureaucracy, improve the mechanism for investigating and treating unhealthy practices and corruption, and enrich effective methods for preventing and treating new and hidden corruption.
I hope that comrades will deeply understand the spirit of the CPC Central Committee, discuss closely around the theme of the plenary session, put forward constructive suggestions and suggestions, and jointly hold this plenary session and revise the draft decision.