China

To further comprehensively deepen reform and open up broad prospects for Chinese path to modernization -- written on the occasion of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee

2024-07-15   

In the long history of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, reform and opening up is a great event with profound significance.
More than 40 years ago, the CPC made the key choice of reform and opening up.
Now, on the new journey of building a modern socialist country in an all-round way, a new milestone will be set up - the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee will be held in Beijing from July 15 to 18, making a strategic deployment for further comprehensively deepening reform and promoting Chinese path to modernization.
History will surely unleash even more powerful forces in the new great changes.
The estuary of the the Pearl River is the Lingding Bay, where the tide rises and falls, and the wind rises and clouds rise.
On June 30th, the super project of about 24 kilometers in length - the Shenzhen Zhongshan Passage - was officially opened, crossing the Lingdingyang and connecting the east and west coasts, injecting new development momentum into the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area, one of the largest bay areas in the world today.
Looking at both sides of the the Pearl River, it is here that the "first shot" of reform and opening up was sounded, and the clarion call for reform in the new era was sounded.
A resounding declaration: 'Reform never stops, opening up never stops'.
Four months later, the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China made a historic decision - the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China will study the issue of comprehensively deepening reform and make a decision.  
The General Secretary clearly stated that 'if a decision is made that is not painful or itchy, it is better not to do it'.
In November 2013, the Third Plenum of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China passed the "Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Several Major Issues Concerning Comprehensively Deepening Reform", which included 15 areas and 336 reform measures in a package of over 20000 words.
This decision document, which has been the longest in the history of the Third Plenum since the reform and opening up, comprehensively expands and deepens the reform to various fields such as economy, politics, culture, society, ecological civilization, party building, national defense, and the military, drawing the most comprehensive, systematic, and in-depth reform blueprint in history.
The more grandiose the reform blueprint, the more it requires the courage and responsibility of reformers.
The 'tough period and deep waters' - this is the historical background and practical conditions of the new era reform.  
The Third Plenum of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China decided to establish, for the first time, a leadership body dedicated to reform work in the Party Central Committee.  
In 2018, a strategic battle of comprehensively deepening reform began - deepening the reform of party and state institutions.
This is the first major reform in the history of the Party to coordinate the central departments of the Party and the institutions of the State Council, and is a concentrated action to systematically reshape the national governance system.
In just over a year, more than 80 central and state departments and directly affiliated units have been adjusted, and 21 ministerial level institutions have been reduced, involving over 1.8 million people at the central and state level alone... The scope of involvement and the depth of interests involved have made overseas media exclaim that the "intensity is unprecedented" and "unexpected".
Knowing that there are tigers in the mountains and leaning towards them, we cannot avoid the deep waters of reform. We must move forward with courage and determination, even if it is more difficult.
The military reform breaks the long-standing four headquarters system, reducing the number of institutions at or above the division level by more than 200 and streamlining personnel by one-third; The reform of the national and local tax collection and management system has put an end to the 24 year long situation of separating national and local taxes. 34000 institutions have been abolished, and more than 20000 cadres have been transferred from senior positions to deputy positions; The reform of the registered residence system broke through the barriers between urban and rural areas, completely eliminated the distinction between agricultural and non-agricultural household registration, and promoted 100 million non registered residence people to settle down in cities; Abolish the system of reeducation through labor, and withdraw the reeducation through labor system that has lasted for half a century from the historical stage
The more grandiose the reform blueprint, the more it requires the strategy and wisdom of reformers.
time passed by and life changed. With the rapid development of urbanization, the influx of a large number of farmers into cities, and the significant changes in the division of labor in rural areas, there is an urgent need for new adjustments in rural agricultural production relations.
From the separation of "two rights" to the separation of "three rights", this is another major innovation in China's rural reform. With the strength of four or two groups, it has opened up new space for promoting the orderly transfer of rural land management rights and promoting moderate scale operation of various forms of agriculture, while adhering to the collective ownership of rural land and protecting the contracting rights and interests of farmers.
At present, the area of land management rights transfer for household contracted farmland in China has significantly increased, and new types of agricultural management entities such as family farms and farmer cooperatives have flourished, becoming an important force in promoting the development of modern agriculture.
Comprehensively deepening reform and deepening it to a deeper level, there is no experience to follow, no model to follow, and it requires exploration and innovation of "opening the way to mountains and building bridges to water".
In the face of corruption and work style issues within the party, starting from the formulation of the Central Eight point Regulation, we will vigorously promote the reform of the party building system, continuously improve the comprehensive strict governance system of the party, and find the second answer to break out of the historical cycle of chaos and rise and fall; To solve the dilemma of judicial reform, firmly grasp the "bull's nose" of the judicial responsibility system, establish a lifelong responsibility system for the quality of case handling, promote the reform of the litigation system centered on trial, and lock judicial power in the institutional cage; In response to the non-standard issues of different property rights protection, the central government has written the principle of "those with permanent property have perseverance" into a central document, and strengthened the legal path of property rights protection from the top-level design
To the vast yet refined, one child falls and becomes full of vitality.
From the Fourth Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China to steadily promote comprehensive deepening of reform on the track of the rule of law, to the Third Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China to deploy the largest scale institutional reform since the reform and opening up, from the Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee to systematically depict the institutional map of socialism with Chinese characteristics, to the Second Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China to make important arrangements for further deepening the reform of party and state institutions... The magnificent reform map of the new era is spread across the vast land of China.
Ah, China! You have taken a magnificent new step forward
On the morning of December 18, 2018, the grand celebration of the 40th anniversary of reform and opening up was held. The familiar and affectionate melody of 'Stories of Spring' resounds in the Great Hall of the People.
This is the first national level commendation with the theme of reform and opening up.  
Applause is a tribute to history and a call to continue striving.
The great era nurtures great ideas, and great ideas lead great journeys.
On July 21, 2013, in Wuhan, Jiangcheng, heavy rain poured down.
At this time, less than four months before the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the drafting of conference documents is at a critical stage. How to navigate through dangerous shoals, reefs, rapids, and huge waves in the face of more storms and greater resistance in the reform of entering deep waters?
The lightning of thought always precedes the thunder of great change.
——Always take a clear stance, firmly grasp the direction, position, and principles of reform, and ensure the stable and far-reaching development of the reform and opening-up cause.
In June 2015, several draft opinions on adhering to the leadership of the Party and strengthening Party building in deepening the reform of state-owned enterprises were put on the agenda of Zhongnanhai.
State owned enterprise reform is the highlight of economic system reform.  
We must adhere to the synchronous planning of Party building and state-owned enterprise reform, as well as the synchronous establishment of Party organizations and working institutions. Adhering to the Party's leadership over state-owned enterprises is a major political principle that must be consistently followed; establishing a modern enterprise system is the direction of state-owned enterprise reform, and it must also be consistently followed.
By setting the direction, scale, and pace of the reform, and formulating the "1+N" policy system, the Party's leadership and control over state-owned enterprises and assets have been greatly enhanced. The construction of modern enterprise systems has been accelerated, and the vitality and efficiency have been significantly improved.
The deeper and more difficult the reform is, the more we must be familiar with the situation and steer the ship steadily. We must never make subversive mistakes on fundamental issues.
Deep thinking leads to steadfast action.
We must adhere to the principles of upholding integrity and innovation. No matter how we reform, we must never waver in upholding the Party's comprehensive leadership, Marxism, the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and the people's democratic dictatorship. At the same time, we must dare to innovate, improve what needs to be improved and what can be improved, and firmly grasp what needs to be improved.
——Make good use of dialectics to achieve the unity of reform and the rule of law, and the promotion of reform and opening up.
On June 28, 2024, the 10th meeting of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress voted to pass the Law on Rural Collective Economic Organizations, which is of great significance for safeguarding the achievements of the reform of the rural collective property rights system, promoting the high-quality development of the new rural collective economy, safeguarding and developing the interests of farmers, and promoting the comprehensive revitalization of rural areas.
Accurately grasping the dialectical relationship between reform and the rule of law, using the metaphor of "two wings of a bird, two wheels of a car", requires promoting reform under the rule of law, improving the rule of law in reform, making major reforms based on law, timely elevating reform achievements into legal systems, synchronously promoting reform and the rule of law, and enhancing the penetration of reform;
Profoundly reveal the inherent unity of reform and opening up, adhere to promoting reform and development through opening up, implement a more proactive opening strategy, build a new system of higher-level open economy, and continuously expand new development space;
Handle major relationships such as economy and society, government and market, efficiency and fairness, vitality and order, development and security well
Review the size and plan accordingly, and arrange the layout according to the urgency. A sharp and powerful intellectual lever, constantly prying the wheel of history and driving the progress of the times.
——Pay attention to methodology and effectively promote the mutual promotion, coordination, and complementarity of various reform measures.
On September 3, 2015, in the capital city of Beijing, a grand ceremony was held to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti Fascist War. A grand military parade was held in Tiananmen Square, with iron currents rushing and war eagles roaring.
It's heart wrenching! Without reform, the military cannot fight or win battles.
Revoking the seven major military regions, adjusting the division into five major war zones, enforcing strict discipline and anti-corruption measures, and overcoming the phenomenon of lax management, loose work style, and lax discipline... The reformed and reshaped People's Army has a completely new pattern and appearance.
Reform is the historical consciousness of trendsetters and the political courage to face problems head-on.  
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the 72 meetings of the Central Leading Group for Deepening Reforms and the Central Committee for Deepening Reforms have almost always called for highlighting problem orientation and focusing on major issues.
Aiming at the stubborn problem of "judges not judging, judges not judging", we will promote judicial system reform, overcome the tendency towards "institutionalization, administration, aristocracy, and entertainment", increase group reform, break down the chaos of "seal walls", and deepen the reform of the administrative approval system... We will eliminate bottlenecks and pain points, and reform will continuously add momentum and vitality to development.
Comprehensively deepening reform, the new lies in comprehensiveness, and the difficulty lies in deepening. How to prevent and overcome the constraints of different reforms and mutual constraints?
On October 12, 2021, China announced the establishment of the first batch of national parks, including Sanjiangyuan, giant pandas, and Northeast tigers and leopards, completely changing the fragmented management of "one mountain, one water, one forest, and one grass" in the past and breaking through the dilemma of "nine dragons controlling water".
Pay more attention to system integration, plan and promote with a global perspective and systematic thinking, and accelerate the overall effect of deepening reforms comprehensively.
The key to reform lies in implementation, but it is also difficult to implement. Promoting the implementation and effectiveness of reforms has been placed in a more prominent position.
——Practicing values, always striving for reform for the people, reform relying on the people, and reform achievements shared by the people.
Behind the magnificent reform process of the new era, 'the people' is the logical starting point and the ultimate value.
On March 23, 2021, Shaxian General Hospital, Sanming City, Fujian Province.
The General Secretary was very pleased to learn that more than 8000 yuan of the 13000 yuan expenditure was reimbursed.
From the rural "toilet revolution" to urban garbage classification, from preventing and controlling "little glasses" to promoting clean heating, every "small matter" of people's livelihood has been integrated into the top-level design of national development, becoming the driving force and foothold of reform, and the people's sense of gain, happiness, and security continues to improve.
Reform is meaningful only when it is for the people; Only by relying on the people can reform be motivated.
Respect the pioneering spirit of the people, focus on summarizing and promoting grassroots experiences such as rural comprehensive reform, "maximum one visit", and the "Fengqiao experience" in the new era... Comprehensively deepen reform, fully mobilize the enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity of all parties, and gather a powerful force for continuous progress.
The long river of history flows endlessly, and the waves of ideas roll up huge waves.
Adhere to the leadership of the Party, adhere to the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, persist in exploring and innovating, adhere to people-centered reform, adhere to problem orientation, adhere to emancipating the mind, adhere to deepening reform on the track of the rule of law, adhere to scientific methodology, adhere to opening up to promote reform and development, adhere to the Party's self revolution leading the great social revolution
Skilled in utilizing strategic thinking, dialectical thinking, systematic thinking, innovative thinking, historical thinking, rule of law thinking, and bottom line thinking, grasping the "master switch", gnawing on the "hard bones", leading the "bull's nose", playing the "first move", taking the "initiative", breaking through the "middle obstruction"
The scope, scale, and intensity of the comprehensive deepening of reforms in the new era are rare in the world. The reforms promoted are comprehensive, profound, and fundamental, and the achievements made are historic, revolutionary, and pioneering
The meeting comprehensively reviewed the historical process of comprehensively deepening reforms since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, and profoundly pointed out:
In the 10 years of the new era, the reforms we have promoted are comprehensive, profound, and fundamental, and the achievements we have made are historic, revolutionary, and pioneering
Over the past decade, we have forged ahead and drawn a path of upward growth for a nation, witnessing the great transformation of the new era towards a broader horizon.
Time goes back to 2012.
This year, China's economic growth rate fell below 8% for the first time in the new century, and problems such as frequent environmental pollution and unsustainable extensive development were unavoidable.
At the meeting, General Secretary emphasized the urgency of reform: "Accelerating the strategic adjustment of economic structure is the trend of the times and cannot be delayed
From judging that China's economic development is in the stage of "three-stage superposition", proposing the "new normal", deploying supply side structural reforms, and making the significant judgment that "China's economy has shifted from a high-speed growth stage to a high-quality development stage"
The deepening of "quality transformation" - "three reductions, one reduction, and one supplement" - promotes the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries, the vigorous development of emerging industries, new breakthroughs in high-end equipment manufacturing, intelligent manufacturing, and other fields, and accelerates the transformation of old and new driving forces;
Efficiency transformation "- firmly grasping the core issue of handling the relationship between the government and the market through administrative approval system reform, factor marketization reform, etc., making the decisive role of the market in resource allocation more prominent;
Dynamic transformation "- from" breaking the four barriers "and" setting new standards ", supporting scientists to boldly explore with" unveiling the list and leading the way "and" horse racing system ", to adhering to the" dual wheel drive "of technological innovation and institutional mechanism innovation, innovation vitality continues to burst forth, and new technological achievements emerge endlessly;
……
Since the Third Plenum of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the first priority has been to comprehensively deepen reform, anchor development, continuously open up new space, provide new momentum, and create new conditions. The Chinese economy has steadily and steadily moved forward on the track of high-quality development.
What does comprehensive deepening of reform mean for the people?
For Yang Buzhao, an elderly person living alone in Yantai, Shandong, it is a peaceful and warm life in his later years. Thanks to the establishment and improvement of the basic elderly care service list system, special difficulties such as living alone, empty nest, and left behind elderly people like him can enjoy various basic elderly care services such as visitation care and health management;
For Liu Jianxiong, who works in Guangzhou, it is a heavy residence permit - thanks to the first reform of the residence permit system in Guangdong, which changed from "temporary" to "residence", millions of migrant workers like Liu Jianxiong can also enjoy various public services such as housing, social security, medical care, and children's enrollment;
As for Bai Maqiao, the manager of Yani Wetland in Xizang, it is green grass and clear water - thanks to the delimitation of ecological protection red line and the promotion of wetland park construction, the local gravel plant has been closed, the villagers' environmental awareness has become stronger and stronger, and the beautiful scenery of the wetland has gradually recovered;
……
"The fundamental purpose of our reform is to make the country more prosperous and strong, make the society more fair and just, and make the people live a better life." This is the pure heart of the CPC in the new era, as well as the transcript of comprehensively deepening reform in the new era.
By promoting poverty alleviation through reform and establishing precise poverty alleviation mechanisms, we have created a great miracle of lifting nearly 100 million rural poor people out of poverty in 8 years, and comprehensively built a moderately prosperous society on the land of China;
Through reform, we can solve urgent and difficult problems, cancel the drug and consumables markups that have been implemented for many years, establish a centralized procurement system, vigorously tackle the "hard bones" under the reform of the medical and health system, and solve the problem of difficult and expensive medical treatment for the masses;
To safeguard social equity through reform, from striving to provide every child with fair and quality education, to building the world's largest social security system, vividly interpreting the saying 'making people's lives happy is the' greatest of the country ';
By reforming and gathering the wisdom and public opinion of the people, developing the whole process of people's democracy, and widely incorporating the wisdom of the masses into the decision-making process, platforms such as "small courtyard discussion halls" and "resident think tanks" enable the people to be the masters of their own affairs and implement them effectively;
……
Since the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, more than 2000 reform plans have been implemented, with the capitalized word "human" running through them, writing a new chapter of putting the people first.
Compared to the past, the reform and opening up in the new era has many new connotations and characteristics, among which an important one is that institutional construction carries more weight.
By mid November 2023, the first determination of the level of supervisory officers at the city and county levels in 31 provinces (regions, cities) and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps will be fully completed. This marks the successful completion of the first determination of the level of national supervisory officers since 2022, and an important step forward in the reform of the national supervisory system.
From the implementation of the Supervision Law, to the completion of the establishment of national and provincial, municipal, and county level supervision committees, and to the formulation and promulgation of supporting regulations such as the Law on Administrative Penalties for Public Officials... The reform of the national supervision system has shifted from pilot to comprehensive implementation, realizing the transformation from supervising the "narrow government" to the "broad government", and gradually transforming the institutional advantages formed by the reform into governance efficiency.
The overall goal of comprehensively deepening reform is to improve and develop the socialist system with Chinese characteristics, promote the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity.
Capture the 'key points'. The fundamental system of establishing and adhering to the guiding position of Marxism in the ideological field through cultural system reform, improving the system of arming the entire Party, educating the people, and guiding practical work with the Party's innovative theories, continuously improving the modern cultural industry system, market system, and public cultural service system, greatly stimulating the vitality of cultural innovation and creation of the whole nation;
Avoid fragmentation. The reform of the ecological civilization system abandons the old ideas, establishes the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, establishes and implements the central environmental inspection and river and lake chief system, and introduces the "strictest" environmental protection law in history. Through a series of systematic and integrated measures, the beautiful China has become a magnificent sight;
Skilled in playing 'combination punches'. The reform of the administrative system takes accelerating the transformation of government functions as a breakthrough point, significantly reducing administrative approval items, completely canceling non administrative licensing approvals, comprehensively implementing the power list, responsibility list, and negative list system, creating a good business environment, and better playing the role of government management and services;
……
The Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China made a top-level design for comprehensively deepening reforms, the Fourth Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee deployed the rule of law comprehensively, and the Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China made 13 institutional arrangements.
Comprehensively deepening reform always highlights the main line of institutional construction, continuously improves the institutional framework, consolidates fundamental systems, improves basic systems, innovates important systems, and builds the "four beams and eight pillars" of institutional construction.
Reform and opening up complement and promote each other.
In September 2023, China's first pilot free trade zone, Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone, celebrated its 10th birthday.
More than a month later, China's 22nd pilot free trade zone, Xinjiang Pilot Free Trade Zone, was unveiled and established, becoming the first pilot free trade zone in the northwest border area.
The two pilot free trade zones, one in the east and one in the west, echo each other from the coast to the inland, witnessing the ever opening door of China.
In 2023 alone, the total import and export of China's pilot free trade zones will reach 7.67 trillion yuan, accounting for 18.4% of China's total import and export value.
Expand the door to openness and embark on a stable path of reform.
Implementing the Foreign Investment Law, revising and expanding the list of industries that encourage foreign investment, continuously reducing the negative list for foreign investment access, increasing efforts to attract and utilize foreign investment, and strengthening the "magnetic force" of China's opening up;
From more than 200 "the Belt and Road" cooperation documents, to the "exhibition matrix" composed of Canton Fair, China Import Expo, China International Trade Fair, China Consumer Fair, etc., China's opening "stage" is growing;
The contribution rate to global economic growth exceeds 30%, the added value of manufacturing accounts for about 30% of the world's total, and the global export share remains at a relatively high level of about 14%. China is a major trading partner for more than 140 countries and regions worldwide, and its "weight" of opening up is becoming increasingly important;
……
Since the Third Plenum of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the construction of new mechanisms for opening up has accelerated, and institutional openness such as rules, regulations, management, and standards has steadily advanced. China is embracing the world with an open attitude and injecting strong momentum into global economic development.
Time is the most objective witness.
When the Third Plenum Communique of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China was released, foreign media predicted that the Plenum would take a crucial step forward for China and accelerate the reform and opening up that began more than 30 years ago.
More than a decade later, China has not disappointed, and the historic, revolutionary, and pioneering achievements made in comprehensively deepening reforms have filled us with confidence
Looking at the world, no country or political party has been able to push for such a large-scale, extensive, and powerful reform in such a short period of time, nor has any country or political party been able to achieve such historic changes, systematic reshaping, and overall restructuring in the reform process.

Edit:He Chuanning Responsible editor:Su Suiyue

Source:Xinhua

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