Opening Up Broader Prospects for Chinese-Path Modernization

President Xi Jinping stressed in his 2025 New Year address that the successful convening of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China has sounded the clarion call for further deepening reform comprehensively. [1]1 The Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC: The Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, held in July 2024, focused on further deepening comprehensive reform. Riding the great tide of reform and opening up, we stride forward with big steps; Chinese-path modernization will surely open up even broader prospects in reform and opening up. The current and coming period is a crucial period for comprehensively advancing the building of a strong country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-path modernization. What can we rely on to further rally our hearts and strength? It is Chinese-path modernization. Further deepening reform comprehensively must be carried out closely around the theme of advancing Chinese-path modernization.

习近平主席在2025年新年贺词中强调，党的二十届三中全会胜利召开，吹响进一步全面深化改革的号角。我们乘着改革开放的时代大潮阔步前行，中国式现代化必将在改革开放中开辟更加广阔的前景。当前和今后一个时期是以中国式现代化全面推进强国建设、民族复兴伟业的关键时期。我们靠什么来进一步凝心聚力？就要靠中国式现代化。进一步全面深化改革，必须紧紧围绕推进中国式现代化这个主题来展开。

First, the historic transformation from "modernization in China" to "Chinese-path modernization" is the historical process of moving toward and realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

第一，从“现代化在中国”到“中国式现代化”的历史性转变，是走向和实现中华民族伟大复兴的历史进程。

After the Opium War of 1840, China gradually became a semicolonial and semifeudal society. The country endured humiliation, the people suffered, and civilization was covered in dust; the Chinese nation suffered unprecedented calamities. From the "learn from the barbarians' strong skills to control the barbarians" of the Westernization Movement [2]2 Westernization Movement: A self-strengthening movement (c. 1861–1895) led by Qing officials to introduce Western military, industrial, and educational methods in an effort to preserve the dynasty. to the nascent bourgeois industrialization movement led by Sun Yat-sen, these were all responses to the impact of Western modernization. It was the Communist Party of China leading the Chinese people to strive for the two historic tasks of national independence, national liberation, national prosperity and strength, and the people's happiness; to establish the People's Republic of China; and to determine the basic socialist system—only then was the foundation for Chinese-path modernization further laid.

1840年鸦片战争以后，中国逐步成为半殖民地半封建社会，国家蒙辱、人民蒙难、文明蒙尘，中华民族遭受了前所未有的劫难。从洋务运动的“师夷之长技以制夷”到孙中山先生领导的新兴资产阶级工业化运动，都是对西方现代化冲击的回应。中国共产党领导中国人民为完成国家独立、民族解放和国家富强、人民幸福这两大历史任务而奋斗，建立中华人民共和国，确定社会主义基本制度，才进一步奠定了中国式现代化的基石。

Roughly traced, Chinese-path modernization can be divided into two historical periods: before and after reform and opening up. These two historical periods are not cut off from or opposed to each other, still less can one negate the other; they are different stages of socialist construction and the exploration of Chinese-path modernization. Among them, the original theoretical achievements and tremendous accomplishments gained during socialist revolution and construction laid the fundamental political prerequisite, theoretical preparation, material foundation, and valuable experience for Chinese-path modernization.

大致梳理，中国式现代化可分为改革开放前和改革开放后两个历史时期。这两个历史时期并非割裂开来、对立起来的，更不能用一个否定另一个，它们是社会主义建设和中国式现代化探索的不同阶段。其中，社会主义革命和建设取得的独创性理论成果和巨大成就，为中国式现代化奠定了根本政治前提、理论准备、物质基础和宝贵经验。

Reform and opening up was a new great revolution, a key move that decided the fate of contemporary China, and a powerful driving force for advancing Chinese-path modernization. In 1979, Comrade Deng Xiaoping for the first time clearly put forward "taking a Chinese-style modernization path" and "Chinese-style modernization must proceed from China's characteristics"; he also interpreted the "four modernizations" [3]3 The "four modernizations": The goals of modernizing industry, agriculture, national defense, and science and technology, first proposed by Zhou Enlai in 1964 and later invoked by Deng Xiaoping in relation to Chinese-style modernization. as "Chinese-style modernization" and envisioned achieving basic moderate prosperity (xiaokang) by 2000. Without reform and opening up, Chinese-path modernization could never have achieved such brilliant accomplishments. The new period of reform and opening up and socialist modernization achieved a historic leap from inadequate food and clothing to moderate prosperity in general and toward comprehensive moderate prosperity, providing an institutional guarantee full of new vitality and rapid development in material conditions for Chinese-path modernization, and propelled the great leap of the Chinese nation from standing up to becoming prosperous.

改革开放是一场新的伟大革命，是决定当代中国命运的关键一招，是推进中国式现代化的强大动力。1979年，邓小平同志第一次明确提出“走一条中国式的现代化道路”“中国式的现代化，必须从中国的特点出发”，还把“四个现代化”解读为“中国式的现代化”，并构想在2000年实现基本小康。如果不是改革开放，中国式现代化就不可能取得如此辉煌的成就。改革开放和社会主义建设新时期实现了人民生活从温饱不足到总体小康、奔向全面小康的历史性跨越，为中国式现代化提供了充满新的活力的体制保证和快速发展的物质条件，推进了中华民族从站起来到富起来的伟大飞跃。

Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a New Era, embarking on a new journey of building a strong country and rejuvenating the nation. Take the solid promotion of high-quality development as an example: regional development has been coordinated and synergistic, accumulating strength; new-type urbanization and rural revitalization have integrated and resonated in tandem; green and low-carbon development has been pushed forward in depth; the picture of a beautiful China is being gradually unfurled. In particular, new quality productive forces have been cultivated according to local conditions; new industries, new business forms, and new models have emerged in competition; the annual production of new energy vehicles exceeded 10 million units; new achievements have been made in fields such as integrated circuits, artificial intelligence, and quantum communication; all of these demonstrate the lofty ambition and heroic spirit of the Chinese people chasing their dreams of the stars and the sea.

党的十八大以来，中国特色社会主义进入新时代，开启了强国建设、民族复兴新征程。以扎实推动高质量发展为例，区域发展协同联动、积厚成势，新型城镇化和乡村振兴相互融合、同频共振，绿色低碳发展纵深推进，美丽中国画卷徐徐铺展。特别是，因地制宜培育新质生产力，新产业新业态新模式竞相涌现，新能源汽车年产量突破1000万辆，集成电路、人工智能、量子通信等领域取得新成果，展现了中国人逐梦星辰大海的豪情壮志。

Today, we are closer to, more confident in, and more capable of realizing the goal of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation than at any other time in history. With the in-depth implementation of a series of major strategies including the strategy of rejuvenating the country through science and education, the strategy of strengthening the nation through talent, and the strategy of rural revitalization, we will have more complete institutional guarantees, a more solid material foundation, and a more proactive spiritual strength. These will support the basic realization of the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity, and the basic realization of socialist modernization, laying a solid foundation for building a modern socialist country in all respects by the middle of this century.

今天，我们比历史上任何时期都更接近、更有信心和能力实现中华民族伟大复兴的目标。伴随科教兴国战略、人才强国战略、乡村振兴战略等一系列重大战略深入实施，我们将具备更为完善的制度保证、更为坚实的物质基础、更为主动的精神力量，进而支撑基本实现国家治理体系和治理能力现代化、基本实现社会主义现代化，为到本世纪中叶全面建成社会主义现代化强国奠定坚实基础。

Second, Chinese-path modernization has shattered the myth that "modernization equals Westernization," enabling people to further realize that "modernization across the world has both commonalities and characteristics based on the actual conditions of each country."

第二，中国式现代化打破了“现代化=西方化”的迷思，让世人进一步意识到“世界各国的现代化既有共同性，又有基于各自国情的独特性”。

Modernization does not equal Westernization. Modernization has both universality and particularity. There is neither a one-size-fits-all model of modernization nor a universal standard of modernization that applies everywhere. Chinese-path modernization is a socialist modernization led by the Communist Party of China. It possesses both the common features of modernization in all countries and Chinese characteristics based on its own actual conditions.

现代化不等于西方化。现代化既有普遍性，又有特殊性。世界上既不存在定于一尊的现代化模式，也不存在放之四海而皆准的现代化标准。中国式现代化是中国共产党领导的社会主义现代化，既有各国现代化的共同特征，更有基于自己国情的中国特色。

The modernization process in the West, which began with the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century, has been roughly synchronized with the development of capitalist society. But to conclude from this that modernization equals Westernization, or that modernization can be achieved only through capitalism, is a narrow understanding of modernization. For a country to achieve modernization, it must not only follow the general laws of modernization but also conform to its own actual conditions and have its own characteristics.

西方从18世纪工业革命开始的现代化进程，大致与资本主义社会发展过程同步。但据此认为现代化就是西方化，或者说只有通过资本主义才能实现现代化，是对现代化的一种狭隘理解。一个国家走向现代化，既要遵循现代化一般规律，更要符合本国实际、具有本国特色。

All roads lead to Rome. There is no fixed model for the path of modernization; what suits one's own conditions is good. The successful practice of Chinese-path modernization has world significance. It has expanded the path choices for developing countries to achieve modernization and has provided Chinese wisdom and a Chinese approach to those countries and nations in the world that want to accelerate development while maintaining their independence.

条条大路通罗马。现代化道路没有固定模式，适合自己的才是好的。中国式现代化的成功实践具有世界意义，拓展了发展中国家走向现代化的路径选择，给世界上那些既想加快发展、又想保持自身独立性的国家和民族提供了中国智慧、中国方案。

In his speech at the ceremony marking the centenary of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "We uphold and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics, promote the coordinated development of material civilization, political civilization, cultural-ethical progress, social civilization, and ecological civilization, have created a new path of Chinese-path modernization, and have created a new form of human civilization." Here, linking socialism with Chinese characteristics with the new path of Chinese-path modernization and the new form of human civilization is a high-level summary of the historical and world significance of the Chinese path, marking a new orientation for the path of Chinese-path modernization and a new height for the development of Chinese civilization.

习近平总书记在庆祝中国共产党成立100周年大会上的讲话中指出：“我们坚持和发展中国特色社会主义，推动物质文明、政治文明、精神文明、社会文明、生态文明协调发展，创造了中国式现代化新道路，创造了人类文明新形态。”这里，把中国特色社会主义与中国式现代化新道路、人类文明新形态联系在一起，是对中国道路的历史意义和世界意义的高度概括，标注了中国式现代化道路的新定位、中华文明发展的新高度。

Going further, Chinese-path modernization is deeply rooted in fine traditional Chinese culture, embodies the advanced essence of scientific socialism, draws on and absorbs all outstanding achievements of human civilization, represents the development direction of the progress of human civilization, and presents a new picture different from the Western model of modernization. The best way to inherit history is to create new history; the greatest respect for human civilization is to create a new form of human civilization. We must, while adhering to economic construction as the central task, comprehensively advance economic construction, political construction, cultural construction, social construction, and ecological civilization construction, driving the gradual approach from quantitative accumulation to a qualitative leap, and achieving a dynamic evolution of continuous innovation, continuous improvement, continuous development, and continuous transcendence.

进一步看，中国式现代化深深植根于中华优秀传统文化，体现科学社会主义的先进本质，借鉴吸收一切人类优秀文明成果，代表人类文明进步的发展方向，展现了不同于西方现代化模式的新图景。对历史最好的继承就是创造新的历史，对人类文明最大的礼敬就是创造人类文明新形态。我们要在坚持以经济建设为中心的同时，全面推进经济建设、政治建设、文化建设、社会建设、生态文明建设，驱动从量的积累日益接近质的飞跃，实现不断创新、不断完善、不断发展、不断超越的动态演进。

Third, summarizing and expounding in depth the theory of Chinese-path modernization is a major achievement of scientific socialism and an important component of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.

第三，概括提出、深入阐述中国式现代化理论是科学社会主义的重大成果，是习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想的重要组成部分。

Chinese-path modernization is a socialist modernization led by the Communist Party of China; it is modernization with a huge population, modernization of common prosperity for all people, modernization of material and cultural-ethical progress in harmony, modernization of harmony between humans and nature, and modernization on the path of peaceful development. Chinese-path modernization is a systematic project that requires handling the relationship between top-level design and practical exploration, between strategy and tactics, between upholding fundamental principles and breaking new ground, between efficiency and fairness, between vitality and order, and between self-reliance and opening up to the outside world.

中国式现代化是中国共产党领导的社会主义现代化，是人口规模巨大的现代化、全体人民共同富裕的现代化、物质文明和精神文明相协调的现代化、人与自然和谐共生的现代化、走和平发展道路的现代化；中国式现代化是一个系统工程，需要处理好顶层设计与实践探索的关系、战略与策略的关系、守正与创新的关系、效率与公平的关系、活力与秩序的关系、自立自强与对外开放的关系。

Going further, the unique worldview, values, view of history, view of civilization, view of democracy, and view of ecology embedded in Chinese-path modernization, along with their great practice, enable us to further deepen our understanding of the connotation and essence of Chinese-path modernization, to summarize and form the Chinese characteristics, essential requirements, and major principles of Chinese-path modernization, to initially construct the theoretical system of Chinese-path modernization, and to make Chinese-path modernization clearer, more scientific, more tangible, and more feasible. It reflects the spirit of the times and answers the questions of the times, continuously enriching and developing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.

进一步看，中国式现代化蕴含的独特世界观、价值观、历史观、文明观、民主观、生态观等及其伟大实践，使我们得以进一步深化对中国式现代化内涵和本质的认识，概括形成中国式现代化的中国特色、本质要求和重大原则，初步构建中国式现代化的理论体系，使中国式现代化更加清晰、更加科学、更加可感可行。它反映时代精神、回答时代课题，不断丰富和发展习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想。

(The author is a former member of the Academic Committee and professor at the Institute of Party History and Literature of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China) [4]4 Institute of Party History and Literature of the Central Committee of the CPC: A central research institution under the CPC Central Committee responsible for compiling and researching the Party's history and theoretical literature.

（作者为中共中央党史和文献研究院原院务委员、教授）

(Online editor: Huihui)

网络编辑：慧慧