The Scientific Method of Developing New Quality Productive Forces in Light of Local Conditions

In October 2024, at the opening ceremony of a seminar for principal leading officials at the provincial and ministerial level to study the spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: “Reform is a systematic engineering project and requires a scientific method to handle relationships in all aspects.”[1] The Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee made developing new quality productive forces in light of local conditions a major measure to improve the institutions and mechanisms for promoting high-quality economic development, proposing to “accelerate the formation of relations of production more compatible with new quality productive forces, and promote the concentration of all kinds of advanced production factors toward the development of new quality productive forces.”[2] The theory of new quality productive forces constitutes the underlying logic of Xi Jinping’s economic thought, and developing new quality productive forces in light of local conditions brings together the methodological wisdom of Xi Jinping’s economic thought. To advance and expand Chinese-path modernization through further comprehensively deepening reform, we must grasp these scientific methods completely, accurately, and comprehensively.

2024年10月，习近平总书记在省部级主要领导干部学习贯彻党的二十届三中全会精神专题研讨班开班式上强调：“改革是一项系统工程，需要讲求科学方法，处理好方方面面的关系。”[1]党的二十届三中全会将因地制宜发展新质生产力作为健全推动经济高质量发展体制机制的重要举措，提出“加快形成同新质生产力更相适应的生产关系，促进各类先进生产要素向发展新质生产力集聚”[2]。新质生产力理论构成习近平经济思想的底层逻辑，因地制宜发展新质生产力汇聚习近平经济思想的方法智慧，以进一步全面深化改革推进和拓展中国式现代化，必须完整、准确、全面掌握这些科学方法。

I. Strategic Thinking: Adding luster for one region while contributing to the overall picture

一、战略思维：做到既为一域增光又为全局添彩

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: “Strategic issues are fundamental issues for a political party and a country. If judgments are accurate at the strategic level, planning is scientific at the strategic level, and initiative is gained at the strategic level, the cause of the Party and the people will have great hopes.”[3] “The relationship between strategy and tactics”[4] is one of the major relationships in Chinese-path modernization.

习近平总书记强调：“战略问题是一个政党、一个国家的根本性问题。战略上判断得准确，战略上谋划得科学，战略上赢得主动，党和人民事业就大有希望。”[3]“战略与策略的关系”[4]是中国式现代化的一对重大关系。

Developing new quality productive forces in light of local conditions requires, at the strategic level, attaching great importance to collaborative innovation and a unified market. Faced with the new round of global technological revolution and industrial transformation, the role of the state as the organizer of cutting-edge technology research and development is increasingly important. As of now, the central government has established five comprehensive national science centers across the country and deployed a series of large-scale scientific facilities. It is necessary to improve the new type of nationwide system for mobilizing resources[9] under the centralized and unified leadership of the Central Science and Technology Commission, leverage the collective research efforts of science and technology parks, higher education institutions, specialized and new enterprises[10], national laboratories, and key national laboratories in various localities, and create an innovation ecosystem for self-reliance and strength in science and technology in the New Era.[11] Since the start of the New Era, as China’s economy has entered the new normal[12], the effect of regional synergy has been greater than that of competition. New quality productive forces should be developed in light of local conditions while serving the national unified market.

因地制宜发展新质生产力从战略上要高度重视协同创新和统一市场。面对世界新一轮科技革命和产业变革，国家作为最前沿技术攻关组织者的作用越来越重要。截至目前，中央已在全国设立五家综合性国家科学中心，部署一系列大科学装置，要健全中央科委集中统一领导下新型举国体制，发挥各地科技园区、高等院校、“专精特新”企业和国家实验室、全国重点实验室的科研合力，营造新时代科技自立自强的创新生态。新时代以来，随着中国经济进入新常态，区域协同效应大于竞争效应，要在服务全国统一大市场下因地制宜发展新质生产力。

II. Historical Thinking: Continuing the lineage of flourishing advanced productive forces

二、历史思维：赓续先进生产力兴旺发达的脉络

Marx, from the path of legal philosophy, and Engels, from the path of national economics, arrived by different routes at the same conclusion of historical materialism, that social being determines social consciousness. Marxism holds that the advanced capitalist mode of production swept away the traditional order of feudal society, and the broad masses of proletarians, fully integrated with machine-based large-scale production, became the class representatives of advanced productive forces. The Communist Party is the highest form in which the proletariat organizes itself, the vanguard of the proletariat, and can most concentratively represent the developmental demands of advanced productive forces. The Communist Party of China is the historical necessity of the combination of Marxism-Leninism and the Chinese workers’ movement, evolving from the vanguard representing the laboring masses into the vanguard of the entire people. The victory of the New Democratic Revolution overthrew the “three big mountains”[13] that oppressed the people, greatly liberating the productive forces. The great decision of reform and opening up adjusted all relations of production and political superstructure that hindered the development of productive forces, greatly developing the productive forces. Since the New Era, under the leadership of high-quality development as the hard truth, new quality productive forces have emerged from nothing, grown from small to large, and flourished with the support of a series of favorable policies. History proves that only by adhering to the overall leadership of the Party, especially the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, can new quality productive forces be rapidly formed and new-type relations of production be rapidly shaped.

马克思从法哲学路径、恩格斯从国民经济学路径殊途同归，得到了社会存在决定社会意识的唯物史观结论。马克思主义认为，先进的资本主义生产方式荡涤了封建社会的传统秩序，广大无产者与机器化大生产充分结合，成为先进生产力的阶级代表。共产党是无产阶级组织自己的最高形式，是无产阶级的先锋队，最能集中代表先进生产力的发展要求。中国共产党是马克思列宁主义与中国工人运动相结合的历史必然，由最初代表劳动群众的先锋队变成全体人民的先锋队。新民主主义革命的胜利，推翻了压迫人民的“三座大山”，极大地解放了生产力。改革开放的伟大决策，调整了一切阻碍生产力发展的生产关系和政治上层建筑，极大地发展了生产力。新时代以来，在高质量发展这个硬道理的引领下，新质生产力从无到有、由小做大，在一系列利好政策的支持下蓬勃发展。历史证明，只有坚持党的全面领导、尤其是以习近平同志为核心的党中央集中统一领导，新质生产力才能加快形成，新型生产关系才能加快塑造。

III. Dialectical Thinking: Coordinating the relationship between innovation and quality in productive forces

三、辩证思维：统筹好生产力创新与质优的关系

The relationship between “new” and “quality” is the basic category of new quality productive forces. The “new” in new quality productive forces is the sum of scientific and technological innovation, industrial innovation, and other innovations. Scientific and technological innovation is the “first kilometer” in the generation of new quality productive forces. In the context of changes unseen in a century, China’s scientific and technological innovation can only take the path of independent innovation and self-reliance; key core technologies must be tackled independently by relying on the new type of nationwide system for mobilizing resources. Industrial innovation is the “last kilometer” in the generation of new quality productive forces. The transformation of results and conversion to commercial use is a key link to break through the “innovation island”[14] and smooth the innovation chain. The “quality” in new quality productive forces is high-quality development that fully, accurately, and comprehensively implements the new development concept[15]. It not only highlights scientific and technological innovation as the core element but also manifests as a state of advanced productive forces that coordinates the upstream and downstream of the industrial chain, pursues harmony between man and nature, promotes domestic and international dual circulation, and serves the comprehensive development of all people.

“新”与“质”的关系是新质生产力的基本范畴。新质生产力之“新”，是科技创新、产业创新和其他创新的总和。科技创新是新质生产力生成的“最初一公里”。在百年未有之大变局下，我国科技创新只能走自主创新、科技自立自强之路，关键核心技术只有依托新型举国体制自己攻坚。产业创新是新质生产力生成的“最后一公里”。成果转化和转为商用是突破“创新孤岛”、畅通创新链的关键环节。新质生产力之“质”，是完整、准确、全面贯彻新发展理念的高质量发展，不仅突出科技创新这个核心要素，而且是产业链上下游相协调、追求人与自然和谐共生、促进国内国际双循环和服务全体人民全面发展的先进生产力质态。

Innovation is a characteristic. Over more than 40 years of reform and opening up, the driving force behind rapid economic development has been factor-driven, fully leveraging the advantages of labor and natural resources to build a solid material foundation. As socialism with Chinese characteristics enters the New Era, high-quality development has become a new stage of national economic development. The old production function has changed to total factor productivity. New quality productive forces can no longer grow proportionally through a large amount of factor input; they face tight constraints from resources and the environment. Scientific and technological innovation leading industrial innovation has become the only new path for the cultivation of new quality productive forces.

创新是特点。改革开放40多年来，经济快速发展的动力是要素驱动，是充分发挥劳动力和自然资源优势厚植的物质基础。中国特色社会主义进入新时代，高质量发展成为国民经济发展的新阶段，旧的生产函数变为全要素生产率，新质生产力不再是靠大量要素投入就能正比例增长的，面临来自资源和环境的紧约束，科技创新引领产业创新成为新质生产力培育唯一的新路径。

Quality is the key. When the Party Central Committee introduced supply-side structural reform at the end of 2015, its original aspiration was to expand high-quality production capacity and eliminate backward production capacity, making the national production system become high-end, intelligent, and green from the supply side. From the perspective of the value chain, traditionally China mainly occupied low value-added production links in the international division of labor, while lacking competitiveness in the two high value-added links on either side of the “smiling curve”[16]—R&D, design, and brand marketing. Therefore, it is necessary to “vigorously enhance quality awareness, treat quality as life”[5], and continuously climb to higher ends of the value chain in the course of high-quality development.

质优是关键。党中央2015年底提出供给侧结构性改革时的初心就是扩大优质产能、淘汰落后产能，使国家生产体系从供给端实现高端化、智能化、绿色化。从价值链的角度考察，传统上中国在国际分工体系主要占据低附加值的生产环节，而在“微笑曲线”两侧的研发设计和品牌营销两个高附加值环节缺乏竞争力，因此要“大力增强质量意识，视质量为生命”[5]，在高质量发展中不断向价值链更高端攀登。

IV. Systematic Thinking: Forming a coordinated chess game where different levels and regions play to their strengths

四、系统思维：形成各级各地错位扬长的一盘棋

Resource endowments, industrial bases, and scientific research conditions constitute the basis for developing new quality productive forces in light of local conditions. Topography and landforms, climate and hydrology, cultural traditions, development paths, and values determine the huge differences between China’s regions. The development of new quality productive forces inevitably has a process of localization. All localities should make full use of their most abundant resource endowments to develop industries, thereby forming the greatest comparative advantages. On the new journey[17], developing new quality productive forces cannot be separated from the industrial base that has been formed locally over many years. It is necessary to achieve the integration of scientific and technological conditions with industrial conditions along the upstream and downstream of the industrial chain, and first form highlands for cultivating new quality productive forces in central cities.

资源禀赋、产业基础、科研条件构成各地因地制宜发展新质生产力的依据。地形地貌、气候水文、文化传统、发展路径、价值观念等决定我国区域间存在巨大差异。发展新质生产力必然有一个本地化的过程。各地要充分发挥当地资源禀赋最丰厚的要素发展产业，这样才能形成最大的比较优势。新征程上，发展新质生产力不能脱离当地长年形成的产业基础，要实现科技条件同产业条件在产业链上下游贯通联合，在中心城市率先形成培育新质生产力的高地。

Attention must be paid to the gradation, substantiveness, and diversity of adapting to local conditions. The cultivation of new quality productive forces must be grasped in accordance with different industry types, different industry natures, and different industry paths — their gradation, substantiveness, and diversity. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, “The institutional interest rate spread in the financial industry is obvious; for a time there existed a strong mentality of ‘collecting money while sitting on the ground’[18]. It is necessary to highlight a customer demand-oriented approach, create value through service, and compete on competitiveness to earn a living.”[6] Departing from the real economy has never been the correct path for the development of socialist finance. Providing full-cycle services for cultivating and expanding new quality productive forces is a major principle of modern socialist finance. There is not only one model for developing new quality productive forces. We must establish a mindset of a coordinated whole; find one’s own strengths in the overall situation of Chinese-path modernization, leveraging strengths, avoiding weaknesses, consolidating fundamentals, and fostering innovation.

注重因地制宜的层次性、实体性和多样性。必须遵循不同产业类型、不同产业性质、不同产业进路把握新质生产力培育的层次性、实体性和多样性。习近平总书记指出，“金融业制度性利差明显，一度存在‘坐地收钱’的强势思维，要突出以客户需求为导向、以服务创造价值，靠竞争力吃饭。”[6]脱离实体经济从来不是社会主义金融发展的正道，为培育和壮大新质生产力提供全周期服务才是社会主义现代金融的一大要旨。发展新质生产力不只有一种模式，要树立一盘棋思想，在中国式现代化大局中找准自身优长，扬长避短、固本兴新。

V. Innovative Thinking: Integrating education, science and technology, and talent innovation in a unified manner

五、创新思维：一体化推进教育科技人才的创新

The development of new quality productive forces inevitably requires building a strong country in education. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: “It is necessary to comprehensively implement the strategy of rejuvenating the country through science and education[19], the strategy of strengthening the country through talent[20], and the innovation-driven development strategy[21], and integratively advance educational development, scientific and technological innovation, and talent cultivation.”[7] Building a strong country in education essentially solves the problem of having successors for the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation. Oriented toward modernization, we must cultivate talent in response to major contemporary issues such as high-level self-reliance and strength in science and technology, construction of a modern industrial system, and new-type urbanization. Oriented toward the world, we must absorb and draw on all excellent factors and scientific methods from the “sum of human knowledge” with a more open mind. Oriented toward the future, we must seize the theme of innovation, and in addressing the core element of new quality productive forces — scientific and technological innovation — promote the forward-looking development of higher education disciplines such as new engineering, new sciences, new agriculture, and new medicine[22].

发展新质生产力必然要求建设教育强国。习近平总书记强调：“要统筹实施科教兴国战略、人才强国战略、创新驱动发展战略，一体推进教育发展、科技创新、人才培养。”[7]建设教育强国，本质上解决的是强国建设、民族复兴伟业后继有人的问题，面向现代化就要瞄准高水平科技自立自强、现代化产业体系建设、新型城镇化等重大时代课题培养人才，面向世界就要以更加开放的胸襟吸收借鉴“人类知识的总和”中所有优秀因子与科学方法，面向未来就要抓住创新这个主题、在解决科技创新这个新质生产力的核心要素方面推动新工科、新理科、新农科、新医科等高等教育学科前瞻性发展。

The development of new quality productive forces inevitably requires building modern human resources. Modern human resources are the mainstay supporting high-quality population development. The popularization of higher education has greatly raised the educational level of the citizenry. China’s talent landscape is evolving from a demographic dividend power to a talent dividend power. Currently, the “gap” in matching labor supply with industrial demand for talent has become a structural contradiction constraining high-quality full employment and “mass entrepreneurship”[23]. Facing the new qualitative nature of talent required by new quality productive forces, this problem must be urgently resolved.

发展新质生产力必然要求建设现代化人力资源。现代化人力资源是支撑人口高质量发展的中流砥柱，高等教育普及化大大提高了国民受教育程度，我国的人才格局正由人口红利大国向人才红利强国演进。当前，劳动力供给与产业对人才需求的对接“差”成为制约高质量充分就业与“大众创业”的结构性矛盾，直面新质生产力的人才新质化必须迫切解决这道难题。

VI. Rule-of-Law Thinking: Creating a legal environment conducive to innovation and entrepreneurship

六、法治思维：营造有利于创新创业的法治环境

The rule of law is the best business environment, and also the best environment for innovation and entrepreneurship. Since reform and opening up, under the “escort” of economic, civil and commercial laws and regulations, China’s private enterprises and foreign-funded enterprises have flourished, gradually becoming major employers, taxpayers, and innovators. A large number of lifestyle service enterprises such as coffee, e-commerce, and accommodation are active in cities and localities, providing people with high-quality life products and services. On the new journey of the New Era, we must continue to optimize the business environment, remove the worries of non-public enterprises, and create a better legal environment for comprehensive innovation.

法治是最好的营商环境，也是最好的创新创业环境。改革开放以来，在经济、民商等相关法律法规的“保驾护航”下，我国民营企业、外资企业蓬勃发展，逐渐成为就业大户、纳税大户、创新大户，咖啡、电商、住宿等一大批生活性服务企业活跃在各城各地、为人民提供高品质生活产品和服务。新时代新征程，要继续优化营商环境，打消非公有制企业后顾之忧，为全面创新营造更好的法治环境。

Improve the socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics that encourages innovation and promotes quality. Scientific legislation must be promoted in accordance with the laws of innovative development and high-quality development. Innovation requires both space for freedom and regulation by order. It is necessary to strengthen the protection of intellectual property rights and methods, cast a vote of confidence based on the authority of the rule of law for creative inventions, improve industry quality standards and disciplinary measures, and safeguard consumer rights. Strengthen fair administration of justice that protects new quality productive forces and smoothes the domestic circulation, protecting both leading enterprises and specialized and new enterprises, and exerting judicial effectiveness for building a national unified market. Increase the popularization and promotion of innovation laws and quality regulations, promote law-abiding among all people, and tell the story of China’s rule of law well to foreign businesses.

健全激励创新、提倡质优的中国特色社会主义法治体系。要遵循创新发展和高质量发展的规律推动科学立法，创新既需要自由的空间，又需要秩序的规范。要加强知识产权保护力度和办法，为创意发明投出基于法治权威的信任票，健全行业质量标准定立和惩戒措施，维护消费者权益。加强保护新质生产力并畅通国内大循环的公正司法，既保护头部企业，又保护“专精特新”企业，为建设全国统一大市场发挥司法效力。加大对创新法律、质量法规的普及和宣介，促进全民守法，向外商讲好中国法治故事。

VII. Bottom-Line Thinking: Development and Security Should Be Dynamically Balanced and Mutually Reinforcing

七、底线思维：发展和安全要动态平衡相得益彰

Economic security is the foundation of the holistic approach to national security.[24] In 2014, General Secretary Xi Jinping formally proposed the holistic approach to national security. The holistic approach to national security points out that national security is a structured concept, of which economic security constitutes the foundation.

经济安全是总体国家安全观的基础。2014年，习近平总书记正式提出总体国家安全观。总体国家安全观指出，国家安全是一个结构化的概念，经济安全构成其中的基础。

Coordinate high-quality development and high-level security. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “We must adhere to the mutual promotion of high-quality development and high-level security.”[8] The current situation where cyclical contradictions and structural contradictions are interwoven is essentially a problem arising in the process of development, and it must and can only be solved by solidly advancing high-quality development. New quality productive forces can effectively release the demand for high-level talent, help alleviate employment problems, and as the industrial level is upgraded to a higher level and the value chain steadily climbs, they also help boost domestic demand, expand external demand, and promote domestic and international dual circulation. In addition, it is necessary to establish a high-level security mechanism suitable for high-quality development, implement safety production responsibilities of different entities, improve the safety supervision system for key industries, promote effective connection between industry supervision, regional supervision, and local supervision, improve safety production laws, regulations, and standards systems, and strengthen safety prevention and guarantee mechanisms.

统筹高质量发展和高水平安全。习近平总书记指出：“要坚持高质量发展和高水平安全相互促进”[8]。当前所存在的周期性矛盾和结构性矛盾交织局面，根本上说是发展过程中产生的问题，必须也只能靠扎实推进高质量发展来解决。新质生产力能有效释放对高层次人才的需要，有助于缓解就业问题，随着产业能级提升到更高水平，价值链稳步攀升，还有助于提振内需、扩大外需、促进国内国际双循环。此外，还需建立与高质量发展相适应的高水平安全机制，落实不同主体的安全生产责任，健全完善重点行业安全监管体制，推动行业监管、区域监管与地方监管有效衔接，完善安全生产法律法规和标准体系，加强安全防范和保障机制建设。

(About the authors: Liu Qirui, doctoral candidate at the School of Marxism, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law; Luan Yongyu, professor and doctoral supervisor at the School of Marxism, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law.)

（作者简介：刘启瑞，中南财经政法大学马克思主义学院博士研究生；栾永玉，中南财经政法大学马克思主义学院教授，博士生导师。）

Notes:

注释：

[1] “Xi Jinping Delivers Important Speech at the Opening Ceremony of the Seminar for Principal Leading Officials at the Provincial and Ministerial Level to Study the Spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, Emphasizing Thoroughly Study and Implement the Spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, Pool Efforts to Promote Reform to be Steady and Long-lasting,” People’s Daily, October 30, 2024.

[1]《习近平在省部级主要领导干部学习贯彻党的二十届三中全会精神专题研讨班开班式上发表重要讲话强调 深入学习贯彻党的二十届三中全会精神 凝心聚力推动改革行稳致远》，《人民日报》2024年10月30日。

[2] “Decision of the CPC Central Committee on Further Comprehensively Deepening Reform to Advance Chinese-path Modernization,” People’s Daily, July 22, 2024.

[2]《中共中央关于进一步全面深化改革 推进中国式现代化的决定》，《人民日报》2024年7月22日。

[3] Xi Jinping, “Better Grasp and Apply the Historical Experience of the Party’s

[3]习近平：《更好把握和运用党的百年奋斗历史经验》，《求是》2022年第13期。

[4] Xi Jinping, “Promoting Chinese-Path Modernization Requires Handling Several Major Relationships,” *Qiushi* 2023, no. 19.

[4]习近平：《推进中国式现代化需要处理好若干重大关系》，《求是》2023年第19期。

[5] “Xi Jinping Emphasizes during Participation in Deliberations of the Jiangsu Delegation: Firmly Grasp the Primary Task of High-Quality Development,” *People’s Daily*, March 6, 2023.

[5]《习近平在参加江苏代表团审议时强调 牢牢把握高质量发展这个首要任务》，《人民日报》2023年3月6日。

[6] *Excerpts from Xi Jinping’s Discussion on Financial Work* (Beijing: Central Party Literature Press, 2024), p. 53.

[6]《习近平关于金融工作论述摘编》，中央文献出版社2024年版，第53页。

[7] “Xi Jinping Emphasizes at the National Education Conference: Firmly Focus on the Fundamental Task of Fostering Virtue and Nurturing Talent, and Steadily Advance toward the Strategic Goal of Building a Strong Education Nation,” *People’s Daily*, September 11, 2024.

[7]《习近平在全国教育大会上强调 紧紧围绕立德树人根本任务朝着建成教育强国战略目标扎实迈进》，《人民日报》2024年9月11日。

[8] “Xi Jinping Presides over the Symposium on Promoting the Rise of the Central Region in the New Era and Emphasizes: Solidly Promote the Rise of the Central Region at a Higher Starting Point,” *People’s Daily*, March 21, 2024.

[8]《习近平主持召开新时代推动中部地区崛起座谈会强调 在更高起点上扎实推动中部地区崛起》，《人民日报》2024年3月21日。

Online Editor: Huihui

网络编辑：慧慧