Opening Up Broader Prospects for Chinese-path Modernization Through Reform and Opening Up

2025 is the final year of the 14th Five-Year Plan. In his 2025 New Year address, General Secretary Xi Jinping reviewed the historic steps taken in reform and opening up over the past year and clearly pointed out: "The Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC was successfully convened, sounding the clarion call for further deepening reform comprehensively. Riding the tide of the era of reform and opening up, we stride forward boldly. Chinese-path modernization will surely open up even broader prospects through reform and opening up." On the new journey, further deepening reform comprehensively requires both forging a stronger leadership force and rallying immense energy for progress, as well as continuously enhancing development momentum and expanding development space.

2025年是“十四五”规划的收官之年。在2025年新年贺词中，习近平总书记总结过去一年改革开放迈出的历史性步伐，明确指出“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”。新征程上进一步全面深化改革，既要进一步锻造坚强的领导力量、凝聚磅礴的奋进合力，也要不断增强发展动力、拓展发展空间。

1. Motivating Party officials and members to take the lead in charging forward

1.激励党员干部冲锋在前

Our reform and opening up has a direction, a stance, and principles. Since entering the New Era, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has always insisted on implementing the Party's leadership in all fields, aspects, and links of comprehensively deepening reform, pushing many fields to achieve historic changes, systematic restructuring, and overall reconstruction. Practice has fully proved that precisely because we have always upheld the centralized and unified leadership of the Party over comprehensively deepening reform, our reform and opening up has been able to gnaw through many hard bones, break through countless difficulties, effectively respond to changing circumstances and defuse crises, and present a sound situation of all-out efforts, breakthroughs at multiple points, and in-depth advancement. In the process of further deepening reform comprehensively and advancing Chinese-path modernization, only by always upholding and strengthening the Party's overall leadership and continuously improving the Party's ability and resolve to set direction, plan overall strategies, formulate policies, and promote reform can we ensure that the ship of reform and opening up continues to sail on the right course.

我们的改革开放是有方向、有立场、有原则的。进入新时代，以习近平同志为核心的党中央始终坚持把党的领导贯彻落实到全面深化改革的各领域、各方面、各环节，推动许多领域实现了历史性变革、系统性重塑、整体性重构。实践充分证明，正是因为始终坚持党对全面深化改革的集中统一领导，我们的改革开放才能啃下不少硬骨头、闯过无数大难关，才能有力应变局、化危机，呈现全面发力、多点突破、纵深推进的良好态势。在进一步全面深化改革、推进中国式现代化的进程中，只有始终坚持和加强党的全面领导，不断提高党把方向、谋大局、定政策、促改革的能力和定力，才能确保改革开放这艘航船始终沿着正确航向前行。

To uphold the Party's leadership, we must energetically mobilize the enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity of the entire Party in grasping reform and promoting development, and boost the spirit of Party officials and members in undertaking endeavors. Only when the Party is built stronger and more resolute, and Party officials and members charge forward, can Chinese-path modernization cleave through waves and advance steadily. To this end, we should continue to improve relevant incentive and disciplinary mechanisms, adhere to the correct orientation in selecting and appointing personnel, vigorously select cadres who are politically reliable, dare to take responsibility, are keen on reform, achieve outstanding performance, and are clean and honest. Use the correct orientation in personnel selection to guide the direction of work and enterprise, and inspire Party officials and members to strive to be promoters and doers of reform. Make every effort to create a good atmosphere for work and enterprise, strictly implement the "Three Distinctions," [1]1 "Three Distinctions" refers to the policy of distinguishing: (a) mistakes and errors in promoting reform due to lack of experience and piloting from intentional violations of discipline and law; (b) mistakes and errors in exploratory experiments where higher authorities have not yet set clear limits from violations committed after explicit prohibitions; (c) unintentional oversight in promoting development from violations committed for personal gain. and genuinely shield those who take responsibility, back those who bear burdens, and support those who work, so as to truly ignite the spirit of innovation, creation, and achievement among Party officials and members. Then, unite and lead the masses to closely rally around the Party and converge in the Party's cause, contributing more wisdom and strength to further deepening reform comprehensively and advancing Chinese-path modernization.

坚持党的领导，必须着力调动全党抓改革、促发展的积极性、主动性和创造性，提振党员干部干事创业的精气神。只有把党建设得更加坚强有力，党员干部都冲锋在前，才能确保中国式现代化劈波斩浪、行稳致远。为此，应持续完善相关激励和惩戒机制，坚持选人用人正确导向，大力选拔政治过硬、敢于担当、锐意改革、实绩突出、清正廉洁的干部，以正确用人导向引领干事创业方向，激励广大党员干部争当改革的促进派和实干家。全力营造良好干事创业氛围，严格落实“三个区分开来”，切实做到为担当者担当、为负责者负责、为干事者撑腰，真正激发党员干部创新创造、建功立业的精气神，进而团结带动人民群众紧紧围绕在党的周围，集聚到党的事业中来，为进一步全面深化改革、推进中国式现代化贡献更多智慧和力量。

2. Making Everyone a Protagonist

2.让每一个人都成为主角

In the magnificent course of comprehensively deepening reform in the New Era, the most resplendent stroke is the continuous realization of the people's aspiration for a better life. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has focused on the issues of greatest concern to the people, the most direct interests, and the most practical problems, responding to people's livelihood concerns through comprehensively deepening reform, continuously enhancing people's welfare, and promoting social fairness and justice. Data show that in 2023, the national per capita disposable income of residents reached 39,218 yuan, a real increase of 94.4% compared with 2012 after deducting price factors, with an average annual real growth of 6.2%. Reform has meaning only when it is for the people. From educational equity to medical security, from employment promotion to housing improvement, from elderly care services to ecological and environmental governance, the results of reform have benefited all aspects of people's livelihood, and the people's sense of gain, happiness, and security has significantly improved.

在新时代全面深化改革的壮阔历程中，最浓墨重彩的一笔，就是让人民对美好生活的向往不断变为现实。党的十八大以来，以习近平同志为核心的党中央聚焦人民最关心、最直接、最现实的利益问题，以全面深化改革回应民生关切，不断增进人民福祉、促进社会公平正义。数据显示，2023年全国居民人均可支配收入达39218元，扣除物价因素比2012年实际增长94.4%，年均实际增长6.2%。为了人民而改革，改革才有意义。从教育公平到医疗保障，从就业促进到住房改善，从养老服务到生态环境治理，改革成效惠及民生的方方面面，人民群众的获得感、幸福感和安全感显著提升。

Behind every achievement are the footprints of the people's struggle; every leap in history carries the people's strength and dreams. Marx and Engels pointed out: "History is the enterprise of the masses. As historical activity deepens, so must the ranks of the masses expand." Practice has proved that adhering to a people-centered approach in comprehensively deepening reform not only provides the firmest foundation for reform but also injects the strongest confidence and most surging momentum into Chinese-path modernization. Since the New Era, from the comprehensive victory in poverty alleviation to the orderly unfolding of rural revitalization, and the continuous advancement of common prosperity for all the people, from rows upon rows of modern cities to poetic rural landscapes, hundreds of millions of people have accomplished great feats with their wisdom and sweat.

每一份成就的背后，都镌刻着人民的奋斗足迹；每一段历史的跃迁，都承载着人民的力量与梦想。马克思恩格斯指出：“历史活动是群众的事业，随着历史活动的深入，必将是群众队伍的扩大。”实践证明，坚持以人民为中心全面深化改革，不仅为改革提供了最坚实的基础，更为中国式现代化注入了最强大的底气和最澎湃的动力。新时代以来，从脱贫攻坚的全面胜利，到乡村振兴的有序展开，再到全体人民共同富裕的不断推进，从鳞次栉比的现代化都市，到诗意盎然的田园乡村，亿万人民用智慧和汗水成就了一项项伟业。

In his New Year address, General Secretary Xi Jinping affectionately stated: "On the new journey of Chinese-path modernization, everyone is a protagonist; every effort is precious; every ray of light shines brightly." These words are not only a profound call to every striver but also a noble affirmation of every effort and responsibility. The Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC has sounded the clarion call for further deepening reform comprehensively, striking up an inspiring movement of struggle in the New Era. Amid the vast waves of the New Era, only by always adhering to a people-centered approach, relying on the people, rooting in the people, taking the people's expectations as the beacon of reform and the people's well-being as the goal of development, can we generate a constant wellspring of creative power and inject surging and lasting vitality into Chinese-path modernization.

习近平总书记在新年贺词中深情寄语：“中国式现代化的新征程上，每一个人都是主角，每一份付出都弥足珍贵，每一束光芒都熠熠生辉。”这不仅是对每一位奋斗者的深切呼唤，也是对每一份努力与担当的崇高肯定。党的二十届三中全会吹响了进一步全面深化改革的号角，奏响了新时代激荡人心的奋斗乐章。在新时代的浩荡风云中，唯有始终坚持以人民为中心，依靠人民、扎根人民，以人民的期盼为改革的航标，以人民的福祉为发展的归宿，才能生发出源源不断的创造伟力，为中国式现代化注入澎湃而持久的生机与活力。

3. Concentrating on High-quality Development

3.聚精会神抓好高质量发展

Only by pooling our efforts and promoting high-quality development can we navigate steady and far amid turbulent times and open up a magnificent new chapter of Chinese-path modernization. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out in his New Year address: "The current economic operation faces some new circumstances, including challenges from external environmental uncertainties and pressures from the transition of old and new growth drivers, but these can be overcome through hard work." As we enter the deep-water zone of reform, we must ignite the strong engine of economic take-off through innovation-driven development, consolidate the enduring foundation of ecological civilization through green development, and nurture the robust vitality of economic operation through targeted policies.

唯有凝心聚力、推动高质量发展，方能于风云激荡中行稳致远，开辟中国式现代化的壮阔新篇。习近平总书记在新年贺词中指出：“当前经济运行面临一些新情况，有外部环境不确定性的挑战，有新旧动能转换的压力，但这些经过努力是可以克服的。”行至改革的深水区，我们必须以创新驱动点燃经济腾飞的强劲引擎，以绿色发展夯实生态文明的永续根基，以精准施策呵护经济运行的强劲活力。

Continuously unleash the powerful potential of new quality productive forces and inject endless vitality into economic and social development. Firmly grasping high-quality development as the primary task, we must develop new quality productive forces according to local conditions. A key focus is to fully leverage the advantages of resource endowments. For example, the eastern coastal regions focus on scientific and technological innovation, spawning high-tech industrial clusters and creating innovative highlands that lead the future; the central and western regions accelerate the green and intelligent transformation of resource-intensive industries, building up a mighty force for the transition of growth drivers; the border areas, based on their ecological and cultural advantages, promote the comprehensive revitalization of distinctive industries, achieving the mutually reinforcing synergy of ecological protection and economic development. Only by continuously deepening reform, unleashing innovation potential, and optimizing the development layout can we nourish the foundation of development, strengthen new growth drivers, and inject stronger and more lasting impetus into Chinese-path modernization.

持续激发新质生产力的强大潜能，为经济社会发展注入源源不断的活力。牢牢把握高质量发展这个首要任务，因地制宜发展新质生产力，一个重要着力点就是充分发挥资源禀赋优势。例如，东部沿海地区聚焦科技创新，催生高技术产业集群，打造引领未来的创新高地；中西部地区加速资源密集型产业绿色化、智能化转型，厚植动能转换的磅礴力量；边疆地区立足生态和文化优势，推动特色产业全面振兴，实现生态保护与经济发展的相辅相成。唯有持续深化改革、释放创新潜能、优化发展布局，方能厚植发展根基，壮大新动能，为中国式现代化注入更强劲、更持久的驱动力。

Building a Beautiful China is an important goal of comprehensively building a modern socialist country. Chinese-path modernization must head toward green. To promote high-quality development, the whole society should establish the value consensus that "People will not fail the green mountains, and the green mountains will not fail the people," [2]2 "People will not fail the green mountains, and the green mountains will not fail the people" is a popular saying often cited by Xi Jinping, emphasizing the reciprocal relationship between environmental protection and human well-being. integrate the concept of green development into the entire process of production and life, and foster green production and green consumption as prevailing trends. Relying on reform and innovation, we should strengthen ecological governance, improve the ecological protection compensation mechanism, and intensify pollution prevention and control efforts, ensuring that the beautiful tableau of "green waters meander away, green mountains open before us" [3]3 "Green waters meander away, green mountains open before us" is a poetic line from classical Chinese literature, evoking the idyllic scenery of a harmonious natural landscape. becomes even more vivid. Deeply practice the important concept that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets, promote the development of green industries such as new energy and new materials, unleash ecological dividends through scientific and technological innovation, and transform ecological advantages into development strengths.

建设美丽中国是全面建设社会主义现代化国家的重要目标，中国式现代化要向“绿”而行。推进高质量发展，全社会应树立“人不负青山，青山定不负人”的价值共识，将绿色发展理念贯穿生产生活全过程，推动绿色生产、绿色消费蔚然成风。依托改革创新，强化生态治理，完善生态保护补偿机制，加强污染防治力度，确保“绿水逶迤去，青山相向开”的美丽画卷更加鲜明生动。深刻践行绿水青山就是金山银山的重要理念，推动新能源、新材料等绿色产业发展，通过科技创新释放生态红利，推动生态优势向发展胜势转化。

In his New Year address, General Secretary Xi Jinping stated that "we should implement more proactive and effective policies" and "maintain a good momentum of economic and social development." On the new journey, we should take reform as the foundation, opening up as the wings, and policies as the sails, and use more proactive and effective policies to enable Chinese-path modernization to proceed steadily and far. To this end, we should strengthen policy precision, focus on reform priorities, deepen supply-side structural reform, precisely break through the bottlenecks that hinder high-quality development, and improve resource allocation efficiency through institutional and mechanism innovation. Enhance policy coordination to form a synergy for development, insist on the coordinated efforts of fiscal, monetary, and other macroeconomic policies, coordinate economic and non-economic policies, and prevent policies from impeding each other. By expanding high-standard institutional opening up, continuously optimizing the business environment, attracting more high-quality foreign investment, and stimulating new vitality of internal and external linkage.

在新年贺词中，习近平总书记指出，“要实施更加积极有为的政策”，“保持经济社会发展良好势头”。新征程上，应以改革为基、开放为翼、政策为帆，以更加积极有为的政策推动中国式现代化行稳致远。为此，应强化政策精准性，聚焦改革重点，深化供给侧结构性改革，精准发力破除制约高质量发展的瓶颈，以体制机制创新提升资源配置效率。增强政策协调性，形成发展合力，坚持财政、货币等宏观政策协同发力，统筹经济与非经济政策，防止政策间相互掣肘。通过扩大高水平制度型开放，持续优化营商环境，吸引更多高质量外资，激发内外联动新活力。

4. Improving the Systems and Mechanisms for High-standard Opening Up

4.完善高水平对外开放体制机制

Opening up is a distinct hallmark of Chinese-path modernization. The Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC explicitly proposed "improving the systems and mechanisms for high-standard opening up" and made important strategic arrangements, emphasizing that we must adhere to the fundamental state policy of opening up, require enhancing the ability to open up while expanding international cooperation, and build a new system of higher-standard open economy. This has pointed out the direction for forming a deeper and broader pattern of opening up on the new journey and expanding the deeper and wider space for the development of Chinese-path modernization.

开放是中国式现代化的鲜明标识。党的二十届三中全会明确提出“完善高水平对外开放体制机制”并作出重要战略安排，强调必须坚持对外开放基本国策，要求在扩大国际合作中提升开放能力，建设更高水平开放型经济新体制。这为在新征程上形成更深层次、更大范围对外开放格局，拓展中国式现代化更深、更广的发展空间指明了前进方向。

Expand the depth of Chinese-path modernization through reform and opening up. In the process of further deepening reform comprehensively and advancing Chinese-path modernization, we should accurately grasp the focus of promoting deep-level reform through high-standard opening up. On the one hand, create new heights of institutional opening up, rely on free trade ports and qualified pilot free trade zones for pilot projects, accelerate institutional and regulatory construction, actively align with high-standard international economic and trade rules, provide solid support for building a new system of higher-standard open economy, and ensure the steady improvement of the quality and level of international trade and investment cooperation. On the other hand, practice true multilateralism, from expanding the high-standard free trade zone network facing the world, to promoting the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative, to deeply participating in the global industrial division of labor and cooperation, and actively engaging in global economic governance, continuously enhance the intensity and depth of opening up. While expanding the development space for Chinese-path modernization, let the dividends of reform, opening up, and innovation benefit the world more.

以改革开放拓展中国式现代化的深度。在进一步全面深化改革、推进中国式现代化的进程中，应准确把握以高水平对外开放促进深层次改革的着力点。一方面，打造制度型开放新高地，依托自由贸易港和有条件的自贸试验区先行先试，加快制度建设、法规建设，主动对接国际高标准经贸规则，为建设更高水平开放型经济新体制提供坚实支撑，确保国际贸易投资合作质量和水平的稳步提升。另一方面，践行真正的多边主义，从扩大面向全球的高标准自贸区网络，到推动共建“一带一路”高质量发展，再到深度参与全球产业分工和合作、积极参与全球经济治理等，持续提升开放力度、深度，在拓展中国式现代化发展空间的同时，让改革开放创新红利更多惠及世界。

Expand the breadth of Chinese-path modernization through reform and opening up. China's opening up is an opening up of win-win cooperation with the world and an opening up that provides new opportunities for the world. To improve the systems and mechanisms for high-standard opening up and expand the breadth of Chinese-path modernization, on the one hand, we should foster new advantages in international competition and continuously create new momentum for global development. In the process of actively stepping into the international market and strengthening international cooperation, China has become a major trading partner for over 150 countries and regions, providing opportunities for many foreign-invested enterprises while achieving its own significant development. Amid the rapid progress of digitization, intelligence, and greening, we should conform to the new requirements of high-quality development, actively explore new fields and new tracks of development, promote new industries and new business forms, and provide more cooperative platforms for countries around the world. On the other hand, in the interaction between the domestic and international markets and two types of resources, we should both enhance the ability to allocate resources globally and gain strategic initiative in open development. Implement a more proactive opening-up strategy, continue to explore a development path of positive interaction between reform and opening up, and between China and the world. As General Secretary Xi Jinping stated in his New Year address: "China is willing to work with all countries to be practitioners of friendly cooperation, promoters of mutual learning among civilizations, and participants in building a community with a shared future for mankind, jointly creating a bright future for the world."

以改革开放拓展中国式现代化的广度。中国的对外开放是与世界合作共赢的开放，也是为世界提供新机遇的开放。完善高水平对外开放体制机制，拓展中国式现代化的广度，一方面，应推动形成国际竞争新优势，不断塑造全球发展新动能。在主动走向国际市场、加强国际合作的过程中，我国成为全球150多个国家和地区的主要贸易伙伴，在为不少外资企业提供机遇的同时，也实现了自身的长足发展。在数字化、智能化、绿色化快速发展的进程中，我们应顺应高质量发展新要求，积极开辟发展新领域新赛道，推动发展新产业新业态，为世界各国提供更多合作新平台。另一方面，在国内国际两个市场、两种资源的联动互动中，既增强在全球配置资源的能力，也赢得开放发展中的战略主动。实行更加积极主动的开放战略，继续致力于探索改革与开放、中国与世界良性互动的发展道路。正如习近平总书记在新年贺词中所言：“中国愿同各国一道，做友好合作的践行者、文明互鉴的推动者、构建人类命运共同体的参与者，共同开创世界的美好未来。”

(Author: Yan Lianfu, Distinguished Researcher of the Shaanxi Provincial Research Center for the Theory of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics, and Dean of the School of Marxism, Xi'an Jiaotong University)

（作者：燕连福，系陕西省中国特色社会主义理论体系研究中心特约研究员、西安交通大学马克思主义学院院长）

Online editor: Huihui

网络编辑：慧慧