Seizing the Initiative for High-Quality Economic Development

In December 2024, the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee held a meeting and proposed the principles for economic work: “adhere to making progress while maintaining stability, promoting stability through progress, upholding fundamental principles and breaking new ground, establishing the new before abolishing the old, and pursuing systematic integration and coordinated cooperation.” Subsequently, the Central Economic Work Conference again emphasized the policy tone of “making progress while maintaining stability and promoting stability through progress.” Deepening the understanding of the key term “promoting stability through progress” has significant theoretical value and practical significance for guiding economic work in the current and future periods.

2024年12月，中共中央政治局召开会议提出经济工作要“坚持稳中求进、以进促稳，守正创新、先立后破，系统集成、协同配合”的原则。随后，中央经济工作会议再次强调要“坚持稳中求进、以进促稳”的政策基调。加强对“以进促稳”这一关键词的理解，对指导当前和今后一个时期的经济工作具有重要理论价值和现实意义。

“Promoting stability through progress”

“以进促稳”

Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, each Central Economic Work Conference has taken “making progress while maintaining stability” as the general tone of work. In 2024, the Central Economic Work Conference refined this key term into 24 characters: “making progress while maintaining stability, promoting stability through progress, upholding fundamental principles and breaking new ground, establishing the new before abolishing the old, and pursuing systematic integration and coordinated cooperation.” The increase in the number of characters not only reflects the central authorities’ higher requirements for economic work in 2025 but also indicates subtle changes in the guiding ideology of the central economic work. Although the general tone of “making progress while maintaining stability” remains unchanged, with the complex and volatile domestic and international environment, especially the increasing uncertainty in the global economy and the prominence of domestic structural problems, the relationship between “stability” and “progress” needs to be re-examined. From “working steadily and surely” to the proposal of “promoting stability through progress” for two consecutive years in 2023 and 2024, this shift not only represents a positive response to the current economic situation and reflects the central authorities’ profound grasp of the laws of high-quality economic development, but also fully demonstrates that China’s economic work is increasingly focused on seizing the initiative for high-quality economic development and taking the initiative to lay out the direction for future economic development.

党的十八大以来，历次中央经济工作会议都把坚持“稳中求进”作为工作总基调。2024年，中央经济工作会议政策基调在沿用这一关键词的基础上，提炼为“稳中求进、以进促稳，守正创新、先立后破，系统集成、协同配合”24个字，字数的增加不仅反映了中央对2025年经济工作提出了更高的要求，还折射出中央经济工作指导思想的些微变化。稳中求进的工作总基调虽然保持不变，但是随着国内外环境的复杂多变，特别是面对全球经济不确定性增加和国内结构性问题的凸显，“稳”与“进”的关系需要被重新审视。从“稳扎稳打”到2023年、2024年连续两年提出“以进促稳”，这一转变不仅是对当前经济形势的积极应对，体现了中央对经济高质量发展规律的深刻把握，还充分反映了我国经济工作越发重视把握经济高质量发展主动权，对未来经济发展方向的主动布局。

Promoting stability through progress: “stability” is the goal. “Stability” means overall stability. The comprehensive stability of the economy and society includes multiple dimensions: stabilizing economic growth, stabilizing employment, stabilizing prices, maintaining a basic balance in the balance of payments, and stabilizing market expectations. Only on a stable foundation can a favorable environment for economic development be created, and only then can the original aspiration and founding mission of Communists to “seek happiness for the people” be fulfilled. “Stability” means a solid foundation. China’s economic foundation is stable, with many advantages, strong resilience, and great potential. However, it must also be noted that China’s economic operation still faces many difficulties and challenges, with adverse effects from changes in the external environment deepening; insufficient domestic demand; difficulties in production and operation for some enterprises; pressure on employment and income growth for the masses; and still many risks and hidden dangers. Therefore, the focus of “stability” is mainly on alleviating the pressure on economic growth. “Progress” is not only a transcendence of the status quo but also a consolidation and upgrading of “stability”; the purpose of “progress” is “stability.”

以进促稳，“稳”乃目标所在。“稳”是大局稳定。经济社会的全面稳定包括稳定经济增长、稳定就业、稳定物价、稳定国际收支基本平衡、稳定市场预期等多个维度。唯有在稳定的基础上，方能为经济发展创造良好的环境，才能实现共产党人“为人民谋幸福”的初心与使命。“稳”是基础坚实。我国经济基础稳、优势多、韧性强、潜能大，但同时要看到我国经济运行仍面临不少困难和挑战，外部环境变化带来的不利影响在加深；国内需求不足，部分企业生产经营困难，群众就业增收面临压力，风险隐患仍然较多。因此，“稳”的着眼点主要放在缓解经济增长面临的压力上，“进”不仅是对现状的超越，更是对“稳”的巩固与提升，“进”的目的是“稳”。

Promoting stability through progress: “progress” is the source of dynamism. Simply seeking stability without thinking about progress will only allow problems to accumulate; existing problems remain unsolved, and new problems keep emerging in the course of construction, eventually becoming too serious to reverse, and stability will inevitably become an empty talk. Development is the absolute principle. Only through high-quality development, by increasing the increment, making the pie bigger and better, can problems be solved in the course of development. Without “progress,” it is difficult to truly achieve “stability.” Using “progress” as the driving force to achieve “stability,” through active advances in transforming the development model, adjusting the structure, improving quality, and increasing efficiency, and continuously promoting sustained and healthy economic development, is the true way to promote “stability.” In the New Era and new stage, it is even more necessary to continue to rely on innovation, especially technological innovation, to achieve transformation of the growth drivers and conversion of energy, continuously consolidating the foundation of “stability” and accumulating the momentum of “progress.”

以进促稳，“进”为动力源泉。单纯求稳而不思进取，只会让问题累积，存在的问题得不到解决，新问题又在建设中层出不穷，最后积重难返，稳定势必成为空谈。发展才是硬道理，通过高质量发展，通过做增量做大做好“蛋糕”，才能在发展中解决问题。没有“进”，就难以真正实现“稳”。以“进”为动力实现“稳”，通过转方式、调结构、提质量、增效益等方面积极进取，不断推动经济持续健康发展才是促“稳”之道。新时代新阶段，更要继续依靠创新特别是科技创新实现动力变革和动能转换，不断夯实“稳”的基础，蓄积“进”的动能。

From the dialectical relationship between the two, grasping the relationship between “stability” and “progress” means promoting “progress” on the basis of “stability,” with “progress” as the basic path to achieving “stability.” “Promoting stability through progress” reflects the new requirements of the high-quality development stage, and is also a further deepening of the Party Central Committee’s understanding of the relationship between “stability” and “progress,” firmly seizing the initiative for high-quality economic development and elevating the dialectical relationship between “stability” and “progress” to a new level. In practice, “progress” has indeed played a significant role in promoting “stability.” In 2023, the combined export of the “three new items” (electric vehicles, solar panels, and lithium batteries) reached one trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 29.9%, playing an important role in the stable development of the national industry. In the new period, “progress” needs to achieve more, using technological innovation to lead the development of new quality productive forces, leading the construction of a modern industrial system, and making new quality productive forces an important driving force for the stable development of our economy.

从两者辩证关系来看，把握好“稳”和“进”的关系，就是要以“稳”为基础推动“进”，“进”作为“稳”的基本实现路径。以进促稳反映了高质量发展阶段的新要求，也是党中央对“稳”和“进”关系认识的进一步深化，牢牢地把握经济高质量发展主动权，将“稳”和“进”的辩证关系提升到全新层面。在实践中，“进”对“稳”的确发挥了很大的促进作用。2023年，“新三样”（电动汽车、太阳能电池板、锂电池）的产品合计出口达万亿元，增长了29.9%，对全国工业的稳定发展发挥了重要作用。新时期，“进”需要更大的作为，以科技创新引领新质生产力发展，引领现代化产业体系建设，让新质生产力成为推动我们经济稳健发展的重要动力。

Solidly promoting high-quality economic development

扎实推动经济高质量发展

“Promoting stability through progress” requires maintaining a positive attitude. Compared with the previous Central Economic Work Conference’s tone of “putting stability first and pursuing progress while maintaining stability,” “promoting stability through progress” places greater emphasis on proactive action and enterprising spirit; the color of “progress” is stronger, and the determination to face difficulties and promote development through reform is more resolute. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, comprehensively deepening reform has involved an unprecedented scope, depth of interest adjustment, and intensity of promotion. The Party Central Committee has grasped the relationship between the current and long term, intensity and rhythm, and the principal contradiction and secondary contradictions, placing the resolution of major institutional and mechanistic issues in a prominent position, and focusing on promoting reform measures with a “four beams and eight pillars” nature [1]1 “Four beams and eight pillars” (四梁八柱) is a Chinese idiom originally referring to the main structural components of a building; figuratively, it denotes the key supporting elements of a system or framework. in state-owned assets and enterprises, fiscal and taxation, finance, science and technology, land, people’s livelihood security, and ecological civilization construction, thereby exerting a driving and supporting role for related reforms. We have insisted on grasping both the introduction of reform plans and the implementation of reform measures, strengthening the responsibility of Party committees at all levels and “top leaders” [2]2 “Top leaders” (一把手) refers to the principal responsible official at any level of Party or government organization, i.e., the person holding primary authority. for implementation, promoting the formation of a main responsibility chain that runs through the top and bottom and assumes responsibility at each level, and promoting the successive implementation and gradual success of various reforms, achieving solid results. It is because the whole Party, the whole country, and the whole society have adopted an attitude of “progress” and formed a momentum of “progress” that there has been a situation where economic operation is generally stable and progress is made while maintaining stability.

“以进促稳”需要保持积极的态度。对比过去中央经济工作会议“稳字当头、稳中求进”的定调，“以进促稳”更强调主动作为、积极有为，“进”的底色更浓，迎难而上，以改革促发展的决心更坚定。党的十八大以来，全面深化改革涉及范围之广、触及利益之深、推进力度之大前所未有，党中央把握当前和长远、力度和节奏、主要矛盾和次要矛盾的关系，把解决重大体制机制问题放在突出位置，重点推进国资国企、财税、金融、科技、土地、民生保障、生态文明建设等具有四梁八柱性质的改革举措，发挥对相关改革的带动作用和支撑作用。坚持一手抓改革方案出台，一手抓改革举措落地，强化各级党委和“一把手”抓落实责任，推动形成上下贯通、层层负责的主体责任链条，推动各项改革相继落地、渐次开花，取得扎扎实实的成效。全党全国全社会有了“进”的态度，形成了“进”的势头，才有了经济运行总体平稳、稳中有进的局面。

“Promoting stability through progress” requires adhering to the correct direction. “Progress” means advancing through reform, and reform has direction and principles. “Progress” must uphold the fundamental principles of the socialist system, take promoting social fairness and justice and improving people’s welfare as the starting point and foothold, and adhere to the goal and direction of continuing to improve and develop the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics and advancing the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “Perfecting the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics is a dynamic process that will inevitably continue to develop with the progress of practice. Existing institutions need to be continuously improved, and institutional innovation is needed to fill institutional gaps in new fields and new practices.” On the basis of “upholding fundamental principles,” we should follow the new trends of the times, the new requirements of practical development, and the new expectations of the people, find more reliable stability in the dynamic development of reform and innovation, and then create something new in the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

“以进促稳”需要坚持正确的方向。“进”是在改革中前进，改革是有方向、有原则的。“进”要守社会主义制度之正，以促进社会公平正义、增进人民福祉为出发点和落脚地，坚持继续完善和发展中国特色社会主义制度、推进国家治理体系和治理能力现代化为前进目标和方向。习近平总书记指出，“完善中国特色社会主义制度是一个动态过程，必然随着实践发展而不断发展，已有制度需要不断健全，新领域新实践需要推进制度创新、填补制度空白”。在“守正”的基础上，顺应时代发展新趋势、实践发展新要求、人民群众新期待，在改革创新动态发展中找到更可靠的稳定，进而创中国特色社会主义制度之新。

“Promoting stability through progress” requires a scientific method. Should we choose to “break thoroughly first, then establish steadily,” or “establish first, then break”? Historical practice has proven that reform needs to adopt the method of “establishing the new before abolishing the old.” Once a plan for “establishing” is found and a clear idea for “establishing” is identified, then we can proceed step by step to “break.” In economic reform, on the basis of ensuring stable equilibrium and normal circulation, we adjust the industrial structure and transform the development model, rather than making a “Great Leap Forward” [3]3 The “Great Leap Forward” (大跃进, 1958–1961) was a campaign launched by the CPC to rapidly industrialize and collectivize agriculture, which led to severe economic difficulties and famine. that is divorced from reality and impatient for success. For example, in carbon reduction and emission reduction, to reduce the use and consumption of coal, it is necessary to first “establish,” building a new energy supply system, and only then can we gradually reduce the consumption of traditional fossil fuels and coal. Only with a correct method of “progress” can we ensure the “stability” of development.

“以进促稳”需要具备科学的方法。选择“先彻底地破，再稳当地立”还是“先立，再接着破”？历史实践证明，改革需要采用先立后破的方法。找到了“立”的方案，找准了“立”的思路，再循序渐进地“破”。在经济改革中，在保障稳定平衡、正常循环的基础上，改革产业结构的调整、发展方式的转变，而不是脱离实际、急于求成的大跃进。例如，减碳减排，要减少对煤炭的使用和消费，必须要先“立”，建立起新能源供给体系，然后才能逐渐减少对传统化石燃料和煤炭的消耗。有了正确“进”的方法，才能确保发展的“稳”。

“Promoting stability through progress” requires strengthening systematic top-level design. To fundamentally boost market confidence and stimulate the potential for economic growth, the implementation of reforms is even more critical. On the one hand, “progress” emphasizes making advances in key areas such as transforming the development model, adjusting the structure, improving quality, and increasing efficiency; for example, the 2024 Central Economic Work Conference identified one of the tasks to be completed in 2025 as expanding high-standard opening up and stabilizing foreign trade and foreign investment. On the other hand, it highlights the implementation path of “systematic integration and coordinated cooperation.” The 2021 Central Economic Work Conference stressed the need to strengthen overall coordination and adhere to the systemic concept; in 2022, it clearly required increasing the intensity of macro-control and strengthening the coordination and cooperation of various policies; in 2023, it further proposed strengthening the innovation and coordination of policy tools, enhancing policy coordination, and ensuring concerted efforts in the same direction to form synergy; in 2024, it was condensed into “systematic integration and coordinated cooperation” to enrich and improve the policy toolbox. These formulations collectively embody General Secretary Xi Jinping’s repeated emphasis on “adhering to the systemic concept.” Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has insisted on systematic planning and coordinated promotion of various undertakings of the Party and the state, making scientific and complete strategic plans for the development of the Party and the national cause. In this process, the systemic concept is a fundamental way of thinking and working method. In the New Era, while “promoting stability through progress” and seizing the initiative for high-quality economic development, “progress” must pay more attention to systematic integration, highlighting key points, and focusing on the effectiveness of reforms, thereby promoting a more balanced development of the relations of production and productive forces, the economic base and superstructure, and national governance and social development, so as to achieve the effect and purpose of “stability.”

“以进促稳”需要加强系统的顶层设计。要从根本上提振市场信心，激发经济增长潜能，改革落实更为关键。“进”一方面强调在转方式、调结构、提质量、增效益等关键领域有所进取，例如2024年中央经济工作会议确定2025年要抓好的任务之一是扩大高水平对外开放，稳外贸、稳外资；另一方面突出“系统集成、协同配合”的实施路径。2021年中央经济工作会议强调必须加强统筹协调，坚持系统观念，2022年则明确要求加大宏观政策调控力度，加强各类政策协调配合，2023年进一步提出加强政策工具创新和协调配合，强化政策统筹，确保同向发力、形成合力，2024年凝练为系统集成、协同配合，充实完善政策工具箱。这些提法集中体现了习近平总书记反复强调的“坚持系统观念”。党的十八大以来，以习近平同志为核心的党中央坚持系统谋划、统筹推进党和国家各项事业，对党和国家事业发展作出科学完整的战略部署。在这个过程中，系统观念是具有基础性的思想和工作方法。新时代，以进促稳、把握经济高质量发展主动权的同时，“进”更要注重系统集成，注重突出重点，注重改革实效，进而推动生产关系和生产力、经济基础和上层建筑、国家治理和社会发展更平衡地发展，进而达到“稳”的效果和目的。

“Promoting stability through progress” is an important guiding principle for economic work in the New Era, profoundly reflecting the Party Central Committee’s accurate grasp of the laws of high-quality economic development and its deep understanding of the relationship between stability and development. We must, on the basis of maintaining stability, adopt a more positive attitude, a clearer direction, scientific methods, and systematic top-level design, promote mutual reinforcement between reform and development, seize the initiative for high-quality economic development, and jointly write a new chapter in China’s economic development.

“以进促稳”是新时代经济工作的重要指导方针，深刻体现了党中央对经济高质量发展规律的准确把握和对稳定与发展关系的深刻理解。我们要在保持稳定的基础上，以更加积极的态度、明确的方向、科学的方法和系统的顶层设计，推动改革与发展相互促进，把握经济高质量发展主动权，共同书写中国经济发展的新篇章。

(The authors are, respectively, Deputy Director of the Institute of Contemporary China and President of China Contemporary Publishing House; and Dean of the School of Marxism, Chengdu University of Information Technology)

（作者系当代中国研究所副所长、当代中国出版社社长；成都信息工程大学马克思主义学院院长）

Online editor: Huihui

网络编辑：慧慧