Adhering to the Chinese-Path Modernization of Harmony between Humanity and Nature

The report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC pointed out that Chinese-path modernization is the modernization of harmony between humanity and nature. This major proposition profoundly embodies the CPC’s deep insight into the laws of modernization and its precise grasp of the developmental trends of human society. Marxist dialectics of nature emphasizes the dialectical unity between humanity and nature, providing a theoretical foundation for the concept of harmony between humanity and nature. The ecological wisdom in traditional Chinese culture, such as "unity of heaven and humanity" and "mutual benefit between heaven and humanity," offers rich cultural nourishment for this concept. On the new journey of the New Era, we must adhere to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization, accurately grasp the core meaning, principled requirements, and practical essentials of promoting harmony between humanity and nature, and unswervingly follow the path of Chinese-path modernization that achieves harmony between humanity and nature.

党的二十大报告指出，中国式现代化是人与自然和谐共生的现代化。这一重大命题，深刻体现了中国共产党对现代化建设规律的深刻洞察和对人类社会发展趋势的精准把握。马克思主义自然辩证法强调人与自然的辩证统一关系，为人与自然和谐共生理念提供了理论基础。“天人合一”“天人互益”等中华传统文化中的生态智慧，则为这一理念提供了丰富的文化滋养。新时代新征程，我们要坚持以习近平生态文明思想为引领，准确把握促进人与自然和谐共生的主旨要义、原则要求和实践要点，坚定不移走好人与自然和谐共生的中国式现代化道路。

Profoundly grasp the core meaning of harmony between humanity and nature

深刻把握人与自然和谐共生的主旨要义

Nature is the basic condition for human survival and development. Harmony between humanity and nature means that we must respect nature, conform to nature, and protect nature, integrate our own development into the virtuous cycle of the natural ecosystem, and simultaneously advance the improvement of living standards and the increase of ecological capacity.

大自然是人类赖以生存发展的基本条件。人与自然和谐共生，意味着必须尊重自然、顺应自然、保护自然，将自身发展融入自然生态系统的良性循环中，实现生活水平提高和生态容量增加同步推进。

Grasp it from the height of the sustainable development of the Chinese nation. The relationship between humanity and nature is the most fundamental relationship in human society. Since its birth, humanity has been closely linked to nature, and modernization has made this linkage even closer and deeper. The course of Western modernization offers us many profound lessons. The endless pursuit of profit by Western countries, while creating material wealth, led to massive consumption of resources and energy and wanton destruction of the ecological environment, resulting in problems such as resource depletion, environmental pollution, and ecological imbalance. The unbridled plunder of nature has inflicted severe wounds on the ecological environment and posed serious threats to human survival and development. China’s basic national conditions—a large population, relative shortage of resources, and weak environmental carrying capacity—determine that Chinese-path modernization must follow a path of harmony between humanity and nature. We must proceed from the strategic height of the sustainable development of the Chinese nation, adhere to the principles of prioritizing conservation, protection, and natural restoration, and "protect nature and the ecological environment as we protect our own eyes, and unswervingly follow a civilized development path that achieves production development, affluent living, and a sound ecosystem." [1]1 This is a quotation from Xi Jinping, emphasizing the need to protect nature as carefully as one protects one's own eyes.

从中华民族永续发展的高度来把握。人与自然的关系是人类社会最基本的关系。人类自诞生起就与自然紧密联系在一起，现代化使这一联系更加紧密和深化。西方现代化发展历程为我们提供了诸多深刻教训。西方国家对利益无止境的追逐，使其在创造物质财富的同时，大量消耗资源能源、肆意破坏生态环境，导致资源枯竭、环境污染、生态失衡等问题，对自然的无节制索取给生态环境带来了严重创伤，也给人类生存发展带来了严重威胁。我国人口众多、资源相对不足、环境承载力较弱的基本国情，决定了中国式现代化必须走出一条人与自然和谐共生的现代化道路。必须立足于中华民族永续发展的战略高度，坚持节约优先、保护优先、自然恢复为主的方针，“像保护眼睛一样保护自然和生态环境，坚定不移走生产发展、生活富裕、生态良好的文明发展道路”。

Grasp it from the height of the laws of human civilization development. "A civilization thrives when its ecology thrives; a civilization declines when its ecology declines." [2]2 This is a maxim articulated by Xi Jinping, linking ecological prosperity with the rise and fall of civilizations. This important thesis embodies the philosophical thought of traditional Chinese culture, runs through the philosophical thinking of Marxist historical materialism and dialectical materialism, and reveals the profound truth of the development of human civilization. The ecological environment is the foundation of human survival and development, and changes in the ecological environment directly affect the rise and fall of civilizations. For example, the four great ancient civilizations all prospered due to superior ecological environments, but over time some countries, because of irrational development and utilization, saw their ecological environments deteriorate, leading to the decline of their civilizations. Looking at modern times, some once-brilliant civilizations have also fallen into trouble due to neglect of ecological environmental protection. Therefore, we must recognize that protecting the ecological environment is protecting human civilization, and destroying the ecological environment is destroying human civilization. In advancing Chinese-path modernization, we must deeply grasp the laws of human civilization development, adhere to harmony between humanity and nature, comprehensively promote the green transformation of economic and social development, and make a sound ecological environment a growth point for the people’s happy life, a support point for sustained and healthy economic and social development, and a focal point for showcasing China’s good image.

从人类文明发展规律的高度来把握。“生态兴则文明兴，生态衰则文明衰。”这一重要论断体现了中国传统文化的哲学思想，贯穿了马克思主义历史唯物主义和辩证唯物主义的哲学思维，昭示了人类文明发展的深刻真理。生态环境是人类生存和发展的根基，生态环境的变化会直接影响文明的兴衰沉浮。诸如四大文明古国都曾因生态环境优越而繁荣昌盛，但随着时间的推移，部分国家由于不合理的开发和利用，生态环境逐渐恶化，进而导致文明的衰落。再看现代，一些曾经辉煌的文明也因忽视生态环境保护而陷入困境。因此，我们必须认识到，保护生态环境就是保护人类文明，破坏生态环境就是毁灭人类文明。在推进中国式现代化的过程中，我们要深刻把握人类文明发展规律，坚持人与自然和谐共生，推动经济社会发展全面绿色转型，让良好生态环境成为人民幸福生活的增长点、成为经济社会持续健康发展的支撑点、成为展现我国良好形象的发力点。

Grasp it from the height of building a community with a shared future for mankind. Global development has made countries interdependent and share a common destiny; ecological issues have transcended class, state, ideology, and social systems, becoming problems faced by all humankind. Environmental issues such as air pollution and climate change not only affect a country’s economic and social development and people’s quality of life but also damage the stability of the global ecosystem and the common interests of humanity. For example, greenhouse gas emissions lead to global warming, which in turn triggers frequent extreme weather events, sea level rise, and other problems, profoundly affecting the global ecological environment and economic and social development. Therefore, Chinese-path modernization’s emphasis on harmony between humanity and nature is not only based on the needs of its own development but also focuses on global ecological security and the common well-being of humanity, contributing Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions to building a community with a shared future for mankind.

从构建人类命运共同体的高度来把握。全球化发展使各国互相依存、休戚与共，生态问题成为超越阶级、国家、意识形态和社会制度的问题，是全人类共同面临的问题。大气污染、气候变化等环境问题，不仅影响着本国经济社会发展和人民生活质量，还会对全球生态系统的稳定和人类的共同利益造成损害。例如温室气体排放导致全球气候变暖，进而引发极端天气事件频发、海平面上升等问题，对全球生态环境和经济社会发展产生深远影响。因此，中国式现代化强调人与自然和谐共生，不仅是基于自身发展的需要，更是着眼于全球生态安全和人类共同福祉，为构建人类命运共同体贡献中国智慧和中国方案。

Profoundly grasp the principled requirements of harmony between humanity and nature

深刻把握人与自然和谐共生的原则要求

The principled requirements of harmony between humanity and nature are to adhere to the organic unity of world outlook and methodology, providing scientific guidance and action norms for advancing Chinese-path modernization.

人与自然和谐共生的原则要求，就是坚持实现世界观和方法论的有机统一，为推进中国式现代化提供科学指导和行动准则。

Adhere to putting the people first. "The key to governance lies in winning the people’s hearts." [3]3 This is a classical Chinese saying from the Guanzi, meaning that the heart of governance lies in winning the people's support. With economic and social development, the people’s yearning for a better life is growing, including their aspiration for a sound ecological environment; environmental issues have increasingly become important livelihood issues. There is still a considerable gap between China’s ecological environment and the people’s expectations for a better life. Accelerating the improvement of ecological and environmental quality and promoting harmony between humanity and nature have become the common call of the people pursuing a high-quality life. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, "A sound ecological environment is the most inclusive public good for people’s well-being," [4]4 This is a statement by Xi Jinping, highlighting that a good ecological environment is the most inclusive benefit for the people's livelihood. profoundly revealing the close relationship between the ecological environment and the people’s lives. We must adhere to the people-centered development philosophy, make solving prominent ecological and environmental problems a priority area for people’s livelihood, and allow the people to share the beauty of nature, life, and living in lush mountains and lucid waters. We must increase efforts to protect the ecological environment so that the people have a greater sense of gain, happiness, and security from the improvement of the ecological environment.

坚持人民至上。政之所要，在乎民心。随着经济社会发展，人民群众对美好生活的向往日益增强，其中包括对良好生态环境的期盼，环境问题日益成为重要的民生问题。我国生态环境同人民群众对美好生活的期盼相比还有较大差距。加快改善生态环境质量、推进人与自然和谐共生，已成为人民群众追求高品质生活的共同呼声。习近平总书记指出，“良好生态环境是最普惠的民生福祉”，深刻揭示了生态环境与人民生活的密切关系。必须坚持以人民为中心的发展思想，把解决突出生态环境问题作为民生优先领域，让人民群众在绿水青山中共享自然之美、生命之美、生活之美。加大生态环境保护力度，让人民群众在生态环境改善中有更多的获得感、幸福感和安全感。

Adhere to green development. "Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets." [5]5 This is Xi Jinping's well-known aphorism, often translated as "Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets," expressing the value of ecological protection for economic development. This important thesis profoundly expounds the dialectical relationship between economic development and ecological environmental protection. Green development is the key to solving the problem of harmony between humanity and nature and is also an inherent requirement for building the modernization of harmony between humanity and nature. The success or failure of ecological and environmental protection depends on the economic structure and development mode. Economic development should not be like "draining the pond to catch all the fish" [6]6 This is a Chinese idiom meaning to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs, i.e., pursuing short-term gains at the cost of long-term sustainability. in terms of resources and the ecological environment, nor should ecological environmental protection be like "climbing a tree to catch a fish" [7]7 This is a Chinese idiom meaning to do something impossible, like climbing a tree to catch a fish, i.e., a wrong approach. by abandoning economic development. Instead, we should protect in development and develop in protection. Practice has proven that advancing Chinese-path modernization requires abandoning the traditional extensive development model of high consumption, high pollution, and low efficiency, and unswervingly taking the path of green development. We must accelerate the formation of green production methods and lifestyles, promote the optimization and upgrading of the industrial structure, vigorously develop green industries, improve resource utilization efficiency, and reduce the intensity of pollutant emissions. At the same time, we must strengthen scientific and technological innovation, promote and apply advanced energy-saving and environmental protection technologies, and provide scientific and technological support for green development. Through green development, we can achieve a virtuous interaction between economic development and ecological environmental protection, letting lucid waters and lush mountains bring invaluable assets and injecting strong impetus into sustainable economic and social development.

坚持绿色发展。绿水青山就是金山银山，这一重要论断深刻阐述了经济发展与生态环境保护之间的辩证关系。绿色发展是解决人与自然和谐共生问题的关键，也是建设人与自然和谐共生现代化的内在要求。生态环境保护的成败，取决于经济结构和发展方式，经济发展不应是对资源和生态环境的竭泽而渔，生态环境保护也不应是舍弃经济发展的缘木求鱼，而是要在发展中保护、在保护中发展。实践证明，推进中国式现代化，必须摒弃传统高消耗、高污染、低效益的粗放型发展模式，坚定不移走绿色发展之路。要加快形成绿色生产方式和生活方式，推动产业结构优化升级，大力发展绿色产业，提高资源利用效率，降低污染物排放强度。同时，加强科技创新，推广应用先进节能环保技术，为绿色发展提供科技支撑。通过绿色发展，实现经济发展与生态环境保护的良性互动，让绿水青山带来金山银山，为经济社会可持续发展注入强大动力。

Adhere to overall planning and coordination. Adhering to the systems concept and strengthening overall planning and coordination are scientific methods that must be followed to promote harmony between humanity and nature. Mountains, waters, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands, and deserts are interconnected and mutually influential through energy flows and material cycles, forming a relationship that is relatively independent yet interdependent, jointly maintaining the normal operation of the Earth’s ecosystem. Therefore, we must proceed from the integrity of the ecosystem, strengthen forward-looking thinking, holistic planning, strategic layout, and overall advancement, and comprehensively consider the various elements of the natural ecosystem—mountains above and below, land and sea, as well as upstream and downstream, left and right banks of river basins—to carry out overall protection, systematic restoration, and comprehensive treatment. At the same time, we must correctly handle the five major relationships: high-quality development and high-level protection, key breakthroughs and collaborative governance, natural restoration and artificial repair, external constraints and internal motivation, and the "dual carbon" commitments [8]8 "Dual carbon" refers to the goals of reaching peak carbon emissions by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060. and independent action, grasp the dialectical unity relationship, enhance systemicity, wholeness, and synergy, jointly promote ecological civilization construction, and achieve the virtuous cycle and sustainable development of the ecosystem.

坚持统筹协调。坚持系统观念，加强统筹协调，是推进人与自然和谐共生必须坚持的科学方法。山水林田湖草沙通过能量流动与物质循环相互联系、相互影响，形成相对独立又彼此依存的关系，共同维持着地球生态系统正常运行。因此，必须从生态系统整体性出发，加强前瞻性思考、全局性谋划、战略性布局、整体性推进，统筹考虑自然生态各要素、山上山下、地上地下、陆地海洋以及流域上下游、左右岸，进行整体保护、系统修复、综合治理。同时，坚持正确处理高质量发展和高水平保护、重点攻坚和协同治理、自然恢复和人工修复、外部约束和内生动力、“双碳”承诺和自主行动这五个重大关系，把握好辩证统一关系，提升系统性、整体性、协同性，共同推进生态文明建设，实现生态系统的良性循环和可持续发展。

Profoundly grasp the practical requirements of harmony between humanity and nature

深刻把握人与自然和谐共生的实践要求

The Chinese-path modernization of harmony between humanity and nature requires not only scientific concepts and correct principles but also continuous strengthening of the Party’s overall leadership over ecological civilization construction, further deepening the reform of the ecological civilization system, comprehensively advancing the construction of a Beautiful China, and continuously exploring and innovating in practice.

人与自然和谐共生的中国式现代化，不仅需要科学的理念和正确的原则，更需要不断加强党对生态文明建设的全面领导，进一步深化生态文明体制改革，全面推进美丽中国建设，在实践中不断探索创新。

Improve the basic system of ecological civilization. The basic system of ecological civilization is the cornerstone for advancing ecological civilization construction and promoting harmony between humanity and nature. Currently, the ecological civilization system has formed a basic framework, but China’s ecological and environmental protection still faces structural, root-cause, and trend-related pressures, requiring further improvement of the basic system of ecological civilization. On one hand, we must remove institutional and mechanistic obstacles. Traditional institutions and mechanisms were established under the traditional development model, and some have become obstacles to green development. We need to base ourselves on the development of ecological civilization and achieve historic changes, systematic reshaping, and holistic reconstruction. On the other hand, we must accelerate the formation of new institutions and mechanisms. Ecological civilization is the spiritual connotation of green development; economic growth will rely more on new intangible production factors such as technology, knowledge, ecology, and culture. Its development concepts, content, resource concepts, and organizational models are very different from those of the traditional economy. A green economy cannot emerge spontaneously under traditional institutions and mechanisms; it requires new ideas, new concepts, and new institutions and mechanisms to stimulate it. This requires deepening the reform of the ecological civilization system and building a systematic and complete ecological civilization institutional system. According to the important decisions made at the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC, [9]9 The Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC, held in 2024, focuses on comprehensively deepening reforms. key tasks have been determined: implementing a sub-regional, differentiated, and precise ecological environment management system; improving the ecological environment monitoring and evaluation system; establishing a unified and coherent territorial space use control and planning permit system covering all types of areas; improving the natural resource asset property rights system and management system; perfecting the national ecological security work coordination mechanism; and compiling an ecological environment code. These are key tasks to continuously improve the reform of the basic system of ecological civilization.

完善生态文明基础体制。生态文明基础体制是推进生态文明建设、促进人与自然和谐共生的基石。当前，生态文明体制已形成基本框架，但我国生态环境保护仍面临结构性、根源性、趋势性压力，需要进一步完善生态文明基础体制。一方面，要破除体制机制障碍。传统体制机制是在传统发展模式下建立的，有些已成为制约绿色发展的障碍，需要立足生态文明发展，实现历史性变革、系统性重塑、整体性重构。另一方面，加快形成新型体制机制。生态文明是绿色发展的精神内涵，经济增长将更多依靠技术、知识、生态、文化等新的无形生产要素，其发展理念、发展内容、资源概念、组织模式与传统经济有很大不同。绿色经济不可能在传统体制机制下自发出现，需要新的思想、新的理念、新的体制机制来催生，这就需要深化生态文明体制改革、构建系统完整的生态文明制度体系。根据党的二十届三中全会作出的重要部署，已确定了实施分区域、差异化、精准管控的生态环境管理制度，健全生态环境监测和评价制度，建立健全覆盖全域全类型、统一衔接的国土空间用途管制和规划许可制度，健全自然资源资产产权制度和管理制度体系，完善国家生态安全工作协调机制，编纂生态环境法典等重点工作，不断完善生态文明基础体制改革。

Improve the ecological environment governance system. The ecological environment governance system is an important part of the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity, and an important guarantee for promoting harmony between humanity and nature. At present, China’s pollution prevention and control campaign has reached a stalemate stage where progress means victory and retreat means defeat, pushing for a shift from quantitative to qualitative improvement in the ecological environment. The foundation for the stable improvement of ecological and environmental quality is not yet solid, total pollutant emissions remain high, and ecological environment governance presents characteristics of numerous and widespread problems, interwoven new and old contradictions, and accumulating and overlapping pressures. It is necessary to continuously improve the ecological environment governance system. Starting from "small entry points," we must continuously improve the institutional mechanisms for precise, scientific, and law-based pollution control, and fight the battles for blue skies, clear waters, and clean soil [10]10 These are three major pollution control campaigns targeting air, water, and soil pollution, respectively. with higher standards. We must deeply implement ecological environment zoning control, and fulfill the requirements for sub-regional, differentiated, and precise control. We must fully implement the pollutant discharge permit system, improve the regulatory and enforcement system for pollutant-discharging units based on discharge permits and the self-monitoring regulatory mechanism, and implement enterprises’ responsibilities for discharging according to permits. We must adhere to the integration of upstream and downstream, promote river basin co-governance and regional joint prevention, and improve the ecological environment joint prevention and control mechanism. We must strengthen the construction of ecological environment risk prevention and control and emergency management systems, and improve the ability to respond to sudden environmental incidents. We must deepen the reform of the ecological environment supervision system, establish and improve a long-term ecological environment supervision mechanism, extend ecological environment supervision to the grassroots, and improve the capacity and level of ecological environment supervision. At the same time, we must strengthen the training and team building of ecological environment governance talents, and improve the professional and scientific level of ecological environment governance. Through these measures, we will continuously improve the ecological environment governance system, providing a solid guarantee for realizing the Chinese-path modernization of harmony between humanity and nature.

健全生态环境治理体系。生态环境治理体系是国家治理体系和治理能力现代化建设的重要内容，是促进人与自然和谐共生的重要保障。当前，我国污染防治攻坚已到了进则胜、不进则退，推动实现生态环境改善由量变到质变的相持阶段，生态环境质量稳中向好的基础还不牢固，污染物排放总量仍居高位，生态环境治理呈现问题点多面广、矛盾新旧交织、压力累积叠加的特点，必须不断健全生态环境治理体系。要从“小切口”入手，不断完善精准治污、科学治污、依法治污制度机制，以更高标准深入打好蓝天、碧水、净土保卫战。深入实施生态环境分区管控，落实分区域、差异化、精准管控要求。全面实行排污许可制，健全基于排污许可证的排污单位监管执法体系和自行监测监管机制，落实企业按证排污责任。坚持上下游贯通一体，推动流域共治、区域联防，完善生态环境联防联控机制。加强生态环境风险防控和应急管理体系建设，提高突发环境事件应对能力。深化生态环境监管体制改革，建立健全生态环境监管长效机制，推动生态环境监管向基层延伸，提升生态环境监管能力和水平。同时，加强生态环境治理人才培养和队伍建设，提高生态环境治理的专业化、科学化水平。通过这些措施，不断健全生态环境治理体系，为实现人与自然和谐共生的中国式现代化提供坚实保障。

Improve the green and low-carbon development mechanism. Under the high-level attention and resolute deployment of the Party Central Committee, the pace of green transformation of the development mode has significantly accelerated, the role of market-based allocation of environmental factors has been significantly enhanced, and the incentive effect of environmental economic policies has been significantly increased. However, there are still some risks and challenges. The structural pressure on ecological and environmental protection remains high, especially the grim situation of carbon intensity reduction; the market mechanism for environmental factors is not yet perfect, and its optimal allocation role needs to be strengthened; the endogenous driving force for promoting green and low-carbon development is still insufficient, and the potential of relying on business entities to promote green and low-carbon development has not been fully released. Improving the green and low-carbon development mechanism requires adhering to accelerating the construction of a green, low-carbon, and circular development economic system, strengthening resource conservation and intensive recycling, accelerating the planning and construction of a new energy system, and actively and steadily advancing the peaking of carbon emissions and carbon neutrality.

健全绿色低碳发展机制。在党中央的高度重视和坚决部署下，发展方式绿色转型步伐明显加快，环境要素市场化配置作用明显增强，环境经济政策激励效应明显加大，但仍然存在一些风险挑战。生态环保结构性压力依然较大，特别是碳强度下降形势严峻；环境要素市场机制不够完善，优化配置作用有待加强；促进绿色低碳发展的内生动力还不足，依靠经营主体推动绿色低碳发展的潜力尚未充分释放出来。健全绿色低碳发展机制，就要坚持加快构建绿色低碳循环发展经济体系，加强资源节约集约循环利用，加快规划建设新型能源体系，积极稳妥推进碳达峰碳中和。

The Chinese-path modernization of harmony between humanity and nature is a major strategic thought and practical path proposed by the CPC, from the height of the sustainable development of the Chinese nation and the progress of human civilization, to address major issues facing human development. On the new journey of the New Era, we must gather forces from all sides and make new and greater contributions to building a Beautiful China and advancing the great cause of building a strong country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

人与自然和谐共生的中国式现代化，是中国共产党站在中华民族永续发展和人类文明进步的高度，为解决人类发展面临的重大问题而提出的重大战略思想和实践路径。在新时代新征程上，我们要凝聚各方力量，为建设美丽中国，推进实现强国建设、民族复兴伟业作出新的更大贡献。

(The authors are, respectively, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Director of the Standing Committee of the People’s Congress of Guilin City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region; and Professor and Director of the Library of Guangxi Normal University.)

（作者系广西壮族自治区桂林市人大常委会党组书记、主任；广西师范大学图书馆馆长、教授）

Online editor: Huihui

网络编辑：慧慧