Deeply Grasp the People-Centered Character of Further Deepening Reform Comprehensively

People-centeredness is an essential attribute of Marxism and also a distinct character of further deepening reform comprehensively. The "Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Further Deepening Reform Comprehensively to Advance Chinese-Path Modernization" adopted at the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China emphasizes that "adhering to the people-centered development philosophy" is a major principle that must be implemented in further deepening reform comprehensively.[1]1 The Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, held in July 2024, adopted a decision on further deepening reform comprehensively to advance Chinese-path modernization. The distinct people-centered character of further deepening reform comprehensively fully demonstrates the original aspiration and founding mission of Chinese Communists to seek happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation, and becomes an important cornerstone for Chinese-path modernization to continuously achieve theoretical innovation, practical innovation, institutional innovation, cultural innovation and other innovations.

人民性是马克思主义的本质属性，也是进一步全面深化改革的鲜明品格。党的二十届三中全会通过的《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》，强调“坚持以人民为中心”是进一步全面深化改革必须贯彻的重大原则。进一步全面深化改革鲜明的人民性品格，充分彰显中国共产党人为中国人民谋幸福、为中华民族谋复兴的初心使命，成为中国式现代化不断实现理论创新、实践创新、制度创新、文化创新及其他各方面创新的重要基石。

Adhere to the value orientation of putting the people first. The question of "for whom" is a touchstone for testing the nature of a political party and a regime. Further deepening reform comprehensively adheres to the value orientation of putting the people first and the fundamental purpose of serving the people wholeheartedly, takes realizing and safeguarding the interests of the people and enabling the people to live a good life as the fundamental starting point and ultimate goal, draws up the blueprint for reform, formulates reform measures, and advances reform implementation from the perspective of the people's overall interests, fundamental interests, and long-term interests, continuously promotes the well-rounded development of the individual, steadily moves forward in the direction of common prosperity, and strives to give the people a greater sense of gain, happiness, and security. Further deepening reform comprehensively is a comprehensive deepening of reform on the basis of many years of reform and opening up, which has now entered a critical period and a deep-water zone; it is a new expansion of reform based on changes in the principal contradiction in society; it is a reform that ventures into treacherous shoals, surmounts difficulties, and gnaws at hard bones. The social transformation is comprehensive and profound, and the reform tasks are arduous and complex as never before. It is precisely by adhering to the value orientation of putting the people first that further deepening reform comprehensively responds to the new expectations of the people, takes the people's aspiration for a better life as the goal of struggle, takes seeking happiness for the people as the fundamental mission, and makes the historic leap from striving to solve the problem of "whether there is enough" to striving to solve the problem of "whether it is good," thereby profoundly answering a series of fundamental questions such as for whom the further deepening of reform is conducted, whom it relies on, and who enjoys its fruits.

坚守人民至上价值取向。“为什么人”的问题，是检验一个政党和政权性质的试金石。进一步全面深化改革坚持人民至上的价值取向、坚持全心全意为人民服务的根本宗旨，以实现和维护人民群众利益、让老百姓过上好日子为根本出发点和落脚点，从人民整体利益、根本利益、长远利益出发绘制改革蓝图、制定改革举措、推进改革落实，不断促进人的全面发展，朝着共同富裕方向稳步前进，力求让人民群众有更多的获得感、幸福感、安全感。进一步全面深化改革，是在多年改革开放且进入攻坚期和深水区基础上改革的全面深化，是社会主要矛盾发生变化基础上改革的全新拓展，是涉险滩、闯难关、啃硬骨头的改革，社会变革之全面而又深刻、改革任务之艰巨而又复杂前所未有。正是坚守人民至上价值取向，进一步全面深化改革顺应人民群众的新期待，将人民对美好生活的向往作为奋斗目标，将为人民谋幸福作为根本使命，从致力于解决“有没有”问题到致力于解决“好不好”问题的历史性跨越，从而深刻回答了进一步全面深化改革为了谁、依靠谁、成果由谁享有等一系列基本问题。

Respect the principal position of the people and their pioneering spirit. The greatest confidence and deepest foundation of the Party's governance lie in the people. The people are the creators of history, the true heroes, the practical subject and relying force of further deepening reform comprehensively, and the inexhaustible source of strength for further deepening reform comprehensively. Respecting the principal position of the people, giving play to their pioneering spirit, pooling their wisdom and strength, and relying closely on the people to advance reform are not only valuable experience gained from the Party's struggle over more than one hundred years and from reform and opening up, but also important methods for creating new historical achievements through further deepening reform comprehensively in the New Era. Further deepening reform comprehensively is the cause of hundreds of millions of people. Whether it is reform deployments in the economic, political, cultural, social, and ecological civilization spheres, or the Party's leadership over reform, deepening the reform of the Party building system, and the fight against corruption and for clean governance, none can be separated from the extensive participation and support of the people, and all require relying on the wisdom and strength of the people. The needs and expectations of the people provide clear direction and goals for further deepening reform comprehensively; the active exploration and innovative practice of the people inject inexhaustible momentum and vitality into further deepening reform comprehensively; the degree of satisfaction of the people is the ultimate criterion for evaluating the effectiveness of further deepening reform comprehensively. Therefore, the process of further deepening reform comprehensively is also the process of following the Party's mass line in the New Era.

尊重人民主体地位和首创精神。党执政的最大底气、最深厚根基就是人民群众。人民群众是历史的创造者、真正的英雄，是进一步全面深化改革的实践主体、依靠力量，是进一步全面深化改革不竭的力量源泉。尊重人民群众的主体地位，发挥人民群众的首创精神，汇聚人民群众的智慧和力量，紧紧依靠人民群众推进改革，既是党百余年奋斗和改革开放取得重大成就的宝贵经验，也是新时代进一步全面深化改革创造新的历史伟业的重要方法。进一步全面深化改革，是亿万人民自己的事业。无论是经济、政治、文化、社会、生态文明等方面的改革部署，还是党对改革的领导、深化党的建设制度改革、党风廉政建设和反腐败斗争，都离不开人民群众的广泛参与和支持，都需要依靠人民的智慧和力量。人民群众的需求和期盼，为进一步全面深化改革提供了明确的方向和目标；人民群众的积极探索和创新实践，为进一步全面深化改革注入了源源不断的动力和活力；人民群众的满意程度，是检验进一步全面深化改革成效的最终评价标准。因此，进一步全面深化改革的过程，也是走好新时代党的群众路线的过程。

Grasp the fundamental goal of benefiting the people. Human development is not only a prerequisite for social development but also the ultimate purpose of social development. Making the people's life happy is "the most important things for the country,"[2]2 A four-character phrase (国之大者, guó zhī dà zhě) meaning "the most important matters for the country," often used by Chinese leaders to emphasize top priorities such as the people's well-being and national security. and benefiting the people is the essential requirement of building the Party for the public good and exercising power for the people. Further deepening reform comprehensively means, in the process of advancing Chinese-path modernization, taking the promotion of social fairness and justice and the enhancement of people's well-being as the starting point and ultimate goal, through a series of major strategic measures, continuously optimizing and perfecting various systems, giving full play to the significant advantages of Party leadership and the socialist system, and promoting social development, progress, and the improvement of people's well-being. Therefore, further deepening reform comprehensively responds to the new expectations of the people, sets the overall goal based on the "seven foci,"[3]3 The "seven foci" (七个聚焦, qī gè jùjiāo) refer to seven key areas identified in the reform decision: building a high-level socialist market economy, developing whole-process people's democracy, building a culturally advanced country, improving people's quality of life, building a beautiful China, building a higher-level safe China, and improving the Party's leadership level. comprehensively advances the construction of socialist market economy, democratic politics, advanced culture, harmonious society, and ecological civilization through systematic, holistic, and coordinated reform measures, promotes high-quality development, develops whole-process people's democracy, upholds social fairness and justice, improves the quality of the people's life, enriches the people's spiritual world, continuously meets the people's ever-growing needs for a better life, and enables the broad masses of the people to share the fruits of reform and development. Moreover, further deepening reform comprehensively places human development at the core, holds that the essence of modernization is the modernization of people, and that Chinese-path modernization is a modernization of common prosperity for all people and harmony between humanity and nature. It requires both making the "cake" bigger and better and cutting and distributing the "cake" well, maximizing the release of dividends from reform and development, and forming a vivid situation where everyone participates, everyone does their utmost, everyone shares, and everyone gets their due.

把握造福人民根本目标。人的发展不仅是社会发展的前提，而且是社会发展的最终目的。让人民生活幸福是“国之大者”，为民造福是立党为公、执政为民的本质要求。进一步全面深化改革，就是在推进中国式现代化的进程中，以促进社会公平正义、增进人民福祉为出发点和落脚点，通过一系列重大战略举措，不断优化和完善各项制度，充分发挥党的领导和社会主义制度的显著优势，推动社会发展进步和人民福祉提升。因此，进一步全面深化改革，回应人民的新期待，立足“七个聚焦”设定总目标，以系统性、整体性、协同性的改革举措全面推进社会主义市场经济、民主政治、先进文化、和谐社会、生态文明建设，推动高质量发展，发展全过程人民民主，维护社会公平正义，提高人民生活品质，丰富人民精神世界，不断满足人民日益增长的美好生活需要，让广大人民群众共享改革发展成果。而且，进一步全面深化改革，将人的发展置于核心地位，认为现代化的本质是人的现代化，中国式现代化是全体人民共同富裕、人与自然和谐共生的现代化，要求既做好做大“蛋糕”，又切好分好“蛋糕”，最大限度地释放改革发展红利，形成人人参与、人人尽力、人人享有、各得其所的生动局面。

Take people's livelihood as the basic thread. People's livelihood is the most important is an important guideline for Chinese-path modernization and also a basic thread for further deepening reform comprehensively. People's livelihood concerns the survival, life, and means of livelihood of the people, and is the foundation of the people's happiness and the foundation of social harmony. Ensuring and improving people's livelihood is an important foundation for promoting high-quality development, a major task of Chinese-path modernization, and the aspiration of the people, the point where people's sentiments are tied, and the direction of people's will. In April 2024, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out during an inspection tour in Chongqing: "Chinese-path modernization, people's livelihood is the most important. All work of the Party and the government is aimed at enabling the people to live a happier life." Entering the New Era, the people's lives have improved significantly, their aspirations for a better life have become stronger, and the needs of the people have become more diverse. However, we must see that there are still many shortcomings in the field of people's livelihood, such as unbalanced urban and rural development, income distribution gaps, unequal distribution of educational resources, insufficient high-quality medical resources, increased employment pressure, and an imperfect social security system. These problems closely related to the vital interests of the people emerge one after another. Further deepening reform comprehensively should focus on improving the quality of people's life, give play to the "compass" role of people's livelihood, always pay attention to the happiness of the people, and strive to enhance people's well-being. In particular, it is necessary to grasp the issues of most direct and practical concern to the people, and find the focal points and breakthroughs for reform from issues concerning inclusive, basic, and bottom-line livelihood construction such as distribution, employment, social security, housing, medical care, and childcare for the elderly. It is necessary to improve the income distribution system, improve the employment priority policy, improve the social security system, deepen the reform of the medical and health system, improve the population development support and service system, and continuously exert efforts to ensure that children are well raised, the young are well educated, the working age are well employed, the sick are well treated, the elderly are well cared for, the people have adequate housing, and the weak are well supported.[4]4 A well-known phrase (幼有所育、学有所教、劳有所得、病有所医、老有所养、住有所居、弱有所扶) outlining seven social policy goals: children are well raised, the young are well educated, the working age are well employed, the sick are well treated, the elderly are well cared for, the people have adequate housing, and the weak are well supported. In this way, the sense of gain of the people will be more substantial, the sense of happiness more sustainable, and the sense of security more guaranteed, and the people's aspiration for a better life will be turned into reality step by step.

贯穿民生为基本线索。民生为大是中国式现代化的重要遵循，也是进一步全面深化改革的基本线索。民生事关人民生存生活生计，是人民幸福之基、社会和谐之本。保障和改善民生，是推动高质量发展的重要基础，是中国式现代化的重大任务，是民心所向、民情所系、民意所指。2024年4月，习近平总书记在重庆考察时指出：“中国式现代化，民生为大。党和政府的一切工作，都是为了老百姓过上更加幸福的生活。”进入新时代，人民生活显著改善，对美好生活的向往更加强烈，人民群众的需求更加多样化。但是，我们要看到，民生领域尚存诸多短板，城乡发展不平衡、收入分配差距、教育资源不均衡、优质医疗资源不足、就业压力增大、社会保障体系不完善等关系人民群众切身利益的问题层出不穷。进一步全面深化改革，要聚焦提高人民生活品质，发挥民生“指南针”作用，始终关注人民幸福，着力增进民生福祉。尤其是要抓住人民群众最关心最直接最现实的利益问题，注重从分配、就业、社保、住房、医疗、托幼养老等普惠性、基础性、兜底性民生建设的问题中找准改革的发力点和突破口。要完善收入分配制度，完善就业优先政策，健全社会保障体系，深化医药卫生体制改革，健全人口发展支持和服务体系，在幼有所育、学有所教、劳有所得、病有所医、老有所养、住有所居、弱有所扶上持续用力。如此，人民群众的获得感成色更足、幸福感更可持续、安全感更有保障，推动人民群众对美好生活的向往将一步步变为现实。

(The author is a professor at the School of Marxism, Gannan University of Science and Technology)

（作者系赣南科技学院马克思主义学院教授）

Online editor: Huihui

网络编辑：慧慧