Balancing Development and Security to Better Serve the Overall Work of the Party and the State

At present, China’s development has entered a period in which strategic opportunities and risk challenges coexist and uncertain and unpredictable factors increase. Balancing development and security and achieving a positive interplay between high-quality development and high-level security are major principles that must be firmly grasped based on the new stage of development. Central state-owned enterprises, as important pillars of the national economy, have operations and development that not only affect the economic lifeline but are also directly related to national security. Recently, General Secretary Xi Jinping issued important instructions on the work of central state-owned enterprises, clearly requiring them to better serve the overall work of the Party and the state on the new journey, and specifically emphasizing the need to “balance development and security, effectively prevent and resolve risks, and continuously consolidate the foundation for the safe development of enterprises.” An in-depth exploration of the specific practices of central state-owned enterprises in key security areas, the underlying logic of their backbone and pillar role, and their future mission direction is of great practical significance for us to build a solid national security barrier at a new starting point and advance Chinese-path modernization.

当前，我国发展进入战略机遇和风险挑战并存、不确定难预料因素增多的时期。统筹发展和安全，实现高质量发展和高水平安全的良性互动，是立足新发展阶段必须牢牢把握的重大原则。中央企业作为国民经济的重要支柱，其经营发展不仅关系经济命脉，更直接关乎国家安全。近日，习近平总书记对中央企业工作作出重要指示，明确要求其在新征程上要更好服务党和国家工作大局，并特别强调要“统筹发展和安全，有效防范化解风险，不断夯实企业安全发展的基础”。深入探讨中央企业在重点安全领域的具体实践、其发挥骨干和支柱作用的深层逻辑以及未来的使命方向，对于我们在新起点上筑牢国家安全屏障、推进中国式现代化建设具有重大现实意义。

I

一

Central state-owned enterprises are distributed in important industries and key fields related to national security, the lifeline of the national economy, and the people’s livelihood. In recent years, central state-owned enterprises have continuously strengthened their awareness of potential dangers, focused on preventing and resolving major risks, and effectively played an irreplaceable role in basic guarantees and strategic support in key security areas, translating the strategic requirement of balancing development and security into concrete actions.

中央企业分布在关系国家安全、国民经济命脉和国计民生的重要行业与关键领域。近年来，中央企业不断增强忧患意识，着力防范化解重大风险，在重点安全领域切实发挥了不可替代的基础保障和战略支撑作用，将统筹发展和安全的战略要求落实为具体行动。

In the field of food security, central state-owned enterprises undertake the strategic task of ensuring the supply of primary products, constructing a full industrial chain system from field to table, and through high-standard granary construction and intelligent storage management, ensure that the national grain reserves are true in quantity, good in quality, and safe in storage. In the field of energy security, central state-owned enterprises make every effort to increase production and ensure supply, step up domestic oil and gas exploration and development and the clean and efficient use of coal, while actively deploying new energy sources and participating in the construction of a new energy system, ensuring the stable supply of national energy demand. In the field of industrial and supply chain stability and security, central state-owned enterprises are key nodes for maintaining industrial resilience, enhancing the resilience of industrial and supply chains through technological innovation, optimizing the development environment of industrial and supply chains, and ensuring the stability and security of industrial and supply chains. In the field of national financial security, central state-owned enterprises play a prominent role in serving the real economy and preventing and controlling financial risks. They strictly implement macroeconomic policies, perform the functions of economic “shock absorbers” and social “stabilizers,” and provide a stable financial environment for the market. In the field of national network and information security, central state-owned enterprises continue to build secure and reliable information infrastructure, make progress in tackling key core technologies in network security, and jointly safeguard national cyberspace security. In the field of ecological and environmental security, central state-owned enterprises take the lead in promoting green transformation, implementing large-scale energy conservation and carbon reduction renovations, and contributing to winning the battle against pollution.

在粮食安全领域，中央企业承担着保障初级产品供给的战略任务，构建了从田间到餐桌的全产业链体系，并通过高标准粮仓建设、智能化仓储管理，确保国家粮食储备数量真实、质量良好、储存安全。在能源安全领域，中央企业全力增产保供，加大国内油气勘探开发和煤炭清洁高效利用，同时积极布局新能源，参与构建新型能源体系，保障了国家能源需求的稳定供应。在产业链供应链稳定安全领域，中央企业是维护产业韧性的关键节点，通过技术创新提升产业链供应链韧性，优化产业链供应链发展环境，确保产业链供应链稳定安全。在国家金融安全领域，中央企业在服务实体经济、防控金融风险中作用突出。他们严格执行宏观政策，发挥经济“减震器”和社会“稳定器”功能，为市场提供了稳定的金融环境。在国家网络和信息安全领域，中央企业持续建设安全可靠的信息基础设施，在网络安全核心技术攻关上取得进展，共同守护国家网络空间安全。在生态环境安全领域，中央企业带头推动绿色转型，实施大规模节能降碳改造，为打赢污染防治攻坚战贡献力量。

II

二

It can thus be seen that central state-owned enterprises are not ordinary market entities; their operations are deeply integrated into national strategy, and at critical moments they can mobilize resources and overcome difficulties. They are the most reliable force for safeguarding the core interests of the state and responding to major risks and challenges. The reason central state-owned enterprises can play an important pillar role in balancing development and security is also determined by their unique strategic attributes and comprehensive capabilities.

由此可见，中央企业并非一般市场主体，其运营深度融入国家战略，在关键时刻能够调集资源、攻坚克难，是维护国家核心利益、应对重大风险挑战最可信赖的力量。中央企业之所以能够在统筹发展和安全中发挥重要支柱作用，也是由其独特的战略属性和综合能力所决定的。

From the perspective of domestic construction and economic development, central state-owned enterprises are an important material foundation of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Their property rights attributes and governance structure determine that national strategic goals and public interests must be placed in an important position. This enables central state-owned enterprises to transcend purely profit objectives and make long-term layouts and sustained investments in strategic and foundational fields that have long investment cycles and high risks but are vital to the national economy and people’s livelihood. At the same time, central state-owned enterprises are usually large in scale and complete in system, possessing strong resource mobilization capabilities and cross-industry coordination capabilities, enabling them to quickly form a joint force when the state needs it to respond to systemic risks. This fundamental attribute of state ownership and serving the people is an important prerequisite for central state-owned enterprises to undertake the heavy responsibility of safe development.

从国内建设与经济发展维度看，中央企业是中国特色社会主义的重要物质基础。其产权属性和治理结构决定了必须将国家战略目标和公共利益置于重要位置。这使得中央企业能够超越单纯的利润目标，在投资周期长、风险高但关乎国计民生的战略性、基础性领域进行长期布局和持续投入。同时，中央企业通常规模巨大、体系完整，具备强大的资源动员能力和跨产业协调能力，能够在国家需要时迅速形成合力，应对系统性风险。这种国家所有、服务人民的根本属性，是中央企业承担安全发展重任的重要前提。

From the perspective of international cooperation and major-power games, central state-owned enterprises are key vehicles for the state to participate in global competition and global governance. At present, protectionism and unilateralism are on the rise, the risks and challenges facing the world economy are increasing, and global industrial and supply chains face the risk of restructuring. As the national team of the Chinese economy, central state-owned enterprises play a main-force role in participating in the formulation of international economic and trade rules, ensuring the supply of overseas resources, and maintaining the security of cross-border infrastructure. They implement major cooperation projects such as the Belt and Road Initiative through market-oriented methods, which not only promotes common development but also effectively safeguards the state’s overseas interests and strategic security in a complex geopolitical environment, enhancing our country’s initiative and influence in the international economic system.

从国际合作与大国博弈维度看，中央企业是国家参与全球竞争与全球治理的关键载体。当前保护主义、单边主义抬头，世界经济面临的风险挑战增多，全球产业链供应链面临重构风险。中央企业作为中国经济的国家队，在参与国际经贸规则制定、保障海外资源供应、维护跨境基础设施安全等方面扮演着主力军角色。他们通过市场化方式实施“一带一路”建设等重大合作项目，不仅推动了共同发展，也在复杂地缘政治环境中有效维护了国家的海外利益与战略安全，增强了我国在国际经济体系中的主动权和影响力。

From the perspective of technological development and industrial upgrading, central state-owned enterprises are the leading force in breaking through key core technologies and maintaining industrial security. High-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-strengthening are both a strategic support for national development and a fundamental guarantee for national security. Many cutting-edge technology research and development efforts related to national security require large investments, long cycles, and high risks, necessitating systematic organization and tackling of difficulties. Relying on their advantages in capital, talent, and industrial chains, central state-owned enterprises have the ability to organize large-scale innovation consortia, implement major scientific and technological projects in key fields such as aerospace and deep sea, energy and resources, and information and communications, and promote the deep integration of innovation chains and industrial chains. This core role of leading industrial upgrading and overcoming “bottleneck” problems is difficult for other types of enterprises to replace.

从科技发展与产业升级维度看，中央企业是突破关键核心技术、维护产业安全的主导力量。高水平科技自立自强既是国家发展的战略支撑，也是国家安全的根本保障。许多涉及国家安全的尖端技术研发投入大、周期长、风险高，需要系统性的组织与攻坚。中央企业凭借其资金、人才和产业链优势，有能力组织大规模创新联合体，在航天深海、能源资源、信息通信等关键领域实施重大科技项目，推动创新链与产业链深度融合。这种引领产业升级、攻克“卡脖子”难题的核心作用，是其他类型企业难以替代的。

III

三

During the period of the 14th Five-Year Plan, profound changes in the domestic and international environment have placed higher demands on balancing development and security. Central state-owned enterprises need to follow the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee, further clarify their orientation and positioning, make systematic plans and precise efforts, comprehensively enhance their core capabilities to serve the national strategy, and better fulfill their responsibilities and missions.

“十五五”时期，国内外环境的深刻变化对统筹发展和安全提出了更高要求。中央企业需要按照党中央的决策部署，进一步明确方位、找准定位，系统谋划、精准发力，全面提升服务国家战略的核心能力，更好履行肩负的职责使命。

Adhere to the leadership of the Party and lead reform and development by strengthening political guarantees. Adhering to the leadership of the Party and strengthening Party building are the glorious traditions and unique advantages of central state-owned enterprises. Party leadership must be comprehensively, systematically, and holistically integrated into all aspects of corporate governance, embedding Party organizations within the corporate governance structure. Advance comprehensive and strict governance of the Party in depth, create a political environment of integrity and uprightness, lead high-quality development with high-quality Party building, ensure that central state-owned enterprises always maintain the correct political direction in the complex situation of reform and development, and provide a fundamental political guarantee for fulfilling the responsibilities and missions entrusted by the New Era.

坚持党的领导，在强化政治保障中引领改革发展。坚持党的领导、加强党的建设是中央企业的光荣传统和独特优势。要将党的领导全面、系统、整体地融入公司治理各环节，把企业党组织内嵌到公司治理结构之中。纵深推进全面从严治党，营造风清气正的政治生态，以高质量党建引领保障高质量发展，确保中央企业在改革发展的复杂局面中始终保持正确的政治方向，为履行好新时代赋予的职责使命提供根本政治保证。

Focus on main responsibilities and main businesses, and show greater achievements in serving the overall national situation. Central state-owned enterprises should consciously align their main responsibilities and main businesses with national strategic needs, and consciously plan their own development within the overall national development framework. This means actively integrating into major strategies such as coordinated regional development, new-type urbanization, and rural revitalization, and reflecting the national will in the planning, investment, construction, and operation links. In particular, in important tasks such as advancing major infrastructure construction and ensuring the supply of energy and resources, they should play an irreplaceable professional advantage and backbone role, providing strong support for high-quality economic and social development.

聚焦主责主业，在服务国家大局中展现更大作为。中央企业要自觉将主责主业与国家战略需求紧密对接，自觉将自身发展置于国家发展全局中谋划。这意味着要主动融入区域协调发展、新型城镇化、乡村振兴等重大战略，在规划、投资、建设、运营各环节体现国家意志。特别是在推进重大基础设施建设、保障能源资源供应等重要任务中，发挥不可替代的专业优势和骨干作用，为经济社会高质量发展提供坚强支撑。

Base on the real economy and actively play a role in consolidating the industrial foundation. Maintaining the independent controllability and resilience of industrial and supply chains is an urgent issue in balancing development and security. Central state-owned enterprises should not only consolidate and improve in traditional advantageous fields related to the national economy and people’s livelihood, but also actively deploy and develop strategic emerging industries and future industries. Efforts should be made to make up for shortcomings and forge strengths, and by building an industrial ecosystem and uniting upstream and downstream enterprises, enhance the independent controllability of key links. Through their own transformation and upgrading and industrial chain leadership, they should drive the overall advancement of our country’s industrial system toward the mid-to-high end of the global value chain, building a modern industrial defense line to withstand external shocks.

立足实体经济，在筑牢产业根基中积极发挥作用。维护产业链供应链的自主可控与韧性是统筹发展和安全的紧迫课题。中央企业不仅要在关系国计民生的传统优势领域巩固提升，更要积极布局和发展战略性新兴产业与未来产业。要着力补齐短板、锻造长板，通过构建产业生态、联合上下游企业，提升关键环节的自主可控能力。通过自身的转型升级和产业链引领，带动我国产业体系整体向全球价值链中高端迈进，构筑起抵御外部冲击的现代产业防线。

Strengthen innovation-driven development and bravely shoulder heavy responsibilities in achieving high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-strengthening. Central state-owned enterprises should place scientific and technological innovation at the core, continuously increase R&D investment, and strengthen applied basic research and frontier technology exploration. Concentrate efforts on tackling key core technologies, improve the supply quality of key generic technologies, and courageously challenge major scientific issues and engineering technical problems. By promoting the deep integration of scientific and technological innovation with industrial innovation, strive to achieve a transformation from following and running alongside to leading in more fields, fundamentally enhancing the independence, autonomy, and security of our country’s development.

强化创新驱动，在实现高水平科技自立自强中勇挑重担。中央企业要将科技创新摆在核心位置，持续加大研发投入，强化应用基础研究和前沿技术探索。集中力量攻坚关键核心技术，提升关键共性技术的供给质量，勇于挑战重大科学问题和工程技术难题。通过推动科技创新与产业创新深度融合，力争在更多领域实现从跟跑、并跑到领跑的转变，从根本上增强我国发展的独立性、自主性和安全性。

Optimize operational concepts, and consolidate the foundation for enterprises’ safe development while effectively preventing risks. Integrate the concept of safe development throughout the entire process of enterprise decision-making and operational management. This requires central enterprises to firmly establish a bottom-line mindset in domestic and international market expansion and major investment operations, and to build a comprehensive risk management system covering areas such as strategy, investment, finance, law, and overseas operations. Enhance the ability to accurately identify risks and effectively resolve them, especially in participating in international competition and cooperation, improve the capacity to prevent and resolve various risks such as geopolitical and economic-financial risks, resolutely hold the line against major risks, and achieve a positive interaction between high-quality development and high-level security.

优化经营理念，在有效防范风险中夯实企业安全发展的基础。将安全发展理念贯穿企业决策和经营管理的全过程。这要求中央企业在国内外市场拓展、重大投资运营中，牢固树立底线思维，建立健全涵盖战略、投资、金融、法律、海外运营等领域的、全方位的风险管理体系。提升精准识别风险、有效化解风险的能力，特别是在参与国际竞争与合作中，提升防范化解地缘政治、经济金融等各类风险的能力，坚决守住不发生重大风险的底线，实现高质量发展与高水平安全的良性互动。

Deepen reforms and tackle tough issues, and stimulate endogenous momentum while improving the governance system. Enhancing the core competitiveness of central enterprises is an inherent requirement for better serving the national security strategy. Central enterprises should aim to build world-class enterprises, continuously deepen the reform of state-owned assets and state-owned enterprises, improve the modern enterprise system with Chinese characteristics, and refine a corporate governance structure with clearly defined and transparent rights and responsibilities, coordinated operations, and effective checks and balances. Focus on solving deep-seated institutional and mechanistic problems that constrain enterprise development, take the lead in optimizing the layout of the state-owned economy and improving the efficiency of state-owned asset supervision, and fully stimulate enterprise vitality, creativity, and market competitiveness through reform.

深化改革攻坚，在完善治理体系中激发内生动力。提升中央企业核心竞争力是更好服务国家安全战略的内在要求。中央企业应以建设世界一流企业为目标，持续深化国资国企改革，完善中国特色现代企业制度，健全权责法定、权责透明、协调运转、有效制衡的公司治理结构。着力解决制约企业发展的深层次体制机制问题，在优化国有经济布局、提升国资监管效能等方面走在前列，通过改革充分激发企业活力、创造力和市场竞争力。

(Author: Wang Peng, Researcher at the Hubei Provincial Research Center for the Theoretical System of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics, and Researcher at the Institute of Marxist Studies, Huazhong University of Science and Technology)

（作者：王鹏，系湖北省中国特色社会主义理论体系研究中心研究员、华中科技大学马克思主义研究院研究员）

Online Editor: Huihui

网络编辑：慧慧