Solving Development Problems through Reform

Reform is the driving force of development. The deeper reform advances, the more complex and acute the conflicts of interest it touches, and the more treacherous rapids and dangerous shoals it encounters; every step forward is not easy. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasizes: “For matters that are well thought out and carefully considered, top-level design should be carried out; for matters that are uncertain and not yet mature, we should cross the river by feeling the stones.” [1]1 A classical Chinese allusion from the *Huainanzi* (《淮南子》), a philosophical text from the 2nd century BCE, used here to emphasize that great achievements require collective effort, not individual contribution alone. On the new journey of the New Era, to further deepen reform comprehensively, we must not only place greater emphasis on systemic, holistic, and coordinated approaches, but also continue to encourage bold experimentation and breakthroughs, constantly remove institutional and mechanistic obstacles, deepen reform and opening up, solve development problems through reform methods, unleash the potential of economic development, and achieve economic stability and high-quality development.

改革是发展的动力。改革越向纵深推进，触及的利益矛盾就越复杂越尖锐，急流险滩也就越多，每前进一步都不容易。习近平总书记强调：“对于胸有成竹的、思虑缜密的，那就要搞顶层设计；对于心里没底的、还不成熟的，就摸着石头过河”。新时代新征程，进一步全面深化改革既要更加注重系统性、整体性、协同性，又要继续鼓励大胆试验、大胆突破，不断破除体制机制障碍，把改革开放引向深入，以改革的办法破解发展难题，释放经济发展潜力，实现经济稳定和高质量发展。

As early as 2013, when presiding over the eleventh collective study session of the Political Bureau of the 18th Central Committee, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “Our proposal to combine strengthening

早在2013年，习近平总书记在主持十八届中共中央政治局第十一次集体学习时就指出：“我们提出加强顶层设计和摸着石头过河相结合、整体推进和重点突破相促进，这是全面深化改革必须遵循的重要原则，也是历史唯物主义的要求。”我国40多年来的改革之所以能够取得成功，把顶层设计和摸着石头过河相结合是一个重要原因。这也是在改革过程中灵活运用历史唯物主义的成果。我们党坚持一切从实际出发，利用矛盾双方的同一性，推动各方面改革有条不紊推进，发展的协调性不断增强，成功实现了公有制经济与非公有制经济、按劳分配与按要素分配、政府与市场、内循环与外循环、自主创新与引进技术等的有机结合，创造出1+1>2的效果。改革有力促进了社会生产力大解放，我国经济总量规模稳居全球第二位，2024年国内生产总值首次突破130万亿元；制造业增加值占全球比重约30%，连续10多年位居全球首位；脱贫攻坚战取得全面胜利，历史性解决了绝对贫困问题，为全球减贫作出重大贡献；社会建设取得长足进步，建成了世界上规模最大的教育体系、社会保障体系、医疗卫生体系，国民受教育水平和健康水平持续提高；生态文明建设发生历史性、转折性、全局性变化，生态环境显著改善。

Overall, China's reform has achieved remarkable accomplishments that have captured worldwide attention, bringing earth-shaking changes to national strength, people's lives, and the social landscape. On the path forward, we must continue to deepen reform and carry it through to the end. The Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC has drawn up a grand blueprint for advancing Chinese-path modernization through further comprehensive deepening of reform. Further comprehensively deepening reform is a complex systemic project that requires both a "design blueprint" and a "construction plan," and it remains necessary to adhere to the combination of strengthening top-level design and crossing the river by feeling for the stones.

总的来看，我国改革取得了举世瞩目的巨大成就，国家实力、人民生活、社会面貌都发生了翻天覆地的巨大变化。前进路上，仍要把改革推向深入，将改革进行到底。党的二十届三中全会擘画了以进一步全面深化改革推进中国式现代化的宏伟蓝图。进一步全面深化改革是一项复杂的系统工程，既要有“设计图”也要有“施工图”，仍然需要坚持加强顶层设计和摸着石头过河相结合。

Only by strengthening top-level design, making an overall design of reform content, and making an overall plan for the reform path can reforms in various aspects promote each other, interact positively, and form a strong synergy. Among these, the reform goal is the core of top-level design, consisting of a goal system composed of overall goals and categorized goals, and also including medium- and long-term goals and short-term goals. It should be recognized that the goal system is dynamic. Only by making timely adjustments and optimizations as time passes and conditions change can a complete and scientific goal system be formed. The major reform decisions in the history of our Party have adhered to upholding fundamental principles and breaking new ground, keeping pace with the times. They have not only demonstrated a strong resolve that the path remains unchanged and the will remains unshaken, but also, with the courage and boldness to innovate and tackle difficulties, continuously put forward new reform goals, guiding reform to deepen step by step along the correct direction.

加强顶层设计，对改革内容进行统筹设计，对改革路径进行整体谋划，才能使各方面改革相互促进、良性互动，形成强大合力。其中，改革目标是顶层设计的核心，是由总体目标和分类目标组成的目标体系，也包括中长期目标和近期目标。应当认识到，目标体系是动态的。只有随着时间推移和条件变化及时作出调整优化，才能构成完整、科学的目标体系。我们党历史上的重大改革决定，就坚持了守正创新、与时俱进，既体现了道不变、志不改的强大定力，又以敢创新、勇攻坚的锐气胆魄，不断提出新的改革目标，引导改革沿着正确方向步步深入。

Crossing the river by feeling for the stones is a vivid metaphor for our strategy and method of reform and opening up. In practice, for reforms that must achieve breakthroughs but are not yet fully certain, we adopt the method of pilot exploration and testing the waters, first carrying out pilot projects, encouraging bold exploration, and then promoting them widely once experience is gained and the approach is deemed reliable. Chinese-path modernization is an unprecedented pioneering undertaking, involving many unknown areas and facing unpredictable factors; it requires both bold exploration in practice and extreme caution. Crossing the river by feeling for the stones means grasping the laws; whether a reform measure is feasible can only be known through practical testing. We must encourage cadres and the masses to boldly try and boldly forge ahead, grasping the dialectical unity of establishing the new and abolishing the old.

摸着石头过河，是对我们改革开放策略和方法的形象比喻。实践中，对必须取得突破但一时还不那么有把握的改革，就采取试点探索、投石问路的方法，先行试点，鼓励大胆探索，取得经验、看得很准了再推开。中国式现代化是一项前无古人的开创性事业，既有许多未知领域，也会面对难以预料的因素；既需要在实践中大胆探索，又必须慎之又慎。摸着石头过河就是摸规律，改革措施是否可行，通过实践检验才能知道。要鼓励干部群众大胆试、大胆闯，把握立与破的辩证统一。

"The flight of the roc is not due to the lightness of a single feather; the speed of a fine horse is not due to the strength of a single hoof." [1]1 A classical Chinese allusion from the *Huainanzi* (《淮南子》), a philosophical text from the 2nd century BCE, used here to emphasize that great achievements require collective effort, not individual contribution alone. The "Decision" of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC puts forward more than 300 important reform measures, all of which involve the levels of systems, mechanisms, and institutions. Some of these are improvements and upgrades to past reform measures, while others are newly proposed reform measures based on practical needs and pilot exploration. Only by closely focusing on the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee, better combining strengthening top-level design with crossing the river by feeling for the stones, deeply summarizing innovative experiences from various localities, enhancing the consistency of reform policy orientations, forming a working mechanism with clear responsibilities, a complete chain, and interlocking links, while simultaneously strengthening follow-up and evaluation of effectiveness, can we ensure that reforms achieve tangible results. We must urgently formulate and implement practical and effective reform plans targeting the prominent problems facing current development, striving to fundamentally solve development problems through reform methods.

“大鹏之动，非一羽之轻也；骐骥之速，非一足之力也。”党的二十届三中全会《决定》共提出300多项重要改革举措，都是涉及体制、机制、制度层面的内容。其中有的是对过去改革举措的完善和提升，有的是根据实践需要和试点探索新提出的改革举措。只有紧紧围绕党中央决策部署，更好把加强顶层设计和摸着石头过河结合起来，深入总结各地创新经验，增强改革政策取向一致性，形成责任明确、链条完整、环环相扣的工作机制，同时强化跟踪问效，才能确保改革见到实效。要针对当前发展中面临的突出问题，抓紧制定实施切实有效的改革方案，努力以改革的办法从根本上破解发展难题。

Solve the prominent problem of insufficient effective demand in economic operations. We should start with strengthening and improving macroeconomic regulation, establishing a long-term mechanism to encourage the growth of consumption, investment, and exports. Relevant departments should closely focus on the development goals set by the Party Central Committee, strengthen the coordination and cooperation of macroeconomic policies, and enhance the consistency of macroeconomic policy orientations. Comprehensively improving the scientific and standardized level of planning work is of great significance for perfecting the macroeconomic governance system; monetary policy is mainly responsible for the dynamic balance of aggregate supply and demand, playing an important role in avoiding inflation or deflation; fiscal policy is mainly responsible for structural optimization, guiding resource allocation through fiscal funds, and effectively driving social investment with government investment. We must improve and make good use of the working mechanism for assessing the consistency of macroeconomic policy orientations, strengthen top-level design and overall coordination, while simultaneously improving mechanisms for effective communication, consultation, and feedback between departments, to enhance policy synergy.

破解有效需求不足这一经济运行中的突出问题。应从加强和改善宏观调控入手，建立鼓励消费、投资、出口增长的长效机制。相关部门应紧紧围绕党中央制定的发展目标，加强宏观政策协调配合，增强宏观政策取向一致性。全面提高规划工作科学化规范化水平，对于完善宏观经济治理体系具有重要意义；货币政策主要负责总供求的动态平衡，对于避免通货膨胀或通货紧缩具有重要作用；财政政策主要负责结构优化，通过财政资金引导资源配置，以政府投资有效带动社会投资。要健全和用好宏观政策取向一致性评估工作机制，强化顶层设计和整体统筹，同时完善部门间有效沟通、协商反馈机制，增强政策合力。

Solve the problem of agricultural and rural modernization lagging behind industrial and urban modernization. China's agricultural and rural modernization has clearly lagged behind industrial and urban modernization, requiring further breaking down the urban-rural dual structure and promoting integrated urban-rural development. Looking ahead, the greatest potential for China's economic development comes from agriculture and rural areas, and further deepening rural reform is of great significance. The "Decision" of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC has made deployments for perfecting the systems and mechanisms for integrated urban-rural development, proposing that we must coordinate new-type industrialization, new-type urbanization, and comprehensive rural revitalization, and comprehensively raise the level of integration in urban-rural planning, construction, and governance. The "Plan for Accelerating the Building of an Agricultural Power (2024–2035)" also proposes "promoting integrated urban-rural development and narrowing the urban-rural gap" and makes important deployments. Implementing these reform deployments without compromise will create a favorable institutional environment for advancing comprehensive rural revitalization. All regions and departments should actively promote relevant reforms, using reform to unleash the enormous potential of agricultural and rural development, providing new momentum for the development of the national economy.

破解农业农村现代化滞后于工业和城市现代化的问题。我国农业农村现代化明显滞后于工业和城市现代化，需要进一步破除城乡二元结构，促进城乡融合发展。展望未来，我国经济发展的最大潜力来自农业和农村，进一步深化农村改革意义重大。党的二十届三中全会《决定》对完善城乡融合发展体制机制作出部署，提出必须统筹新型工业化、新型城镇化和乡村全面振兴，全面提高城乡规划、建设、治理融合水平。《加快建设农业强国规划（2024—2035年）》也提出“促进城乡融合发展，缩小城乡差别”，并作出重要部署。不折不扣落实这些改革部署，将为推进乡村全面振兴创造有利的制度环境。各地区各部门应积极推进相关改革，以改革激发农业农村发展的巨大潜力，为国民经济发展提供新动能。

Remove the ideological and institutional obstacles that constrain scientific and technological innovation. Education, science and technology, and talent are the foundational and strategic pillars of Chinese-path modernization. The "Decision" of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC has made important deployments for deepening comprehensive education reform, deepening the reform of the science and technology system, and deepening the reform of the talent development systems and mechanisms. Only by coordinating and promoting the integrated reform of the education, science and technology, and talent systems and mechanisms, formulating detailed implementation rules for all aspects as soon as possible, and implementing these reform measures effectively, can we enhance the overall effectiveness of the national innovation system and stimulate the vitality of scientific and technological innovation. We must give full play to the advantages of the new nationwide system for mobilizing resources, resolutely win the battle for core technologies in key fields, and firmly grasp the lifeline of science and technology and the initiative in development in our own hands. Use technologies with independent intellectual property rights to drive industrial upgrading, accelerate the transformation of industries towards high-end, intelligent, and green development, and provide scientific and technological support for basically realizing socialist modernization by 2035.

破除束缚科技创新的思想观念和体制机制障碍。教育、科技、人才是中国式现代化的基础性、战略性支撑。党的二十届三中全会《决定》对深化教育综合改革、深化科技体制改革和深化人才发展体制机制改革都作出了重要部署。只有统筹推进教育科技人才体制机制一体改革，尽快制定各方面实施细则，把这些改革措施落到实处，才能提升国家创新体系整体效能，激发科技创新活力。要充分发挥新型举国体制优势，坚决打赢关键核心技术攻坚战，把科技命脉和发展主动权牢牢掌握在自己手中。以具有自主知识产权的技术推动产业升级，加快推动产业高端化、智能化、绿色化转型，为2035年基本实现社会主义现代化提供科技支撑。

(The author is a former deputy director of the Policy Research Office of the CPC Central Committee)

（作者为中央政策研究室原副主任）

Online editor: Tongxin

网络编辑：同心