Broadly Building Consensus for Further Deepening Reform Comprehensively

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out at the opening ceremony of the special seminar for provincial and ministerial-level leading cadres on studying and implementing the spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC: “Broadly building consensus and fully mobilizing all positive factors are extremely important for smoothly advancing reform.” This important exposition profoundly elucidates the significant role of broadly building consensus in promoting the further deepening of reform comprehensively. Thought is the precursor of action; consensus is the driving force of endeavor. The present and coming period is a crucial time for comprehensively advancing the building of a strong country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-path modernization. We must deeply grasp the value implications, core essentials, and methods of practice of broadly building consensus, concentrate our efforts to promote steady and sustained reform, and strive to open up new horizons for reform and development.

习近平总书记在省部级主要领导干部学习贯彻党的二十届三中全会精神专题研讨班开班式上指出：“广泛凝聚共识、充分调动一切积极因素，对顺利推进改革十分重要”。这一重要论述深刻阐明了广泛凝聚共识对推动进一步全面深化改革的重要作用。思想是行动的先导，共识是奋进的动力。当前和今后一个时期是以中国式现代化全面推进强国建设、民族复兴伟业的关键时期，我们要深刻把握广泛凝聚共识的价值意涵、核心要义与践行方式，凝心聚力推动改革行稳致远，奋力打开改革发展新天地。

Broadly building consensus is an important guarantee for further deepening reform comprehensively

广泛凝聚共识是进一步全面深化改革的重要保障

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “Building consensus is crucial to the success of reform.” Broadly building consensus not only constructs, at the ideological level, a shared understanding and value identification among all members of society regarding the direction, goals, and methods of further deepening reform comprehensively, but also, at the practical level, promotes the effective resolution of real problems in reform and development, thereby gathering a powerful reform force and ensuring that the reform process can advance steadily in a complex and changing social environment.

习近平总书记指出：“凝聚共识对改革能否成功至关重要。”广泛凝聚共识不仅在思想层面构筑了全体社会成员对进一步全面深化改革方向、目标、方式等的共同理解与价值认同，更是在实践层面推进了改革发展现实问题的有效解决，进而汇聚起磅礴的改革合力，确保改革进程在复杂多变的社会环境中能够稳步前进。

Broadly building consensus lays the ideological foundation for reform and development. Firm reform convictions, unified reform thinking, and the correct reform direction are all ideological consciousness promoted by broadly building consensus and are also important foundations for further deepening reform comprehensively. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “Without broad consensus, reform cannot advance smoothly, and even if it does advance, it cannot achieve complete success.” The building of reform consensus not only, from the perspective of goal values, promotes guiding all members of society to understand the profound significance of further deepening reform comprehensively for the development of the country and the nation, thereby moving from external perceptual knowledge to internal rational consciousness and strengthening reform convictions; but also, from the concrete and specific level, gradually constructs a systematic understanding among all members of society regarding the promotion of reform, thereby providing a cognitive framework for the selection of reform practices and making scientific judgments. It is in this sense that broadly building consensus achieves unity in the ideological understanding of social members and constructs the ideological foundation for further deepening reform comprehensively.

广泛凝聚共识为改革发展奠定思想根基。坚定的改革信念、统一的改革思想、正确的改革方向，都是广泛凝聚共识所推动形成的思想自觉，也是进一步全面深化改革的重要基础。习近平总书记指出：“没有广泛共识，改革难以顺利推进，推进了也难以取得全面成功。”改革共识的凝聚，不仅从目标价值层面推动引导全体社会成员理解进一步全面深化改革对国家、民族发展的深远意义，从而由外在的感性认识达致内在的理性自觉，坚定改革信念；而且从现实具体层面逐步构建全体社会成员对于推进改革的系统认识，从而为改革实践选择提供认识框架，作出科学判断。正是在这个意义上，广泛凝聚共识以实现社会成员在思想认识上的统一，构筑进一步全面深化改革的思想根基。

Broadly building consensus resolves practical problems for reform and development. Answering and solving problems is the fundamental task of thought and theory. Further deepening reform comprehensively is the most extensive and profound social transformation in contemporary China. It is not only at a critical stage of deep-level changes in systems and mechanisms and profound adjustments in the pattern of interests, but also faces the real test of breaking through development bottlenecks and breaking through solidified interest barriers. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized on many different occasions that China’s reform

广泛凝聚共识为改革发展化解现实问题。回答并解决问题是思想理论的根本任务。进一步全面深化改革是当代中国最广泛、最深刻的社会变革，其不仅处于体制机制深层次变革、利益格局深刻调整的关键阶段，而且还面临着破解发展瓶颈、突破利益固化藩篱的现实考验。党的十八大以来，习近平总书记在不同的场合曾多次强调，中国的改革已进入攻坚期和深水区，容易改的基本上都改了，剩下的都是难啃的硬骨头。“骨头”为何难“啃”？就是因为深层次的改革涉及更加复杂的利益、更加系统的变革。而广泛凝聚共识不仅从利益协调的层面化解改革发展中的堵点痛点，更是从共同愿景的层面克服改革发展中的时代难题，推动全党全国各族人民心往一处想、劲往一处使，迎难而上，确保改革顺利推进、取得实效。

Broadly rallying consensus generates a powerful combined force for reform and development. Only by uniting hearts and minds can strength be gathered; broadly rallying consensus and fully mobilizing all positive factors is precisely about achieving the aggregation of reform forces. General Secretary Xi Jinping points out: “Popular support is the greatest politics; consensus is the driving force for endeavor.” History has fully proven that uniting the people of all ethnic groups across the country and continuously expanding their consistency in goals, values, and concepts is our Party’s political advantage. We must use broad consensus to form a powerful force for promoting social development. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has profoundly grasped the thread of historical development, creatively put forward a series of new thoughts, new concepts, and new viewpoints on further deepening reform comprehensively, greatly enhanced the reform consensus of the whole society, continuously strengthened the sense of participation and initiative of social members in the process of reform and development, and gathered developmental forces for advancing Chinese-path modernization.

广泛凝聚共识为改革发展汇聚强大合力。凝心才能聚力，广泛凝聚共识、充分调动一切积极因素就是要实现改革力量的聚合。习近平总书记指出：“人心是最大的政治，共识是奋进的动力。”历史充分证明，团结全国各族人民，不断扩大其在目标、价值、观念等方面的一致性是我们党的政治优势，我们要以广泛共识形成推动社会发展的强大力量。党的十八大以来，以习近平同志为核心的党中央深刻把握历史发展脉络，创造性地提出一系列关于进一步全面深化改革的新思想、新理念、新观点，极大增强全社会的改革共识，不断强化社会成员在改革发展进程中的参与感和积极性，为推进中国式现代化凝聚发展力量。

Broadly rallying consensus is an inherent requirement of further deepening reform comprehensively

广泛凝聚共识是进一步全面深化改革的应有之义

To deeply understand the important role of broadly rallying consensus in promoting reform, it is necessary to clarify the core essence and specific connotations of the reform consensus to be rallied. In the process of advancing reform, to effectively coordinate the divergences and contradictions between different interest demands and value orientations, it is necessary to rally the basic consensus of all sectors of society in the subjective, theoretical, and practical dimensions of reform, thereby ensuring the smooth progress of reform.

要深刻理解广泛凝聚共识对推动改革的重要作用，就必须厘清所要凝聚的改革共识的核心要义及其具体内涵。在改革推进的过程中，要有效协调不同利益诉求、价值取向之间的分歧矛盾，就必须在改革的主体维度、理论维度、现实维度凝聚社会各界的基本共识，从而确保改革顺利推进。

Rallying leadership consensus in clarifying the reform core. A strong and powerful leadership core plays a commanding and integrating role in the development of the Party and the state’s undertakings. Only through centralized and unified leadership, enabling all favorable factors to form a combined force, can a proletarian party ensure the smooth implementation and effective execution of its policies and guidelines. The “Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Further Deepening Reform Comprehensively to Advance Chinese-Path Modernization” clearly states: “Party leadership is the fundamental guarantee for further deepening reform comprehensively and advancing Chinese-path modernization.” The top-level design, content arrangement, and path selection of reform and opening up are all carried out under the leadership of the Communist Party of China. Especially since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, we have embarked on a new journey of deepening reform comprehensively in the New Era, systematically designing and advancing reform as a whole. It can be said that upholding Party leadership is the fundamental requirement for promoting further deepening reform comprehensively, and clarifying the Party’s core leadership position in reform and development is the contemporary expression of rallying leadership consensus in China.

在明确改革核心中凝聚领导共识。一个坚强有力的领导核心，在党和国家事业发展中起着统率与整合的重要作用。无产阶级政党只有通过集中统一领导，使各方面有利因素形成合力，才能保证党的方针、政策得到顺利贯彻和有效实施。《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》中明确指出：“党的领导是进一步全面深化改革、推进中国式现代化的根本保证。”改革开放的顶层设计、内容安排、路径选择，都是在中国共产党领导下进行的。尤其是党的十八大以来，我们开启了新时代全面深化改革、系统整体设计推进改革新征程。可以说，坚持党的领导是推动进一步全面深化改革的根本要求，明确党在改革发展中的领导核心地位就是当代中国领导共识凝聚的现实表达。

Rallying ideological consensus in grasping innovative theories. Reform, as a social practice, requires scientific theory as its ideological guide. Marx once pointed out: “Theory, once grasped by the masses, also becomes a material force.” Further deepening reform comprehensively must be guided by the innovative theoretical achievements of adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times, unify and rally thought inside and outside the Party, and form a theoretical consensus for advancing reform. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has deepened its understanding and reflection on reform in practice, adhered to integrating the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific realities and with the best of traditional Chinese culture, and formed Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. The Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC also systematically planned further deepening reform comprehensively closely around the theme of advancing Chinese-path modernization. All these have laid a theoretical foundation for rallying broad ideological consensus and guided China’s reform cause to advance continuously.

在把握创新理论中凝聚思想共识。改革作为一种社会实践活动，需要科学理论作为思想指导。马克思曾指出：“理论一经掌握群众，也会变成物质力量。”进一步全面深化改革必须以马克思主义中国化时代化的创新理论成果为指导，凝聚和统一党内外思想，形成推进改革的理论共识。党的十八大以来，以习近平同志为核心的党中央在实践中深化对改革的认识和思考，坚持把马克思主义基本原理同中国具体实际相结合、同中华优秀传统文化相结合，形成了习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想。党的二十届三中全会也紧紧围绕推进中国式现代化这个主题对进一步全面深化改革作出了系统谋划，这些都为凝聚广泛思想共识奠定了理论基础，指引中国改革事业不断前进。

Rallying interest consensus in strengthening the awareness of the overall situation. The pursuit of interests, as a deep-seated factor in people’s social life, profoundly affects the practical advancement of further deepening reform comprehensively. The unfolding of social practice activities must necessarily be based on a certain pursuit of interests. Separated from the soil of interests, the subject’s object-oriented activities towards the object will gradually lose their driving force. Therefore, further deepening reform comprehensively must construct an interest consensus that aligns with the reform’s vision and goals, thereby gradually resolving the resistance to reform arising from interest conflicts. General Secretary Xi Jinping points out: “Guide cadres and the masses to strengthen their awareness of the overall situation and correctly handle the adjustment of interest relations and personal gains and losses in reform.” Only by starting from the holistic perspective of the country and the nation, combining it with the actual circumstances of individuals, and unifying the cause of the Party and the state with personal ideals and pursuits, can consensus be rallied amidst complex interest relations and the foundation of social development be consolidated.

在增强大局意识中凝聚利益共识。利益追求作为人们社会生活中的深层次因素，深刻影响着进一步全面深化改革的现实推进。社会实践活动的展开必然以一定的利益追求为基础。脱离了利益的土壤，主体对于客体的对象性活动就会逐步丧失驱动力。由此，进一步全面深化改革必须构建起同改革愿景目标相契合的利益共识，从而逐步解决因利益冲突而产生的改革阻力。习近平总书记指出：“引导干部、群众增强大局意识，正确对待改革中的利益关系调整和个人利害得失。”只有从国家、民族的整体性视角出发，结合个体的现实境遇，将党和国家的事业同个人的理想追求统一起来，才能在复杂的利益关系中凝聚共识，筑牢社会发展根基。

Broadly rallying consensus is the necessary path for promoting further deepening reform comprehensively

广泛凝聚共识是推动进一步全面深化改革的必由之路

Consensus can only be truly rallied in practice. Broadly rallying consensus and fully mobilizing all positive factors amidst complex and changing social conditions is no easy task. Only by deeply grasping the specific connotations of reform consensus, continuously strengthening Party leadership, advancing institutional and mechanism reforms, and strengthening ideological development, can the ideological and mass foundations for the whole Party and the whole society to jointly promote reform be effectively consolidated, providing important spiritual impetus for further deepening reform comprehensively.

共识要在实践中才能真正凝聚。在复杂多变的社会情形中广泛凝聚共识、充分调动一切积极因素绝非易事，只有在深刻把握改革共识具体内涵的基础上不断加强党的领导、推进体制机制改革、加强意识形态建设，才能有效筑牢全党全社会共抓改革的思想基础、群众基础，为进一步全面深化改革提供重要精神动力。

Upholding the Party’s overall leadership and giving play to its core cohesive role. The leadership of the Communist Party of China is the greatest strength of the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out that it is necessary to “resolutely uphold the authority of the Central Committee, ensure the smooth implementation of orders, and unswervingly implement the reform decisions and deployments of the Central Committee.” The historical process of China’s reform and opening up profoundly demonstrates that it is precisely under the strong leadership of the Party that we can, with the broadest consensus, ensure that the entire Party and the whole country unify their thinking, will, and action on the issue of reform and opening up, successfully respond to a series of major risks and challenges, and overcome countless difficulties and obstacles. Therefore, we must always adhere to the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee over further deepening reform comprehensively, ensure the effective implementation of various reform measures through overall design, coordinated coordination, and holistic advancement, and give full play to the Party’s core leadership role in commanding the overall situation and coordinating all parties, thereby consolidating the most core reform consensus in all aspects and throughout the entire process of reform.

坚持党的全面领导，发挥核心凝聚作用。中国共产党的领导是中国特色社会主义制度的最大优势。习近平总书记指出，要“坚决维护中央权威，保证政令畅通，坚定不移实现中央改革决策部署”。中国改革开放的历史进程深刻表明，正是在党的坚强领导下，我们才能以最广泛的共识确保全党全国在改革开放问题上统一思想、统一意志、统一行动，成功应对一系列重大风险挑战、克服无数艰难险阻。因此，我们必须始终坚持党中央对进一步全面深化改革的集中统一领导，以总体设计、统筹协调、整体推进确保各项改革举措有效落地，充分发挥党总揽全局、协调各方的领导核心作用，从而在改革各方面全过程凝聚起最为核心的改革共识。

Advancing institutional and mechanism reforms and coordinating social interest relations. In the process of further deepening reform comprehensively, the pattern of social interests is also constantly being adjusted and changed. The broad consolidation of reform consensus is closely related to the balance of interests in reform practice. The “Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Further Deepening Reform Comprehensively to Advance Chinese-Path Modernization” [2]2 The “Decision” was adopted at the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC in July 2024, outlining major reform tasks for the period to 2029. points out that it is necessary to “solve the most direct and realistic interest issues that the people are most concerned about, and continuously meet the people’s aspirations for a better life.” Further deepening reform comprehensively means, in the process of consolidating consensus, maximizing the satisfaction of the common needs of the people’s specific interests and integrating them into the goals of Chinese-path modernization. Therefore, to effectively consolidate reform consensus and coordinate social interest relations, it is necessary to further deepen institutional reforms, balance fairness and efficiency, properly handle distribution relations, ensure that the reasonable interests of the vast majority of social members are realized and guaranteed to the greatest extent, and lay a solid material foundation for forming reform consensus.

推进体制机制改革，协调社会利益关系。在进一步全面深化改革的进程中，社会利益格局也在不断调整变化。改革共识的广泛凝聚同改革实践中的利益平衡紧密相关。《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》指出，要“解决好人民最关心最直接最现实的利益问题，不断满足人民对美好生活的向往。”进一步全面深化改革就是在凝聚共识过程中最大限度满足人民群众具体利益的共性需求，将其融入中国式现代化的目标当中。因此，要有效凝聚改革共识，协调社会利益关系，就必须要进一步深化体制改革，兼顾公平与效率，处理好分配关系，确保广大社会成员的合理利益得到最大程度的实现与保障，为形成改革共识奠定坚实的物质基础。

Strengthening ideological construction and reinforcing ideological and political guidance. Promoting further deepening reform comprehensively is not only a development at the material level but also a reinforcement at the spiritual level. Facing the reforms in the process of socialist modernization, what banner to hold and what path to take are particularly important. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out that “ideological work is the work of establishing the heart for the country and establishing the soul for the nation.” Ideology is the ideological banner of the Party and the state, and it is also a fundamental issue in consolidating ideological consensus. Therefore, it is necessary to do a solid job in guiding public opinion on reform, consolidate and strengthen the mainstream ideological public opinion of forging ahead in the New Era, strengthen positive propaganda, sing the main theme, transmit positive energy, respond to social concerns through research, interpretation, propaganda, and explanation of reform measures, adhere to the fundamental system of Marxism’s guiding position in the ideological field, so that the entire Party and the people of all ethnic groups in the country firmly adhere to the direction without wavering, and in consolidating consensus, stabilize the mind, gather strength, and solidify the heart and cast the soul.

加强意识形态建设，强化思想政治引领。推动进一步全面深化改革，不仅是物质层面的发展，也是精神层面的强化。面对社会主义现代化发展进程中的改革，举什么旗、走什么路显得尤为重要。习近平总书记指出，“意识形态工作是为国家立心、为民族立魂的工作。”意识形态是党和国家的思想旗帜，也是凝聚思想共识根本性的问题。因此，必须切实做好改革舆论引导工作，巩固壮大奋进新时代的主流思想舆论，加强正面宣传，唱响主旋律、传递正能量，通过对改革举措的研究阐释、宣传解读来回答社会关切，坚持马克思主义在意识形态领域指导地位的根本制度，使全党全国各族人民坚定方向不动摇，在凝聚共识中定心聚力，凝心铸魂。

(The authors are respectively a professor and doctoral supervisor at the School of Marxism Studies and the School of Discipline Inspection and Supervision, a researcher at the Contemporary Political Party Research Platform, and a doctoral student at the School of Marxism Studies, Renmin University of China.)

（作者分别为中国人民大学马克思主义学院、纪检监察学院教授、博士生导师、当代政党研究平台研究员，中国人民大学马克思主义学院博士研究生）

Online editor: Tongxin

网络编辑：同心