The Theory of New Quality Productive Forces and the Construction of China’s Independent Knowledge System

The knowledge system of philosophy and social sciences reflects the theoretical and spiritual heights that a country and its nation can attain. General Secretary Xi Jinping attaches great importance to

哲学社会科学知识体系，反映着一个国家和民族所能达到的理论高度和精神高度。习近平总书记高度重视并始终关心构建中国特色哲学社会科学的问题。2016年5月17日，习近平总书记主持召开哲学社会科学工作座谈会并发表重要讲话（以下简称“‘5·17’重要讲话”）。2022年4月25日，习近平总书记在中国人民大学考察调研时进一步提出“建构中国自主的知识体系”的要求。八年来，我们立足“我国有独特的历史、独特的文化、独特的国情”，自主建构一系列中国特色哲学社会科学认识和经验系统。其中，习近平总书记的“新质生产力理论”可以说是中国经济学自主知识体系建构的典范，给我们提供了建构中国自主知识体系的方法论指引。故此，有必要以新质生产力理论为例，深度剖析中国自主知识体系建构的理念与方法，以此总结八年来我国自主知识体系建构所取得的成就。

The Theory of New Quality Productive Forces and the Construction of Distinctive “Chinese Terminology”

新质生产力理论与建构标识性“中国术语”

As a general term describing the sum total of knowledge, a knowledge system is grounded in the practical experience of a specific society’s politics, economy, and culture, and is used to explain a specific society and a specific era. Constructing an independent Chinese knowledge system first requires the ability to formulate distinctive ideological concepts and to refine independent Chinese terminology. Chinese terminology plays a foundational role in China’s independent knowledge system; advancing a “terminological revolution” and constructing “Chinese terminology” thus become an important link in building this system. Since the “5-17” important speech [1]1 The “5-17” important speech refers to a speech delivered by Xi Jinping at a symposium on philosophy and social sciences on May 17, 2016, which called for the construction of a system of discourse with Chinese characteristics., China has actively worked to create “Chinese terminology” that bridges China and the world, enabling it to more fully and more distinctly manifest the ideological and spiritual power of Chinese practice. New quality productive forces are a typical example of such “Chinese terminology.”

知识体系作为描述知识总和的概括性术语，奠基于特定社会的政治、经济、文化等实践经验之上，用于解释特定社会和特定时代。建构中国自主知识体系首先需要建构具有标识性思想观念的能力，提炼出中国自主的标识性术语。中国术语在中国自主知识体系中发挥着基础性作用，推进“术语革命”，建构“中国术语”就成为中国自主知识体系建构的重要一环。自“5·17”重要讲话以来，我国积极打造融通中外的“中国术语”，使之更加充分、更加鲜明地展现中国实践的思想力量和精神力量。新质生产力就是其中典型的“中国术语”。

The theory of productive forces is a basic theory of Marxist political economy. Marxism holds that the development of productive forces is the material foundation of socio-historical development and the decisive force in the development of human society. With the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, traditional productive forces can no longer break through technological constraints to provide new momentum for economic development, necessitating innovation in the theory of productive forces. In September 2023, General Secretary Xi Jinping first proposed “new quality productive forces” during his inspection tour in Heilongjiang, and has since elaborated on the theory multiple times, making the term a buzzword for China’s high-quality development. Compared with traditional productive forces, new quality productive forces place greater emphasis on the core role of disruptive technological breakthroughs, innovation-driven development, innovative allocation of production factors, and deep industrial transformation and upgrading in driving social development. Through a “terminological revolution,” new quality productive forces transform the concept derived from the Marxist economic theoretical category of “productive forces” into an important term suited to the characteristics of the era, using it to explain a series of extremely important new phenomena, problems, and trends emerging in economic development, grasping the essential ideas and internal structure of China’s knowledge of productive forces, and effectively elucidating the regular features of China’s high-quality development. It can be said that new quality productive forces possess the characteristics of integrating political, scholarly, popular, and global dimensions; they are new concepts, categories, and expressions that are easily understood and accepted by the international community, and will inevitably become effective academic categories and distinctive concepts for analyzing China’s economic development.

生产力理论是马克思主义政治经济学的基本理论。马克思主义认为，生产力的发展是社会历史发展的物质基础，是人类社会发展的决定性力量。随着新一轮科技革命和产业变革，传统生产力无法突破技术制约继续提供经济发展的新动能，这时就需要创新生产力理论。2023年9月，习近平总书记在黑龙江考察时首次提出“新质生产力”，此后又多次对新质生产力理论进行阐释，这一术语也随之成为中国推动高质量发展的热词。与传统生产力相比，新质生产力更加强调颠覆性技术突破、创新驱动发展、生产要素创新性配置和产业深度转型升级在推动社会发展中的核心作用。新质生产力通过“术语革命”把“生产力”这一马克思主义经济学理论范畴产生的概念建构成适应时代特点的重要术语，用之解释经济发展中正在出现的一系列极为重要的新现象、新问题、新动向，把握住中国生产力知识的思想要义和内在结构，能够很好阐释中国经济高质量发展的规律性特征。可以说，新质生产力具有政治性、学理性、大众性和世界性相贯通的特点，是易于为国际社会所理解和接受的新概念、新范畴、新表述，必然会成为分析中国经济发展有效的学术范畴和标识性概念。

The Theory of New Quality Productive Forces and Adherence to a Problem-Oriented Approach

新质生产力理论与坚持问题导向

Adhering to a problem-oriented approach is a distinctive feature of Marxism, and the construction of an independent Chinese knowledge system must also make good use of the important method of “adhering to a problem-oriented approach.” As a matter of theoretical supply, an independent knowledge system must focus on new problems, deep-seated problems, major problems, and prominent problems in order to be truly constructed and demonstrate its important value. Entering the New Era, we have encountered many problems in economic development that “foreign theories” cannot effectively answer, including how to shift from high-speed growth to high-quality development in the new stage of development, how to advance economic development in the era of the digital economy, what new requirements the goals of carbon peak and carbon neutrality place on technological and industrial revolutions, and how to break through encirclement and suppression through original innovation to seize the world’s commanding heights in technology and industry. General Secretary Xi Jinping, taking problems as the starting point and driving force of theoretical innovation, focused on how to advance high-quality development—the primary task of Chinese-path modernization—and, building on the major theoretical innovations of the new development philosophy, the new stage of development, and the new development paradigm [2]2 The new development paradigm (新发展格局) refers to the “dual circulation” strategy, where domestic and international economic flows reinforce each other, with domestic circulation as the mainstay., engaged in successive thinking to propose the theory of new quality productive forces, providing clear answers. These include that scientific and technological innovation is the “golden key” and “new code” to unlocking high-quality development, and that to further promote high-quality development, we must form new industries, new models, and new drivers, firmly grasp core technologies in key areas in our own hands, and achieve innovation-driven endogenous growth. There is no doubt that the theory of new quality productive forces is an independent theoretical innovation advanced in response to the “Chinese problems” arising from extensive and profound social changes and grand and unique practical innovations.

坚持问题导向是马克思主义的鲜明特点，中国自主知识体系建构也必须用好“坚持问题导向”的重要方法。自主知识体系作为一种理论供给问题，必须聚焦新问题、深层次问题、重大问题、突出问题，才能真正建构出来并显示重要价值。进入新时代，我们在经济发展中遇到了许多“异域理论”无法有效回答的问题，包括进入新发展阶段如何由高速增长转向高质量发展、数字经济时代如何推进经济发展、碳达峰碳中和目标对科技和产业革命提出了哪些新要求、如何通过原创性创新成果突破围堵，进而占领科技和产业的世界制高点等问题。习近平总书记以问题为理论创新的起点和动力源，聚焦于如何推进高质量发展这一中国式现代化建设的首要任务，在新发展理念、新发展阶段、新发展格局重大理论创新的基础上接力思考，提出新质生产力理论，明确给出了答案，包括科技创新是破译高质量发展的“金钥匙”和“新密码”，进一步推动高质量发展，就要形成新的产业、新的模式、新的动能，把关键核心技术牢牢掌握在自己手中，实现依靠创新驱动的内涵型增长，等等。毫无疑问，新质生产力理论是应对和研究广泛而深刻的社会变革、宏大而独特的实践创新中出现的“中国问题”而推进的自主理论创新。

A problem-oriented approach is the trigger and driving force for constructing an independent knowledge system; the construction of an independent knowledge system is realized through the cyclical logical operation of posing, analyzing, and solving problems. The theory of new quality productive forces refines “China’s real problems” into “problems in thought,” thereby achieving a genuine understanding and inquiry into China’s great practice. The reason the theory of new quality productive forces is said to be an original Chinese intellectual achievement is mainly because it is a theoretical outcome that revolves around major issues in China’s economy and society and aims to solve them. In fact, only by introducing the “living source” of major problems can we maintain the “freshness” of theoretical innovation. This also suggests that philosophy and social science workers should, through theoretical activities that deeply study major issues concerning the overall, fundamental, and critical interests of the Party and the state, become participants in constructing an independent Chinese knowledge system, builders of original theories, and promoters of adapting Marxism to the Chinese context.

问题导向是自主知识体系建构的引发力和驱动力，自主知识体系建构就是在问题的提出、分析、解决的周而复始的逻辑运演中得以实现的。新质生产力理论把“中国的现实问题”提炼为“思想中的问题”，以完成对中国伟大实践的真正理解和追问。之所以说新质生产力理论是中国原创性的思想成果，主要也是缘于它是围绕中国经济社会重大问题而展开，并以解决重大问题为旨趣的理论成果。实际上，只有引入重大问题的“源头活水”，才能保持理论创新的“清新如许”。这也启示哲学社会科学工作者要在深入研究事关党和国家全局性、根本性、关键性重大问题的理论活动中，成为建构中国自主知识体系的参与者、原创理论的建构者、马克思主义中国化的推动者。

The Theory of New Quality Productive Forces and Theoretical Innovation in the Face of New Practice

新质生产力理论与面对新实践的理论创新

Constructing new theories in new social practice and understanding and interpreting the changes of the times in new ways is an inherent requirement of constructing an independent knowledge system. Marx early on linked science and technology to the development of productive forces, proposing that “productive forces include science,” revealing the powerful engine role of science and technology in driving the development of productive forces. A new round of technological revolution, centered on artificial intelligence, biotechnology, quantum information, and clean energy, has already begun, and the fourth industrial revolution is underway. Countries are accelerating the implementation of national strategies to foster new industrial revolutions and vying to become the birthplace of such revolutions. This new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation is reshaping the global innovation landscape and the international competitive landscape. Facing the major practices of the New Era, General Secretary Xi Jinping proposed the theory of new quality productive forces, emphasizing the need to accelerate the achievement of high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-strengthening, to win the battle for core technologies in key areas, to enable original and disruptive scientific and technological innovations to emerge in abundance, and to cultivate new drivers for developing new quality productive forces. On the basis of inheriting the basic principles of the Marxist theory of productive forces, the theory of new quality productive forces places greater emphasis on the driving role of scientific and technological innovation—especially original and disruptive innovation—in the development of productive forces, thereby achieving an innovation in the Marxist theory of productive forces.

在新的社会实践中构建新理论，以新的方式理解和诠释时代变迁是自主知识体系建构的应有之义。马克思较早把科学技术同生产力发展联系起来，提出“生产力中也包括科学”，揭示了科学技术推动生产力发展的强大引擎作用。以人工智能、生物技术、量子信息、清洁能源为重点的新一轮科技革命业已开启，第四次产业革命正在发生，各国纷纷加快实施催生新产业革命的国家战略并争夺产业革命策源地，新一轮科技革命和产业变革正在重构全球创新版图和国际竞争格局。面对新时代的重大实践，习近平总书记提出新质生产力理论，强调加快实现高水平科技自立自强，打好关键核心技术攻坚战，使原创性、颠覆性科技创新成果竞相涌现，培育发展新质生产力的新动能。新质生产力理论在继承马克思主义生产力理论基本原理基础上，更加强调科技创新特别是原创性、颠覆性科技创新对生产力发展的驱动作用，实现了马克思主义生产力理论的创新。

Furthermore, in recent years China’s scientific and technological innovation achievements have continuously broken through in quality. Hard-core technologies such as “Chinese chips,” “intelligent manufacturing,” “future vehicles,” and “data ports” have accelerated their development, and in fields such as deep sea, deep space, deep earth, and deep blue [3]3 “Deep blue” (深蓝) refers to deep-sea and ocean-related technologies, but in this context it is used as a metaphorical term alongside deep sea, deep space, and deep earth to denote cutting-edge frontiers of scientific exploration, particularly in information and computing fields., a number of technological commanding heights have been seized. These major scientific and technological achievements have also equipped China with the conditions to accelerate the development of new quality productive forces. Against this backdrop, the theory of new quality productive forces applies the Marxist “productive forces–relations of production” theoretical paradigm to the observation of new phenomena in the New Era and the understanding and judgment of major issues. It emphasizes strengthening the layout of the national strategic scientific and technological forces, cultivating and expanding emerging industries, making forward-looking arrangements for the construction of future industries, and using advanced technologies to empower the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries. In this way, it adds new resources and discursive elements to the original knowledge system of productive forces, maintaining an effective explanatory power for the changes of the times. In this sense, the theory of new quality productive forces innovatively interprets China’s development theory, serves as an important demonstration of adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times, and exhibits a typical paradigm for the construction of China’s independent knowledge system.

此外，这些年我国科技创新成果在质上不断突破，“中国芯”“智能造”“未来车”“数据港”等硬核技术加快发展，深海、深空、深地、深蓝等领域抢占了一批科技制高点，这些重大科技成果也使我国具备了加快发展新质生产力的条件。在这样的背景下，新质生产力理论将马克思主义“生产力—生产关系”理论范式运用于对新时代新现象的观察、重大问题的认识判断之中，强调要加强国家战略科技力量布局，培育壮大新兴产业，超前布局建设未来产业，运用先进技术赋能传统产业转型升级，这样就为原有的生产力知识体系增添了新资源和话语元素，对时代变迁持续保持有效阐释力。在此意义上讲，新质生产力理论创新性地解读了中国的发展理论，是推进马克思主义中国化时代化的重要示范，展现了中国自主知识体系建构的典型范式。

In summary, it can be seen that the theory of new quality productive forces is a model for the construction of China’s independent knowledge system. It increases the originality and competitiveness of China’s knowledge system, embodies its pioneering and leading character, expands the discursive influence of China’s knowledge system, and innovates the concepts, categories, and expressive forms of Chinese discourse. The theory of new quality productive forces not only conforms to the new round of scientific and technological revolution and the new trends in China’s economic development, providing theoretical guidance for promoting high-quality development and seizing the initiative in development, but also represents the sublimation of the “Chinese discourse” on productive forces in the New Era. It embodies the essence of the independent knowledge system of Chinese economics, achieves theoretical innovation in China’s independent knowledge system, and manifests Chinese wisdom and Chinese strength.

综上可见，新质生产力理论是中国自主知识体系建构的典范，它增加了中国知识体系的原创性和竞争力，体现了中国知识体系的开创性、引领性，扩大了中国知识体系的话语影响，创新了中国话语的概念、范畴和表述样态。新质生产力理论不仅顺应新一轮科技革命和我国经济发展新趋势，为推动高质量发展、赢得发展主动权提供了理论指引，同时还是新时代生产力“中国话语”的升华，体现了中国经济学自主知识体系的精粹，成就了中国自主知识体系的理论创新，彰显了中国智慧和中国力量。

Online editor: Paul

网络编辑：保罗