Grasping the Rich Connotation and Practical Requirements of New Quality Productive Forces

High-quality development is the primary task of comprehensively building a modern socialist country, and developing new quality productive forces is the intrinsic requirement and important focal point for promoting high-quality development. General Secretary Xi Jinping’s series of important expositions on new quality productive forces represent an innovative development of the Marxist theory of productive forces, endowing Xi Jinping’s economic thought with new connotations, and carrying significant theoretical and practical significance. The “Decision” of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC, focusing on improving the systems and mechanisms for promoting high-quality economic development, proposes to “improve the systems and mechanisms for developing new quality productive forces according to local conditions. Promote revolutionary breakthroughs in technology, innovative allocation of production factors, and deep transformation and upgrading of industries; promote the optimized combination and upgraded leap of laborers, means of labor, and subjects of labor; spawn new industries, new models, and new drivers; and develop productive forces characterized by high technology, high efficiency, and high quality.” To study and implement the spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC and develop new quality productive forces according to local conditions, it is necessary to deeply grasp the rich connotation and practical requirements of new quality productive forces.

高质量发展是全面建设社会主义现代化国家的首要任务，发展新质生产力是推动高质量发展的内在要求和重要着力点。习近平总书记关于新质生产力的一系列重要论述，是对马克思主义生产力理论的创新发展，赋予习近平经济思想新的内涵，具有重大理论和实践意义。党的二十届三中全会《决定》着眼于健全推动经济高质量发展体制机制，提出“健全因地制宜发展新质生产力体制机制。推动技术革命性突破、生产要素创新性配置、产业深度转型升级，推动劳动者、劳动资料、劳动对象优化组合和更新跃升，催生新产业、新模式、新动能，发展以高技术、高效能、高质量为特征的生产力”。学习贯彻党的二十届三中全会精神，因地制宜发展新质生产力，需要深入把握新质生产力的丰富内涵和实践要求。

Promote revolutionary breakthroughs in technology. General Secretary Xi Jinping points out: “Scientific and technological innovation can spawn new industries, new models, and new drivers, and is the core element for developing new quality productive forces.” From the birth of the steam engine, to the widespread application of the telephone and electric light, to the popularization of computers, every revolutionary breakthrough in the field of science and technology has driven major changes in social productive forces. History and reality have repeatedly proven that science and technology are powerful engines driving development, and innovation is the key force determining the future. Scientific and technological innovation can spawn new industries; for example, the development of artificial intelligence, biotechnology, etc., has already spawned a series of new industries with high added value, bringing entirely new products and services. Scientific and technological innovation can spawn new models; for example, the development of new business models such as the sharing economy and platform economy has optimized resource allocation and improved the efficiency of economic operations. Scientific and technological innovation can spawn new drivers; for example, new energy technologies and intelligent manufacturing technologies continuously promote the greening and intelligentization of the economy, providing new drivers for sustainable development. Currently, original breakthroughs in fields such as information, life sciences, manufacturing, energy, space, and oceans provide a source for more frontier and disruptive technological innovations. To develop new quality productive forces, it is necessary to strengthen scientific and technological innovation, especially original and disruptive scientific and technological innovation, fight the battle for key core technologies, accelerate the achievement of high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-strengthening, and enable original and disruptive scientific and technological innovation achievements to emerge in abundance.

推动技术革命性突破。习近平总书记指出：“科技创新能够催生新产业、新模式、新动能，是发展新质生产力的核心要素。”从蒸汽机的诞生，到电话、电灯的广泛应用，再到计算机的普及，科技领域的每一次革命性突破，都会推动社会生产力发生重大变革。历史和现实一再证明，科技是推动发展的强大引擎，创新是决定未来的关键力量。科技创新能够催生新产业，比如，人工智能、生物技术等的发展已经催生一系列高附加值的新产业，带来全新的产品和服务。科技创新能够催生新模式，比如，共享经济、平台经济等新型商业模式的发展，优化了资源配置，提高了经济运行效率。科技创新能够催生新动能，比如，新能源技术、智能制造技术不断推动经济绿色化、智能化，为可持续发展提供了新动能。当前，信息、生命、制造、能源、空间、海洋等领域的原创性突破为更多前沿技术、颠覆性技术创新提供了源泉。发展新质生产力，要加强科技创新特别是原创性、颠覆性科技创新，打好关键核心技术攻坚战，加快实现高水平科技自立自强，使原创性、颠覆性科技创新成果竞相涌现。

Promote innovative allocation of production factors. General Secretary Xi Jinping points out that new quality productive forces “take the leap in laborers, means of labor, subjects of labor, and their optimized combination as the basic connotation.” The “new” of new quality productive forces is manifested in the laborers, means of labor, and subjects of labor, the three elements constituting productive forces, taking on a new qualitative state. New-type laborers are those who can adapt to modern advanced technology and equipment, possess the ability for rapid knowledge iteration, and are mainly engaged in knowledge-based and complex labor. New-type means of labor are formed with the development of new technologies and possess higher technological attributes, including various types of smart sensors, industrial robots, automated logistics and warehousing systems, virtual reality and augmented reality equipment, etc. New-type subjects of labor include both material and non-material forms, and their scope and fields continuously expand with the advancement of scientific and technological innovation. The “new” of new quality productive forces is also manifested in the leap in the combination of productive forces elements. The optimized combination and upgraded leap of new-quality elements such as new-type laborers, new-type means of labor, and new-type subjects of labor, along with traditional elements, structurally improves the efficiency of factor allocation, increases total factor productivity, and thereby enhances the quality and efficiency of economic development. To promote innovative allocation of production factors, it is necessary to coordinate and advance the integrated reform of the systems and mechanisms for education, science and technology, and talent; it requires reasonable policy guidance and active participation from different business entities; particularly, it is necessary to accelerate the construction of a high-level socialist market economy system, create a fairer and more dynamic market environment, and achieve optimal resource allocation efficiency and maximized benefits.

推动生产要素创新性配置。习近平总书记指出，新质生产力“以劳动者、劳动资料、劳动对象及其优化组合的跃升为基本内涵”。新质生产力的“新”表现在构成生产力三要素的劳动者、劳动资料、劳动对象呈现出新的质态。新型劳动者是能够适应现代先进技术和装备、具有知识快速迭代能力、主要从事知识性劳动和复杂劳动的劳动者。新型劳动资料随着新技术的发展而形成，具有更高科技属性，包括各类智能传感器、工业机器人、自动化物流仓储系统、虚拟现实和增强现实设备等。新型劳动对象既包括物质形态的也包括非物质形态的，其范围和领域随着科技创新的推进而不断扩大。新质生产力的“新”还表现在生产力要素组合实现跃升。新型劳动者、新型劳动资料、新型劳动对象等新质要素和传统要素优化组合和更新跃升，结构性提升了要素配置效率，提高了全要素生产率，进而促进经济发展的质量和效益提高。推动生产要素创新性配置，需要统筹推进教育科技人才体制机制一体改革，需要政策的合理引导和不同经营主体的积极参与，特别是要加快构建高水平社会主义市场经济体制，创造更加公平、更有活力的市场环境，实现资源配置效率最优化和效益最大化。

Promote deep transformation and upgrading of industries. General Secretary Xi Jinping points out: “The transformation of scientific and technological achievements into actual productive forces is manifested in spawning new industries and promoting deep transformation and upgrading of industries.” Industries are the carriers of productive forces. To accelerate the development of new quality productive forces, it is necessary to accelerate the construction of a modern industrial system. China’s traditional industries have a large volume, accounting for over 80% of the manufacturing industry; the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries directly affects the overall situation of modern industrial system construction. Therefore, traditional industries cannot be simply phased out as “low-end industries.” By widely applying digital-intelligent technologies such as artificial intelligence and green technologies to accelerate the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries, it is possible to significantly enhance the quality and efficiency of traditional industry development, achieve an “acceleration” in the conversion of old and new drivers, form new quality productive forces, and also promote the continuous advancement of traditional industries towards the mid-to-high end, elevating China’s industry position in the global industrial and value chains. Strategic emerging industries and future industries are the main battlegrounds for forming new quality productive forces. Strategic emerging industries are based on major frontier technological breakthroughs and major development needs, playing a significant leading and driving role for the overall economic and social situation and long-term development. Future industries represent the direction of technological and industrial development; they are industries with high technological levels, high green content, strong industrial linkages, and large market space. By building several strategic emerging industries such as bio-manufacturing, commercial aerospace, and the low-altitude economy, and opening up new tracks in future industries like quantum and life sciences, it is possible to accelerate the transformation of China’s economic development mode, optimization of economic structure, and conversion of economic drivers. To develop new quality productive forces, it is necessary to promptly apply scientific and technological innovation achievements to specific industries and industrial chains, transform and upgrade traditional industries, cultivate and strengthen emerging industries, layout and build future industries, and improve the modern industrial system.

推动产业深度转型升级。习近平总书记指出：“科技成果转化为现实生产力，表现形式为催生新产业、推动产业深度转型升级。”产业是生产力的载体。加快发展新质生产力，必须加快建设现代化产业体系。我国传统产业体量大，在制造业中占比超过80%，传统产业的改造升级直接关乎现代化产业体系建设全局。因此，不能把传统产业当成“低端产业”简单退出。通过广泛应用人工智能等数智技术、绿色技术加快传统产业转型升级，既能大幅提升传统产业发展的质量和效益，跑出新旧动能转换“加速度”，形成新质生产力，也能推动传统产业持续向中高端迈进，提升我国产业在全球产业链价值链中的位置。战略性新兴产业和未来产业是形成新质生产力的主阵地，战略性新兴产业以重大前沿技术突破和重大发展需求为基础，对经济社会全局和长远发展具有重大引领带动作用；未来产业代表着科技和产业的发展方向，是科技水平高、绿色含量足、产业关联强、市场空间大的产业。通过打造生物制造、商业航天、低空经济等若干战略性新兴产业，开辟量子、生命科学等未来产业新赛道，能够加快我国经济发展方式转变、经济结构优化、经济动能转换。发展新质生产力，要及时将科技创新成果应用到具体产业和产业链上，改造提升传统产业，培育壮大新兴产业，布局建设未来产业，完善现代化产业体系。

Developing new quality productive forces is a major strategic measure for advancing Chinese-path modernization, conducive to consolidating the material and technological foundation for comprehensively building a great modern socialist country; it is a practical need for fully implementing the new development concept and promoting high-quality development, conducive to using new technologies to empower deep industrial transformation and upgrading, continuously forming new drivers and new spaces for high-quality development; it is a requirement of the times for adapting to the new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation trends and winning the initiative in development, conducive to promoting a major shift in China’s science, technology, and industry development from “follower” to “leader,” firmly grasping the initiative in development in our own hands. Developing new quality productive forces requires constructing relations of production that are compatible with them, which is inseparable from promoting innovative, deep-seated, and systematic reforms. The “Decision” of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC has made important arrangements for improving the systems and mechanisms for developing new quality productive forces according to local conditions. To implement the spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC, it is necessary to strengthen innovation in key common technologies, frontier leading technologies, modern engineering technologies, and disruptive technologies; strengthen the institutional supply for new fields and new tracks; establish a growth investment mechanism for future industries; use national standards upgrades to lead the optimization and upgrading of traditional industries; support enterprises in using digital-intelligent technologies and green technologies to transform and upgrade traditional industries; strengthen institutional constraints such as environmental protection and safety; and promote the concentration of all types of advanced production factors towards the development of new quality productive forces. Developing new quality productive forces and tackling “bottleneck” key core technologies cannot be separated from the support of the financial industry. To this end, it is necessary to encourage and regulate the development of angel investment, venture capital, and private equity investment; better leverage the role of government investment funds; and develop patient capital.

发展新质生产力，是推进中国式现代化的重大战略举措，有利于夯实全面建成社会主义现代化强国的物质技术基础；是全面贯彻新发展理念、推动高质量发展的现实需要，有利于以新技术赋能产业深度转型升级，持续形成高质量发展新动能新空间；是适应新一轮科技革命和产业变革趋势、赢得发展主动权的时代要求，有利于推动我国科技和产业发展实现由“跟随者”向“引领者”的重大转变，把发展的主动权牢牢掌握在自己手中。发展新质生产力，需要构建与之相适应的生产关系，这离不开推进创新性、深层次、系统性改革。党的二十届三中全会《决定》对健全因地制宜发展新质生产力体制机制作出重要部署。把党的二十届三中全会精神落到实处，需要加强关键共性技术、前沿引领技术、现代工程技术、颠覆性技术创新，加强新领域新赛道制度供给，建立未来产业投入增长机制，以国家标准提升引领传统产业优化升级，支持企业用数智技术、绿色技术改造提升传统产业，强化环保、安全等制度约束，促进各类先进生产要素向发展新质生产力集聚。发展新质生产力，攻关“卡脖子”关键核心技术，离不开金融业的支持。为此，要鼓励和规范发展天使投资、风险投资、私募股权投资，更好发挥政府投资基金作用，发展耐心资本。

Online Editor: Paul

网络编辑：保罗