New Quality Productive Forces Inject Momentum into High-Quality Development

The Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China made strategic plans for further deepening reform comprehensively and advancing Chinese-path modernization, emphasizing that "high-quality development is the primary task in building a modern socialist country in all respects" and "developing new quality productive forces according to local conditions." [1]1 The “new nationwide system for mobilizing resources” (新型举国体制) refers to a contemporary Chinese state-led innovation model that combines centralized coordination of strategic scientific and technological tasks with market mechanisms and enterprise participation, updated from the earlier planned-economy “nationwide system.” New quality productive forces are a theoretical generalization made by General Secretary Xi Jinping, applying the basic principles of Marxist political economy to the practice of China's productive forces development in the New Era. We must accurately grasp the essence and core meaning of new quality productive forces, seize opportunities, and drive high-quality development to achieve new and greater results.

党的二十届三中全会对进一步全面深化改革、推进中国式现代化作出战略部署，强调“高质量发展是全面建设社会主义现代化国家的首要任务”“因地制宜发展新质生产力”。新质生产力是习近平总书记运用马克思主义政治经济学基本原理，对新时代我国生产力发展实践作出的理论概括。我们要准确把握新质生产力的精髓要义，抢抓机遇，推动高质量发展取得新的更大成效。

The Inherent Requirements of High-Quality Development

高质量发展的内在要求

To promote high-quality development, we must base ourselves on the new stage of development, implement the new development philosophy, and construct the new development paradigm. Developing new quality productive forces is the inherent requirement and key focus of promoting high-quality development.

推动高质量发展，必须立足新发展阶段、贯彻新发展理念、构建新发展格局。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。

Developing new quality productive forces is a major plan based on the new stage of development. After completing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects and achieving the first centenary goal, China has entered a new stage of development characterized by building a modern socialist country in all respects. [2]2 “Ox nose” (牛鼻子) is a Chinese idiom meaning the key link or crucial point that, once grasped, can lead the whole situation. In this new stage of development, opportunities and challenges coexist. In terms of opportunities, a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation is deepening, global technological innovation is unprecedentedly intensive and active, and major breakthroughs and rapid applications in technological innovation are highly likely to reshape the global economic structure, shifting the arena of industrial and economic competition, thereby providing a historical opportunity for China to overtake on the curve. In terms of challenges, China's economy is at a critical juncture of climbing the slope and crossing the hurdle of high-quality development; it must accelerate the transformation of the development model, the conversion of economic growth drivers, and the optimization of the economic structure. Vigorously developing new quality productive forces, strengthening technological innovation, especially original and disruptive technological innovation, fighting the tough battle for key core technologies, promptly applying technological innovation achievements to specific industries and industrial chains, anchoring the development direction of high-end, intelligent, and green transformation, and comprehensively raising the modernization level of the industrial system will build a solid material and technological foundation for Chinese-path modernization.

发展新质生产力是立足新发展阶段的重大部署。全面建成小康社会、实现第一个百年奋斗目标之后，我国进入全面建设社会主义现代化国家的新发展阶段。新发展阶段，机遇和挑战并存。从机遇来看，新一轮科技革命和产业变革深入发展，全球科技创新空前密集活跃，科技创新的重大突破和加快应用极有可能重塑全球经济结构，使产业和经济竞争的赛场发生转换，从而为我国变道超车提供了历史机遇。从挑战来看，我国经济正处在高质量发展爬坡过坎的重大关口，必须加快实现发展方式转变、经济增长动力转换、经济结构优化。大力发展新质生产力，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，及时将科技创新成果应用到具体产业和产业链上，锚定高端化、智能化、绿色化发展方向，全面提升产业体系现代化水平，将为中国式现代化构筑强大物质技术基础。

Developing new quality productive forces is a key measure for implementing the new development philosophy. New quality productive forces are an advanced form of productive forces that conform to the new development philosophy. The main aspect distinguishing new quality productive forces from traditional productive forces lies in continuously improving the level of productive forces through innovations in science and technology, resource allocation methods, and production organization forms, with innovation-led development permeating the entire process of new quality productive forces. New quality productive forces provide more possibilities for optimizing the regional layout of productive forces in China, bring new development opportunities for less developed regions, and help solve the problem of unbalanced and uncoordinated development. New quality productive forces effectively improve resource utilization efficiency, help build an economic system characterized by green, low-carbon, and circular development, and can achieve greater economic and social benefits at a lower cost in terms of resources and the environment. Fully absorbing and applying advanced scientific and technological achievements and beneficial management experience created by human society in the process of opening up is an inherent requirement for developing new quality productive forces. China's cultivation and development of new quality productive forces will also empower high-level opening up and promote the formation of a higher-level open economic structure. The leap in the level of social productive forces brought about by new quality productive forces can better meet the people's needs for a better life and promote the fruits of reform and development to benefit all people more and more fairly.

发展新质生产力是贯彻新发展理念的关键举措。新质生产力是符合新发展理念的先进生产力质态。新质生产力区别于传统生产力的主要方面，就在于不断通过创新科学技术、资源配置方式、生产组织形式等，实现生产力水平的提升，创新主导体现在新质生产力发展的全过程。新质生产力为我国优化区域生产力布局提供更多可能性，为欠发达地区带来新的发展契机，有助于破解我国发展不平衡不协调问题。新质生产力有效提高资源利用效率，助力构建绿色低碳循环发展的经济体系，可以更少的资源环境代价取得更大的经济社会效益。在对外开放中充分吸收运用人类社会创造的先进科学技术成果和有益管理经验，是发展新质生产力的内在要求。我国培育发展新质生产力，也将为高水平对外开放蓄势赋能，推动形成更高层次的开放型经济格局。新质生产力带来社会生产力水平的跃升，可以更好满足人民群众对美好生活的需要，推动改革发展成果更多更公平惠及全体人民。

Developing new quality productive forces is an important guarantee for constructing the new development paradigm. Constructing the new development paradigm means fully relying on China's advantage of a super-large market, fully tapping the potential of domestic demand, promoting the optimization and upgrading of the industrial structure, enhancing the endogenous driving force and reliability of the domestic economic cycle, while simultaneously implementing opening up on a larger scale, in more fields, and at a deeper level, better integrating into the process of economic globalization, and achieving mutual reinforcement between the domestic and international economic cycles. The key to constructing the new development paradigm lies in the smooth and unimpeded economic circulation. Developing new quality productive forces can promote the optimal combination of production factors, drive the construction of relations of production that adapt to new quality productive forces, and facilitate smoother connections in the links of production, distribution, circulation, and consumption. The most essential feature of constructing the new development paradigm is achieving a high level of self-reliance and self-strengthening. Developing new quality productive forces, driven by technological innovation and supported by the cultivation of innovative talents, the construction of an innovation system, and breakthroughs in scientific research, is a crucial part of the transformation of China's old and new development drivers and an inherent requirement for achieving a high level of self-reliance and self-strengthening. Constructing the new development paradigm must promote high-level opening up. Developing new quality productive forces is conducive to enhancing the attraction of global factor resources and strengthening China's economic and trade ties with countries around the world.

发展新质生产力是构建新发展格局的重要保障。构建新发展格局，就是要充分依托我国超大规模市场优势，充分挖掘内需潜力，推动产业结构优化升级，增强国内大循环内生动力和可靠性，同时实施更大范围、更宽领域、更深层次的对外开放，更好融入经济全球化进程，实现国内国际双循环相互促进。构建新发展格局的关键在于经济循环的畅通无阻，发展新质生产力能够促进生产要素的优化组合，推动构建适应新质生产力的生产关系，促进生产、分配、流通、消费各环节更加畅通。构建新发展格局最本质的特征是实现高水平的自立自强，发展新质生产力以科技创新为动力，以创新人才培养、创新体系构建、科技研究突破为支撑，是我国新旧发展动能转换的重要一环，是实现高水平自立自强的应有之义。构建新发展格局必须推进高水平对外开放，发展新质生产力有利于提升对全球要素资源的吸引力，加强我国与世界各国的经贸联系。

Promoting the Enhancement of Total Factor Productivity

促进全要素生产率提升

Promoting the effective improvement in quality and reasonable growth in quantity of the economy is an inherent requirement of high-quality development, the key to which lies in continuously enhancing total factor productivity. Currently, there is still a gap between China's total factor productivity and that of developed countries. Developing new quality productive forces will continuously release dividends and promote the enhancement of China's total factor productivity.

推动经济实现质的有效提升和量的合理增长是高质量发展的内在要求，其关键在于不断提升全要素生产率。当前，我国全要素生产率与发达国家相比还存在差距。发展新质生产力将持续释放红利，促进我国全要素生产率提升。

First, releasing the technological dividend. Technological progress is an important driving force for enhancing total factor productivity. Cultivating and developing new quality productive forces through technological innovation helps to spawn new industries, new models, and new drivers, leading to a substantial increase in total factor productivity. The technological dividend released by new quality productive forces is mainly reflected in two aspects. One is achieving technological innovation, mainly manifested in spawning products and services of higher quality and better performance, forming differentiated competitive advantages in the market, and bringing high profits for enterprises. It is necessary to strengthen technological innovation, especially original and disruptive technological innovation, accelerate the realization of a high level of scientific and technological self-reliance and self-strengthening, and fight the tough battle for key core technologies, so that original and disruptive technological innovation achievements emerge one after another. The other is achieving efficiency improvement, mainly manifested in the improvement of production processes, focusing on enhancing production efficiency by raising the level of production automation, among other means. China's traditional industries have a large volume, accounting for over 80% of the manufacturing industry; improving the production efficiency of traditional industries is of great significance. It is necessary to accelerate the development of new quality productive forces, use new technologies to transform and upgrade traditional industries, and actively promote the high-end, intelligent, and green transformation of industries.

其一，释放技术红利。技术进步是提升全要素生产率的重要动力。以科技创新培育和发展新质生产力，有助于催生新产业、新模式、新动能，推动全要素生产率大幅提升。新质生产力释放的技术红利主要体现在两个方面。一是实现技术创新，主要表现为催生更高质量、更优性能的产品和服务，在市场上形成差异化竞争优势，为企业带来高额利润。必须加强科技创新特别是原创性、颠覆性科技创新，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。二是实现效率提升，主要表现为生产工艺的改进，重在通过提高生产自动化水平等方式提升生产效率。我国传统产业体量大，在制造业中占比超过80%，提升传统产业生产效率具有重要意义。必须加快发展新质生产力，用新技术改造提升传统产业，积极促进产业高端化、智能化、绿色化。

Second, releasing the structural dividend. Since reform and opening up, the flow of production factors from low-productivity agricultural sectors to high-productivity non-agricultural sectors (especially manufacturing) has effectively enhanced China's total factor productivity. With changes in China's development stage and internal and external conditions, the growth rate of total factor productivity has slowed down. Developing new quality productive forces will promote the optimization and leap in the combination of factors, realizing the innovative allocation of production factors. Workers with richer knowledge and higher skills, combined with more intelligent, efficient, low-carbon, and safe means of labor, optimize and combine traditional and new objects of labor, substantially enhancing total factor productivity through the innovative allocation of production factors. This will assist in the deep adjustment of the industrial structure and release a huge structural dividend for China's economic development.

其二，释放结构红利。改革开放以来，生产要素从低生产率的农业部门向高生产率的非农业部门（尤其是制造业）流动，有效提升了我国全要素生产率。随着我国发展阶段和内外部条件的变化，全要素生产率增速有所放缓。发展新质生产力将推动要素组合的优化和跃升，实现生产要素的创新性配置。具有更丰富知识、更高技能的劳动者，与更加智能、高效、低碳、安全的劳动资料相结合，对传统和新型劳动对象进行优化组合，通过生产要素创新性配置大幅提升全要素生产率。这将助力产业结构深度调整，为我国经济发展释放巨大的结构红利。

Third, releasing the green dividend. New quality productive forces are themselves green productive forces, which can promote the enhancement of China's total factor productivity by releasing a green dividend. On the one hand, carrying out green transformation of industries improves the quality and efficiency of industrial development. China's energy consumption per unit of GDP is still relatively high, about 1.5 times the world average and 2 to 3 times that of developed countries. Green transformation means using high-tech and advanced applicable technologies to transform traditional industries, effectively reducing energy and material consumption across the entire chain, promoting the construction of an efficient, clean, low-carbon, and circular green production system, and driving the continuous improvement of total factor productivity. On the other hand, the development of green industries themselves will drive green technological innovation and the promotion and application of advanced green technologies, thereby promoting the improvement of overall production efficiency. According to the "14th Five-Year Plan for Industrial Green Development," the output value of China's green environmental protection industry will reach 11 trillion yuan by 2025. [3]3 The "14th Five-Year Plan" (2021-2025) is China's national development plan for that period.

其三，释放绿色红利。新质生产力本身就是绿色生产力，能够通过释放绿色红利，促进我国全要素生产率提升。一方面，对产业进行绿色化改造，提升产业发展质量和效益。我国单位GDP能耗仍然较高，约为世界平均水平的1.5倍、发达国家的2至3倍。绿色化改造就是要运用高新技术和先进适用技术对传统产业进行改造，有效降低全链条能耗物耗，推动构建高效、清洁、低碳、循环的绿色循环生产体系，推动全要素生产率不断提升。另一方面，绿色产业本身的发展，将带动绿色科技创新和先进绿色技术推广应用，从而促进整体生产效率的提升。据《“十四五”工业绿色发展规划》，到2025年我国绿色环保产业产值将达到11万亿元。

Fourth, unleashing the dividends of reform. Raising total factor productivity cannot be separated from institutional innovation. The development of new quality productive forces will drive changes in the relations of production, which will promote the further improvement of China’s socialist market economy system and unleash enormous dividends of reform. Specifically, the dividends of reform mainly come from the following aspects. First, reform of the economic system. To develop new quality productive forces, it is necessary to improve basic institutions of the market economy such as property rights protection, market access, fair competition, and social credit, ensure that all forms of ownership enjoy equal access to factors of production in accordance with the law, participate in market competition on a fair basis, and receive equal legal protection, and stimulate the vitality of all types of business entities. Second, reform of the science and technology system. Scientific and technological innovation is the core element in developing new quality productive forces, which requires continuously deepening the reform of the science and technology system and making efforts to remove the blockages and sticking points that constrain the development of new quality productive forces. Increase investment in basic research, applied basic research, and frontier research, leverage the advantages of the new nationwide system for mobilizing resources [1]1 The “new nationwide system for mobilizing resources” (新型举国体制) refers to a contemporary Chinese state-led innovation model that combines centralized coordination of strategic scientific and technological tasks with market mechanisms and enterprise participation, updated from the earlier planned-economy “nationwide system.”, fight the battle for key core technologies, and strengthen the principal position of enterprises in scientific and technological innovation. Third, reform of market-based allocation of factors of production. Promoting the autonomous and efficient flow and optimal combination of factors of production, especially new types of factors, is crucial for developing new quality productive forces. It is necessary to accelerate the improvement of institutional rules for data property rights, circulation and trading, income distribution, and security governance. Fourth, reform of the income distribution system. Cultivating new quality productive forces must fully stimulate the innovation and creativity of talent, improve incentive mechanisms, refine the mechanism for factors to participate in income distribution, gradually raise the share of labor remuneration in primary distribution, and stimulate the vitality of factors of production such as labor, capital, land, knowledge, technology, management, and data, better reflecting the market value of knowledge, technology, and talent.

其四，释放改革红利。提高全要素生产率，离不开制度创新。新质生产力的发展会推动生产关系变革，这将促进我国社会主义市场经济体制的进一步完善，释放出巨大的改革红利。具体而言，改革红利主要来源于以下几方面。一是经济体制改革。发展新质生产力必须完善产权保护、市场准入、公平竞争、社会信用等市场经济基础制度，保障各种所有制经济依法平等使用生产要素、公平参与市场竞争、同等受到法律保护，激发各类经营主体活力。二是科技体制改革。科技创新是发展新质生产力的核心要素，这就要求持续深化科技体制改革，着力打通束缚新质生产力发展的堵点卡点。加大基础研究、应用基础研究和前沿研究投入力度，发挥新型举国体制优势，打好关键核心技术攻坚战，强化企业科技创新主体地位。三是要素市场化配置改革。促进生产要素特别是新型生产要素自主高效流动和优化组合，对于发展新质生产力至关重要，必须加快完善数据产权、流通交易、收益分配、安全治理等制度规则。四是收入分配制度改革。培育新质生产力必须充分激发人才创新创造活力，完善激励机制，健全要素参与收入分配机制，逐步提高劳动报酬在初次分配中的比重，激发劳动、资本、土地、知识、技术、管理、数据等生产要素活力，更好体现知识、技术、人才的市场价值。

Advancing High-Level Self-Reliance and Strength in Science and Technology

推进高水平科技自立自强

To accelerate the development of new quality productive forces, we must continue to do a good job on the big topic of innovation and achieve high-level self-reliance and strength in science and technology as quickly as possible. First, give play to the leading role of scientific and technological innovation. Scientific and technological innovation is the “ox nose” [2]2 “Ox nose” (牛鼻子) is a Chinese idiom meaning the key link or crucial point that, once grasped, can lead the whole situation. driving the development of new quality productive forces. To promote new progress in scientific and technological innovation, we must both adhere to a comprehensive and systematic perspective and grasp the key points, using breakthroughs in important areas and key links to drive the overall situation. Strengthen the forward-looking, strategic, and systematic layout of basic research, strive to achieve major breakthroughs in forward-looking basic research and leading original achievements, and lay a solid foundation for building an innovative country. Second, vigorously promote industrial transformation and upgrading. Accelerate the development of strategic emerging industries and future industries, promptly apply new technologies to transform and upgrade traditional industries, and comprehensively raise the level of modernization of the industrial system. Third, accelerate the green transformation of the development model. Unswervingly follow the path of prioritizing ecological protection and green development, fully leverage China’s advantage of rich application scenarios, accelerate green technological innovation and the promotion and application of advanced green technologies, and build a green, low-carbon, and circular economic system. Fourth, improve the systems and mechanisms for developing new quality productive forces according to local conditions. Further deepen reforms comprehensively, build a high-level socialist market economy system, make efforts to remove the blockages and sticking points that constrain the development of new quality productive forces, innovate the methods of allocating factors of production, and enable the smooth flow of all types of advanced and high-quality factors of production towards the development of new quality productive forces. Encourage different regions to proceed from their actual conditions, based on resource endowments, industrial foundations, scientific research conditions, etc., to cultivate and develop new quality productive forces according to local conditions.

推动新质生产力加快发展，必须继续做好创新这篇大文章，加快实现高水平科技自立自强。一是发挥科技创新的引领作用。科技创新是推动新质生产力发展的“牛鼻子”，促进科技创新取得新进展，既要坚持全面系统的观点，又要抓住关键，以重要领域和关键环节的突破带动全局。强化基础研究前瞻性、战略性、系统性布局，力争实现前瞻性基础研究、引领性原创成果重大突破，为建设创新型国家打牢基础。二是大力推动产业转型升级。促进战略性新兴产业和未来产业加快发展，及时应用新技术改造提升传统产业，全面提高产业体系现代化水平。三是加快发展方式绿色转型。坚定不移走生态优先、绿色发展之路，充分利用我国应用场景丰富优势，加快绿色科技创新和先进绿色技术推广应用，构建绿色低碳循环经济体系。四是健全因地制宜发展新质生产力体制机制。进一步全面深化改革，构建高水平社会主义市场经济体制，着力打通束缚新质生产力发展的堵点卡点，创新生产要素配置方式，让各类先进优质生产要素向发展新质生产力顺畅流动。鼓励不同地区从实际出发，根据资源禀赋、产业基础、科研条件等，因地制宜培育和发展新质生产力。

Online Editor: Paul

网络编辑：保罗