Exploring Pathways to Accelerate the Development of New Quality Productive Forces

General Secretary Xi Jinping’s series of important expositions on new quality productive forces [1]1 New quality productive forces (新质生产力): A concept introduced by Xi Jinping in 2023, referring to advanced productive forces driven by revolutionary technological breakthroughs, innovative allocation of production factors, and deep industrial transformation and upgrading. possess major theoretical and practical significance. It is necessary to continuously deepen the understanding and comprehension of the theoretical implications of new quality productive forces, explore pathways to accelerate their development, empower high-quality development on the new journey, and secure strategic initiative in the fierce international competition.

习近平总书记关于新质生产力的一系列重要论述，具有重大理论意义和实践意义。要不断深化对新质生产力理论意蕴的认识和理解，探索加快发展新质生产力的路径，在新征程上赋能高质量发展，在激烈的国际竞争中赢得战略主动。

Based on local resource endowments, develop new quality productive forces in light of local conditions. China’s territory is vast; the resource factor endowments of different provinces (autonomous regions) and municipalities vary, as do their industrial foundations and scientific research conditions. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized “developing new quality productive forces in light of local conditions,” [2]2 “Developing new quality productive forces in light of local conditions” (因地制宜发展新质生产力): A directive from Xi Jinping during his 2024 inspection tour, emphasizing that local development strategies for new quality productive forces must be tailored to specific regional conditions rather than applied uniformly. which points the direction and provides the guideline for all localities to advance the transformation of productive forces based on actual conditions. Facing the complex and volatile international and domestic situations, as well as new challenges and opportunities, it is necessary to uphold and strengthen the Party’s overall leadership, and always maintain sobriety and resolve. At the same time, based on local concrete development practices, integrating regional development characteristics and advantages, fully respecting the laws governing the development of productive forces, we must find a path of high-quality development suited to local realities, thereby enhancing the competitiveness of the local economy. Break free from fixed thinking patterns, give full play to subjective initiative, analyze specific situations concretely, conduct in-depth research to ascertain the actual situation, implement flexible policies to optimize resource allocation, shore up weaknesses and leverage strengths, identify the development path for new quality productive forces according to the specific time and local conditions, seek development by seeking truth from facts, and prevent blind following of trends.

立足本地资源禀赋，因地制宜发展新质生产力。我国地域广阔，各省（区）市的资源要素禀赋不一样，产业基础、科研条件也不尽相同。习近平总书记强调“因地制宜发展新质生产力”，为各地从实际出发推进生产力变革指明了方向、提供了遵循。面对纷繁复杂的国际国内形势和新的挑战与机遇，必须坚持和加强党的全面领导，始终保持清醒和定力。与此同时，立足当地具体发展实践，结合地域发展特色和发展优势，充分尊重生产力发展规律，走出适合本地实际的高质量发展之路，提升地方经济竞争力。打破思维定式，发挥主观能动性，具体情况具体分析，深入调研摸清底数，灵活施策优化资源配置，补短板、扬优势，因时因地制宜找准新质生产力发展路径，实事求是谋发展，防止盲目跟风。

Strengthen the leading role of scientific and technological innovation, open up new tracks to cultivate new quality productive forces. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized, “Scientific and technological innovation can give rise to new industries, new models, and new drivers of growth, and is the core element for developing new quality productive forces.” [3]3 Quotation from Xi Jinping’s speech at the 11th collective study session of the Politburo of the 20th CPC Central Committee in January 2024. Since reform and opening up, China’s productive capacity has been continuously enhanced, a complete industrial system has been established, major innovation achievements have emerged in succession, and the overall strength of science and technology has been constantly improving. Especially in recent years, China’s scientific and technological innovation has yielded fruitful results, and the effectiveness of innovation-driven development has become increasingly evident. At the same time, factors constraining high-quality development still exist in large numbers: some key core technologies are controlled by others, there is a lack of major original achievements, scientific and technological innovation capacity is not yet strong enough, and there are still many blockages and obstacles in the industrial and supply chains. Looking at the international environment, the global economic structure is being reshaped under the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, the momentum for world economic growth is insufficient, some Western developed countries are constantly creating trade frictions, and scientific and technological innovation has become the main battlefield of international strategic games. Against this general backdrop, it is necessary to take scientific and technological innovation as the leading force, deeply implement the innovation-driven development strategy, promote interdisciplinary integration, advance original innovation and integrated innovation, achieve breakthroughs in key and disruptive technologies, and accelerate the building of a strong nation in science and technology. Basic research is the source and living water of scientific and technological innovation. Attention must be paid to basic research, investment must be increased, and the role of basic research in providing fundamental theoretical support and technological source supply for the development of new quality productive forces must be brought into play, thereby consolidating the foundation for self-reliance and self-strengthening in science and technology. Lead industrial innovation with scientific and technological innovation, strengthen the empowerment of science and technology, promote the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries, and comprehensively enhance the overall competitiveness of industries. Raise the level of transformation of scientific and technological achievements, promote the deep integration of the digital economy and the real economy, effectively transform the development model, optimize the economic structure, and shift the drivers of growth, cultivating new drivers for the development of new quality productive forces.

强化科技创新引领，开辟新赛道培育新质生产力。习近平总书记强调，“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”。改革开放后，我国生产能力不断增强，建立了完整的产业体系，重大创新成果竞相涌现，科技整体实力不断提升。特别是近年来，我国科技创新成果丰硕，创新驱动发展成效日益显现。同时，制约高质量发展的因素还大量存在，一些关键核心技术受制于人、重大原创性成果缺乏、科技创新能力还不够强、产业链供应链卡点堵点仍然较多。从国际环境看，全球经济结构在新一轮科技革命和产业变革下重塑，世界经济增长动能不足，一些西方发达国家不断制造贸易摩擦，科技创新成为国际战略博弈的主战场。在这样的大背景下，必须以科技创新为主导，深入实施创新驱动发展战略，推动多学科交叉融合，推进原始创新和集成创新，实现关键性颠覆性技术突破，加快建设科技强国。基础研究是科技创新的源头活水，要重视基础研究，加大投入力度，发挥基础研究对新质生产力发展的基础理论支撑和技术源头供给作用，夯实科技自立自强根基。以科技创新引领产业创新，强化科技赋能，促进传统产业转型升级，全面提升产业的整体竞争力。提高科技成果转化水平，促进数字经济和实体经济深度融合，切实转变发展方式、优化经济结构、转换增长动力，培育发展新质生产力的新动能。

Deepen institutional and mechanism reforms, creating conditions for the development of new quality productive forces. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: “To develop new quality productive forces, we must further comprehensively deepen reform, forming new relations of production that are compatible with them.” [4]4 Quotation from Xi Jinping’s speech at the same Politburo study session in January 2024. Relations of production must be adapted to the requirements of the development of productive forces. Only by comprehensively deepening reform, continuously promoting changes in the development model, drivers of growth, and quality of development, further removing institutional and mechanism obstacles, and forming new relations of production, can we create more favorable conditions and open up broader space for the development of new quality productive forces. It is necessary to deepen economic system reform, improve the basic systems of the market economy, promote the positive interaction between an effective market and a competent government, [5]5 “Effective market and competent government” (有效市场和有为政府): A standard formulation in Chinese economic policy discourse, describing the ideal relationship between market forces and state intervention under socialism with Chinese characteristics. create a market-oriented, law-based, and internationalized first-class business environment, and build a new, higher-standard open economic system. Deepen reforms in key areas and crucial links. By advancing deep-level reforms in areas such as the science and technology system and market-based allocation of factors of production, unblock the blockages and obstructions existing in various links of the economic cycle, including production, distribution, circulation, and consumption, further stimulate innovation vitality, improve the efficiency of factor allocation, perfect the long-term institutional mechanisms adapted to the construction of a unified national market, establish a high-standard market system and an economic circulation system with strong resilience, and continuously enhance the endogenous driving force for high-quality development. Continue to expand high-standard opening up, draw on the institutional innovation achievements from countries around the world that are beneficial to the development of productive forces, gather advanced production factors, deepen international scientific and technological exchanges and cooperation, deeply participate in global science and technology governance, promote mutual benefit and win-win outcomes, better coordinate both domestic and international markets and resources, and create a favorable international environment for the development of new quality productive forces.

深化体制机制改革，为发展新质生产力创造条件。习近平总书记强调：“发展新质生产力，必须进一步全面深化改革，形成与之相适应的新型生产关系。”生产关系必须与生产力发展要求相适应。只有通过全面深化改革，不断推动发展方式、发展动力、发展质量变革，进一步破除体制机制障碍，形成新型生产关系，才能为新质生产力的发展创造更加有利的条件、开辟更加广阔的空间。要深化经济体制改革，完善市场经济基础制度，推动有效市场和有为政府的良性互动，打造市场化、法治化、国际化一流营商环境，建设更高水平开放型经济新体制。深化重点领域和关键环节改革，通过推进科技体制、要素市场化配置等领域深层次改革，打通生产、分配、流通、消费等经济循环各环节存在的堵点和梗阻，进一步激发创新活力，提高要素配置效率，完善适应全国统一大市场建设的长效体制机制，建立高标准市场体系和韧性较强的经济循环体系，不断增强高质量发展的内生动力。持续扩大高水平对外开放，借鉴世界各国有益于生产力发展的制度创新成果，集聚先进生产要素，深化国际科技交流合作，深度参与全球科技治理，推动互利共赢，更好统筹国内国际两个市场两种资源，为发展新质生产力营造良好国际环境。

Expand the high-quality talent pool, cultivating fertile ground for the development of new quality productive forces. People are the most active factor among the productive forces. Knowledge-based, skilled, and innovative talents are an important guarantee for developing new quality productive forces. Currently, problems such as insufficient overall talent scale, suboptimal structure, and a shortage of leading scientific and technological talents of the first rank still exist in some areas of our country. It is necessary to deeply implement the strategy of strengthening the nation through human resources development, effectively improve the level and quality of independent talent cultivation, perfect the talent work mechanism, better select, introduce, and utilize talents, and promote the formation of a talent structure that can effectively support the development of new quality productive forces. We should smooth the virtuous cycle of education, science and technology, and talent. In accordance with the requirements for developing new quality productive forces, improve the collaborative education mechanism involving industry, academia, and research, promote the deep integration of the innovation chain, industrial chain, capital chain, and talent chain, and cultivate and bring up urgently needed talents that meet national strategic needs, top-notch talents with higher innovation literacy, and composite talents suited to the development trends of interdisciplinary integration and industrial convergence. Accelerate the construction of the modern vocational education system, deepen the supply-side structural reform of vocational education, increase the supply of skilled personnel, promote the integration of industry and education and the convergence of science and education, and, oriented towards new business forms and the trends of digitalization and intelligentization, increase technical and skills training to cultivate more high-quality applied and skilled talents who are proficient in mastering various cutting-edge technologies and new types of production tools, providing strong support for “Made in China” and “Created in China.” Implement a more active, open, and effective talent introduction policy, focus on the current status and new trends of industrial development, open wide the door to recruit and attract talents, and create a favorable environment for talent agglomeration. Perfect the mechanisms for talent cultivation, selection, incentive, and guarantee, explore more reasonable and flexible talent employment and assessment and evaluation systems, reduce burdens and loosen constraints on scientific researchers, grant them greater autonomy in scientific research, fully mobilize their initiative, and stimulate their vitality and potential for innovation and creation.

壮大高素质人才队伍，厚植新质生产力发展沃土。人是生产力中最活跃的因素，知识型、技能型、创新型人才是发展新质生产力的重要保障。当前我国一些领域仍存在人才总体规模不足、结构不够优化和一流科技领军人才短缺等问题，需要深入实施人才强国战略，切实提高人才自主培养水平和质量，完善人才工作机制，更好地选拔人才、引进人才、使用人才，推动形成能有效支撑新质生产力发展的人才结构。应畅通教育、科技、人才的良性循环，按照发展新质生产力要求，健全产学研协同育人机制，推进创新链产业链资金链人才链深度融合，培养造就适应国家战略需要的紧缺人才、具备更高创新素养的拔尖人才以及符合学科交叉、产业融合发展趋势的复合型人才。加快现代职业教育体系建设，深化职业教育供给侧结构性改革，增加技能人才供给，推进产教融合、科教融汇，面向新业态及数字化、智能化的发展趋势，加大技术技能培训，培养出更多熟练掌握各类前沿技术、各种新型生产工具的高素质应用型、技能型人才，为中国制造、中国创造提供强有力支撑。实施更加积极、开放、有效的人才引进政策，聚焦产业发展现状和新趋势，广开门路招才引才，创设人才集聚的良好环境。完善人才培养、选拔、激励保障机制，探索更加合理灵活的人才聘用和考核评价制度，为科研人员减负松绑，赋予其更大的科研自主权，充分调动其积极性，激发创新创造活力和潜能。

Online Editor: Paul

网络编辑：保罗