Keeping Pace with the Times in Setting Reform Goals and Tasks to Provide Institutional Guarantees for Chinese-Path Modernization

General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: “To further deepen reform comprehensively, we must closely center on the theme of advancing Chinese-path modernization.” [1]1 Xi Jinping is the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC). The “Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Further Deepening Reform Comprehensively to Advance Chinese-Path Modernization” (hereinafter referred to as the “Decision”), reviewed and adopted at the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, [2]2 The 20th National Congress of the CPC was held in October 2022. The Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee was held in July 2024. has drawn up a grand blueprint for opening up broad prospects for Chinese-path modernization through further deepening reform comprehensively, clarified the overall goal and main tasks in all aspects of further deepening reform comprehensively, and guided reform and opening up to always advance in the correct direction.

习近平总书记指出：“进一步全面深化改革，必须紧紧围绕推进中国式现代化这个主题来展开。”党的二十届三中全会审议通过的《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》（以下简称《决定》），擘画了以进一步全面深化改革开辟中国式现代化广阔前景的宏伟蓝图，明确了进一步全面深化改革的总目标和各方面主要任务，引领改革开放始终沿着正确方向前进。

The Historic Leap of Two Epoch-Making “Third Plenary Sessions”

两次划时代“三中全会”的历史性跨越

The “Decision” states its purpose at the outset by clarifying the importance and necessity of further deepening reform comprehensively, and emphasizes the important historical status of two “Third Plenary Sessions”: the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee and the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee. The Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee was epoch-making, ushering in a new period of reform and opening up and socialist modernization. The Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee was also epoch-making, ushering in a new journey of comprehensively deepening reform in the New Era, [3]3 The New Era refers to the period of socialism with Chinese characteristics beginning with the 18th National Congress of the CPC in 2012. systematically designing and promoting reform as a whole, and creating an entirely new situation for China’s reform and opening up. This is of great significance for our profound understanding and grasp of the importance and necessity of further deepening reform comprehensively.

《决定》开宗明义明确了进一步全面深化改革的重要性和必要性，强调了党的十一届三中全会和党的十八届三中全会两次“三中全会”的重要历史地位：党的十一届三中全会是划时代的，开启了改革开放和社会主义现代化建设新时期。党的十八届三中全会也是划时代的，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，开创了我国改革开放全新局面。这对于我们深刻领会和把握进一步全面深化改革的重要性和必要性具有重大意义。

In the early period of reform and opening up, the level of development of China’s productive forces was relatively low. The core task of reform was to liberate and develop the productive forces, promote rapid economic development, and improve the people’s living standards and strengthen the country’s economic power as quickly as possible. Comrade Deng Xiaoping pointed out: “Poverty is not socialism,” and “We must catch up with the times; this is the goal reform is to achieve.” [4]4 Deng Xiaoping was the paramount leader of China and the chief architect of reform and opening up. In the 1980s, China’s rural areas implemented the household contract responsibility system reform, cities implemented enterprise contract system reform and a series of price mechanism reforms, all of which were important measures to increase commodity factors and market factors and enhance incentive mechanisms and economic vitality within the framework of the planned economic system. Subsequently, the Third Plenary Session of the 12th Central Committee adopted the “Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Economic System Reform,” emphasizing that what China practiced was a “planned commodity economy on the basis of public ownership.” The Third Plenary Session of the 14th Central Committee adopted the “Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Several Issues Concerning the Establishment of a Socialist Market Economic System,” emphasizing “enabling the market to play a fundamental role in resource allocation under the state’s macroeconomic regulation and control.” The Third Plenary Session of the 16th Central Committee adopted the “Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Several Issues Concerning the Improvement of the Socialist Market Economic System,” emphasizing “giving greater play to the market’s fundamental role in resource allocation.” Under the guidance of these programmatic reform documents, China’s reform, centered on establishing and improving the socialist market economic system, advanced from multiple aspects including reform of the state’s macroeconomic regulation and control methods, factor market reform, labor market reform, state-owned enterprise reform, fiscal and taxation system reform, and social security system construction, all aimed at mobilizing the initiative of individuals, enterprises, and localities, liberating and developing the productive forces, and promoting sustained and rapid economic development.

改革开放初期，我国生产力发展水平较低，改革的核心任务是为了解放和发展生产力，促进经济快速发展，尽快提高人民生活水平和增强国家经济实力。邓小平同志指出：“贫穷不是社会主义”，“我们要赶上时代，这是改革要达到的目的”。上世纪80年代，我国农村实行家庭联产承包责任制改革、城市实行企业承包制改革和价格机制系列改革等，都是在计划经济体制框架下增加商品因素和市场因素、增强激励机制和经济活力的重要举措。此后，党的十二届三中全会作出《中共中央关于经济体制改革的决定》，强调我国实行的是“在公有制基础上的有计划的商品经济”；党的十四届三中全会作出《中共中央关于建立社会主义市场经济体制若干问题的决定》，强调“使市场在国家宏观调控下对资源配置起基础性作用”；党的十六届三中全会作出《中共中央关于完善社会主义市场经济体制若干问题的决定》，强调“更大程度地发挥市场在资源配置中的基础性作用”。在这些改革纲领性文件的指导下，我国改革围绕建立和完善社会主义市场经济体制，从国家宏观调控方式改革、要素市场改革、劳动力市场改革、国有企业改革、财税体制改革、社会保障制度建设等多方面推进，都是为了调动个人、企业和地方的积极性，解放和发展生产力，促进经济持续快速发展。

The Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee, held in 2013, adopted the “Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Several Major Issues Concerning Comprehensively Deepening Reform,” aiming to implement the strategic deployment of the 18th National Congress of the CPC on comprehensively deepening reform. This plenary session made arrangements for comprehensively deepening reform, clarifying that the overall goal of comprehensively deepening reform was to improve and develop the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics and advance the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity. This plenary session also emphasized that “economic system reform is the focus of comprehensively deepening reform, and the core issue is to properly handle the relationship between the government and the market,” putting forward the important new formulation of “enabling the market to play a decisive role in resource allocation and better playing the role of the government.” From this point onward, China’s reform embarked on a new journey of comprehensively deepening reform with deepening economic system reform as the focus, systematically designing and promoting reform as a whole, emphasizing not only the liberation and development of productive forces but also the improvement and development of the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics and the advancement of the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity.

2013年召开的党的十八届三中全会作出《中共中央关于全面深化改革若干重大问题的决定》，旨在贯彻落实党的十八大关于全面深化改革的战略部署。这次全会对全面深化改革作出部署，明确全面深化改革的总目标是完善和发展中国特色社会主义制度，推进国家治理体系和治理能力现代化。这次全会同时强调“经济体制改革是全面深化改革的重点，核心问题是处理好政府和市场的关系”，提出了“使市场在资源配置中起决定性作用和更好发挥政府作用”这个重要新表述。由此开始，我国改革迈向了以深化经济体制改革为重点全面深化改革、系统整体设计推进改革新征程，不仅强调解放和发展生产力，更强调完善和发展中国特色社会主义制度、推进国家治理体系和治理能力现代化。

This epoch-making transformation had profound practical background and conceptual guidance. More than 30 years after reform and opening up, some deep-seated institutional and mechanistic problems and barriers of solidified interests became increasingly apparent, and reform entered a critical period and deep-water zone. Solving problems and promoting development through comprehensively deepening reform became a common demand of the whole society. For example, poverty alleviation, promoting common prosperity, and promoting environmental protection and ecological construction were all major issues urgently needing resolution. If these problems were not solved, it would affect not only the realization of the goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects but also the sense of gain, happiness, and security of the broad masses of the people. Therefore, they had to be placed on an important agenda, reform had to be advanced with real determination, and institutional construction had to be highlighted to continuously promote the self-improvement and development of the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics. At the same time, China is still in the primary stage of socialism, and development remains the key to solving all of China’s problems. Therefore, it was necessary to further emancipate the mind, liberate and develop the social productive forces, and liberate and enhance social vitality, resolutely break down institutional and mechanistic obstacles in all aspects, and strive to open up broader prospects for the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

这个划时代的转变有着深刻的现实背景和理念指引。改革开放30多年后，一些深层次体制机制问题和利益固化的藩篱日益显现，改革进入攻坚期和深水区。以全面深化改革破解难题、推动发展成为全社会的共同要求。例如，脱贫攻坚、促进共同富裕、推动环境保护与生态建设等，都是亟待解决的重大问题。这些问题不解决，既影响全面建成小康社会目标的实现，又影响广大人民群众的获得感幸福感安全感，因此必须提上重要日程，真枪真刀推进改革，并突出制度建设，不断推进中国特色社会主义制度自我完善和发展。同时，我国仍处于社会主义初级阶段，发展仍是解决我国所有问题的关键。因此，必须进一步解放思想、解放和发展社会生产力、解放和增强社会活力，坚决破除各方面体制机制弊端，努力开拓中国特色社会主义事业更加广阔的前景。

Promoting Three “Better Adaptations” Can Provide Institutional Guarantees for Chinese-Path Modernization

推动三个“更好相适应”能够为中国式现代化提供制度保障

Further deepening reform comprehensively is both a practical continuation of the comprehensively deepening reform since the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee and a new chapter of the times for advancing Chinese-path modernization on the new journey. The “Decision” proposes that the overall goal of further deepening reform comprehensively is to continue improving and developing the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics and advancing the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity, and, within the “guiding ideology for further deepening reform comprehensively,” proposes “promoting better adaptation between relations of production and productive forces, between the superstructure and the economic base, and between national governance and social development, to provide strong momentum and institutional guarantees for Chinese-path modernization.” Promoting the three “better adaptations” is an important formulation in the “Decision.” It represents both the keeping pace with the times of the reform goals of the two past epoch-making “Third Plenary Sessions” and a high-level summary, based on building a great modern socialist country in all respects, of the situation and tasks facing the next step of reform. In particular, “better adaptation between national governance and social development” is an important new formulation of this plenary session, reflecting governance concepts and requirements that match the new situation, new tasks, and new era of modernization construction.

进一步全面深化改革，既是党的十八届三中全会以来全面深化改革的实践续篇，也是新征程推进中国式现代化的时代新篇。《决定》提出进一步全面深化改革的总目标是继续完善和发展中国特色社会主义制度，推进国家治理体系和治理能力现代化，并在“进一步全面深化改革的指导思想”中提出“推动生产关系和生产力、上层建筑和经济基础、国家治理和社会发展更好相适应，为中国式现代化提供强大动力和制度保障”。推动三个“更好相适应”是《决定》中的重要表述，既是过去两个划时代“三中全会”改革目标的与时俱进，又是立足全面建成社会主义现代化强国对下一步改革面临的形势任务的高度概括，特别是“国家治理和社会发展更好相适应”是本次全会的重要新提法，体现了与现代化建设新时期新形势新任务相匹配的治理理念和要求。

Continuing to liberate and develop the productive forces requires both breaking and establishing, so that relations of production better adapt to productive forces and the superstructure better adapts to the economic base. Liberating and developing productive forces requires not only “breaking” but also “establishing”; there are still many shortcomings in institutional construction that we need to address. The “Decision” proposes improving the basic systems of the market economy, including property rights systems, market access systems, social credit systems, and regulatory systems. These are the basic guarantees for the effective operation of the socialist market economy, and they include many important new requirements. For example, it proposes legally, equally, and permanently protecting property rights of all forms of ownership. The term “permanently” prominently emphasizes that protecting property rights of all forms of ownership is not an expedient measure and will not change, providing long-term confidence and expectations for all types of investors and entrepreneurs. Another example is the proposal of many institutional mechanism construction contents in the part on building a unified national market and the part on improving the macroeconomic governance system. Yet another example is the proposal of institutional construction requirements for private enterprises, suggesting supporting and guiding private enterprises to improve their governance structures and management systems, and strengthening enterprise compliance construction and clean governance risk prevention and control.

继续解放和发展生产力要求破立并举，使生产关系与生产力、上层建筑与经济基础更好相适应。解放和发展生产力不仅要“破”，而且要“立”，在制度建设方面我们还有许多短板要补。《决定》提出完善市场经济基础制度，将产权制度、市场准入制度、社会信用体系和监管制度等列入其中。这些都是社会主义市场经济有效运行的基本保障，其中包括许多重要的新要求。比如，提出依法平等长久保护各种所有制经济产权，“长久”这一表述突出强调保护各种所有制经济产权不是权宜之计，不会发生改变，给各类投资者和企业家以长期信心和预期。又如，在构建全国统一大市场部分和健全宏观经济治理体系部分，提出许多体制机制建设的内容。再如，对民营企业提出制度建设的要求，提出支持引导民营企业完善治理结构和管理制度，加强企业合规建设和廉洁风险防控等。

In response to the primary task of high-quality development, the "Decision" [on Further Deepening Reform Comprehensively to Advance Chinese-Path Modernization] has deployed several reform tasks. Currently, the incentive and constraint mechanisms for promoting high-quality development are not yet sound, and there are many institutional and mechanistic obstacles as well as blockages and bottlenecks that need to be resolved through further deepening of reform comprehensively. For example, in market operations, we have put great effort into encouraging market entry, but the institutional arrangements for market exit are still imperfect, which is detrimental to the market's role in weeding out the weak and improving development quality. The "Decision" proposes improving the enterprise bankruptcy mechanism, exploring the establishment of a personal bankruptcy system, advancing supporting reforms for enterprise deregistration, and perfecting the enterprise exit system. Only by smoothly eliminating low-efficiency and low-competitiveness productive forces can we truly promote the concentration of various advanced production factors toward the development of new quality productive forces, substantially increase total factor productivity, and provide new endogenous impetus and institutional guarantees for high-quality development.

针对高质量发展这个首要任务，《决定》部署了若干改革任务。当前，推动高质量发展的激励和约束机制还不健全，面临不少体制机制障碍和卡点堵点，需要通过进一步全面深化改革来破解。例如，在市场运行中，我们在鼓励进入市场方面下了很大功夫，但在退出市场方面的制度安排还不完善，这不利于市场发挥优胜劣汰、提高发展质量的作用。《决定》提出健全企业破产机制，探索建立个人破产制度，推进企业注销配套改革，完善企业退出制度。只有顺利淘汰低效率低竞争力的生产力，才能真正促进各类先进生产要素向发展新质生产力集聚，大幅提升全要素生产率，为高质量发展提供新的内生动力和制度保障。

Resolving prominent problems requires not only persistent effort and tackling difficulties but also establishing rules and systems to form long-term effective mechanisms. This is because reform measures to address prominent problems often involve adjusting existing stocks, with complex and intertwined interests, inevitably encountering difficulties and challenges. Take regulating the income distribution order and promoting common prosperity: this involves both making the "cake" bigger and dividing it well, as well as issues of primary distribution and redistribution. Different entities, occupying different positions, have differing views, and changes in factors such as the speed of economic development, the tendency of capital flows, and local government preferences all affect the income distribution pattern. In response to prominent problems, the "Decision" insists on resolving them through institutional arrangements. For instance, it proposes improving the tax system conducive to high-quality development, social fairness, and market unity, and optimizing the tax structure, which clarifies the direction and measures for deepening fiscal and tax system reform. Another example is proposing to regulate the legal system for local investment attraction and strictly prohibit illegal or irregular policy concessions, which is an institutional constraint on local investment attraction behavior for building a unified national market.

解决突出问题既要锲而不舍、攻坚克难，更要建章立制、形成长效体制机制。这是因为，治理突出问题的改革举措往往涉及存量调整，利益关系错综复杂，必然会遇到困难和挑战。拿规范收入分配秩序和促进共同富裕来说，既涉及做大“蛋糕”和分好“蛋糕”的问题，又涉及初次分配和再分配问题。不同主体所处位置不同，看法就不一致，加上经济发展速度、资本流动倾向、地方政府偏好等形势变化，都会影响收入分配格局。针对突出问题，《决定》坚持通过推进制度性安排来解决。比如，提出健全有利于高质量发展、社会公平、市场统一的税收制度，优化税制结构，这为深化财税体制改革明确了方向和举措要求。又如，提出规范地方招商引资法规制度，严禁违法违规给予政策优惠行为，这是构建全国统一大市场对地方招商引资行为作出的制度性约束。

Social progress brings about diversified demands, requiring better alignment between national governance and social development. Promoting "better alignment between national governance and social development" is an important new formulation in the "Decision," reflecting our Party's profound understanding and grasp of new problems and challenges arising from economic development and social progress. As China's level of economic development and the educational level of its citizens rise, how to correctly handle the relationship between social vitality and social order becomes very important. Both practice and theory show that the period of modernization development is a period when social vitality and destabilizing factors increase simultaneously. For example, educational development raises people's literacy and education levels, increasing the influence of media on people. As people's horizons become higher and broader, expectations will continue to grow and expand, likely exceeding the capacity to meet these expectations. Another example is that economic development increases the geographical mobility of the population, making the distribution of population and resources more balanced, while also breaking the original mechanisms of social stability. As the number of people moving from rural to urban areas increases, if relevant supporting services do not keep up, it becomes impossible to better meet the expectations of the masses for integration into cities. The "Decision" makes many major reform deployments targeting these new problems, proposing to improve the systems and mechanisms for integrated urban-rural development, promote equal exchange and two-way flow of urban and rural factors, narrow urban-rural differences, and promote common prosperity and development for both urban and rural areas; implement a system for providing basic public services based on household registration at the place of habitual residence, promote equal rights for eligible agricultural transfer populations in social insurance, housing security, compulsory education for accompanying children, etc., with those of the registered population in the place of relocation, and accelerate the urbanization of the agricultural transfer population; and so on. Further deepening reform comprehensively, while balancing fairness and efficiency, must also better balance vitality and order, promoting better alignment between national governance and social development.

社会进步带来诉求多元化，要求国家治理和社会发展更好相适应。推动“国家治理和社会发展更好相适应”是《决定》中的一个重要新提法，体现了我们党对经济发展和社会进步过程中产生新问题新挑战的深刻认识和把握。随着我国经济发展水平和国民受教育水平提升，如何正确处理社会活力和社会秩序的关系十分重要。实践和理论都表明，现代化发展时期是社会活力与不稳定因素同步增加的时期。比如，教育发展提高了人们的识字率和教育水平，增加了传播媒介对人们的影响。随着人们的眼界更高更远，期望也将不断增长和扩张，很可能会超过满足这些期望的能力。又如，经济发展会增加人口在地理上的流动性，使人口与资源分布更加平衡，同时也打破了原有的社会稳定机制。随着从农村向城市流动的人口数量增加，如果相关配套服务跟不上，就无法更好满足人民群众融入城市的期盼。《决定》针对这些新的问题作出许多重大改革部署，提出完善城乡融合发展体制机制，促进城乡要素平等交换、双向流动，缩小城乡差别，促进城乡共同繁荣发展；推行由常住地登记户口提供基本公共服务制度，推动符合条件的农业转移人口社会保险、住房保障、随迁子女义务教育等享有同迁入地户籍人口同等权利，加快农业转移人口市民化；等等。进一步全面深化改革在兼顾公平和效率的同时，也要更好地兼顾活力和秩序，推动国家治理和社会发展更好相适应。

Handling the relationship between national governance and social development requires, in the process of profound and complex social progress and transformation, promoting a society that is both vibrant and orderly. Therefore, great efforts must be made in institutional construction to meet the growing needs of the people in areas such as democracy, rule of law, fairness, justice, security, and environment, forming normalized institutional mechanisms for coordinating social interests, preventing social risks, resolving social conflicts, and maintaining social stability. This raises new requirements for capabilities and levels in protecting citizens' rights, upholding social justice, and maintaining social security. For example, the "Decision" proposes establishing a system for sealing records of minor criminal offenses, which is a specific reform measure in the criminal justice system, highlighting the important concept of the state strengthening judicial protection of human rights, especially protecting the legitimate rights and interests of those who have committed faults, and is of great significance for minimizing social opposition and turning negative factors into positive ones. The "Decision" also contains many reform deployments reflecting new forms of economic development, new concepts of social progress, and new demands of the people, all aimed at allowing the people to personally experience a level of national governance commensurate with a modernized country through each specific reform measure.

处理好国家治理和社会发展的关系，要在深刻复杂的社会进步与变革过程中，推动整个社会既生机勃勃又井然有序。因此，要在制度建设上下大力气，满足人民群众在民主、法治、公平、正义、安全、环境等方面日益增长的需求，形成协调社会利益、防范社会风险、化解社会矛盾、维护社会稳定的常态化体制机制。这对保障公民权利、维护社会正义、维护社会安全等方面的能力和水平都提出了新的要求。例如，《决定》提出建立轻微犯罪记录封存制度，是一项具体的刑事司法制度的改革举措，彰显了国家加强人权司法保障特别是保障有过错人群正当权益的重要理念，对于最大限度地减少社会对立面、化消极因素为积极因素意义重大。《决定》中还有许多体现经济发展新形态、社会进步新理念、人民群众新要求的改革部署，都是为了让人民群众从一件件具体改革措施中切身体验到与现代化国家相匹配的国家治理水平。

In summary, the "Decision" contains many major theoretical innovations. These innovations are based on an accurate grasp of the historical juncture at which further deepening reform comprehensively is situated, on a profound understanding of the relationship between the Chinese characteristics of Chinese-path modernization and the general laws of modernization, and on far-sighted insights into the new opportunities and challenges that may be faced on the path of modernization. It is another landmark and pioneering important document in the history of China's reform and opening up. Fully implementing the various major reform tasks proposed in the "Decision" will surely provide powerful impetus and solid institutional guarantees for advancing Chinese-path modernization.

总之，《决定》有许多重大理论创新。这些创新立足对进一步全面深化改革所处历史方位的准确把握，立足对中国式现代化的中国特色与现代化一般规律之间关系的深刻理解，立足对现代化征程中可能面对的新机遇新挑战的远见卓识，是我国改革开放史上又一具有标志性、开创性意义的重要文献。全面贯彻落实《决定》提出的各项重大改革任务，必将为推进中国式现代化提供强大动力和坚实制度保障。

Online Editor: Paul

网络编辑：保罗