The Scientific Concept of Developing Green Productive Forces and Its Realization

A Beautiful China is the form and pattern of socialist ecological civilization in contemporary China, and building a Beautiful China is a complex social systems engineering project. From the perspective of the laws governing the movement of the fundamental social contradiction, building a Beautiful China requires both vigorously developing green productive forces and comprehensively deepening the reform of the ecological civilization system. Regarding the former, “green development is the defining feature of high-quality development, and new quality productive forces are themselves green productive forces.” [1]1 This quotation is from Xi Jinping’s remarks on new quality productive forces, emphasizing their inherently green character. Green productive forces are advanced productive forces whose connotation and characteristic are the harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature; they are the inherent determination and developmental direction of new quality productive forces, and the foundation and intermediary for achieving the unity of high-quality development and high-level protection. Developing green productive forces also requires following the laws of the movement of the fundamental social contradiction, acting in accordance with the new development philosophy, and advancing it as a social systems engineering project. Only in this way can green productive forces provide the fundamental driving force for building a Beautiful China and consolidate the ecological and economic foundation of a Beautiful China.

美丽中国是社会主义生态文明在当代中国的样态和形态，建设美丽中国是一项复杂的社会系统工程。从社会基本矛盾运动规律来看，建设美丽中国既需要大力发展绿色生产力，也需要全面深化生态文明体制改革。就前者来看，“绿色发展是高质量发展的底色，新质生产力本身就是绿色生产力”。绿色生产力是以人与自然和谐共生为内涵和特质的先进生产力，是新质生产力的内在规定和发展方向，是实现高质量发展和高水平保护相统一的基础和中介。发展绿色生产力同样需要遵循社会基本矛盾运动规律，按照新发展理念，以社会系统工程方式加以推进。这样，绿色生产力才能为美丽中国建设提供根本动力，才能夯实美丽中国的生态经济基础。

I. Green Productive Forces Are the Inherent Characteristic and Developmental Direction of New Quality Productive Forces

一、绿色生产力是新质生产力的内在特质和发展方向

From the perspective of the relationship between humanity and nature, traditional productive forces are relatively typical “black productive forces” or “brown productive forces,” while new quality productive forces are “green productive forces” or “ecological productive forces.” Green productive forces are the inherent characteristic and developmental direction of new quality productive forces.

从人与自然关系的角度来看，传统生产力是比较典型的“黑色生产力”或“褐色生产力”，新质生产力则是“绿色生产力”或“生态生产力”。绿色生产力是新质生产力的内在特质和发展方向。

1. Green Productive Forces Are the Inherent Requirement of the Development of Productive Forces

1.绿色生产力是生产力发展的内在要求

Productive forces are the actual capacity to realize the material exchange between humanity and nature, composed of the objects of labor, the means of labor, and the laborer. Nature provides the initial elements of productive forces. Not only do the objects of labor and the means of labor come from nature, but the laborer also exists and acts first and foremost as a natural being; humanity itself, as a natural force, stands opposed to natural matter. Of course, these three elements provided by nature are not yet actual productive forces. The actual labor process is the process in which humanity uses its internal natural forces to act upon external nature and change the state of external nature to meet its own needs. While changing external nature and driving the generation of original nature into humanized nature, humanity changes its internal nature and drives the leap from natural human to social human. In other words, nature provides material for labor, and labor transforms material into labor products. Only in this way do actual productive forces come into being. Thus, “labor is, first of all, a process between man and nature, a process by which man, through his own actions, mediates, regulates and controls the metabolism between himself and nature.” [2]2 This is a quotation from Karl Marx’s *Capital*, Volume 1, Chapter 7, Section 1, defining labor as a metabolic process between humanity and nature. Productive forces are the actual capacity of human labor, and labor is the material content of productive forces. The material exchange between humanity and nature indicates that human survival and development depend on the materials, energy, and information provided by nature, and there is an inherent ecological relationship between the two. This is what humans share with animals. Animals carry out material exchange with external nature through instinctual activities, while humans realize this material exchange through conscious labor. This is the essential difference between humans and animals. At the same time, only by maintaining the normal process of material exchange between humanity and nature can actual labor occur. If the process of material exchange between humanity and nature is disrupted or destroyed, then productive forces become unsustainable. In short, the composition and function of productive forces themselves require maintaining the harmonious coexistence of humanity and nature; that is, green productive forces are the inherent requirement of the development of productive forces.

生产力是实现人与自然之间物质变换的实际能力，由劳动对象、劳动资料、劳动者三者构成。自然界提供了最初的生产力要素。不仅劳动对象和劳动资料来自于自然界，而且劳动者首先是作为一种自然存在物而存在和活动，人自身作为一种自然力与自然物质相对立。当然，自然界提供的这三个要素还不是现实的生产力。现实的劳动过程是人使用内在的自然力作用于外部自然并改变外部自然的状态以满足人类自身需要的过程。在改变外部自然、推动原初自然向人化自然生成的同时，人类改变了内在自然、推动自然人向社会人飞跃。换言之，自然界为劳动提供了物质材料，劳动将物质材料转变为劳动产品。这样，才有了现实的生产力。可见，“劳动首先是人和自然之间的过程，是人以自身的活动来中介、调整和控制人和自然之间的物质变换的过程”。生产力是人类劳动的实际能力，劳动是生产力的物质内容。人与自然之间的物质变换表明人类的生存和发展依赖自然界提供的物料、能源、信息，二者之间存在着内在的生态关联。这是人类同动物相同的地方。动物通过本能活动与外部自然界进行物质变换，人类通过自觉劳动的方式实现这种物质变换。这是人类与动物的本质区别。同时，只有保持人与自然之间物质变换的正常进行，现实的劳动才能发生。如果扰乱或破坏了人与自然之间的物质变换过程，那么，生产力就难以为继。总之，生产力自身的构成和功能都要求保持人与自然和谐共生，即绿色生产力是生产力发展的内在要求。

2. New Quality Productive Forces Are Themselves Green Productive Forces

2.新质生产力本身就是绿色生产力

From the perspective of the dynamic mechanism of their formation, new quality productive forces are themselves green productive forces. In terms of objective conditions, new quality productive forces are the application and crystallization of the achievements of a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, characterized by the trends and features of greenness, intelligence, and ubiquity, within productive forces. Entering the 21st century, a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation is unfolding vigorously, “driving a group technological revolution characterized by greenness, intelligence, and ubiquity in nearly all fields.” [3]3 This quotation refers to the characteristics of the contemporary technological revolution, emphasizing its green, intelligent, and ubiquitous dimensions. “Greenness” is not merely the green color presented by green technologies (environmental protection technologies), but increasingly manifests as the characteristic and feature of harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature exhibited by the entire progress of science and technology. Greening (ecologization) has become an important innovation in the paradigm of science and technology and industry. “Intelligence” is the integration and collective term for digitalization, digital-intelligence, informatization, and networking, reflecting the broad promoting role of advanced technologies such as information technology and artificial intelligence in economic and social development. “Ubiquity” refers to the omnipresent, all-encompassing, and omnipotent characteristics of various networks. Thus, digitalization (digital-intelligence) has become another major innovation in the paradigm of science and technology and industry. Driven by the dual engines of greening and digitalization, this new round of scientific and technological revolution has greatly enhanced humanity’s ability to understand, utilize, and protect nature, providing scientific and technological support for the sustainable development of social productive forces. In terms of development philosophy, new quality productive forces are advanced productive forces formed under the guidance of the new development philosophy, possessing the characteristics of green productive forces. Development philosophy is the ideological orientation of development behavior. The mechanical view of development is the dominant view of development formed in Western modernization, one-sidedly emphasizing the “dichotomy of subject and object” and “man’s conquest of nature,” and is one of the important roots of the ecological crisis. Traditional productive forces are productive forces dominated by the mechanical view of development, possessing the drawbacks of being “black” or “brown.” Now, the new development philosophy, with innovation, coordination, greenness, openness, and sharing as its core content, is a profound, comprehensive, and systematic revolution in the view of development, a major innovation in the paradigm of development philosophy, and has promoted the innovative development of contemporary Chinese development philosophy. Green development, with the harmonious coexistence of humanity and nature as its basic stipulation and core essence, is an important concept within the new development philosophy. In a narrow sense, green development means clean development or environmental friendliness. In a broad sense, green development has stipulations and requirements in terms of balanced development, conservation-oriented development, clean development, circular development, low-carbon development, safe development, and early-warning development. Overall, “green development is an inevitable requirement of ecological civilization construction, represents the direction of current scientific, technological, and industrial transformation, and is the most promising field of development.” [4]4 This quotation is from Xi Jinping, highlighting green development as the direction of technological and industrial transformation. Under the regulation and guidance of the green development philosophy, new quality productive forces themselves continuously develop into green productive forces. Thus, the formation process of new quality productive forces is a process driven by greenness.

从形成的动力机制来看，新质生产力本身就是绿色生产力。从客观条件来看，新质生产力是以绿色、智能、泛在为趋势和特征的新一轮科技革命和产业变革成果在生产力上的应用和结晶。进入21世纪，新一轮科技革命和产业变革方兴未艾，“带动几乎所有领域发生了以绿色、智能、泛在为特征的群体性技术革命”。 “绿色”不仅仅是绿色技术（环保技术）呈现出的绿色，更日益表现为整个科技进步呈现出的人与自然的和谐共生的特质和面貌。绿色化（生态化）已经成为科技范式和产业范式的重要创新。“智能”即数字化、数智化、信息化、网络化的集成和统称，反映的是信息技术、人工智能等先进科技对经济社会发展的广泛推动作用。“泛在”是指各种网络的无所不在、无所不包、无所不能的特性。这样，数字化（数智化）就成为科技范式和产业范式的又一重大创新。在绿色化和数字化的双轮驱动下，这一轮新科技革命极大提高了人类认识自然、利用自然、保护自然的能力，为社会生产力的可持续发展提供了科技支撑。从发展理念来看，新质生产力是新发展理念引领下形成的先进生产力，具有绿色生产力的特质。发展理念是发展行为的思想导向。机械发展观是西方现代化中形成的占主导地位的发展观，片面强调“主客二分”和“人定胜天”，是造成生态危机的重要根源之一。传统生产力是机械发展观主导下的生产力，具有“黑色”或“褐色”的弊端。现在，以创新、协调、绿色、开放、共享为主要内核的新发展理念是发展观上的深刻全面系统的革命，是发展哲学范式的重大创新，推动了当代中国发展哲学的创新发展。以人与自然和谐共生为基本规定和核心要义的绿色发展是新发展理念当中的重要理念。在狭义上，绿色发展为清洁发展或环境友好之意。在广义上，绿色发展有着均衡发展、节约发展、清洁发展、循环发展、低碳发展、安全发展、预警发展等方面的规定和要求。在总体上，“绿色发展是生态文明建设的必然要求，代表了当今科技和产业变革方向，是最有前途的发展领域”。在绿色发展理念的规约和引导下，新质生产力本身不断地发展成为绿色生产力。可见，新质生产力的形成过程就是一个绿色驱动的过程。

3. Green Productive Forces Are the Green Innovation of the New Quality Productive Forces Paradigm

3. 绿色生产力是新质生产力范式的绿色创新

From the perspective of composition and form, new quality productive forces are a green productive forces paradigm engendered through the innovative allocation of production factors by greening them. In terms of the object of labor, new quality productive forces are advanced productive forces that take sustainable resources such as information, data, and knowledge as their object of labor. The material transformation achieved by traditional productive forces remained mainly at the level of materials (material substances) and energy (fossil energy), suffering from the limitation of unsustainability. Now, the information transformation between humans and nature is increasingly becoming the dominant form of material transformation, with information, data, and knowledge beginning to serve as important objects of labor. Information here includes both electronic information and biological information. At the same time, knowledge production is becoming an increasingly important form of production. These resources possess the characteristics and advantages of being "inexhaustible and inexhaustible," capable of substituting for material physical resources that are depletable. In terms of the means of labor, new quality productive forces are advanced productive forces that take digital (digital-intelligent) means as their main production tools. The system of large machinery is the representative production tool of traditional productive forces, mainly liberating human physical strength, but it has limitations such as high resource consumption and high pollution emissions. Now, the intelligent industry represented by robotics technology is flourishing. In particular, "some artificial intelligence robots already possess a considerable degree of autonomous thinking and learning capabilities." Thus, automated tools such as intelligent hardware that organically integrate humans, machines, and networks are increasingly becoming the main instruments of labor, achieving the dual liberation of human physical and mental strength, and greatly enhancing the comprehensive benefits of productive forces. In terms of the laborer, new quality productive forces are advanced productive forces that place greater emphasis on the enhancement of human capital and the comprehensive development of human beings. Traditional productive forces focused on the quantity of human resources and the physical strength of laborers. New quality productive forces place greater emphasis on the intelligence and quality of laborers, and on their ability and level in engaging in intelligent production and intelligent creation. This raises new demands for the development of human capital and the comprehensive development of human beings. Since "real individuals" are always situated within a composite network composed of relationships between humans and nature, humans and society, and humans and themselves, and are the sum total of all social relations, the comprehensive development of human beings inherently requires the harmonious development of humans and nature. The harmonious development of humans and nature will become an internal driving force for realizing the comprehensive development of human beings. Therefore, the subject of new quality productive forces is laborers with a high level of ecological civilization literacy and capability. The integration and unity of intelligent literacy and ecological literacy will become a distinctive marker of a new generation of producers. When the elements of productive forces are creatively reshaped in a green manner according to the achievements of the new technological revolution and modern industrial transformation, new quality productive forces themselves become green productive forces.

从构成和形态来看，新质生产力是通过实现生产要素的绿色化的创新性配置而催生的绿色生产力范式。在劳动对象方面，新质生产力是以信息、数据、知识等可持续资源为劳动对象的先进生产力。传统生产力实现的物质变换主要停留在物料（物质材料）和能源（化石能源）的层次上，具有不可持续性的局限。现在，人与自然之间的信息变换日益成为居于主导地位的物质变换形式，信息、数据、知识开始成为重要的劳动对象。这里的信息包括电子信息和生物信息。同时，知识生产成为越来越重要的生产形式。这些资源具有“取之不尽、用之不竭”的特点和优势，可以替代具有耗竭性的物质实体资源。在劳动资料方面，新质生产力是以数字（数智）手段为主要生产工具的先进生产力。大机器体系是传统生产力的代表性生产工具，主要解放了人的体力，但具有资源高消耗、污染高排放等局限。现在，以机器人科技为代表的智能产业蓬勃兴起。尤其是，“有的人工智能机器人已具有相当程度的自主思维和学习能力”。这样，将人、机、网有机结合起来的智能硬件等自动化工具日益成为主要的劳动工具，实现了人的体力和脑力的双重解放，极大提升了生产力的综合效益。在劳动者方面，新质生产力是更为注重人力资本提升和人的全面发展的先进生产力。传统生产力将重心放到人力资源的数量和劳动力的体力上。新质生产力更为注重劳动者的智力和素质，更为注重劳动者从事智能生产和智能创造的能力和水平。这样，就对人力资本的开发和人的全面发展提出了新的要求。由于“现实的人”总是处于由人与自然、人与社会、人与自身等关系构成的复合网络当中，是一切社会关系的总和，因此，人的全面发展内在地要求人与自然和谐发展，人与自然和谐发展会成为实现人的全面发展的内在动力。因此，新质生产力的主体是具有高度生态文明素养和能力的劳动者。智能素养和生态素养的集成和统一，将成为一代新的生产者的鲜明标识。当按照新科技革命成果和现代产业变革成果对生产力要素进行创造性的绿色化重塑的时候，新质生产力本身就成为了绿色生产力。

In summary, new quality productive forces are essentially green productive forces. Green productive forces are essentially ecological productive forces, productive forces whose inherent stipulation and developmental direction is the harmonious coexistence of humans and nature, representing a "green revolution" in the paradigm of productive forces.

总之，新质生产力本质上是绿色生产力。绿色生产力本质上是生态化生产力，是以人与自然和谐共生为内在规定和发展方向的生产力，是生产力范式的“绿色革命”。

II. Promoting the Development of Green Productive Forces through the Internal Unity of the New Development Philosophy

二、以新发展理念的内在统一推动绿色生产力的发展

Green productive forces are not merely the result guided by the green development concept; they are more so a scientific achievement formed through the holistic promotion of the New Development Philosophy. The New Development Philosophy is an organic whole; therefore, we should "always grasp, measure, and promote development through the internal unity of innovation, coordination, greenness, openness, and sharing." [5]5 The New Development Philosophy (新发展理念) consists of five concepts: innovation, coordination, greenness, openness, and sharing. It was formally introduced by the CPC leadership around 2015 as a guiding framework for China's development. The development of green productive forces should be treated the same way.

绿色生产力不仅仅是绿色发展理念引导的结果，更是新发展理念整体推动形成的科学成果。新发展理念是一个有机整体，因此，我们应该“始终以创新、协调、绿色、开放、共享的内在统一来把握发展、衡量发展、推动发展”。发展绿色生产力同样应该如此。

1. Coordinately Promoting Innovative Development and Green Development

1.协同推进创新发展和绿色发展

From the perspective of development conditions, new quality productive forces are advanced productive forces that conform to the green development concept, directly manifesting as green productive forces. From the perspective of development impetus, new quality productive forces are advanced productive forces that conform to the innovative development concept. Scientific and technological innovation constitutes the core element for developing new quality productive forces, while greening and digitalization (digital-intelligence) are two mutually reinforcing directions of technological paradigm innovation. From this perspective, "building a green and smart digital ecological civilization" should become the technological choice and support for building a Beautiful China. Therefore, we should develop green productive forces centered around the "digital ecological civilization."

从发展条件上来看，新质生产力是符合绿色发展理念的先进生产力，直接表现为绿色生产力。从发展动力来看，新质生产力是符合创新发展理念的先进生产力。科技创新构成了发展新质生产力的核心要素，而绿色化和数字化（数智化）是科技范式创新的两种相辅相成的方向。这样看来，“建设绿色智慧的数字生态文明”应成为建设美丽中国的科技选择和支撑。因此，我们应围绕着“数字生态文明”来发展绿色生产力。

Vigorously promote the unity of digital technology and green technology. Revolutionary breakthroughs in technology are the dynamic mechanism for developing new quality productive forces. Since greenness, intelligence, and ubiquity constitute the trends and characteristics of the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, the foundation for coordinating innovative development and green development lies in coordinating the development of digital technology and green technology. On the one hand, ecological and environmental problems are to a certain extent a manifestation of the negative effects of technological development; at the same time, technological development also harbors new possibilities for solving ecological and environmental problems. For example, "the progress of science, especially the progress of chemistry, has discovered the useful properties of those wastes," thus promoting the formation of environmental protection technology and forming "new productive forces." Green technology is a technology formed on the basis of environmental protection technology, characterized by the paradigm of harmonious coexistence between humans and nature. Since green technology faces the problem of needing to enhance comprehensive benefits, especially economic benefits, the advantage of high efficiency in digital technology should be leveraged to promote the formation of digitalized green technology. On the other hand, the development of digital technology may also cause new ecological and environmental problems or risks, such as electromagnetic pollution and increased energy consumption. Therefore, the advantages of green technology should be leveraged to promote the formation of greened digital technology. Ultimately, "digitalized green technology + greened digital technology" will become the direction and paradigm of technological development. New quality productive forces established on this paradigm will inevitably become green productive forces, providing a sustainable fundamental driving force for building a Beautiful China.

大力促进数字科技和绿色科技的统一。技术革命性突破是发展新质生产力的动力机制。由于绿色、智能、泛在构成了新一轮科技革命和产业变革的趋势和特征，因此，统筹创新发展和绿色发展的基础是统筹数字科技和绿色科技的发展。一方面，生态环境问题在一定程度上是科技发展负效应的体现，同时，科技发展也孕育着解决生态环境问题的新的可能。例如，“科学的进步，特别是化学的进步，发现了那些废物的有用性质”，这样，就推动形成了环保科技，形成了“新的生产力”。绿色科技是在环保科技基础上形成的以人与自然和谐共生为特质和范式的科技。由于绿色科技存在着需要提升综合效益尤其是经济效益的问题，因此，应该发挥数字科技高效率的优势，推动形成数字化的绿色科技。另一方面，数字科技的发展也有可能造成像电磁污染、耗能上升等新的生态环境问题或风险，因此，应该发挥绿色科技的优势，推动形成绿色化的数字科技。最终，“数字化绿色科技+绿色化数字科技”将成为科技发展的方向和范式。建立在这种范式基础上的新质生产力必然会成为绿色生产力，为美丽中国建设提供可持续的根本动力。

Vigorously promote the unity of the digital economy and the ecological economy. Deep transformation and upgrading of industries is the material foundation for developing new quality productive forces. Both the digital economy and the ecological economy are advanced industries embodying new quality productive forces. Similarly, the digital economy needs to enhance its ecological benefits, and the ecological economy needs to enhance its economic benefits. Therefore, we should vigorously "promote the deep integration of industrial digitalization and intelligence with greening," achieving a high degree of organic unity between the digital economy and the ecological economy. On the one hand, to enhance the sustainability of the digital economy, the formation of a greened digital economy must be promoted. For example, by providing green technology services such as green design needed for industrial development and enterprise operation to small and medium-sized enterprises in the upstream and downstream of the digital economy industry chain, ecologically leading enterprises can promote the digital economy to become a green economy. On the other hand, to enhance the comprehensive benefits, especially economic benefits, of the ecological economy, the formation of a digitalized ecological economy industry must be promoted. For example, we can use digital technology means to monitor and master comprehensive information on ecological products; use digital economy means to produce and process ecological products, and promote coordination between green product production and ecological product production; use intelligent means to calculate the value of ecological products; use digital economy platforms to realize the exchange of ecological product value. Ultimately, we should promote the formation of an economic and industrial paradigm of "digitalized ecological economy + greened digital economy." New quality productive forces established on such a paradigm will inevitably become green productive forces, laying a sustained and powerful economic foundation for a Beautiful China.

大力促进数字经济和生态经济的统一。产业深度转型升级是发展新质生产力的物质依托。数字经济和生态经济都是体现新质生产力的先进产业。同样，数字经济需要提升生态效益，生态经济需要提升经济效益，因此，应该大力“推进产业数字化、智能化同绿色化深度融合”，实现数字经济和生态经济的高度有机统一。一方面，为了提升数字经济的可持续性，必须推动形成绿色化数字经济。例如，通过为数字经济产业链上下游中小企业提供产业发展和企业运行中所需要的绿色设计等绿色科技服务，生态主导型企业能够促进数字经济成为绿色经济。另一方面，为了提升生态经济的综合效益尤其是经济效益，必须推动形成数字化的生态经济产业。例如，我们可以利用数字科技手段监测和掌握生态产品的综合信息；利用数字经济手段生产和加工生态产品，并促进绿色产品生产和生态产品生产的协调；利用智能手段核算生态产品的价值；利用数字经济平台实现生态产品价值的交换。最终，我们应该推动形成“数字化生态经济+绿色化数字经济”的经济范式和产业范式。建立在这样范式基础上的新质生产力必然会成为绿色生产力，为美丽中国奠定持续而强大的经济基础。

Ultimately, we should rely on the new type of industrialization, based on the unity of the greened digital economy and the digitalized ecological economy, to establish and improve a green and intelligent modern industrial system. In this way, green productive forces can become the real driving force for building a Beautiful China.

最终，我们应该依托新型工业化，以绿色化数字经济和数字化生态经济的统一为基础，建立和完善绿色智能的现代化产业体系。这样，绿色生产力就能够成为推动美丽中国建设的现实动力。

2. Coordinately Promoting Coordinated Development and Green Development

2. 协同推进协调发展和绿色发展

From the perspective of the development mechanism, new quality productive forces are advanced productive forces that conform to the coordinated development concept. China's current development still faces the problem of unbalanced and inadequate development. This situation also has a negative impact on the construction of ecological civilization. Therefore, we must adhere to the coordinated promotion of coordinated development and green development, achieving "coordinated transformation." Green coordinated development is an important mechanism for developing green productive forces.

从发展机制来看，新质生产力是符合协调发展理念的先进生产力。我国目前的发展仍然存在着不平衡不充分的问题。这种情况对于生态文明建设也存在着负面影响。因此，我们必须坚持协同推进协调发展和绿色发展，实现“协同转型”。绿色协调发展是发展绿色生产力的重要机制。

Achieving coordinated urban-rural green development. In the early period of Western modernization, a rupture occurred in the material exchange between urban and rural areas. We should coordinate urban-rural green and coordinated development, thereby promoting the development of green productive forces and advancing the construction of a Beautiful China. First, we should coordinate the promotion of beautiful city construction and beautiful village construction. To ensure the normal progress of material exchange between urban and rural areas, it is necessary to strengthen “joint urban-rural ecological protection and joint environmental governance.” For example, in urban and rural construction planning, we should coordinate the construction of beautiful cities and beautiful villages; in infrastructure construction, we should coordinate the advancement of urban-rural infrastructure construction and environmental infrastructure construction. In this way, green investment can be coordinated and the development of related industries driven, thereby promoting the development of green productive forces. Second, we should coordinate the promotion of ecological agriculture construction and ecological industry construction. Ecological agriculture and ecological industry are important forms for transforming lucid waters and lush mountains into mountains of gold and silver [6]6 “Lucid waters and lush mountains are mountains of gold and silver” (绿水青山就是金山银山) is a famous dictum of Xi Jinping, encapsulating the idea that ecological protection and economic development are not contradictory but mutually reinforcing., are important directions for the modernization of industry and agriculture, and are forms of ecological economic industry that embody green productive forces. However, in reality, there is a problem of mismatch between the two. Therefore, we should coordinate the development of ecological agriculture and ecological industry. For example, constructing a green and intelligent modern industrial-ecological system can achieve full utilization of resource and energy inputs between the two industries and realize the circular utilization of industrial waste between industries. In this way, the level of material exchange between humans and nature can be raised, promoting the development of green productive forces.

实现城乡绿色协调发展。在西方现代化初期，发生了城乡之间物质变换的断裂。我们应该统筹城乡绿色协调发展，以此来推动绿色生产力发展并推动美丽中国建设。一是应该统筹推进美丽城市建设和美丽乡村建设。为了确保城乡之间物质变换的正常进行，必须强化“城乡生态共保环境共治”。例如，在城乡建设规划上应统筹美丽城市建设和美丽乡村建设，在基础设施建设上应统筹推进城乡基础设施建设和环境基础设施建设，这样，可以统筹绿色投资并带动相关产业的发展，由此可以促进绿色生产力的发展。二是应该统筹推进生态农业建设和生态工业建设。生态农业和生态工业是将绿水青山转化为金山银山的重要形式，是工农业现代化的重要方向，是体现绿色生产力的生态经济产业形式。但在现实中，二者存在着不匹配的问题。因此，应该统筹生态农业和生态工业的发展。例如，建构绿色智慧的现代产业生态体系，可以实现资源能源投入在两个产业之间的充分利用，实现产业废弃物在产业之间的循环利用。这样，可以提升人与自然之间物质变换的水平，促进绿色生产力的发展。

Achieving coordinated regional green development. In the process of modernization, Western countries also experienced uneven regional development internally, which harmed the ecological environment. Consequently, Western environmental politics has put forward proposals for ecological decentralization based on “bioregionalism.” [7]7 Bioregionalism is a political, cultural, and environmental movement arguing that political boundaries should be redrawn to align with natural ecological regions (bioregions), often advocating for decentralized, locally self-sufficient communities. In contrast, we insist on adhering to regional coordinated development under the premise of the whole country being “one chessboard,” [8]8 “One chessboard” (一盘棋) is a Chinese political idiom meaning that all parts of the country must act in a unified, coordinated manner under central planning, rather than pursuing local interests independently. and insist on “focusing on the regional coordinated development strategy and major regional strategies, strengthening green development cooperation, and creating green development highlands.” We should unify the development of new quality productive forces, especially green productive forces, according to local conditions with the step-by-step, locally-adapted advancement of “building pilot zones for a Beautiful China.” At the macro level, presenting the magnificent scenery of the great western region, the vast landscapes of the bright northeast, the beautiful mountains and rivers of the central region, and the elegant charm of the harmonious eastern region should be taken as the goals and requirements for building a Beautiful China across the entire territory, embodying commonality within specificity, and promoting green coordinated development among the country’s regions. At the meso level, we should shape distinctive and diverse regional blocks for building a Beautiful China, achieving universality within differentiation, and promoting green coordinated development among provinces within each region. At the micro level, provincial units within a region should base themselves on their regional functional positioning, leverage their own characteristics, and combine writing the provincial chapter of Chinese-path modernization with writing the provincial chapter of building a Beautiful China, promoting green coordinated development among provinces.

实现区域绿色协调发展。在现代化过程中，西方国家国内也存在着地域不平衡发展的情况并殃及生态环境，因此，西方环境政治提出了基于“生物区划”的生态分散化的主张。与之不同，我们要求在坚持全国“一盘棋”的前提下坚持区域协调发展，坚持“聚焦区域协调发展战略和区域重大战略，加强绿色发展协作，打造绿色发展高地”。我们应该将因地制宜发展新质生产力尤其是绿色生产力和因地制宜、梯次推进“建设美丽中国先行区”统一起来。在宏观上，应该将展现大美西部壮美风貌、亮丽东北辽阔风光、美丽中部锦绣山河、和谐东部秀美风韵作为全地域建设美丽中国的目标和要求，在具体性中体现共同性，促进全国区域之间的绿色协调发展。在中观上，应该塑造各具特色、多姿多彩的美丽中国建设区域板块，在差异化中实现普遍性，促进各区域内部各个省域之间的绿色协调发展。在微观上，区域内部的各省域单位应立足区域功能定位，发挥自身特色，将谱写中国式现代化省域篇章和谱写美丽中国建设省域篇章结合起来，促进各省域之间的绿色协调发展。

Achieving coordinated green development of river basins and sea areas. River basins and sea areas are important spatial units for ecological civilization construction. In the process of Western modernization, major rivers all underwent a process from “pollution” to “treatment.” China places great importance on the coordinated green development of river basins and sea areas. Regarding river basins, China has already implemented major strategies such as the Yangtze River Economic Belt development strategy and the pilot zone for ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin. On the basis of ensuring the safety of major rivers, centering on “steadily promoting the construction of an ecological community and a community of shared interests,” and according to the actual conditions of the river basin, developing the green energy economy industry should become an important lever for coordinated green development of river basins and an important pathway for developing green productive forces. Regarding sea areas, in the process of coordinating the green development of sea areas, by developing offshore wind power and photovoltaics, the “green energy+” model can be adopted and promoted, realizing multiple functions and values such as power generation, fishery and animal husbandry, and hydrogen production, thereby driving the development of green productive forces.

实现流域海域绿色协调发展。流域和海域是生态文明建设的重要空间单位。在西方现代化的过程中，大江大河都经历了从“污”到“治”的过程。我国十分重视流域海域绿色协调发展。在流域方面，我国已经实施长江经济带发展战略、黄河流域生态保护和高质量发展先行区等重大战略。在确保大江大河安澜的基础上，围绕着“稳步推进生态共同体和利益共同体建设”，根据流域的实际，发展绿色能源经济产业应该成为流域绿色协调发展的重要抓手，成为发展绿色生产力的重要途径。在海域方面，在统筹海域绿色协调发展的过程中，通过发展海上风电和光伏的方式，可以采用和推广“绿能+”的模式，实现发电、牧渔、制氢等多重功能和价值，带动绿色生产力的发展。

In summary, we should promote green coordinated development through policy innovation, thereby promoting the development of green productive forces, and especially provide impetus and support for building pilot zones for a Beautiful China.

总之，我们应该从政策创新上推进绿色协调发展，以此来促进绿色生产力的发展，尤其是要为建设美丽中国先行区提供动力和支撑。

3. Coordinately Promoting Open Development and Green Development

3.协同推进开放发展和绿色发展

From the perspective of the development environment, new quality productive forces are advanced productive forces that conform to the concept of open development. Since 1978, China has established and adhered to the basic state policy of reform and opening up, achieving internal and external linkage in development. However, in recent years, a trend of “deglobalization” has emerged in the world, and “green trade barriers” have become an important means for some Western countries to contain China’s development. Therefore, we must insist on coordinately promoting open development and green development, and develop green productive forces by promoting green open development.

从发展环境来看，新质生产力是符合开放发展理念的先进生产力。1978年以来，我国确定并坚持对外开放的基本国策，实现了发展的内外联动。但近年来，世界出现了“逆全球化”的潮流，“绿色贸易壁垒”成为一些西方国家遏制我国发展的重要手段。因此，我们必须坚持协同推进开放发展和绿色发展，通过促进绿色开放发展来发展绿色生产力。

Actively promoting the green development of globalization. Globalization is an unstoppable historical trend in the development of human civilization. In accordance with concepts such as a community with a shared future for mankind and a community of life on Earth, we should promote the healthy development of globalization while also promoting its green development. On the one hand, we should adhere to “green introduction.” Western societies, which experienced ecological crises earlier, relatively early formed more advanced green technologies, green industries, and green policies in the process of responding to ecological crises. Therefore, we still need to persist in introducing advanced Western green technologies, green industries, and their management experience, thereby further driving the leapfrog development of China’s green productive forces. On the other hand, we should adhere to “green going global.” Facing the green trade barriers of Western countries, we must consciously align and benchmark against international ecological and environmental standards, insist on using digital technology and green technology to empower China’s export-oriented economic industries, vigorously enhance the sustainable production and operation capabilities of foreign trade enterprises, and greatly improve the sustainable competitiveness of foreign trade products. In particular, the export prices of China’s green technology and green economy products must truly reflect and embody the ecological value and economic value of the products, ensuring the preservation and appreciation of China’s natural capital. Of course, having reached a considerable scale, the prices of China’s green products have a competitive advantage. At the same time, China’s overseas enterprises must consciously achieve green transformation, adhere to honest business practices, and promote the open development of China’s green productive forces.

积极促进全球化的绿色发展。全球化是人类文明发展中不可阻挡的历史潮流。按照人类命运共同体和地球生命共同体等理念，我们应该在引领全球化健康发展的同时，促进全球化的绿色发展。一方面，应该坚持“绿色引进来”。率先经历生态危机的西方社会在应对生态危机的过程中较早形成了较为先进的绿色科技、绿色产业、绿色政策，因此，我们仍然需要坚持引进西方先进的绿色科技、绿色产业及其管理经验，以此进一步带动我国绿色生产力的跨越式发展。另一方面，应该坚持“绿色走出去”。面对西方国家的绿色贸易壁垒，我们必须自觉与国际生态环境标准对接和对标，坚持用数字科技和绿色科技赋能我国外向型经济产业，大力提升外贸企业的可持续生产和经营能力，大力提高外贸产品的可持续竞争能力，尤其是我国绿色科技和绿色经济的出口商品价格要真实反映和体现产品的生态价值和经济价值，确保我国自然资本的保值和增值。当然，由于已经达到了相当的规模化水平，我国绿色产品的价格具有竞争优势。同时，我国驻外企业必须自觉实现绿色转型，坚持诚实经营，促进我国绿色生产力的开放发展。

Actively mitigating external risks faced by the green transition. Western societies opened up world history through colonial trade and colonial wars. In this process, “where feudalism produced regional ecological crises, the rise of capitalism produced ecological problems that were increasingly global in scope.” [9]9 This appears to be a quotation, likely from a work of ecological Marxism or world-systems theory, though the specific source is not identified in the original text. Therefore, we must vigorously avoid the ecological costs of opening up. Now, amidst the collision of globalization, deglobalization, and anti-globalization, accompanied by the development and diffusion of a new round of technological revolution, the risks faced by human society are more complex. Ecological security risks, nuclear and radiation safety risks, biosafety risks, environmental security risks, etc., are intertwined and superimposed, and could even become wars that destroy the Earth and annihilate humanity. The “Global South,” including China, is the primary victim. Therefore, we must “adhere to a safe transition.” We should coordinate the promotion of green development, safe development, open development, and peaceful development, unify the development of new quality productive forces with the creation of new quality combat capabilities [10]10 “New quality combat capabilities” (新质战斗力) is a term used in Chinese military discourse, referring to combat power generated by advanced technologies (e.g., AI, cyber, space) and new organizational forms, analogous to the economic concept of new quality productive forces. in a sustainable manner, and promote the efficient integration and two-way pull of new quality productive forces and new quality combat capabilities. We should insist on using digital technology and green technology to empower new quality combat capabilities, prompting new quality combat capabilities to develop in the direction of digitalization and greening, and further enhancing the greening level and safety level of new quality productive forces.

积极化解绿色转型面临的外部风险。西方社会通过殖民贸易和殖民战争等方式开辟了世界历史。在这个过程中，“在封建主义产生区域生态危机的地方，资本主义的崛起产生了范围上越来越全球性的生态问题”。因此，我们必须大力避免对外开放的生态代价。现在，在全球化、逆全球化、反全球化的对撞中，伴随着新一轮科技革命的发展和扩散，人类社会面临的风险更为复杂，生态安全风险、核与辐射安全风险、生物安全风险、环境安全风险等交织叠加，甚至有可能成为摧毁地球和消灭人类的战争。包括中国在内的“全球南方”是首当其冲的受害者。因此，我们必须“坚持安全转型”。我们要统筹推进绿色发展、安全发展、开放发展、和平发展，以可持续的方式将发展新质生产力和打造新质战斗力统一起来，推动新质生产力同新质战斗力高效融合、双向拉动。我们要坚持用数字科技和绿色科技赋能新质战斗力，促使新质战斗力向数字化和绿色化的方向发展，进一步提升新质生产力的绿色化水平和安全水平。

In summary, we should adhere to developing green productive forces within the new development pattern with domestic circulation as the mainstay and domestic and international circulations reinforcing each other, providing impetus and support for coordinating the construction of a Beautiful China and the building of a clean and beautiful world.

总之，我们应该坚持在以国内大循环为主体、国内国际双循环相互促进的新发展格局中来发展绿色生产力，为统筹美丽中国建设和清洁美丽的世界建设提供动力和支撑。

4. Coordinately Promoting Shared Development and Green Development

4.协同推进共享发展和绿色发展

From the perspective of development value orientation and the distribution of development achievements, new quality productive forces are advanced productive forces that conform to the concept of shared development. The concept of shared development essentially means practicing the people-centered development thought, embodying the essential requirement of socialism to achieve common prosperity by seeking truth from facts. We must insist on coordinately promoting shared development and green development, and promote the development of green productive forces through ecological sharing and ecological common prosperity.

从发展价值取向和发展成果分配来看，新质生产力是符合共享发展理念的先进生产力。共享发展理念实质上就是践行以人民为中心的发展思想，体现的是实事求是地实现共同富裕的社会主义本质要求。我们必须坚持协同推进共享发展和绿色发展，通过生态共享和生态共富来促进绿色生产力的发展。

Vigorously meeting the people’s needs for a beautiful ecological environment. The purpose of developing productive forces directly determines their nature. The purpose of developing productive forces under capitalism is to realize surplus value, while under socialism it is to better meet the people’s needs. Today, the need for a beautiful ecological environment has become an important component of the people’s need for a better life. In a general sense, “in what Marx called the ‘hierarchy of human needs,’ the relationship between us humans and the earth must necessarily appear first, because it constitutes the foundation for the development of survival and life itself.” The satisfaction of all human needs presupposes the sustainable existence of nature. The need for an ecological environment arising on this basis refers to the sum total of people’s needs to obtain resources and energy from nature and to discharge waste and excrement into nature. The need for a beautiful ecological environment is a need for the quality and character of the ecological environment, and it can, from the perspective of people’s inner needs, regard humans and nature as a community of life. “From the perspective of political economy, the essence of supply-side structural reform is to enable our country’s supply capacity to better meet the people’s growing, escalating, and individualized material, cultural, and ecological environmental needs, thereby realizing the purpose of socialist production.” Therefore, developing green productive forces should all the more adhere to taking meeting the people’s growing need for a beautiful ecological environment as its purpose. In this way, from the aspect prescribed by the socialist system, it can be ensured that new quality productive forces become green productive forces.

大力满足人民群众的优美生态环境需要。发展生产力的目的直接决定着生产力的性质。资本主义发展生产力的目的是实现剩余价值，社会主义发展生产力的目的是更好地满足人民群众的需要。现在，优美生态环境需要已经成为人民群众美好生活需要的重要内容。在一般意义上，“在马克思所说的‘人类需求的层次结构’中，我们人类与地球的关系必然优先出现，因为它构成了生存和生命本身发展的基础”。人类一切需要的满足都以自然界的可持续存在为前提条件。在此基础上产生的生态环境需要是指人们从自然界中获取资源能源的需要以及向自然界排放废弃物和排泄物需要的总和。优美生态环境需要是对生态环境质量和品质的需要，能够从人的内在需要的角度将人与自然看作是一个生命共同体。“从政治经济学的角度看，供给侧结构性改革的根本，是使我国供给能力更好满足广大人民日益增长、不断升级和个性化的物质文化和生态环境需要，从而实现社会主义生产目的。”因此，发展绿色生产力更应该坚持将满足人民日益增长的优美生态环境需要作为目的。这样，可以从社会主义制度规定的方面确保新质生产力成为绿色生产力。

Providing the people with more high-quality ecological products. Ecological products are the sum total of products used to meet ecological environmental needs, especially the need for a beautiful ecological environment. Generally speaking, ecological products refer to the material resources and ecological services provided by nature. Since the ecological products provided by nature themselves have the problem of whether they are renewable or sustainable, it is necessary to enhance nature’s capacity to produce and provide ecological products through the construction of an ecological civilization. The process of producing and providing ecological products through the construction of an ecological civilization is the process of protecting natural value and increasing natural capital, the process of transforming ecological environmental advantages into ecological economic advantages, the process of converting natural capital into economic capital, and the process of developing green productive forces. Developing green productive forces and building a socialist ecological civilization have an inherent consistency; their common task is to produce and provide more high-quality ecological products to meet the people’s need for a beautiful ecological environment. At present, we must strive to promote the sustained supply and equitable distribution of ecological products, promote the realization of ecological sharing and ecological common prosperity, and promote ecological environmental fairness and justice by leveraging the advantages of the socialist system.

为人民群众提供更多优质生态产品。生态产品是用来满足生态环境需要尤其是优美生态环境需要的产品的总和。一般来讲，生态产品是指自然界提供的物质资源和生态服务的总称。由于自然界提供的生态产品自身存在着可否再生或可否持续的问题，因此，需要通过生态文明建设来提高自然界生产和提供生态产品的能力。通过生态文明建设来生产和提供生态产品的过程，就是保护自然价值和增值自然资本的过程，就是把生态环境优势转化为生态经济优势的过程，就是将自然资本转化为经济资本的过程，就是发展绿色生产力的过程。发展绿色生产力和建设社会主义生态文明具有内在一致性，其任务都是生产和提供更多的优质的生态产品，以满足人民群众的优美生态环境需要。目前，我们要着力推动生态产品的持续供给和公平配置，推动实现生态共享和生态共富，通过发挥社会主义制度优势推动实现生态环境公平正义。

In summary, centering on effectively meeting the people’s need for a beautiful ecological environment and practically ensuring the sustained supply and equitable distribution of ecological products, it is possible to organically unify shared development and green development, promote the fair development of green productive forces, and consciously realize the essence of socialism.

总之，围绕着有效满足人民群众的优美生态环境需要、切实保障生态产品的持续供给和公平配置，能够将共享发展和绿色发展有机统一起来，推动绿色生产力的公平发展，自觉实现社会主义本质。

In conclusion, developing green productive forces must take the new development philosophy as its scientific concept, and we must adhere to promoting the development of green productive forces through the internal coordination and synergy of the new development philosophy.

综上，发展绿色生产力必须以新发展理念作为科学理念，我们必须坚持以新发展理念的内在协调和协同来推动绿色生产力的发展。

III. Promoting the Development of Green Productive Forces through the Overall Transformation of the Basic Contradictions of Society

三、以社会基本矛盾整体变革推动绿色生产力的发展

Productive forces drive social development within the overall movement of the basic contradictions of society. “We must take the balance and imbalance between productive forces and relations of production, and the balance and imbalance between relations of production and the superstructure, as the guiding principle for studying the economic problems of socialist society.” [11]11 This quotation is attributed to Mao Zedong, reflecting his analytical framework for studying socialist economic problems through the balance and imbalance of the basic contradictions of society (productive forces vs. relations of production, and relations of production vs. superstructure). Similarly, we should promote the implementation of the new development philosophy from the overall transformation of the movement of the basic contradictions of society, thereby promoting the development of green productive forces.

生产力是在社会基本矛盾整体运动过程中推动社会发展的。“我们要以生产力和生产关系的平衡和不平衡，生产关系和上层建筑的平衡和不平衡，作为纲，来研究社会主义社会的经济问题。”同样，我们应该从社会基本矛盾运动整体变革中来推动落实新发展理念，以此促进绿色生产力的发展。

1. Vigorously Promoting the “Green Revolution” of the Productive Forces Paradigm

1.大力推进生产力范式的“绿色革命”

Green productive forces are the inherent quality and development direction of all new quality productive forces; therefore, it is necessary to promote the “green revolution” of the productive forces paradigm within the overall process of the movement of the basic contradictions of society. Traditional productive forces are built on the foundation of a mechanistic scientific and technological paradigm, characterized by linearity and reductionism, one-sidedly emphasizing humanity’s conquest and transformation of nature, and as a result have become “black (brown) productive forces.” New quality productive forces should be built on the foundation of an ecological paradigm. The ecological paradigm takes the concept of “humans and nature are a community of life” as its ontological basis, is characterized by complexity and non-linearity, and is an innovation paradigm formed by nesting greenness, intelligence, and ubiquity together. We should promote the greening of all elements, structures, systems, and functions of productive forces in accordance with the ecological paradigm. In terms of revolutionary breakthroughs in technology, the entire productive forces system should be built on the foundation of a new scientific and technological revolution with greenness, intelligence, and ubiquity as its trends and characteristics, promoting a green revolution in the development paradigm of productive forces through a green revolution in the development paradigm of science and technology. In terms of the innovative allocation of production factors, we should, by leveraging the achievements of digital technology and digital civilization and in accordance with ecological principles, reallocate the factors of productive forces, optimize the structure and system of productive forces, and enhance the ecological functions of productive forces. In terms of the deep transformation and upgrading of industries, we should, by leveraging green technological achievements, promote and realize the unity of digital industrialization and industrial digitalization, promoting the formation of green intelligent industries; we should, by leveraging digital technological achievements, promote and realize the unity of ecological industrialization and industrial ecologization, promoting the formation of intelligent green industries, and ultimately form a green intelligent modern industrial system. In short, we must, through an ecological paradigm revolution in the development of productive forces, better combine innovative development and green development, promote the development of green productive forces, and advance the construction of a beautiful China.

绿色生产力是全部新质生产力的内在特质和发展方向，因此，必须在社会基本矛盾运动的整体过程中推动生产力范式的“绿色革命”。传统生产力建立在机械论科技范式的基础上，以线性和还原为基本特征，片面强调人对自然的征服和改造，结果成为了“黑色（褐色）生产力”。新质生产力应建立在生态学范式的基础上。生态学范式以“人与自然是生命共同体”的理念为本体论依据，以复杂性和非线性为基本特点，是将绿色、智能、泛在嵌套在一起形成的创新范式。我们应按照生态学范式促进全部生产力的要素、结构、体系、功能的绿色化。在技术革命性突破方面，整个生产力系统都要建立在以绿色、智能、泛在为趋势和特征的新科技革命的基础上，通过科技发展范式的绿色革命促进生产力发展范式的绿色革命。在生产要素创新性配置方面，应该凭借数字科技和数字文明的成果、按照生态化的原则重新配置生产力要素，优化生产力的结构和体系，提升生产力的生态功能。在产业深度转型升级方面，应该凭借绿色化科技成果推动和实现数字产业化和产业数字化的统一，推动形成绿色智能产业；应该凭借数字化科技成果推动和实现生态产业化和产业生态化的统一，推动形成智能绿色产业，最终形成绿色智能的现代化产业体系。总之，我们必须通过生产力发展的生态学范式革命，更好地将创新发展和绿色发展结合起来，促进绿色生产力的发展，推动美丽中国的建设。

2. Striving to Form New Relations of Production Adapted to the Development of Green Productive Forces

2.努力形成适应绿色生产力发展的新型生产关系

According to the law that relations of production must adapt to the state of development of productive forces, “to develop new quality productive forces, we must further deepen reform comprehensively and form new relations of production adapted to them.” [12]12 This is a paraphrase of a key formulation from Xi Jinping, emphasizing that developing new quality productive forces requires comprehensive deepening of reform to establish corresponding new relations of production. The same applies to developing green productive forces. Relations of production are a system composed of three elements: ownership of the means of production, the relations among people in the production process, and the relations of distribution. In terms of ownership of the means of production, since nature is a common wealth bestowed by “heaven” upon all the people and belongs to a typical public good, it is necessary to improve the property rights system for natural resource assets and the system for paid use, prudently advance the reform of the “separation of three rights” [13]13 The “separation of three rights” (三权分置) refers to the reform in China’s rural land system that separates ownership, contracting rights, and management rights, originally applied to agricultural land and here extended to natural resource assets. — ownership, contracting rights, and management rights — of natural resource assets, and ensure the preservation and appreciation of national natural capital. In terms of the relations among people in the production process, since the construction of an ecological civilization is a great cause jointly owned, built, governed, and shared by all the people, it is necessary to fully mobilize the initiative, enthusiasm, and creativity of all the people in the construction of a beautiful China, and adhere to relying on all the people to jointly develop green productive forces. In terms of the relations of distribution, since a good ecological environment is the most inclusive public welfare for people’s livelihoods and the fairest public good, it is necessary to adhere to ecological sharing and ecological common prosperity, and adhere to developing green productive forces for all the people. In the construction of a beautiful China, we should “improve the mechanism for realizing the value of ecological products,” and especially must “promote comprehensive ecological compensation.” [14]14 These phrases are drawn from Chinese policy documents on ecological civilization, specifically the mechanisms for realizing the value of ecological products and promoting comprehensive ecological compensation. The income from the value of ecological products is mainly used for ecological compensation to advance ecological environmental protection and the construction of an ecological civilization. In addition to compensating nature to restore, maintain, and enhance its capacity to produce and supply ecological products, ecological compensation refers to providing compensation in the form of funds, technology, and materials to people and regions whose interests have been damaged due to environmental protection and the construction of an ecological civilization; providing assistance in education, medical care, and culture; providing policy preferences and support for economic development; and covering costs invested in scientific research, education, and publicity in the field of environmental protection and the construction of an ecological civilization. Ecological compensation is an important means to achieve ecological sharing and ecological common prosperity. Ecological sharing means enabling all the people to jointly enjoy the fruits of the construction of an ecological civilization, and ecological common prosperity means ensuring that the fruits of the construction of an ecological civilization become the common wealth of all the people. In this way, institutional guarantees can be provided for the fair development of green productive forces, practically ensuring that the fruits of the construction of a beautiful China benefit all the people.

根据生产关系一定要适应生产力发展状况的规律，“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”。发展绿色生产力也应如此。生产关系是由生产资料所有制、生产过程中人与人之间的关系、分配关系三者构成的系统。在生产资料所有制方面，由于大自然是“上天”赐给全体人民的共同财富，属于典型的公共物品，因此，必须完善自然资源资产产权制度和有偿使用制度，谨慎推进自然资源资产的所有权、承包权、经营权的“三权分置”改革，确保国家自然资本的保值和增值。在生产过程中人与人之间的关系上，由于生态文明建设是全体人民共有共建共治共享的伟大事业，因此，必须充分调动全体人民在美丽中国建设中的能动性、积极性、创造性，坚持依靠全体人民共同发展绿色生产力。在分配关系方面，由于良好的生态环境是最普惠的民生福祉和最公平的公共产品，因此，必须坚持生态共享和生态共富，坚持为了全体人民发展绿色生产力。在美丽中国建设中，我们应“健全生态产品价值实现机制”，尤其是必须“推进生态综合补偿”。生态产品价值的收益，主要用于生态补偿以推进生态环境保护和生态文明建设。除了补偿自然界以恢复、维持和提升其生产和供给生态产品的能力之外，生态补偿是指向由于环境保护和生态文明建设利益受损的人群和地区提供资金、技术、实物上的补偿，提供教育、医疗、文化上的帮扶，提供发展经济的政策优惠和支持，以及用于环境保护和生态文明建设领域的科研、教育、宣传等方面的投入费用。生态补偿是实现生态共享和生态共富的重要手段，生态共享就是要让全体人民共同享受生态文明建设的成果，生态共富就是要保证生态文明建设的成果成为全体人民的共同财富。这样，可以为绿色生产力的公平发展提供制度保障，切实让美丽中国建设的成果造福全体人民。

3. Striving to Form an Economic Base Adapted to the Development of Green Productive Forces

3.努力形成适应绿色生产力发展的经济基础

The economic base refers to the sum total of the relations of production determined by the productive forces at a given stage of social development, especially the dominant relations of production, and the ownership of the means of production is the primary and decisive part of the relations of production. Corresponding to the level of development of the social productive forces in the primary stage of socialism in China, China has formed an ownership structure in which public ownership is the mainstay and multiple forms of ownership develop together. Since ecological products exist in different types, it is necessary to concretely establish an economic base suited to green productive forces according to actual conditions. The ecological products provided by pristine nature are entirely gifts of nature and belong to typical public goods; therefore, in this sphere, a form of complete public ownership must be established, and privatization must never be permitted. The ecological products provided by humanized nature and artificial nature are formed on the basis of certain material conditions provided by nature, relying on human practical activity; they possess both the character of public goods and the character of public resources. Public resources are rivalrous; therefore, in competitive spheres such as material product supply services and ecological cultural services, multiple forms of ownership and market economy modes of operation can be adopted. The income thus generated, aside from compensating for the ecological functions of nature, can also be distributed privately. However, simply understanding the adoption of multiple forms of ownership and the market economy mechanism as privatization is impermissible. Regarding the protection of endangered species, international experience shows that “privatization and the development of ecotourism have given these animals a value, that is, tightening the feedback loop and providing people with an incentive for protection. This does not mean that privatization is without risk. Allocating ownership rights to some individuals may thereby deny ownership rights to others; in extreme cases, this means creating poverty and inciting rebellion. Moreover, if the economic discount rate only cares about present overexploitation and disregards future protection, then privatization cannot guarantee the protection of species.” Privatization is an exclusive structure of rights. If this approach is adopted toward natural endowments and ecological products, then the majority of people, especially vulnerable groups, will inevitably be excluded from the scope of their ownership and enjoyment. Only by insisting that the benefits of natural capital benefit the entire people can the unity of innovative development, coordinated development, green development, open development, and shared development be ensured from the aspect of the basic economic system, promoting the healthy and equitable development of green productive forces.

经济基础是指由社会一定发展阶段的生产力所决定的生产关系的总和，尤其是占支配地位的生产关系，而生产资料所有制是生产关系的首要的和决定的部分。与我国社会主义初级阶段社会生产力发展水平相适应，我国形成了公有制为主体、多种所有制经济共同发展的所有制结构。由于生态产品存在着不同类型，需要根据实际情况具体地确立与绿色生产力相适应的经济基础。原初自然提供的生态产品完全是自然界的恩赐，属于典型的公共物品，因此，在这个领域必须确立完全公有制的形式，绝不能允许私有化。人化自然和人工自然提供的生态产品需要在自然界提供的一定的物质基础上依靠人类实践行为而形成，既具有公共产品的性质又具有公共资源的性质。公共资源具有竞争性，因此，在像物质产品供给服务、生态文化服务这样的竞争性领域，可以采用多种所有制的形式和市场经济的经营方式。由此带来的收益除了用于补偿自然界的生态功能之外，还可以进行私人分配。但是，不能简单地将采用多种所有制形式和市场经济机制理解为私有化。就濒危动物的保护来看，国外的经验表明，“私有化（privatization）和生态旅游（ecotourism）的发展已给这些动物提供了一种价值，即收紧反馈环并提供给人们一种进行保护的动机。这并不意味着私有化没有风险。分配所有权给某些个体，或许就因此拒绝了其他个体享有所有权，在极端的情况下，这意味着制造贫穷、煽动反叛。此外，如果经济贴现率只顾对现在的过度开发，而不管对于未来的保护，那么私有化并不能担保物种得到保护”。私有化是一种排他的权利结构。如果采用这种方式对待自然富源和生态产品，那么，必然将大多数人尤其是弱势群体排除在其所有和享用范围之外。只有坚持让自然资本的收益造福全体人民，才可以从基本经济制度的方面确保创新发展、协调发展、绿色发展、开放发展、共享发展的统一，促进绿色生产力的健康发展和公平发展。

4. Striving to Form a Superstructure Suited to Green Productive Forces

4.努力形成与绿色生产力相适应的上层建筑

The superstructure corresponding to a given economic base is a complex system composed of the political superstructure and the ideological superstructure of that society. In terms of the political superstructure, since the market-based use of public goods and public resources both create certain negative externality problems, the public governance of the government must be strengthened. In socialist China, under the premise of strengthening the Party’s overall leadership, the government’s macroeconomic regulation and the new system of mobilizing resources nationwide [15]15 The “new system of mobilizing resources nationwide” (新型举国体制) refers to a state-led mechanism for concentrating resources on strategic technological and industrial goals, adapted from the earlier planned-economy model to operate within a market economy framework. must be strengthened in their role in developing green productive forces. The people’s government must take ecological and environmental protection as a function of government public services, strengthen investment in ecological and environmental infrastructure construction, strengthen the management and supervision of the market operation of ecological products, and strengthen the planning, regulation, and standardization of the utilization of ecological resources. In terms of the ideological superstructure, it is necessary to promote the formation of a theory of productive forces suited to green productive forces. At present, when some discussants discuss new quality productive forces and green productive forces, they still use the traditional theory of productive forces, viewing productive forces as the human capacity to transform and conquer nature. In fact, productive forces are the actual capacity of humans to realize the material exchange between humans and nature. Now, it is necessary to thoroughly abandon that traditional view of productive forces which still regards productive forces as humans conquering and transforming nature, and it is necessary to promote a “green revolution” in the theory of productive forces. Productive forces have both an economic function and an ecological function; the economic function of productive forces must be established on the basis of their ecological function; only in this way can the sustainability of productive forces themselves be ensured. General Secretary Xi Jinping has scientifically elucidated a series of major issues concerning the development of new quality productive forces, profoundly clarified natural value, natural capital, green development, green productive forces, the modernization of harmony between humanity and nature, ecological civilization, and their interrelationships, forming important discourses on developing green productive forces, enriching and developing the Marxist theory of productive forces. Only by taking these important discourses as the fundamental guidance can the scientific level of developing green productive forces be elevated. In this way, scientific guarantees and support for developing green productive forces are provided from the aspects of institutional innovation and theoretical innovation.

与一定经济基础相适应的一定上层建筑是由该社会的政治上层建筑和观念上层建筑组成的复杂系统。在政治上层建筑方面，由于公共产品和公共资源的市场化使用都会造成一定的负外部性问题，因此，必须加强政府的公共治理。在社会主义中国，在加强党的全面领导的前提下，必须加强政府的宏观调控和新型举国体制在发展绿色生产力方面的作用。人民政府必须将生态环境保护作为政府公共服务的职能，加强对生态环境基础设施建设的投入，加强生态产品市场经营的管理和监督，加强生态资源利用的规划、规范、规制等。在观念上层建筑方面，必须推动形成与绿色生产力相适应的生产力理论。当下，一些论者在讨论新质生产力和绿色生产力的问题时，仍然沿用传统的生产力理论，将生产力看作是人类改造自然和征服自然的能力。其实，生产力是人类实现人与自然之间物质变换的实际能力。现在，必须彻底摒弃那种将生产力仍然看作是人类征服和改造自然的传统生产力观，必须推进生产力理论上的“绿色革命”。生产力既有经济功能又有生态功能，生产力的经济功能必须建立在其生态功能的基础上，这样，才能确保生产力自身的永续性。习近平总书记已经科学阐明了发展新质生产力的一系列重大问题，深刻阐明了自然价值、自然资本、绿色发展、绿色生产力、人与自然和谐共生的现代化、生态文明及它们间的相互关系，形成了关于发展绿色生产力的重要论述，丰富和发展了马克思主义生产力理论。只有以这一重要论述为根本遵循，才能提升发展绿色生产力的科学水平。这样，就从制度创新和理论创新的方面为发展绿色生产力提供了科学的保障和支持。

In accordance with the spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Party [16]16 The Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC was held in July 2024, focusing on further deepening reform comprehensively to advance Chinese modernization., we should also “focus on building a Beautiful China” to further deepen reform comprehensively, improve the ecological civilization institutional system, and provide suitable institutional guarantees for developing green productive forces.

按照党的二十届三中全会精神，我们还应该“聚焦建设美丽中国”来进一步全面深化改革，完善生态文明制度体系，为发展绿色生产力提供适宜的体制保障。

In summary, we must scientifically guide the development of green productive forces from the aspect of the intrinsic unity of the new development philosophy, and realize the development of green productive forces through the overall transformation of the movement of the basic contradictions of society. In this way, green productive forces will become the sustainable fundamental driving force for building a Beautiful China, consolidating the economic foundation for the sustainable development of a Beautiful China.

总之，我们必须从新发展理念的内在统一方面来科学引导绿色生产力的发展，通过社会基本矛盾运动的整体变革来实现绿色生产力的发展。这样，绿色生产力就会成为美丽中国建设的可持续的根本动力，夯实美丽中国的可持续发展的经济基础。

Online Editor: Paul

网络编辑：保罗