Writing a New Chapter of Marxist Political Economy

Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era “makes it clear that we must uphold and improve the basic socialist economic system, let the market play a decisive role in resource allocation, better play the role of the government, grasp the new stage of development, apply the new development philosophy of innovation, coordination, green, openness, and sharing, accelerate the creation of a new development pattern with domestic circulation as the mainstay and domestic and international circulations reinforcing each other, promote high-quality development, and balance development and security.” This “clarification” centrally embodies the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core’s profound understanding and scientific application of the laws governing China’s economic development, makes original contributions to enriching and developing socialist political economy with Chinese characteristics, and writes a new chapter of Marxist political economy. It is of highly significant guiding importance for promoting China’s high-quality economic and social development, comprehensively building a modern socialist country, and realizing the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想，“明确必须坚持和完善社会主义基本经济制度，使市场在资源配置中起决定性作用，更好发挥政府作用，把握新发展阶段，贯彻创新、协调、绿色、开放、共享的新发展理念，加快构建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，推动高质量发展，统筹发展和安全”。这个“明确”，集中体现了以习近平同志为核心的党中央对我国经济发展规律的深刻认识和科学运用，对丰富和发展中国特色社会主义政治经济学作出了原创性贡献，书写了马克思主义政治经济学新篇章，对于推动我国经济社会高质量发展、全面建设社会主义现代化国家、实现中华民族伟大复兴的中国梦具有十分重要的指导意义。

The basic socialist economic system both embodies the superiority of the socialist system and is adapted to the level of development of the social productive forces in the primary stage of socialism in China; it is a great creation of the Party and the people. After reform and opening up, our Party established the system under which public ownership is dominant and diverse forms of ownership develop side by side as the basic economic system, and continuously improved the basic socialist economic system as practice advanced and understanding deepened. On this basis, the Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the CPC [1]1 The Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the CPC was held in October 2019, focusing on upholding and improving the socialist system with Chinese characteristics and advancing the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity. for the first time expounded the connotation of China’s basic economic system from the aspects of ownership structure, distribution system, and mode of resource allocation, forming a major theoretical innovation in socialist political economy with Chinese characteristics and raising our Party’s understanding of the basic socialist economic system to a new realm. The basic socialist economic system—under which public ownership is dominant and diverse forms of ownership develop side by side, distribution according to work is dominant and multiple modes of distribution coexist, and a socialist market economy system operates—stipulates the basic principles of China’s economic relations, clarifies the status and interrelations of people in production, distribution, exchange, and consumption, and ensures the socialist attribute of the economic system, occupying a foundational and decisive position in the economic system. On the one hand, it comprehensively transcends the logic of resource allocation and the relations of interest distribution under capitalism, and can effectively prevent the ills that the capitalist economic system finds difficult to overcome, such as polarization, class antagonism, capital monopoly, external plunder, and frequent crises, thereby embodying the superiority of the socialist system. On the other hand, it comprehensively mobilizes the initiative of all types of market entities, can effectively overcome the ills of the traditional planned economic system, and promotes the rapid development of productive forces. The basic socialist economic system is an important institutional foundation for creating the miracle of China’s development. We must uphold and improve the basic socialist economic system and build a more effective, logical, coherent, and well-matched economic institutional system.

社会主义基本经济制度，既体现社会主义制度优越性，又同我国社会主义初级阶段社会生产力发展水平相适应，是党和人民的伟大创造。改革开放后，我们党把公有制为主体、多种所有制经济共同发展确立为我国的基本经济制度，并随着实践推进和认识深化不断完善社会主义基本经济制度。在此基础上，党的十九届四中全会第一次从所有制结构、分配制度、资源配置方式等方面阐述我国基本经济制度的内涵，形成中国特色社会主义政治经济学的重大理论创新成果，把我们党对社会主义基本经济制度的认识提高到了新境界。公有制为主体、多种所有制经济共同发展，按劳分配为主体、多种分配方式并存，社会主义市场经济体制等社会主义基本经济制度，规定我国经济关系的基本原则，明确人们在生产、分配、交换、消费中的地位及相互关系，确保经济制度的社会主义属性，在经济制度体系中具有基础性决定性地位。一方面，它全面超越资本主义的资源配置逻辑和利益分配关系，能够有效防范资本主义经济体系难以克服的两极分化、阶级对立、资本垄断、对外掠夺、危机频发等弊端，体现了社会主义制度优越性；另一方面，它全面调动各类市场主体的积极性，能够有效克服传统计划经济体制的弊端，促进生产力快速发展。社会主义基本经济制度是创造中国发展奇迹的重要制度基础。要坚持和完善社会主义基本经济制度，构建更加有效管用、逻辑贯通、衔接匹配的经济制度体系。

Letting the market play a decisive role in resource allocation and better playing the role of the government is a Chinese answer to the worldwide economic puzzle of the relationship between government and the market. The core issue of economic system reform is properly handling the relationship between government and the market. In 1992, the 14th National Congress of the CPC [2]2 The 14th National Congress of the CPC was held in October 1992, formally establishing the goal of building a socialist market economy system. clearly set the goal of China’s economic system reform as establishing a socialist market economy system, proposing that the market should play a fundamental role in resource allocation under the macro-control of the socialist state. Thereafter, China’s socialist market economy system was continuously established and improved, but there still existed many problems that fettered the vitality of market entities and hindered the full play of the market and the law of value. The Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the CPC [3]3 The Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the CPC was held in November 2013, adopting a comprehensive plan for deepening reform. proposed “letting the market play a decisive role in resource allocation and better playing the role of the government,” and the 19th National Congress of the CPC [4]4 The 19th National Congress of the CPC was held in October 2017, setting the guiding role of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. emphasized “letting the market play a decisive role in resource allocation and better playing the role of the government,” making a new positioning of the relationship between government and the market. This new positioning is a new breakthrough in our Party’s understanding of the laws governing the construction of socialism with Chinese characteristics, a new achievement in adapting Marxism to the Chinese context, and has powerfully promoted the development of China’s socialist market economy. Since the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee, we have closely focused on letting the market play a decisive role in resource allocation and better playing the role of the government to deepen economic system reform, accelerated the formation of institutional mechanisms and development modes that lead the new normal of economic development, accelerated reforms conducive to achieving innovative development, coordinated development, green development, open development, and shared development, accelerated reforms conducive to improving resource allocation efficiency and enhancing development quality and benefits, accelerated reforms conducive to fully mobilizing the initiative of all parties, and accelerated reforms conducive to the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity, giving full play to the key role of comprehensively deepening reform in creating a new development pattern, injecting strong impetus into economic development. Under the socialist market economy system, the role of the market and the role of the government complement, promote, and supplement each other, providing a solid institutional guarantee for sustained and healthy economic and social development.

使市场在资源配置中起决定性作用，更好发挥政府作用，是对政府和市场关系这道经济学世界性难题的中国解答。经济体制改革的核心问题是处理好政府和市场关系。1992年，党的十四大明确提出我国经济体制改革的目标是建立社会主义市场经济体制，提出要使市场在社会主义国家宏观调控下对资源配置起基础性作用。此后，我国社会主义市场经济体制不断建立和完善，但仍存在不少束缚市场主体活力、阻碍市场和价值规律充分发挥作用的问题。党的十八届三中全会提出“使市场在资源配置中起决定性作用和更好发挥政府作用”，党的十九大强调“使市场在资源配置中起决定性作用，更好发挥政府作用”，对政府和市场关系作出新定位。这一新定位，是我们党对中国特色社会主义建设规律认识的一个新突破，是马克思主义中国化的一个新成果，有力推动了我国社会主义市场经济发展。党的十八届三中全会以来，我们紧紧围绕使市场在资源配置中起决定性作用、更好发挥政府作用深化经济体制改革，加快形成引领经济发展新常态的体制机制和发展方式，加快推进有利于实现创新发展、协调发展、绿色发展、开放发展、共享发展的改革，加快推进有利于提高资源配置效率、提高发展质量和效益的改革，加快推进有利于充分调动各方面积极性的改革，加快推进有利于国家治理体系和治理能力现代化的改革，发挥全面深化改革在构建新发展格局中的关键作用，为经济发展注入了强大动力。在社会主义市场经济体制下，市场作用和政府作用相辅相成、相互促进、互为补充，为经济社会持续健康发展提供了坚实的体制保障。

Grasping the new stage of development, applying the new development philosophy, and creating a new development pattern are major strategic judgments and strategic choices made by the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core to coordinate the two overall situations [5]5 “Two overall situations” refers to the overall situation of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the overall situation of changes unseen in a century in the world., keep pace with the times in raising the level of China’s economic development, and shape new advantages for China’s international economic cooperation and competition. The new stage of development is the stage of comprehensively building a modern socialist country and marching toward the second centenary goal [6]6 The “second centenary goal” is to build China into a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious, and beautiful by the middle of the 21st century, the centenary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.; it is a new stage in which our Party leads the people to achieve a historic leap from standing up and growing rich to becoming strong; it is the fundamental basis for our Party to clarify the central tasks of the current stage. Entering the new stage of development is a great leap in the historical process of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The new development philosophy answers a series of theoretical and practical questions concerning the purpose, driving force, mode, and path of development, and elucidates major political issues such as the Party’s political stance, value orientation, development model, and development path regarding development. Fully, accurately, and comprehensively applying the new development philosophy is both a work requirement for economic and social development and a very important political requirement. Creating a new development pattern with domestic circulation as the mainstay and domestic and international circulations reinforcing each other is a major decision made based on changes in China’s development stage, environment, and conditions, especially based on changes in China’s comparative advantages, after sizing up the situation; it is a systematic and deep-level transformation concerning the overall situation; it is a strategic plan based on the present and focused on the long term; it is a strategic choice to reshape new advantages for China’s international cooperation and competition. To create a new development pattern, we must accelerate the construction of a complete domestic demand system, accelerate scientific and technological self-reliance and self-strengthening, promote the optimization and upgrading of industrial and supply chains, advance the modernization of agriculture and rural areas, improve the quality of life of the people, and firmly hold the bottom line of safe development. Grasping the new stage of development is the practical basis for applying the new development philosophy and creating a new development pattern; applying the new development philosophy provides action guidance for grasping the new stage of development and creating a new development pattern; creating a new development pattern is the strategic choice for responding to the opportunities and challenges of the new stage of development and applying the new development philosophy. The content of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era concerning grasping the new stage of development, applying the new development philosophy, and creating a new development pattern reflects our Party’s new understanding of the laws governing China’s economic development and enriches and develops socialist political economy with Chinese characteristics.

把握新发展阶段、贯彻新发展理念、构建新发展格局，是以习近平同志为核心的党中央统筹两个大局、与时俱进提升我国经济发展水平、塑造我国国际经济合作和竞争新优势作出的重大战略判断和战略抉择。新发展阶段是全面建设社会主义现代化国家、向第二个百年奋斗目标进军的阶段，是我们党带领人民迎来从站起来、富起来到强起来历史性跨越的新阶段，是我们党明确当前阶段性中心任务的根本依据。进入新发展阶段，是中华民族伟大复兴历史进程的大跨越。新发展理念回答了关于发展的目的、动力、方式、路径等一系列理论和实践问题，阐明了我们党关于发展的政治立场、价值导向、发展模式、发展道路等重大政治问题。完整、准确、全面贯彻新发展理念，是经济社会发展的工作要求，也是十分重要的政治要求。构建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，是根据我国发展阶段、环境、条件变化，特别是基于我国比较优势变化，审时度势作出的重大决策，是事关全局的系统性、深层次变革，是立足当前、着眼长远的战略谋划，是重塑我国国际合作和竞争新优势的战略抉择。构建新发展格局，要加快构建完整内需体系，加快科技自立自强，推动产业链供应链优化升级，推进农业农村现代化，提高人民生活品质，牢牢守住安全发展这条底线。把握新发展阶段是贯彻新发展理念、构建新发展格局的现实依据，贯彻新发展理念为把握新发展阶段、构建新发展格局提供了行动指南，构建新发展格局则是应对新发展阶段机遇和挑战、贯彻新发展理念的战略选择。习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想关于把握新发展阶段、贯彻新发展理念、构建新发展格局的内容，反映了我们党对我国经济发展规律的新认识，丰富和发展了中国特色社会主义政治经济学。

High-quality development is the theme of China’s economic and social development during the 14th Five-Year Plan period and beyond. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: “High-quality development is development that can well meet the people’s ever-growing needs for a better life; it is development that embodies the new development philosophy; it is development where innovation becomes the primary driving force, coordination becomes an endogenous characteristic, green becomes a universal form, openness becomes the inevitable path, and sharing becomes the fundamental goal.” Promoting high-quality development is an inevitable requirement for maintaining sustained and healthy economic development, an inevitable requirement for adapting to changes in the principal contradiction in Chinese society and for completing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects and comprehensively building a modern socialist country, and an inevitable requirement for following the laws of economic development. It should be noted that high-quality development is not merely an economic requirement, but a general requirement for all aspects of economic and social development; it is not a requirement only for economically developed regions, but a requirement that must be implemented in the development of all regions; it is not a requirement for a particular moment or a particular matter, but a requirement that must be adhered to over the long term. To promote high-quality development in the new stage of development, it is necessary to fully, accurately, and comprehensively implement the new development philosophy, accelerate the construction of a new development pattern, take deepening supply-side structural reform as the main line, adhere to putting quality first and prioritizing efficiency, effectively transform the development model, and promote changes in quality, efficiency, and driving forces, so that the fruits of development better benefit all the people and continuously realize the people’s aspirations for a better life.

高质量发展是“十四五”乃至更长时期我国经济社会发展的主题。习近平总书记指出：“高质量发展，就是能够很好满足人民日益增长的美好生活需要的发展，是体现新发展理念的发展，是创新成为第一动力、协调成为内生特点、绿色成为普遍形态、开放成为必由之路、共享成为根本目的的发展。”推动高质量发展，是保持经济持续健康发展的必然要求，是适应我国社会主要矛盾变化和全面建成小康社会、全面建设社会主义现代化国家的必然要求，是遵循经济规律发展的必然要求。需要注意的是，高质量发展不只是一个经济要求，而是对经济社会发展方方面面的总要求；不是只对经济发达地区的要求，而是所有地区发展都必须贯彻的要求；不是一时一事的要求，而是必须长期坚持的要求。在新发展阶段推动高质量发展，必须完整、准确、全面贯彻新发展理念，加快构建新发展格局，以深化供给侧结构性改革为主线，坚持质量第一、效益优先，切实转变发展方式，推动质量变革、效率变革、动力变革，使发展成果更好惠及全体人民，不断实现人民对美好生活的向往。

Balancing development and security, enhancing vigilance, and remaining prepared for danger in times of peace are major principles of our Party’s governance. General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized: “The more open we are, the more we must pay attention to security, balancing the two major tasks of development and security” and “Security and development are two wings of the same body and two wheels driving the same vehicle.” Currently, the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation has entered a critical period, and changes unseen in a century are accelerating. We face unprecedented risks and challenges. On the basis of adhering to development as the top priority, we must strengthen our bottom-line thinking and firmly hold the bottom line of safe development. On the one hand, security is the prerequisite for development. Only with national security and social stability can a favorable environment and prerequisites be created for high-quality development. On the other hand, development is the guarantee of security. Only by promoting sustained and healthy economic and social development can we consolidate the material foundation for national prosperity and strength, people’s happiness and well-being, and social harmony and stability. To balance development and security, it is necessary to adhere to a holistic approach to national security, strengthen the national security system and capacity building; properly handle the relationship between openness and security, and enhance the ability to dynamically maintain national security in an open environment; prioritize the protection of people’s lives and safety, and promote people’s peaceful work and life, social order and stability, and long-term national peace and order. The content of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era on balancing development and security represents an innovative development and organic integration of the Marxist view of development and security, and has significant guiding significance for better promoting China’s economic and social development in a complex environment.

统筹发展和安全，增强忧患意识，做到居安思危，是我们党治国理政的一个重大原则。习近平总书记强调：“越是开放越要重视安全，统筹好发展和安全两件大事”“安全和发展是一体之两翼、驱动之双轮”。当前，实现中华民族伟大复兴进入关键时期，世界百年未有之大变局加速演进，我们面临前所未有的风险挑战，必须在坚持发展是第一要务的基础上增强底线思维，牢牢守住安全发展这条底线。一方面，安全是发展的前提。只有国家安全、社会稳定，才能为高质量发展创造良好环境和前提条件。另一方面，发展是安全的保障。只有推动经济社会持续健康发展，才能筑牢国家繁荣富强、人民幸福安康、社会和谐稳定的物质基础。统筹发展和安全，就要坚持总体国家安全观，加强国家安全体系和能力建设；把握好开放和安全的关系，增强在对外开放环境中动态维护国家安全的本领；把保护人民生命安全摆在首位，促进人民安居乐业、社会安定有序、国家长治久安。习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想关于统筹发展和安全的内容，是对马克思主义发展观和安全观的创新发展和有机融合，对于在复杂环境下更好推动我国经济社会发展具有重大指导意义。

Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, under the scientific guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, the balance, coordination, and sustainability of China’s economic development have significantly improved. In 2021, the gross domestic product reached 114 trillion yuan, and the per capita gross domestic product exceeded US$12,000. The country’s economic strength, scientific and technological strength, and comprehensive national power have reached a new level. China’s economy has embarked on a path of development that is higher quality, more efficient, fairer, more sustainable, and safer. The scientific nature and truth, people-centered nature and practicality, openness and contemporaneity of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era have been fully proven in practice. We must unite more closely around the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, adhere to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, continuously realize the people’s aspirations for a better life, and create new and greater miracles for the Chinese nation on the new journey of the New Era.

党的十八大以来，在习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想的科学指引下，我国经济发展平衡性、协调性、可持续性明显增强，2021年国内生产总值达到114万亿元，人均国内生产总值突破1.2万美元，国家经济实力、科技实力、综合国力跃上新台阶，我国经济迈上更高质量、更有效率、更加公平、更可持续、更为安全的发展之路。习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想的科学性和真理性、人民性和实践性、开放性和时代性在实践中得到充分证明。我们要更加紧密地团结在以习近平同志为核心的党中央周围，坚持以习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想为指导，不断实现人民对美好生活的向往，在新时代新征程上创造中华民族新的更大奇迹。

Online editor: Tongxin

网络编辑：同心