Grasping the Era Implications and Essential Characteristics of Common Prosperity

General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out that on the new journey, we must “achieve more substantial and tangible progress in promoting well-rounded human development and common prosperity for all.” The Resolution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on the Major Achievements and Historical Experience of the Party over the Past Century, adopted at the Sixth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the CPC [1]1 The “new period” (新时期) refers to the period of reform and opening up initiated in 1978, during which Deng Xiaoping articulated the essence of socialism as liberating and developing productive forces and achieving common prosperity., reaffirmed that by the middle of the 21st century, “common prosperity for all will be basically realized, and the Chinese people will enjoy a happier and healthier life.” On the new journey of comprehensively building a modern socialist country, we must take the promotion of common prosperity for all as the focal point for seeking the well-being of the people, adhere to the people-centered development philosophy, promote common prosperity through high-quality development, and advance well-rounded human development and comprehensive social progress.

习近平总书记指出，新的征程上，必须“推动人的全面发展、全体人民共同富裕取得更为明显的实质性进展”。党的十九届六中全会通过的《中共中央关于党的百年奋斗重大成就和历史经验的决议》再次重申，到21世纪中叶“全体人民共同富裕基本实现，我国人民将享有更加幸福安康的生活”。在全面建设社会主义现代化国家新征程上，我们必须把促进全体人民共同富裕作为为人民谋幸福的着力点，坚持以人民为中心的发展思想，在高质量发展中促进共同富裕，促进人的全面发展和社会全面进步。

The Thought of Common Prosperity Originates from the Marxist View of Common Prosperity

共同富裕思想来源于马克思主义共同富裕观

The Marxist view of common prosperity laid a solid theoretical foundation for our Party to embark on the exploratory path of realizing common prosperity and well-rounded human development. Marx and Engels founded the doctrine of the emancipation of the proletariat and the realization of the free and comprehensive development of the individual, the purpose of which was to abolish private ownership, achieve economic development and growth of social wealth, and ultimately attain common prosperity. Marx and Engels pointed out that “the proletarian movement is the independent movement of the immense majority, in the interest of the immense majority” [2]2 The “new stage of development” (新发展阶段) refers to the stage of China’s development since the 19th National Congress of the CPC in 2017, characterised by a shift from high-speed growth to high-quality development., and that in the future society, “production will be aimed at the prosperity of all” [3]3 The “new form of human civilisation” (人类文明新形态) is a term used by Xi Jinping to describe the form and “all will enjoy the benefits created by everyone” [4]4 The 19th National Congress of the CPC was held in October 2017.. Thus, common prosperity is the fundamental goal of Marxism. In the *Communist Manifesto*, Marx and Engels stated: “In place of the old bourgeois society, with its classes and class antagonisms, we shall have an association, in which the free development of each is the condition for the free development of all.” [5]5 The Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the CPC was held in October 2020. To achieve the free development of the individual, a strong material foundation is a prerequisite, and this material foundation emphasizes not the possession of one part of the people by another, but common prosperity. The process of realizing common prosperity is essentially also the process of the free development of the individual. It can be seen that the new society of the association of free individuals depicted by Marx and Engels is a society of equality for all and common prosperity. Common prosperity has become a beautiful ideal of human society, and it is even more so the basic connotation and development goal of socialist society as proposed by scientific socialism. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “We must adhere to the people-centered development philosophy, which is the fundamental stance of Marxist political economy. We must persist in taking the enhancement of people’s well-being, the promotion of well-rounded human development, and the steady advance towards common prosperity as the starting point and ultimate goal of economic development.” [6]6 The “Two Centenary Goals” are: (1) building a moderately prosperous society in all respects by the centenary of the CPC in 2021; (2) building a modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, and harmonious by the centenary of the People’s Republic of China in 2049. Chinese Communists, through successful practical exploration, have enriched and developed the Marxist thought on common prosperity and well-rounded human development, opening up a new realm for the Marxist theory of common prosperity.

马克思主义共同富裕观为我们党开启实现共同富裕和人的全面发展的探索之路奠定了坚实理论基础。马克思恩格斯创立无产阶级解放、实现人的自由全面发展的学说，其目的就是消灭私有制，实现经济发展和社会财富增长，最终达到共同富裕。马克思恩格斯指出，“无产阶级的运动是绝大多数人的、为绝大多数人谋利益的独立的运动”，未来社会“生产将以所有的人富裕为目的”“所有人共同享受大家创造出来的福利”，可见共同富裕是马克思主义的根本目标。马克思恩格斯在《共产党宣言》中指出：“代替那存在着阶级和阶级对立的资产阶级旧社会的，将是这样一个联合体，在那里，每个人的自由发展是一切人的自由发展的条件。”实现人的全面发展，强大的物质基础是前提，并且这种物质基础强调的不是以一部分人对另一部分人的占有为前提，而是共同富裕，共同富裕的实现过程实质也是人的全面发展过程。可见，马克思恩格斯所描绘的自由人的联合体的新社会，就是人人平等、共同富裕的社会。共同富裕成为人类社会的美好理想，更是科学社会主义所提出的社会主义社会的基本内涵和发展目标。习近平总书记指出：“要坚持以人民为中心的发展思想，这是马克思主义政治经济学的根本立场。要坚持把增进人民福祉、促进人的全面发展、朝着共同富裕方向稳步前进作为经济发展的出发点和落脚点。”中国共产党人用成功的实践探索丰富和发展了马克思主义关于共同富裕和人的全面发展思想，开辟了马克思主义共同富裕理论新境界。

Common Prosperity Embodies the Fundamental Value Pursuit of the Communist Party of China

共同富裕体现了中国共产党的根本价值追求

The realization of common prosperity is determined by the nature, purpose, and fundamental political stance of our Party, and is the inevitable result of the Party leading the people in promoting China’s development. Our Party leads the people in carrying out revolution, construction, and reform precisely to build a fair and just society, to enable the people to truly enjoy the fruits of development, to jointly live a happy life, and to achieve common prosperity. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “We must take the promotion of common

实现共同富裕是由我们党的性质宗旨和根本政治立场决定的，是党带领人民推动中国发展的必然结果。我们党领导人民干革命、搞建设、抓改革，就是为了建设公平公正的社会，让人民真正享有发展成果，共同过上幸福生活，实现共同富裕。习近平总书记指出：“必须把促进全体人民共同富裕作为为人民谋幸福的着力点，不断夯实党长期执政基础。”中国共产党一经诞生，就把为中国人民谋幸福、为中华民族谋复兴确立为自己的初心使命，团结带领人民为创造美好生活、实现共同富裕而不懈奋斗。新中国成立后，中国共产党在完成民族独立和人民解放的历史任务后，就踏上了实现国家富强、人民幸福的征程，并将推进共同富裕作为重要发展目标。毛泽东同志指出：“现在我们实行这么一种制度，这么一种计划，是可以一年一年走向更富更强的，一年一年可以看到更富更强些。而这个富，是共同的富，这个强，是共同的强。”“这种共同富裕，是有把握的，不是什么今天不晓得明天的事。”在改革开放和社会主义现代化建设新时期，邓小平同志强调：“共同致富，我们从改革一开始就讲，将来总有一天要成为中心课题。社会主义不是少数人富起来、大多数人穷，不是那个样子。社会主义最大的优越性就是共同富裕，这是体现社会主义本质的一个东西。”中国特色社会主义进入新时代，习近平总书记指出：“人民对美好生活的向往，就是我们的奋斗目标。”“我们的责任，就是要团结带领全党全国各族人民，继续解放思想，坚持改革开放，不断解放和发展社会生产力，努力解决群众的生产生活困难，坚定不移走共同富裕的道路。”百年来，中国共产党从中国现实国情出发，将共同富裕和社会主义现代化建设统一于推动实现中华民族伟大复兴的实践，取得了举世瞩目的成就，成功走出了中国式现代化道路。党的奋斗历程和实践经验告诉我们，人民立场是我们党的根本政治立场，实现共同富裕是我们党矢志不渝的奋斗目标。

Common prosperity is the essential requirement and fundamental principle of socialism

共同富裕是社会主义的本质要求和根本原则

General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: “Common prosperity is the essential requirement of socialism.” The essence of socialism is to liberate and develop the productive forces, eliminate exploitation and polarisation, and ultimately achieve common prosperity. The essence of socialism is the scientific generalisation made by Chinese Communists in the new period in answering the primary and fundamental theoretical question of what socialism is and how to build it. That common prosperity is the essential requirement of socialism emphasises that common prosperity is the fundamental nature of the socialist system, focuses on the institutional and systemic “essential requirement” of achieving common prosperity, and embodies the superiority of the socialist system as manifested by common prosperity. As the essential requirement of socialism, common prosperity is a profound grasp of the developmental trend of the principal contradiction in society in the new stage of development, a profound revelation of the characteristics of Chinese-path modernisation, a deepening and expansion of the scientific connotation of the new form of human civilisation, and an in-depth exploration of the theme of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. As the essential requirement of socialism, common prosperity coexists with the basic socialist economic system; the “institutional arrangement” of distribution within the economic relations of socialism with Chinese characteristics enables all the people to advance steadily towards common prosperity. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has united and led the people of the whole country. After historically resolving the problem of absolute poverty, it has made major arrangements for achieving common prosperity, taking common prosperity as an important goal of modernisation. Socialism with Chinese characteristics is bound to usher in new and greater development, is bound to make greater contributions to the progress of human civilisation and the development of world socialism, and is of great significance in the history of the Party, the history of New China, the history of reform and opening up, the history of socialist development, and the history of the development of human civilisation.

习近平总书记指出：“共同富裕是社会主义的本质要求。”社会主义的本质，是解放生产力，发展生产力，消灭剥削，消除两极分化，最终达到共同富裕。社会主义本质，是新时期中国共产党人在对什么是社会主义、怎样建设社会主义这个首要的基本理论问题回答中作出的科学概括。共同富裕是社会主义的本质要求，强调的就是共同富裕是社会主义制度的根本性质，紧扣的是实现共同富裕具有的制度性、体制性的“本质要求”，体现的是共同富裕彰显了社会主义制度优越性。共同富裕作为社会主义的本质要求，是对新发展阶段社会主要矛盾发展趋势的深刻把握，是对中国式现代化特征的深刻揭示，是对人类文明新形态科学内涵的深化拓展，是对中华民族伟大复兴主题的深入探索。共同富裕作为社会主义的本质要求，与社会主义基本经济制度相生相随，中国特色社会主义经济关系中分配的“制度安排”，使全体人民朝着共同富裕的方向稳步前进。党的十八大以来，以习近平同志为核心的党中央团结带领全国人民，在历史性解决了绝对贫困问题后，对实现共同富裕作出重大部署，把共同富裕作为现代化建设的重要目标，中国特色社会主义必将迎来新的更大发展，必将为人类社会的文明进步、世界社会主义发展作出更大贡献，在党史、新中国史、改革开放史、社会主义发展史和人类文明发展史上都具有重大意义。

Common prosperity is an important characteristic of Chinese-path modernisation

共同富裕是中国式现代化的重要特征

Achieving common prosperity is an important hallmark of comprehensively building a modern socialist country that is strong. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out that China’s modernization is “the modernization of common prosperity for all the people” and that “in order to continuously meet the people’s needs for a better life, we must constantly set new phased goals and move forward step by step along the correct path.” [4]4 The 19th National Congress of the CPC was held in October 2017. The report of the 19th National Congress of the CPC stated that by 2035 “solid steps will be taken toward common prosperity for all the people,” and by the middle of the 21st century “common prosperity for all the people will be basically realized.” [5]5 The Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the CPC was held in October 2020. The Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the CPC further proposed that by 2035 “more notable and substantive progress will be made in achieving common prosperity for all the people.” [6]6 The “Two Centenary Goals” are: (1) building a moderately prosperous society in all respects by the centenary of the CPC in 2021; (2) building a modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, and harmonious by the centenary of the People’s Republic of China in 2049. These all outline the strategic steps and roadmap for realizing common prosperity. Common prosperity has laid a solid foundation for the comprehensive development of the individual. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has united and led the people of all ethnic groups across the country, closely focusing on realizing the “Two Centenary Goals” and the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. [7] It has set the direction, made overall plans, tackled difficulties, consolidated foundations, and opened up new horizons for governance, ushered in a new phase in the development of the Party’s and the country’s undertakings, and initiated a new chapter in realizing common prosperity and the comprehensive development of the individual. On the new journey, we must comprehensively advance the Five-Sphere Integrated Plan and coordinate the Four-Pronged Comprehensive Strategy, coordinate development and security, coordinate epidemic prevention and control with economic and social development, base ourselves on the new stage of development, apply the new development philosophy, foster a new development paradigm, promote high-quality development, and continuously realize the strategic goals set by our Party for promoting common prosperity and the comprehensive development of the individual.

实现共同富裕是全面建成社会主义现代化强国的重要标志。习近平总书记指出，我国的现代化是“全体人民共同富裕的现代化”“为了不断满足人民群众对美好生活的需要，我们就要不断制定新的阶段性目标，一步一个脚印沿着正确的道路往前走”。党的十九大报告指出，到2035年“全体人民共同富裕迈出坚实步伐”，到21世纪中叶“全体人民共同富裕基本实现”。党的十九届五中全会进一步提出，到2035年“全体人民共同富裕取得更为明显的实质性进展”。这些都擘画了实现共同富裕的战略步骤和路线图。共同富裕为人的全面发展奠定了坚实基础。党的十八大以来，以习近平同志为核心的党中央团结带领全国各族人民，紧紧围绕实现“两个一百年”奋斗目标和中华民族伟大复兴的中国梦，举旗定向、谋篇布局、攻坚克难、强基固本，开辟了治国理政新境界，开创了党和国家事业发展新局面，开启了实现共同富裕和人的全面发展的新篇章。在新的征程上，我们必须统筹推进“五位一体”总体布局和协调推进“四个全面”战略布局、统筹发展与安全、统筹疫情防控和经济社会发展，立足新发展阶段、贯彻新发展理念、构建新发展格局，推动高质量发展，不断实现我们党制定的促进共同富裕和人的全面发展的战略目标。

(Author: Jia Liping, Researcher at the Research Base of the Jilin Provincial Academy of Social Sciences, Jilin Provincial Research Center for the Theoretical System of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics)

（作者：贾丽萍，系吉林省中国特色社会主义理论体系研究中心吉林省社会科学院研究基地研究员）

Online Editor: Tongxin

网络编辑：同心