Research Group on New Quality Productive Forces, Committee on Economic Affairs of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference: The Theoretical Contribution, Connotative Characteristics, and Development Path of New Quality Productive Forces

New quality productive forces are a concept creatively proposed by General Secretary Xi Jinping, based on new realities, by integrating the fundamental principles of Marxist political economy with the economic development practices of the New Era, and through profound reflection on the underlying logic of high-quality development. Since July of last year, during inspection tours in Sichuan, Heilongjiang, Zhejiang, Guangxi, and other places, General Secretary Xi Jinping has called for integrating scientific and technological innovation resources, leading the development of strategic emerging industries and future industries, and accelerating the formation of new quality productive forces. In January of this year, during the 11th collective study session of the Political Bureau of the 20th Central Committee, General Secretary Xi Jinping systematically expounded on what new quality productive forces are and how to develop them, providing a fundamental guideline and action guide for accelerating the development of new quality productive forces and promoting high-quality development. A profound understanding of the theoretical contribution, connotative characteristics, and development path of new quality productive forces is of great significance for accelerating their development.

新质生产力是习近平总书记从新的实际出发，把马克思主义政治经济学基本原理同新时代经济发展实践相结合，对高质量发展底层逻辑进行深邃思考而创造性提出的概念。去年7月以来，习近平总书记在四川、黑龙江、浙江、广西等地考察调研时，提出要整合科技创新资源，引领发展战略性新兴产业和未来产业，加快形成新质生产力。今年1月，习近平总书记在二十届中央政治局第十一次集体学习时系统阐述了什么是新质生产力、如何发展新质生产力，为加快发展新质生产力、推动高质量发展提供了根本遵循和行动指南。深刻认识新质生产力的理论贡献、内涵特征和发展路径，对于加快发展新质生产力具有重要意义。

The Theoretical Contribution of New Quality Productive Forces

新质生产力的理论贡献

An innovative achievement in adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times. Over the Party’s century-long struggle, our Party has continuously advanced the adaptation of Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times, guiding our country to steadily develop productive forces in the course of socialist modernization and achieving accomplishments that have attracted worldwide attention. Comrade Mao Zedong pointed out in “On Coalition Government”: “The criterion for judging the good or bad, the right or wrong, of the policies and practices of all China’s political parties, in the final analysis, is whether and to what extent they help to develop the productive forces of the Chinese people, whether they fetter or liberate them.” After the founding of New China, Comrade Mao Zedong emphasized: “Our fundamental task has shifted from liberating the productive forces to protecting and developing them under the new relations of production.” Comrade Deng Xiaoping elevated the issue of developing productive forces to a new height, proposing that “revolution means the liberation of the productive forces, and reform also means the liberation of the productive forces,” and put forward the idea that “science and technology constitute a primary productive force.” Comrade Jiang Zemin pointed out that “our Party must always represent the development demands of China’s advanced productive forces,” and that science and technology are “the concentrated expression and main hallmark of advanced productive forces.” Comrade Hu Jintao put forward the Scientific Outlook on Development, emphasizing “striving to achieve people-centered, comprehensive, coordinated, and sustainable scientific development.” Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is the Marxism of contemporary China and the Marxism of the 21st century, achieving a new leap in adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times. General Secretary Xi Jinping’s creative proposal of the concept of new quality productive forces represents a precise grasp of the essential characteristics of productive forces nurtured by the new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, and is an innovative achievement of our Party’s continuous advancement of adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times on the new journey of the New Era.

马克思主义中国化时代化的创新成果。在党的百年奋斗历程中，我们党不断推进马克思主义中国化时代化，指引我国在社会主义现代化建设中推动生产力不断发展，创造了举世瞩目的成就。毛泽东同志在《论联合政府》中指出：“中国一切政党的政策及其实践在中国人民中所表现的作用的好坏、大小，归根到底，看它对于中国人民的生产力的发展是否有帮助及其帮助之大小，看它是束缚生产力的，还是解放生产力的。”新中国成立后，毛泽东同志强调：“我们的根本任务已经由解放生产力变为在新的生产关系下面保护和发展生产力。”邓小平同志将发展生产力问题提到新的高度，提出“革命是解放生产力，改革也是解放生产力”，并提出了“科学技术是第一生产力”。江泽民同志指出，“我们党要始终代表中国先进生产力的发展要求”，科学技术“是先进生产力的集中体现和主要标志”。胡锦涛同志提出科学发展观，强调“努力实现以人为本、全面协调可持续的科学发展”。习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想是当代中国马克思主义、二十一世纪马克思主义，实现了马克思主义中国化时代化新的飞跃。习近平总书记创造性提出新质生产力的概念，是对新一轮科技革命和产业变革孕育出来的生产力本质特征的精准把握，是新时代新征程我们党不断推进马克思主义中国化时代化的创新成果。

An inheritance and development of the Marxist theory of productive forces. The theory of productive forces is an important component of Marxism. Marxism holds that productive forces are the material prerequisite for all social life, the most active and revolutionary factor driving social progress, and that the criterion of productive forces is a fundamental criterion for measuring social development. Marx pointed out: “The simple elements of the labor process are: purposeful activity or labor itself, the subject of labor, and the instruments of labor,” and “instruments of labor and the subject of labor both present themselves as means of production, while labor itself presents itself as productive labor.” This indicates that productive forces include three elements: laborers, the subject of labor, and the instruments of labor. New quality productive forces represent a qualitative state of productive forces that has undergone a “qualitative change” relative to traditional productive forces—productive forces in which the three elements of laborers, the subject of labor, and the instruments of labor, along with their optimized combination, have achieved a “leap.” They both inherit the theoretical framework of the three elements of Marxist productive forces and incorporate the epochal characteristics of the deepening development of the new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation and the vigorous rise of the digital economy, thereby achieving an inheritance and development of the Marxist theory of productive forces. In the process of developing new quality productive forces, the rapid development of digital technologies represented by the Internet, big data, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence has promoted the emergence of new production factors such as data, changed the forms of the subject of labor and the instruments of labor, driven the continuous emergence of new types of the subject of labor and new types of instruments of labor, and will greatly raise the level of human productive forces.

对马克思主义生产力理论的继承和发展。生产力理论是马克思主义的重要内容。马克思主义认为，生产力是全部社会生活的物质前提，是推动社会进步的最活跃、最革命的因素，生产力标准是衡量社会发展的带有根本性的标准。马克思指出，“劳动过程的简单要素是：有目的的活动或劳动本身，劳动对象和劳动资料”，“劳动资料和劳动对象二者表现为生产资料，劳动本身则表现为生产劳动”，这就指明了生产力中包括劳动者、劳动对象、劳动资料三要素。新质生产力是相对于传统生产力发生了“质变”的生产力质态，是劳动者、劳动资料、劳动对象这三要素及其优化组合实现了“跃升”的生产力，既继承了马克思主义生产力三要素的理论框架，又纳入了新一轮科技革命和产业变革深入发展、数字经济蓬勃兴起等时代特征，实现了对马克思主义生产力理论的继承和发展。在新质生产力发展过程中，以互联网、大数据、云计算、人工智能等为代表的数字技术快速发展，促进了数据等新型生产要素的出现，改变劳动对象和劳动资料形态，推动新型劳动对象和新型劳动资料不断涌现，将极大提高人类生产力水平。

The deepening and development of Xi Jinping’s economic thought. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “Developing new quality productive forces is an inherent requirement and a key focus for promoting high-quality development.” New quality productive forces have been formed and developed in the process of answering a series of major questions posed by the practice of contemporary technological revolution and industrial transformation, and are closely related to the new opportunities, new requirements, and new problems faced by China’s economic and social development practice in the New Era, bearing distinct epochal and practical characteristics. The theoretical connotation of new quality productive forces has an inherent unity with the theoretical connotation of implementing the new development philosophy, constructing the new development pattern, and promoting high-quality development, further deepening and developing Xi Jinping’s economic thought.

习近平经济思想的深化和发展。习近平总书记指出：“发展新质生产力是推动高质量发展的内在要求和重要着力点。”新质生产力是在回答当代科技革命和产业变革实践面临的一系列重大问题过程中形成和发展起来的，与新时代我国经济社会发展实践面临的新机遇、新要求、新问题紧密相关，具有鲜明的时代特征和实践特征。新质生产力的理论内涵与贯彻新发展理念、构建新发展格局、推动高质量发展的理论内涵具有内在统一性，进一步深化和发展了习近平经济思想。

The Connotative Characteristics of New Quality Productive Forces

新质生产力的内涵特征

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that new quality productive forces are “spawned by revolutionary breakthroughs in technology, innovative allocation of production factors, and deep industrial transformation and upgrading, with the leap in laborers, the subject of labor, the instruments of labor, and their optimized combination as the basic connotation, and a significant increase in total factor productivity as the core hallmark.” This important exposition provides a fundamental guideline for us to accurately grasp the scientific connotation of new quality productive forces.

习近平总书记指出，新质生产力“由技术革命性突破、生产要素创新性配置、产业深度转型升级而催生，以劳动者、劳动资料、劳动对象及其优化组合的跃升为基本内涵，以全要素生产率大幅提升为核心标志”。这一重要论述为我们准确把握新质生产力的科学内涵提供了根本遵循。

Revolutionary breakthroughs in technology. New quality productive forces are an advanced qualitative state of productive forces in which innovation plays a leading role. Revolutionary breakthroughs in technology are the concentrated embodiment of “innovation playing a leading role.” This includes not only the increasingly prominent leading role of science and technology, but also a significant acceleration in the speed of emergence of new technologies and the frequency of technological route mutations. After reform and opening up, China’s scientific and technological progress achieved remarkable results, effectively raising the level of our country’s productive forces. Since the New Era, General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized that “science and technology are a primary productive force” and “innovation is the primary driving force.” With the deepening development of the new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, new technologies are emerging at an accelerated pace, and different technologies are increasingly showing a trend of cross-integration. Existing technological routes may be overturned at any time due to the “mutational” progress of other technological routes. This has brought new opportunities for our country to develop new quality productive forces.

技术革命性突破。新质生产力是创新起主导作用的先进生产力质态。技术革命性突破是“创新起主导作用”的集中体现。这不仅包括科学技术的主导地位越来越突出，更表现为新兴技术涌现速度和技术路线突变频率显著加快。改革开放后，我国科学技术进步成绩斐然，有效提升了我国生产力水平。新时代以来，习近平总书记强调“科技是第一生产力”“创新是第一动力”。随着新一轮科技革命和产业变革深入发展，新兴技术加速涌现，不同技术之间日益呈现交叉融合趋势，既有技术路线随时可能因其他技术路线的“突变式”进步而被颠覆。这给我国发展新质生产力带来了全新机遇。

Innovative allocation of factors. Relative to traditional productive forces, the basic connotation of new quality productive forces is the leap in the elements of productive forces and their optimized combination, and both the nature of the elements and the structure of the elements will undergo important changes. On the one hand, the qualitative state of the elements undergoes transformation. New-type laborers are those who can adapt to modern advanced technology and equipment, possess the ability to rapidly iterate knowledge, and are mainly engaged in knowledge-based and complex labor; new-type instruments of labor, represented by digital technologies such as software, differ from traditional instruments of labor, which are mainly based on hardware and equipment. The combination of software and hardware can form a new ecology for industrial development and spawn new industries, new models, and new drivers. On the other hand, the combination of elements achieves a leap. The mode of combination of new-quality elements such as new-type laborers, new-type instruments of labor, and new-type subjects of labor with traditional elements is leaping from a mode where traditional elements are primary and new-quality elements are supplementary to an optimized combination centered on new-quality elements, structurally enhancing the efficiency of the element combination. It is noteworthy that new production factors such as data can effectively promote the leap in the elements of productive forces and their combination, and are key to developing new quality productive forces.

要素创新性配置。相对于传统生产力，新质生产力的基本内涵是生产力要素及其优化组合的跃升，要素性质和要素结构都将发生重要变化。一方面，要素质态发生转变。新型劳动者是能够适应现代先进技术和装备、具有知识快速迭代能力、主要从事知识性劳动和复杂劳动的劳动者；以软件等数字技术为代表的新型劳动资料有别于传统以硬件和装备为主的劳动资料，软件与硬件的结合能够形成产业发展新的生态，并催生新产业、新模式、新动能。另一方面，要素组合实现跃升。新型劳动者、新型劳动资料、新型劳动对象等新质要素和传统要素的结合方式，正在从以传统要素为主、新质要素为补充，向以新质要素为中心的优化组合跃升，结构性提升了要素组合的效能。值得关注的是，数据等新型生产要素能够有力推动生产力要素及其组合的跃升，是发展新质生产力的关键。

Deep transformation of the development mode. Industry is the carrier and concrete manifestation of changes in productive forces. The industrial carrier of new quality productive forces is a modernized industrial system that includes transforming and upgrading traditional industries, cultivating and strengthening emerging industries, and laying out and building future industries. Developing new quality productive forces, to a large extent, means accelerating the deep transformation of the industrial development mode. First, accelerate intelligent upgrading. The new wave of digitalization and intelligentization, represented by information technology, is profoundly changing the production function and accelerating profound changes in manufacturing production methods and models. This not only greatly expands new growth space but also represents the most important area where China is most likely to form new comparative advantages. Second, promote green transformation. Green and low-carbon development is an inevitable requirement for building a beautiful China and is also the only way for industry to break through resource and environmental constraints and achieve sustainable development. We must adhere to the path of prioritizing ecology, green and low-carbon development, reduce total energy consumption, and improve resource utilization efficiency. Third, promote integrated development. As new business forms and models continue to emerge, industry boundaries are becoming increasingly blurred. Integration is not only an important trend in industrial development but also an inevitable requirement for enhancing the efficiency of the industrial system.

发展方式深度转型。产业是生产力变革的载体和具体表现形式。新质生产力的产业载体是包括改造提升传统产业、培育壮大新兴产业、布局建设未来产业的现代化产业体系。发展新质生产力，很大程度上就是要加快推动产业发展方式的深度转型。一是加快智能化升级。以信息技术为代表的新一轮数字化、智能化浪潮正在深刻改变生产函数，加快制造业生产方式和制造模式的深刻变革，不仅极大拓展了新的增长空间，也是我国最有可能形成新比较优势的重要领域。二是推动绿色化转型。绿色低碳发展是建设美丽中国的必然要求，也是工业突破资源环境约束、实现可持续发展的必由之路。要坚持走生态优先、绿色低碳发展之路，降低能源消耗总量，提高资源利用效率。三是推动融合化发展。随着新业态新模式不断涌现，行业边界越来越模糊，融合化既是产业发展的重要趋势，也是提升产业体系效能的必然要求。

Substantial improvement in production efficiency. The core hallmark of new quality productive forces is a substantial increase in total factor productivity, reflecting the requirements of the new development philosophy and high-quality development. The ability of new types of production factors such as data to be generated, stored, transmitted, processed, and analyzed has greatly improved, making them ubiquitous production factors that will significantly promote the increase of total factor productivity. A substantial increase in total factor productivity will, on the whole, bring about the rapid accumulation of social material wealth, promote social and economic prosperity and the improvement of people's welfare, and form a Chinese industrial civilization that is both rooted in China's social culture and conforms to the transformation requirements of new quality productive forces.

生产效率大幅提升。新质生产力的核心标志是全要素生产率大幅提升，体现的是新发展理念和高质量发展的要求。数据等新型生产要素生成、存储、传输、处理和分析的能力大大提升，成为泛在的生产要素，将在很大程度上促进全要素生产率提升。全要素生产率大幅提升将在整体上带来社会物质财富的快速积累，促进社会经济繁荣和人民福祉改善，形成既扎根于我国社会文化、又符合新质生产力转换要求的中国工业文明。

The development path of new quality productive forces

新质生产力的发展路径

The salient feature of new quality productive forces is innovation, which includes innovation at the level of technology and business models, as well as innovation at the level of management and institutions. We must continue to do a good job on the big topic of innovation and promote the accelerated development of new quality productive forces.

新质生产力的显著特点是创新，既包括技术和业态模式层面的创新，也包括管理和制度层面的创新。我们要继续做好创新这篇大文章，推动新质生产力加快发展。

Accelerate the achievement of high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-strengthening. Strengthen basic research, steadily increase fiscal investment in basic research, and coordinate organized, cross-disciplinary, and cross-institutional scientific research oriented towards major national strategic needs. Leverage institutional advantages such as the new nationwide system for mobilizing resources [3]3 The "new nationwide system for mobilizing resources" (新型举国体制) refers to a contemporary Chinese institutional mechanism that combines state strategic direction with market mechanisms to concentrate resources on achieving breakthroughs in key core technologies, particularly in areas of national security and strategic competition. to promote collaborative tackling of key core technologies and strengthen research on disruptive and frontier technologies. Advance the construction of common technology platforms and pilot-scale testing platforms, and increase R&D efforts in specialized materials, specialized equipment, and advanced processes. Strengthen the technological innovation system with enterprises as the main body, market orientation, and deep integration of industry, academia, research, and application, and encourage enterprises to increase R&D expenditure.

加快实现高水平科技自立自强。加强基础研究，稳步增加基础研究财政投入，协调开展面向国家重大战略需求的有组织、跨学科、跨机构科研。发挥新型举国体制等制度优势，推进关键核心技术协同攻关，加强颠覆性技术和前沿技术研究。推进共性技术平台和中试平台建设，加大专用材料、专用设备、先进工艺等研发力度。强化以企业为主体、市场为导向、产学研用深度融合的技术创新体系，鼓励企业加大研发经费投入。

Build a modernized industrial system. Further consolidate and enhance the foundational and pillar status of manufacturing in the national economy, maintaining a reasonable proportion of manufacturing in the national economy. Optimize and upgrade traditional and advantageous industries, and accelerate the promotion of technological transformation and equipment renewal in enterprises. Cultivate and strengthen emerging industries, proactively lay out future industries, closely monitor breakthroughs in disruptive technologies, and promote major technological breakthroughs. Enhance the level of completeness, advancement, and security of the industrial system. Strengthen overall planning and policy guidance, and promote the development of new quality productive forces tailored to local conditions across different regions.

构建现代化产业体系。进一步巩固和提升制造业在国民经济中的基础和支柱地位，保持制造业占国民经济合理比重。优化提升传统产业和优势产业，加快推动企业技术改造的设备更新。培育壮大新兴产业、前瞻布局未来产业，紧盯颠覆性技术突破进展，推动重大技术突破。提升产业体系完整性、先进性、安全性水平。加强统筹规划和政策引导，推动各地因地制宜发展新质生产力。

Promote green and low-carbon transformation and development. Accelerate green technological innovation and the development of green industries, and strengthen the promotion and application of green and low-carbon technologies and products. Establish and improve the institutional mechanisms for green and low-carbon energy transformation, accelerate the establishment of a product carbon footprint management system, improve the supporting systems for the national carbon emissions trading market, and promote the gradual shift from dual control of energy consumption to dual control of carbon emissions. [4]4 "Dual control of energy consumption" (能耗双控) refers to China's policy of controlling both total energy consumption and energy intensity. "Dual control of carbon emissions" (碳排放双控) refers to controlling both total carbon emissions and carbon emission intensity, representing a shift in the focus of environmental regulation. Improve the policy system for green and low-carbon development, increase fiscal and tax policy support for green and low-carbon development, and promote green financial reform and innovation.

推进绿色低碳转型发展。加快绿色科技创新和绿色产业发展，加强绿色低碳技术、产品推广应用。建立完善能源绿色低碳转型体制机制，加快建立产品碳足迹管理体系，健全全国碳排放权交易市场配套制度，推动能耗双控逐步转向碳排放双控。健全绿色低碳发展政策体系，提高绿色低碳发展相关财税政策支持力度，推动绿色金融改革创新。

Form new production relations compatible with new quality productive forces. Accelerate the construction of a high-standard market system, deepen the reform of market-based allocation of production factors, and expand the value realization paths for new types of production factors such as data. Optimize the implementation methods of industrial policies, strengthen macro-control, and improve policy guidance and regulatory capacity. Expand high-standard opening up, support enterprises in deeply participating in the division of labor and cooperation in global industries, be adept at utilizing foreign technology, capital, and talent, encourage Chinese enterprises to carry out various forms of cooperation with foreign enterprises, and actively lay out win-win global industrial and supply chains.

形成与新质生产力相适应的新型生产关系。加快建设高标准市场体系，深化要素市场化配置改革，拓展数据等新型生产要素的价值实现路径。优化产业政策实施方式，加大宏观调控力度，提高政策引导与监管能力。扩大高水平对外开放，支持企业深度参与全球产业分工合作，善于利用国外的技术、资金、人才，鼓励中国企业与国外企业开展多种形式的合作，积极布局合作共赢的全球产业链供应链。

Promote the spirit of outstanding entrepreneurs. Vigorously promote the spirit of outstanding entrepreneurs, support entrepreneurs in embracing advanced technology, business methods, and management approaches, and actively participate in building win-win global industrial and supply chains. Create a social atmosphere that encourages innovation, improve relevant policies supporting entrepreneur innovation, and protect the achievements and rights of independent innovation by enterprises according to law. Encourage and guide private enterprises and private entrepreneurs to firmly uphold the bottom line of lawful and compliant operations, and become models of patriotism, dedication, law-abiding operation, entrepreneurship and innovation, and giving back to society.

弘扬优秀企业家精神。大力弘扬优秀企业家精神，支持企业家拥抱先进技术、经营方式、管理方法，积极参与构建合作共赢的全球产业链供应链。营造鼓励创新的社会氛围，完善支持企业家创新的相关政策，依法保护企业自主创新的成果和权益。鼓励和引导民营企业和民营企业家筑牢依法合规经营底线，做爱国敬业、守法经营、创业创新、回报社会的典范。

Accelerate innovation in talent mechanisms. Build a high-quality talent echelon, optimize university curriculum settings and talent cultivation models, and enhance the capacity for cultivating scientific research talent and innovation teams. Vigorously develop vocational education, train industrial workers adapted to digital production lines, smart factories, and customized production, as well as corresponding software and hardware talent, and rely on backbone enterprises to build a number of demonstration high-skilled talent training bases. Optimize mechanisms for attracting and cultivating industrial talent, improve the evaluation system for industrial talent, and increase policy support for attracting innovative talent for key industrial chain and supply chain links.

加速人才机制创新。搭建高素质人才梯队，优化高等学校课程设置和人才培养模式，提升科研人才、创新团队培养能力。大力发展职业教育，培训适应数字化生产线、智慧工厂、定制化生产的产业工人以及相应的软硬件人才，依托骨干企业建设一批示范性高技能人才培训基地。优化产业人才引培与激励机制，完善产业人才评价体系，加大对重点产业链供应链创新人才引进的政策支持力度。

Online editor: Tongxin

网络编辑：同心