Another Milestone Meeting in the History of China’s Reform and Opening Up

Reform and opening up is a crucial move in contemporary China’s development and progress, and an important magic weapon for the cause of the Party and the state to catch up with the times in big strides. The reform led by the Communist Party of China is a historical process of continuous, comprehensive, and deepening advancement. From the reform and opening up initiated at the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the CPC to the comprehensive deepening of reform launched at the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee, China’s reform pace has never stopped, the steps have grown larger, and the results have become increasingly significant. At different critical historical junctures, making major reform decisions in step with the times based on the development of the era and practical requirements, formulating major reform deployments around central tasks, and achieving major historical breakthroughs constitute the successful experience and developmental logic of the Party’s leadership of reform and opening up. Today, the cause of the Party and the state has once again reached a critical period. Based on the situation and tasks of this new critical period, the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC has once again made major strategic deployments, raising the historical curtain on further comprehensively deepening reform, forming a major leap in the history of reform and opening up.

改革开放是当代中国发展进步的关键一招，是党和国家事业大踏步赶上时代的重要法宝。中国共产党领导的改革，是一个不断全面深入的历史性进程，从党的十一届三中全会启动改革开放，到党的十八届三中全会开启全面深化改革，中国的改革步伐从没有停下，步子越迈越大，成效越来越显著。在不同的历史关键时期，依据时代发展和实践要求，与时俱进作出重大改革决策，围绕中心任务制定重大改革部署，实现重大历史突破，是党领导改革开放的成功经验和发展逻辑。如今，党和国家事业又发展到一个关键时期，党的二十届三中全会基于新的关键时期的形势任务，再一次作出重大战略部署，拉开进一步全面深化改革的历史大幕，形成了改革开放史上的重大飞跃。

The Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the CPC was an epoch-making meeting convened at a major historical juncture when the Party and the state faced a critical choice of where to go, opening a new period of reform and opening up and socialist modernization.

党的十一届三中全会，是在党和国家面临何去何从的重大历史关头召开的一次划时代的重要会议，开启了改革开放和社会主义现代化建设新时期

The “Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Further Comprehensively Deepening Reform and Promoting Chinese-Path Modernization” (hereinafter referred to as the “Decision”) points out: “The Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the CPC was epoch-making, opening a new period of reform and opening up and socialist modernization.” In the late 1970s, world technological progress was advancing rapidly, global economic development was accelerating, and some countries and regions achieved leapfrog development. However, our country had previously fallen into a state of turmoil, missed good development opportunities, the cause of the Party and the state suffered severe setbacks, the people’s lives remained at a low level for a long time, and the future of socialism faced major challenges. At this critical moment, the Party had to unite and lead the people to promptly correct mistakes, take decisive measures, make major decisions, and rise up from the crisis.

《中共中央关于进一步全面深化改革、推进中国式现代化的决定》（以下简称《决定》）指出：“党的十一届三中全会是划时代的，开启了改革开放和社会主义现代化建设新时期。”20世纪70年代后期，世界科技进步日新月异，全球经济发展加速推进，一些国家和地区实现跨越式发展。但是，我们国家由于此前曾陷入动乱局面，错过良好发展机遇，党和国家事业发展遭到严重冲击，人民生活长期停留在低水平上，社会主义前途命运面临重大挑战。当此之时，党必须团结带领人民及时纠正失误，采取果断措施，作出重大决策，从危局中奋起。

At this major historical juncture, the Chinese Communists, with Comrade Deng Xiaoping as their main representative, led the convening of the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee, which had great historical significance as a turning point. As General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “The Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the CPC was convened at a major historical juncture when the Party and the state faced a critical choice of where to go.” Based on a profound insight into the trends of the times, a deep grasp of the future and destiny of the Party and the state, a thorough summation of socialist practice, and a deep understanding of the people’s needs, this session broke free from the severe shackles of “Left” errors, began a comprehensive and profound rectification, re-established the correct ideological line, political line, and organizational line, shifted the focus of the Party and the state’s work to economic construction, seized the crucial move, found the important magic weapon, made the great decision of reform and opening up, and opened a new historical period. Reform and opening up, as a great awakening of the Party and the people, gave birth to great creations from theory to practice. The Party led the people to pioneer the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, set off a new great social revolution, and the Chinese nation caught up with the times and the world trend in big strides.

在这个重大历史关头，以邓小平同志为主要代表的中国共产党人，领导召开了具有重大历史转折意义的十一届三中全会。正如习近平总书记所指出的：“党的十一届三中全会是在党和国家面临何去何从的重大历史关头召开的。”这次会议基于对时代潮流的深刻洞察，对党和国家前途命运的深刻把握，对社会主义实践的深刻总结，对人民群众需要的深刻体悟，冲破“左”的错误的严重束缚，开始全面深刻地拨乱反正，重新确立正确的思想路线、政治路线、组织路线，将党和国家工作中心转移到经济建设上来，抓住关键一招，找到重要法宝，作出改革开放的伟大决策，开启新的历史时期。改革开放作为党和人民的一次伟大觉醒，孕育了从理论到实践的伟大创造，党领导人民开创了中国特色社会主义事业，掀起了新的伟大社会革命，中华民族大踏步赶上时代和世界潮流。

The Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the CPC was an epoch-making meeting convened at a critical period when socialism with Chinese characteristics entered a New Era, opening a new journey of comprehensively deepening reform in the New Era and promoting reform through systematic overall design.

党的十八届三中全会，是在中国特色社会主义进入新时代的关键时期召开的一次划时代的重要会议，开启了新时代全面深化改革、系统整体设计推进改革新征程

The “Decision” points out: “The Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the CPC was also epoch-making, opening a new journey of comprehensively deepening reform in the New Era and promoting reform through systematic overall design, creating an entirely new situation for China’s reform and opening up.” After entering the new period, China’s reform and opening up and socialist modernization cause developed vigorously, traversed a magnificent and extraordinary path, achieved great accomplishments that attracted worldwide attention, China’s development entered a new historical orientation, the principal contradiction in society underwent profound changes, and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation ushered in a bright prospect. At the same time, a series of new problems in reform and development, some outdated ideological concepts and constraints, some deep-seated institutional and mechanistic drawbacks, and some barriers of solidified interests became increasingly apparent. Reform entered a tough period and deep-water zone where opportunities and risks coexisted. At this critical moment, whether we could continue to move forward and carry out reform, whether we dared to gnaw on hard bones and wade through dangerous shoals, became a major test of the wisdom and courage of Chinese Communists in the New Era.

《决定》指出：“党的十八届三中全会也是划时代的，开启了新时代全面深化改革、系统整体设计推进改革新征程，开创了我国改革开放全新局面。”进入新时期以后，我国改革开放和社会主义现代化建设事业蓬勃发展，走过了波澜壮阔的不凡之路，取得了举世瞩目的伟大成就，我国发展进入新的历史方位，社会主要矛盾发生深刻变化，中华民族伟大复兴迎来光明前景。与此同时，一系列改革发展中的新问题，一些不合时宜的思想观念束缚，一些深层次的体制机制弊端，一些利益固化的藩篱日益显现出来，改革进入机遇和风险并存的攻坚期和深水区。当此之时，能不能继续往前走、改下去，敢不敢啃硬骨头、涉险滩，成为对新时代中国共产党人智慧、胆魄的重大考验。

At this major historical juncture, General Secretary Xi Jinping clearly pointed out: “Practical development never ends, ideological emancipation never ends, and reform and opening up never ends. Stagnation and regression have no way out. Reform and opening up is always ongoing, never completed.” Facing new situations and new tasks, we must, through comprehensively deepening reform, focus on solving a series of prominent contradictions and problems facing China’s development, and continuously promote the self-improvement and development of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics. General Secretary Xi Jinping led the convening of the epoch-making Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee, which made comprehensive and systematic overall plans and strategic deployments for institutional reforms in the economic, political, cultural, social, and ecological civilization fields, as well as reforms in national defense and the military, and the reform of the Party building system. It determined the overall goal, strategic priorities, order of precedence, main direction, working mechanisms, promotion methods, timetable, and roadmap for comprehensively deepening reform, achieving a historical transformation from partial exploration and breakthrough to systematic integration and comprehensive deepening, raising the historical curtain of comprehensively deepening reform. Since then, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has united and led the entire Party and the people of the whole country, firmly adhering to the correct direction of reform, taking the promotion of social fairness and justice and the enhancement of people’s well-being as the starting point and foothold, further liberating and developing the social productive forces, liberating and enhancing social vitality, consciously grasping the systematic, holistic, and coordinated nature of reform in the New Era, fully exerting historical subject consciousness and historical creative spirit, continuously pushing reform towards comprehensiveness and depth. The basic institutional frameworks in various fields have been basically established, many fields have achieved historic changes, systematic reshaping, and overall reconstruction, the socialist system with Chinese characteristics has become more mature and well-defined, the modernization level of the national governance system and governance capacity has continuously improved, the cause of the Party and the state has radiated new vitality, and our country has embarked on a new journey of comprehensively building a modern socialist country.

在这个重大历史关头，习近平总书记鲜明指出：“实践发展永无止境，解放思想永无止境，改革开放也永无止境，停顿和倒退没有出路，改革开放只有进行时、没有完成时。”面对新形势新任务，我们必须通过全面深化改革，着力解决我国发展面临的一系列突出矛盾和问题，不断推进中国特色社会主义制度自我完善和发展。习近平总书记领导召开了划时代的十八届三中全会，对经济、政治、文化、社会、生态文明等方面的体制改革以及国防和军队改革、党的建设制度改革，作出全面系统的总体规划和战略部署，确定了全面深化改革的总目标、战略重点、优先顺序、主攻方向、工作机制、推进方式、时间表、路线图，实现改革由局部探索、破冰突围到系统集成、全面深化的历史转变，拉开了全面深化改革的历史大幕。从那时以来，以习近平同志为核心的党中央团结带领全党全国人民，牢牢坚持改革正确方向，以促进社会公平正义、增进人民福祉为出发点和落脚点，进一步解放和发展社会生产力，解放和增强社会活力，自觉把握新时代改革的系统性、整体性、协同性，充分发挥历史主体意识和历史创造精神，不断推动改革走向全面深入，各领域的基础性制度框架基本建立，许多领域实现历史性变革、系统性重塑、整体性重构，中国特色社会主义制度更加成熟定型，国家治理体系和治理能力现代化水平不断提高，党和国家事业焕发出新的生机活力，我国迈上全面建设社会主义现代化国家新征程。

The Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC was an important meeting convened at a critical period of comprehensively advancing the building of a strong country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-path modernization, raising the historical curtain on further comprehensively deepening reform.

党的二十届三中全会，是在以中国式现代化全面推进强国建设、民族复兴伟业的关键时期召开的一次重要会议，开启了进一步全面深化改革的历史大幕

The “Decision” points out: “The current and future period is a critical period for comprehensively advancing the building of a strong country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-path modernization.” Since the 20th National Congress of the CPC, General Secretary Xi Jinping has led the entire Party and the people of all ethnic groups across the country, facing the severe and complex international environment and the arduous and heavy tasks of domestic reform, development, and stability, coordinating both domestic and international situations, coordinating economic and social development with overall national security, comprehensively implementing the strategic deployment of Chinese-path modernization, further promoting and planning comprehensively deepening reform, and leading the cause of the Party and the state into a new critical period. The new situation of the critical period requires us to have new strategies and new measures. Facing the complex international and domestic situations, facing the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, and facing the new expectations of the people, we must continue to push reform forward.

《决定》指出：“当前和今后一个时期是以中国式现代化全面推进强国建设、民族复兴伟业的关键时期。”党的二十大以来，习近平总书记带领全党全国各族人民，面对严峻复杂的国际环境和艰巨繁重的国内改革发展稳定任务，统筹国内国际两个大局，统筹经济社会发展和国家总体安全，全面贯彻中国式现代化的战略部署，进一步推动和谋划全面深化改革，引领党和国家事业发展进入一个新的关键时期。关键时期的新形势要求我们一定要有新战略新举措，面对纷繁复杂的国际国内形势，面对新一轮科技革命和产业变革，面对人民群众新期待，必须继续把改革推向前进。

The Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC is a milestone conference convened at this new critical juncture. The session closely centered on the theme of further deepening reform comprehensively and advancing Chinese-path modernization, anchored the overall goal of continuing to improve and develop the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics and advancing the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity, and made a comprehensive and systematic strategic deployment for further deepening reform comprehensively in terms of theme, major principles, major measures, and fundamental guarantees. It demonstrated the firm determination and strong sense of mission of the Chinese Communists in the New Era, with Xi Jinping as their main representative, to carry reform through to the end, and reaffirmed what banner to hold and what path to take on the new journey of the New Era. The session emphatically stressed that to further deepen reform comprehensively, it is necessary to “fully implement Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, thoroughly study and implement Xi Jinping’s new ideas, new viewpoints, and new conclusions on comprehensively deepening reform,” “uphold emancipating the mind, seeking truth from facts, keeping pace with the times, and being practical and realistic, further emancipating and developing the social productive forces, stimulating and enhancing social vitality,” “take economic system reform as the driving force, take promoting social fairness and justice and enhancing the well-being of the people as the starting point and ultimate goal,” and “provide powerful impetus and institutional guarantees for Chinese-path modernization.”

党的二十届三中全会就是在这个新的关键时期召开的一次具有里程碑意义的重要会议。会议紧紧围绕进一步全面深化改革、推进中国式现代化这个主题，锚定继续完善和发展中国特色社会主义制度，推进国家治理体系和治理能力现代化的总目标，从主题、重大原则、重大举措、根本保证等方面对进一步全面深化改革作出全面系统的战略部署，展现了以习近平同志为主要代表的新时代中国共产党人将改革进行到底的坚强决心和强烈使命担当，对新时代新征程举什么旗、走什么路作出了再宣示。会议突出强调，进一步全面深化改革，要“全面贯彻习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想，深入学习贯彻习近平总书记关于全面深化改革的一系列新思想、新观点、新论断”，“坚持解放思想、实事求是、与时俱进、求真务实，进一步解放和发展社会生产力、激发和增强社会活力”，“以经济体制改革为牵引，以促进社会公平正义、增进人民福祉为出发点和落脚点”，“为中国式现代化提供强大动力和制度保障”。

The Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC put forward a series of new viewpoints, new strategies, and new measures, deeply revealed the intrinsic connection between further deepening reform comprehensively and advancing Chinese-path modernization, and formed a major leap in the history of reform and opening up.

党的二十届三中全会提出了一系列新观点新战略新举措，深度揭示了进一步全面深化改革同推进中国式现代化的内在联系，形成了改革开放史上的重大飞跃

The “Decision,” [5]5 The “Decision” refers to the “Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Further Deepening Reform Comprehensively to Advance Chinese-Path Modernization,” adopted at the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC. based on the overall goal of further deepening reform comprehensively, focused on leveraging the driving role of economic system reform, and emphatically stressed the need to work hard on the “seven focal points”: focusing on building a high-level socialist market economy system, focusing on developing whole-process people’s democracy, focusing on building a socialist cultural power, focusing on improving the quality of life of the people, focusing on building a beautiful China, focusing on building a higher-level safe China, and focusing on improving the Party’s leadership level and long-term governance capacity. The “seven focal points” condense the historical process of our Party from “highlighting economic system reform” at the beginning of reform and opening up, to “comprehensively deepening reforms of the economic, political, cultural, social, ecological civilization, and Party building systems” in the New Era, and then to “further deepening reform comprehensively.” They highlight a major leap in the comprehensiveness of the content of further deepening reform comprehensively, and will inevitably further promote the deep transformation of reform from local exploration and breaking through ice to systematic integration and comprehensive deepening.

《决定》依据进一步全面深化改革的总目标，注重发挥经济体制改革牵引作用，突出强调要在“七个聚焦”上下功夫，就是要聚焦构建高水平社会主义市场经济体制、聚焦发展全过程人民民主、聚焦建设社会主义文化强国、聚焦提高人民生活品质、聚焦建设美丽中国、聚焦建设更高水平平安中国、聚焦提高党的领导水平和长期执政能力。“七个聚焦”凝聚着我们党从改革开放之初“突出经济体制改革”，到新时代“全面深化经济、政治、文化、社会、生态文明体制和党的建设制度改革”，再到“进一步全面深化改革”的历史进程，凸显了进一步全面深化改革在内容全面性上的重大飞跃，必将进一步推动改革由局部探索、破冰突围到系统集成、全面深化的深度转变。

The “Decision” profoundly summarized and refined the valuable experience of reform and opening up, especially the comprehensive deepening of reform in the New Era, and systematically expounded the “six upholdings” major principles that must be implemented in further deepening reform comprehensively: upholding the Party’s comprehensive leadership, upholding a people-centered approach, upholding integrity and innovation, upholding institution building as the main line, upholding law-based governance comprehensively, and upholding a systems concept. The “six upholdings” major principles fully implement the worldview and methodology of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, reflecting a major leap in our Party’s reform methodology from the empirical exploration of “crossing the river by feeling the stones” at the beginning of reform and opening up, to profoundly grasping the systematic, holistic, and synergistic characteristics of reform in the New Era, correctly handling major relationships such as economy and society, government and market, efficiency and fairness, vitality and order, and development and security, and continuously moving toward scientific completeness and systematic construction.

《决定》深刻总结和提炼升华改革开放以来特别是新时代全面深化改革的宝贵经验，系统阐述了进一步全面深化改革必须贯彻的“六个坚持”重大原则，就是要坚持党的全面领导、坚持以人民为中心、坚持守正创新、坚持以制度建设为主线、坚持全面依法治国、坚持系统观念。“六个坚持”重大原则全面贯彻习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想的世界观方法论，体现了我们党从改革开放之初“摸着石头过河”的经验性探索，到深刻把握新时代以来改革的系统性、整体性、协同性特征，正确处理经济和社会、政府和市场、效率和公平、活力和秩序、发展和安全等重大关系，在改革方法论上不断走向科学完整、系统建构的重大飞跃。

The “Decision” closely centered on the central task to plan and deploy reform, systematically expounded on the key issues of Chinese-path modernization, and emphasized that a high-level socialist market economy system is an important guarantee for Chinese-path modernization, high-quality development is the primary task of comprehensively building a modern socialist country, education, science and technology, and talent are the basic and strategic supports for Chinese-path modernization, scientific macro-control and effective government governance are the inherent requirements for leveraging the advantages of the socialist market economy system, integrated urban-rural development is an inevitable requirement for Chinese-path modernization, openness is a distinct symbol of Chinese-path modernization, developing whole-process people’s democracy is an essential requirement of Chinese-path modernization, the rule of law is an important guarantee for Chinese-path modernization, Chinese-path modernization is a modernization where material civilization and cultural-ethical progress are coordinated, ensuring and improving people’s livelihoods in the course of development is a major task of Chinese-path modernization, Chinese-path modernization is a modernization where humans and nature coexist harmoniously, national security is an important foundation for the steady and sustained progress of Chinese-path modernization, national defense and military modernization is an important component of Chinese-path modernization, and Party leadership is the fundamental guarantee for further deepening reform comprehensively and advancing Chinese-path modernization. These important theses highly summarize our Party’s understanding of the laws and strategic planning of Chinese-path modernization, achieving a major leap in reform planning and deployment.

《决定》紧紧围绕中心任务谋划和部署改革，对中国式现代化发展的关键问题作出系统的阐述，强调高水平社会主义市场经济体制是中国式现代化的重要保障，高质量发展是全面建设社会主义现代化国家的首要任务，教育、科技、人才是中国式现代化的基础性、战略性支撑，科学的宏观调控、有效的政府治理是发挥社会主义市场经济体制优势的内在要求，城乡融合发展是中国式现代化的必然要求，开放是中国式现代化的鲜明标识，发展全过程人民民主是中国式现代化的本质要求，法治是中国式现代化的重要保障，中国式现代化是物质文明和精神文明相协调的现代化，在发展中保障和改善民生是中国式现代化的重大任务，中国式现代化是人与自然和谐共生的现代化，国家安全是中国式现代化行稳致远的重要基础，国防和军队现代化是中国式现代化的重要组成部分，党的领导是进一步全面深化改革、推进中国式现代化的根本保证。这些重要论断高度概括了我们党对中国式现代化的规律性认识和战略性规划，在改革谋划和部署上实现了重大飞跃。

The “Decision,” based on the profound changes in the principal contradiction in Chinese society, focusing on the era requirements of the technological revolution and industrial transformation, and based on the realistic foundation of further deepening reform comprehensively, emphatically stressed the need to develop new quality productive forces according to local conditions, pay more attention to system integration, pay more attention to highlighting key points, pay more attention to the effectiveness of reform, promote better adaptation between relations of production and productive forces, between the superstructure and the economic base, and between national governance and social development, guide reform with the new development concept, base on the new development stage, deepen supply-side structural reform, improve the incentive and constraint mechanisms for promoting high-quality development, and shape new drivers and new advantages for development. From focusing on “emancipating and developing productive forces” at the beginning of reform and opening up, to focusing on new quality productive forces in further deepening reform comprehensively, this reflects a major leap in the realistic orientation and fundamental tasks of further deepening reform comprehensively.

《决定》根据我国社会主要矛盾的深刻变化，着眼科技革命和产业变革的时代要求，基于进一步全面深化改革的现实基础，突出强调要因地制宜发展新质生产力，更加注重系统集成，更加注重突出重点，更加注重改革实效，推动生产关系和生产力、上层建筑和经济基础、国家治理和社会发展更好相适应，以新发展理念引领改革，立足新发展阶段，深化供给侧结构性改革，完善推动高质量发展激励约束机制，塑造发展新动能新优势。从改革开放之初着眼“解放和发展生产力”，到进一步全面深化改革聚焦新质生产力，体现了进一步全面深化改革在现实指向和根本任务上的重大飞跃。

(Author: Jin Minqing, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Researcher at the Chinese Academy of History, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences)

(作者：金民卿，中国社会科学院中国历史研究院党委副书记、研究员)

Online Editor: You Heng

网络编辑：有恒