Deepening the Regularity-Based Understanding of Developing New Quality Productive Forces

High-quality development is the primary task in building a modern socialist country in all respects, and developing new quality productive forces is the intrinsic requirement and key focal point for promoting high-quality development. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, General Secretary Xi Jinping has continuously deepened his understanding of the laws governing the development of productive forces, creatively put forward the important concept of new quality productive forces and the major task of developing them, and profoundly expounded on major theoretical and practical issues such as what new quality productive forces are and how to develop them. This constitutes a major judgment and strategic deployment made by accurately grasping the development trends both at home and abroad, an innovation and development of the Marxist theory on productive forces, and provides scientific guidance for new development practices. During the period of the 14th Five-Year Plan [1]1 The 14th Five-Year Plan refers to the period 2026–2030, the next five-year plan for China's national economic and social development., it is necessary to place the development of new quality productive forces according to local conditions in a more prominent strategic position. We must not only consolidate ideological consensus but also further explore effective practical pathways, continuously shaping new drivers and advantages for economic development, and firmly grasping the initiative for development in our own hands.

高质量发展是全面建设社会主义现代化国家的首要任务，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。党的十八大以来，习近平总书记不断深化对生产力发展规律的认识，创造性提出新质生产力这个重要概念和发展新质生产力这个重大任务，深刻阐述什么是新质生产力、如何发展新质生产力等重大理论和实践问题。这是准确把握国内外发展大势作出的重大论断和战略部署，是对马克思主义生产力理论的创新和发展，为新的发展实践提供了科学指引。“十五五”时期，必须把因地制宜发展新质生产力摆在更加突出的战略位置，既要凝聚思想共识，又要进一步探索行之有效的实践路径，不断塑造经济发展新动能新优势，把发展主动权牢牢掌握在自己手中。

Leading and Promoting a Leap in Productive Forces with the New Development Philosophy

以新发展理念引领和推动生产力跃迁

Philosophy is the precursor to action; a given development practice is always led by a given development philosophy, and the development philosophy fundamentally determines the effectiveness of development. Viewed from the development practices of countries around the world, the history of economic development is a history of ideological emancipation and the renewal of development philosophies. The basic prerequisite for a leap in productive forces is the emancipation of the mind and the transformation of development philosophy. The same holds true from the perspective of China's economic development practice.

理念是行动的先导，一定的发展实践都是由一定的发展理念来引领的，发展理念从根本上决定着发展成效。从世界各国发展实践看，经济发展的历史就是一部思想解放和发展理念更新的历史。生产力跃迁的基本前提是解放思想、转变发展理念。从我国的经济发展实践看，同样如此。

In 1978, a great discussion on the criterion of truth [2]2 The 1978 discussion on the criterion of truth was a nationwide debate over whether "practice is the sole criterion for testing truth," which helped break the ideological dogmatism of the Mao era and paved the way for reform and opening up. broke through the shackles of people's ideological concepts, laying the ideological foundation for the historic decision of the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the CPC to shift the focus of the Party and state work to economic construction and implement reform and opening up. In 1992, Comrade Deng Xiaoping inspected the South and delivered important speeches [3]3 Deng Xiaoping's 1992 Southern Tour speeches reaffirmed the direction of market-oriented reforms and opening up, countering conservative opposition after the 1989 Tian, answering many major cognitive questions that troubled and constrained people's thinking, once again emancipating the mind. The 14th National Congress of the CPC [4]4 “Grabbing at eyebrows and beards all at once” is a Chinese idiom meaning to try to handle everything at once without prioritizing, leading to confusion and inefficiency. clearly established the goal of China's economic system reform as establishing a socialist market economy system. Our Party's understanding of the basic socialist economic system has continuously deepened, greatly promoting the development of productive forces.

1978年，一场关于真理标准问题的大讨论冲破了人们思想观念的禁锢，为党的十一届三中全会作出把党和国家工作中心转移到经济建设上来、实行改革开放的历史性决策，奠定了思想基础。1992年，邓小平同志视察南方并发表重要谈话，回答了困扰和束缚人们思想的许多重大认识问题，又一次解放了思想。党的十四大明确我国经济体制改革的目标是建立社会主义市场经济体制，我们党对社会主义基本经济制度的认识不断深化，极大地促进了生产力发展。

Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, changes unseen in a century have accelerated, and the internal and external environments facing China's development have undergone profound changes. As the environment and conditions for development have changed, the development philosophy must naturally change accordingly. At the Fifth Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the CPC [5]5 “Bottleneck” technologies (卡脖子技术) refers to key technologies in which China is dependent on foreign countries and which are subject to external restrictions, analogous to a choke point., General Secretary Xi Jinping put forward the new development philosophy of innovation, coordination, green, openness, and sharing, answering a series of theoretical and practical questions concerning the purpose, driving force, mode, and path of development. Adhering to the new development philosophy is a profound transformation concerning the overall situation of China's development. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "This new development philosophy was not derived from thin air; it was formed on the basis of our profound summation of domestic and international development experiences and lessons, and also formed on the basis of a profound analysis of the development trends at home and abroad. It centrally reflects our Party's deepened understanding of the laws governing economic and social development, and is also proposed in response to the prominent contradictions and problems in China's development."

党的十八大以来，世界百年未有之大变局加速演进，我国发展面临的内外部环境都发生深刻变化。发展的环境变了、条件变了，发展理念自然也要随之变化。习近平总书记在党的十八届五中全会上提出创新、协调、绿色、开放、共享的新发展理念，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。坚持新发展理念，是关系我国发展全局的一场深刻变革。习近平总书记指出：“这新发展理念不是凭空得来的，是我们在深刻总结国内外发展经验教训的基础上形成的，也是在深刻分析国内外发展大势的基础上形成的，集中反映了我们党对经济社会发展规律认识的深化，也是针对我国发展中的突出矛盾和问题提出来的。”

New quality productive forces are an advanced state of productive forces that conform to the new development philosophy. They break away from traditional economic growth modes and paths of productive forces development, featuring high technology, high efficiency, and high quality. If one still clings to backward concepts, it is difficult to cultivate new quality productive forces. Therefore, adhering to the development of new quality productive forces cannot be a case of "putting new wine in old bottles." Especially under circumstances of greater downward pressure on the economy, one must not habitually revert to the old path of pursuing crude expansion and inefficient development whenever encountering contradictions and difficulties. The more we are in the critical stage of tackling tough problems, the more we must fully, accurately, and comprehensively implement the new development philosophy, persistently promote theoretical innovation, institutional innovation, technological innovation, cultural innovation, and innovation in all other aspects, and build an environment and conditions suitable for the development of new quality productive forces.

新质生产力是符合新发展理念的先进生产力质态，摆脱传统经济增长方式、生产力发展路径，具有高科技、高效能、高质量特征。如果依然固守落后的观念，是难以培育新质生产力的。因此，坚持发展新质生产力，不能“新瓶装旧酒”，特别是在经济下行压力较大的情况下，不能一遇到矛盾和困难就习惯性地回到追求粗放扩张、低效发展的老路上去。越是在攻坚阶段，就越要完整、准确、全面贯彻新发展理念，锲而不舍推动理论创新、制度创新、科技创新、文化创新以及其他各方面的创新，构建同新质生产力发展相适应的环境和条件。

Understanding and Following the Laws of New Quality Productive Forces Development

认识和遵循新质生产力发展规律

Laws refer to the inherent and necessary connections between things, objective existences independent of human will, which determine the inevitable trend of things' development. The emergence and development of any thing have its inherent objective laws. New quality productive forces are driven by revolutionary technological breakthroughs, innovative allocation of production factors, and deep industrial transformation and upgrading. Their basic connotation is the leap in laborers, means of labor, subjects of labor, and their optimized combination. Their core symbol is a significant increase in total factor productivity. Their characteristic is innovation, the key lies in superior quality, and their essence is advanced productive forces. In practice, we must deeply understand and follow the laws of new quality productive forces development and act according to the laws.

规律是指事物之间内在的必然联系，是不以人的意志为转移的客观存在，决定着事物发展的必然趋势。任何事物的产生和发展都有其内在的客观规律。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，特点是创新，关键在质优，本质是先进生产力。实践中，必须深刻认识和遵循新质生产力发展规律，按规律办事。

First, strive to promote revolutionary technological breakthroughs. Revolutionary technological breakthroughs mainly refer to fundamentally changing the original technological system through major technological innovation and disruptive technological progress, forming disruptive scientific and technological achievements, and exerting broad and profound impacts on the economy and society. Revolutionary technological breakthroughs generally manifest in two paradigms: one is generating major scientific and technological innovation achievements along the original technological path; the other is cross-border innovation, which breaks the original boundaries between disciplines, fields, and industries, deeply integrates knowledge, technology, and resources from different fields with a completely open concept, creates entirely new technologies, and provides new solutions.

第一，着力推动技术革命性突破。技术革命性突破主要是指通过重大技术创新和颠覆性技术进步，对原有的技术体系产生根本性改变，形成颠覆性科技成果，对经济社会产生广泛而深刻的影响。技术革命性突破一般体现为两种范式：一种是沿着原有的技术路径产生重大科技创新成果；另一种是跨界创新，即打破原有的学科、领域、行业之间的界限，以全新的开放理念将不同领域的知识、技术、资源深度融合，创造全新技术、提供新的解决方案。

The prerequisite for achieving revolutionary technological breakthroughs is breakthroughs in the field of basic research. Historically, each round of technological revolution and industrial transformation began with major breakthroughs in basic research. In this regard, it is necessary to strengthen major original research and cutting-edge interdisciplinary research, providing basic theoretical support and technological source supply for innovative development. From the perspective of models, we should both encourage free-exploratory research where scientists choose their own topics and conduct independent research, and strengthen organized scientific research, guided by national strategic needs, organizing multidisciplinary and multi-field scientific research forces through institutional design and resource integration to collaboratively tackle key core technologies. From the perspective of pathways, we can advance along the path of "basic research – applied research – experimental development – product and service innovation," while also paying attention to condensing scientific issues from the practical problems faced by economic and social development and national security, aiming at the commanding heights of future technology and industrial development, purposefully breaking through bottlenecks in basic research and applied basic research fields. At the same time, it is necessary to ensure talent supply, financial support, and institutional and mechanism guarantees.

实现技术革命性突破的前提是基础研究领域的突破。历史地看，每一轮科技革命和产业变革都是从基础研究的重大突破开始的。对此，要强化重大原创性研究和前沿交叉研究，为创新发展提供基础理论支撑和技术源头供给。从模式看，既要鼓励科学家自主选题和独立研究的自由探索式研究，又要强化有组织科研，以国家战略需求为导向，通过制度设计和资源整合，组织多学科多领域的科研力量对关键核心技术进行协同攻关。从路径看，既可以沿着“基础研究—应用研究—试验发展—产品和服务创新”的路径推进，又要重视从经济社会发展和国家安全面临的实际问题中凝练科学问题，瞄准未来科技和产业发展的制高点，有目的地破解基础研究和应用基础研究领域的瓶颈。同时，还需做好人才供给、资金支撑以及体制机制保障。

Second, strive to achieve innovative allocation of production factors. Production factors are the necessary conditions or elements in the production process. With the development of productive forces, production factors have not only continuously increased in quantity but also undergone a leap in their qualitative state. The laborers, means of production, and subjects of labor in the information age are fundamentally different from those in the agricultural age and industrial age. Besides traditional production factors such as labor, capital, and land, they also include new production factors such as knowledge, technology, management, and data.

第二，着力实现生产要素创新性配置。生产要素是生产过程必不可少的条件或因素。随着生产力发展，生产要素不仅在数量上持续增加，而且在质态上也发生了跃迁。信息时代的劳动者、生产资料、劳动对象与农耕时代、工业时代相比有本质上的不同，除了劳动力、资本和土地等传统生产要素，还包括知识、技术、管理、数据等新生产要素。

Innovative allocation of production factors can significantly increase total factor productivity. Compared with the agricultural age and industrial age, the allocation of production factors in the information age is more complex, constituting a systemic project where any change in one element will affect the entire system. The space for effective allocation of production factors can also break through traditional geographical limitations, greatly improving allocation efficiency. To achieve innovative allocation of production factors, it is necessary to highlight the deepening of economic system reform, fully leverage the decisive role of the market in resource allocation, and better play the role of the government, achieving both "vitality in releasing" and "control in managing." We must build a fairer, more transparent, and more efficient business environment, accelerate the construction of a unified national market, establish a high-standard market system, unblock the blockages and bottlenecks constraining the development of new quality productive forces, and allow all types of advanced and high-quality production factors to flow smoothly towards the development of new quality productive forces.

生产要素创新性配置能够大幅提升全要素生产率。与农耕时代、工业时代相比，信息时代的生产要素配置更加复杂，是一个系统工程，任何一个要素发生变化都会影响到整个系统。生产要素有效配置的空间也能够突破传统地域限制，配置效率极大提高。实现生产要素创新性配置，需突出深化经济体制改革，充分发挥市场在资源配置中的决定性作用，更好发挥政府作用，既“放得活”又“管得住”，构建更加公平、透明、高效的营商环境，加快建设全国统一大市场，建立高标准市场体系，打通束缚新质生产力发展的堵点卡点，让各类先进优质生产要素向发展新质生产力顺畅流动。

Third, focus on promoting deep industrial transformation and upgrading. So-called deep industrial transformation and upgrading is the process in which industrial technology accelerates its iteration, backward industries are eliminated, and emerging industries rapidly rise and develop. To promote deep industrial transformation and upgrading, it is necessary to drive industrial innovation through scientific and technological innovation. The achievements of scientific and technological innovation must be promptly applied to specific industries and industrial chains. Based on local scientific research conditions, industrial foundations, and resource endowments, and proceeding from reality, efforts should be made to supplement chains, extend chains, upgrade chains, and build chains. Traditional industries are not equivalent to backward industries; the pace of using modern technology to promote the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries must be accelerated, the deep integration of digital technology with the real economy must be promoted, and the “Artificial Intelligence+” action must be thoroughly implemented. A market for the trading of scientific and technological achievements should be established and improved, the integration of industry, academia, research, and application should be promoted, technology finance should be developed, and the deep integration of the innovation chain, capital chain, and industrial chain should be achieved.

第三，着力促进产业深度转型升级。所谓产业深度转型升级，就是产业技术加速迭代、落后产业被淘汰、新兴产业快速兴起和发展的过程。促进产业深度转型升级，需以科技创新推动产业创新。要及时将科技创新成果应用到具体产业和产业链上，根据各地的科研条件、产业基础、资源禀赋，从实际出发，在补链、延链、升链、建链上下功夫。传统产业不等于落后产业，要加快运用现代技术推动传统产业改造升级，促进数字技术与实体经济深度融合、深入实施“人工智能+”行动。建立和完善科技成果交易市场，推动产学研用一体化，发展科技金融，实现创新链、资金链、产业链深度融合。

Future industries are those driven by cutting-edge technologies, in the embryonic stage of gestation or the early stage of industrialization. They are forward-looking and leading, representing and guiding the direction of the new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation. Future industries should be laid out in terms of technological innovation, product breakthroughs, enterprise cultivation, and enhancement of industrial competitiveness. The process of technological innovation and industrialization should be accelerated, and landmark products should be created. At the same time, angel investment, venture capital, and private equity investment should be encouraged and regulated, the guiding role of government investment funds should be leveraged, patient capital should be developed, and the development of future industries should be supported.

未来产业是由前沿技术驱动、处于孕育萌芽阶段或产业化初期的产业，具有前瞻性、引领性，代表和引领新一轮科技革命与产业变革方向。要从技术创新、产品突破、企业培育、产业竞争力提升等方面布局未来产业，加快技术创新和产业化进程，打造标志性产品。同时，鼓励和规范发展天使投资、风险投资、私募股权投资，发挥政府投资基金引导作用，发展耐心资本，支持未来产业发展。

Adhere to the methodology of dialectical materialism and historical materialism

坚持辩证唯物主义和历史唯物主义方法论

Cultivating and developing new quality productive forces is a systematic, long-term project that requires the guidance of scientific methodology. The methodology of dialectical materialism and historical materialism must be applied to guide the practice of cultivating and developing new quality productive forces.

培育和发展新质生产力是一项系统性、长期性工程，需要科学方法论的指引，必须运用辩证唯物主义和历史唯物主义方法论来指导培育和发展新质生产力的实践。

Adhere to the viewpoint of universal connection. Dialectical materialism holds that things are universally connected, that things and their various elements influence and constrain each other, and that the entire world is a whole of universal connection and mutual interaction. Developing new quality productive forces involves all links of social reproduction—production, distribution, exchange, and consumption—involves many departments and industries of the national economy and social development, involves the upstream, midstream, and downstream of industries, involves basic research, applied research, the transformation of scientific and technological achievements, as well as small-scale trials, pilot-scale trials, mass production, and market launch, involves various factors of production such as labor, capital, technology, management, land, information, and data, and involves correctly handling the relationship between government and the market, and so on. This is an extremely complex systemic project; close connections exist between every link or factor, which both promote and constrain each other. A “stall” in any link will affect the effective realization of the goal. The viewpoint of universal connection must be used to understand and handle the various complex relationships involved in the development of new quality productive forces, to grasp each link well, and to scientifically and precisely formulate the roadmap, task book, and timetable.

坚持普遍联系的观点。唯物辩证法认为，事物是普遍联系的，事物及事物各要素之间相互影响、相互制约，整个世界是普遍联系、相互作用的整体。发展新质生产力涉及社会再生产的生产、分配、交换、消费各个环节，涉及国民经济和社会发展诸多部门和行业，涉及产业的上、中、下游，涉及基础研究、应用研究、科技成果转化以及小试、中试、量产、上市，涉及劳动力、资本、技术、管理、土地、信息、数据等各种生产要素，涉及正确处理政府与市场关系，等等。这是一项极为复杂的系统工程，每一个环节或因素之间都存在着紧密联系，既相互促进又相互制约，任何一个环节出现“卡顿”，都会影响目标的有效实现。必须用普遍联系的观点来认识和处理新质生产力发展中涉及的各方面复杂关系，把握好每一个环节，科学精准制定路线图、任务书和时间表。

Grasp the principal contradiction and the principal aspect of the contradiction. In the development process of complex things, there are many contradictions, among which there must be one principal contradiction whose existence and development determine or influence the existence and development of other contradictions. Developing new quality productive forces likewise faces numerous and complex contradictions. In practice, faced with a forest of contradictions and problems, it is necessary to be adept at identifying and grasping the principal contradiction and the principal aspect of the contradiction, and not to fail to distinguish primary from secondary, “grabbing at eyebrows and beards all at once.” [4]4 “Grabbing at eyebrows and beards all at once” is a Chinese idiom meaning to try to handle everything at once without prioritizing, leading to confusion and inefficiency. The salient feature of developing new quality productive forces is innovation; innovation involves innovation in all aspects, among which the principal aspect is scientific and technological innovation. Within scientific and technological innovation, the principal aspect is solving major “bottleneck” technologies. [5]5 “Bottleneck” technologies (卡脖子技术) refers to key technologies in which China is dependent on foreign countries and which are subject to external restrictions, analogous to a choke point. A problem-oriented approach must be adhered to, heading straight for the most urgent and pressing problems, and carrying out scientific and technological research effectively and forcefully.

抓主要矛盾和矛盾的主要方面。在复杂事物的发展过程中，有许多矛盾存在，其中必有一种是主要的矛盾，它的存在和发展规定或影响着其他矛盾的存在和发展。发展新质生产力同样面临纷繁复杂的矛盾。在实践中，面对林林总总的矛盾和问题，需要善于识别和抓住主要矛盾和矛盾的主要方面，不能分不清主次、“胡子眉毛一把抓”。发展新质生产力的显著特点是创新，创新涉及各方面的创新，其中主要的方面是科技创新，在科技创新中主要的方面是解决重大“卡脖子”技术，必须坚持问题导向，奔着最紧急、最紧迫的问题去，有力有效开展科技攻关。

Grasp the principle that relations of production must adapt to the development of productive forces. Productive forces determine relations of production; developing new quality productive forces requires forming new types of relations of production that are compatible with them. Therefore, further comprehensively deepening reform and removing various obstacles that constrain the formation and development of new quality productive forces have become an important task for the current and future period. On the one hand, with the progress of science and technology and the development of productive forces, the institutional mechanisms that were compatible with the development of traditional productive forces may not necessarily be able to adapt to the requirements of developing new quality productive forces; some may even become obstacles to the development of new quality productive forces. On the other hand, the development of any thing requires corresponding rules; otherwise, a rule vacuum may form, leading to unpredictable consequences. To whatever extent scientific and technological innovation advances, and to whatever stage new quality productive forces develop, there is objectively a requirement for a corresponding system of laws, regulations, and policies. In practice, it is necessary to further comprehensively deepen reform and expand opening up, to focus on unblocking the blockages and choke points that constrain the development of new quality productive forces, and to achieve the optimal allocation of production factors on a global scale.

把握生产关系要适应生产力发展的原理。生产力决定生产关系，发展新质生产力必须形成与之相适应的新型生产关系。因此，进一步全面深化改革，破除制约新质生产力形成和发展的各种障碍，成为当前和今后一个时期的重要任务。一方面，随着科技进步和生产力发展，与传统生产力发展相适应的体制机制不一定能够适应新质生产力发展要求，有的甚至成为新质生产力发展的障碍；另一方面，任何事物的发展都需要在相应的规则之下，否则就可能形成规则真空，出现难以预料的后果。科技创新推进到什么程度，新质生产力发展到什么阶段，客观上都要求有与之相适应的法律法规政策体系。实践中，必须进一步全面深化改革、扩大对外开放，着力打通束缚新质生产力发展的堵点、卡点，实现生产要素在全球范围内的优化配置。

Make good use of the scientific method of adapting measures to local conditions. China has a vast territory, and there are considerable differences between regions in terms of location conditions, natural resources, industrial foundations, scientific and technological levels, transportation conditions, population conditions, and cultural customs. This objective reality determines that we cannot use the same method to cultivate and develop new quality productive forces; we must develop new quality productive forces by adapting measures to local conditions, “using one key to open one lock,” [6]6 “Using one key to open one lock” is a Chinese idiom meaning to adopt different methods for different problems, emphasizing tailored solutions. reflecting differentiation. We must both prevent a rush to act and bubbles, and also avoid adopting a single model. We must proceed from reality, establish the new before abolishing the old, adapt measures to local conditions, and provide classified guidance. Based on local resource endowments, industrial foundations, and scientific research conditions, we should selectively promote the development of new industries, new models, and new drivers, and use new technologies to transform and upgrade traditional industries. The prerequisite for developing new quality productive forces by adapting measures to local conditions is to conduct in-depth investigation and research, to get a clear picture of the situation, to thoroughly understand the strengths and weaknesses, to identify the breakthrough points and focal points, and to formulate a feasible plan. There must be both a sense of urgency and steady progress, advancing while maintaining stability.

用好因地制宜这个科学方法。我国幅员辽阔，各地的区位条件、自然资源、产业基础、科技水平、交通条件、人口状况、文化风俗等差异较大。这一客观现实决定了我们不能用同一种方法培育和发展新质生产力，必须因地制宜发展新质生产力，“一把钥匙开一把锁”，体现差异化。既要防止一哄而上、泡沫化，也不要搞一种模式。必须坚持从实际出发，先立后破、因地制宜、分类指导，根据本地的资源禀赋、产业基础、科研条件等，有选择地推动新产业、新模式、新动能发展，用新技术改造提升传统产业。因地制宜发展新质生产力的前提是深入调查研究，摸清家底，吃透情况，搞清楚优势和劣势，找准突破口和发力点，制定切实可行的方案，既要有紧迫感，也要稳中求进、稳扎稳打。

(The author is a researcher at the Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance) and Director of the Department of Economics.)

（作者系中央党校(国家行政学院)习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想研究中心研究员、经济学教研部主任）

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