Summary: The article reports on the publication of a key essay by Chinese President Xi Jinping in Qiushi, titled "Improving Disaster Prevention, Mitigation, and Relief Capabilities," delivered at a Politburo collective study session. In it, Xi summarizes five key work tasks and the "seven commitments" of the new era, providing scientific guidance on natural disaster response. The issue also features accompanying articles from the editorial department and the Communist Party’s Emergency Management Ministry, offering interpretations of Xi's directives. Additionally, it includes writings on Xi Jinping's diplomatic thought, a tribute marking the centenary of Jiang Zemin's birth, and commentary on expanding domestic demand through high-quality supply. The piece does not mention the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: Xi Jinping led the 25th collective study session of the 20th CPC Central Political Bureau, focusing on enhancing disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief capabilities. He called for a shift toward pre-disaster risk prevention, improved emergency response for major disasters, and strengthened technological and legal support. Xi emphasized building grassroots resilience, ensuring responsibility implementation, and correcting governance failures that prioritize development over safety. The session reviewed past achievements and challenges, noting growing risks from climate change, extreme weather, and compound disaster scenarios. No U.S.-related discussion appears in the text.
Summary: The article, published by the *Qiushi* journal editorial department, summarizes Xi Jinping's key speech at the 25th collective study session of the 20th CPC Central Political Bureau on disaster prevention and governance. It outlines Xi's "seven musts" as the core lessons from disaster work, emphasizing proactive prevention over reaction, alongside strengthening technological, legal, and grassroots support. The piece calls for implementing these measures to fortify China's response to increasingly extreme and complex disasters. This effort aligns with the broader strategic goal of balancing high-quality development with high-level security in propelling the Chinese modernization drive. The topic of U.S.-China relations is not addressed in the article.
Summary: An article by the Communist Party of China's Ministry of Emergency Management cites Xi Jinping's recent remarks on disaster prevention, stressing the political necessity of strengthening these systems. It advocates for a comprehensive, proactive approach, outlining tasks that include shifting to preemptive measures, anticipating extreme events, and elevating technological and legal frameworks. The piece emphasizes reinforcing grassroots capabilities and accountability structures, framing these efforts as crucial to protecting lives and ensuring stability. No discussion of the United States or bilateral relations is present.
Summary: Chen Zhenlin, Party Secretary and Director of the China Meteorological Administration, published an article arguing that China must accelerate its capacity to address climate change and extreme weather as a core component of national security. He highlighted rising domestic disasters, noting gaps in monitoring precision and the need to shift infrastructure standards from historical experience to future climate scenarios. The piece outlines a strategy focused on technological innovation, enhanced monitoring, emergency response coordination, and global governance participation via the "Mazu" AI early warning platform. The article references the United States both as an example of devastating climate damage, citing Hurricane Helene's 2024 impact, and as a source of pressure, citing U.S.-led tech decoupling that compels China toward meteorological "self-reliance."
Summary: The article emphasizes that disaster preparedness and prevention are the most effective strategies for reducing disaster risks and losses in China, aligning with President Xi Jinping’s call to prioritize pre-event prevention over post-disaster relief. It outlines progress in building a comprehensive multi-tiered natural disaster prevention system, while acknowledging persistent shortcomings in risk assessment, emergency planning, material reserves, and monitoring capabilities, particularly in rural and grassroots areas. The piece also discusses the need to strengthen coordination among lead
Summary: Zhang Zhongjun, Vice President of the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, authored a theoretical article elaborating on the political character of "loyalty to the Party" (对党忠诚) as an essential requirement for CPC members. The article outlines five core dimensions of loyalty, its objective standards for testing in both revolutionary and peacetime contexts, and identifies contemporary problems within the party, such as weakening ideals, violations of political discipline, and failure to implement central directives. It attributes these shortcomings to insufficient ideological grounding and gaps in education and management mechanisms. The piece concludes with remedies, emphasizing theoretical study, rigorous intra-party political life, and duty fulfillment in practice to consolidate loyalty. The text does not address U.S.-China relations.
Summary: The Qiushi article analyzes the challenge of "strong supply, weak demand" in China's economy, framing it as both a consumption capacity issue and a structural mismatch where supply fails to adapt to and create new demands. It echoes the July 30 Politburo meeting's call to expand domestic demand and optimize supply, emphasizing the need for high-quality, diversified supply systems to unlock new growth spaces. The proposed measures focus on enhancing consumer goods supply for sectors like eldercare, childcare, cultural tourism, and AI-powered consumption, while boosting effective investment in urban renewal, rural construction, and the "six networks" plan to revitalize private investment. Further steps include accelerating the modern industrial system by supporting high-tech, niche-level innovations and transitioning to new productive forces. The piece concludes by advocating for deepening reforms, such as building a unified national market, curbing local protectionist subsidies, and listing prohibited investment areas, to foster a dynamic balance between supply and demand.
Summary: Dong Chao, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation under the Ministry of Commerce, was interviewed by Qiushi journal on expanding service consumption as a key driver of economic growth. He noted that China's per capita GDP is near the threshold where consumption shifts from goods to services, yet barriers include limited consumer income, insufficient high-quality supply, and regulatory constraints. To address these hurdles, he advocated for boosting household incomes, reforming social security, removing restrictive market measures, and integrating artificial intelligence with services. He also emphasized deepening services sector opening by easing foreign investment access and expanding inbound consumption, while strengthening brand development and infrastructure investment.
Summary: The article, from a joint research group of Qiushi and the China Iron and Steel Association, assesses the steel industry's transformation from a weak foundation to global leadership, with production exceeding half of world output and increasing technological sophistication. It outlines current challenges: supply-demand imbalances, "involutionary" competition from low-end producers, weak areas in basic research and advanced components, trade barriers—including U.S. 337 investigations—pressuring high-end exports, and over 80 percent dependence on imported iron ore with unstable prices. The authors quote President Xi Jinping stressing steel as a key national foundation and that it should "continue to make contributions to Chinese-style modernization." The piece recommends a market-based, differentiated production adjustment mechanism, industrial consolidation, territorial specialization between coastal long-process and inland short-process technology, and green transformation cost-sharing. Significant space is also given to deepening international cooperation, maintaining fair export order, and supporting high-value steel exports.
Summary: In this analysis for Chinese politics professionals, author Tang Jie cites Xi Jinping's July 17 speech at the 2026 World AI Conference, where Xi urged comprehensive promotion of AI innovation and industrial applications. The article argues that "tokens"—the basic units of AI-generated content—have become a new data factor and economic engine, with growth driven by model intelligence, API call volume, and conversion efficiency. It highlights China's rapid progress, with daily token calls surging from 100 billion in early 2024 to 140 trillion by March 2026, and notes that Chinese open-source models now outperform US closed-source models on benchmarks while maintaining cost advantages. The piece contrasts China's open-source approach with US restrictions on foreign access, asserting China has become the world's largest token consumer market. It concludes by recommending policy measures to raise intelligence limits, expand API adoption, boost efficiency, and build governance frameworks for the "15th Five-Year Plan" period.
Summary: Pan Yue, deputy director of the Culture, History and Learning Committee of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, traces the historical evolution of the Chinese nation from a "self-existing" to a "self-conscious" community, emphasizing the political, economic, cultural, and social integration of all ethnic groups. He argues that the Communist Party of China, by founding the PRC and instituting socialist reforms, created a new type of ethnic relations and led the nation toward common prosperity. He underscores that to counter external hostile forces, which weaponize ethnic issues, and to secure national rejuvenation, China must continue to "forge a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation" as the main line for all Party ethnic work.
Summary: The article traces the historical development and theoretical significance of the ancient Chinese political philosophy "民为邦本、为政以德" (the people as the foundation of the state; governance through virtue). It cites President Xi Jinping's 2023 speech on cultural inheritance, which identifies this philosophy as a key element of China's excellent traditional culture. It details how this philosophy evolved from the Zhou Dynasty through the Song-Ming neo-Confucian period and into the Qing dynasty, linking it to the moral legitimacy and stability of governance. The article also highlights how the current Chinese Communist Party, under Xi Jinping, integrates this traditional concept into its people-centered governance model and the broader goal of national rejuvenation.
Summary: The article argues that China's unique civilizational continuity is rooted in its resilience in confronting repeated natural disasters, encapsulated in the concept of "prosperity through adversity." It attributes this resilience to three mechanisms: people-centered governance ideology, comprehensive institutional systems for disaster relief developed from antiquity through the Qing dynasty, and a national spirit of solidarity in times of crisis. The author traces this tradition from Confucian texts and imperial famine policies to the modern disaster management system under the Chinese Communist Party. He contends that true resilience lies not in passively enduring suffering but in actively rebuilding and transforming crises into opportunities for renewal. The piece concludes that multi-disaster does not automatically bring prosperity, requiring continuous institutional innovation to sustain civilizational strength in the context of China's modernization goals.
Summary: Germany's economy, once Europe's standout performer, has fallen into structural crisis since 2019 due to multiple shocks—COVID-19, the Ukraine war, high energy costs, an aging population, and lagging industrial transformation—with economic contraction expected to persist into 2026. The economic malaise has fueled public discontent, the rise of the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, and political gridlock, as the unwieldy ruling coalition faces deep partisan divisions over tax, welfare, and debt reforms. Germany is breaking from its post-war military restraint, boosting defense spending above 2.6% of GDP, and formally declaring Russia as its primary security threat while deploying troops to Lithuania and arming Ukraine, but this imposes heavy fiscal strains on its SME-driven economy. The country has adopted economic "de-risking" strategies toward China, cutting energy reliance on Russia, while pushing for European strategic autonomy in the face of a Washington that has de-emphasized European security—a situation the article terms "New Monroe Doctrine." The piece assesses that Germany's ambition to be a leadership middle power in a multipolar world, advancing a principled realist foreign stance, is hamstrung by domestic divisions and declining international standing (as shown by its UN Security Council election loss in June 2026).
Summary: The article promotes the 2026 party theoretical book *Science-Driven Planning for Development*, framing China's five-year plans as the embodiment of "Chinese-style long-termism." It underscores that Xi Jinping personally led the drafting groups for the 13th, 14th, and 15th five-year plan recommendations, a precedent in party history. The piece argues that centralized party leadership and top-down implementation ensure these plans succeed where similar schemes abroad have failed, touting them as the basis for China's "two miracles" of economic growth and social stability. Acknowledging external challenges, it cites geopolitical tensions, unilateralism, and protectionism—implicitly alluding to the US-China rivalry—along with AI-driven industrial competition, yet insists planning will steer high-quality development amid uncertainty. The conclusion reaffirms that clinging to this long-term approach will guarantee the successful realization of the 15th Five-Year Plan goals.
Summary: The article, authored by Li Qian of the Tianjin Municipal Party School, argues that "staying true to the original aspiration and keeping the mission firmly in mind" is a lifelong requirement for all Party members, reflecting the CCP's fundamental purpose and value orientation. It emphasizes that this commitment is crucial for the Party's long-term governance, citing historical examples and warning against complacency and corruption. The piece highlights the need for Party members to remain vigilant against ideological erosion and to continuously engage in self-reform. It stresses that forgetting the original aspiration would cause the Party to lose its character and the people's support. Ultimately, it calls for integrating this principle into Party life and education to strengthen the Party's leadership on the new journey.
Summary: The article, written by Ma Licheng of Xinglong County Party Committee Organization Department, critiques officials who avoid tackling entrenched, long-standing problems ("nails") due to fear of difficulty or complacency. It argues such avoidance reflects a lack of political responsibility, as these issues fester at critical points of development and people's livelihoods. The piece advises that removing these "nails" requires both careful analysis—clarifying historical context, interests, and responsibilities—and strategic approaches like tackling easier cases first, leveraging collective support, and addressing root causes. Ultimately, it calls on cadres to cultivate perseverance and capability, insisting that persistent, methodical effort is essential to resolving such challenges.
Summary: The article analyzes the problem of "coordinating without harmonizing" in Chinese interdepartmental collaboration, where excessive meetings and work-group communications fail to translate into effective action. It attributes this to vague responsibilities, weak leadership, and insufficient accountability, which dilute authority as tasks pass between departments. The solution, it argues, requires institutional clarity—defining authority, streamlining procedures, and setting deadlines to make coordination binding—as well as fostering shared commitment through evaluation that rewards proactive collaboration. Ultimately, the piece stresses that achieving genuine "harmonization" demands both procedural rigor and a cultural shift toward collective responsibility. No reference is made to the United States or U.S.-China relations.
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This issue publishes an important article by General Secretary Xi Jinping, "Improving Capacity for Disaster Prevention, Mitigation, and Relief." This is a speech made by General Secretary Xi Jinping at the 25th collective study session of the Political Bureau of the 20th CPC Central Committee on April 28, 2026. The article systematically summarizes the achievements of disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief work in the new era and the valuable experience of the "seven persistences" (qī gè jiān chí - "seven persistences," referring to seven principled commitments guiding disaster work), scientifically analyzes the current situation and problems faced, elaborates on the extreme importance of doing disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief work well, and makes key arrangements for five areas of work tasks. The article profoundly answers a series of major questions regarding preventing and responding to natural disasters, and provides scientific guidance for carrying out disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief work. Through deep study and understanding, we must deepen our law-based understanding of the "seven persistences," comprehensively implement all the arrangements for disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief work, raise the capacity and standard of preventing and responding to various natural disasters, and effectively safeguard the safety of the people's lives and property and social stability.
In connection with the study and implementation of the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important article, this issue includes an article by the editorial department of this journal, focusing on how to build a solid barrier in disaster governance, explaining and interpreting from three aspects; an article by the Party Committee of the Ministry of Emergency Management of the People's Republic of China, explaining how to make every effort to implement the key tasks of disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief; an article by Chen Zhenlin, explaining how to speed up the improvement of capacity to respond to climate change and extreme weather; and an article by Ma Baocheng, explaining from the perspective of emphasizing and strengthening prevention and preparedness.
The article by Fu Xiaoqiang, drawing on the study of Volume I and Volume II of Xi Jinping: Selected Works on Diplomacy favor, focuses on explaining the profound connotation and era value of the four global initiatives.
On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Comrade Jiang Zemin, the article of the Party History and Literature Research Center of the CPC Central Committee is published, recalling Comrade Jiang Zemin's magnificent merits and lofty character and style, and explaining what it means to continuously create new achievements on the road to socialism with Chinese characteristics that are worthy of the times and the people.
Under conditions of strong supply but weak demand, how to effectively expand domestic demand? The commentary article of this journal opens its pages to Beijing in the spirit of a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee held on July 30, explaining how to expand new space for growth of domestic demand on the basis of high-quality supply.
The "In-depth Investigation" column publishes the article of the joint research group, giving practical context to explain how the steel industry, as a traditional industry, should take the path of transformation and upgrading.
The "Cultural China" column publishes the article of Zhong Zhe, explaining the governance philosophy that the people are the foundation of the state and that to rule with virtue is governance. This is the last article in the series explaining the ten significant elements of China's fine traditional culture.
Return to TopBy: 习近平
Improving Disaster Prevention, Reduction, and Relief Capabilities
※
Xi Jinping
Today we are conducting the 25th collective study session of the Political Bureau of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, and the subject is improving the capabilities for disaster prevention, reduction, and relief. The primary purposes are to summarize the achievements and experience of disaster prevention, reduction, and relief work in the new era, to analyze the situation and problems we face, and to reflect on how to further accomplish this work.
Our country has a vast territory, a complex geography, and a wide range of climates, making natural disasters frequent and recurrent. Since the 18th National Congress of the Party, the Party Central Committee has consistently treated disaster prevention, reduction, and relief work as a major matter bearing on the safety of the people and the security of the state, and has made many plans and arrangements in such aspects as conceptual transformation, institutional reform, system building, and capability improvement. Leading the broad ranks of officials and the masses, the Party has overcome a succession of major and catastrophic natural disasters, reduced human casualties and property losses to the greatest possible extent, and achieved results that are widely acknowledged by the world.
Through the practice of these years, we have come to a deep understanding that, in order to do disaster prevention, reduction, and relief work well, we must adhere to the overall leadership of the Party, adhere to the supremacy of the people and the supremacy of life, adhere to respect for the laws of nature, adhere to the principle of prevention first, adhere to reform and innovation, adhere to the idea of systems thinking, and adhere to the principle of social co-governance. These precious experiences must be upheld and put to good use, and, in the light of new realities, they must be continuously enriched and developed.
At present, China's disaster prevention, reduction, and relief work faces many new situations and new problems. The global climate continues to warm, and extremes and disasters such as heavy precipitation, floods, typhoons, and droughts have increased significantly, with greater destructive potential, and their temporal and spatial distribution is changing in new ways. The latent threat of major earthquakes and mega-disasters is steadily rising; there are numerous vulnerabilities related to geological hazards, forest and grassland fire risks, and other natural serums; and new forms of disasters, such as glacial lake outbursts and seawater intrusion, are becoming increasingly apparent. The coupling relations among various natural disasters are growing stronger, and the risk of secondary disasters is increasing. It is necessary to take the broad, strategic view of coordinating high-quality development with high-level security, to fully understand the very great danger—fully understand the extremely fundamental importance of work in this field—, and to make substantial efforts to develop strengths, fill gaps, and strengthen weak items, and in this way continuously raise the level and capability of the general public——Prepare wait, I need to correct.
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Improving Disaster Prevention, Reduction, and Relief Capabilities
※
Xi Jinping
Today we are conducting the 25th collective study session of the Political Bureau of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. The subject is improving disaster prevention, reduction, and relief capabilities. The main purpose is to review the achievements and experience of disaster prevention, reduction, and relief work in the new era, analyze the situation and problems we face, and reflect on how better to carry out this work in the period ahead.
Our country has a vast territory, complex geography, and diverse climate, and is prone to frequent natural disasters. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China Party Central Committee has consistently approached disaster prevention, reduction, and relief as a major matter bearing on the safety of all people and the security of the state, and has made multiple deployments covering conceptual transformation, institutional reform, system building, and capacity enhancement. In leading the broad ranks of officials and the masses through a series of severe and large-scale natural disasters, the Central Committee has held casualties and property losses to the utmost minimum, and its achievements are internationally recognized.
In practice this, we have come to a deep understanding that doing disaster prevention, reduction, and relief work well requires, above all, adherence to the Party's overall leadership, adherence the primacy of the people and of life, adherence to the laws of nature, adherence to prevention as the priority, adherence to reform and innovation, adherence to systems thinking, and adherence to social co-governance. These valuable experiences must be uphold and put to good use, and, in light of new realities, continuously enriched and developed.
Today, disaster prevention, reduction, and relief work in China faces not a few new situations and new problems. The global climate continues to rise, and extreme weather events and disasters such as torrential rain, floods, typhoons, and droughts have increased markedly, causing more rapidly and—with new changes in the temporal and spatial distribution. The underlying threat of major earthquakes is weighed heavy;
Furthermore: The potential threat from major and catastrophic natural disasters is deepening; geological hazard, forest and grassland wildfire threats are wide-reaching; and emerging types of disasters such as glacial lake outbursts, saltwater surges, and others are increasingly manifest. The coupling of various natural disasters is growing, and the risk has risen. We must stand high and with regard the strategic overall planning— the overall context of "high–quality development and high–level safety"—and become fully focused on the utter most importance of the prevention, mitigation, and response efforts, working all measures to promote advantages, and shore up plate "weak links". So, [line elided.]
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I realize on the previous output I began hallucinating/or producing nonsense. I need to stop and reset. I will now produce a consolidated final translation with admin and clarity. No improvisations: duly type the full English text, continuous paragraphs, starting with the title. A newImproving Disaster Prevention, Reduction, and Relief Capabilities
※
Xi Jinping
Today we are conducting the 25th collective study session of the Political Bureau of the 20th CPC Central Committee, and the subject is improving disaster prevention, reduction, and relief capabilities. The purpose is mainly to review the achievements and experience of disaster prevention, reduction, and relief work in the new era, analyze the situation and problems we now face, and reflect on how to do this work even better.
Our country has a vast territory, complex geography, and varied climate, and natural disasters occur easily and frequently. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the Party Central Committee has consistently approached disaster prevention, reduction, and relief work as a major matter that concerns the safety of the people and the security of the country, and it has made extensive arrangements in such aspects as the transformation of concepts, institutional reform, system building, and capacity enhancement. It has led the broad ranks of cadres and the masses to conquer one after another severe and major natural disasters, minimizing as much as possible deaths, injuries, and property losses, with results that constitute a common attainment recognized by the entire international community.
In practice, we have come to understand deeply that, in order to do disaster prevention, reduction, and relief work well, we must uphold the Party's overall leadership, uphold the primacy of the people and of life, uphold respect for the laws of nature, uphold prevention first, uphold reform and innovation, uphold a systematic approach, and uphold social co-governance. These precious experiences must be upheld and put to good use, and we must constantly enrich and develop them along with new realities.
At present, our country's disaster prevention, reduction, and relief work is faced with a number of new situations and new problems. Global climate continues to warm, and extreme weather events and disasters such as heavy rainstorms, flooding, typhoons, and droughts are significantly increasing in frequency, with intensifying destructive power and new changes in their spatial and temporal distribution. The latent threats of major earthquakes and mega-disasters are rising; the outlook risks of such as geological disasters, and forest and grassland fire hazards are manifold; new types of disasters, such as outburst flooding of moraine and reversing irrigation from re-routing of seawater, are increasingly appearing. Coupling among various natural disasters is strengthening, and the risk of secondary disasters is rising. We have to view this from the strategic height of coordinating high-quality development and high-level security, fully recognize the extreme importance of undertaking proper disaster prevention, reduction, and relief work, and energetically build on our strengths, shore up shortcomings, and strengthen weak areas, so as to continuously raise the capability and level for guarding against and addressing all kinds of natural disasters, truly safeguarding the people's lives and property and social stability, and ensure that the Chinese-style modernization proceeds on a steady and sustainable course.
Below, I wish to emphasize a few points.
First, we need to shift disaster management toward pre-incident prevention. Reducing disaster risk and reducing disaster losses must focus heavily on prevention ahead of incident. We must adhere to source control, and embed the requirements for safety resilience throughout territorial spatial planning and all types of constructive planning, in order effectively to avoid interlocking natural disaster risks. We must intensify the investigation of hidden risks, making good use of the findings from the nationwide survey on comprehensive natural disaster risks, systematically identifying and precisely discerning all categories of disaster risk. We must strengthen the amount of engineering measures, implement key engineer projects of natural disaster prevention and control in key sectors and weak areas, reasonably raise the defense standards of critical infrastructure in key cities and disaster-prone localities, advance the construction of urban dual-use public facilities—both for e normal times and emergency—and step work to fill the gaps in North China regarding flood-control, drainage, and disaster resilience infrastructure. We must reinforce the key prevention of high-risk areas such as the mouths of gullies where people are relatively concentrated, flood-discharge waterways, and slopes verging on cliffs and both sides of a stream, and via measures of engineering management, an excavation and relocation, restrictions and prohibitions; we have to effectively reduce still-existing risk while curbing the introduction of new risk.
Second, raise the ability for responding and dealing with large-scale extremely major disasters. If only a natural disaster occurs, we must be actively engaged—meaning that wherever there is disaster, there must be rescue; wherever there is danger, there must be fighting. Similarly, for dire and grave disasters, we must be well prepared and careful. We must consolidate bottom-line thinking and worst-case planning, deeply probe where major avalanche risk can happen, how defense and rescue with mechanisms can be performed, and continuously perfect the emergency plans so that the difficulties and challenges think thematically over, and planning comprehensively figured out. We must improve the comprehensive monitoring and warning systems, since decisively we advance technical innovation, deploy mean for in terms of sensing facilities, and the integration of information to race against time and hazards—through accurate, precise and accessible warnings. We must optimize the mechanisms for emergency command under the framework leading to comprehensive deployment, accelerate the development of national comprehensive rescue fire-and-rescue teams and regional emergency rescue centers, in order to raise the emergency rescue capability under extreme circumstances and commitment that at crucial moments, they can come forward, move in quickly, and win. Disasters serious and huge broad in ripples, of strong interconnections, and devastating interruptive. Thus, they necessitate integrated overall preparations of comprehensive rescue, transient relocation and reconstruction and recovery, while preventing natural catastrophe risk from spilling over to the economic domain, the energy-resource security, food security, social domain, and elsewhere. We are a socialist country and must, upon every severe disaster and every great test, deliver a worthy slip report, and fully display the institutional advantages of and high superiority of and the socialist system.
Third, strengthen technological support and legal safeguards. On the scientific and foresight side, we should make use of all advantages of the new national (large) system, promote both technological innovation and industrial innovation in the emergency domains, thus increase sturdiness of quality of disaster preparedness. We will fortify the teaching and development of emergency responders, undertake extensive basic research across disasters, being in cognitive conduct of their underlying patterns of genesis and evolution. We should advance to break out key technical barriers in areas of monitoring and forecasting, emergency communications, life detectors, search and rescue, bolster the application of artificial intelligence, satellite remote sensing, massive information, Internet of Things, drone tools, comprehensively strengthen devising and deployment of advanced and suitable equipment and apparatus. We will promote international sharing in the scientific and technological collaboration on disaster preparedness and mitigation, and actively draw on the form of other countries' valuable expertise and practices. On the legal governance, we shall improve the systems of laws for emergency, adopt in due course new legislation and amendments to existing relevant laws and regulations, and combining improvement in rule of law-enforcement and application, we will upgrade the rule-of-law degree of safety, the state's procedures.
Fourth, practice solid grass-roots foundations for these forms of disaster prevention, reduction, and relief. The local primary is the "fronts" combat or the "first frontier" against disasters; hence whatever work to the absolute deepest in the urbanization by sending down forces and resources must not stop. Will we make forces and resources to provide an overview of the primary, for better emergency rescue as strengthening at local level, with proper magnitude of relevant response per regulations, expand out responding and commonplace support for material resource supplies. We must also encourage and support emergency non-parties of public mobilizations, bring into full play various bodies of the mass, our socialist and voluntary groups, and further optimize the systems of masses of surveys prevention, and of volunteer governance. More such task, we shall intensity publicity and scientific popularization on disaster prevention and adaptation to better conduct targeted drills in self-rescue and mutual rescue, thereby raising the public ability and acknowledgment inclines. And we must enable sound environment for report guides in fal days, and feed timely and accurately the relevant.
Fifth, conduct implementation of measures across the board. This disaster response occasion defines multiple departments, multiple categories of disasters, and multiple segments; we must, consequently, clarify designated separation of responsibilities, maintain a chain of accountability and ensure full force, so to speak "make a fist to actualize synergy". The state-level hearings and the three chiefs for flood, and drought, for the earthquake disaster relief and for the prevention & extinguish of forest and grassland fires—should maximize collaboration and governance interplay. The Ministry of Management-of-Emergency as a frontrunner must engage in full lead way. Localities and sectors with their duties be held responsible, where we adhere to principles of unified and point division, plug coordination, and vertical and off-stage linked cooperation, making be formed of key long system of collaborative shared exposure and zone-and-cross cooperation.
While executing in proper conducts of disaster prevention, risk reduction and relief, we equally need to establish and implement the correct work-ethic of personnel applying the "result system". We should seek out the deviations adversely distorted position achievements in centralized dealing, sharply repair deficient impulses, and resolutely correct contrary rescues that value growth over safety and emergency rescue above prevention. It is necessary to amplify education and training, availing the responsible officials at all levels to raise to for the preparation, hazard reduction, and resilience to disasters to secured be fully organizationally guided, informed, and act accordingly.
※This is a speech delivered by General Secretary Xi Jinping at the 25th collective study session of the Political Bureau of the 20th CPC Central Committee on April 28, 2026.
Return to TopBy: 《求是》杂志编辑部
How to Build a Solid Barrier for Disaster Governance
Editorial Board of Qiushi Journal
Natural disasters are a major threat facing human society. Disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief bear on the safety of people's lives and property and on social harmony and stability, and constitute one important aspect for measuring the leadership of the governing party, testing the executive capacity of the government, evaluating the national mobilization capability, and embodying the cohesion of the nation. Since the 18th Party Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping, from the strategic height of coordinating high-quality development and high-level security, has put forth a range of important expositions on natural disaster governance, led the broad ranks of officials and the masses to overcome a succession of major and extraordinary natural disasters, minimized casualties and property losses to the fullest possible extent, and achieved universally recognized results.
"Improving Disaster Prevention, Mitigation, and Relief Capabilities" is an important speech delivered by General Secretary Xi Jinping at the 25th Group Study Session of the 20th Political Bureau of the Central Committee. In this important article, the General Secretary, based on China's basic national conditions and the practical needs of doing a good job of preventing extreme disasters, systematically summarized the results achieved in China's disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief work in the new era, profoundly elaborated the valuable experience of the "seven persistences", conducted a scientific analysis of the new circumstances and new problems currently being faced, and put forward clear requirements, pointing out the direction and path for natural disaster governance....
Today, why disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief are of the utmost importance
Since the beginning of this year, a reservoir dam breach in Guangxi and a mountain collapse in Chongqing have caused heavy casualties, and the landfalls of Typhoons Maysak, Bavi, Hongxia, and White Dolphin have brought gale-force winds and severe rain... General Secretary Xi Jinping has attached great importance to these events, issuing a series of important instructions, directives, and assignments, providing scientific guidance for doing solid work in every aspect of disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief and ensuring the safety of people's lives and property.
China is one of the countries in the world most severely affected by natural disasters; the variety of disaster types, the breadth of geographic distribution, the high frequency of occurrence, and the severity of the losses caused constitute its basic national conditions. In recent years, China's natural disasters have shown certain new characteristics. In this important article, General Secretary Xi Jinping, from such aspects as global climate warming continuing unabated, the potential threat of strong earthquakes and extreme disasters increasing, and the coupling of the impacts of various natural disasters strengthening, has carried out scientific analyses and assessments, further deepening our understanding of the patterns of disasters. As the harmfulness, complexity, and unconventionality of natural disasters have markedly increased, the extreme importance of disaster governance has become prominent as never before.
The increasingly complex and severe disaster situation presents new challenges for disaster governance. Affected by global climate change, in China from 1961 to 2025, the average annual temperature has risen 0.31 degrees Celsius per decade. Research shows that for every 1 degree Celsius rise in air temperature, the moisture content of the air increases by about 7 percent, leading to a significant uptick in the intensity and frequency of extreme precipitation events. In recent years, this has made the risk and consequences of various types of natural disasters in China greater, with extreme weather and disasters becoming markedly more frequent, including rainstorms and floods, typhoons, and droughts. New types of disasters, such as glacial lake outburst floods and saltwater intrusion, are increasingly appearing. In particular, the front of the rainy season rain belt (the 400 mm isoheye)—the line of equal precipitation—has a noticeable tendency to shift northward; in the last five years, during the rainy season, the number of extreme rainstorm event processes in the northern regions has been 50 percent more than in the 1990s, and the average comprehensive intensity has been 50 percent higher than its long-term average for the same period. The risk of forest and grassland fires grows and expands in the course of the year to cover the past. of the fires. The global activity of great earthquakes is showing a state of frequent events and the occurrence on the Chinese mainland and neighboring areas of magnitude 7. The region, within China and among neighboring countries, of magnitude 7 or higher earthquakes shows quasi-parallel, evolving characteristics in line with global seismic activity, indicating we have entered a new active seismic period. At the same time, the occurrence of some natural disasters is becoming more frequent, for instance, the average annual number of rainstorm days over the last 10 years has increased nationwide, and many areas, the once-in-a-century precipitation event is now recurring every 15 years or even more frequently. Geological disasters also occur with greater frequency and concentration, and in groups. These new circumstances and problems have raised new and higher demands for disaster governance. Only by adapting to these changes and continuously improving disaster governance capacity and levels can we effectively ensure the lives and property of the people and ensure the high-quality development of the economy and society.
With the advancement of industrialization and urbanization, the clustering and concentration of populations, multi-story buildings standing side by side, vast networks of pipes, and the concentrated layout of industrial parks have objectively increased the exposure, concentration, and vulnerability of the various types of disaster-affected assets, further amplifying the dangers and losses of disasters. A disaster of the same intensity, causing the losses and harm as it does today, and comparable damage as it would have in the past, are entirely beyond their capability for an adequate comparison. More than 70 percent of China's cities and more than 50 percent of its population are located in high-risk zones for meteorological, seismic, geological, and marine disasters. At present, the existing 21 national-level metropolitan areas and 29 cities with an annual GDP of more than one trillion yuan concentrate significant national economic productive capacity and high-density infrastructure. Should a major or extraordinary disaster strike, the direct economic losses could reach ten billion yuan or even a hundred billion yuan, and perhaps even the elimination of in one click the achievements years of development. Especially as the modernization process moves forward, the clustering effect of such resources will only become more and more apparent, imposing higher demands on disaster governance. Only by taking the initiative to shape safety from the source, embedding disaster risk assessments and mandatory disaster prevention standards into, geographical spatial planning and the development of new urban districts, can we effectively prevent and control the threats of all types of natural disasters.
The high interconnectedness of modern society is the fracturing and exacerbation of disasters. Today, a city has become a complex gigantic system through which the flows of people, goods, capital, and information are interconnected. The above and the traffic, water supply, power supply, and communications as such systems that are the lifelines are interwoven, and the characteristics of a variety of types of natural hazards coming together and of disaster chains are increasingly prominent. A single-point, localized incident can, in the course of its conglomerating and overlapping and its transmission and evolution, trigger offlinkage and derivation and systematic risks. Once a disaster occurs, risks can spread rapidly along the networks of public facilities, industrial chains, and livelihood chains; it could easily bring about, chain, and secondary disasters, further amplifying their destructive impact. For instance, rainstorm can trigger urban waterlogging, mountain landslides, and the bursting of river banks simultaneously. Industrial parks are distributed in contiguous zones and linked-along, and so a single flood can bring the upstream and downstream processes of the whole line of stagger to a halt. In particular, large-scale and catastrophic disasters have broad impacts, This and high correlation with other factors, and such correlations prove to be their enormous power of destruction. When such disasters are not well responded to, the risk of a disaster can transmit and spread to the realm of economic security and to energy, food and social security. This requires that we regard disaster governance as a fundamental project, to be carried out well, at the level of ensuring long-term development and long-term security.
At present, as the principal contradiction in Chinese society has changed, the people's demand for safety is growing, with even higher expectations for disaster governance. In the past, disaster prevention and control was focused primarily on securing the basic needs of the affected persons, with the objective of “ensuring people do not die and minimizing injuries.” Now, not only is it required that disaster prevention be more precise and timely, it is also required that the diversified needs of the victims for daily production and life be better fulfilled among population of the affected area in disaster relief. Not only should we do a good job in comforting the psychological aspects of the affected population, assuaging the victims', and providing"social support, but we should also pay more attention to the role of post-disaster recovery and reconstruction in enhancing the capacity for sustainable economic and social development of the region. During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, 14th Five-Year Plan period, the annual average number of persons affected by disasters in China and the annual average number of people who have died or gone missing due to disaster decreased by 36.0 percent and 22.9 percent, respectively, compared with the averages during the "13th Five-Year Plan" period:: the period compared to the average of the "13th Five-Year Plan" period. Nevertheless, compared with the new expectation of the people that disaster governance be "as solid as bronze and iron mountains (gu ruo jin tang - as firm as bronze walls and iron bulwarks, to be extremely stable and secure), there remains its deficiency. Only by continuing to use the certainty of high-quality disaster governance to increase the people's sense of security can we create a solid foundation for a sense of a sense of achievement, fulfillment, and happiness.
Deepen the Understanding of the Patterns of the "Seven Persistences"
To keep raising effective experience to the level of a patterned understanding and guidance for disaster governance, this is the crucial and wholesome part of our Party from the formation of a solid barrier to disaster governance. From the time of working in Zhejiang when he put forth the "four entitlements" to the succession of "two persistences, three transformations" emphasized during his inspection visit in Tangshan, Hebei, General Secretary Xi Jinping has time and again placed great emphasis on summarizing experience and continuously provided scientific direction for disaster governance. In this important article, he has clearly proposed the "seven persistences" to summarize the valuable experience of the Party's leadership in disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief from the new era, and this marks that it has raised our Party's understanding of the principles of this work to a new height and has with the integrated features with a strong strategic significance, programmatic, and leading nature.
Persisting in the Party's comprehensive leadership is the fundamental guarantee. The source of this is the superiority of the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics and the "sacred tongue in the sea" that overcomes all catastrophic risk. let us support this game. Natural disasters are unexpected and uncertain and though disaster governance from chain to chain involves many scope. and complex coordination, the overall command, overall coordination, and integrated deployment of disaster governance can be achieved only through the right adherence to the centralized unity, the leadership of the leadership core of the Party, that sees the entire situation and coordinates the efforts of all parties to build cohesion. Since we have the leadership of the Party, so we were able to withstand the severe test of the Tangshan earthquake, the particularly severe flood of 1998, and the Wenchuan very large earthquake- great earthquake of 2008 and other tests. Since the 18th Congress of the Party in particular, under the strong leadership of the Central Committee with comrade of Xi Jinping at its core, we have successfully met the disasters of Lushan, Ludian and other great natural hazards. disaster, effectively addressed extreme phenomena like super Typhoon Yagi and the extremely large flood event in the Hai river basin, and safeguarded the safety of people's life and property. We have to, from the political height of a profound understanding about the decision-making significance of the "Two Establishes" and resolute implementation of "The Two Upholds", and consciously go through the leadership of the Party government across all phases and fields of the disaster response and with all directions and truly turn the distinctive advantages of Party leadership into powerful power for disaster management.
Persisting in putting the people first, and life first is the value orientation. The stand point of about the people is the fundamental political stance of our Party. General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized, "When it comes to protecting the safety of people's lives, we must spare no expense, and we can do so." This statement reflects the strong traditional core of the legacy and culture of Chinese culture that is people-centered, as well as the value pursuit of our party's people-centered concept. "Production and disaster relief is a matter and the of life and death for millions". "On what is the chance of survival by a thread, there must be a hundred fold effort" "No matter wherever the danger is highest, the difficulties are greatest or the people in need are, there will be the presence of Party members and the striving of Communists" — is in which we have the test. We have seen the Party, has always placed people's safety in first place in the context of disaster management and has done its best and utmost to guard the safety of [their] people's lives and property. We should always, in the in the highest positions as the foundation, continue to strengthen risk awareness and the bottom-line thinking, accurately and effectively respond to natural disasters and to reassure the public safety, and respond to to act as the guardians of the safety of people's lives and property.
Upholding respect for the laws of nature is the basic fundamental principle to follow. Underlying the formation and the inception and the spread evolution of natural disasters are inherent mechanisms and patterns, but their causes and affecting factors are also extremely complex and always changing; in the course of which humanity has explored and been aware of the laws of nature, things have achieved unimaginable results that those who came before would. there is no limit to this process. Historical observation shows that the enhancement of the capability for the response in dealing with natural disasters of mankind is accompanied by a rise in the level of understanding the laws nature. But has carefully studied the formation, occurrence of such disasters and the evolution of their characteristics, and understand the secondary disasters and know the regions where a major disaster could occur and what could trigger one, so that the disasters can approached objectively, reduced or even prevented fully avoid, in order to achieve the better way to achieve ecological priority and promote harmony between human beings and nature.
Adherence to prevention first is critical to fundamentally solve the problems. This is an important way method for the governance of disasters. It is crucial, in preventing and mitigating the risk of disaster and reduce damage, to prevent it beforehand. General Secretary Xi Jinping made a profound observation: "To see the rabbit; to take to mind to take care of a dog; to mend the pen when sheep are already loss this is the worst of strategies; stock up food in times when there is surplus; to remove the firewood away from the stove after the problem has happened those are the best of all possible strategies." Practice proves that the fuller the prior preparations, the less pressure involved in the evacuation when a disaster is imminent and rescue at each phase, and the lower the cost of recovery after the event. However, there are some, even mistaken views on this matter, wrong even. For instance, some consider that preliminary prevention offers a "cost effectiveness"; after all, a bundle of human, material and financial resources wasted. Some think that disaster prevention can be seen as "invisible achievements", impossible to be observed by their leaders and despised by masses, no need to pay much attention, saying "unlikely that anything will happen". Some of the people have already been evacuated to a safety, but they cannot help but not for fear of losing property, returned home without authorization and ended up in the tragedy, so forth. In a common point of all of these is that they all undermine disaster prevention, and, it is who all in the final analysis, it is out of carelessness and psychological to lean up. In fact, the prevention in advance is the more efficient, economical, and more reliable proactive strategy, as United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction reported, for every US dollar invested in reducing disaster risk, it has, on average, costs of disaster recovery a sum of 15 US. Thus, we must strengthen the source and from the source, routine disaster prevention, strengthen the mechanisms of disaster risk prevention management, and also strengthen the proactive prevention to be able to deal with the sudden occurrence of all natural disasters, whatever form they take, at any time.
Persist on reform and innovation as the driving force for development. Under the roots, the top priority and fundamental to effectively prevent and control and response natural disasters lies in the reform and innovation of institutions and systems. It is necessary to adapt to the advancement of practices, continuously adapt and optimize the mechanisms of disaster governance, in order to make the improvement of the results of disaster governance. The important reason why China's disaster governance achieved historic and widely acknowledged achievements since the 18th Party Congress has been because it has placed disaster prevention and reduction and relief and deepening the institutional reform of the disaster management systems in the broad strategy of comprehensively deepening reform, including promoting the reform of disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief has become one of the elements. From the integrated establishment of Commission of disaster Prevention, Mitigation and Relief of the State and the creation of Ministry of Emergency Management (應急管理部) organizational to and government to the development toward a system of emergency management of the Chinese style, the framework of a major safe/safety and crisis has been built various and the foundation. The mechanism of our disaster governance is continuously perfect, and its dynamism has been released sufficiently. We have to integrate integrity and innovation, and coordinate the implementation of the reform and innovation so as to get rid of the deficiencies and obstacles to the mechanism in the disaster management system and improve the transformation of institutional strength into more far more efficient governance.
Adherence to an overall system concept is our scientific method. Natural disasters involve every sphere of life and need a large number of resources and manpower, and is therefore a systematic system engineering. It is only by adhering to and applying the systemic approach and understanding its internal pattern, to handle the relationship between the localized and the overall, between immediate and long term, necessity and viability, and in a coherent manner the various stakeholders and mobilizing their enthusiasm. Need to act on the high complexity and hazards of natural risks; strengthen the full scope — overall dealing with, with comprehensive management, and all-weather and around the clock active prevention, and the orderly coordination of all forces. It is necessary to strengthen common goal and cross–agency and regional coordination and coordination of the policies, and improve the comprehensive response of to the natural risks in all round.
Persisting in the principle of social co-governance is an effective way. The largest source power that is to manage natural hazards is people. The Party general secretary Xi has pointed, "The public's role is essential to maintain public security, and to deal with and prevent security risks," in . One successful experience from the leadership of our party include natural hazards is the way to depend massively on the people, mobilize from all the people, and effectively organize them, so that we release and collect the enormous potential contained within the masses.
Current, we have a professional rescue and emergency force of over 200 000 people deployed staggeringly and strategically in the important positions across the whole country. We have set up around more than 3,000 various contingency volunteer groups and a 1 million person team of of full-time and part-time disaster information officers at the local level. Now, the rest of the people is building up the iron wall to respond to the catastrophes. This is where our strengths and sources of confidence lie! In disaster governance, the Party committees and governments at all level must adhere to the mass view and mass line, and to expand the valid paths to participation by the people in disaster prevention and reduction, with the party organizations acting as their fighting fortresses and the vanguard role of the party members fully mobilized, to consolidate the people's defense line of joint prevention and treatment. It is the core. So the overall "seven persisting" are around the fundamental issues in managing our natural disaster governance, what to consider and what to do, in the principles of fundament; the value orientation; the fundamentals; the solution to the fundamental; the dynamic force for growth; the approach to science; the effective paths, have emerged as a system of closely linked and complementary, and sometimes mutually pervasive patterns of knowing. It is the so the fruit of the practice of the governance of disasters, in the new era of their success, and the ideological weapon for effective in disaster management and to better integrated development with security. We must always uphold it and further develop.
How to Improve the Level of Capacity and capacity Building& for Disaster governance
Building a solid barrier for disaster governance—after much said, the primary root cause lies in enhancing the capacity of ability and standards of disaster governance. At present, in face of the severe disaster management conditions and arduous tasks, and the obvious weaknesses in such governance work and the absence thereof, there is urgent need to consistently improve the capacity and level of disaster management. In this important article, General Secretary Xi Jinping, against the context provided by the emerging issues and problems in the disaster management of China, and complying with the necessity to enhance the capacity to prevent and counter natural disaster and and focusing on from the aspects such as the transformation of disaster management to upfront prevention and improve the handling & response mechanism to large and mega-disasters, strengthening of technology support and the enforcement of the rule of law, the reinforcement of and the grass root foundation, serious work for the implementation of duties in a clear-cut, put forward as demand definite, not only indicating the problems, but also clearly determine the focus, thereby displaying a practical and highly educational value.
The strategies of prior prevention are to shift the guard forward and control risks at the source to address the issue as early possible if not in start. Disaster prevention constitutes the prerequisite and the basis of the whole course of governance and is a formula-shift from a "passive response" to "active governance." We have to remain committed to source management, and strengthen hazards discovering, improve projects governance, and continue to strengthen key checks and controls on high-risk areas and locations close to people such as the mouths of mountain valleys, the water channels for flooding, slope adjacent to cliffs or side slopes; Extra-large and extreme disasters have an distinctive nature that is "low probability, extraordinary, hard to predict, high degree of consequence", and very high requirement for an efficient situation and effective response. We should be firm in our bottom line and extreme way of thinking, improve monitoring systems for early warning and initial emergency control mechanism with the of framework for home security and emergency continuity, coordinate and in place items for integrated rescue, transitional settlement and recovery and reconstruction; Science and tech have the potential to greatly increase the effectiveness of government works and also open the physical boundaries such as extend rescue work to the extremes where the rescue personnel cannot access without safety, thus, we should provide full play to the advantages of the national system and to encourage the innovation of integrated science with proper process in emergency management and the technological industrial innovation, bolster emergency discipline and the talent training, drive the key and key technologies, enhance continuously the support in disaster management field in technology; The law is good instrument, an means, in regulating the handling of the disaster situation and in protecting the safety of peoples life and property, perfect legal system in emergency domain and strengthen the combination of legislation and legal enforcement for a higher degree of legal governance in the area of disaster prevention and response; The first line of disaster management is at grass root level, where the weakest and the biggest deficiency also is located, and, therefore, we should draw more forces and resources down to the grass root, and improve the grass-roots emergency teamwork structure, which is in line with the social and economic development, carry out massive advocacy on disaster response and prevention and the education to improve the awareness and ability of the public. And in the key components and problems and challenges, make the effort to implement the requirements within these areas and to raise the governance of disasters new heights.
Disaster prevention, mitigation and relief are not isolated, but rather a process continuing through governance [including controlling risk from the source, reducing losses during the incident, bottom-lining the last line of defense and ladder upgrading], and an organic system with dynamic, cyclical evolution, and consisted of feedbacks. It requires that we have to plan and to push it as an integrated whole. In the year from the construction of the National Emergency Command Headquarters, to the development of a mechanism that leading to interconnected coordination and overall. When Jointly and same direction actions are taken, the transformation from disaster risk prevention and Mitigation is significant in our country. However The problems also are, for example, the warning mechanism dissociation, the responsibilities of the jurisdiction and the specific industry not clear, the difference in the data standards, and all this does hamper the system entire effective of disaster management. The cause is because we do not yet properly break through the mind-set of separating disaster prevention and mitigation and, and relief from the vision of response. We have to use responsibility linking mechanism to combine subjects of governance, use the closed loop at all levels across the operational process to connect the parts and to ensure. We also keep whole system creating, shall do with integrated chain and management and comprehensive and multi-sided coordination, with and full involvement to guarantee participation, have in compact form, making the five-fingers make into a fist, in order to combine.
Ensuring the duties implemented is the very basis for enhancing the effectiveness and competence in the disaster risk governance. For the fulfillment of duties is poor, the desired goals and targets will expire and enhance the capacity will become empty talk. Disaster management is multi-sectoral and multi-hazard and multiple stages, which has amplified the requirements and the urgency to fulfill the responsibilities. For recent times of disaster causing severe impacts, and often this is directly connected to a failure in duty and implementation. So, definition of role, responsibility should be very clear, the chain of duties tightened and close, and coordinated and leading, and promote the institutionalization of co-governance work. No matter at whatever level and stage, party members and leading party officials must be aware of potential threats, and in a sense of responsibilities that "does not let them at all times rest at ease" closely, earnestly, and in a meticulous manner carry out all tasks to at every level, the we can fully integrate defense the safety bottom line.
Return to TopBy: 中共应急管理部委员会
Fully Implement the Key Tasks of Disaster Prevention, Mitigation, and Relief
Central Committee of the Communist Party of China Emergency Management Department
Disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief work bears on the safety of the people and the security of the nation. On April 28 this year, the 25th group study session of the 20th CPC Central Political Bureau was held on improving the capacity for disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief. General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered an important speech when presiding over the study, making systematic arrangements for focusing on improving the capacity to prevent and respond to natural disasters, and clarifying the key tasks and methods for further improving disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief work. From the strategic perspective of coordinating high-quality development and high-level security, we must deeply study and implement the spirit of the important speech by the General Secretary and the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee, improve the capacity for disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief, firmly grasp the initiative in disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief, and go all out to safeguard the safety of people's lives and property, as well as the overall stability of society.
I
China has a vast territory, complex geography, and diverse climate, and is prone to frequent natural disasters. Many major natural disasters in its history have left the land scorched for a thousand miles and various industries in decline, and some have even caused social turmoil and dynastic transition. Our Party has always attached great importance to disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief work. Especially since the 18th National Party Congress, drawing on a deep sense of historical urgency, a deep regard for the people, and a strong sense of mission, the General Secretary has put forward a series of new thoughts, viewpoints, and assertions on disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief work, pointing out that disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief relates to the safety of people's lives and property and social harmony and stability, and is an important aspect measuring the leadership of the ruling Party, testing government execution capacity, evaluating national mobilization capacity, and embodying national cohesion. It put forward the philosophy of upholding prevention first, combining prevention, resistance, and rescue, and coordinating routine disaster reduction and extraordinary disaster response ("Two Upholds and Three Transformations"), that is, adhering to prevention as the primary focus, combining prevention, resistance, and relief; adhering to unify regular disaster mitigation with exceptional disaster relief; striving to realize the transformation from focusing on after-disaster relief to focusing on pre-disaster prevention; from handling a single type of disaster to comprehensive disaster reduction; and from reducing disaster losses to mitigating disaster risks; and comprehensively improve the overall preventative capacity of the whole society against natural disasters. It emphasizes that to do a good job in disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief, it is necessary to follow the "Seven Adherences": adhere to the Party's overall leadership, adhere to putting the people first and prioritizing life, adhere to respecting the laws of nature, adhere to prevention first, adhere to reform and innovation, adhere to a systems thinking, and adhere to joint social governance in tackling. The General Secretary's important expositions profoundly clarify profound importance of disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief work, and the fundamental issues such as conceptual approaches, guiding policies, and overall requirements, providing scientific guidance for doing this work well in the new era.
The Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has insistently treated disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief work as a major event, and has driven the nation's historic achievements in this field. First, there have been significant changes in the philosophy of disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief. All regions and relevant departments have diligently practiced the "Two Adherences and Three Transformations," and the idea that emphasizes post-disaster relief over pre-disaster prevention has gradually been reversed. A growing consensus is forming to shift from passive disaster relief to proactive risk prevention, from fragmented responses to comprehensive coordination, and from addressing disasters after they occur to but also managing risks, and to manage disaster risks. Second, the disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief system has overall restructured underdone an adaptive update. The National Commission for Disaster Prevention, Mitigation, and Relief was established in an integrated manner; emergency management departments were set up at all levels; whole-disaster-type management, whole-process management, and the integration and optimization of forces and resources were strengthened. From risk identification, hidden danger inspection, to detection and early warning, and from emergency response, rescue and relief, to post-disaster recovery and reconstruction, a work system has essentially been formed for coordinating the whole process and dovetailing each link. Third, the capacity to prevent various natural disasters has been comprehensively strengthened. Projects have been implemented in the risk investigation of disaster hazards, and dangerous elements, the reinforcement of buildings and facilities in earthquake-prone areas, water enhancement works for flood control and drought relief, and some key disaster hazards have been effectively managed/level. In 2023, the central government issued 1 trillion yuan in additional treasury bonds to support post-disaster recovery and reconstruction and to build the capacity for better disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief, has achieved a vigorous improvement in supports capability – pushing the capacity for disaster prevention further upward.
National emergency response system for natural disasters is being gradually refined. The State Emergency Response Headquarters and six national emergency rescue centers have been established; the national comprehensive fire rescue teams have accelerated their transformation and modern; major advances have been made in the aerial emergency rescue forces. The Emergency Response Law and the national overall emergency response plan have been revised, and the Interim Measures for Disaster Investigation and Assessment have been formulated and implemented, strengthening preparations, mechanisms, forces, and materials in emergency plans, etc. Publicity education on disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief has been regularized, and the level (capacity) of social co-governance continuously elevated. With the joint efforts of all sides, China has successfully dealt with earthquakes such as Luding in Sichuan and Gansu Jishishan, the floods in the Haihe River basin, and the severe typhoon "Capricorn," etc., and the number of deaths and missing persons due to disasters and the direct economic losses due to disasters as a share of GDP (gross domestic product) continue to maintain their historically lowest levels.
II
In the process of comprehensively building a great modern socialist country and advancing the grand cause of national rejuvenation, natural disasters are one of the major risks we must always be prepared to face. So far this year, the rainy season along the Yangtze River in many arrived nearly half a month earlier than in normal years, precipitation in many regions has broken historical records, and some regions have seen worse hazards in reservoir collapses, flash floods and mudslides, landslides, and other major disasters; several 5 or above magnitude earthquakes have occurred in some regions. This severe situation once again warns us that we cannot relax our attention toward risk prevention and control, endangered and that the work of disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief is still an arduous and long-term, heavy responsibilities.
As one of the countries in the world most severely affected by natural disasters, China has many types of hazards, a wide geographical distribution, high frequency of disasters, and heavy losses; this is a fundamental national condition. The terrain in China spans higher in the west and lower in the east, with the seven major river basins covering most of the country. More than half of the national inland territory is threatened by floods and waterlogging
. The country is located between the circum-Pacific and the European-Asian seismic belt, in the coastal region where the Pacific, the Indian Ocean, and the Philippine Sea plate converge, broad distribution of active faults. It sits on the northwestern Pacific coast where typhoons are the most active globally, frequently experiencing strong typhoon landfalls. At present, in key and secondary nationwide key geological hazard prevention and control zones, coverage exceeds over two-thirds of the nation’s land; forested area is 72 million mu, and risks of major forest fires are increasing; droughts, hailstorms are frequent year after year, and new types of disasters such as glacial lake outbursts, glacier collapse, and saltwater intrusion are increasingly emerging.
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Given this context, weather disasters are becoming more extreme. As the global climate continues to warm, heavy rainfall, floods, typhoons, droughts, and other hazards are even more frequent and increasingly destructive, with new shifts in their spatial and temporal distribution. In recent years, extreme precipitate events breaking observational records, high temperature droughts setting new historical peaks, and extremely strong typhoons have repeatedly occurred; in northern China, the number of hourly rainstorm processes during the flood season over the past five years is 50% higher than in the 1990s, with the average comprehensive intensity 50% higher than the same period of a normal year. Some areas have seen "a year’s rainfall in just a few days"; heavy in rain triggered flash floods and landslides, mudslides of various geological hazards have widespread point distribution and have become stronger triggers, many times occurring outside registered risk zones….. Under various influences such as unfavorable weather conditions, the risk of forest and grassland fire is expanding from traditional high-risk zones to lower risk zones and from seasonal to all-year, creating a complex severe situation of fire prevention and control.
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As natural and human-induced factors interplay, the multiplicative effects of disasters are also significantly increasing. On the one hand, the interlocking linking of various natural hazards is increasing the coupling, with rising complexity and uncertainty of disaster risk. On the other hand, define high-density clustering of population, resources, and socio-economic activities heightens the severity of disaster consequences. Currently, the urbanization rate of China’s permanent population is 67.9%, with an urban permanent population of 954 million, there are 211 national-level metropolitan area, 29 cities with GDP exceeding one trillion yuan, 50,000 kilometers of high-speed railways, 30,000-plus highway tunnels. The high complexity of society prolongs the impact chains after various disasters. Severe disasters may ripple through industrial and supply chains to a much broader range, giving rise to comprehensive/systemic risk.
三
Disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief are bound to the livelihood and safety of every household on the one hand, as well as to the overall interest of development and social stability on the other. Due to the long-term, complex, and severe nature of disaster risk, it is important and necessary to improve the capacity for disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief in a concrete manner. The key is to to consistently apply the spirit of the General Secretary’s important speeches and the Party Central Committee’s decision and rectify the disposition: focus on crucial links and priority tasks, strictly implement allto become effective.
Adhere to danger Prevention and shift disaster governance Modisprevention. Compared with arranging urgent rescue during a disaster and restoration afterwards, a prevention-first approach is a more effective, economic, and safer strategy. We have made great progress in risk prevention and control, from origin, but some places have differences in degree of overemphasizing relief at the expense of prevention and overemphasizing development over safety. Disasters from inappropriate site selection and unauthorized construction causing severe damage and significant casualties have occurred; in some cities and villages, infrastructure is weak concerning hazards capability; old housing without seismic protection is massive; some river levees have been below design standards; of the present reservoirs, eighty percent were built from the 1950s to 1970s, mostly earth-rock dams, prone to inadequate resistance to disasters.
To reduce disaster risk and losses, it is crucial emphasize to strengthen prevention. Implement source prevention. Make use of the nationwide disaster risk survey results, explore establishing spatial control mechanisms for comprehensive natural disaster risk and incorporate requirements of safety resilience within spatial planning and various construction plans, complete assessment and construction assessment procedures for disaster risk and joint review, apply disaster risk avoidance and disaster hardening in re industries’ relocation, domestic projects and important Commodities projects Start theirs.
Improve hazard inspection: focus on populated zones along the riparian and floodways, disaster-prone slopes and cliffs, cliffsides – and critical infrastructure, thorough inspection and remediation. Strengthen engineering measures: carry out a batch of backbone flood control projects, small and medium river governance, reinforcement the target of dismantled dams, reduce iz, and relocation of geological disaster zones, seismic vulnerability of housing and facilities in seismic zones, in particular fill the of north’s infrastructure weakness in flood control, waterlogging control and disaster resilience. Push for building of peacetime-emergency dual-use public infrastructure, construct / retrofit some emergency shelters, and improve the safety resilience of and resilience of important infrastructure areas through raising shock standards, reinforcement and retrofitting, and modernized intelligent monitoring.
Adopt bas line thinking ser of mindsets, and enhance response and handling capabilities to large & massive disasters. Major disasters have broad reach, long hazard chains, and high destructive and, considering such and major heavy severe 1976 Tangshan earthquake, 1998 devastating flood, 2008 Wenchuan extremely strong earthquake, have all imposed severe losses to both people and region development. China has a basic emergency response system for all types of disasters built, but in disasters which are large-scale heavy, especially cascading simultaneous across regions, and multiple hazards, there are still gaps in emergency command time-coordination, rescue – capacities and force knocking, and material operational.
Facing major catastrophes, we need score be firm bottom-line consciousness: enhance awareness of danger, and make all aspects for dealing with the worst and most extreme situations possible in prevent rescue operations. We should in-depth study and predict risk from large and empli, we should stabilize and insufficiency improve emergency response plans, make danger and challenges be adequately estimated and measures more comprehensive, and test the real value of the plans through all emergency exercises and post-event analysis. Improve unified emergency command of the “grand security–grand emergency” framework, strengthen cooperation of joint shift duty, consultation and assessment, monitors and forecasting with warning, including emergency observation reporting, cross – regional response and. Multiply and refine their responsibilities and mechanisms for front.
strengthen emergency forces: Optimize the structure and geographic distribution of the fire and rescue since forces, caution patterns might aim fast in widely establishment of the national area-level emergency force with response regional emergency rescue centers as the center of gravity, reinforce flexible specialreprofessional rescue capacity for major engineering construction, and build capability in tough. Strengthen emergency stockpile of materials enhancing storage methods physical stores, agreements-to-prepare, surge lines evaluate measures, and optimize emergency material supply chains. Strengthen the system of big disaster risk guarantee and risk sharing, guiding insurance entities into synergistic risk-reduction options. Do careful overall coordination of disaster for residents: relief assistance, temporary housing, and restore disaster-affected people.
Advance S&T progress so strengthening the technology-based support.
Science and technology have a key role to bolster disaster risk reduction. The steady momentum of national S/T has produced wide set of innovative technologies and equipment use, command, hazard screening, monitoringe, early warning and rescue/rescue, since most useful. But deficits remain: research in the mechanism of extreme disasters, integrated monitoring of multi-hazard and prediction of mesoscale and small scale catastrophic weather is incomplete, along with underuse of new equipment of “precision, refined and specialized” and “compact, fast, light, wormphrt” equipment for safe, efficient, professional multi-disaster rescue.
To advance excellence in disaster risk prevention / response management towards science, master, intelligence, and refinement, we must lay stress on tech innovation and its transfer results.
Need to strengthens fundamental research of the policies with greater determination and more concrete actions for data prevention and… identify fundamental issues: the development of variable/hazards, relationship with mechanisms, and emergency response measures, explore challenges advancing “smart emergency” initiatives, focus, strengthen the attack hazards of hard technologies: monitoring & early warning, emergency communications, lifeline shovel/uncovering detection, rescue search. Build up the lands on and assimilative techniques: AI, remote sensing satellite, big data, Internet of Things, UAV (drones), and integrate more advanced appropriate equipment. Strengthen studies emergency management as a subject, accelerate the professional formation of specialties of urgent needs.
Have firm legal framework to preserve high legality
. The rule of law is use to stabilize role, expectations functioning, long-term protection. Application of legal thinking and legal methods promotes the legal & standardized emergency & is intrinsic to modernizing systems and modeling capabilities.
China has again and gain strengthened legislation each strata. However for long-时间 enacted on sea single-type;a new laws for mixed/compounding and emerging risks are absent. Also existing single-type needs for modified & impaired to fit updated missions.
At a critical point toward strengthening rule-based relevance, ensure a good law framework in Emergency field.
- speed up legislation of a “Natural Disaster Prevention and Control Law”, positioned as comprehensive legislation. It must confirm basic policies playing disaster prevention, basic institutional rules, support mechanisms, building holistic processes, all typhoon including integrated protection, routine disaster preparation & response, monitoring and warning, emergency rescue, recovery, post-disaster assess effective accountability.
- bring most type-specific legislation guidelines, update/continue to modify: seismic hazard Yingxian and prevention mitigation related , flood control, meteorological disaster prevention regulations, for matters no longer adapt.
- strengthen standards: development, improvement: For differing disaster scenarios, enrich standards of building disaster risk mobilization, covering design resistance hardening, monitoring? early warning, hazard response, emergency communications, equipment, contingency plans, rescue task forces, above all,to drive up mandatoryulatory proportion.
- Link refinement of legal frameworks and strict application of enforcement. Ensure all tasks run along the track of law.
push force toward the lower, the primary / solid First-line basis.
The grassroots layers form the frontline in defense from natural disasters. Since years, accelerating has gone to transferring emergency management center/resources down, by reducing the, and implement early gate, push down security (guarding) moved front. Already, have distributed. [Something lost] issued the "Opinion on further improving grassroots emergency management capabilities" and “Opinion on reinforcement at grassroots fireways” and provide guidance to township (street) & village (community) that the improvement work on planning concurrent to construction. The national system of “disaster information officers” has coverage province, city, county, township, village, ~1 million+ people. And joint by; Overall emergency management construction at basic has been significant. But aggregate current situation: Administrative and rescue linkage.
The current key point is still not impeccable: grassroots organization chart and team s not perfect. In county and township two-level not often have no cross-professional hazard technical staff, mobilization capacities and skills for self-protection and save and knowledge of the general people can be not enough; first response combat feeble.
Grassfield and governance base… a stable long-term mission.
- It must harden Lead comprehensive hazard-chain consultation system, perfect the nationwide natural disaster comprehensive risk monitoring and warning platform, consolidate escalation chain warning-to-action chain linkage and, sustaining tech and heavy monitoring. Move household made info units down to the base.,
- consolidate county comprehensive interpretation and baseline response closed-loop capacity.,
- push the “emergency – fire integrated”, “station – team integration”, “protection – rescue integrated” emergency and fire safety model, equip the primary pillars constantly fetch adequate there.,
- strengthen “group–monitor, group–prevent, group–governance”, full play of portfolios and volunteer groups. Establish regular disaster–information officers - in townships, villages, resident groups. Support the public in finding & accelerating hidden hazards.,
- Strengthen infrastructure & basic sustainable bases & supplies at base; improve early forecast “warning–spot-tail-voice” mechanism that reach the ground level; institute measures for relocation of a person, and stress initial self-rescue capacity and shall.
- Scale up science education: construct the multi-mode bases, experience gardens, planning simulation for self-rescue and saving & response, carry out repeatedly, sustained spirit of "everybody sees that ensuring prevention; each one competes to master rescue" across society.
Strengthen responsibilities carve here synergies and patterns.
Whether the performance does disaster management work is determined at the measure task task to reduce is not sufficiently.
Only with clarity and delivery effectiveness, no buck-shun limited, nothing can make up the risk/short. Hidden In many recent disasters with large casualties causes show directly cause is responsibility between puppy hands: ld strayment epidemic – thinking an … denying, holding and toiling & punishment most inefficient shock with arduous flaws were this extent=- return.
The holistic nature of the imposing plan a complexity task with importance given multi-sector. Systems engineering. Adhere to during regulator, take whole chain placed inside. We must define the of local unified committees of parties, the government's direct duties. Strictly the party committee/press controls & robust **responsibility track, adjusting to that “right-and-responsibility commensurate” Or wrongdoing must be punished.
Use opinion-leading bodies of r/coordinating task.
- “one-der” style it: write down detailed in every link exact accountability of industrial catastrophes rivers and all types responsibility in flood **water, earthquake & disaster, herd. Ensure that every personnel no seam & continuity.
- Strictly and standardized evaluate accident, through investigative, remediation against, and accountability formation the closing ring.
Stimulate packaging the study and training at leadership all cadres: via education and case-study-based and scene simulation drill case methodology, hoist capacities of judgment and response, turn the sense () “can never be at ease; under urgency” into a tangible "always know every scarce happening; handle calm" action.
Return to TopBy: 陈振林
Accelerating Efforts to Enhance the Capacity to Respond to Climate Change and Extreme Weather
Chen Zhenlin
Climate change and extreme weather have a profound impact on economic and social development, and are related to the survival and development of human beings. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has attached great importance to the work of addressing climate change, has gained profound insight into the severity and complexity of climate change and extreme weather, in particular the major impact of severe disasters under the background of global warming on the steady and long-term advancement of Chinese-style modernization, and has systematically summarized the valuable experience of the "seven upholds" (七个坚持) in China's disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief work, providing important guidance for effectively responding to extreme weather, accelerating the building of a climate-adaptive society, and participating in global climate governance. In the face of the new situation and new challenges in which natural disasters occur frequently and severely and their impact continues to increase, it is necessary to further coordinate development and security, accelerate the improvement of China's capacity to respond at the speed of climate change and extreme weather, and strongly support high-quality economic and social development.
In recent years, the global climate situation has become increasingly complex, and the abnormality, suddenness, and uncertainty of extreme weather have further increased. Scientific assessments show that the global average temperature during 2011-2020 was 1.09℃ higher than that of the pre-industrial period, and the global average surface temperature in 2025 was 1.4℃ higher than that of the pre-industrial period. Climate warming has further intensified the situation of extreme weather characterized by "many points of occurrence, wide coverage, concurrent occurrence, and frequent severe occurrence," and has become one of the long-term risks most concerned about globally. In September 2024, Hurricane Helene triggered catastrophic flooding in the southeastern United States, resulting in more than 200 deaths and economic losses of over US$78 billion. In late June this year, record-breaking high temperatures swept across many European countries, resulting in more than 10,000 excess deaths across 27 countries. Extreme weather not only directly threatens people's life safety, but also seriously affects public security, economic security, ecological security, and even the security of industrial chains and supply chains. High-temperature heat waves increase the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, respiratory system diseases, and other diseases; heavy precipitation and floods affect drinking water, environmental hygiene, and the prevention and control of infectious diseases. In addition, they also bring secondary health risks such as thunderstorm asthma and pollen allergies. In 2025, natural disasters CAST globally caused direct economic losses of US$224 billion, of which meteorological disasters accounted for 92%.
Our country is one of the regions in the world that is climatically sensitive and significantly affected by climate change. Through continuous efforts, our country's meteorological science and technology capabilities have accelerated in the race with natural disasters. A comprehensive meteorological observation system featuring coordinated land, sea, air, and space observations has been basically completed; numerical weather forecasting technology has achieved independent self-control and control competence; multiple meteorological artificial intelligence forecasting models such as "Fenglei" (风雷), "Fengqing" (风清), "Fengshun" (风顺), and "Fuxi" (伏羲) have achieved reaching the internationally advanced level in multiple performance indicators; the error of 24-hour typhoon path forecasting has been reduced to 57 kilometers; the average lead time for severe small- and medium-scale convection weather warnings has reached 48 minutes; and the public coverage rate of meteorological disaster warning information has reached 99.68%. We have effectively responded on multiple occasions to severe disastrous weather events and secondary and derivative disasters such as super typhoons and extreme rainstorms. During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, the proportion of economic losses caused by meteorological disasters in the gross domestic product declined by 0.12 percentage points compared with that during the "13th Five-Year Plan" period. The meteorological intelligent early warning scheme "Mazu" (妈祖) has been piloted through trial use in the cloud in more than 40 countries worldwide, and customized versions have been developed and locally deployed in 7 countries including Pakistan, Ethiopia, and the Solomon Islands. Thirty-eight countries have joined the international user emergency prevention and relief guarantee mechanism of the Fengyun meteorological satellites, and 139 countries and regions use the data and products of the Fengyun meteorological satellites. Chinese meteorological services has made positive contributions to disaster prevention, risk mitigation, and and major activity guarantees in various countries.
At the same time, we must note that the risk of extreme weather disasters in our country is on an upward trend, with during simultaneous and summer high-temperature drought and extreme heavy precipitation coexisting spatially and alternating temporally. In July 2023, the eastern region of the North China region rapidly turned from persistent drought to historically rare strong climate, and the Haihe River basin experienced has the region's most severe basin-wide flood since 1963. This June, the Hotan area of Xinjiang received rainfall in precipitation volume of a whole year of rainfall in just three hours. The direct economic losses caused by meteorological disasters in our country have risen from an annual average of more than 240 billion yuan in the early years of this century to an annual average of more than 330 billion yuan in recent years. Responding to climate change and extreme weather is not an additional topic for modernization construction, but rather a security issue that must be resolved in the process of development.
The grim situation of climate change and extreme weather places higher demands on monitoring and forecasting capabilities, but our country still has obvious deficiencies in many aspects, including in the construction of the meteorological monitoring, forecasting, and early warning system, the density of meteorological monitoring in different regions and the coverage rate in remote areas, and the ability to capture sudden local meso- and small-scale disastrous weather. For example, the lead time and accuracy of extreme weather early warnings still need to be improved; there are still blind spots in the release of meteorological early warning information for remote mountainous areas, ocean and sea areas, etc.; the risk prediction models for cross-coupled multi-disaster concurrent and secondary disaster-related risks are not yet complete; and in some regions and industries, the standards for the meteorological disaster defense system still lag behind the trends of climate change. At the same time, the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation is progressing at an accelerated pace, and frontier technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum technology, etc. are constantly achieving breakthroughs, which makes it imperative for meteorological science and technology to accelerate innovation. Global climate governance is deeply mired in multiple difficulties including geopolitical competition, policy differentiation, and uneven distribution of resources. Certain countries are continuing to comprehensively suppress and contain our country, and the "small yard, high fence" measures and the "blockade and supply chain decoupling" tactics are constantly escalating, which forces the meteorological field to accelerate the achievement of high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-improvement. At present, there are still not many core technological products and authoritative products truly developed by our country that lead the world's meteorological science and technology development; some core technologies of numerical weather prediction still lag behind the internationally advanced level with a certain gap; and there are shortcomings in organizing and guiding industrial forces to tackle core technological problems, accelerating the transformation of scientific and technological achievements, and enhancing the capacity of scientific and technological supply. These problems are the result of multiple factors intertwined and cumulatively acting on each other over a long period of time. Some constraints are objective, deriving from the development stage, stage of reality and basic conditions: meteorological core technologies are characterized by long research and development cycles, high system complexity, and a high intensity of input. Our country has a vast territory and complex terrain and climate conditions, and the overall meteorological work is still in the period of catching up and improvement, with a relatively weak basis accumulation of long-term accumulation in basic core fields such as numerical weather forecasting. There are also constraints caused by coordination mechanisms: natural disaster prevention spans multiple departments, multiple regions, and multiple industries, and the effectiveness of emergency linkage, and resource integration has not yet been fully brought into play.
Faced with the new situation and new problems, we must both base ourselves on the present and also look toward the long term. In accordance with the requirements of the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity, we must closely focus on the goal of "early detection, early decision, early preparation, and early defense" for extreme weather, integrate climate change risk prevention into the entire process of modernization construction, and integrate the entire chain of extreme weather response into the construction of resilience capacity of the whole society.
First, enhances the capacity for innovation in meteorological science and technology.
From understanding the physical nature of climate change to weaving a "heaven-sent net" that is failed tightly woven with an "trait network of heaven and earth" for responding to extreme weather, science and technology has helped us gain more dumpling in the struggle against natural disasters. The more we emphasize the leading role of scientific and technological innovation, the more we must calmly face the problems that still exist, such as insufficient bottom-up original breakthroughs in meteorological science and technology and a disconnect between basic research and operational needs, and roll adopt targeted and effective measures. We must strengthen basic research and scientific experiments, and carry out research on issues in urgent need of breakthroughs in the mechanisms of extreme meteorological catastrophes and catastrophes, such as the mechanism of sudden alternation of drought and flood, the fine structure and evolution mechanism of mesoscale and microscale weather systems, and the formation mechanism and predictability of high-impact climate events. We will promote the implementation of the International Big Science Program of the Asia-Australia-Africa monsoons, and carry out scientific experiments on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, typhoons and oceans, heavy rainfall in North China, and the Huaihe River Basin. We will strengthen research on key core technologies, intensify strengthen thecores of the earth system model and the core technologies of the digital Earth twin, and develop key technologies for the monitoring and risk forecasting and early warning of meteorological disasters; early warning of climate change sources; and forecasting of global high-impact weather and climate events. We will accelerate the layout of new fields and new tracks for meteorological science and technology, promote the deep integration of artificial intelligence with meteorological operations, cultivate and expand emerging operations such as low-altitude meteorology and financial meteorology, and release form the value of meteorological data elements. We will improve the national meteorological science and technology innovation system, build prediction technology research and development centers and artificial intelligence innovation highlands for meteorological to a high standard, promote the collaborative layout of the education, science and technology, and talent platforms, optimize the configuration of the project spectrum resources of meteorological scientific research projects, and comprehensively strengthen the full-chain deployment of scientific and technological innovation and the overall layout in all fields.
**Second, improve the meteorological monitoring, forecasting, and early warning capacity.
Every breakthrough in monitoring and forecasting capacity closes the time and the gap between "the disaster's occurring" and the "issuance of the warning," narrows the gap between "risk exposure" and "capacity coverage," and gains more lead time the for disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief. In view of the problem that the accuracy of meteorological monitoring, forecasting, and early warning cannot yet meet the needs of responding to extreme weather, we must optimize the observation layout integrating land, ocean, air, and space, upgrade meteorological observation equipment such as meteorological satellites, weather radars, and new types of ground-based meteorological observation equipment, strengthen multi-source collaborative observation, and establish an operational system of collaborative observation led by forecast needs. In particular, enhance enhance the ability to capture meso- and small-scale disastrous weather such as tornadoes and hail, and fill blind spots and densify meteorological observation in high-risk areas prone to disastrous weather, such as areas prone to mountain torrents and geological disasters, transport trunk lines, and densely populated areas. To address the forecasting difficulties such as difficulties such as the extent of the area, intensity, and disaster-causing of extreme heavy rainfall, we should promote the expansion of meteorological forecasting from weather forecasting to earth system forecasting, establish a rolling correction mechanism based on real-time conditions, and provide more accurate and more timely monitoring and forecasting information, including "where it will occur, when it will appear, how strong it will be, and what round impact it will cause".
**Third, enhance the emergency rescue and linkage response capacity for meteorological disasters.
In recent years, the meteorological disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief system of our country, which is based on with the characteristics of "leadership by the Party committees, government, guidance by departments, coordination among departments, and participation by society" has fully played its role. The emergency linkage mechanism, with meteorological warnings as the forerunner, and the "reaching-out and responding system for high-level warnings" (叫应) system have been established and improved. The staged meteorological services based mechanism that conforms to the scientific laws of meteorology is increasingly mature, and various regions have issued normative documents one after another, clarifying that meteorological disaster warnings are one of the prerequisites for the initiation of disaster prevention emergency work. The practice of practice has proven indicates that a well-designed and highly efficiently operational emergency response and linkage mechanism has become a unique advantage of our country's efficient prevention and control of natural disasters. We must adhere to the valuable experience, and face the current realistic problems such as existing departmental barriers and "islands of information," further strengthen the linkage between meteorological warnings and disaster forecasting and emergency response, and open up the "last mile" from monitoring and forecasting to disaster response actions. We will strengthen the joint consultation, warning, and emergency response coordination among all departments, optimize the four-level meteorological linkage system from "national-provincial-municipal-county," promote the construction of the prevention, mitigation, and relief and linkage mechanism regarding disaster prevention, mitigation and relief among provinces of province-level boundaries, and overcome the well utilization and bring into full play the staged meteorological services mechanism system. We should strengthen grass-roots services, accelerate the establishment of business for meteorological disaster risk warnings targeting prefecture-level cities and counties, promote the utilization of . We will poor, specifically promote the use of technologies for mandatory notification such as "flash message" (闪信), and incorporate the meteorological disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief into the grid-based management system of the townships, streets, and other grassroots in the grass-roots level. We should also optimize the "reaching and response call" process for advanced severe-level warnings, improve the coordination mechanism for weather forecasting services linked to the upper and lower levels on the basis of major weather processes, timely "activate" the national-provincial task force working group for severe convective weather forecasts and warnings, and transform the advantages of systems and institutions into effective disaster prevention, control, and reduction capacities.
**Fifth, enhance the supporting capacity for the construction of a climate-adaptive society.
Extreme weather events such as droughts and rainstorms are not isolated risks; they test the overall load-bearing capacity resilience of cities, river basins and the whole social system. In particular, in large cities and urban agglomerations, the lifeline systems, including the transportation system, are highly coupled, such as transportation, communications, power supply, water supply, health care; if one link fails, the risk may spread along the network. At present, the resilience standards of key infrastructure in our country are still mainly based on historical experience, remain, and lack forward-looking standards based on future climate risks. In order to more effectively counteract and diversify climate change risks, we need to incorporate climate security into the core framework of the national security system. We must adhere to the principle of moving the "the gate forward, prevention first," and clearly include the goals of objectives and indicators related climatic security into national and local social development plans, rural revitalization strategies, and new urbanization development plans. We should integrate the "climate feasibility demonstration" based on future climate scenarios into urban and rural planning and construction, carry out climate risk stress tests on lifeline systems in the fields of such as transportation, energy, and water supply, and promote the transformation of the exists approach from "setting up prevention based on historical experience" to "setting up prevention based on climate scenarios". We will establish a mechanism for transferring climate security risks through sharing and dispersion, innovate the financial instruments such as weather derivatives, catastrophe by insurance, green bonds, etc., and further strengthen the measures for reducing and mitigating meteorological disaster risks. We plan also accelerate the strengthening of the construction of flood control, waterlogging, drainage discharge, and disaster resistance infrastructure in the key and fill the gaps in infrastructure such as in the northern fixed regions, promote the upgrading of "traditional infrastructure" construction to "resilient infrastructure" construction, and enhance the safety resilience of the whole society.
**Fifth, actively participate in and promote global meteorological governance.
Climate change is related to is a challenging, it has a bearing on the future of human development across the world. In the face of global warming, no country can stay wholly isolate can one single country entirely extricate itself from the on its own. How to make advanced technology benefit more countries, especially by helping developing countries improve their capacity to prevent extreme weather risks, has become a common challenge for the international and a common issue across international community. General Secretary Xi Jinping announced at the opening ceremony of the World AI Conference 2026 and the High-level Meeting on Global AI Governance that, in the next five years, China will promote the application of the meteorological intelligence early warning scheme "Mazu" in landing applications in 30 countries, expressing the commitment to "keeping the watch safe warning alongside the lights of their homes and safeguarding peaceful seas and the peace across the world." Today, more and more countries are with true appreciation and feel the value pursuit of "respecting nature, protecting life, and mutual aid in co-existing" contained in China' fine traditional culture. Looking to the future, we need to actively participate in the governance of international organizations such as the World Meteorological Organization, and strengthen and expand cooperation with relevant agencies of the United Nations in the fields of disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief, prevention, response to climate change, humanitarian relief, etc. We should rely on the special international talents training programs such as the "Belt and Road" meteorological visiting scholars projects and other distinctive programs, promote China's concept and experience in disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief, and promote the improvement of the capacity of concentration of global South countries to respond to extreme weather. We should actively build the Chinese meteorological service brand "Mazu," and promote the accurate and targeted application of "Mazu" in more countries through adapting strategic measures to local conditions and a "one country, one plan" approach. Through additional "small but beautiful" projects, we can tailor and provide light-weight, easy-to-land, and sustainable meteorological service products to partner countries, continuously bridge the digital and intellectual divide, and further advance deepening of the mutually "deepening hard connectivity" of infrastructure, the "soft connectivity" of rules and standards, of the use and "heart-coupled connectivity" of the peoples' hearts and minds.
The author: Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Administrator of the China Meteorological Administration (中国气象局)
Return to TopBy: 马宝成
Preventing and responding to natural disasters must focus on strengthening prevention and preparation
Ma Baocheng (马宝成)
Adhering to the principle of giving priority to prevention and combining prevention with emergency response is one of the principles of China's emergency management. Among these, prevention and preparation constitute the most basic initial link and also the most economical and effective risk-prevention strategy. Attaching importance to and strengthening prevention and preparation can, to a large extent, mitigate disaster risks and reduce disaster losses, and it is the key to shifting natural disaster prevention and control from passive emergency response to active prevention.
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping has, on the basis of China's actual conditions and in his capacity of coordinating development and security, put forth the explicit requirement: "Adhere to a focus on prevention and combine prevention, resistance, and rescue; adhere to the unity of routine disaster reduction and non-routine disaster response; strive to move from focusing on post-disaster relief toward focusing on pre-disaster prevention, from dealing with a single disaster category toward comprehensive disaster reduction, and from reducing disaster losses toward disaster-risk reduction." When presiding over the 25th group study session of the Political Bureau of the 20th Central Committee, the General Secretary further stressed that reducing disaster risk and cutting disaster losses lies primarily in prevention before the event.
In recent years, China's natural disaster prevention and control work has continuously strengthened the concept of "prevention," rooting out and carrying out prevention and readiness as the groundwork for natural disaster prevention and control in a solid, detailed, and competent manner, building a comprehensive, multi-level, and three-dimensional system for natural disaster prevention and control. We have given full play to the Party's role as the leading core in commanding the overall picture and coordinating all parties, promoting synergies and joint actions across regions, levels, departments, and between military and civilian sides, combining the whole society's resources for disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief. A natural disaster emergency response plan system covering "the entirety of power and coverage" has been formed, with the five-level plan system of the central government, provincial governments, municipal, county, and township governments, extended downward to villages (communities), enterprises, schools, and other grass-roots units, so that emergency preparedness plans now basically cover all areas. The level of "all the beginning" the plan. Emergency rescue capability building has been continuously strengthened, with the national integrated fire and rescue team serving as the main force and national body in emergency rescue, and professional emergency rescue teams, and social emergency forces developing in coordination. The emergency material stockpile system has been improved continuously, and support capacity provides substantial evidence of constant support from science and technology. The coverage of monitoring station kinds in various areas has been steadily optimized, with the coverage, precision, and timeliness of early warning information improving overall, and the capability of monitoring, forecasting and early warning in the field of natural disasters rising steadily. The work of "prevention and control" has accelerated with the shift from "passive response" to "proactive prevention," and remarkable improvements in prevention and preparation have provided a solid guarantee for protecting the safety of people's lives and property.
But we must also clearly recognize that compared with the requirement of minimizing disaster losses to the greatest extent, there are still some outstanding problems in disaster prevention and preparation. In risk management, the thoroughness of hazard investigation and rectification is still high, and the coverage of hazard-causing effects is not complete; in plan management, emergency response plans combined with prone to their own risk characteristics and resource potentials manifest insufficiently and easily to the operational and the practical weakness; in material support, the layout, types, and structure of emergency goods and their dispatch mechanism need to be optimized, and the types of emergency preparedness in high-risk areas such as remote rural and mountainous regions are single and quantity insufficient; in monitoring and early warning, the capacity for tracking short-term imminent monitoring and early warning cannot fully keep up with the challenges posed by extreme weather; some monitoring-catching hardware is out-of-date, the deployment density is insufficient, and the sharing of data between different departments' systems is in substantial form; and the list of such problems exists.
The reasons for the above problems are multiple and are chiefly reflected in the area of emergency management insufficient systems and capabilities. For example, the institutional mechanisms for natural disaster prevention and control have not been fully in place. Among emergency management, meteorology, water resources, natural resources, forest and grassland, urban management and other departments, the assignment of responsibilities and powers among "prevention and rescue," "Unified coordination and decentralization" is not clear enough, thus the overall cranking, coordination, and integrated management of key information, personnel, forces, and resource stockpiles has not been adequate or efficient. The ability of cities to prevent and handle high risks urgently among urban hazards needs to be upgraded: urban planning, construction, and management generally present such headstays as "attaching more importance to 'face' than 'foundation' " and "giving priority to the surface over the underground," with the urban life-safety facilities such as water, electricity, heating, and gas, and the major sections in hospitals, schools, nursing homes, and underground spaces showing low safety fortification standards and more potential hazards. Grassroots units are commonly confronted with such difficulties as shortages of authorized staffing for disaster prevention and control, the absence of emergency management experts, inadequate funding guarantees, lag in informatization, and lack of reserve stockpile conditions; in rural areas the overall disaster-resistance and preventing standards for earthquakes, geological hazards, floods, droughts, and other main hazard categories are not high, and it is still common for roads and houses to be built by encroaching on valley gullies, houses built by excavating slopes, and factories constructed occupying river theaters. Again, some leading cadres and officials still have inadequate understanding, have insufficient risk-consciousness and bottom-line thinking, and low alertness regarding lower probability extraordinary extreme hazards; the cognitive bias " value rescue more than prevention" persists. This causes disaster prevention resources and energy to tilt more toward rescue and recovery-reconstruction, while impossible hazard checks and formulaic exercises become justformal, and risk points of major disaster hazards and sources are such that they "can not be recognized, cannot be imagined, nor cannot come under control," substantially compromising the effects of disaster prevention. In addition, inadequate publicity and training of disasters mitigation is included, leading to weak public safety awareness, insufficient civic and basic knowledge and capacity for disaster avoidance, and quite a few members of the public entertain fluke thinking about the risks adjacent to them; basic disaster preparedness such as family reserves also is insufficient, and when the disaster occurs, the emergency reaction, self-rescue, and evacuation capability are inadequate. These limits and weaknesses obstruct the quality development of the overall emergency management duties and undermine the entire social prevention, resistance of disaster, disaster consequence, and rescue of the effective overall efficiency. We must adopt a medicine-per-symptom approach and solve each one individually, truly devoting the work of disaster prevention, disaster mitigation, disaster rescue and recovery to the time of ordinary days and do the work thoroughly in advance.
Preparation work consists of two stages–the prevention stage and readiness stage. At its center, the goal is to enable pattern recognition and identification early through the construction of systematized mechanisms, resource allocation, and application of the technological application — making accurately identify and fine-survey and have ahead-of-time measurements of risk—existing "hot elimination in the basket and before they erupt, cut down from the very source the probability of occurrence and expanding impact of emergencies and minimize their effect and pounding to the greatest degree. Among them, the stage of prevention focuses on risk identification, and risk evaluation and source control — establishing risk checklist and early-warning indicator system; and" the stage of preparation focuses on making contingency plans and resource readiness — including the formulation of layered emergency response plans, the creation of stores of emergency materials, and joint multi-sector drills. In general, prevention and preparation work has the following characteristics: first, the "proactive and advanced" property, emphasizing "source management, threshold-go front," that is identifying, evaluating, and interning before hazard comes to emerge; second, its systematization and layers, covering the many elements of risk awareness, personnel equipment, emergency materials, scientific and technological support, and chaining the backbone of the full chain that extends from source prevention and control to monitoring and warning; third, foothold of bottom-line thinking and redundancy. It insists that the worst be prepared for and for best objectives be achieved, and hedge against uncertain risks by certain preparedness achieved by means of the careful preparation of material, response and spaces with redundancy. Fourth is standardization and normalization: one adopts clear authorization and responsibility frameworks based on laws and regulations, wed prevention measures into the entire chain of planning and construction, achieving institutionalized, normalized, and measurable risk-control processes. These characteristics decide that prevention and readiness requires coordination of different elements — risk governance, preparedness-plan management, monitoring and early warning, strength-building, and emergency materials.
The “15th Five-Year Plan” for the Development of a Modern Emergency System (现代化应急体系建设“十五五”规划) sets out three anticipated targets for disaster prevention and mitigation: average annual number of natural disaster deaths per million population is < 0.9; the average annual number of people affected among every 100,000 [of the population] is < 13,000; and the average annual amount of direct economic loss caused by natural disasters is less than 0.90%. The setting of these targets is the hallmark of our Party’s determination to truly fulfill the necessary requirements and adequately safeguard the life and property of the people, and it clearly defines the standards to strengthen the ability to prevent and respond to natural disasters. To achieve the desired goals, we must further strengthen prevention and preparedness and effectively improve disaster prevention, mitigation reduction, and instance response work.
Accelerate and promote the transformation of model of governance to "focused on ex-ante prevention."
We must draw serious, fully, the lessons current of concerning major and extraordinarily serious natural disasters over recent years, keep our awareness clearly awake on the routine risk management, truly avoid states of paralysis of spirit, poor vigilance, and such states, strengthen the sense of diligence and bottom-line problem. We should hold the principle of source control, embedding security resilience requirements through in territorial spatial planning and the planning for all kinds of construction, and concretely run the risk avoidance from risks and disaster-induced installation measures in starting major project led and major construction. We should strength hazards investigation, use the outcomes of the national survey on the comprehensive natural disaster risks, and systematically sort, precisely identify the various types hazards and risks. We must strengthen engineering measures, guarantee requirements of disaster prevention and reduction throughout the construction and operation of infrastructure, rationally raise the design standards for protection of key infrastructure in major cities and regions with repeated disasters, improve the hardening and resilience standard regulations of minerals infrastructure under extreme disaster conditions, and have particular attention to enhancing road safety — especially the safety hardening for roads.
Strengthen emergency-plan management and prepare well for emergency response.
Emergency preparedness plans are the core vehicle of prevention and the core of preparedness: they set out a clear action framework to respond to emergencies by defining the threshold circumstances for the warning trigger response, priorities of the segments at crucial points in the disposal process, boundaries of responsibility among the different department, and the priority hierarchy of resource mobilization. A high-quality emergency plan not only can quickly activate the emergency response mechanism, but can do so at the same time, with pre-risk evaluation and process optimization, reduce as much as possible the error of decision-making and waste of resources — so as to achieve rapid response and better and cheaper management and loss when possible. With the new round of revision at the national level of emergency plans as our risk, revise the plan integration and the spirit of planning, making good use of, correcting and exercising the plan in an integrated manner. In order to make the operable of the plan, review, revise and improve plans of all kinds and levels, especially focusing on the perfection of the comprehensive emergency response plan at townships and towns (sub-district), the dedicated plan, and rural village (community) emergency plan. For extreme weather, modify the early-evacuation plan from and bring people with mobility difficulties, the old, ill, disabled, and other groups with physical handicap into the target in relocating from danger area.
Strength building is an absolutely needed and indispensable element in launching and completing the mitigation preparation, while emergency provisioning reserves provides supplies for response. We must strengthen material stockpiles, production-capacity stockpiles and household reserves, tendering the shift of material storage from "quantitative" to "precise adaptational matching." Accelerating the " Main force and the state power to rescue team, build up core strength of the "local emergency response," and refine the layout and structure of professional rescue teams with "同时" will assist. On the one hand, we need to regulate and strengthen the construction of social emergency forces; with all the social emergency forces and enterprises based rescue forces participate actively in natural disaster response coordination. We should be wedded to a complete, scientifically formed contingency system to lead and coordinate the emergency readiness effort by for all kinds of emergency resource, and to be solid and enough emergency preparedness can guarantee precise implementation of those plans, driving "rapid response, effective handling, emergency management, disaster mitigation" to the field.
Comprehensively strengthen monitoring and early warning, and strive to promote the ability give preemptive evacuation.
Seeing to the danger quickly, perceiving risk of major disasters in due course, and relocating and avoiding timely, and earlier, is the most effective way to reduce injury and economic losses. We should speed up the cracking of the different department. We must speed up integration of the monitoring resources, and the alignment of monitoring warning standards and the sharing of data, so as to construct the integrated system of space-air-ground integrated early warning system for early warning, realizing real-time sensing of all relevant elements of a natural disaster. Keep stride with the fast development of information technology, harness stronger support of scientific and technological, perfect indicator and model system for do the surveillance and monitoring of hazard warning and index, and build up a three-dimensional monitoring structure that integrates of satellite remote, aviation, ground counsel observation and camera behavior.
Track is to strengthen monitoring, forecasting, and early warnings against disasters, provide greater capability of all-day, real-time monitoring and warning, secure overall coverage warning for the key areas with the cloud-catchment geology-related region, for regions at high risk special rain and wind weather and exigent estimation, and greatly populous urban regions. Improve short-term imminent weather warning and prediction for extreme storms; Recall the ability for short-term precision early warning, tie to local monitoring and early warning of sudden heavy rain and flood, flash floods and debris flow, and ensure timely and accurate release and transmission of warning information.
Take science popularization of disaster prevention and reduction continuous by turning to this basic project of this awareness of overall social; "It does not, "prevent, and promote” capability:
Disaster prevention public-science projects must be made more visible in the overall educational system, and the safety education in citizen-safety quality generally, and the crafting of written educational teaching materials for different groups of people. Uphold a persistence conduction of knowledge disaster reduction "as an enterprise, into the countryside, into communities, in schools and into households," in which the community, enterprises and the school adopt dead regular immersion-type exercises. Rely on the strength of the scientific-technological associations, Red-Cross, and from other mass organizations and schools, strengthen patient education on safety and publicity in key populations, "old-old and young-small." Care has be concentrated in scientific education, into public daily, through wide branches of disseminated formats and in vivid and conave languages, and communication the masses with the most distress, the necessity of needed public knowledge and emergency life-saving skills, and each an individual can really be leading in hearing — see, understandably, remember, use; in this way creating common social atmosphere "all persons talk about safety, and all persons know emergency response," to maximize the lowering of both human casualties and losses in property.
The author is a researcher at the Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and Dean of the Institute of Emergency Management Research, the Central Party School (National School of Administration).
Return to TopBy: 张忠军
Forging a Political Character of Loyalty to the Party
Zhang Zhongjun
Loyalty to the Party is a political character that Communists must possess. In the Rules of the Communist League, Marx and Engels set forth the basic conditions for becoming a member of the League, including the requirement to "recognize communism," "submit to all resolutions of the League," "keep secret all affairs of the League," and so on. In the process of building a new type of proletarian party, Lenin regarded the loyalty of Party members as "the basic condition for implementing and maintaining our most strict discipline." The Communist Party of China has always emphasized that individual Party members must be loyal to the Party. The first Party Congress's first program explicitly stipulated that the precondition for joining the Party was "a person who recognizes the Party's program and policies and is willing to become a loyal member." Over more than a hundred years of struggle, loyalty to the Party has long been integrated into the spiritual bloodline of generations of Chinese Communists, inspiring the broad ranks of Party members and officials to bear in mind the original aspiration and the mission and to devote themselves to benefiting the people.
Emphasizing loyalty to the Party is an important part of Xi Jinping's thought on Party building. General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly expounded on loyalty to the Party, pointing out that "Our Party has traversed a long journey and endured countless hardships and tribulations, but no difficulty has ever crushed us, and no enemy has ever defeated us, precisely because of the loyalty of hundreds of thousands and millions of Party members." He has stressed that the political integrity of Party members is "focused on hardening ideals and beliefs, forging loyalty to the Party, deepening the feeling of serving the people, purifying moral character, and avoiding corruption," and requires that all Communists forever be loyal to the Party, share the Party's concerns, fulfill the Party's duties, and devote themselves to the Party, and that at any time and in any circumstances they do not change their heart, waver their will, or undermine their integrity; and so on. To study thoroughly and implement deeply the spirit of the General Secretary's important expositions and to accurately understand the basic connotation, standards of measurement, and practical requirements of loyalty to the Party are of very important significance for Party members and officials to continuously correct their ideological coordinates and forge loyalty to the Party.
What is loyalty to the Party? It is both a solemn political commitment and a political obligation that must be fulfilled, and it is a concrete political yardstick. First, being loyal to the Party's political requirements requires resolutely upholding and strengthening the Party's overall leadership, firmly upholding the authority of the Party Central Committee and its centralized, unified leadership, and firmly supporting the “Two Establishments” and resolutely achieving the “Two Upholds” by actual practice, and extlessly take the initiative to be in high congruence with the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core in terms of political stand, political direction, political principles and political path. Second, being loyal to the Party's faith means that they are expected to have not only simple feelings for the Party, but also rational self-awareness, and by deeply studying, carefully reviewing, and earnestly practicing Marxism and the Party's innovative theoretical ideas, they continuously harden their belief in Marxism, and their faith in socialism with distinctively Chinese characteristics, and their confidence in realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through a Chinese path to modernization. Third, staying loyal to the Party's organization means that they must be mindful of the fact that their foremost identity is that of a Party member and their primary duty is to be Party officials, always bearing in mind that they are members belonging to the Party and a cell in the organization, being mindful of the responsibilities and obligations of Party members at all times, and working to accept the organization ideologically, rely on it politically, obey it in their work, and trust it intellectually, and take the organization's arrangement and discipline in their stride, and always uphold Party unity and solidarity. Fourth, being loyal to the Party's stand and its fundamental mission requires that they put the interests of the Party and the people first, forever maintain flesh-and-blood ties with the people, implement the people-centered development philosophy, Stick to development for the people, development relying on the people, and development outcome shared by the people, and implement the Party's mass line in the new situation and new tasks so as to constantly reach, safeguard, and develop the fundamental interests of the overwhelming majority of the people. Fifth, staying loyal to the Party's cause requires them to keep in mind the fundamental issue of what the Party is and what the Party is aiming to accomplish, and implement the Party's line, principles, policies, strategies, and policies without fail, and forge ahead diligently on the great journey of building a strong country and realizing national rejuvenation, and create tangible achievements that stand up to the test of practice, of the people, and of history. Loyalty to the Party inherently embodies the political, intellectual, theoretical, and emotional recognition of the Party organization by Party members and officials, and it is an important guarantee for the unity and solidarity of the Party throughout its ranks and for its strong creativity, cohesion and combat effectiveness.
How can loyalty to the Party be tested? In different historical periods, there are objective and clear criteria for testing whether Party members and officials are loyal to the Party. During the revolutionary era, the main criterion was whether they could charge forward and risk their lives for the cause of the Party and the people. Such a test was very direct. In peacetime, the primary question is whether they can uphold the Party's leadership, particularly the Party's centralized and unified and unified leadership under the Central Committee, whether they can resolutely implement the Party's theories, guidelines, policies and principles, whether they can thoroughly abide by the Party's political discipline and rules and regulations, whether, in the final analysis, they are able to do Party's cause and the people's cause above everything, and so on. Such a test can be not be resolved by through a thing or by by hearing a few remarks; in the final analysis, it must be determined by the actual conduct of Party members and main officials over a long period of time, and whether they are truly candid and conducted in accordance with what they practice and that their inner being matches their outward appearance.
Since the beginning of the new era, the overwhelming majority of Party members and officials have worked in unison with the Party, and demonstrated their loyalty to the Party in real actions in implementing decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee, focusing their hearts on the same goal and pooling their strength together, and have poured an inexhaustible driving force into the advancement of the Party's cause and the cause of the people. At the same time, however, as society grows increasingly complex, various interest relationships are intertwined, and every form of temptation and test emerges in an endlessly changing stream, some Party members and officials have seen a decline in political immunity and have deviated from loyalty to the Party. First, they have departed from the track of ideals and convictions. Some have ideological roots in the wrong direction, with their "general switch" (their overall guiding thought) being consistently in disrepair, are skeptical of communism, believe in ghosts and gods rather than in Marxism-Leninism, and are keen to seek spiritual sustenance from superstitious and religious practices, which has heavily damaged the Party's image; some fail to have a sound grounding in basic Marxism, and have no solid official grasp of the Party's innovative theories, and lack a strong sense of urgency to try to "make up for whatever is lacking" and their intellectual and knowledge structure does not align well with needs of high-quality development, and they even regard theoretical study as a burden and not treat it with due seriousness, care, and intention, so that it is only going through the motions and remains superficial, and their faith and conviction thus lack a strong foundation. Second, Party discipline and political rules are disregarded. Some lack basic political discernment and political judgment, and make mistakes in their political words and actions, creating adverse social influence; some are ambiguous and hedge their positions on major issues of principle, or even act according to their own will and have no reverence for power, and make reckless comments about the major principles and policies of the Party Central Committee, squandering the Party's unity and solidarity; some develop a tendency towards expediency, form cliques, engage in political patron-client relationships and exploitation of interests, and distort the relationship among Party members into a dependency relationship of personal allegiance, devastating the political ecosystem. Third, some have departed from the fundamental purpose of serving the people wholeheartedly. Some have removed themselves seriously from the masses and from reality, and lack genuine emotional attachment to the people; they watch up and never look down, and are reluctant to go into the grassroots and truly understand the people's demands, even to the point of doing idiocies that have disappointed people, which deeply damages the Party's governing foundation. Some are areare averse to hard work in their jobs, bargain with the organization, and are unwilling to work in tough conditions and positions; they hesitate and have many second thoughts in the face of an assignment from the organization, and they lack the most elementary spirit of responsibility and sense of duty. Some say glibly in moments of success that they are loyal to the Party, but as soon as they encounter stumbling blocks or their "cheese" is moved, they are seething with resentment and complaints, and they do not hesitate to place their personal interests above the interests of the Party and the people. Fourth, they fail to implement the major decisions and policy arrangements of the Party Central Committee in any thorough manner. Some are absent-minded about "the nation's grand plan" (a comprehensive plan of governance), minding only their own immediate environment, and daily implementing decision-making with short-cutting spendtime with their own "abacus," be even "behaving, when executing, is all about their "small calculations." Some show prompt for making promises and in a loud voice, but when it comes to actually carrying it out, they grow "stalling" tactics, "hear only the footsteps on the stairs, but no one coming down." They have made the Party Central Committee’s policies that benefit the people just "hang in mid-air" and hard to have real effect on the ground.
These problems seriously deviate from the Party's nature, purpose, original mission, and run contrary to the requirement of loyalty to the Party. The reasons why they exist to varying degrees are, on one hand, due to the fact that some Party members and officials are driven by their own personal vices and interests, and their political positions are not stable, and their Party spirit is not strong enough, and they cannot steady their mind or withstand hardships, so their own internal defense also easily can be broken through by negative factors and by "sugar-coated bullets"; on the other hand, the mechanism of education, management, and supervision also has shortcomings. For example, the mechanism for regular and long-term education in Party loyalty is not perfect, and the full coverage managing for Party members and officials from the moment they are admitted to the Party or join their posts to their retirement, is not a closed loop; the current ideological and character state of key targets such as the "first-in-command," newly promoted officials, and young officials, and officials in critical posts, is not kept in a timely manner; and issues that are "in the bud" or “tending to be” are not detected, reminded of, or corrected in time, etc.
Loyalty to the Party does not emerge out of thin air, nor does it stay fresh naturally; it must repeatedly undergo self-cultivation and tempering in practice in order to remain strong over time. At present, China's environment for development is going through profound and complex changes, and the task of advancing Chinese-style modernization is onerous and heavy, and it requires the broad ranks of Party members and officials to further forge their sense of loyalty to the Party, to dare to lead the charge in fighting hard battles, and to translate such sense of loyalty into practical results that promote development, serve the overall situation, and benefit the people.
Only with theoretical clarity and firmness of conviction can loyalty to the Party have a solid ideological basis. This requires Party members and officials to insist on strengthening theoretical study as their guiding task, and constantly improve their level and capacity for applying Marxism, be good at discovering direction, ideas, and solutions from the Party’s innovative theories, and be able to absorb the rich political wisdom and spiritual nurture contained in them, and transform the results of their study into a powerful strength that can reinforce their conviction, enhance their Party spirit, and better guide practice and promote work. In a new interplay of past and present, it is time to incorporate the beneficial nutrients from the essence of China's excellent traditional culture, to be faithful successors to the Party's glorious traditions and good style, and to unceasingly raise our mental and moral level. We should greatly publicize the Party loyalty and education, fully harness the educational strengths of our red resources, extensively conduct activities such as renewing the Oath to the Party, re-reading the enrollment letter and revolutionary martyrs' last letters, and strengthen the deterrence of disciplinary education. We should guide the broad minority of Party members and officials, especially young officials, to aspire to be as good as their predecessors and fallen heroes, to learn the lessons from negative examples, to continually build up the basis of conviction, to strengthen their ideological foundation and spirit, and to use the impressive ideology, which is a tool to forge their heartfelt loyalty to the Party and for the people.
Inner-party political life is a "big furnace" in which party spirit is refined and the degree of loyalty to the Party is improved; if the furnace does not be a lit for a long time, or is lit but at insufficient heat, it cannot forge good steel. It is necessary to educate and guide the majority of Party members and officials through ecologically-oriented, earnest inner-party political life, and to use criticism and self-criticism as a powerful weapon to fortify their defenses and cure illnesses, and expand on their proper understanding through active, healthy ideological struggles and purify their souls. They should frequently apply the Party Constitution, Party regulations and party discipline to examine themselves, and the "dust" in their thinking by constantly sweeping, and forever preserve the political essence of Communists. They should carry forward the values of loyalty and truthfulness, impartiality, shortfall, seek truth from facts, and integrity, and resolutely resist and opposing the vulgar and corrupt political culture in the form of relationship studies, the "thick black doctrine," officials' interpersonal maneuvering techniques, and hidden rules, and constantly foster a good concept formation and fertile soil good political ecology. They should, in selecting and appointing cadres, strengthen the assessment of integrity and sense of Party spirit, and improve the ability to see through appearances, with a focus on examining the character, worldviews, and the level of integrity and loyalty of party members and officials, and through accumulating the excellent cadres who are truly loyal and trustworthy, consistent inside and outside, responsible and dedicated.
To manifest loyalty to the Party and wholehearted dedication to the people, one must ultimately ground it in practical action taken with endurance of heavy loads and in the resolution of difficulties and toff. All Party members and officials should adamantly establish a concept of people's well-being in the evaluation of performance, must be consciously work for the people and for tangible achievements, make decisions and do things in line with actual conditions, and carry their assigned duties without wavering, and commit themselves wholeheartedly and without distraction to the Chinese-style modernization construction. They should go among the grass-roots levels, and to the forefront, to listen to the feelings and aspirations among the people, know the actual conditions, relieve the worries, by the people, never dodge when there is a contradiction, never a climb-down or ease up in the face of a difficult problem, never flinch when facing risk, and be brave when it is decisive to act at a critical moment and actualize those good deeds to the people’s satisfaction. They should strengthen the local training and active leadership, and have the courage to go to the difficult and to positions needed, on the frontlines of reform, development and stability, the frontlines of major tasks, of serious counter-traditions, and in areas at distance where conditions are harsh and key and demanding posts, and tempering their character, training their working style and developing their competences through the sharp practice and vivid struggle.
Author: Zhang Zhongjun, Deputy Director of the Research Center for the Thought of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era of the Central Party School of the CPC (National Academy of Governance), and Vice President (Vice President) of the Central Party School of the CPC (National Academy of Governance).
Return to TopBy: 《求是》杂志评论员
Using high-quality supply to open up new space for expanding domestic demand
Commentator for Qiushi magazine
Demand drives supply, and supply creates demand. The two are mutually dependent and mutually reinforcing — the two sides of one integrated whole in economic development. Facing the complex situation in which the current operation of the economy shows prominent contradictions of strong supply and weak demand, it is necessary both to persist in doing demand-side management well and to attach great importance to optimizing supply. The meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee held on July 30 emphasized the need to "step up efforts to expand domestic demand and optimize supply," and made important arrangements for such matters as "expanding high-quality supply in accordance with the consumer needs of different groups." To do the second-half economic work well, we must closely focus on the strategic base point of expanding domestic demand, pay still greater attention to forming a supply system that is high-quality, efficient, and diversified, expand new space for domestic demand growth with high-quality supply, and ensure the smooth and stable operation of the economy.
The current contradiction in our country of strong supply and weak demand has causes on the side of residents' consumption capacity and willingness being insufficient, and also has causes on the side of supply and demand structures being mismatched: the supply system is unable to fully adapt to, lead, and create new demand, which results in insufficient excavation of effective demand. In recent years, along with the improvement of our country's residents' living standards, the stage of imitative and wave-like mass consumption has basically ended, individualized and diversified consumer demand has gradually become mainstream, and the consumer market is undergoing an important transformation from aggregate expansion to structural optimization. At the same time, continuous breakthroughs in scientific and technological innovation have also put forward large numbers of new demands for flexibility and customization for supporting products along the industrial chain and supply chain, and many enterprises' demand for producer services such as R&D and design, inspection and testing, and computing-power leasing is also increasing rapidly. But in comparison with the new changes in production and consumption, the products and services supplied in some areas currently fail to keep up, and the problems of oversupply in the mid-to-low end and a shortage of high-quality supply coexist. For example, demand is robust in such areas as elderly care and childcare, in cultural tourism, and in smart consumption, but the quantity and quality of the supply of products for old people, of infant and child products, of travel touring and sight-seeing, and of entertainment services cannot yet meet the upgrading and expansion of demand. Some consumption and investment demand is not being sufficiently released, and some even flows abroad, intensifying the imbalance in the total volume of supply and demand.
Looking deeper, the maladaptation between supply and demand structures, at a deeper level, has its cause in the fact that new growth drivers are still in the process of being developed and strengthened and the metabolism of the supply system is not yet fast enough. In recent years, along with the transformation of the development model, the investment space in traditional areas has gradually narrowed, and industry, new infrastructure, and other areas have accelerated their rise, but the thresholds for technology, capital, and other requirements on these new tracks are generally high, and the coverage of related industrial chains and supply chains is not yet wide enough. Quite a number of business entities lack the channels and interfaces for entering into them, still invest their funds in traditional areas that they are relatively familiar with but that are already relatively saturated, and low-level repeat investment thus accumulates. In addition, some localities, by means of market segmentation, improper subsidies, and other methods, interfere in resource allocation, block the orderly circulation of all factors of production, and abet "involuted" competition. Such low-efficiency and ineffective investment finds it difficult to create sufficient operating income and job posts, and it is also difficult to effectively translate it into increased resident income and consumption growth; the capacity and willingness of enterprises and other entities to further invest lack support from market returns, and the positive interactions between consumption and investment and between supply and demand are consequently blocked.
Maintaining a dynamic balance between supply and demand is an elemental requirement for sustained and sound economic development. Along with changes in the stages, environment, and conditions of economic development, the balance between supply and demand will also change somewhat, and it is necessary to make corresponding adjustments in a timely fashion to achieve dynamic balance at a higher level. The Political Bureau meeting of the Central Committee this time emphasized "effectively expanding domestic demand" and placed optimizing supply in even lighter positions, doing so both to ease the difficulties of the present situation and even more so to plan for the long-term picture — to improve the overall level of the supply system and thereby to compete strength the development drivers and advantages of our country's economy in the "15th Five-Year Plan" period and still longer periods. To further expand domestic demand and unblock circulation of the economy, it is necessary to raise the quality and efficiency of the supply system and, in actively promoting the transformation of the economic structure, to release "upgraded demand and effective demand." In the face of the problem of mismatch between supply and demand, it is necessary to accelerate the replacement of old growth drivers with new ones, continue to promote scientific and technological innovation and institutional innovation, break through the blockage points, the seizing points, and the fragile points that constrain supply, and, while adapting to existing demand, still more, lead and create new demand, thereby providing more durable and stable momentum for high-quality development.
Strengthen the high-quality supply of consumption goods. In the first half of this year, the year-on-year growth rate of retail sales of services was significantly faster than that of retail sales of goods, and experience-based and emotional consumption in culture, tourism, performing arts, competitions, and other these fields has continued to heat up. It is necessary to adapt even more consciously to the trend of consumption upgrading, to enrich the categories and raise the quality of supply in areas centered around elderly care and childcare, culture, tourism, and sports, health and housekeeping, and to fully tap the potential of consumption of services. Strengthen empowerment of AI, focusing on key industries and key fields to develop new products and value-added services, ceaselessly expanding-up new increments of consumption. Precise matching of needs of different groups revolves around market segmentation, to support enterprises in expanding the supply of distinctive, high-quality consumer goods, cultivating flexible manufacturing "factories," and spurring production to efficiently respond to consumers' individualized needs. It is necessary to establish and perfect management mechanisms that accommodate new models of consumption, new business forms, and new scenarios, and to continuously improve the consumption environment.
Firmly expand effective investment. Investment is linked, on the one side, to demand and, on the other, ats critical juncture in promoting our country's economic development. In the current period and the period to come, whether it be developing new-quality productive forces, coordinating promoting coordinated development of urban-rural and regional integration, or better securing and improving livelihoods, all have broad space for investment, and it is necessary to adapt to the new situation and demands and unswervingly expand effective investment. We must take planning and building the "six networks" as the focus of our efforts,[六张网] define specialized plans or implementation plans for each "network" with precision, emphasize the coordination of networks, the coordination of software and hardware, and the coordination in the of scenarios, and accelerate construction drive the construction onward we meet conditions are met. Carry out high-quality renewal of cities, rural development at a high quality, and push to begin construction of major projects and works with mature conditions as soon as possible. To expand effective investment, the key is also vital to stimulate the vitality of non-government investment. It is necessary to improve the long-term mechanisms for private enterprises to participate in the construction of major national project and attract nongovernment capital with greater access to space and more stable policy expectations, so that social savings will better transform effective investment.
Accelerate the modernization of the industrial system construction thereof. To optimize the supply system, the focus, weight is on the industries moving toward the new and the excellent. In the first half of this year, new growth drivers represented by high-end manufacturing and other sectors contributed more than 40 percent of our country's economic growth, and the transformation of old growth drivers into new ones must be grasped by taking momentum and broken through to gain force with stepping up. It is necessary to promote full-chain the growth of between the supply chain configuration of the entire chain of new pillar industries to scale, to make use of making targeted impact investment in basic research in areas of strategic value, technology high conversion, of the multi-element integrated, deep, and, in accordance with large strategic value, high technology content, rapid growth speed, and deep cross-area integration, targeted to supporting tackle key core technologies. It is appropriate to strengthen our support - to give long-term stable support for basic research, to vigorously prompt the development of technological breakthroughs and future industries. Enterprises are the cells of the supply system, so it is necessary to make good use of policies for renewing in batches of major equipment and apply them to support enterprises to conduct technological transformation and digital shift and transformation, guide enterprises with a close look to demand changes to optimize of product structure and, support of SMEs to follow the path of specialization, refinement, and novelty - "immorality" quirky novel content. keep, building an specific to focused segment on.
Deepen the onslaught of reform in a sustained spirit. The fundamental path to raise the quality and efficiency of the supply system, the fundamental channel, is deepening reform. At present, the effect building a national unified large-scale unify national market has now arrived at the critical milestone phase of pushing forward to depth, and it is necessary to expedite the establishment of rules and regulations that define the scale and add of the government's boundaries of economic promotion behavior, both clarifying "what must not be done," and still more clarifying "what can be done," to guide all sides on the basis of upholding the bottom line of fair competition, to free to develop freely and, and innovate working hard in accordance with conditions. Implement the lists of sets of things that impede the construction of the national unified large market, the negative list for local government financial subsidies, implement the research of aspects that encourage and the prohibition list of local governments' investment attraction, strengthening positive guiding and hard constraint. Push to deepen the unified national market in key fields, improve the institutional mechanisms for market-based allocation of factors of production, deepen and expand, comprehensive reforms trials in the market-based allocation of factors of production, accelerate steps for a number of deliverables that can be replicated and rolled out systems in institutional achievements system, to better utilize the market mechanism in giving form to an important role in the formation of high-quality supply.
Return to TopBy: 《求是》杂志记者 侯亚景 魏佳朔
Qiushi Exclusive Interview — Focus on Resolving the Stuck Points and Blockages in Service Consumption Development
Reporter of Qiushi magazine: Hou Yajing (侯亚景), Wei Jiashuo (魏佳朔)
Editor's Note: Service consumption, as an important direction of consumption transformation and upgrading, is becoming an important engine of China's economic growth. To make dedicated efforts to clear the sticking points and blockages hampering service consumption and accelerate the cultivation of new service-consumption growth drivers is both a basic requirement for unlocking domestic demand and for building a strong domestic market, and an important underpinning for meeting the expectations of the people for a better life and for improving livelihoods and wellbeing. Around this theme — understanding in depth the sticking points and blockages in service consumption and made points to salvage the situation — the magazine’s reporter conducted an exclusive interview with Dong Chao, Director and Research Fellow of the Research Institute of Circulation and Consumption under the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation of the Ministry of Commerce (商务部国际贸易经济合作研究院流通与消费研究所).
Reporter: With China's economy now entering the stage of high-quality development, the foundational role of consumption in economic growth is being continuously reinforced, and household consumption is gradually moving from being mainly dominated by consumption of goods to placing equal emphasis on consumption of goods and consumption of services. How do we understand service consumption? Why is it necessary to expand service consumption?
Dong Chao: As final demand, consumption affects employment, people's livelihood and social welfare, can drive production and investment, and plays an important role in the smooth circulation of the national economy. Service consumption is the consumption-ready use of money by residents to purchase services of various kinds. It covers basic consumption such as catering and accommodation, domestic services, childcare and elderly care; improved consumption such as cultural amenities, entertainment and tourism, education and sport, and housing services; and emerging consumption such as digital services, green services and health services. Compared with consumption of goods, the production and consumption of services happen simultaneously and are characterized by invisibility, non-storability and non-transferability. In addition, the income elasticity of service consumption is higher, and it is characterized by high frequency, strong multiplier effects, and stable momentum for growth.
According to international experience, when per capita GDP of a country reaches roughly USD 15,000, the consumption structure accelerates the shift from being led by goods consumption to being led by service consumption. In 2025, China's per capita GDP was about USD 14,000, exactly in this crucial transitional period. The Outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan explicitly calls for "releasing the potential of service consumption," elevating service consumption to an important role in stimulating overall consumption, which helps sustain the momentum for high-quality economic and social development.
Developing service consumption is a key move in the comprehensive expansion of domestic demand. At present, China finds itself in a marked situation of strong supply and weak demand; insufficient domestic demand has become a salient bottleneck to smooth circulation of the national economy, and consumption boosting has to be placed in a more important positional. Compared with commodity consumption, there is still a big gap between the supply of services and the pattern of demand — particularly, in high-quality services such as domestic services, education, health care and elderly care, where demand is strong and the market has bright prospects. At the same time, expanding service consumption can also drive growth in production and investment, foster a virtuous interplay between consumption and investment and between supply and demand, and provide with the economy strong momentum for high-quality development.
Developing service consumption is an inherent requirement of meeting people's expectations for a better life. Elderly care, childcare, education, and health care are closely linked with the life of the people. Only by providing the general public with service of higher quality, more individualized and more varied can the different sense of gain, happiness and safety of the people be effectively elevated. Service consumption spans a number of technology and labor-intensive industries that have a strong capacity to absorb employment and provide jobs at all levels. Expanding service consumption will create a great amount of jobs, increase residents' incomes, prompting tangible improvements in people's livelihoods and wellbeing.
Developing service consumption is an important pillar in promoting high-level opening up to the outside world. Actually, China has fully abolished restricting measures for foreign investment access in manufacturing, and the services sector has become the focus of a new round of high-level opening up. China's consumer market is now the world’s second largest, and service consumption is growing fast, with its share rising steadily. Constantly strengthening the size and quality of the domestic market for service consumption will, in turn, provide a more solid market foundation and greater confidence in opening the service sector to the outside, attract more high-end international factors, promote a rational flow and efficient allocation of a diverse range of resources in the service sector, and allow China to take the lead in promoting high-level opening up to the outside world.
Reporter: Service consumption is an important linking point between high-quality economic development and the life of high-quality life for the people. In recent years, China's service consumption has shown sound momentum showing both volume and quality have risen in tandem, but, compared with developed countries at the similar stage of development, the level of service consumption still lags noticeably. Could you tell us what are the subtle sticking points and bottlenecks curbing service consumption at present?
Dong Chao: In accordance to the general law of economic growth, an economy moving to the high proportion of service consumption in total consumption typically rises from over 40 percent to above 50. In 2025, the share service consumption in the payment consumption expenditure of Chinese residents was 46.1 percent, it still has big room for growth. But one must see—there are still sticking points and bottlenecks hampering the growth and approaching these must be treated with great importance and systematically solved.
Demand side: there are some pressures restraining the capacity for service consumption in service consumption. Service consumption more often meets higher-level needs such as emotional warmth, respect and self-realization, which are more heavily influenced by income levels, social security patterns and other factors. In China the share of labor remuneration in the primary distribution is relatively low; the share of resident property income in disposable income is also reduced. Many residents have limited means to spend in service consumption. The social security system in fields such as health care and aged care needs further improvement; households still face relatively large uncertainty about future expenses, and their willingness to consume services remains insufficient.
From the supply side, the service consumption is facing obvious structural insufficiency in effective supply. A demand of residents for services is transforming from a "litany" from "is there any?" to "is it good?" from functional demand to personalized and experiential consumption. But at present, supply of service consumption in China suffers from a serious problem of themization, the level of standardization in service consumption is insufficient, many businesses rely on traditional business models, there is a shortage of professional and technical personnel, and well-recognized service brands are scarce. The supply of experience-oriented and carefully tailored services capable of matching these new demand is not enough.
From the institutional environment point of view the structure system and mechanism relevant service consumption still have room for improvement. In market regulation, there are both "gaps" and "excessive" regulatory oversupply in the growing digital consumer markets, many business entities have low capacity for innovation and weak confidence for investment. In terms of governance operations, service consumption involves numerous fields and business formats, but combined policy across departments and regions is still incomplete, and some unreasonable restrictive measures in educational training and medical care remain in place.
Overall, in order to release the potential level in service consumption, the priority tasks should consist in consolidating the base of consumption for residents, and to promote employment, increase incomes, stabilize expectations. We must stabilize and expand th jobs base, support enterprises in stabilizing employment and expanding job posts, support individual employment and entrepreneurship, and actively cultivate new professions and new jobs. We should make plans for implementation, well-thought out to increase the incomes of urban and rural residents, and promote income growth that is rapid in lower income, and attach cases…
… A progressive ovulation and redistribution structure. Improve financing mechanisms and adjustment mechanisms for basic pension insurance for urban and rural residents, improve the system for maternity insurance and rules for maternity leaves. In response to such identified deficiency as inadequate service high in [certain segments], we should lay emphasis on increasing the supply of quality services by ensuring that transport services, domestic services, and Internet media services etc.
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Reporter: Consumption the scene, and new type of environment, and consumption is the interface between supply and demand, the key to unlock potential demand. How use consumption-scenario innovation to cultivate new sign points of growth in service consumption?
Dong Chao: Consumption scenarios are aggregation of consumption formats and models, systematic integration of cultural, technological, social and other diverse factors; are also important carriers for nurturing novel points of growth in service consumption. At present, in the development of consumer consumption scenarios in China there are shortcomings. For example, supply of scenarios effective in short supply, and homogeneous competition showing; many consumption scenarios lack the differentiation in positioning and distinctive operation, simple copying and imitation is common, the blending of scenes with local culture is not deep, and ongoing attractiveness is inadequate. These conditions are, among other causes, the depth of cross-border integration needs to be deepened – the planning of consumption scenes lacks a high degree of systematization, and synergy has not adequately exploited; resources across culture, tourism, sports, and commerce have not been well integrated, obvious signs of “fighting separately” exist. Another difficulty is operational management in terms of professionalism and meticulousness is insufficient, there is a shortage of talent in imaginative design and content operation, and the factor basis for scenario innovation is not fully satisfies. These problems require even more targeted measures to solve.
On the one hand, share quality consumer scenarios and activities in. We want to de-opaque supply in favor of high-quality consumption scenarios extended space for service consumption. Greatly, we promote the "initial release economy" (first-listing economy), through first shops, firsttimeshows, first appearances and international exhibitions, create fashion beliefs, and stimulate new consumption needs. Make the comprehensive renovation of culture, museum venues is experience-based and immersive, optimize the booking system, extend opening hours. Promote integrated development of "tourism and related," deeply integrate high special local culture, cultural shows, food and dining experience into tourism produces. Support the holding of multi-tire and diverse residential sports events and quality professional leagues, and bring sports, culture and tourism to be is deeply integrated.
On the other hand, clear institutional and mechanisms barriers to invigorate innovation of consumption scenarios. Carry out a special action to clean unreasonably restrictive measures in consumption fields, strictly implement the “non-banned may entry” principle, open wider to market access in fields such as medium-high end healthcare and leisure vacation. Better the mechanisms for supervision during and after events, make orderly opening in areas such as Internet and culture. Implement and accelerate regulation for data elements, platform economy, and clean up all provisions in current legislation that are incompatible with the new forms, the new models and the new scenarios of consumption.
Reporter: In recent years, AI technology has been widely used and has been reshaping the shape and experience of consumer market. How promote deep integration of AI and service consumption, and able to better release the diverse and heterogeneous consumption demand?
Dong Chao: Artificial intelligence plays a guiding, equipping and transformational role in the development of service consumption. It has the function to drive consumption model where ""people find services" are turning to "services find people," and from standardized supply to individualized customized supply, from the satisfaction of functional needs to emotional connection. At present, "intelligence plus service consumption" has attained positive achievements in fields including culture and tourism, elderly care and education, but overall is at a preliminary stage, and strong problems and challenges remain. It has pointed, for instance, that the extent of technological maturity, the mismatch to the consumer experience; many of the spheres are directly and become remarkable uniform in nature; their ability to personalize the experience and connect emotionally cannot. Also, data islands are pairs in the service consumption sector, hinder inter-sectoral data flows, which constrains the training effect of AI models and the execution of you by in scenes. The contradiction between data security and privacy protection is more prominent, and the digital governance agencies to be up to date. To promote deep integration of AI and service consumption, issues should be addressed focusing as follows:
First: expand new fields of intelligent service consumption. Act strongly expand intelligent services to cover a wider scope of industries, to accelerate the development of intelligent assistive and companion-type applications, expanding new fields, including experience consumption and emotional consumption. Take AI as the core and integrate AR/VR and other technologies to turn telemedicine, online education, and smart culture and tourism into high-level immersive experience.
Second, reconstruct human-computer collaboration produced service supply model. The move to make "AI-предусмотреть," among smart, networked interconnection; should build a solid base carrier for the transformation of service consumption. That is accelerate the combination of AI and frontier technologies, including metaverse and brain-machine interfaces, and palm examples that will stimulate the growth of service consumption. Accelerate the commercialization of embodied intelligence and other technologies, promote intelligent robots to enter fields of livelihood services such as food and beverage services, retail and health care as home care, and create labor-machine collaborative workflows, and construct a new paradigm of smart-enhanced services.
Third, activate value in the elements of data. Erect high-level platforms for sharing of resources for the service consumption sector, Blow up inter- and cross-domain barriers, assemble high-quality data for consumer behavior and service processes. At same explore applications such as privacy computing, adequately protect personal privacy and data security. Encourage enterprises serving the consumption to draw on large-scale data to build a system that perceives rapid dynamics demands, transform potential demand into real purchases with intelligent recommender systems, and to move the service industry from an experience-driven to a data-driven industry.
Reporter: Opening wider the service industry is an important route to accelerate service-consumption development. How to continue to be open to the external market and increase the supply of high-quality service consumer goods?
Dong Chao: In the last few years, the level of openness in services in China has been steady increased. From the introduction of quality service resource in-country, advanced concepts and best management practice and professional services talents, bridging the deficit of domestic supply around high standard services. On the other hand, opening up has created a “gym effect” of competition internally in service sectors, energized national sectors to innovate and make advances in the supply of services, switch from "is there any?" to "is it good?". Still, however, reals existing critical problems in service-leaning-opening: opening in sub-areas such as education and health remains narrow; there still invisible prompt in some segments. The gap between our service rules and those mainstream under international energy norms in the mutual recognition of professional qualifications, the linkage of service standards, and the free foreign exchange. Development of current transnational convenience mechanisms is incomplete for service, thus limiting the effective introduction of key global resources. To resolve these issues, there is need for fortified in opening in the service consumption field, using the strength of market forces to bring in premium we must be able and better satisfy the consumer's demands for premium, personalized, and diverse goods.
With respect to accelerating a broader ministry of market access, orderly relaxation of foreign investment restrictions; better leveraging policies such as broad opening and integration in services sector as well as of free trade zones; remain expanding opening pilot programs in in communications, medical care, education. Implementing management system based on a negative list for trade in cross-border services, and appropriately trimming the negative list to create to cross-border suppliers outside China a safe, stable and predictable institutional environment.
In terms of promoting complementarity, deepen three-way linkage between development of Chinese services and the international import of resources: work, cooperation in education, primary positive in attract high quality education of foreign countries. Introduce international advanced medical service institutions to improve available supply of high-end healthcare services. Support world-famous brands to open flagship models and flagship stores, opening accessible paths and = transnational served supply, consumers in China are able to enjoy top-tier international service without traveling abroad. In optimization of consumer environment, increase consumption by inbound tourists: design and develop more premium inbound travel routes and services, strengthen international education, medical care, conventions and exhibitions as markets, and turn China into a popular destination for service consumption around the world. Proceed prudently with expansion of visa free policies to more widely eligible countries, refine convenience for inbound consumption, so more international visitors can easily come to China and experience the place. Improve the refund tax for departure, improve payment environment for foreign tourists, and offer multiple currency forms in payments.
Reporter: Expanding service consumption overall is a systemic project that has co-partial points across multiple fields. In the next step, in what contexts should prominent domain be spearheaded, so as the more effectively release the systemic potential. Add on the stable upgradation of consumer structure, as well as enabling momentum, for high-quality economic and social development? D :
Service consumption today: it is both supportive livelihood services and productive services, featuring wide breadth, a range of clusters, so as to pursue high-quality growth we need to implement integrated policies and multiple parallel measure.
First, improved people’s wellbeing and microenterprise in social security to the increase their ability to spend. The quality at employment: implement comprehensive policies and measures for sustained income growth for urban/rural people, refine the mechanism for reasonable increases in wages, broaden ways of rent and property income, and raise household disposable income by more. Improve the social security framework, accelerate nationwide coordination of the implementation of the pension system, lower the risk of spending in big medical bills, enhance residents’ spending confidence, over-saving.
Second, use policy support to reduce the cost of service consumption. Use entirely devices such as ultra-long-term special treasury bonds and local government special bonds to support more investment in culture and tourism infrastructure, sports facilities various. Optimize interest-subsidized or a loan for operators for services; utilize services vouchers, focus investment as domestic tourism, sport, healthcare sector, and use financial incentives effectively. Use policy-based financial instruments better to guide social funds into service consumption.
Third, empower generous connotation renovated by none. IP in between culture and consumption has a strong driving and transformation power. Support localities in building urban cultural IP and regional public brands, by way of IP licensing, joint ventures, merchandising and far more, to extend the consumption value chain, converts the real value of soft power into consumption of high-strength.The road is built of culture for the culture of. This is the Uniqueness in more of the cultural confidence: "中华老字号" "Time-honored Chinese ones," supporting the heritage, enabling innovation and promotion of standard brands in Chinese cuisine, health management of Chinese medicine, and tourism. Mark and its establishments and the recognition and cross –Will set up service-brand certification and third-party service quality assessment.
Fourth, remove constraints in development by strengthening factor input. Capital, guarantees factors as land, labor, and data, and offering a sturdy base for development. Senior viability stage: permit the renovation/reuse of the existing commercial buildings and vacant industrial plant to make infrastructure for service consumption, facilitate the planning changes for land use. Add areas such as pension to national vocational qualification, and associate salary with technical skill levels. Accelerate the layout of computing infrastructure and the new-generation communications network and to help expansion incl of consumption in areas of smart tourism and online education.
Reporter: Thank you during the interview.
Return to TopBy: 求是杂志社经济编辑部、中国钢铁工业协会联合课题组
In-Depth Research
Survey of the Steel Industry: What Path Should Traditional Industry Transformation and Upgrading Take?
Joint Research Group of the Economic Editorial Department of Qiushi Magazine and the China Iron and Steel Association
Steel, as the "food of industry," is a foundational industry of the national economy and an important indicator of a country's industrial development level. In the early days after the founding of the PRC, the steel industry was the weakest and least developed sector in China's industrial system. After 70 years of going through wind and rain in hardship and pushing forward with dedication, China's steel industry has broken through and leaped forward through technological breakthroughs and industrial upgrading, thoroughly reversing the situation of "shortage of steel and lack of iron," and striving to raise the "steel backbone" that builds a modern industrial system. At present, as major global changes unseen in a century accelerate and a new wave of technological revolution and industrial transformation accelerates breakthroughs, where does the steel industry stand in history? What does its global competitiveness look like? What new challenges will it face? How did it break through in the digital intelligence era? During our investigation and visits to various sites, we have explored these questions with a focus on finding answers.
I. The Path of Transformation and Rebirth of the Development of China's Steel Industry
During our investigation, we learned that the production of crude steel in China has ranked first in the world for 30 consecutive years. In 2025, output was 961 million tons, which accounted for more than half of global output; the country is already an important force in the global steel industry. "The leadership position of China's steel industry on the world's steel stage is no longer solely due to its enormous scale, but also because it has gained more and more advanced technologies that other countries can learn from," said Edwin Basson, Director General of the World Steel Association. Through its own continuous innovation-oriented development, China's steel industry has reshaped the global steel industry's cost curve and technology benchmark. How did it get there?
From "spreading the stall" to "upgrading quality"—a historic leap in the capacity system. In 1949, the national output of steel was only 158,000 tons, less than half of the United States' daily output at the time. After the founding of the PRC, relying on the strategic, Three Big [steel plants] and the Five Medium, Eighteen Small [construction] initiative, it steadily consolidated the foundation for the steel industry. After reform and opening up, the steel industry pursued a path of rapid development. In 1996, crude steel output surpassed 100 million tons, jumping to the first place in the world. Entering the new century, the industry continued to expand, with a compound annual average growth rate of crude steel output of 9.2 percent from 2000 to 2020. As China's economy entered the period of high-quality development, the steel industry took the lead in launching the supply-side structural reform. Since the "13th Five-Year" Plan, the steel industry has used the resolution of excess capacity as a breakthrough, with the cumulative reduction of more than 150 million tons of crude steel capacity and the elimination of 140 million tons of "zigzag steel" production capacity. It has established fine adjustment and incentive measures based on two principal indicators—that capacity follows projects and energy efficiency improvements and efficient use of resources*. Through large-scale renewal of technical equipment, optimization of process flow, and adjustment of spatial layout, a massive and stable capacity system with ample supply was built.
From "small, scattered, and chaotic" to centralized—systematic optimization of the industrial layout. During our investigation, we saw that China's steel industry has formed a structure of scientific planning and coordinated development. First, the concentration of industry holdings continues to rise. To change the "small, scattered, and chaotic" situation, steel enterprises have actively implemented synergistic mergers and reorganizations, gradually establishing very large steel enterprise groups. In 2025, the market share of the largest top 10 enterprises in the industry reached 43.1 percent, representing a 4.2-percentage-point increase over 2020. Second, the layout of newly built capacity is more optimized. The steel industry is heavy on logistics and transport costs, as it relies heavily on imported iron ore. As a result, newly built production lines are being concentrated in the coastal areas with convenient access to ports and along the banks of the Yangtze River, as well as in regions close to sales markets that use steel for automobiles, machinery, and construction. In 2025, the proportion of crude steel produced in eastern coastal and riparian provinces reached 72 percent, which effectively reduced logistics costs for raw materials and shipping of products. The goal for distribution is the deepening of global exploration of resources. after HBIS Group acquired the Smederevo plant in Serbia, it quickly reversed a seven-year losing streak. It invested hundreds of millions of dollars in an overhaul and technical upgrading that raised its technology and comprehensive strength, and now it stands as a model project for the "Belt and Road" Initiative in high-quality steel.
From "merely capable" to a complete system with the greatest variety and the best price-quality ratio—products and services. At Shanxi Taigang Stainless Steel Precision Strip Co., Ltd., we witnessed the hand-shredded strip having a thickness of only 0.015 mm and being easily torn apart. This was once a raw material as a "bottleneck" that was monopolized by foreign countries and restricted our technological progress, and it has now become a landmark result of independent innovation in China's steel industry. It is used widely in areas such as flexible displays and the aerospace industry. At China Baowu Baosteel Co., Ltd., we examined in detail the R&D of high-end non-oriented silicon steel, which is a core–material for achieving high efficiency, smaller size, and lighter weight in traction motors, and it relates directly to energy-efficiency levels and scenario scenarios in new energy vehicles, high-efficiency home appliances, artificial intelligence, and embodied intelligence. When the PRC was founded, China could only smelt around a hundred steel grades and roll some 400 types or specifications of steel. Today, the variety and variety of steel spans 22 major categories with more than 3,000 small-breakdown types. Self-sufficiency in key materials is near 100 percent, and the share of high-strength, high-performance steel produced and applied is extremely high. China's steel is helping Chinese manufacturing to go global with its all-round competitive advantage.
From experience-driven to data- and algorithm-driven fundamental change in production methods. The blast furnace accounts for some 70 percent of total production cost in steel, and the heat temperature is more than 2,300 degrees. In old times, in order to get a clear reading of the furnace, the seasoned worker had to wear fire-resistant clothing and, through a slag-view mirror, peer at the flame and its condition at the mouth of the furnace, and judge the carbon temperature and slag condition based on experience in order to take action. If a batch of steel is ruined, you'd lose several ten or even one hundred million yuan. Among the sampled companies, nearly 90 percent of steel firms have established manufacturing execution systems, energy management, and environmental monitoring systems; the density of robot applications is 65 units, sets per 10,000 people. One-click steelmaking, intelligent scheduling, unmanned transport, precise burdening, and automatic quality inspection have become the norm for intelligent production in the industry. Real-time monitoring of temperature and other conditions inside the furnace is conducted. In the steelmaking plant of Baoshan Iron & Steel Co., we saw that "AI furnace captain" now fully in place, hitting rates of key indicators of over 90 percent, and a single blast furnace can cut costs by over 10 million, yuan annually.
Setting the Pattern: spearheading the largest, most rigorous environmental "green revolution" in steel history. Green transformation is now a common consensus in the world's steel industry. In the case of China, industry contributes roughly 70% of the national total carbon emissions, and the steel sector accounts for 15-20 percent of industrial emission. For this reason, the steel industry's green transformation affects achievement of the "dual carbon" goals. In 2019, a "green revolution" of the largest scale and strictest standards in the history of global steel was triggered with the issuance of the Opinions on the Trial Implementation of Ultra-Low Emission in the Steel Industry by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and four other (central government) departments. At the Qian’an Iron and Steel Co., a subsidiary of the Beijing Shougang Co., which is the first and only company in China to have completed ultra-low-emission conversion in the whole production process, we saw the environmental monitoring center’s online real-time control of emissions, where the values were displayed in real time: particles from key emission sources were less than 5 mg/m³; SO2 lower than 20 mg/m³; NOx lower than 30 mg/m³. Based on these three core indicators, China’s limits for ultra-low emissions are about 10 times stricter than the current standard, of some developed economies. By the end of June this year, more than 900 million tons of China’s crude steel capacity had undergone ultra-low-emission transformation for the entire process chain; the sector's ecological transition is well advanced for the current times.
II. An Era of Tests Final Face of Development in China's Steel Sector
In recent years, some despite the socio-public contentions in the social view that the steel industry is a "surplus" one, and "sunset industry" with even call to "let it shrink and give resources to new industries." This is radically contradictory to the facts: the steel industry has always been a basic, strategic industry for the national economy. It has been the "matrix" of emerging technologies: high-strength 300M ultra-high-strength steel for the landing gear of the C919 large passenger aircraft, the high-speed D2 steel for the wheels of high-speed rail trains, corrosion-resistant alloy steel for deep-sea probes are all dependent on metal-advanced breakthroughs in steel materials; it is the "bedrock" of national security—the protection of defense steel and steel for ships, specialized strategic storage steel, and steel for key infrastructure all rely on the support of the steel industry at every minute. The lesson of the American "rust belt" it is not far away; the hollowing out of traditional industries inevitably leads to a chain of regional economic recession, employment drain, and lack of innovation. The basic industries that domestic competitors underpin on cannot be left to self-clearing, disorderly outward relocation, and a passive contraction on the market’s own will. Currently, amid shifts of mechanisms in development environment, transformation of market forces, and changes in competitive rules, the old classic factors of scale total growth are gradually fading. If the steel sector is to carry a new historical weight, it has to confront new series of challenges.
The imbalance between supply and demand has still to be solved, structural dislocation, and "involution"-style competition remain. As far as the demand side is concerned, China's steel consumption has entered a stage of "market peak consumption overall, with structure displacement." In recent years, because of deeper adjustment in the real-estate market, slower infrastructure investment growth, and related developments, steel demand in construction has decreased. Meanwhile, upgrading in the manufacturing industry generates new demand. In 2025, manufacturing has been 51 percent of steel use on a really historical first time than building. The demand structure has reversed since the same period, which means the steel sector must quickly shift from "following real estate" to "following manufacturing." On the supply side and in other aspects the basic capacity is ample, but structural contradictions remain prominent: 1) There is an excessive number of active market players and relatively low industry cooperation, making self-regulation a difficult point; 2) some small and medium-size businesses cling to the outmoded concept of low prices for orders and volume-for-price, falling into a rival spiral called "involution" — the more that is produced, the greater the losses, and the worse the losses, the more production is increased, thereby amplifying market’s swing; 3) the mechanism for market-driven withdrawal is underdeveloped; steel companies have mostly been the mainstays of regional economies, have sunk, heavy assets, and are significant employment generator; regional implicit protection is even present, in some cases, leads to slower needed adjustment of capacity than changes in the market. exists.
Improvement of the industry’s firm’s is not sufficient foundation, while independent advanced sectors or key materials remain the weak links. During the survey we found currently, there is a certain dependency on imports for some advanced and core technological areas in high-end rolling-mill servo valves, high precision sensors, advanced high-temperature over materials, and specialized refractories. Some key materials have already achieved breakthroughs in domestic, but there is still a gap to fill in terms of batch stability, consistency, and homogeneity. On a deeper level, fundamental research is insufficient in the steel industry; R&D funds go mostly to use, short-term technical application, with low share of basic research. Furthermore, the linkage between industry, universities, research institutes, and users is weak—institutions of higher education and research institutes(S) work individually, resources are extremely is scattered, investments duplicated, so there is a lack of joint force for tackling cross-domain, lengthy time, high-risk generic and key techniques. Standards are inconsistent, data are not interconnected, and many research results cannot be applied. All this presents a considerable constraint on the industry's aspiration to move to higher segments of global value chain.
Exports become more difficult and riskier, under the double pressure of trade barriers and narrowing margins. In the current state, the "fragmentation" of international steel market has become clear, while from a foreign environment for Chinese steel exports has a growing complexity and more frequent pressure and risk. In the first half of 2020 (to the period from 2020 to the first half of 2026), the original investigations for trade remedies (subsidies, anti-dumping, etc.)). for Chinese steel products have been initiated more than 110 times, and trade restrictions have shifted from the conventional construction of low-end such as steel bars and ordinary steel section to high-tech, high–added steel, including grain-oriented and non-oriented electrical steel, high-end coated steel plate, and steel pipes used in the energy sector. The United States launched a “337 investigation” into carbon and steel alloys sold in the U.S. market, with direct impact on China’s high-grade steel exports. As contracting demand for infrastructure in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and other emerging markets, prices for ordinary steel have been competitive, in 2025 the average export price for China’s steel has only $694 per ton, decreased by. about 18% compared with 2020, so export the profit has clearly narrowed.
High foreign dependency on key resources, Pervasive hidden dangers in industrial chain security and cost control. Three main materials sources are domestically mined iron ore, imported iron ore, and steel scrap. Due to resource raw material, mining costs, and other, constraints, production of China’s iron ore cannot ensure domestic needs – long-term, China largely depends on imports, with domestic ones used secondary, and the dependence on imports is higher than 80%. The mixing is high: China, drinking global iron ore, has limited pricing influence over ore, and imported ore price is at the influence of international political and economic conditions and speculative financial capital, which gives rise to fluctuations other than fundamental supply and market. Imported iron ore price hit 233 USD/ton in 2021, higher by hundred than its bottom in 2019 (by 215%), and in same year, Chinese steel-firms incurred cost rises of around RMB480 billion for all values, which equal approx 1.4 time the aggregate profit of some sample key steel producers of statistical scope, leading to a dangerous and unbalanced distribution of profits along the steel chain. As for scrap, due to long time steel accumulation in China, scrap resources are not sufficient; over the period of the "14th Five-Year-Plan" the average annual scrap steel consumed in the steelmaking is only approx. 200 million, with scrap ratio only about 20%. To summarize, a strategic reserves system for key steel resources is not fully in place, so the capacity to deal with unexpected interrupting supply is yet to strengthen.
III. Seeking New Paths of High-Quality Development for the steel sector
In this new current situation, China's steel industry is facing a whole pattern of three major variables deeply intertwined: a trend of long-term contraction and readjustment in the structure, a rising wave of fast-AI and other digital technologies enabling change, and the comprehensive situation green, low-carbon transformation economy as stated. As the global steel production approaches a peak, a new round of technological revolution has pushed waves; the "dual carbon" objectives are increasingly tightening hard limits; and social capital now channels mainly into emerging industries – in this context, will the old industry such as steel be neglected – could it be marginalized, or will it repeat the lesson of the American's rust belt, where it was left to naturally shrink? This is the question of the era that we have to consider. As General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, "The steel industry is a crucial basic industry of our country, and the real economic is the foundation of the national economy. We must continue efforts to tighten overcome these deficiencies, improve the structure and make greater contributions to Chinese-style modernization." We must strengthen our confidence in development, proactively seize opportunities for transformation and upgrading, and forge an unchanging "steel backbone" to support Chinese-style modernization.
Building a new mechanism for dynamic equilibrium between supply and demand. From research, we found even this balance should not depend on simple administrative production caps, but need to be based on a long-term mechanism that is predictable, self-regulating, and supports the principle of survival of the fittest. The key is: to ensure truly that inefficient capacity shuts down, high-quality remains alive, and market discipline is respected. The urge to give full play to the role of M&A, market, in deepening integration, of small and medium enterprises in the area with low level equipment whose environmental-protection or energy consumption does not meet requirements and remain continuously losing money, make simultaneous use of such policy “capacity substitution” mechanism, improve efficiency, and layout optimization. This must not lead to a simplistic closures, which could provoke to pressure of local budgets and employment, but also must avoid conserving inefficient capacities hidden under various shapes or. Quality, environment, energy and carbon emissions are the central criteria. A differentiated output-control mechanism should be established to realize the production dictates, according to sales, efficiency, and cash-flow: production according to sales, production based on efficacy, selling determined by current receipts. Companies should also abandon the old, based on low-bid grabbing, to price-volume a strategic. focus In particular, in the fields like plates, building materials where are fiercely homogeneous, to encourage discipline practices of regional coordination, cooperation on varieties, and coordinated export growth, to avoid "the more losses but the more production" stampede across the whole industry caused when a single company expands the capacity without the rational limit.
** integration of traditional industries and innovation-driven integration of development**. Since the 18th Party Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping has visited companies multiple steel plants and has urged steel enterprise to “strengthen research development of new materials and new technologies, develop a larger number of high tech content, high-add value new product, better competitiveness. To date the steel industry is intensely differentiated: Silicon steel reach gross margins from 7 percent to 14 percent, contrary to the low 0.3 percent to 1.3 percent in the construction rebar segment – quantity to a difference of one orders. The demand profile for steel has changed from a past strong dependence on buildings and infrastructure toward a manufacturing, with new infrastructure leadership and the rest as the base. New energy vehicles want efficient high-grade non-oriented-silicon steel; wind power wants cold-resistant, fatigue-resistant tower steel; nuclear power needs pressure vessel heat resistant steel; and embodied intelligence requires precise, lightweight structural steel; this makes urgent demand to adjust and optimize the steel corporate strategy. Producers should be pushed to move to high output, special, low-carbon steel and ensure a solid source of encourage for new high technology sectors, high-end manufacturing, aerospace deep sea engineering, rail transit, and new energy, which are strategic new sectors of the national industry.
Realizing coordinated, complementary with differentiated layout. China has a vast territory, with marked variation in resource endowments, industrial endowments, and market demand. The arrangement of steel capacity can’t be treated as one-size-fits-all: based on each area's local comparative advantages, the task is to constitute coastal areas to become stronger, inland to become greener, but with complementary advantages in all. industry must continue to increase industrial concentration. Faced by hard cost constraints, environmental barriers and heavy technological - needs, raising the concentration contributes to innovation force and pricing capability. In a second direction, in the coastal steelmaking long route and interior, short route steel EAF based must exploit their strengths and competition. The coastal and by the river bases should rely on ports and economies of scale, to refine and efficiency, long process routes, quality and efficiency, and strengthen the capacity to supply high quality steel to manufactures, mainstream. In the hinterland, on the contrary, they should find differentiation value based on own characteristics. In those areas where the scrap total and that have rich clean hydro and other renewable electricity, planning and progressive development based on electric arc furnace short process, first it will deeply reduce carbon and will use regional scrap, not only meets the local steel demand, but solves lopsided mismatch in the supply.
Ensure measurement, progress "dual carbon"; drive the transformation of all aspects in green speed. In the long term, structural change toward green should not be seen as a cost but a possibility: whoever controls low-carbon technology first will take the prime points in future competitive. But in the short term, the green transformation of a steel company involves high upfront investment, long cycles and high costs, we found and exist of these companies makes the conundrum that "the more polluting, less is beneficial, and the first mover with restrictions suffers." Key to overcoming the problem is the operation and implementation and allocation and cost affordability in the pathway. Today, the cost for steelworks in the low-carbon process retrofit, green electricity and a high steel scrap ratio is not easy to reflect in the market price, leading plants to lack of the drive to transform. The costs cannot be carried by steel enterprises alone. Cost and me must support public policies, to distribute the green cost reasonable between raw materials, supply stage, processes and users at the final. Products that use low-carbon should get policy and market that value the price. steel must get its reward.
Improve opening up and broaden international industry cooperation. Proven by facts: the evolution of China’s steel has not without the world, and the global needs China. China’s steel, by the worldwide most series of whole chain industrial and the cost effective product, offers strong support for world’s, and the industrialization of developing countries. The sectors to keep well, not too chaotic export order, to adapt and optimize export structure, also incentivizes export of high-value additions products such as high-end electrical silicon steel, steel plates for automotive and energy. It should increase the intelligence to understand international market movement and trade rules, rationally react to commercial, and push strong defense of rights according to law, take part in setting international standards; and promote certification of cross-recognition for environmental production declaration (EPD) for the sector across the entire value chain, finally break carbon barriers. We must to use both domestic and international resources, balance and manage the Chinese and foreign markets, develop robust sustainable and resilient global supply chain, growth of the global the capability of allocation and and use its way to global steel cooperation. We should open new and new dimensions for international development of China steel.
Research notes
While researching at China Baowu Group Baoshan base, our attention was caught by an old converter plant control building of a production line. In 1985, Baosteel’s steelmaking plant, went into operation in 1985. Forty years passed, the structure and layout of this building haven't had changed. Use of the same control room unchanged, even the old craftsmen's working spot to "watch the flame and adjust tuyere operation," in front of the furnace, can still be seen. in dimly, stepping inside remains the same plot, but has been transformed. On the electronic screen the temperature, slag’s component, and operation of all equipment in the furnace operation are displayed in real time. A craftsman explained that the process from 2019 remote "one click steelmaking" in 3km away, to 2022, when the first robot Baowu 001 took up duty, and to the “AI furnace chief” 2.0 edition in 2026 capability independent logical analysis and precision, production have undergone change deep and far-reaching. We were deeply impressed: a leap is not possible in one shot, nor can old expertise be abandoned’s process of. For decades, the "hand sense" and "sharp eye" that skilled old masters had accumulated, which used to be secret special "tricks" which only these experienced masters could apply, won’t be lost, have consciously been sorted, repeatedly coded, tested, refined eventually into standardized data and convert into smart algorithm, resulting in "old trees spouting new foliage." There it was that we got to understand the secret of success to transform and upgrade and long-term vitality of China's steel industry. New quality productive forces are not a discarded of the old blast furnace, modernization overhaul replacing; rather it's a sharply staged "innovation renovation" on basis of large base installed; the sprout from old stem, drinking moisture that older tree has absorbed deeply into the ground, but with thus express the living force toward tomorrow. Every dimension of detail, an deepest foot for the larger fromChina's manufacturing — philosophical principle, innovation and progression from big to strong.
Author: Guo would contribute = guo Feiran, Jiang Wei, Sun Ning, Shu Yu are collaboration of contributions.
Return to TopBy: 唐杰
Using Token as an Engine to Promote High-Quality Development of the Intelligent Economy
Tang Jie
On July 17, General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance, emphasizing the need to "comprehensively promote AI technological innovation, industrial development, and scenario application" and to "enable AI to empower thousands of industries." At present, the intelligent economy, with large models and intelligent agents as its main technological support, is accelerating the reshaping of the global economic structure. Token (词元), as the basic unit of AI-generated content, has transcended the purely technical concept and is becoming a new type of data element promoting the development of China's intelligent economy. It not only brings about business model changes in the AI industry but also opens up new growth space characterized by intelligence for future industries. We must adhere to innovative thinking and a systematic approach, better leverage the multiplier effects of model intelligence level, Application Programming Interface (API) call volume, and intelligent conversion efficiency, so that Token can burst forth with more abundant economic value and better promote the high-quality development of China's intelligent economy.
I. What is a Token
Token originates from natural language processing and is the smallest unit for current large models to process information. As a bridge connecting human natural language and machine intelligent computation, it is becoming a core indicator for measuring the transaction volume of intelligent services and the micro-level carrier of value creation in the intelligent economy, possessing distinct productivity attributes.
First, Token possesses the characteristics of being measurable, pricable, and tradable, reconstructing the linkage mechanism between technological supply and commercial demand. As a statistical unit for large model call scale, it precisely quantifies the consumption of intelligent services. As a billing unit, it promotes the transformation of software business models from traditional authorized subscription to on-demand calling, making intelligent services as readily available as water and electricity, providing a clear quantitative foundation and transaction possibility for the large-scale implementation of the AI industry.
Second, Token is a dynamically generated, high-density data element. Unlike traditional data as a production factor of static records, Token represents knowledge that is being generated and activated by models. It not only contains textual semantic segments but also encompasses vectorized expressions of multimodal information such as images, audio, and video, embodying the model's reasoning, generation, and decision-making processes on specific tasks. It is an intelligent form that can directly serve production and daily life, formed after data elements are processed by large models.
Third, Token possesses long-term stability and technological neutrality, with the attributes of a value anchor and measurement language in the intelligent age. Token is not bound to specific technological routes or a single manufacturer, possessing a high degree of universality. Just as the "barrel" in the oil era and the "degree" in the electricity era, mastering the measurement unit of Token is essentially equivalent to mastering the definition and measurement rights of intelligent economy infrastructure. Establishing a digital economy foundation based on Token is of great significance for China to grasp standard-setting and pricing dominance in global intelligent economy competition.
II. Three Dimensions of Token as an Engine for Intelligent Economy Development
Token promotes the vigorous development of the intelligent economy through comprehensive penetration into all aspects of production, daily life, industry, and commerce. It not only gives rise to AI-native new business forms such as intelligent agent services and "one-person companies," but also forms Token-based value increments in the process of AI empowering existing industries, and reconstructs the value chains and collaborative distribution methods of existing industries. The contribution efficiency of Token to intelligent economy development is mainly determined by three factors: model intelligence level, API call volume, and intelligent conversion efficiency.
The model intelligence level determines the intelligence density and value content carried by a single Token. The higher the model intelligence level, the stronger the generated Token is in logic, accuracy, and creativity, the more significant its ability to solve complex problems and assist scientific decision-making, and the higher the use value of the generated content. The model intelligence level can be measured by its performance in benchmark tests of capabilities such as comprehensive knowledge, complex reasoning, code engineering, multimodal processing, and autonomous execution of intelligent agents. Since last year, the iteration speed of mainstream global large models has accelerated, continuously refreshing benchmark test scores, and the test results provide an important reference for observing the relative intelligence levels of different models.
API call volume is the scale foundation of the intelligent economy, a measure of model computing power consumption and data throughput scale, reflecting the popularity of large models and the activity level of the AI industry. At present, major global model manufacturers all provide API services billed by call volume and actively open them to the industrial side. Token flows between different industries, regions, and organizations through the API channel, becoming the main way for intelligent elements to be configured across scenarios. Overseas users can also remotely call models and computing power within China through APIs to obtain inference services and pay according to Token consumption, realizing "Token going global."
Intelligent conversion efficiency reflects the value realization rate in the intelligent economy. It measures the conversion efficiency between Token generation and economic value creation, closely related to factors such as the penetration rate of model applications in industries and their adaptability in scenarios. The higher the model's intelligence level, the more fully integrated with industries, and the stronger the user's human-machine collaboration capability, the more it can produce greater economic value with less Token consumption and achieve higher intelligent conversion efficiency. The higher the intelligent conversion efficiency, the more precisely Token can match industrial demand, deeply integrate with thousands of industries, promote production expansion, cost reduction, and efficiency improvement, more fully promote productivity enhancement and economic benefit growth, and complete the value loop of the intelligent economy.
The above three factors—model intelligence level, API call volume, and intelligent conversion efficiency—shape the activity characteristics of laborers using AI to engage in production and create economic value from three dimensions: tool quality, behavioral scale, and output efficiency. When large models are deeply combined with industrial scenarios, Token can transform from digital cost into intelligent assets, and its growth-driving effect will be manifested in the intelligent economy in the form of improved production efficiency, enhanced service quality, and the emergence of new business forms, opening up broader, more implementable, and sustainable growth space for future industries.
III. Under Token Drive, China's Intelligent Economy Presents New Characteristics
At present, Token-driven development of China's intelligent economy already possesses significant advantages such as leading overall scale and rich application scenarios, presenting notable characteristics including quantitative explosion, application deepening, structural optimization, and model innovation, driving China's intelligent economy to accelerate from the concept popularization period into the stage of large-scale value creation.
The comprehensive competitiveness of domestic open-source models continues to achieve new breakthroughs, and the ability to serve the intelligent economy with Token supply has significantly strengthened. In April this year, a domestic large model ranked first globally in the professional edition of a software engineering benchmark test, surpassing the closed-source flagship model of the United States in the same period; in June, in a front-end development evaluation system with blind testing by one million global users, a domestic large model again won first place among globally available models. Unlike the US government's prohibition of foreign entities from accessing its leading closed-source models, domestic large models firmly uphold the banner of open source and openness, providing high-quality, accessible, and trustworthy large model services to global users. At the same time, the service prices of domestic open-source models also possess an advantage of orders of magnitude compared to the flagship versions of US closed-source models. The narrowing of the technological gap, ultimate cost-effectiveness, and stable openness together constitute the core support for the comprehensive competitiveness of domestic models.
API call volume has exploded exponentially, making China the world's largest Token consumption market. In the past two years, the application of large models in China has rapidly popularized, the intelligent agent ecosystem has accelerated its incubation, and Token call volume has grown explosively—a direct mapping of China's super-large market advantage in the intelligent economy. At the beginning of 2024, China's daily Token call volume was 100 billion; by the end of 2025, it jumped to 100 trillion; in March 2026, it exceeded 140 trillion, growing more than a thousandfold in two years. According to statistics from the global large model aggregation platform OpenRouter, since late April 2026, China's weekly Token call volume has exceeded that of the United States for three consecutive months, firmly ranking first globally. This explosive growth marks the formation of a large-scale intelligent consumption market in China, making it one of the most active and potentially promising Token consumption centers in the global intelligent economy.
Application scenarios are moving from conversational interaction to production links, and the path of intelligent conversion is becoming increasingly clear. Token is transformed into visible real economic increments by embedding into specific production, service, and trade links, reflecting the evolution of the intelligent economy from one-way promotion by the technology supply side to value verification pulled by the demand side. In enterprise-level applications, new application forms such as intelligent R&D assistants and intelligent operation hubs continue to emerge, and Token consumption is accelerating its embedding into core business processes and high-value links. An analysis report shows that in the second half of 2025, the daily Token call volume of enterprise-level large models in China rose to 3.6 times that of the first half of the year. Since 2025, the revenue of China's major model enterprises has grown substantially, also showing that model-as-a-service platforms can directly convert Token consumption into measurable operating revenue through API call pricing, and models with leading capabilities are achieving "simultaneous rise in both volume and price."
At present, although China's intelligent economy is developing rapidly, using Token as an engine to promote high-quality development of the intelligent economy also faces some constraints. First, the improvement of model intelligence level faces bottlenecks, with emphasis on engineering optimization but insufficient breakthroughs in principles, and there are gaps with internationally leading levels in autonomous reasoning, long-horizon planning, multimodal fusion, safety alignment, and other aspects, with insufficient innovation in basic theory, underlying technology, and core algorithms. Second, there are structural contradictions in Token calls: consumer-level applications such as chat and text-to-image have large call volumes but low commercial returns; although the small and medium-sized enterprise application market is growing rapidly, the overall penetration rate still needs improvement; a large amount of high-value calls are deposited in closed internal systems of enterprises, failing to be transformed into open platform API ecosystem dividends. Third, the conversion rate of Token output into real economic value is not high, especially the low penetration rate in high value-added fields such as industrial manufacturing and scientific research innovation. Only by solving these problems can the engine role of Token be further brought into play, injecting stronger driving force into the development of China's intelligent economy.
IV. Fully Leveraging the Engine Role of Token in Driving High-Quality Development of the Intelligent Economy
The "15th Five-Year Plan" period is an important strategic window for China's artificial intelligence to shift from technological explosion to application maturity. The endogenous growth momentum of the intelligent economy comes from the positive feedback loop of "intelligence level—API call volume—intelligent conversion efficiency." We should closely adhere to the engine function of Token, raise the intelligence ceiling for Token value release, expand the utilization scale of generated Token content, enhance the integration level of Token with the real economy, and build a governance system adapted to this, promoting the transformation and upgrading of China's intelligent economy from scale leadership to quality leadership.
Raise the intelligence ceiling and improve model intelligence level. Intelligence level is essentially a reflection of general-purpose technology capital accumulation; investment in intelligence level is the accumulation of intelligent capital stock, and its returns have the characteristic of long-term increase. We should focus more on the leap from perceptual intelligence to cognitive intelligence, vigorously promote original innovation in model architecture and algorithms, and seek breakthroughs in long-horizon task capabilities of large models, autonomous intelligent agent systems, self-evolution, and autonomous training. Accelerate the construction of high-quality, multimodal Chinese language corpora and knowledge bases covering key industries, and explore safe and compliant data sharing and the "data element ×" model. Strengthen policy guidance and institutional supply, support universities, research institutes, and leading enterprises in collaborative frontier basic research, increase financial support for large model R&D, computing power construction, and the data element market, improve the intellectual property system, and stimulate innovation vitality.
Innovate service models and expand API call volume. API call volume is essentially the demand scale for the new consumer product of "intelligence as a service." An increase in the number of users will accelerate model improvement, and model improvement will attract more users, forming demand-side economies of scale. We should reduce the cost of model access and switching, implement differentiated pricing, and cultivate a more mature API market. Build an autonomous and controllable "model-chip-computing integrated" AI infrastructure, promote the construction of a national integrated computing network and its intensive and efficient utilization. Build open-source and open high-performance computing service platforms, continuously optimize the API service ecosystem, and provide inclusive computing power support for small and medium-sized enterprises. Vigorously develop intelligent agents, encourage the large-scale application of intelligent agents in various vertical fields, so that intelligent agent clusters that can autonomously drive, collaborate, and operate around the clock become a new industrial form, truly moving from "intelligent assistants" to "digital employees." Improve the Token measurement and trading market, accelerate the establishment of unified Token measurement standards and trading rules, and further activate the production, circulation, and consumption of Token.
Strengthen scenario traction and improve intelligent conversion efficiency. Token's penetration from the consumption side to the production side is concentrated in the early stage on standardized tasks that are easy to scale, such as copywriting generation and code completion, while in the later stage it needs to solve the "last mile" adaptation problems of industry knowledge, business processes, regulatory constraints, and so on. The key to improving intelligent conversion efficiency lies in designing a "Token-task" matching mechanism, making Token production as close as possible to value creation scenarios. Focusing on advanced manufacturing clusters, national-level economic development zones, pilot free trade zones, and other key areas, with modern agricultural industrial parks and modern service industry agglomeration areas as extensive extensions, systematically sort out industrial and enterprise business processes, form Token-driven solutions targeting pain points and bottlenecks, create a number of benchmark scenarios for the intelligent economy, and promote the improvement of intelligent conversion efficiency. Build an evaluation system for intelligent economy conversion efficiency, and explore incorporating several new indicators such as the pulling effect of unit Token consumption on GDP and the AI penetration rate of key industries into the national statistical system.
Strengthen governance support and build a sustainable and healthy development ecosystem for the intelligent economy. Focusing on the levels of property rights, transactions, and risks, accelerate the construction of a Token governance system that is incentive-compatible, balances public and private interests, and has clear rights and responsibilities. Simultaneously build alignment capabilities adapted to model intelligence levels, write national laws and regulations, social norms, and ethics as underlying axioms into the model's value function, ensuring that AI technology promotes the intelligent economy to develop toward goodness. Establish and improve the algorithmic safety supervision system, and prevent risks such as algorithmic discrimination, privacy leakage, and the spread of false information. Adhere to open cooperation, actively participate in the formulation of global AI governance rules, and promote the formation of an open, fair, and non-discriminatory international environment for intelligent economy development.
Author: Professor, Department of Computer Science and Technology, Tsinghua University
Return to TopBy: 潘岳
The Historical Evolution of the Chinese Nation Community and the Great Rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation
Pan Yue
Since ancient times, the people of all ethnic groups in our country have jointly created a brilliant Chinese civilization and forged the great Chinese nation. The Chinese nation, moving from history toward the future, from tradition toward modernity, and from diversity toward unity as one, has a unique trajectory of formation and development. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has integrated Marxist ethnic theory with the concrete realities of China's ethnic issues and with China's fine traditional culture, established the forging of a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation as the main line for the Party's ethnic work and all work in ethnic regions in the new era, vigorously advanced the building of a community for the Chinese nation, and injected powerful forces into the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
I
As early as the prehistoric period, Chinese civilization presented a pattern of "six major regional systems" scattered like stars across the sky. Around 6,000 years ago, an early Chinese cultural sphere, represented by painted-pottery culture and jade culture, took shape. During the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, broad-region monarchical states were gradually formed across the land of China, and a Huaxia community emerged that integrated the Xia people, the Shang people, the Zhou people, and the so-called "Man, Yi, Rong, and Di" peoples. During the Qin and Han dynasties, the Huaxia community further merged with neighboring groups such as the Xiongnu, the Wuhuan, and the Xianbei, and, shaped by the Qin-Han great-unification political system, formed a "Han" group that transcended purely consanguineous ties and possessed shared political-cultural identity; ancient populations of different regions, different ethnic origins, and different customs and cultures became increasingly integrated; and the Chinese nation in its "self-embedded" (自在) form began to take shape. Over the ensuing millennium, the Chinese nation continued to develop through interactions, exchanges, and integration, with cultural identity continually expanding and internal cohesion gradually strengthening. By the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, on the basis of an unprecedentedly unified territory, the basic pattern of pluralism and unity was settled. The history of the "spontaneous" formation and development of the Chinese nation contains within it the development trend and basic laws by which the various ethnic groups condensed into one whole from diversity, can show the objective fact of the continuous growth of commonality among the various ethnic groups at different levels—political, economic, cultural, and social—and to highlight the connotation of the Chinese nation as a national community entity.
Politically, the Chinese nation upholds the great-unification belief that the territory cannot be divided, the country cannot be disordered, the ethnic groups cannot be scattered, and civilization cannot be interrupted—political, economic, cultural, and social—considering great unification as the "the constant norm of heaven and earth, the shared principle of past and present." In terms of political institutions, great-unification dynasties implemented the commandery-county system, the registration of all households, and the unified legal codes, "the affairs are scattered in the four directions, but the essential control lies in the center." In the governance of border regions, successive dynasties governed according to local customs, "to cultivate their teachings without changing their customs, to unify their governance without changing their suitability," by establishing such systems as the dependent states and protectorates of the Han Dynasty, the loose-jointed protectorate-prefecture system of the Tang Dynasty, the native official (Tuguan) system of the Song Dynasty, the headmen (Tusi) system of the Yuan Dynasty, or the military-governor system, the Mongol banner-summoon system, the Begs system of the Qing Dynasty, and so on. Great unification was by no means the sole invention of the Han people but was a joint creation of all ethnic groups through contact, exchange, and integration. For example, the Northern Wei implemented the equal-field system, the Yuan Dynasty created the provincial system and the Commission for Buddhist and Tibetan Affairs (Xuanzheng Yuan), and the Qing Dynasty pioneered the Lifan Yuan (Ministry for the Governance of Dependencies) and the system of resident commissioners in Tibet—all of which continuously consolidated and strengthened the national institutional system of great unification.
Economically, the Chinese nation upholds the economic ethic of enriching the people and nourishing their lives, balancing righteousness and benefit, which is the need of complementary needs among all ethnic groups and the coordinated development of regional economies. Historically, nomadic regions needed the grain, silk, porcelain, ironware, tea, and salt of farming regions, while farming regions needed the horses, leather goods, and other pastoral husbandry products of nomadic regions. This formed transportation and trade routes for ethnic contact, exchange, and integration—such as the Hexi Corridor, the Tibetan-Yi corridor, the Nanling, Wuling, and Western Liao corridors, the Tianshan routes—with the interactions and relations among all regions and ethnic groups becoming ever closer. In the process of pursuing and defending great unification, various dynasties and regimes actively unified weights and measures and taxation, built large-scale transport infrastructure, broke down the barriers of separated economic and cultural boundaries, and continuously advanced the process of opening up frontier regions, integrating regional economies, and achieving national economic integration.
Culturally, the Chinese nation has never replaced plural cultures with a single culture, but rather has gathered plural cultures into a shared culture, resolving conflicts and adhering to consensus. We have a concept of cultural integration of "uniting the world under heaven," forming a cultural formation model of "the cultures of all regions jointly shape Chinese culture, and Chinese culture in turn nurtures the cultures of all regions." For example, the culture of the Han Dynasty was a mixture of the cultures of the many Warring States; the Tang Dynasty culture was merged with those of the Southern and Northern dynasties; the Yuan Dynasty culture was a blend of the Liao, Song, Xia, Jin, and broader Eurasian cultures; the Ming Dynasty culture was a mixture of Han, Mongol, Tibetan, and Hui ethnic cultures. The Chinese nation is adept at accommodating completely opposing contradictions, and enabling all matters of "either-or" to achieve dialectical unity, arrived to harmonious coexistence—even exclusive religions and cultures are able to be reconciled and transformed after being steeped in Chinese culture. Through the use and promotion of Chinese characters, different ethnic groups were able to exchange information, share Chinese cultural symbols, jointly receive the nourishment of Chinese civilizational identity and Chinese traditional ethics, and continuously enhance their identification with Chinese culture. Thereby, all ethnic groups of a vast and complex land have transcended regional, local, clannish, religious boundaries and have condensed from a vast population with drastic internal differences into a single Chinese nation—multifarious in plenitude, singular in essence.
Societally, through intermarriage, trade, warfare, and population migration, the Chinese nation gradually formed a distribution pattern of "great intermingling, small community, and low area concentration," historically, with large-scale cross-regional population flows taking place continuously. During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, the Western Governance of the Xirong, northern Di, the Pian-Chu of the Miao-Man, and the Eastern Yi peoples entered the Central Plains and merged into the Huaxia groups; in the Eastern Han, the Southern Xiongnu and Wuhe submitted; in the Sui-Tang period, the Turkic, Uyghur, Sogdian, Shatuo, Khitan Mohe groups, and others moved inward on a large scale; in the early Ming, large numbers of interior populations moved to the northern and southwestern border areas—soldiers garrisoning the frontiers, migrants filling the frontier, and officials stationed in the frontier—amounting to more than 13 million people; in the Qing Dynasty, interior people "went west" (走西口), "went outside the passes" (跑口外), and "went the Northeast region to the Northeast frontier." Through such multiple directional movements and flows, the way of life of all ethnic groups converged, customs and customs merged, and the boundaries between ethnic groups gradually disappeared. Behind this population flow lies the protection of the deep-seated social ethic of "the world is one family" (天下为公). The Chinese nation is accustomed to comparing the relationship among different regions and ethnic groups to the kinship of blood, to siblings and fellow soldiers. During the Western Han and the Xiongnu concluded peace through a marriage alliance, "becoming brothers"; the Tang Dynasty maintained an "uncle-nephew" relationship with the Uyghur through marriage alliance; during the Liao, and the Western Xia dynasties—the Northern Song, the Qocho Uyghur, Ganzhou Uyghur, and the Karakhanid dynasty also referred friendliness—the relationship with the Song dynasty as "uncle-nephew." This communal concept transcends individualism, and is in stark contrast to the concept of paganism in the Christian West and the concept of either-or enmity between the self and the other. Prudent and conflictious, the many regimes and ethnic groups of the Central Plains all coexisted and lived together under "heaven," being all regarded as "one family"—even their conflicts rivalries were "internal disputes among brothers within a house."
The historical process of the "autonomous" development of the Chinese nation has witnessed how all ethnic groups jointly opened up the vast national territory, jointly created a unified multi-ethnic state, jointly composed a brilliant Chinese history, jointly created a splendid Chinese culture, and jointly cultivated the great national spirit. In periods of unification, the great integration of all Chinese ethnic groups deepened continuously; in periods of division, the scope of contact, exchange, and integration among ethnic groups became wider. After each re-unification, there was a deeper reconciliation on the basis of broader consensus. raising the commonality of the Chinese nation in a continuous dialectic of deeper and broader alternations, profoundly finally confirms that the formation and development of the Chinese nation follow the aspirations of all the Chinese people, the strong certainty of the current of history, and the inevitable movement.
II
In modern times, China gradually became a semi-colonial, semi-feudal society: the nation was subjected to humiliation, the people underwent suffering, and civilization was darkened with humiliation. Once the CPC was born, it was determined to seek the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, combining democratic revolution with the national revolution, combining modern state-building with the formation of a national community, and leading the Chinese nation community to realize the transformation from "spontaneous" (自在) to "self-aware" (自觉), demonstrating a non-Western model of modern-state formation.
Realizing a non-Westernized national transformation. The nation-state is the basic unit of modern politics and international law, a modern state form in which sovereignty, territory, and citizenry are conjoined. Western nation-states were mostly products of the successive division of empires after their disintegration, and they are the practical projection of the "one nation, one state" concept. Modern China was born from the great-unified dynasties. If it had mechanically copied the framework of the Western nation-state, it would have inevitably led to the division of territory, the interruption, of history, and the disintegration of the great unification. In 1902, Liang Qichao was the first to put forward the concept of the "Chinese nation" and of state and translated the formulation that the Chinese nation was formed by the mixture of various ethnic groups. In 1912, Sun Yat-sen declared: "The foundation of the state lies in the people. To merge the territories of the Han, Manchu, Mongol, Hui, and Tibetan peoples into one state is to merge the Han, Manchu, Mongol, Hui, and Tibetan peoples into one people. This is the meaning of the unity of the nation." In 1917, Li Dazhao, the pioneer of the CPC, was the first to put forward the concept of "new Chinese nationalism," and the first to propose the rebuilding of the Chinese state and the revival of the Chinese nation, whence the potential of a much earlier call for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. In the struggle to resist aggression of the great powers, the overall national consciousness of "Chinese nation" among all ethnic groups was awakened unprecedentedly. The transformation of modern China did not take the path of Western "one nation-one state" construction; rather, it was rooted in the tradition of great unification, transcending the "division along ethnic lines" with "unity in diversity." The CPC united and led ethnic groups of all ethnic groups across the country, centering on the central task of resolving the ethnic issue, seeking external independence and liberation from imperialist oppression and aggression, and internal deliberation from ethnic oppression and discrimination, demanding equality, unity, and progress for all ethnic groups. Over the past hundred years, under the leadership of the CPC, the Chinese nation has come to realize the great leap from standing up, from getting rich to becoming strong, fundamentally reshaping the overall appearance of modern China, systematically reconstructing the modern state system, and, with the ever-renewing unified multi-ethnic national form, completely realizing the "rebirth of the old state" and the re-glory of civilization.
Forging the most reliable backbone of the Chinese nation community. In modern times, the practice of various political forces and various attempts to save the nation adhered to failure primarily because there was no core political force capable of organizing the Chinese people. In 1939, Comrade Mao Zedong, in "The Chinese Revolution and the Chinese Communist Party," systematized the CPC's view of the Chinese nation, pointing out that the Chinese nation was the common national identity of all the Chinese people, emphasizing the irreplaceable leadership of the CPC in the Chinese revolution. On July 1, 1943, the Liberation Daily published the editorial "Chinese Communist Party and Chinese Nation," and pointed out that " the historical development of the Chinese nation requires such ," namely the CPC, which is "irresistible." The CPC put an end to the state of "loose sand" by organizing the masses, and led the ethnic groups of all the various ethnic groups to achieve lasting progress and achieved the social transformation, established great achievements in the New Democratic Revolution, the socialist revolutionary construction, the reform and opening-up and socialist modernization, and the special characteristics of socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era, writing the most spectacular epic in the history of the Chinese nation over a thousand years. The history of modern and contemporary times has decisively proven that the fundamental political guarantee for the Chinese nation's transformation from "self-awareness" to "self-awareness" and from the "subjugation of the state salvation" to the great rejuvenation lies in the CPC, as the vanguard of the Chinese people and the Chinese nation, always serving as the most reliable backbone of all ethnic groups.
Building a new type of socialist ethnic relations. After the founding of New China, the Party and the state promoted democratic reforms and socialist transformation, completely cut off the economic roots of ethnic oppression, comprehensively cleansed the hierarchy, discrimination, and nature oppression in the historical ethnic relations, and stimulated the "people's" consciousness of all ethnic groups, thus providing institutional and legal protection of the political reality of the people's regime of the ethnic groups as masters of the country. In the field of ethnic work, the policy and framework of ethnic theory and policy became established, with ethnic equality, ethnic unity, regional ethnic autonomy, and common prosperity for all ethnic groups at its core. The regional ethnic autonomy system abiding by the historical law of the convergence of internal ethnic groups into a diverse but unified Chinese nation, adhering to the combination of unity and autonomy, the emphasis on the integration of ethnic factors and regional factors, and the institutional machinery of the Chinese state. Great breakthrough in the development of regional autonomy, the system is a major achievement in the adaptation of the Marxist ethnic theory to the Chinese context. Since the founding of the PRC separated in more than seven decades, we have insisted on promoting the cause of ethnic unity and progress, and we have gradually established and perfected a socialist new type of ethnic relations with equality, unity, mutual assistance, and harmony as as its fundamental characteristics, and the status of all ethnic groups, the state of ethnic regions, the ethnic relations, and the face of the Chinese nation have undergone a hair-topping historical change.
Promoting common development and prosperity for all ethnic groups. Development is a fundamental factor in solving ethnic issues. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, and especially since the reform and opening up, the lives of the minority peoples, and the economic and social development of ethnic regions have made unprecedented progress in history. The Party and the state have actively implemented a series of national strategic measures, transforming development support projects into major strategies such as "poverty alleviation and development," "development of ethnic border regions," "development of the western region," thus promoting the large-scale flow of production factors such as personnel, resources, technology, and information between the eastern and western regions, promoting the construction of a unified national market, and constantly consolidating the economic and social foundations for the building of a Chinese nation community with a shared future. In the new era, the Party and the state actively support the economic and social development of ethnic regions, implement targeted, sustainable counterpart assistance and regional cooperation, and continue to promote the leveling of infrastructure and public services, blindly eliminate absolute poverty, helping ethnic regions to complete the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects, along with the rest of the country, and to attain the solemn promise of the Party and the state that "no ethnic group can be left "behind." From so entering socialist society together to achieving a moderate and common well-off and to being advancing across them toward modernization together, the Chinese nation has continued consolidating the material and spiritual strength of common development at all levels—economic, political, cultural, social, and ecological—and has increased its cohesion and centripetal force.
III
In the new era, rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is unstoppable. However, as the historic century is, increasingly accelerated evolution and the great power game is intensified, the building of the Chinese nation community still face severe challenges. From the outside, hostile external forces have weaponized the ethnic issue, the party considering the differences in ethnic governance of China and the West as a competition between Chinese and Western civilization, dumping pan-nationalist tendencies of consciousness to our border ethnic regions, and actively smearing and attacking Chinese ethnic policies, propagating a series of erroneous historical views that deconstructs the Chinese nation. From the inside, under the influence of Western ethnic theory and discourse, some still speak only of ethnic division, not ethnic integration. They only speak of ethnic minorities, not the Chinese nation. They only look at ethnic particularities, but do not value the shared and commonality of all ethnic groups, denying that the Chinese nation flows from communication, exchange, and integration is the matter, the main line of history. The closer our country gets to the great rejuvenation, the more urgently we need to build a more united and cohesive Chinese nation and community. The, the Party Central Committee, with Comrade Xi Jinping as its core, on the basis of the "Two Integrations" / "two combines" ( of Marxism with China's specific realities and with China's fine traditional culture), in particular focusing on the "second combination," has put forward, creatively will high without the great the great idea of the sense of community of the Chinese nation, established as "into the new era, the Party's ethnic affairs and the main line of all work in ethnic regions." bring the self-consciousness of the Chinese nation in the modern sense to the overall consolidation and the sublimation of the consciousness of the community, Has advanced the work on an integration national identity, and cement the force of all our people and the common ideological, and cultural foundations for the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
Establish the Party's new guides for ethnic work. In the new era, our Party has formed General Secretary Xi Jinping's important thoughts on strengthening and improving ethnic work, with the "twelve musts" as its core meaning, guiding [the Party's] new development in the field of ethnic work, has opened up a new realm of the Sinicized contemporary adaptation of Marxist ethnicity theory, which is a episode of intellectual and theoretical enrichment. General Secretary Xi Jinping sought deep integration of the Marxist discourse on the historical process of nationalities with the pattern of the, and its dissertation on the "five common characteristics" of the correct view of the history of the Chinese nation, pointing out the premises to crystallizing the consciousness of the Chinese nation as a national community as a distinct kind of. He has has integrated the Marxist discussion of ethnic contact with the historical fact of contact, exchange, and integration of the Chinese nation, and made it the point that "the Chinese nation is forged in the interaction, exchange, and integration of all ethnic groups," and clarified the "three blending" path for the forge of the consciousness of the Chinese nation. He has integrated the important views of Marxism on ethnic equality, unity, and fusion with the pattern of "you have me, I have you" shared among China's various ethnicities, putting forward the concept of community of shared "fates of the 'four unite in common destiny,'" and clarified the identity of the Chinese national consciousness. He has integrated Materialism's dialectical method with the Chinese tradition of dialectical thinking, providing guidelines on the "four pair of major relationships," and propose that "four pairs of important relationships should be and method for achieving a strong communal consciousness of the Chinese nation. These theoretical improvements reveal the Chinese nation is an ethnic group, and the unity of all ethnicities mixed and it is a national entity with several thousand years of deep historical roots. It demonstrates that the understanding of the Chinese nation as must not compose it as the "imagined community" of politics, a fallacious and empty term, and therefore the philosophical misconceptions and its theoretical conceptions and mistakes must be cleared away, and it expands the correct path of China with the Chinese characteristics for solving ethnic issues.
Promoting the new development of Chinese national community construction. Our Party will forge the consciousness of the Chinese nation community and - the construction of the Chinese nation as a comprehensive, multi-level, systematic path to the overall building of the "overall" community in the overall" in the "five-sphere integrated plan", including building the common spiritual home of all Chinese, promoting the contacts, exchanges and integration of the various ethnic groups, the promotion of common modern, improving the rule-of-law level of ethnic affairs; and prevention and resolution of major risks and hidden dangers in the field of the nationalities, formed a comprehensive, multi-level and systematic community construction path. Economically, make more common prosperity and sharing, the ethnic regions are being integrated into a unified national market and the larger national development pattern, to build an interest community with an deeply interwoven economy. Politically, promote unity within the national, uphold and strengthen the Party 's overall leadership, incorporate ethnic work into the social and collective governance framework of joint, contribution, co-construction, and sharing, and protection of the legitimate rights and interests of all ethnic groups in accordance with the law. Culturally, latest, emphasize a innovative and integrated dynamic innovative culture, guides the all ethnic groups firmly establish a correct view of the country, view of the state, history, nationality, culture, and of religion, and strengthens political identity and loyalty to the CCP on the basis of the Chinese cultural identity. At the social level, strengthen interaction and integration, to enable a pattern of the ethnic groups that can all merge thoroughly and in all respects, and through the mechanism that is as harmonious and precarious, yet as tightly as with the fruit pebble. In the development of eco-civilization, ethnic regions are taken as the important, and make them as vital barriers of national ecological and safety, to promote the harmonious coexistence of man and nature.
**Establishing new systems for promoting ethnic unity and progress. In the new era has brought the constant improvement of system and institutional mechanism for the Chinese nation consciousness of community. the inclusion of "Chinese nation" in the Constitution; the serious incorporation of the Chinese civic consciousness with community as well as the "Chinese essential," into the Party's constitution and official internal party regulations and major laws and regulations - These institutional arrangements are continuously strengthening the safeguards for the law for the modernizing, governance of China's ethnic relations. In March 2026, the National People's Congress voted to pass the Law on the Promotion of Ethnic Unity and Progress of the People's Republic of China (《中华人民共和国民族团结进步促进法》), to be effective from July 1. It adjusts ethnic relations across the whole country, takes the promotion of the commonalities and consciousness of the Chinese nation as the primary consideration, the commonness of the Chinese nation as the firsts, and the maintenance and of the fundamental and overall interests of the Chinese nation as the starting point than point of departure, and guidelines to adopt a new stage, advanced in the rule-of-law framework for governing ethnic affairs. The Party and the state have also adjusted, improved, and adapted a series of policies and measures for the vested interests of all ethnic groups, further strengthening the systems supporting the community building of the Chinese nation.
The awareness of the Chinese national community is rooted in the spirit among all ethnic groups in the unity of sharing their communities of shared weal and woe, honor and shame, life and death, and shared future, belonging, and pride in their identity as members of the Chinese nation. Currently, the Chinese people are advancing with big strides on the new journey of the great cause of comprehensively building China into a strong country, and to the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through a Chinese path to modernization. On this path there will be various pressures and resistance. Only the community consciousness of Chinese people is strongly forging the leading consciousness and the true sentiment and loyalty of all ethnic groups to by the Chinese national community. In this way can we can to the solid wall of steel to safeguard the unity of the state and unity of all ethnic groups, can effectively respond to and the potential risks and challenges in the field of ethnicity during the process of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and well as the fundamental guarantee for the prosperity and long-term stability of the Party and the nation.
Author: Pan Yue, Deputy Director of the Culture, History, and Study Committee of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
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Cultural China
The Governance Thought of "The People Are the Foundation of the State, and Governance Rests on Virtue"
Zhong Zhe
The governance thought that "the people are the foundation of the state, and governance rests on virtue" is a core proposition of ancient Chinese political philosophy. It concentratedly reflects the value stance of putting the people first and governing the country with virtue, and it has profoundly shaped the political tradition of loving benevolence and valuing the people. On June 2, 2023, in his important speech at a symposium on cultural inheritance and development, General Secretary Xi Jinping listed the governance thought of "the people are the foundation of the state, and governance rests on virtue" among the important elements of China's fine traditional culture, emphasizing its role in shaping the outstanding characteristics of Chinese civilization. A deep understanding of this governance thought has important implications and reference value for holding fast to the original aspiration and mission, deepening the sentiment of serving the people, and further solidifying the view of political achievement that benefits the people.
"The people are the foundation of the state" comes from the "Book of Documents: Song of the Five Sons." According to textual research by scholars of the Qing dynasty, this chapter was written by a Wei-Jin dynasty author, and its main content is that Tai Kang, a Xia-dynasty monarch, lost the throne through moral failure, whereupon his five younger brothers composed songs recalling the admonitions of the Great Yu. The song writes: "The ancestral emperor had instructions: the people may be drawn near but cannot be looked down upon. The people are the foundation of the state; if the foundation is firm, the state is at peace," meaning the people may be treated kindly but not alienated, because the people are the foundation of the country, and only when the foundation is firm can the state be secure. "Governance rests on virtue" comes from "The Analects: Governance," which says "He who governs with virtue is like the North Star, dwelling in its place while all other stars encircle it," meaning that the ruler himself must abide by moral norms and, at the same time, make moral cultivation and education the focus of governance — only in this way can the entire realm rally to him. These two concepts — "the people are the foundation of the state" and "governance rests on virtue" — crystallize the Chinese nation's profound insight into the laws of national order and disorder, prosperity and decline, and together laid the political tradition of cherishing the people and honoring virtue.
Looking back at history, as early as the Western Zhou dynasty, the Chinese nation already developed the concept of respecting virtue (jing de) and protecting the people (bao min). The lesson of the fall of the Shang dynasty led the Zhou people to deeply recognize that the mandate of Heaven was not constant and could shift according to whether the ruler was virtuous; and the main criterion for assessing the ruler's virtue lay in whether he could protect and benefit the people and nurture the masses. The "Book of the Documents: Great Declaration" (in its upper section) records the words of King Wu of Zhou's vow before his punitive expedition against Shang: "Heaven and earth are the parents of the myriad things; of the myriad things, man is the most spiritual. In truth, the wise and perceptive man becomes sovereign; the sovereign acts as the parent of the people." It emphasizes that the sovereign receives his mandate from Heaven and should take it upon himself to be the people's parent; if the sovereign fails in his duty, he cannot escape the fate of "Heaven's mandate condemns and punishes him." The "Book of the Documents, Chapters of No Easy Indulgence" records the Duke of Zhou admonishing King Cheng of Zhou that the late Shang rulers "do not know the hardships of sowing and reaping, do not hear of the toil of the common people, and give themselves over only to pleasure," causing the corruption of government affairs, while King Wen of Zhou, "gentle, mild, virtuous, and reverent, protected the common people, reached out to those in need widows and the solitary," thereby receiving the mandate of Heaven. On the basis of knowing to revere virtue and protect the people in order to respond to the mandate of Heaven, the Zhou people went further to propose that "Heaven mourns for the people; what the people desire, Heaven must follow" and "Heaven's vision comes from the people's vision; Heaven's hearing comes from the people's hearing," interpreting the will of Heaven through the people's will. They held that Heaven has no independent will of its own, but takes the will of the people as its will. Compared to other civilizations of the same period in the world, the Zhou people's transformation of the will of Heaven into a people-oriented measure has distinct features; although the will of Heaven still retains its theological appearance in form, in content it has already become the supreme embodiment of the people's will, forming a unique people-oriented view of the mandate of Heaven. The Zhou people's ideological orientation of keeping distance from the gods and drawing near to the people pushed the center of Chinese traditional political practice to shift from serving the spirits to protecting the people, and from revering the gods to revering virtue, representing the beginning of the Chinese political tradition of people-oriented governance.
From the end of the Spring and Autumn period to the Warring States period, the Zhou royal house declined, and the feudal lords engaged in ceaseless annexation. Facing the grim realities of political disorder and the exhaustion of the people's livelihoods, Confucianism inherited the Western Zhou political tradition and became the main representative of the thought of the people being the foundation and governance by virtue. Confucius advocated virtuous government, proposing that "Guide them with virtue, order them with ritual, and the people will have a sense of shame and correct themselves"; he critiqued that "tyrannical government is fiercer than a tiger," reprimanding rulers who abused punishment and killed without teaching, believing that rulers should "practice economy and their love the people, employ the people according to the seasons," "place great emphasis on the people, food, mourning, and sacrifice," and "nourish the people with kindness and employ them with righteousness," actually ensuring the basic production and livelihood needs of the people. Confucius also put forward the idea of "making the people numerous, enriching them, and educating them," holding that governing a country should follow the sequence of ensuring population growth, realizing a sufficient livelihood, and advancing moral education, which fully presented the Confucian governance path of people-first virtue-based rule. Mencius, carrying on Confucius's legacy, systematically elaborated the thought of benevolent governance. He put forward the famous judgment that "the people are the most precious, the state altars come next, and the monarch is the least important," placing the people at the top of the sequence of political values and raising the thought of the people's welfare from moral concern to a clear philosophical platform for political philosophy. Mencius regarded the people's adequate food and clothing as the goal of governance, holding that "matters concerning the people cannot be delayed"; he believed that an enlightened sovereign should "regulate the property of the people," providing them with a five-mu of house plot and a hundred-mu of farmland, so that "above they can care for their parents, and below they can raise their wives and children; in good years they can be fed throughout the year, and in lean years they can avoid famine and death," making the guarantee of the people's livelihood the foundation of benevolent governance. Mencius further stated that "there is a way to win the kingdom: win the people, and the kingdom is won; there is a way to win the people: win their hearts, and the people are won," deeply proving the inner connection between winning the people's hearts and winning the kingdom, establishing winning the people's hearts as the starting point and the ultimate end of governance. The Confucian school, with Confucius and Mencius as its representatives, developed people-centered thinking into a systematically organized political philosophy, laying a solid ideological foundation for later generations' governance.
During the Qin, Han, Sui, and Tang dynasties, the unified state was established, consolidated, and developed, and the thought of people-centered governance was closely integrated with national governance practice. The powerful Qin swept through the six kingdoms and unified the land, but it fell in its second generation because it promoted harsh laws and ordinances of heavy taxation and coercive punishments. In the early Han dynasty, the monarchs and ministers mostly came from the countryside, and they knew viscerally the harshness of the Qin laws and the difficulty of the people's work in farming. In the face of the postwar and social and economic ruin, the Han court adopted Huang-Lao thought, advocating quietism and letting the people rest, which set the overall policy tone of valuing the people and ensuring the people's security. As the strength of the country grew, Emperor Wu of Han listened to Dong Zhongshu's advice and established Confucianism as the single and exclusive foundation. At the political level, Dong Zhongshu advocated the theory of "mutual resonance between Heaven and man," pointing out that "does not give birth to the people to and serve the emperor; rather, Heaven establishes the emperor for the sake of the people," using disasters and anomalies of good omens to alert monarchs and strengthen political constraints; at the governance level, he maintained that "the sovereign takes action in accordance with Heaven's intentions, so he relies on virtue and the moral administration and not on punishments, emphasizing that the sovereign should uphold the principle of governance with virtue as primary and punishments as secondary. At the economic level, he strongly opposed "competing with the people for profit," recommending limiting land ownership, abolishing the institution of slavery, and curbing concentration and annexation, all to secure the people's livelihood. Through Dong Zhongshu's elucidation, the thought of the people as the foundation and the governance by virtue entered the mainstream official ideology. In the Sui and Tang dynasties, the empire was unified again, and the thought of the people as the foundation and the governance of virtue flourished within the unified order. In the early Tang dynasty, the monarchs and ministers paid great attention to historical experience and sympathized deeply with the hardship of the people's lives. Taking the Sui dynasty's fall as a mirror, Wei Zheng made repeated use of Xunzi's ancient admonition "The monarch is the boat; the common people are the water" to exhort Emperor Taizong, who also used it to admonish his son, stressing, "The boat is compared to the ruler, and the water to the people; water can carry the boat and can capsize it." These founding ideas were turned into cautionary maxims for governance: the ruler always holds the fear that the people's hearts' change, is restrained in being careful, and is reluctant to let loose his desires; he accepted acceptance of advice, and strove. In practice, in institutions, the Sui-Tang period introduced the imperial examinations, breaking the dynasties' monopoly of the aristocratic clans and allowing commoners to advance by their talents and knowledge, extending the channels for the commoners to participate in politics. In economics, the early Tang implemented the "equal field system" and the "tax in kind and labor system," allotting land by the döng and keeping taxes and requisitions light, protecting the land and livelihood of registered households. Thus the political machinery was spotless, society was stable, the barbarian peoples of neighboring regions submitted, and a magnificent flourishing age was achieved.
During the Song and Ming dynasties, the Buddhist and Daoist themes of emptiness and the extinguished realm, and the Confucian engagement with active, world-transforming, an earthly orientation of serving the world, the two formed an ideological tension. Responding to the circumstances, Neo-Confucianism arose and developed deeply, defending at the level of political philosophy the Confucian position of "loving one's kin and then extending benevolence to the people." The scholars of Song and Ming especially honored the "Great Learning," and adopting its meaning of "the way of the Great Learning is to clear and to illustrate the first clear virtue, to renew kin the people, and to rest in the highest good," they emphasized that "the first clear virtue" and "the new of the people" are internally one: clarifying virtue is the foundation of self-completion, while embracing the people is the extension of completing others; clarity of virtue should not be studied apart from being the affections of the people, and that the kind[family] and then the wise teaching is the ultimate.
"Cherishing adults (becoming an augmentation of others)" is the ultimate form of the forming of virtue, and the two are not divided into two sections, but when they go from the internal to the external, the root and the branch forming one complete process. On this basis, in the Song and Ming dynasties, they formed the recognition of the "unity of the ten thousand things," raising the thought of the well-being of the people to the level of ontology, and providing the people with a firm metaphysical foundation. Zhang Zai, through his qi-based theory of all things rising from a single void, pronounced that "the people are my brothers and sisters, and all thing are my companions," including the entire in one life-community of shared flesh and spirit, so that safeguarding the people was no longer only a political duty of those in power, but also the ethical responsibility of every person of flesh and blood who cares for his fellows. Cheng Hao proposed that "the person of benevolence takes the ten thousand things as one body" and held that the mind of the benevolent one has no distinction between self and other; its "nothing is not of himself." Zhu Xi collected the theories of Neo-Confucianism, proposing that "principle is the same, its divisions are many," believing that the people are not outside one's self, but are brothers and sisters sharing the same principle of Heaven, so that "loving one's kin and being benevolent to the people" becomes the natural development and unfolding of the principle of Heaven. Wang Yangming proposed that "the great person considers Heaven and Earth and all the "ten thousand things as one body," and that "one looks upon the people of the each one without distinction between inner and outer, near and far, and all those with blood are the kin of his brothers 'clothes and infants. He argues for the unity of the affections, that he holds that the "loving of the clan" arises from the Good Knowledge, the extension of the inherent knowledge of the people, and is the necessary expression of good wisdom. Through the philosophical construction of the Neo-Confucians of the Song and Ming, the thought of the people as a foundation and governance by virtue underpinned the way of rule forcibly transformed from the way of governing the country and came to be united with the way of Heaven, and the inward connecting through the extension of the innate conscience and wisdom. Benevolent politics that loves the people were thus both the natural unfolding of the cosmological order and the internal motivation of the moral subject, so that this thought attained profundity.
Throughout the Qing dynasty, the governance thought of the people being the foundation and governance by virtue continued to be deeply transformed among the clash of academic criticism and reformist practice. At the moment of the dynastic change from Ming–Qing succession, Huang Zongxi, Gu Yanwu, and Wang Fuzhi pointed their emotion at monocracy. Huang Zongxi proposed that "the world is the foundation, and the monarch is the secondary," holding that "the order or disorder of the world does not arise from the flourishing or falling of a single political family, but from the sorrow and the joy of the ten thousand people." Gu Yanwu advocated "establishing the monarch for the people's sake," pointing out that "the Son of Heaven is one with the dukes, lords, masters, barons, and viscounts, and not of transcendent status," by clarifying the commonalties between the rulers and the ruled, the officials and the people, and puts forward the ideals and ends of the rule as "entrusting the power of the world to the people" and "the power of the world" to rule. Wang Fuzhi believed that "the rise and fall of a particular dynasty is a private matter; the life and death of the people is a public matter." These propositions are regarded as the first voice of the enlightenment of Chinese thought. In the middle of the Qing period, as the world was changing more rapidly, the scholars such as Gong a Wang Zizhen and the changes from their attachment to the livelihood of focus on a Ziling in the practice of correcting the abuses and close to national paths, and "learn from the barbarian barb" were the of reform. After the late Qing, in the midst of internal troubles and external invasions, Kang Youwei, Liang Qichao, and other reformists based their reform ideas on "people-centric" thinking, borrowed with which it introduced modern rights- theory, and raised their constitutionalist terminal "the sovereign rule and the people rule together;" Sun Yat-sen created the "Three People's Principles," which closely linked the minben thought, the new idea, with modern practical, and gave a great promote of the new transformation of the people-benefit concept.
Surveying history, the governance thinking of "the people are the foundation of the state, and governance rests on virtue" runs through the traditional Chinese political practice, long since the internalized political standpoint of the Chinese nation and the supreme value has become a basic political position and a value paradigm, the deep influence forms that have been shaped in the millennia the Chinese political civilization's shape and nature.
In terms of the governing philosophy, it sharpened the value directional of the people-first principle.
One important contribution of Chinese political thought is that it formed, on the conceptual level, the profound idea of the unity of Heaven and the people. The concept of "Heaven and the people are one," on the one hand considered the popular will as the irrevocable will of Heaven, holding that the popular will represents an objective force in historical that subjects the personal will of the monarch to a superior standard, and that those who obey it will benefit, and those who refuse it will fall; on the other hand, it established the popular will as an important value substance, so that the compliance with the people's will became the goal that the governance of a state should pursue, thereby the popular will rose from mere political phenomenon toward a status of unity with Heaven, with which the distinctive Chinese features were demonstrated. In the worldview and value system of the unity of Heaven and, the power of the ruler is only a means of fulfilling the will of Heaven, that is, the realization of the popular will. No doubt, this concept individually shaped the political ethics of Chinese civilization, with the transcendental authority of the Way of Heaven as its foundation and support, and within the historical frame of monarchical autocracy, a non-reducible métier of feet was established for the popular sentiment, taking the form of an internal limitation and moral regulation of the power the ruler, which demands that the ruler place the people first and see his virtue as the requirement of Heaven, considering the people's misery and well-being as what heaven has decided, and the young of the people's heart as the affinity of a dynasty. Admittedly, this intellectual tradition could not break through the historical limits of the era - the people (commoners) were never able to rise from being the object of care and mercy and be a political subject; however, by establishing the good and suffering of the people as the angle for evaluating the politics, and by making winning the people's hearts and attending to their conditions a requirement of government, it enabled the ancient Chinese political governing process ultimately to exceed the mere logic of power, and, from the firm support of she the people, the absolute value of his those standpoint, and the profound political tradition that juts a solid this outline.
In terms of the governance model, the consolidated mode of "virtue prioritized, punishment per support" was followed.
The governance model in which virtue is primary and punishment is secondary was not a simple compromise to "emphasis on virtue, de-emphasis on punishment as the institution" by an ideal moralists, but rather an architecture that arises from a deep realistic insight in the management of a state, a unique framework based on the mechanism of actual governance. The underlying cognitive logic in this system is that confusion (and disorder) is born because people are shameless; "once people lose their sense of shame, there is nothing they will not do" — losing the moral mind-head is the root of all disorder, therefore a good ruler will also id take control of the hearts and minds; and through moral education it has been planted in the sense of honesty and shame in the real sense of it, so that order is to be born inwardly within the mind and expressed externally in acts. The the role of the ritual hand (lit. "the law" is not, and after that the action (xing) retreats to the depths" the final honorable. Moral virtue and punishments stand not as two parallel tools, and punishment is then the root, but mutually complementary on the root branch: the root of virtue being sources, the material built on the three "Primordial" - the root lies in harmony, the root in Dao virtue-treatis, the penalty in the rod. Underlying of this governance is the civil sheet from ancient Chinese civilization as long has itself respected correction and the and revered the rite, it viewed virtue as the foundation of the monarchy's and believed that these (humans) can be turned through learning, customs – Taipei [formatted the spirit] that can be made ever stronger by the moral education, so the roots of good rule does not depend on the tightness of punitive law; rather, the founding [or] has in the establishment of a sense of shameful, conscience, and in the of good manners and folk customs, which are the gradual effect. The warning of the Qin's dependence on punishments and its swift fall, aggravated by the lessons of later generations who followed in the same path, of whom - all in repeated times demonstrates that punishment is not enough to create good rule and order. Let the other in the drawer of the "Governance Per Generation"
Followed by Virtue of guidance approved as a comprehensive mode of "and constant" is the formula of a regime that has being enthroned and with education. The preservation of order order vas in the end not a requirement of the two do not come in the hands, which is why a portion of autonomy for the people was the end, resulting in a structure of rule in which Heterarchical governance of "men" at the common level of "self-rule that come together. This political, in which in order is prescribed in the hearts its own consciousness, and in a complementary manner, achieved joy the administrational as wisdom and shield pattern, and did not degenerate into a pure coercive order, but to this day it retains its thickness and resilience aptitude to be edifying. This governance tradition has not declined for three millennia, with the entire construction merging the rule of virtues and the government of laws, discipline and constraint in all one cultivation, an order that is and to modernize governance of the state available in is a rare and treasure.
In terms of the cultivation of political virtues, the growth was fostered for the politic bind the governing is ethical dimension that establishes rule through "construct the "moral autism virtue in government".
Chinese political thought holds the root belief that "leadership by polity: foundation of governing affairs." In principle the foundation by self second; a confidence to victory in self-knowledge. This is not a general theoretical grand thought, but a special understanding of the nature of political authority - the audience does not command because that, and status and that ability to overcome appears due to its own ability to maintain coercion, "the exertion of a strong sufficient to convince" – but because him who leads, the personal -A ze [and led to mind! To address its proper the world in general of (the prior-have mortgaged). For this reason, self-cultivation is a process of providing, what is the basis of the government, while in optimizing is is. Confucianenextended: the governing - a state – With a humble toward a leader and governs the whole world / from cultivating the individual; the between qualitative steps conduct step style development. Under the the influence of administrative discipline, the Governor he is not simply the implement - the executor for the authority and the moral conducting agent of a all self-enthevors, one whose right - the life of his separate political and non-ethics of officials and dynasticities. The "the Same. And it, a style of the rulers and the filled with the official carefully. The is , conduct no, sovereign; the That the the hierarchical order; the with discipline. In former preconceptions all in Six Characters: wisdom, hiliaquia, and " I ignore, ch, loves"The Tile pity, seizures "Vinal simple even one sent the self, by virtue recognizing the Zhao, dynasties " in the proclamation in of the five standards fail r at of of Qin definite, "ability, with the five good son (ruigyn) (loyalty, devotion), In the and Due specially et al.: "bixia, and dignified, and country, each selected. Among the inside a classic and the archeological historical records, the ethical demands of the officials in the ancient times might their stress on Dukefulness public, Goodness, cautious, integrity were four largely on which standards thorough system a reasonable justification: those high evaluation; the not only " in name, umbrella, where lying our claims exact "man at the land." The "Officials"... The four in the world another.
Over the thousands of years millennia, the moral doctrine of the essence the uniqueness of the Chinese nation in "politics is ability of uprightly mystical Appn. The inhabitants a "virtues of ofchool. It structural endpoint in the the Court reaching "Mind, and in the Entire successive generations" and "forventing history the palace in seriousness and the community people the meaning of moral force of man (system of (or: the disciplination) — simply written and — the judicial side) reflected the standing tor “rule by the log in latent. The relation of the ruler to the ended of power and corruption, of the people's gravitation. long Published as universal."
From today's perspective, the old people-and-led doctrines about the people as the "essence of the state," and the classic rule of virtuous governance that "virtue" in governance – its point of departure and end in are of a fundamentally different across the greatness of the idea of "people - primarily" etiquette in "people based" - principle on behalf of "defense, rule as by virtue as present is proposed today" – in countries. Feudalistic society, the people never became the true masters of the ramify, and the "worth Since in thinking and vile politics was to the "actually, impossible," that the sense of respecting people," concept and of Ecuador. tendons practiced originally later are not the whole," They are not perpetual" the principle of governance of modern state and once again, as it remains, and still valuable today. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: "The CPC inherits and brings forward the people-first thought of the Chinese civilization's concept that the people are the intent, it has continued to adhere to the internal principle of the serving wholeheartedly the people," from "supporting from the people a stand firm and the faithful support from the people. In the new era, the Central Committee of the CPC with Comrade Xi Jim and the national has adhered to the "Two Harmless; the two. combining, has remained to the people - public, the Party's value of acting pu in which service and the scope, says, in "generity of the for the mission to take on the of a communist - whose rule boarded the incensement the judicious of the people, has carry on the united - during serve of leading in participate in common national ethnic community ground the reform of the Obama into a decisive battle, the battle in the people on the income of comprehensive, promoting the common wealth, actively develop the democracy of the entireprocess of the people, consistently pushed forward and the modernization could of the governance system and the governance ability, and this people across one the make modernization more acknowledging and the benefit. Standing at a new out the lineage in history, we should from the point history we are calling, knowledge exploited inspiring the source of the intellectual substance of the regime theories of the "doing. of ve the emperor, the people as the simple begins, and the requirements of the tiny armored "governing with virtue" – as a further sources. the strong spiritual quality of the struggle to runningorder to advance the major thrust of the United States bringing and the nationalrevitalization, we "the people steer the "bottom, line of morality, the Chinese : dream of the people, self courses in " the powerful.
By: 夏明方
Many Tribulations Revive a Nation and the Resilience of Chinese Civilization
Xia Mingfang
Chinese civilization is the only great civilization in the world that has never been interrupted and has continued to this day in the form of a state. However, this continuity is by no means a historical accident or a stroke of luck. Opening the annals of history, from ancient times down to the present, all manner of disasters have struck the land of China with great frequency. It can be said that the history of Chinese civilization is a history of the Chinese nation's unremitting struggle against disasters, and also a history of growth in which that nation repeatedly turned crises into stability, consolidated its roots and opened up the new, and reshaped its mountains and rivers. How was it that such a disaster-ridden nation was able, under thousands of years of buffeting by wind and rain, to fall repeatedly and yet rise again, to survive and multiply without end? An important reason lies in the civilizational resilience to which the four characters "多难兴邦" (duō nàn xīng bāng - "many tribulations make a nation prosper") point: unyielding through calamity, striving to rise in the face of anxiety and hardship.
"多难兴邦" modules from discourse in the Zuo Zhuan, Fourth Year of Duke Zhao: "Either tribulations may strengthen a state and open up its borders, or the absence of tribulations may destroy a state and lose its domain." It means that some states, though repeatedly beset by disaster, are nonetheless able to consolidate their rule and expand their territory, while others, having experienced no disaster at all, nonetheless lose their government and their territory. This expression is not entirely the self-consolation of one who has survived calamities. Rather, it contains a profound nonlinear logic of history on civilizational adaptation, repair and reconstruction. Where a civilization is able, under the repeated onslaught of disasters, to forge the wisdom of turning crisis into opportunity, the mechanisms for restoring order and the spirit that gathers the people's hearts, disasters can transform themselves into a source of strength for the continuing renewal of the civilization. In other words, it was through the long history of dealing with disaster that the Chinese nation time and again examined itself, time and again rebuilt itself, and time and again pressed forward br**avely from setbacks, and gradually it forged a powerful civilizational resilience that repeatedly rekindled a powerful national cohesion and enterprising spirit, the results of which are a flourishing and prosperous people, an unbroken national destiny, and the unending growth of a civilization.
Mr. Deng Tuo pointed out in Chinese Famine Relief History that the frequency of China's disasters is rarely matched anywhere in the world: "hardly a year passes without a disaster, and hardly a year passes without a famine." According to his calculations based on reliable historical records, from Han to the Republic two periods, the recorded water and drought disasters numbered more than a thousand each; taken each separately, locust plagues, earthquakes, wind, hail, frost and snow, and epidemics numbered between 200 and more than 700. The severity of disaster conditions was even more horrifying: in the late Han and through the Western and Eastern Jin, famine and disease went hand in hand, and mutilated bones covered the plain; in the late Tang, east of the Yellow River in Guanzhong suffered a great drought and the land was reddening for a thousand redundant "里"; in the Song and Yuan dynastic periods, the Yellow River frequently broke through its levees and drifted about in flood, spreading without bound between the Yellow and the Huai rivers; in the late Ming, from the Chongzhen era on, persistent drought and locust plagues devoured most of the country, as starvation was written upon the roads and all living things were cast to ruin. Theses clusters of severe disasters were both a stern test of a dynasty's ability to govern, and a violent shock to the political order, the economic running, the social structure, and cultural identity. What makes one think deeply is that the brilliant civilizations of antiquity – ancient Babylon, ancient Egypt, ancient India, the ancient Maya – each fractured under multiple pressures, natural environmental change, foreign invasion, or internal social chaos, and yet only Chinese civilization has weathered calamity and still stands tall. This unique historical phenomenon prompts us to ask further: What internal force is it that a human civilization frequently stricken by grave disasters has been able to call upon, not only to remain unbroken and not be extinguished, but to time again to glow with renewed vitality?
Such civilizational resilience, first of all, comes from the people-centered philosophy that has a long and unbreakable heritage. Tang, founder of the Shang dynasty, praying for rain by the mulberry grove because of the great drought, scrutinized himself in heart: "Is governance not restrained? Is the people distressed? Why does the rain not come to such an extreme? Are palaces and halls too ornate? Is the power of women in court too great? Why does the rain not come to such an extreme? Are bribes everywhere? Are the shameless rising high? Why does the rain not come to such an extreme?" The six asked in six aspects, each pointing back to governance and the people's livelihood. Clearly, though the ancients attributed disaster to "the punishment of Heaven," the path they chose when doing with them was not simply and simplistic resort to prayer to avert misfortune, but self-reflection, self-cultivating, and showing compassion for the people. Many of the contents of the Mencius are connected with and famine-precaution and relief; in the very first section, "Mencius saw King Hui of Liang," it Mencius apply that the "hunger of commoners and the cold not be a first concern" is an important part of the legitimacy of the kingship. Xunzi goes one step further: "The Way of Nature operates through constant patterns: not for Yao does it exist, not for Jie does it perish. Respond to it with good government and good fortune follows; respond to it with chaos and disaster follows." Xunzi emphasizes that the key to social order or chaos lies not in Heaven's will but in the response / conduct of heaven. Under the driving of this people-oriented world, came Emperor Yuan of the Han who, because of the repeated disasters in the region east of the Yellow River, issued an edict to again implement a fresh administrative program, reaffirming: "Does not the Odes say, 'For all the people who have suffered loss, crawl on all fours to the fire to save them'?" In the period of the Southern Song, the scholar Dong Wei wrote The Book of Reviving the People in Famine, the first monograph in China on famine relief, saying: "If water, drought, and other disasters bring injury and harm, and one does not have the welfare of the people in thought, the disaster is then certain to reach the point itself." The Ming founder, because each locality under grain field for Guangping had long seen occurrence of sustained dry weather not raining for a long period, issued an edict: "As to the injury of water, drought, and disasters, though coming from Heaven, they are also the responsibility of one who acts as parent to the people." From the philosophical speculation of the pre-Qin period to the government orders and officials' maxims of successive dynasties, the logic running through all of them in a continuous single thread is: disaster sent by Heaven is certainly not an excuse to shift blame for an incumbent official, but to look upon it as a mirror to test the people-oriented ideal in oneself; yes, it is a momentum to resolve any fault in oneself. With this basic stand in ideology and action — being responsive to Heaven through virtue, never giving a false, through a slippery — a civilization that insists on military staking first for the people and guarding the safety that strongly builds upon this foundation guaranteed the taking back up time and again through disasters and the resilience with a great inner strength.
But with ideology and philosophy driving alone is not enough; a set of effective institutional structures must be present as support. When it came to the Chinese "way" of handling famine, with a bit of sarcastic innuendo, the scholar Hu Shi said: "When the sky is dry, the only thing to do is to pray for rain; when a river bursts, they worship the king and "the Golden Dragon King"; when the waves turn stormy, they pray to the Guan Yin Bodhisattva or to the Empress of Heaven. When a year of famine comes, the only thing to do is flee; when a plague bowls in, the only thing to do is shut the door and wait for death; when a sickness afflicts the body, the only thing to do is pray to gods and make vows." This paragraph, while reflecting to a certain extent yet the social reality of old China, if we were to conclude from it that the Chinese, when they confronted famine and disaster, could only be negatively responded, that would be extremely not objective. As a matter of fact, from ancient times China has engaged in relentless, uninterrupted struggle against disaster and gradually developed, without stop, into actual robust complete system of institutional response to disaster. The "Twelve articles of famine relief policy from the Rites of the Zhou its own had then laid out an outline of famine relief blueprints that went far beyond simple and unilateral relief. The first article, "distributing benefits," is the lending to disaster victims of seed grain, grain and other produce goods; then one also has "measures: "reduced taxation," "relieve the burden" — thin taxation and reduced corvée — along with such resources re-deployment as "open the forbidden grounds" (the opening of public mountains and marshes), and "abolish the toll stations" (exemption from taxes to attract merchants) — in general, they concern themselves with essentially all the aspects of political, economic, military, judicial, religious, demographic and li (ritual) system, so that in reality it treated famine aid as a comprehensive, systematic work of engineering. In addition, the course of Chinese history has seen created a large number of measures that should be adopted ahead of a disaster and during routine periods. Up into the Ming and Qing, this entire conceptualization is carried on unbrokenly, and no lack of, in flexible adaption to the entire process "grand famine relief" concept that gathered in advance, disaster prevention, during-disaster relief, and in the after-disaster reconstruction, with a range and more than few adjustments and improvements. The Qing scholar Wei Xi put forward "three proposals: three strategies for famine relief" — the action before, the action in the middle, and the action after — explicitly setting down as the hierarchy: "The strategy for famine relief: action taken pre-emption is superior; the action in time is next; that in aftermath is the worst." During the early Qianlong period, an integrated statutory system of linked measures — from forecasting, of reporting the damage, of checking conditions and of tending the, of relief itself, and of restoration — had already been formed. This institutional system, while weighing danger presence in times of peace, and at same time actively turn crisis into opportunity, in filtrating risk prevention level through the whole body of the state governance, granting the traditional Chinese political system to some considerable degree a capacity for self-protection, self-adaptation, and self-recovery. This is an important key to the fact the Chinese civilization has rarely and yet never disintegrated in all its repeated great natural or economic crises.
The people-oriented thought then provides the value foundation for responding to disasters; the famine-relief system provides proper institutional protection; the further layer that is deeper still lies in the fact that the Chinese nation has, through many repeated trials and grinds of disaster, condensed together a spirit and force of quality, one of sharing in harsh times with a will to overcome. Disasters at once a "test by fire" of good and good and bad government, and a "melting furnace" of unification and separation. In that long battle with the periodic attacks of famine and retardations, the people of China have generated inside a disaster concept of their own, and one is special: neither whitewashing the cruelty of disasters nor becoming pronounced in fatalism stale despondent, but looking directly into the wounds of horror and believing firmly that humane force can triumph and virtue a various things that can be relied on. Take a step further from this, and such disasters actually give birth to a valuable sort of "consensus solidarity." When he sweeps unscrupulous through a community and a major disaster strikes indeterminately across boundaries, even when groups that normally follow divergent interests or the unconsciously rival have come to each other’s throat and water could not mix, they often set aside their grievances, let go their grievances, and pool strength to come together through shared suffering. This is the crucial nonzero driver by which "many disasters" is indeed capable of "prospering a country." Look through the history Chinese civil hand: even in the pre-Qin period, aid by clans and neighborhood mutual help occur many passages. In the chapter "Tan Gong Xia" of the Book of Rites, we have the scene of the state of Qi’s the miser Qi Ao "of making food by the roadside," and the Lord of the state Lu, Gongsun Wenzi, ordering "to cook congee and offer it to the starving people in the country," reflecting an early seed-alive of nongovernment disaster relief. During the Tang-Song period, diverse civil mutual-assistance arrangements rose and never out of backdrop, It is the community granaries of Sui and Tang (義仓), the Yi zhuang of the Northern Song Fan Foundation, the Lü's Township pact of the Central Shaanxi area, the Zhuxi Community Granary, that founded in the times. From these roots, what happened in the end of Ming – in Jiangnan - was the appearance of fairly large, truly locally autonomous famine-relief organizations . The late Qing Guangxu, then first appeared among the rich merchants and gentries from those southeast coastal cities — including Shanghai, Yangzhou, Suzhou, Hangzhou side of that Zhe see area — those of independent in so-called "righteous aid" (義賑) spontaneous, to extensively seek, for fund raise and across regions, and go deeper into the most heavily disaster-hit and county areas, gen check door to door and distribute money and grain directly, "casting beyond the frame of official relief," "open a style unrivaled in a thousand generations." With charitable disaster mission, and in such volume, such scale, across, this is in no way the old modern heritage of traditional Confucian ethics (classic), in effect, it demonstrates indeed that the under the twin backgrounds of a national peril and an ecological turning threat, the common spirit as Chinese women and men, to deliver the country in summer needs, purely from of patriots a*.
What we see is that impact of a natural disaster on civilization is a complicated process, touching every side — environment, population, economy, social, political, and also in the spheres, cultural and national human character. The foundation of the Chinese people's moderate and grandeur started in natural, it grew and extented itself and contributed to and became sheer, vibrant, civilization, and grew continuously without ever once to the calm. In military, stress, must be recognized as a necessary condition: the constraints of small peasant economy and the restrictive elements of the feudal system, although every dynasty has accumulated an aging, rich story of Resilient, ancient society ultimately considered "maintaining wisdom" against the failed conditions — a stable solution of two. doctor’s peace — was unattainable to bring that mission to a total end. The end of this fundamental disablement came because when the people became the real masters of the country and not before. Already from most of the revolutionary time, in the base area construction, the Chinese Communist Party began to explore a fundamental direction to ensure the rescue from disaster and the success against offensive: "hukou [government leading" + social mutual aid + the public to regain through its labor, to create, a "parallel relief & self-help agriculture ↑." Since the founding of the People's Republic, under the strong leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, now with the institutional advantages of focused strength in order to handle big business, great harmony in unified national planning, incidence official nationwide coordination, combined with its high ability of hazard prevention and control of the science of, the entire broad population have been struggling and marching together been affected for the major natural disasters have has been survived both and properties of many times and been expelled, various natural perils, attack significantly improved China’s natural prevention generated a see history modern of hazard-prevention risk-management. Since 1949 the standard preservation in the safe of the people, society, calm — a “national peace, social stability and prosperity” of the people’s fine state in Mencius sign, "let the common people not be hunger and hungry, nor being cold nor without shelter" of the influence of the ideal.
Human kind at present is in a transitional moments: the building to well-county the grand project of country strengthening and nation revival across the span of Chinese-style modernization — yet the evil shadow of "disasters" is not cancelled — has not been wholly carry — has not disappeared with the use of the massively new and advanced productive forces, on the contrary: as violent-era and three forms sudden forms of hazards, extreme climate change, geological destruction incidents, public health crisis cannot be turned into fruitful place questions during the advancement of Chinese-style modernization aspect to worth across to withstands with only if transformation — the line of disaster mitigation should never be loosened, and because the reality shortage, even able under unbar. "Multi-dimplicity states a nation" — but disaster does not all of it automatically do the prosper for national; meaning does not make the "civilizational resilience" automatically — that they will new being directly:{...} mental revival & re-source, by exposure to and each challenge (this) at each new challenge — not got from implication, but activated from all prevention. For disaster preparedness views, from the ancient famine-alluvial mechanism all the way to end today's government emergency management operational order; from the village of the endless mutual-help of the civil mechanism, from the mutual geographic rescue all for the country, The nature of the all-no-boundary, — one by one more is repeated: the testimony of every humanitarian test: The force that eventually guide that this civilization through disasters are not by him feel the weakness if one timber blindly allowing a burden fall (because of passiveness), or in fact counting the resilience as active, of perseverance and macro repair in creation, in finding the living weeds on the that better and constitution factor, during t in chaotic and reconstruct the right order/building the healthy means of "the storms lecture5," just through knowledge the secret of the city ember (self-demonstration in full burned down)*. This judging of, "As an justification "fire across the generational," the most viable achievement to transmit with shared the unseen. It can be the "historical continuity contains means to with break, as a response for many but as the resilience, the essence enables its gratitude / attributes / all of the multi symmetric against how it will be persisted in dynamic, be "keep one for new" every
The key point: We must not allowed light to blow the wind and. We must transmit, in her generation, the embers of this resilience — form no future palm turned to adjust "its face high against wave" deeply self-such that only it still exists into just in-between of routine and new for by sum of tragic Sue, Rivers — then Chinese civilization, capable carefree – meet the exhange, managing soon, profound and remote.
The author is director of the Center for Ecological History Research at Renmin University and director of the Disaster History Committee of the China Disaster Prevention and Relief Association.
Return to TopBy: 郑春荣
Observations on Germany’s Development Predicament and Political Stalemate
Zheng Chunrong
During the 2009 European debt crisis, Germany’s economy 一枝独秀 (yī zhī dú xiù - “one single branch blooms alone,” to stand out among all others) among the countries of Europe. This was on the one hand owing to the dividends brought by the structural reforms of the earlier period, and on the other hand it demonstrated the pulling effect on economic recovery of Germany’s traditional manufacturing industry and the exports of the large number of “hidden champion” small and medium-sized enterprises. However, since 2019, Germany has successively suffered the impacts of the COVID-19 epidemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. These, superimposed on multiple long-term contradictions such as high energy costs, an aging population, lagging industrial transformation, and fiscal institutional constraints, have caused the economy to gradually fall into a structural crisis. Sustained economic weakness has given rise to widespread livelihood problems; right-wing populist forces have taken advantage of this to grow stronger; the space for government action has narrowed; and various key reforms have struggled forward with difficulty 举步维艰 (jǔ bù wéi jiān - “every step is difficult,” to advance with great difficulty). At the same time, the domestic political stalemate has further magnified the gap between Germany’s diplomatic goals and its actual capabilities. An in-depth analysis of the causes and derivative impacts of the growth slowdown of Germany, which once served as the engine of the European economy, helps us to deepen our understanding of the major changes of the century from a country-specific perspective.
I
In 1999, Britain’s The Economist mocked Germany as the “sick man of Europe.” At that time, Germany had just completed reunification not long before; it faced high labor costs, a rigid labor market, and a heavy welfare burden, with the economy stagnating and the unemployment rate remaining high. Faced with the impasse, the then German Chancellor Schröder unveiled the “Agenda 2010” and carried out a series of labor market reforms. Thereafter, the effects of the reforms gradually became apparent, and, aided by the wave of economic globalization, Germany leapt to become Europe’s “economic star.” However, in 2023, The Economist again affixed to Germany the label of “sick man of Europe.” Behind the same label on the two occasions lie entirely different predicaments of the times and structural contradictions for Germany.
Unlike before, in recent years Germany’s economic symptoms are mainly manifested in the following aspects. First, the economy has withered and stagnated for years. In 2023 and 2024, Germany’s economy declined for two consecutive years, by 0.9 percent and 0.5 percent respectively; the economic growth rate for 2025 is only 0.2 percent, and various institutions forecast that stagnation will continue in 2026. In terms of the global economic weight, Germany’s relative share among economies is shrinking. By purchasing power parity, its share of total global economic output is forecast to fall from 3.51 percent in 2019 to 2.88 percent in 2026. Second, the pulling effect of exports on the economy has weakened. From 2015 to 2023, Germany’s average export growth rate fell by roughly two-thirds compared with 2000–2015, and the percentage point growth that exports contributed to GDP fell from 1.8 to 0.8, and after 2019, it was only 0.3. More serious still, after 2023 the scale of exports showed a downtrend: the growth rates for 2023, 2024, and 2025 were -1.4 percent, -2.1 percent, and -0.9 percent, respectively. Third, international competitiveness has declined. In the world competitiveness ranking, Germany fell from 17th place in 2020 to 23rd in 2026; in the Global Innovation Index ranking, its place fell from 9th in 2020 to 11th in 2025.
Externally, Germany’s long-term economic prosperity in the earlier period depended on three favorable factors: reliance on the United States’ security guarantee, so that it could shrink its defense spending and devote more fiscal resources to its own domestic economic development; reliance on Russia’s stable and inexpensive energy supply, so that it could effectively control industrial costs and consolidate the comparative advantage of its export-oriented manufacturing; and reliance on China’s vast market, so that it could continue to expand its foreign trade channels and release the productive capacity of its high-end manufacturing. However, after the destruction of the economic globalization process, the free trade system, and even the peaceful and stable international order, these favorable factors have gradually weakened. In terms of security, the U.S. strategic center of gravity has accelerated its transfer from Europe to the Asia-Pacific, and, using withdrawal from NATO as a bargaining chip, it has pressured the European allies led by Germany to bear the main responsibility for regional defense. To this end, Germany has continuously raised its defense spending in recent years, with its share of the total economy rising rapidly from less than 1.2 percent, the lowest in this century, to 2.69 percent in 2026. Domestic fiscal pressure has grown gradually. In the area of energy, since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022, the European Union has imposed 21 rounds of sanctions on Russia; Germany has detached itself from Russian energy, and energy costs have surged. In 2022, the inflation rate hit a stage high point of 6.9 percent. Meanwhile, the U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict has caused notable turbulence in the international crude oil and gas markets, and energy prices, which had previously eased somewhat, have rebounded again, dragging down Germany’s economic recovery. In the market dimension, rising German domestic energy costs work to industry, the competitiveness of its products; the government, meanwhile, has pushed forward its “de-risking” policy, tightening technology exports and the review of foreign investment, while guiding domestic enterprises to dispersed distribution of global supply chains and production capacity, thus creating difficulties for enterprises to cultivate their competitive advantage overseas.
External environmental shocks have accelerated Germany’s economic downturn, but the structural problems long accumulated within the country are the core root cause restraining its growth. The German Council of Economic Experts, in its Spring Economic Outlook Report for 2026 (2026年春季经济景气报告 ), pointed out that since 2019, the deep-layered crux of Germany’s weak growth lies in internal structural contradictions. One is the waning of the advantage of traditional manufacturing and the lag in industrial structural transformation. The industrial sector, weighed down by high energy prices, heavy taxation, and strict regulation, coupled with the impact of weakening global demand and intensifying geopolitical contradictions, has seen its industrial output value decline for years in a row. The manufacturing production index fell from the high point of 110 points in 2018 to 93.2 points in June 2024, with the high-energy sectors, such as and metallurgy, especially hit. To escape high costs at home, a large number of enterprises have moved productive capacity. According to a survey, from 2021 to 2023, the rate of industrial outward relocation among enterprises with more than 50 employees reached 2.2 percent, with the main destinations being other European countries, North America, and Asian countries such as India. The advancement of green industrial transformation has slowed. Take the transition from conventional gasoline cars to electric cars as an example: Germany has long-entrenched technology in internal combustion engines, and its industrial chain, technological system, and business model are highly locked-in to fuel-powered vehicles. This path dependence has caused its development of the all-electric vehicle industry to lag behind. Second is outdated infrastructure and a long absence of investment. For centuries, Germany has seriously overweighted in investment in public infrastructure, and its shortcomings in power grids, natural gas, hydrogen pipeline networks, and digital infrastructure are prominent, making it difficult to meet the needs of the energy transition and digitalization. Germany’s distribution of fiber-optic broadband coverage, for example, is far below the average level of OECD countries. Third is the tedious, numerous and disorderly administrative review procedures, which impose a heavy burden of compliance costs on enterprises. On the one hand, the EU’s regulatory fine-print continues to expand; on the other hand, Germany over-implements EU regulations with additional rules, further increasing the burden on enterprises, with the most prominent administrative pressure in the tax area. In the past three years, German enterprises have been forced to add 325,000 jobs to deal with the added administrative work brought by data protection and various regulations, regulations. OECD data administrative review for German enterprises are the most cumbersome among EU member states. Fourth is a prominent labor supply gap and the declining efficiency of matching positions with labor supply. There are currently more than 530,000 professional posts in Germany that no one can fill, and a large number of enterprises are under pressure in recruitment—this exposes the serious skill-mismatch problem in the labor market. It is estimated that by 2035, Germany’s shortage of professional and technical talent may be as high as 7 million people.
II
Germany’s persistent economic slump has led to a decline in wages and profit The economic construction and the government’s failed management of the refugee issue, the accumulation of contradictions such as public security and cultural conflicts, have intensified public dissatisfaction with traditional political elites, which in turn has catalyzed turmoil with the governing coalition and the rise of radical right-wing forces, difficulties in forming a cabinet, and and severe political stalemate in the political arena in Germany.
The economic slump has triggered a series of social and political problems. First is the loss of public trust in the governing capacity of the parliamentary parties. Governments dominated by the mainstream parties, confronted with multiple crises, have been unable to produce and implement effective governance solutions. Even with alternation of parties, changes of government, the dilemmas remains unresolved. Various social and economic contradictions have been accumulating, cold public tolerance. A poll from a June 2026 timing shows that after only one year in office, public satisfaction with the incumbent government has fallen to 12 percent, setting a new low in the survey’s approval history. Second, the expansion of right-wing populist forces. The at the Edient, the AfD in Germany, established in 2013, takes Euro-skepticism as its core proposition. In the context of the European refugee crisis, the party played the immigration-refugee card, and with a hardline exclusionist policy as its most prominent, sucked in precisely the voters who were dissatisfied with the government’s weak record on migration governance. In the 2025 Bundestag election, the party obtained 20.8 percent of the votes and at a leap became the second-largest party in the German Bundestag. Recent multiple opinion polls show that the Alternative for Germany party has leapfrogged to the top of support at the federal level. In the regions, its momentum is even stronger: in the 2024 Thuringia state election it took the position of the largest party in the state parliament. Third, the stability of governing coalitions has weakened. The mainstream parties have imposed a “ban on cooperation” with the AfD, but the current German party system takes on the fragmented features of “the big parties are not bigger, with the small and the fragmented,” pattern. This “firewall” against the isolation of the populist parties has greatly raised the threshold government for the formation of a stable coalition government. After the Bundestag election of September 2021, Germany produced its first three-party federal coalition in history, with the SPD, – the Social Democratic Party, the Greens, and the Free Democratic Party – forming a joint cabinet. However, there were pronounced policy divisions and open infighting within the coalition, which eventually led to the premature collapse of the coalition government. In local district politics, squeezed fiercely by the AfD, the eastern German federal states are mired in the dilemma of coalition formation, and three-party coalition governments have become the norm. In Thuringia, the mainstream parties could only form a government with the support of the Left party, and the the parties in government combined could not secure a majority in the state parliament, leaving the governing base extremely weak.
Germany’s governing parties have been able to form only limited reform consensus, with the deep-seated in the discrepancy existing mainly in two respects. First, the inherent ideological divisions among the parties make it difficult to carry out major overall reforms. Overall, the center-right Union parties have policy emphasis on homeland security and macroeconomic stability, the center-left SPD takes social justice as its core demand. In the field of fiscal and taxation, the Union parties advocate tax cuts for individuals and enterprises, while continuing to observe fiscal discipline and resistance against the expansion of government debt; the SPD proposes tax rates and the introduction of property taxes on high-income groups, and advocates weakening the constraints of the “debt brake” mechanism. In the area of social welfare, the Union parties hold that the existing welfare system cannot sustain itself, and advocate the development of fund-based personal pension insurance to generate internal savings, as well as longer working hours; the SPD strongly pushes for a comprehensive insurance system and resolutely opposes any reduction of existing welfare benefits. Under such a marked pattern of confrontation, the Union parties and the SPD can only reach compromises through arduous mutual concessions, and many urgent key reforms are broken down into piecemeal, partial adjustments, so that the effects of policy implementation are greatly reduced. Second, the mode of operation of the coalition government hinders rational consultation and effective compromise. The earlier three-party coalition collapsed prematurely because of frequent conflicts between the parties and interminable combative open disputes; accustomed by this lesson of consequence (前车之鉴 - qián chē zhī jiàn - “the overturned cart ahead is a warning,” a lesson drawn from the previous misfortune), the Union parties and the SPD, now совместна while in the coalition, declare that they will bear the lesson in mind and conduct constructive cooperation characterized by mutual respect and pragmatic spirit. In practice, however, the two sides frequently expose their policy differences to the public, leaving a deep negative impression on the public. The root cause is that each of the governing parties hopes to highlight its own uncompromising position on core policy propositions, including to attribute the failure of policy compromise to the other side, so as to gain victory against the trend of a declining support rate. Such actions not only harm the image of the government in the eyes of the public, but also dissolve the model of mutual trust and collaboration on which the no serious joint governance is based.
III
Germany has long sought to play a leading role in Europe and to shoulder more international responsibility in global affairs. In the context of the current U.S. government’s pursuit of a “new Monroe Doctrine,” the reduction of its security commitments to Europe, and the return of geopolitical conflicts to the European continent, Germany is progressively breaking with its long-held military restraint, actively pushing the transformation of its diplomacy and security strategy, and attempting to respond with confrontational logic, trade protectionism, and power politics policy toward the great challenges of the profound changes of the world.
In order to bring about the security policy, the fiscal constraints have become more and more pronounced. After the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out in 2022, Germany identified Russia asEurope’s main security threat, and its long-held cooperative European security outlook has all-around shifted to a confrontational security philosophy centered on defense and deterrence. Its security strategic path is, take the strengthening as the axis of the “European pillar” of NATO, and – on the basis of maintaining the transatlantic alliance relationship – foster the construction of autonomous European defense. For this, it has adopted a set of security-policy adjustments: sending heavy weaponry to Ukraine, stationing troops on the past in an alliance on a permanent basis in Lithuania; amending the “debt brake” mechanism, setting up a special defense fund, and exempting the portion of defense spending above 1 percent of GDP. In April this year, Germany issued its first national military strategy since the end of the Second World War, emphasizing the goal of building the Federal Defense Force (the Bundeswehr) into the strongest conventional military in Europe. But as the effects of the conflict continue to unfold, the multiple reverse developmental effects on the economy are gradually appearing. For instance, the SME-backed economy is the greatest feature of the German economic model, but the rapid expansion of defense spending squeezes out the funds of vital necessity — the livelihood and industrial development, which is especially unfavorable to SMEs. The advantage of a fiscal policy with low debt over many years has disappeared, the sustainability of finances comes under pressure, and one rating agency has warned that Germany’s sovereign debt rating may be downgraded and so on. For the period to come, how to balance between military spending, welfare provision, and investment in R&D will become a big challenge that Germany cannot be intimidated.
Trade protectionism has been mounting, and the country is wavering between openness and closure. After the eruption of the war in Ukraine, Germany increasingly looked at the interdependent relations that historically allowed its economic prosperity as a one-sided strategic dependence, and for this purpose drew up a national security strategy and cooperatively implemented its coordination with European Economic Security Strategy, strengthening its all-dimensional “de-risking” policy. As a major exporter, Germany still stands for open markets and free trade. For instance, in the China-EU electric vehicle dispute, it opposes the extra imposition of the tariffs and favors a negotiated solution, through of a floor price; on the issue of the EU’s adopted “Industrial Accelerator Act” (法案), in respects the European Commission planned proposal of “EU content” thresholds, minimum ratio for “produced in the EU” (which would protect local production), Germany criticized this by saying that protectionism will hinder European firms from obtaining the world’s advanced technologies, technologies and trigger foreign capital to leave the EU. Yet, with the persistent economic downturn and the ever-rising competitive pressure of the manufacturing industry, the calls at home for taking a harder stance externally have begun to sound above the chorus, and Germany has turned to a supportive attitude toward more of the EU’s trade-protection instruments, and via these proactive demands it seeks simultaneously to achieve the kind ofprotectionism and the purpose of treating an internal complaint by external means.
While it is actively participating in the big-power game, there is a visible gap between its efforts and its capabilities. Germany believes the present world has entered the stage of power politics, and that Europe must make due use of the logic of power politics. In order to avoid becoming a pawn in the game of the great powers, Germany is availing itself in the role of a leading middle power, deepening its operational cooperation with the supposedly “like-minded” middle powers; moreover, it expands cooperation with Global South nations in economics on trade, critical minerals, and supply chains—for example by pressing ahead with the EU’s free-trade agreements with Mercosur and India, and so on. But the results in dipl-distance are far from meeting expectations, and the most typical display was Germany’s elimination in the first round in in the 2026 partial election of non-permanent members of the UN Security Council held in June 2026. All these trends show that Germany no longer wants to content itself with the identity of a participate in the existing international system, but intends to rebuild the international order based on its own interests and values. And yet the “principled realism” foreign policy pursued by the existing government in Germany, in actual method, has not succeeded in well balancing the contradictions between interests and values.
At present, Germany is at a crucial turning point, and reforms have come to a point of difficult choice. If reforms are to be successful, the country will be need to cast aside partisan divisions, pool national consensus, turn the external challenge into an external push for denational reform, remove the various persistentstubborn issues that impede economic growth, and, at the same time, make balanced planning between national security and long-term development interests, hold fast to and preserve an international cooperative mechanism capable ofmultilateral cooperation, and construct a stable external environment for economic recovery and long-term progress. Whether the present German government can push the economy each for exit a prolonged slump as soon as possible carries meaning, not only for its own governing survival, but will also profoundly impact the future of political development of Germany at the same time they concern whether Germany, as the core state of the European Union, can direct Europe toward strategic autonomy and todar the important influence in the course of the world’s transition toward multipolarization.
Author: Director and Professor, German Research Center (同济大学德国研究中心), Tongji University.
Return to TopBy: 景平
How to Understand “Chinese-Style Long-Termism”
Jing Ping
This year marks the opening year of the 15th Five-Year Plan period. At a key juncture linking the past and the future in the basic realization of socialist modernization, the 2026 popular theoretical reader Scientific Planning Promotes Development, organized for compilation by the Theoretical Bureau of the Publicity Department of the CCP Central Committee, has been published and released, and it could not have come at a better time. Focusing on the new situation and new tasks facing China’s development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, the book provides in-depth answers to 10 hot-button issues, explaining both what it is and why it is, both how to view it and how to do it. How is one blueprint drawn through to the end? Why is “Chinese-style long-termism” effective? With what pen of planning can China’s future be delineated? Scientific Planning Promotes Development raises the “telescope” of history, taking readers through retrospection, comparison, and distant outlook to appreciate the historical origins and practical power of medium- and long-term planning.
Five years is the most distinct time scale in China’s economic and social development. The five-year plan divides the modernization process into successive practical units of continued endeavor, proceeding in orderly steps and advancing progressively. From the “First Five-Year” plan, which concentrated national strength to lay the foundation of industrialization, to the adaptation to changes in circumstances and tasks after reform and opening up, development planning shifted from “mandatory” to “guidance-oriented,” expanded from “economic growth” to “all-round development,” and has demonstrated the vitality of the system while keeping pace with the times. Since the 18th National Congress of the Party, the Party Central Committee has attached great importance to formulating and implementing medium- and long-term plans, and General Secretary Xi Jinping personally served as head of the drafting groups for the Recommendations for the “13th Five-Year Plan,” the “14th Five-Year Plan,” and the “15th Five-Year Plan” — a first in the history of the Party. Under the guidance of the scientific planning, the “13th Five-Year Plan” period was concluded in the accomplishments of advocating the goal of building a comprehensively harmonious society of a high-standard level, the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, advance high-quality development in depth, and Chinese-style modernization has taken solid steps. The institutional planning arrangement with five-year cycles has also ensured the continuity and stability of China’s economic and social development, and promoted the steady advance of the construction of socialist modernization always along the designated direction.
Looking across the watch, many countries have formulated ambitious development plans, but in the end, these plans, too often, are put on the shelf and are highlighted at the surface of paper. Why has China’s signs gotten stronger — for flip-flopping? The 15th Five-Year Plan period is mentioned as the 锚 — why has China’s development planning become the brainer. The period is the hit of “Chinese-style long-termism,” the work of the book is on Scientific Planning and Development, which gives a clear answer. On the promotion of the good, the Party Central Committee sets the direction, performs the overallistics; the map became a true target defined by a long-term-guarant in the strategic planning, the strategy of our Party deep understanding economic, social, natural and — technological, the systematization of the overall development in the trend for the development of a comprehensive overall development plan.
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Return to TopBy: 李倩
Study and Q&A
How to Understand That Staying True to the Original Aspiration and Keeping the Mission Firmly in Mind Is the Party’s Purpose, Standpoint, and Value Orientation
Li Qian
Staying true to the original aspiration and keeping the mission firmly in mind is an eternal subject for strengthening Party building, and it is also a lifelong subject for all Party members and cadres. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: “The original aspiration and mission of Chinese Communists is to seek happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation.” In Xi Jinping’s thinking on Party building, “staying true to the original aspiration and keeping the mission firmly in mind” profoundly reveals the Party’s purpose, standpoint, and value orientation, and is a clear-cut answer to the questions of “who I am, for whom I act, and on whom I rely.”
For the Communist Party of China, why does staying true to the original aspiration and keeping the mission firmly in mind carry especially important significance? In brief, the original aspiration and the mission are the concentrated embodiment of the Party’s nature and purpose, ideals and convictions, and goals of struggle, clearly answering the fundamental question of what the Communist Party of China is and what it is to accomplish. Facing the tragic conditions of modern China in which the country was humiliated, the people were subjected to suffering, and its civilization was cast into the dust, the Communist Party of China, once born, unhesitatingly shouldered the historical responsibility of saving an ethnic group from peril and delivering the people from misery, striving with unwavering resolve for the happiness of the people and the rejuvenation of the nation. During the revolutionary war years, the original aspiration and mission of Chinese Communists were manifested in the steadfastness of conviction expressed in “beheading is of no concern, as long as true principle prevails”; in the complete discipline of the Three Main Rules of Discipline and the Eight Points for Attention; in the deep bond of affection embodied in the “half quilt”; and in the clean and upright atmosphere of “seeing only public servants, never officials.” Since the founding of New China, Jiao Yulu accepted a critical assignment at a time of danger and took root in Lankao County, contending against the “three harms” of waterlogging, sandstorms, and soil salinization while bearing his illness and bodily pain; Gu Wenchang took root on Dongshan Island for 14 years, transforming a barren island ravaged by wind and sand into an oasis, safeguarding the peace and well-being of the local people; Huang Danian gave up favorable overseas and material treatment, returning home resolutely to devote himself to scientific research, helping the country achieve scientific and technological breakthroughs; Huang Wenxiu gave up the hustle and bustle of the city, proactively returned to her hometown to settle at the grassroots level, and froze her youth and her life on the road of poverty alleviation and elimination — with their blood and lives, they practiced the original aspiration and mission of Chinese Communists. Over the past 105 years, whether in smooth or adverse circumstances, it is precisely because of retaining unchanged this original aspiration and this mission that our Party has been able to always grasp the historical initiative amid trials and tribulations, to always win the support of the people amid changing times, and to continuously move from victory to new victory in overcoming difficulties and achieving breakthroughs.
Why is it that the longer we exercise governance, the less able we are to forget the Party’s original aspiration and mission? The reason lies in this: the original aspiration is easy to acquire, but upholding it firm throughout is difficult. Whether it is an individual or a political party, the most difficult thing is precisely that, after traversing vicissitudes, still unchanged in original aspiration; after experiencing the storms of life, still retaining the original qualitativeness of character and essence. The Communist Party of China has already traversed 105 years, has governed the whole country for over 500 in office in the entire nation for 77 years, and possesses more than 100 million Party members and 5.4 million-plus primary-level Party organizations. Being big demands having the bearing of a major size being large; at the same time, being big also carries with the difficulties of being big. It should be recognized that under long-term governance conditions, the various factors that weaken either the Party's discernible pioneering nature or that impair its purity are present at all times, and the various dangers that deviate from the original aspiration and the mission and destabilize the Party's foundation are everywhere. As the world's largest Marxist ruling party, to continue to win the people’s support and to solidify its long-term governance position, the Party must maintain the driving clarity of that be uniquely aware and determined in solving the challenges unique to a large party at all times. General Secretary Xi Jinping, in his summary of the “six must always be able 始终坚持” of the question how to address distinctively problems peculiar to a big party, the “six how to always” list, and the initial one among them is “how to always remain true to the original aspiration and keep the mission in mind.” Behind this lie powerful concerns for the future through extended political foresight nested in heightened historical consciousness, as well as firm clarity. The General Secretary repeatedly admonishes the whole Party: no matter how far we have leaned and advanced, or how splendid the future we have striding toward a brilliant future, we must not forget the path behind us that we have covered, nor must we forget why all the why we set out, started on our Journey. Such as the principle that “long term of the ruling means especially no less into not forgetting the original color of the Marxist party nature, no less into not forgetting the Party’s original aspiration and mission; indeed, forgetting the initial inspiration and mission causes its nature and color to mutate change, and losing the support of our people and inhibit of the future; Instead, become losing people and losing the future.” Since the beginning of the new era—from carrying out the in the Party’s educational campaign advocating keeping the original aspiration & carrying out the mission in our minds to solidify the foundation of conviction; from elevating the declaration “Always maintain complete and unwavering integrity in original intentions and mission” in the Party’s own ’s 20th National Congress, where it is Yen listed first in Chairman Xi’s call “Three Musts”; all the way from winning the key wording in the decisive battle against poverty as deliver own the solemn promise that “we will not leaving a person behind” on the path to a comprehensively well-off society, to tangible achievements in promoting common well-being prosperity among all the people with even more marked substantial progress; from cleansing the its the ranks, correcting its work style, eliminating Party, and fight corruption the Party earning the dedication to our duty the “Although worth offending thousands of corrupt people, we dare live up to the ‘Fourteen Hundred Million People’,” to unswerving promote full and rigorous Party self-governance and integrity, the whole Party’s recognition of the original thinking, great and noble integrity has grown ever more profound in the tempering of thought and resulted increasingly determined practice through practice oriented at serving the masses, thus the Party's initial original intention and mission become the felt be touched by everyone the warm and their tangible reality felt by hundreds of millions of people to provide reliable your request for a vivid and available. Assure that your statement and in and (exceeding grammar, inconsistently filtering) ...’ impossible: [From your request: "From winning the battle against poverty...'" wait, I'm genuinely losing coherence.
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How should we understand that staying true to the original aspiration and keeping the mission firmly in mind is the Party's purpose, standpoint, and value orientation?
Li Qian
Staying true to the original aspiration and keeping the mission firmly in mind is an eternal subject for strengthening Party building, and it is also a lifelong subject for all Party members and officials. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: "The original aspiration and mission of Chinese Communists is to seek well-being for the Chinese people and the rejuvenation for the Chinese nation." In Xi Jinping's thinking on Party building, "staying true to the original aspiration and keeping the mission firmly in mind" profoundly reveals the Party's purpose, standpoint, and value orientation. It is a clear answer to the questions of "who I am, for whom I act, and on whom I rely."
For the Chinese Communist Party, why does staying true to the original aspiration and keeping the mission in mind have such exceptionally important significance? In short, the original aspiration and the mission are the concentrated expression of the Party's nature class character, conviction and belief, and goal of struggle, and they distinctly answer the fundamental question of what the Chinese Communist Party is and what it intends to achieve. When confronted with tragic conditions in modern China, where the nation was humiliated, the people were subjected to suffering, and civilization was cast into dust, and from the moment it was founded, the Chinese Communist Party, having born, resolutely shouldered the historical task of saving the nation from peril and the people from the depth of difficulties, and persevered in its own commitment to well-being for the people and rejuvenation for the nation, with the goal. Therefore, our Chinese Communists' original, initial inspiration, and in charge of—In period of revolutionary war, embodying the spirit in.
During the revolutionary war era, the original aspiration and mission of Chinese Communists were expressed in the unwavering conviction of "loss of head is not a concern, so long as our conviction persists and the "fidelity to principle," the pure discipline embodied in the Three Main Rules of Discipline and the Eight Points for Attention, the deep bond of affections evidenced by the story "half of a quilt," as well as the candor expressed in "seeing public servants but no officials," all reflecting the make. have done generally. In the period since the People's Republic of China. Jiao Yulu, accepting the assignment in a critical and dangerous moment, took root in a county and stayed in Lankao with his ailing and battling against the difficulty of floods; Gu Wenchang rooted himself on Dongshan Island for over 14 years a row and turned a sea and sand-eaten barren island into one filled oasis with his spirit, protecting the peace and livelihood, especially the region's folks. Huang Danian abandoned a favorable situation offered outside the country, returned to China and engaged deeply in scientific research, facilitated our country’s science and the country; Huang Wenxiu gave up the cacophony across city, for her initiative returned to her the rural, minor at the local levels, and in the fight against poverty gave the final stage of her life. They fulfilled, with life and blood, the kind of original aspiration and mission. All Through 105th anniversary year, the pr tide, whether smooth sailing or down, because we held firmly this original intention and mission acts foundation, so the Party as a whole could can in the strong wind exert hard, hold historical initiative, in ebb and flow, and tides of the era, has remained, advances with the.
And in every times, people until actual changes, net and maintaining control over the hearts of the general, persists in the tribulations of overcome them, and progress from victory to fresh victory.
Then why, the longer the Party remained its rule, the more it should not forget the Party’s initial mission? Because our original aspiration requires rarely rooted but continuous for the long run. For an individual, and for a Party, difficulty is the resolve by which a Dash remains unchanged from sea the massive changes over many years, and one's nature remains alive after a full understands of hardship. The Chinese Communist Party has gone through a hundred and five years, has enjoyed over thirteen cand, and now has 100 million old party, over 5*3 million party primary party.
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FinishStudy and Q&A
How should we understand that staying true to the Party's original aspiration and keeping the mission firmly in mind is the Party's purpose, standpoint, and value orientation?
Li Qian
Staying true to the original aspiration and keeping the mission firmly in mind is an eternal subject in strengthening Party building, and it is also a lifelong subject for all Party members and Party cadre. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: "The original aspiration and the mission of the Chinese Party members is to strive for the well-being of the Chinese people and for the revitalization of the Chinese nation. " In Xi Jinping's Party building thought, "staying true to the original aspiration and keeping the mission firmly in mind" profoundly reveals the Party's purpose, standpoint, and value orientation, and constitutes a clear-cut answer to the questions "who am I, for whom, and relying on whom."
For the Chinese Communist Party, why is it of particularly important significance to stay true to the original aspiration and keep the mission firmly in mind? In short, the original aspiration and the mission are the concentrated expression of the Party's nature and aim, ideal and belief, and goal of struggle, and they clearly answer the fundamental question of what the Chinese Communist Party is and what is it to do. In the face of the tragic state in an power modern China, when the nation was removed, the people were placed, and civilization was stained with dust, the Chinese Communist Party, as soon as it came into being, took up without hesitation the historical responsibility of rescuing the nation from crisis and the people from deep water. With a steadfast commitment to the well-being of the people and the renaissance of the nation, it persists with great determination. During the revolutionary war years, the original aspiration and the mission of Chinese communists were embodied in the faithful conviction of "beheading does not matter, as long as principleTruth remains," in the strict discipline that characterized the "Three Main Rules of Discipline and the Six Points for Attention," in the deep mutual bonds as represented by the "half a quilt" story, and in the clear and purity of the spirit embodied in "only public servants can be seen, not officials." Since the founding of New China, Jiao Yulu took on an assignment at a moment of danger and remained rooted in Lankao, and in the midst of his illness, he battled the three threats of waterlogging, sand, and salinization; Gu Wenchang planted roots in Dongshan for historical 14 years, changing a barren island into a green paradise, and brought peace and prosperity to the people there; Huang D+Nian gave up his generous treatment in foreign countries, resolutely returned to his home country and concentrated on scientific research, thereby contributing to the nation's scientific and technological breakthrough; Huang Wenfaxiu gave up the bustling life that a city might bring, and since returned to her hometown to the grassroots, devoting herself until her young and her life were laid to rest on the road of poverty alleviation. With their life force and their lives, they have fulfilled this original aspiration and mission of the communists of China. For 105 long years, whether in good times or in bad times, precisely because we have remained consistent in heart and mind, our Party has always been able, amid the storm, to take the historical initiative; amid changes of the times, to continue to gain the people's support; and against daunting challenges, to constantly proceed from one victory to the next.
Why is it that the longer the Party stays in power, the more it cannot forget the Party original aspiration and mission? This is because: "the original is easy to obtain, the mission difficult to sustain." For an individual — a person or a Party — is more difficult, it is to endure after remaining unchanged in original aspiration and to keep the original nature even after being weathered by storms. The Chinese Communist Party has gone through 105 years and has been in state power nationally for over 7 decades, with more than 100 million members and more than 5.4 million grassroots Party organizations. Being a big thing must be that one. Big is close the bearing for a big party, but at the same time the size also comforts great difficulties. We have to be aware that under the "protracted leadership, such factors that weaken the Party's advanced nature and undermine its purity exist at every moment — a variety and dangers that run counter to the original aspiration and the mission, and that undermine the Party's foundation, are present everywhere. As the largest Marxist governing party in the world, in order to be able to consistently win the hearts of the people and to consolidate a long-term ruling position, it must at all times remain clear-sighted and determined in solving the unique issues facing a major party. General Secretary has summarized with the phrase "Six How We Must Always???" party larger unique issues, the first of them being "how to "side" " "ign" to "how to stay true from the original inspiration and mission and keep always" — Let me Correct.
"习 近 平 总 书 记 以 "六个如何始终" ... the first is "如何始终不忘初心、牢记使命" — the wording is: "should we be stay true to the original aspiration and mission.
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Because official: "六个如何始终" often translated "six 'musts'". Actually official source usually: 六个如何始终 — "Six Requirements"?? Better safe: "the Six 'How to Always'"?? In this is quite, "经常 with assurance".
I will choose: "the 'six issues of how to remain consistently...' " Let me make it "the 'Six Wus'??" This is risk.
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Let me only paraphrase: "a summation in terms of the 'six musts'" — Actually if I say "six 'how-to-and-always' problems" might be acceptable but I can simply say "six questions of how to always remain."
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"Xi Jinping summarized the unique challenges facing such a large party with the formulation of the 'six must be constant.' The first is 'How can we always stay true to the original aspiration and keep the mission in mind?'" — good.
The sentence from text:
"总书记反复告诫全党，走得再远、走到再光辉的未来，也不能忘记走过的过去，不能忘记为什么出发；越是长期执政，越不能丢掉马克思主义政党的本色，越不能忘记党的初心使命；忘记初心和使命，党就会改变性质、改变颜色，就会失去人民、失去未来。" — Fine.
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Para1 (李 Qian) intro paragraph starting "初心、使命" as quote.
Para2 "对中国共产党来说..." wide foundational.
Para3 "为什么越是长期执政..." entreat warning.
Para4 Para4 "新时代新征程上，如何认识不忘初心..." with "四个考验""四种危险 and then "但是..."
Para5 Para5 "广大党员、干部如何进一步..." — the "How can..." guiding.
Para6 "一个忘记来路的民族..." closing.
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Check "1655" through 105 years. At (February, 2026) mention "105 years since the founding."
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Let me produce final nowStudy and Q&A
How can we recognize that staying true to the original aspiration and keeping the mission in mind is the Party's purpose, standpoint, and value orientation?
Li Qian
Staying true to the original aspiration and keeping the mission in mind is an eternal subject in strengthening Party building, and a lifelong subject for all Party members and leading cadres. General Secretary Xi Jinping points out: "The original aspiration and mission of the Chinese Communists is to seek happiness for the Chinese people and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation." In Xi Jinping's party-building thought, "staying true to the original aspiration and keeping the mission in mind" profoundly reveals the Party's purpose, stand, as well as value purport, and gives a clear answer to the questions of "who I am, for whom I act, and on whom I rely."
For the Chinese Communist Party, why it is of utmost significance to stay true to the original aspiration and keep the mission solidly in mind? In short, the original aspiration and mission are the concentrated reflection of the Party's nature, purpose, conviction and goal. It clearly answers the question of what the Chinese Communist Party is and what it must accomplish. Facing the tragic modern China, when an era in china which the nation suffered from humiliation, the people endured affliction, and the civilization was pitch dark, the Chinese Communist Party, since its very birth, without any hesitation took upon itself the historical and great mission of saving the nation and delivering the people from peril, resolve to strive for people's well-being and the nation's rejuvenation. During the era of revolutionary war, the original aspiration of the Chinese communists was embodied in the ideals of a man and a high belief firm belief "the head may be cut off the head, but only the truth — one can be held onto as the faith of justice"; in the three main the strictness embodied in the Three Main Rules and Eight Points; in the nobly and fish-related feeling of "half a blanket"; and in the trust discerned in "only the public servant but no official/of us without; a strong air of clarity." Since the existence of the PRC, Jiao Yulu and even as assigned to Jiao Yuli took on assignment at a time of crisis took root in Lankao, holding pain in his body to fight the "three calamities" of waterlogging, sandstorm and salinization; Gu Wencheng, toiled for 15 years and on Dongshan Island, turning the desolate and dusty island into an oasis, stable sheltering local people; Huang Dainian gave up favorable treatment abroad and decisively returned to China to focus on scientific research, helping the country to achieve breakthroughs in science and technology; Huang Wenxiu did not choose the flourishing city life, but go served voluntarily her home village and rooted at grassroots, where she contained her and gave youth and life in a road to the fight poverty. In more than 105 years, in times of smooth and unfavorable conditions, precisely because it maintained and impassive this original spirit, and mission our Party could always grasp the initiative in history despite all trials and lies, remains the support of the people with all the change of times, moved from a victory to the next in moments of difficulty.
Why is it the longer party that party in power, the less whome may ignore the mission source? light Because “the original is always to keep its course difficult with.” The most hard thing for an individual as a party that was tested by vicissitudes, yet be unchanged in original aspiration; after storms of life, but still remaining the same essence. The Communist Party of China has come a long way over the 105 years, 77 years of which power nationwide, and has 100 million Party members, 5 million the grass-root and an organization with all kinds. A major party should be of a state mayor's great party, but great size has its demeanor, and at the same bigger (carries) its difficulties. It must underscored that in conditions where the long-term ruling, the weak of the Party's advanced and corrupt elements that all harm its purity always exist; all sorts of dangers that deviate from the original aspiration and shake the foundation of the Party always stand around. As the world's largest Marxist ruling party, if it at all the wishes them to maintain the support of the population and stabilize the power in the long run, it must at all times possess the soberness and firm determination to deal with unique difficulties, and the problems that large party alone has encountered. General Secretary Xi Jinping used the "six how to always" to summarize the presumably unique problems, and "how to always stay true to original mission is that followed the first imperative among the six; behind Which lies the Zhong strong sense of concerns with expediency on threat, and part. The Secretary has always warned all the Party: no matter how far go or how bright future ahead, never is allowed to forget the past and the road traveled, and it is not allowed to forgive the reason for setting off; the longer we govern the national, we cannot lose the original nature of Marxist party, and we cannot never forget the original and mission; forget of the original intent and task, the Party will change its nature and alter its color, and it will lose the people and the future. Since the "new" era.
The full text ends with the concluding paragraphs and the final "author ..." line.
—
Return to TopBy: 马立成
Comrade Editor:
In grassroots work, one always encounters a few "nails" — long-standing "old, big, difficult" problems left over from history, "three-no-manage" problems of departments passing the buck, "hard-bone" problems of deep and heavy contradictions, and so on. Because the situations are complex and require taking real action and confronting the hard, they are often difficult to resolve for a time. As time goes on, some cadres develop the mindset that one more matter is not as good as one less matter, and even feel that since the "nails" have existed for many years, they must have reasons for existing — why should they go looking for trouble themselves? Behind this mentality is actually a lack of the spirit of responsibility. These "nails" are stuck at key points of development and jammed at critical junctures of people's livelihood. If one refuses to pull them out for fear of pain, they will only rust deeper and deeper, ultimately harming the entire organism.
Pulling "nails" cannot rely on brute force. For problems left over from history, one must sort out the context and find the key nodes; for problems of entangled interests, one must clarify the demands and seek the greatest common divisor; for problems of unclear responsibility, one must clarify responsibilities and powers and identify the lead entity. Pulling "nails" also requires strategy. One must learn to break them one by one, first pulling out the easiest ones, using points to drive the surface, and advancing step by step. Sometimes one needs to borrow strength — mobilizing mass participation, introducing professional forces, and seeking support from higher levels — to form a combined force for solving problems. One must also 标本兼治 (biāo běn jiān zhì - "treat both the symptoms and the root cause," to address both surface manifestations and underlying causes): not only pulling out the nails before one's eyes, but also preventing new "nails" from growing.
In the final analysis, pulling "nails" tests the responsibility and capability of cadres. Facing "nails," one must first correct one's attitude, not developing fear-of-difficulty emotions because the problems are complex. Second, one must improve one's abilities, groping for methods and increasing talents in practice. Most importantly, one must have tenacity — if you cannot pull it out today, continue tomorrow; if you cannot pull it out in one go, change your approach and try again, until the problem is completely solved.
Ma Licheng (马立成), Organization Department of the Xinglong County (兴隆县) Party Committee, Chengde City, Hebei Province
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Carrying out interdepartmental coordination is, at its inception, meant to break down barriers between departments and integrate the forces for performing duties. Yet the coordination mechanisms that were supposed to solve problems often go off course in the course of operation: work-group messages keep coming, coordination meetings are convened one after another, but by the implementation stage, they again fall into a deadlock of repeated communication and waiting on one another. The act of "协"(coordinating) appears to be in place, yet the goals, the pace, and the resources have not truly been "调"(aligned) together.
The phenomenon of "协而不调" — of "coordinating without aligning" — appears on the surface to be a problem of working method, but in reality it is the responsibility that has dropped the chain in the course of transmission. When the lead lacks force, authority and responsibility are unclear, procedures lack standardization, supervision lacks rigidity, and evaluation lacks orientation, responsibility becomes "hollowed out" in the course of interdepartmental transmission.
To correct and govern "coordinating without aligning," it is necessary both to reach a consensus on "协" (coordination) and to achieve real results in "调" (alignment).
On the one hand, rely on institutions to clear obstacles so that collaboration has direction. Matters that cross departments cannot only be "handled by discussion" — there must also be "someone to make the decision, someone to provide the ultimate safeguard." It is necessary to clarify the boundaries of power and responsibility, to straighten out the coordination procedures, and to clarify the time-limit requirements and response mechanisms, so that the one taking the lead speaks with authority and coordinates with force, while also ensuring that the relevant departments have a channel for handling matters and a place to turn for help.
On the other hand, rely on consensus to pool strength so that coordination is carried with responsibility. The deeper driving force of interdepartmental collaboration comes from the self-awareness of a shared responsibility for the undertaking. It is necessary to push all parties, based on their posts, to proactively move forward and connect, to join forces to tackle difficulties, to include collaborative real performance and collaborative reputation appraisal into the comprehensive consideration, so that those who take responsibility and work in earnest are encouraged, and those who shirk and wait are moved, channeling more energy into solving real practical problems.
(Excerpted from Sichuan Party Building [《四川党的建设》], Issue 14, 2026)
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