Summary: This issue publishes an important article by General Secretary Xi Jinping, "Speech at the Symposium on Strengthening Basic Research," which analyzes new situations and challenges, elucidates the importance of strengthening basic research, and makes strategic deployments. In the opening year of the 15th Five-Year Plan, studying this article is significant for deepening understanding of basic research and accelerating high-level self-reliance in science and technology. The issue also includes interpretive articles by Yin Hejun, Yu Jihong, Yu Xiaoyu, and Pan Jianwei on various aspects of basic research, alongside a commentator's article on Xi Jinping's thought on Party building. Additional articles cover the 90th anniversary of the Long March, resolving the contradiction of strong supply and weak demand in economic work, and Pan Gongsheng's interpretation of structural changes in China's finance. The "In-depth Investigation" column features a joint research group article on China's new energy system, while the "Qiushi Exclusive Interview" column discusses private investment development with Yang Ping and Xu Yingjie.
Summary: In a speech at a symposium on strengthening basic research, Xi Jinping emphasized the importance and urgency of elevating China's basic research to enhance original innovation capacity and build a strong science and technology nation. He outlined five priorities: fully understanding the significance of basic research, optimizing its systematic layout, expanding the talent team, strengthening support and safeguards, and expanding international cooperation. Xi noted that while China's basic research funding exceeds 7 percent of total social R&D investment, it still lags behind the 15 to 20 percent share of world-leading science and technology nations. He called for increasing funding, improving research conditions, deepening science and technology system reform, and purifying the scientific research ecosystem. Xi also stressed the need to integrate into the global innovation network and deepen international cooperation in basic research.
Summary: The article, authored by the Qiushi Editorial Board, discusses the importance of strengthening basic research in China, following a symposium attended by General Secretary Xi Jinping in Shanghai on April 30, 2026. It emphasizes that basic research is crucial for building a strong science and technology nation, winning international competition, and achieving a qualitative leap in China's scientific development. The piece addresses the need to balance organized scientific research with free exploration, produce both results and talent, and maintain self-reliance while expanding international cooperation. It also highlights challenges such as insufficient funding, evaluation system flaws, and the need to improve the innovation ecosystem. The article references the United States' CHIPS and Science Act and its strategic report "Science: A New Golden Age" as examples of global competition in basic research.
Summary: Yin Hejun, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology, writes that basic research is the source of the entire scientific system and that General Secretary Xi Jinping has called for elevating it to build a strong science and technology nation. The article assesses China's progress since the 18th Party Congress, noting its world-leading talent pool and publication output, while acknowledging challenges such as insufficient systematic coordination, a shortage of high-level talent, and gaps in long-cycle funding support compared to developed countries. Yin proposes measures including strengthening task coordination, cultivating and attracting talent, increasing stable funding, and reforming the scientific research ecosystem to address issues like the "four onlys" and academic misconduct. He also advocates expanding international cooperation in basic research, despite noting that individual countries have increased suppression of such cooperation, and calls for China to lead more international big science programs. The piece emphasizes achieving high-level self-reliance and strength in science and technology to support Chinese modernization and new quality productive forces.
Summary: In this article, Yu Jihong, President of Beijing Normal University and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, argues that advancing basic research requires deepening understanding of its regular patterns, citing General Secretary Xi Jinping's April 30, 2026, symposium call to strengthen basic research with greater force. He discusses the dialectical unity of free exploration and goal-oriented research, the need for long-cycle stable support over short-term assessments, and the importance of breaking down disciplinary barriers to foster interdisciplinary integration. The author also addresses shortcomings in the basic research talent cultivation system, advocating for diversified talent identification, through-type training, and early exposure of students to real scientific questions. He emphasizes that universities are the main battlefield for independently cultivating basic research talent, and calls for connecting with basic education to inspire young people's interest in science.
Summary: The article argues that enterprises should play a more important role in basic research, citing General Secretary Xi Jinping's call to promote the deep integration of industry, academia, and research led by enterprises. It refutes four misunderstandings, including the notions that basic research must be far from application, that enterprises are only the "last leg" of the innovation chain, and that enterprise participation requires building large laboratories. The piece highlights how the distance between scientific discovery and industrial application is shrinking, with examples such as DeepSeek and AlphaFold showing enterprises as producers of new knowledge. It recommends establishing investment and evaluation mechanisms that match the long cycles of scientific exploration, and promoting the agglomeration of innovation resources toward enterprises. The author is identified as the Vice Dean of the School of Management, Shanghai University, and Director of the Shanghai Research Center for Enterprise Innovation and High-Quality Development.
Summary: Pan Jianwei, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and executive vice president of the University of Science and Technology of China, argues that promoting the scientific spirit and a culture of innovation is essential for achieving high-level self-reliance and strength in science and technology. He identifies weaknesses in education, research evaluation, and tolerance for exploratory failure that constrain original innovation. He calls for coordinated reforms across education, evaluation systems, and institutional mechanisms to encourage exploration and tolerate failure. The article emphasizes the need to integrate traditional Chinese wisdom with global scientific cooperation to enrich China's innovation culture.
Summary: The article, authored by the Qiushi Commentator, urges the entire Party to consciously use Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building to plan and advance Party building, emphasizing that studying and implementing this thought is an important political task. It stresses that the effectiveness of governing the Party and running the Party strictly must be genuinely improved, requiring deeper study of the original works and texts to grasp the thought's scientific system and practical requirements. The piece highlights the need to integrate Party building with central tasks, such as the economic and social development goals of the 15th Five-Year Plan period, and to address weak links and prominent problems, including formalism and corruption. It calls for innovation in Party building methods while adhering to principles, and insists on fulfilling the responsibility for governing the Party and running the Party strictly through accountability. The article concludes that Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building provides fundamental guidance for the great new project of Party building in the new era.
Summary: The article commemorates the 90th anniversary of the Long March, describing it as a "declaration," "propaganda team," and "seeder" that proclaimed the collapse of imperialist and Kuomintang plans and spread revolutionary ideas. It attributes the victory to "favorable conditions including timing, location, and people," with "human harmony" being most important, contrasting the Red Army's firm conviction with Kuomintang factional infighting. The piece argues the Long March opened new prospects by shifting the revolutionary center of gravity northward, establishing Mao Zedong's leadership, and creating a new situation for the anti-Japanese war. It asserts the Long March is eternal as a spiritual passage, citing Xi Jinping's 2016 speech and Mao's admonition that victory was "only the first step in a Long March of ten thousand li." The article concludes by urging readers to hold faith, uphold truth, walk the socialist road, and forge a victorious army to walk the new era's Long March well.
Summary: The article argues that resolving the contradiction of strong supply and weak demand is a key task in current economic work, attributing the issue to the pace of effective domestic demand expansion lagging behind the supply system. It emphasizes China's unique advantages, including its super-large-scale market, complete industrial system, and abundant macro-policy toolbox, which provide the foundation to resolve this contradiction. The piece highlights consumption upgrading, driven by per capita GDP exceeding US$13,000, and enormous investment potential in fields like infrastructure and urban renewal as key drivers. It also stresses the supply system's strengths, such as possessing all industrial categories in the UN classification, and the institutional advantages of socialism with Chinese characteristics. The conclusion calls for dialectically viewing the situation, accelerating major projects under the 15th Five-Year Plan, and deepening reform to promote domestic-demand-led economic development.
Summary: Pan Gongsheng, Secretary of the Party Committee and Governor of the People's Bank of China, writes that China's financial structure is undergoing profound changes, with the share of direct financing steadily rising to about one-third and financial resources flowing more toward key areas such as scientific and technological innovation. He argues this transformation reflects the dynamic evolution of the economic development stage, the shift between old and new drivers of growth, and the adaptation of the financial system to industrial upgrading, as well as being an inevitable requirement for the high-quality development of the financial industry itself. To serve high-quality economic development, he calls for continuing to advance the transformation of the monetary policy framework, strengthening policy coordination to improve financial services for key areas, and building a modern financial market system. He also emphasizes improving the macro-prudential management system to enhance financial stability and resilience.
Summary: The article, authored by the Policy Research Office of the CPC Fujian Provincial Committee, calls on Fujian to learn from the "Yiwu Development Experience" to promote high-quality development of county economies in light of local conditions. It details how Yiwu transformed from a poor agricultural county into the world's largest small commodities distribution center, citing General Secretary Xi Jinping's 11 research visits and his 2006 promotion of the experience. The piece outlines Yiwu's transformations in market development, industrial systems, urban-rural integration, governance, and culture, and compares it with Fujian's own "Jinjiang Experience" and other county models. It concludes by urging Fujian to handle relationships between traditional and emerging industries, government and market, reform and opening up, and urban and rural areas to build a modern industrial system and pursue common prosperity.
Summary: The article, based on a joint research group's investigation, argues that China's new energy system, guided by the "four revolutions and one cooperation" energy security strategy proposed by General Secretary Xi Jinping, proved resilient during the 2026 Strait of Hormuz crisis, with China's reduced oil imports helping stabilize global prices. It details the system's "newness" across infrastructure, security, consumption, technology, governance, and international cooperation, while identifying contradictions such as supply chain risks for critical minerals and lagging institutional mechanisms. The piece outlines a path forward involving improvements to energy security assurance, infrastructure, consumption, innovation, governance, and international cooperation systems. It emphasizes the need to balance transformation with stability, enhance domestic standards and international rule-making power, and promote green computing-power-electricity coordination. The article concludes that China's energy transformation represents a proactive choice to secure its own energy supply and contribute to sustainable development.
Summary: In a Qiushi exclusive interview, researchers Yang Ping and Xu Yingjie discussed the challenges and strategies for boosting private investment in China, which has seen negative growth for three consecutive years. They attributed this decline to a mix of cyclical, structural, and external factors, including weak global demand, domestic overcapacity, and the transition between old and new growth drivers. The experts identified sticking points such as hidden market access barriers, financing difficulties, and inadequate factor guarantees, emphasizing the need to better handle the government-market relationship. They proposed measures like implementing the "one national list" market access system, deepening investment and financing reforms, and improving the business environment through rule-of-law guarantees and service-oriented government actions. The interview highlighted the importance of private investment for economic vitality, innovation, and employment, while noting its shift toward emerging sectors like biomanufacturing and quantum technology.
Summary: The article explains the historical evolution, distinctive features, and advantages of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) sectoral groupings, emphasizing their role as basic units of the CPPCC's composition and a form of socialist consultative democracy. It traces the term's ancient origins and its adoption by the Communist Party of China, noting that the CPPCC Charter first formally used "sectoral groupings" in 2004, with the Fourteenth CPPCC National Committee now comprising 34 groupings across four categories. The piece highlights how sectoral groupings serve as an important form of developing democracy, a bond for uniting all parties, an effective channel for interest expression, and a carrier for CPPCC duties, citing examples like sectoral consultative meetings and member activities. It also addresses new challenges, such as adapting to changes in economic and social structure and digitalization, and outlines measures to strengthen Party leadership, enhance representativeness, innovate duty-performing platforms, and build member capacity. The article references General Secretary Xi Jinping's emphasis on improving mechanisms for members' contact with the masses in their sectors and expanding orderly political participation.
Summary: Li Zhuo, a researcher at the Tianjin Academy of Social Sciences, argues that the "outstanding innovativeness" of Chinese civilization, as summarized by General Secretary Xi Jinping at the June 2, 2023 Symposium on Cultural Inheritance and Development, is a fundamental trait determining the Chinese nation's enterprising spirit. The article traces this innovativeness through material production, spiritual culture, and political institutions, rooting it in concepts like "unremitting self-renewal" and the practice of "reforming the old to establish the new." It rebuts Western theories of Chinese historical stagnation and the "Needham Question," asserting that innovation is the nation's deepest endowment. The author concludes that on the new journey, this civilizational trait must be upheld to advance theoretical, practical, institutional, and cultural innovation.
Summary: The article discusses the implications of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's development for improving global governance, following General Secretary Xi Jinping's speech at the Bishkek Summit. It highlights the SCO's adherence to the Shanghai Spirit, its growth from 6 founding members to a family of 27 countries, and its achievements in security, trade, and people-to-people exchanges. The authors argue that the SCO's principles of sovereign equality, rule of law, multilateralism, and common well-being offer new paths for reforming global governance. They contrast this with Western binary standards and criticize unilateralism, protectionism, and "decoupling" efforts. The piece concludes that the SCO's 25-year experience provides an "answer sheet" for building a more just and reasonable global governance system.
Summary: A theoretical seminar on deeply studying and implementing Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building was jointly held on September 2, 2026, in Tai'an City, Shandong Province, by the Editorial Board of Qiushi and the Publicity Department of the CPC Shandong Provincial Committee, with over 150 experts and scholars attending. The experts discussed the thought's theoretical origins, practical foundations, scientific system, theoretical character, and major significance, emphasizing its roots in Marxist theory and fine traditional Chinese culture. They stressed the need for systematic and theoretical research to clarify the thought's logic and extract principled achievements, avoiding fragmented interpretations. The seminar concluded that study must be applied to solve practical Party building problems, including raising the level of institutionalization of full and rigorous self-governance of the Party, advancing Party building in connection with the Party's central tasks, and stimulating the endogenous driving force of the cadre contingent.
Summary: The article explains that persisting in using the Party's innovative theory to unite minds and forge souls is the fundamental task of the Party's ideological development, as emphasized in Xi Jinping's thought on Party building. It traces this tradition from the Party's founding through the Yan'an period, citing Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, and Deng Xiaoping's engagement with the Communist Manifesto, and stresses that ideological unity is the deepest guarantee of Party solidarity. The piece argues that Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era represents a new leap in the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism, guiding historic achievements and transformations. It acknowledges shortcomings in theoretical study among some Party members and cadres, such as superficial or perfunctory learning, and calls for deeper, more practical implementation. Finally, it urges unremitting use of the Party's innovative theory to unify thought and action, improve long-term learning mechanisms, and transform theoretical study into practical strength for national rejuvenation.
Summary: Chen Ji'e, from the School of Marxism at Guangdong Polytechnic Normal University, writes to criticize the prevalence of "waiting for arrangements" among some Party members and cadres, which reflects passive work attitudes and insufficient responsibility. The letter argues that such behavior delays problem-solving and hinders reform and development, while the masses' concerns will not resolve themselves through inaction. It calls for abandoning this dependent mentality and strengthening proactive awareness and responsibility to achieve real results. The piece emphasizes that proactive commitment, rather than waiting for superiors' instructions, is essential for effective governance.
Summary: The article argues that "soft ailments" among cadres—such as weak dedication, lazy work style, and passive performance—are harder to identify than hard defects like discipline violations, due to vague standards and concealment. It warns that these ailments erode grassroots governance, dissolve public trust, and are contagious, fostering an unhealthy atmosphere where effort goes unrewarded. To cure them, the piece recommends "hard measures": strengthening institutional development with clear responsibility lists, improving assessment methods that combine performance and work style, and wielding accountability to compel duty fulfillment. The commentary is excerpted from the September 2026 issue of *Communist Party Member*, published by the Hebei Provincial Party Committee.
This issue publishes an important article by General Secretary Xi Jinping, "Speech at the Symposium on Strengthening Basic Research." This important article comprehensively analyzes the new situation and new challenges currently faced, profoundly elucidates the importance and urgency of strengthening basic research, makes strategic deployments for strengthening basic research, and deeply answers a series of directional and fundamental questions concerning basic research. In the opening year of the 15th Five-Year Plan, as the construction of a strong science and technology nation enters a critical period of tackling key challenges, and under the situation where global science and technology competition is increasingly focused on basic frontier fields, studying, comprehending, and implementing the spirit of this important article is of great significance for the entire Party and society to deepen their understanding of the inherent laws and practical requirements of basic research, further strengthen confidence and muster enthusiasm, fully implement the various decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee on strengthening basic research, and accelerate the advancement of high-level self-reliance and strength in science and technology.
Centering on the study and implementation of the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important article, this issue also publishes a set of articles that provide interpretations from different angles and aspects. The editorial department article of this journal focuses on why basic research is important and how to strengthen it, providing interpretation and explanation from five aspects; Yin Hejun's article provides an interpretation of strengthening basic research with greater force and more concrete measures; Yu Jihong's article provides an interpretation of how to understand and grasp the inherent laws of basic research; Yu Xiaoyu's article interprets how to give play to the important role of enterprises in basic research; Pan Jianwei's article provides an interpretation of promoting the scientific spirit and cultivating an innovative culture.
Studying, comprehending, and implementing Xi Jinping's thought on Party building well is an important political task for the entire Party in the current and future period. The commentator's article of this journal provides an interpretation of consciously using Xi Jinping's thought on Party building to plan and advance Party building.
This year marks the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Long March of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army. Chen Jin's article interprets why the Long March achieved victory, why it started a new chapter, and why it is eternal.
Resolving the contradiction of strong supply and weak demand is a key task in current economic work. The commentator's article of this journal interprets how to base ourselves on our advantages and adopt more precise and more effective methods to resolve this contradiction.
Pan Gongsheng's article provides an interpretation of how to deeply understand the structural changes in China's finance and enhance the adaptability of financial services to the real economy.
The "In-depth Investigation" column publishes an article by a joint research group, elaborating on the construction of China's new energy system. The "Qiushi Exclusive Interview" column publishes an interview by this journal's reporter with Yang Ping and Xu Yingjie, discussing how to understand and resolve the sticking points and bottlenecks in the development of private investment. The "Cultural China" column publishes an article by Li Zhuo, providing an interpretation of the prominent innovativeness of Chinese civilization.
Return to TopBy: 习近平
Speech at a Symposium on Strengthening Basic Research
(April 30, 2026)
Xi Jinping
Today, we convene this symposium to jointly discuss how to strengthen basic research, with the aim of enhancing our country's capacity for original innovation, further consolidating the foundation for building a strong science and technology nation, and accelerating the achievement of a high level of self-reliance and strength in science and technology. Holding this meeting in the opening year of the 15th Five-Year Plan carries landmark significance. Just now, several comrades delivered remarks and put forward some good opinions and suggestions, which the relevant departments should seriously study and absorb.
Below, I will offer a few points of view.
First, fully understand the importance and urgency of strengthening basic research.
Basic research is the source of the entire scientific system, the master switch for all technological problems, and the frontline of global scientific and technological competition. The history of human development shows that every major breakthrough in basic research drives tremendous progress in science and technology and leads to a marked leap in social productive forces. An important criterion for measuring a country's scientific and technological strength is the level of its basic research. To become a world leader in science and technology, basic research must be elevated. At present, the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation is accelerating and breaking through, global scientific and technological competition is focusing more intensely on basic and frontier fields, scientific discovery and technological invention reinforce and advance each other, and the importance of original and disruptive innovation is increasingly prominent. For us, this is both a historic opportunity and a new challenge.
Since the 18th National Congress of the Party, the Party Central Committee has attached great importance to basic research, and through optimizing the layout of scientific research, increasing investment and safeguards, and innovating institutional mechanisms, has driven a marked improvement in the level of our country's basic research. At the same time, it must be recognized that compared with the world's leading science and technology nations, there remains a gap in our basic research, which requires us to strengthen our sense of crisis and urgency and to strengthen basic research with greater force and more concrete measures.
At present, awareness of basic research among all levels and relevant departments has generally been rising, but some localities and units still have the problem of insufficient attention. Basic research is an undertaking that lays foundations and benefits the long term; it can neither be approached with seeking quick benefits without regard for long-term consequences (急功近利, ji gong jin li - "urgent, gain, near, profit") nor with being passive and doing nothing (消极无为, xiao ji wu wei - "negative, no, do, not"). It requires the vision and responsibility of planting trees for future generations to enjoy the shade (前人栽树、后人乘凉, qian ren zai shu, hou ren cheng liang - "former, person, plant, tree; latter, person, ride, shade") and the perseverance and resolve of persevering in a single task for a long time (十年磨一剑, shi nian mo yi jian - "ten, years, grind, one, sword"). This is not merely a question of how scientific research work is approached; it is even more a question of overall perspective and the view of political achievements. We must seriously examine and rectify deviations in the view of political achievements in scientific research work, and drive all levels and relevant departments to truly place basic research work on the important agenda in light of actual conditions, to grasp it with full effort and sustained effort, and to continuously achieve new results.
Second, optimize the systematic layout of basic research.
Entering the era of big science, the degree of organization of basic research is increasingly high, requiring us to strengthen overall planning and top-level design and to accelerate the formation of a strategic, forward-looking, and systematic layout.
We must set the target and direction accurately.
Only by aiming at a specific target or having a clear purpose (有的放矢, you de fang shi - "have, target, shoot, arrow") can the quality of basic research be improved. We must adhere to the strategic orientation of the "Four Orientations," proceed from the country's urgent needs and long-term demands, further clarify the main attack directions and key fields of basic research, and coordinate the advancement of original innovation and the tackling of key core technologies. We must adopt differentiated policies according to the conditions of different fields, focusing on strengthening advantages, making up for shortcomings, and reinforcing weak links.
We must strengthen coordination of forces.
Basic research is highly systematic and must mobilize forces from all sides extensively. We must leverage the advantages of the new system for mobilizing resources nationwide, strengthen the leading role of national laboratories, national research institutions, and high-level research universities, and integrate resources to advance original and disruptive innovation. We must encourage and regulate the development of new-type research and development institutions, explore innovative methods of scientific research management, and expand the forces of basic research. We must support leading technology enterprises in leading or participating in basic research projects, promote deep integration of industry, academia, and research led by enterprises, and open up the innovation chain of basic research, applied development, and commercialization of results.
We must improve the disciplinary layout.
The disciplinary system is an important foundation for basic research. Facing the new situation of continuously expanding disciplinary boundaries, we must improve the mechanism for adjusting disciplinary settings. We must strengthen the construction of basic disciplines such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, and earth sciences, promote the coordinated development of applied disciplines and basic disciplines, pay attention to and support less popular and weak disciplines, cultivate emerging disciplines, and encourage multidisciplinary cross-integration and interdisciplinary research.
Third, expand the talent team for basic research.
Basic research ultimately depends on high-level talent. We must advance education, science and technology, and talent development as an integrated whole, do a comprehensive job of cultivation, introduction, and utilization, and strive to make the basic research talent pool sufficient in number, excellent in quality, and reasonable in structure.
We must focus on improving the quality of independent cultivation.
Independent cultivation has always been the main channel for talent development. We must follow the laws of talent growth, comprehensively improve the quality of education, and continuously cultivate reserve forces for basic research. We must coordinate the implementation of the Top-Notch Talent Plan, the Strengthening Basic Disciplines Plan, and the Outstanding Talent Plan, pay attention to early cultivation at the basic education stage, improve the integrated training model for bachelor's, master's, and doctoral students, and cultivate more top-notch innovative talents in basic disciplines. We must optimize the mechanism for collaborative education between science and education, and pay attention to discovering and cultivating high-level talent on the front line of scientific research.
We must vigorously support young talent.
Young talent is the main force of basic research, and many major achievements are made by young people. We must cultivate the young talent team through continuous training across the entire chain, adhere to task-driven guidance and the mentoring of younger researchers by senior ones, strengthen education, guidance, care, and support, pave the way and build bridges (铺路搭桥, pu lu da qiao - "pave, road, build, bridge") for the growth and success of young scientific and technological personnel, and support them in taking on major roles and playing the leading part.
We must actively create a favorable atmosphere.
Basic research is an undertaking of exploring the unknown, requiring passion and perseverance. We must continuously improve the working and living conditions of basic research personnel, guarantee salary and benefits, help resolve practical difficulties, and enable them to settle down, feel at ease, and devote themselves to their work. We must vigorously promote the spirit of scientists, tell the stories of scientists well, strengthen science popularization and outreach, stimulate the curiosity, imagination, and desire for exploration of young people, and make devoting oneself to basic research the life pursuit of more young people.
Fourth, strengthen support and safeguards for basic research.
Basic research is to a large extent oriented toward the future and requires sustained, long-term effort. We must be courageous in breaking down ideological obstacles and institutional barriers, and provide long-term, stable investment safeguards and policy support for basic research.
We must increase funding investment.
At present, our country's basic research funding accounts for more than 7 percent of total social R&D investment, but compared with the 15 to 20 percent share of the world's leading science and technology nations, there remains a considerable gap. We must gradually increase the share of basic research funding, further broaden funding channels, steadily increase fiscal investment, guide enterprises and social forces to increase investment, and form a diversified investment pattern for basic research. We must improve the efficiency of science fund grants, provide stable support to research institutions and platform bases engaged in basic research, provide successive support to outstanding research teams and talent on the basis of competition and merit-based selection, and adopt rolling support for major original projects.
We must optimize research conditions.
Based on the self-reliant guarantee of basic research conditions, we must systematically lay out and construct major scientific and technological infrastructure. We must strengthen the construction of national science data centers, and improve the level of data openness, sharing, and utilization efficiency. We must accelerate the construction of world-class scientific and technological journals, and encourage domestic and foreign achievements to be first published in our country's journals and platforms. We must attach importance to the empowerment of basic research by artificial intelligence, develop scientific foundation large models and professional models for disciplinary fields, build intelligent scientific research platform systems, and promote accelerated breakthroughs across all fields of science.
We must deepen the reform of the science and technology system.
We must improve the classified evaluation system that conforms to the characteristics of basic research, improve mechanisms such as representative achievement evaluation, long-cycle evaluation, international peer evaluation, and team evaluation, and place greater emphasis on the originality and academic value of research results. We must improve the incentive mechanism for basic research, deepen the reform of empowering researchers with rights to job-related scientific and technological achievements, and establish a mechanism for mutual promotion between basic research and the commercialization of results. We must reform scientific research management methods, and reduce burdens and cut red tape for basic research personnel.
We must purify the scientific research ecosystem.
We must create an open, inclusive innovation environment that tolerates failure, encourage basic research personnel to devote themselves to deep study, and dare to raise new questions, open up new fields, and explore new paths. We must strengthen the construction of research integrity, promote the scientific community to rectify its work style and transform its conduct, break down "clique culture" and the ways of "academic overlords," effectively reverse the tendencies of valuing only papers, only top journals, only titles, and only awards, and resolutely punish scientific research corruption.
Fifth, expand international cooperation in basic research.
To explore the frontiers of world science, international cooperation is indispensable. We must actively integrate into the global innovation network and enhance original innovation capacity through open cooperation. We must deepen international exchange and cooperation in basic research between governments and among non-governmental actors, leverage the role of platforms such as the jointly built Belt and Road Initiative, and join with other countries in tackling major scientific problems such as climate change, energy and the environment, and life and health. We must increase the openness of national science and technology programs to the outside world, and expand the scale of exchanges among basic research personnel. We must take the lead in initiating and joining international big science programs and big science projects, support the establishment of international science and technology organizations in China, and support domestic universities, research institutes, and science and technology organizations in actively participating in global science and technology governance.
Strengthening basic research requires the joint efforts of the entire Party and the whole society. The Central Science and Technology Commission must strengthen systematic deployment and overall coordination, and do a good job of supervising major tasks and important matters. Party committees and governments at all levels must increase policy support and provide good services and safeguards, and promote the implementation of the Party Central Committee's decisions and arrangements.
Return to TopBy: 《求是》杂志编辑部
Why Basic Research Matters and How to Strengthen It
Editorial Board of Qiushi
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping has placed basic research in a prominent position within the overall work of science and technology, delivering a series of important speeches and making a series of important deployments, driving a marked improvement in the level of China's basic research. On April 30, 2026, in the opening year of the 15th Five-Year Plan, General Secretary Xi Jinping attended a symposium on strengthening basic research in Shanghai and delivered an important speech, fully demonstrating the great importance and firm resolve of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core regarding strengthening basic research. In this important speech, General Secretary Xi Jinping fully affirmed the achievements made in China's basic research, comprehensively analyzed the new situation and new challenges facing it, and made strategic deployments in areas including optimizing the systemic layout, expanding the talent pool, strengthening support and safeguards, and expanding international cooperation, charting the course for strengthening basic research. We must deeply study and carefully comprehend the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech, accurately grasp the strategic intent of the Party Central Committee, and, with a sense of crisis that "we cannot afford to wait" and a sense of urgency that "we cannot afford to lag behind," comprehensively strengthen basic research with greater force and more concrete measures, strive to enhance original innovation capacity, and inject strong and enduring surging momentum into Chinese modernization.
Basic Research: What Is Its Relationship to Building a Strong Science and Technology Nation?
Basic research is the source of scientific and technological innovation, providing continuous vitality, and it determines the depth of a country's scientific and technological innovation and its staying power. Looking across the world, every science and technology power is without exception a basic research power. In this important speech, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out clearly: "One important criterion for measuring a country's scientific and technological strength is its level of basic research. To become a world science and technology power, basic research must be elevated." This important exposition profoundly reveals the pioneering and strategic role of strengthening basic research in building a strong science and technology nation. We must anchor ourselves to the goal of a strong science and technology nation, place basic research in a strategically prioritized position, and continuously consolidate the foundation for building a strong science and technology nation with new achievements in basic research.
Basic research is the key to winning international scientific and technological competition and grasping the initiative in development. At present, the century-old changes in the world are accelerating, scientific and technological competition is becoming increasingly fierce, the importance of original and disruptive innovation is increasingly prominent, and basic research has already become the very frontier and strategic commanding height of international competition. On the one hand, the boundary between basic research and technological development is increasingly blurring, and the cycle of transformation into industrial innovation has been greatly shortened or even occurs simultaneously, making its role in driving economic and social development more direct, more visible, and more powerful. On the other hand, artificial intelligence is reshaping the paradigm of basic research with unprecedented depth and breadth; data, algorithms, and computing power have become important variables in scientific research activities; and basic research is expanding from traditional theoretical deduction and experimental verification to a new stage of model simulation, intelligent computing, machine learning, and human-machine collaboration. Whoever can seize the initiative in basic research will be more likely to define and lead the direction of scientific, technological, and industrial development, and to win advantage and initiative in international competition. In recent years, the world's major powers have successively strengthened forward-looking layouts in basic research and key fields, sparing no effort to seize competitive dominance. The United States has elevated basic research to the core of national strategic competition, enacting the CHIPS and Science Act in 2022, which authorized the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) to spend $81 billion in fiscal years 2023–2027 to support basic research, science education, and research capacity building; in July 2026, it released the strategic report "Science: A New Golden Age," further systematically proposing measures such as reforming scientific research funding mechanisms and expanding long-term stable support for talent, in an attempt to restructure the institutional ecology of that country's basic research. The European Union and the United Kingdom have launched plans such as "Horizon Europe" and the "UK R&D Roadmap," striving to gain a lead in fields such as artificial intelligence, quantum information, and advanced manufacturing. Competition in the field of basic research is becoming increasingly intense. Faced with such a situation, we cannot afford to wait and cannot afford to lose. Only by elevating basic research can we fundamentally escape the passive situation of "running behind others."
Basic research is the core variable that determines whether China's scientific and technological development can achieve a qualitative leap. China's science and technology is advancing from "following" and "running alongside" toward "leading" in some fields; some fields have already entered the "uncharted territory," where there is no ready-made path to follow. Only by relying on basic research to continuously produce original achievements can we achieve major technological breakthroughs and industrial upgrading. We must recognize that although China has made important progress in the field of basic research, compared with the world's science and technology powers, the gap is still relatively evident. For example, major original achievements capable of changing disciplinary paradigms, opening up entirely new directions, and supporting new technological pathways remain relatively scarce, and the ability to independently propose major scientific questions still needs to be enhanced; the gap in the share of basic research funding compared with major science and technology powers is narrowing, but the investment structure, efficiency, and long-term stability still need to be optimized; coordination among national strategic scientific and technological forces is insufficient, and scientific research tasks, major platforms, data resources, key talent, and industrial scenarios are still not sufficiently aligned; and so on. If these shortcomings and weaknesses are not addressed, the role of basic research as the "source" and "general headquarters" will be unable to be fully brought into play, applied research and technological development will become "water without a source" and "a tree without roots," and high-quality development will lack sustained momentum. Only by achieving more breakthroughs "from 0 to 1" can we support China's scientific and technological innovation in achieving an overall, structural leap, and smooth the development path from a strong basic research base to a strong science and technology sector, strong industry, strong economy, and strong nation.
In recent years, under the high-level attention, deployment, and promotion of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, various localities and departments have taken active action and made sustained efforts. National laboratories, major scientific installations, and new-type research and development institutions have been successively laid out and constructed, and clusters of major scientific and technological infrastructure in Beijing Huairou, Shanghai Zhangjiang, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Anhui Hefei, and other places have accelerated their formation, significantly improving the level of China's basic research. However, we must also recognize that some localities and units still have deviations in their understanding of basic research. Some believe that basic research has a long cycle, high risk, and slow results, and that it is not as cost-effective as pursuing "short, flat, and fast" projects; some believe that basic research is a matter for the state and has little to do with local development; some believe that since basic research has already fallen behind, it will be difficult to catch up in the short term, and there is no need to expend so much effort during one's own term of office; and so on. We must deeply understand the importance and urgency of strengthening basic research from a strategic and overall perspective, deepen our understanding of the laws of basic research, and effectively unify our thinking and actions with the Party Central Committee's decisions and deployments on strengthening basic research, grasping it with full effort and sustained effort, and continuously consolidating the foundation for building a strong science and technology nation.
Basic Research: How to Grasp the Relationship Between Organized Scientific Research and Free Exploration
Organized scientific research and free exploration are the main modes of conducting basic research. Strengthening organized scientific research means focusing on refining scientific questions around major strategic needs, concentrating forces, and coordinating efforts to tackle key problems; encouraging free exploration means respecting researchers' curiosity and desire to explore, and allowing independent topic selection and bold trial and error. The two complement each other and promote each other. Only by correctly understanding and handling their dialectical relationship can basic research have both the force for tackling hard problems and the vitality for exploration.
Basic research needs to be strengthened in its organization; this is an inherent requirement of the era of big science. From the early stage dominated by free exploration, to the continuous development of science and technology after World War II, the role of large teams, large facilities, and large platforms has gradually strengthened, and the degree of organization of basic research has become increasingly high. CERN built the Large Hadron Collider, with thousands of scientists participating, achieving major results such as the discovery of the Higgs boson; the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in the United States organized a large team to reveal dark energy through supernova observations; the Human Genome Project organized scientific forces from multiple countries to jointly complete the mapping of the human genome sequence... These major breakthroughs in basic research demonstrate that organized scientific research has become the basic paradigm for the scientific community to tackle major frontier topics. At present, scientific research is continuously expanding toward the extremely macroscopic, deepening toward the extremely microscopic, advancing toward extreme conditions, and striving toward extremely comprehensive interdisciplinary integration, increasingly exhibiting new characteristics such as deep interdisciplinarity, application orientation, and resource dependence. In particular, technological innovation and industrial development needs have become sources of questions and important driving forces for basic research, placing higher demands on improving the level of organization of basic research. Although in recent years China has continuously improved the degree of organization of basic research and achieved remarkable results by accelerating the establishment of national laboratories, reorganizing a batch of national key laboratories, and making forward-looking deployments of major national science and technology projects oriented toward 2035, it still faces problems such as poor organizational coordination and the need to further strengthen the autonomy of scientists and scientific research institutions. We must leverage the advantages of the new system for mobilizing resources nationwide, proceed from the country's urgent needs and long-term demands, further clarify the main attack directions and key fields of basic research, encourage and regulate the development of new-type research and development institutions, accelerate the formation of a strategic, forward-looking, and systematic layout for basic research, and fully unleash the effectiveness of organized scientific research.
Strengthening organized scientific research does not mean not valuing free exploration; rather, it means promoting the coordinated development of the two. Scientists' free exploration is the endogenous driving force of scientific progress, while organized scientific research is an effective way to guide scientists' curiosity toward solving major practical problems. In fact, many major original innovations do not rely solely on either organized scientific research or free exploration as a single model, but rather on the two complementing each other and engaging in a "dual chorus." For example, Xue Qikun has long focused on the field of topological quantum materials, forming an interdisciplinary team for joint tackling of key problems, and for the first time observed the quantum anomalous Hall effect in experiments; Wang Yifang has delved deeply into the frontier of particle physics, leading the Daya Bay neutrino experiment project, and was the first to discover a new neutrino oscillation mode and precisely measure the mixing angle θ
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for the first time. Therefore, the key to the problem lies in whether the synergistic effect of the two can be brought into play—both leveraging organizational advantages to fight hard battles and respecting the laws of basic research, such as the instantaneousness of inspiration, the uncertainty of paths, and the unpredictability of results, coordinating and utilizing well the two advantages of "concentrating forces to accomplish major tasks" and "letting whimsical ideas grow." At the same time, it is also necessary to establish dynamic transformation channels, so that breakthroughs from free exploration can promptly enter the field of vision of organized tackling of key problems, and new questions refined during tackling can in turn stimulate new free exploration.
Basic Research: How to Grasp the Relationship Between Producing Results and Producing Talent
Basic research must produce both results and talent; talent itself is a result. The two rely on each other and achieve each other. The key to correctly understanding and grasping their dialectical relationship is to firmly grasp "talent," this top priority. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that basic research ultimately depends on high-level talent, emphasizing the need to promote the integrated development of education, science and technology, and talent, to do a comprehensive job in cultivating, introducing, and utilizing talent, and to strive to make the basic research talent pool sufficient in number, excellent in quality, and reasonable in structure.
In recent years, the key reason China has been able to promote a batch of major original achievements in basic research lies in the emergence of a batch of outstanding scientists capable of fighting hard battles. From the original breakthrough in the mechanism research of iron-based high-temperature superconducting systems, to the successful proof of two core conjectures in differential geometry, to the achievement of 100-million-degree, thousand-second steady-state high-confinement operation by the fully superconducting tokamak nuclear fusion experimental device (EAST), known as the "artificial sun," every major breakthrough is inseparable from scientific research talent teams willing to dedicate themselves and coordinate efforts in tackling key problems, and has also continuously cultivated a batch of high-level talent. At the same time, we must also recognize that there are still some problems in the current cultivation and utilization of basic research talent. For example, the evaluation baton in some units is excessively biased toward short-term output and visible results, causing some "explorer"-type talent skilled in disruptive innovation to be forced under assessment pressure to turn toward following "hot topics." As another example, some researchers consume a large amount of time and energy on non-academic affairs such as project applications and financial reimbursement, making it difficult for them to settle down and conduct research. Relevant surveys show that the time some university researchers spend annually on project applications, form filling, and reporting accounts for more than one-third of their workload, and some scholars joke that they are "either in a meeting or on the way to a meeting," and that "only after finishing writing proposals, filling out forms, and reporting plans can they do research." If these problems are not properly resolved, they will not only weaken the innovation capacity of the scientific research team, but also affect the sustainable growth of the talent echelon, and ultimately shake the foundation for the long-term development of basic research. We must follow the laws of growth of basic research talent, establish a low-frequency, individualized, and highly effective assessment and evaluation system, encourage "grinding a sword for ten years," and enable researchers to devote more energy to studying truly scientific questions. We must reverse the tendency of "valuing things over people," place talent cultivation in the most prioritized position in basic research, look at both current results and development potential, and enable all types of talent to each display their own unique strengths and each find their proper place.
Young talent is quick-thinking, energetic, and daring to try, and is in the golden period of innovation and creation, serving as the main force of basic research. Studies show that Nobel Prize winners in the natural sciences win the prize at an average age of around 60, but their main achievements are often produced around the age of 40. General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized the need to continuously cultivate reserve forces for basic research and vigorously support young talent. In recent years, a large number of young scientific and technological talent in China have stood out in major scientific research tackling of key problems. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, among the researchers participating in the national key research and development program, those under 45 years old accounted for more than 80 percent; the average age of the principal completers of winning achievements of the National Natural Science Award was below 45; and in major national projects and emerging fields such as the "Chang'e" lunar exploration and artificial intelligence, the average age of many project team members was in their 30s. At the same time, we must also recognize that young talent still faces practical difficulties such as insufficient stable support and incomplete evaluation mechanisms. We must further support young talent in taking on major roles and playing leading parts, encourage them to independently lead important projects, and distinguish themselves in innovation practice. We must build a long-term stable support mechanism for high-level talent, strengthen the selection and cultivation of scientific and technological leaders and outstanding research teams, and cultivate a large-scale contingent of young scientific and technological talent.
Basic Research: How to Grasp the Relationship Between Self-Reliance and Openness
On August 9, at the Beijing Yanqi Lake International Convention Center, the 2026 International Congress of Basic Science, themed "Focusing on Basic Science, Leading Humanity's Future," opened here. This congress brought together researchers from more than 30 countries and regions, with a number of internationally top scientists leading keynote lectures and sharing the latest results. This is a vivid portrayal of China's basic research adhering to independent innovation while actively embracing international cooperation.
The key discoveries and major innovations of basic research cannot be asked for, bought, or exchanged for; they must rely on oneself. Especially for a major country like China, whether it is achieving high-level self-reliance and strength in science and technology or promoting the development of new quality productive forces, it is necessary to adhere to a self-centered approach and rely on one's own efforts. It is precisely because China has long adhered to the autonomous and controllable development of basic research and strived to enhance original innovation capacity that a batch of original achievements with worldwide influence have emerged, such as single-atom catalysis, chemical small-molecule-induced reprogramming of human cells, and artificial synthesis of starch from carbon dioxide, enabling China to rank among the international advanced ranks in fields such as chemistry, materials science, and agronomy. At present, the trend of camp formation, barrier building, and fragmentation in the global science and technology landscape is intensifying, source-level, systemic, and precise scientific and technological containment is continuously escalating, and the traditional order of international data sharing, instrument circulation, and talent exchange is being severely impacted. We must always adhere to independent innovation, firmly grasp this "source" of basic research in our own hands, and build an autonomous and controllable basic research system. Only in this way can we effectively resist external risks and stand firm, stand steady, and go far in international competition.
Adhering to a self-centered approach in basic research does not mean denying or excluding international cooperation, nor does it mean conducting research behind closed doors. The history of world science and technology has repeatedly proven that even science and technology powers must rely on the global innovation network to absorb frontier ideas, top talent, advanced methods, and high-quality resources in order to achieve the continuous iteration and level leap of their local scientific research systems. In recent years, China has adhered to gathering global wisdom through open cooperation on the basis of independent accumulation—from deep participation in international big science programs such as the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), to the opening and sharing of the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) with the global scientific community, to conducting international joint observations relying on the high-altitude cosmic ray observatory "LHAASO"—contributing Chinese wisdom while also drawing on the useful experience of the world. The major scientific questions currently facing humanity, such as climate change, energy and environment, life and health, and space exploration, are highly complex, strongly interdisciplinary, and require large-scale investment, and cannot be systematically solved by the strength of a single country alone, making international cooperation all the more urgently necessary. Although individual countries, for their own selfish interests, attempt to exclude China from the global innovation system by "building walls and setting up barriers," the more they do so, the more we must proactively expand openness and deepen international cooperation. We must proactively integrate into the global innovation network, deepen international exchange and cooperation in basic research between governments and among non-governmental actors, leverage the role of platforms such as the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, jointly carry out tackling of major scientific questions with various countries, increase the openness of national science and technology programs to the outside world, and support domestic universities, research institutes, and scientific and technological organizations in actively participating in global science and technology governance.
Basic Research: How to Grasp the Relationship Between Solving Bottlenecks and Difficult Points and Improving the Innovation Ecosystem
At present, China's basic research still faces problems and challenges such as too few major original achievements, suboptimal investment structure, poor coordination mechanisms, and insufficient talent support. To strengthen basic research, we must adhere to a problem-oriented approach, strengthen policy measures, innovate institutional mechanisms, and solve one by one the bottleneck and difficult point problems constraining the development of basic research. At the same time, we must attach great importance to the construction of the innovation ecosystem, place the focus of our work on cultivating and improving the innovation ecosystem, accelerate the formation of a sound institutional soil and cultural atmosphere, fundamentally remove various obstacles, and allow the vitality of basic research to flow fully.
A sound institutional environment is the fundamental guarantee for the flourishing development of basic research. Shaping an innovation ecosystem conducive to basic research requires establishing a long-cycle evaluation and support system that conforms to the laws of basic research. In recent years, the state has successively issued a series of policy documents such as the "Several Opinions of the State Council on Comprehensively Strengthening Basic Scientific Research" and the "Work Plan for Strengthening 'From 0 to 1' Basic Research," and through measures such as optimizing the scientific research layout, increasing investment guarantees, and innovating institutional mechanisms, has driven a significant enhancement of the overall strength of basic research. At the same time, problems such as an imperfect evaluation system, insufficiently flexible management methods, and an imperfect stable investment mechanism still exist to varying degrees and must be solved through reform. We must further optimize the rules and regulations related to basic research, improve and perfect the basic research evaluation system oriented toward innovation value, capability, and contribution, and effectively reverse the tendencies of only valuing papers, only valuing top journals, only valuing titles, and only valuing awards. Conducting basic research is not like building a building, which can proceed as expected, adding one floor today and another tomorrow; rather, it involves great uncertainty and may also fail. We must establish a fault-tolerance mechanism that encourages exploration and tolerates failure, set up special funds oriented toward high-risk, non-consensus innovation and niche directions, so that those willing to "sit on the cold bench" do not have to worry about "having no rice to cook," and those daring to venture into the "uncharted territory" do not have to pay the price for failure. We must build an open innovation ecosystem with global competitiveness, and enhance the level of basic research and original innovation capacity through open cooperation.
The scientific spirit and a culture of innovation are the soul of a society's ability to maintain innovation vitality. Shaping an innovation ecosystem conducive to basic research cannot be separated from spiritual encouragement and cultural nourishment. This is not only a call at the spiritual and moral level, but also an inevitable requirement based on the laws of basic research itself and the internal logic of scientific research activities. The more basic research faces the unknown and moves toward the frontier, the more it requires researchers to maintain a scientific attitude of seeking truth from facts and being pragmatic, and to possess the innovative courage to dare to be first. At present, problems such as impatience for quick success and blind pursuit of hot topics still exist in society. For example, some parents are more concerned about employment, causing some students with scientific research potential to give up their interests and strengths and choose so-called "popular" majors instead; some researchers tend to choose paths that "easily produce results" and are unwilling to touch truly difficult questions. These phenomena all reflect the lack of the scientific spirit and a culture of innovation. We must extensively publicize the advanced models and deeds emerging in scientific and technological fields such as basic research, vigorously promote the scientific spirit of pursuing truth and braving all odds to reach the summit, strengthen the construction of scientific research integrity, break down "clique culture" and the ways of "academic overlords," and resolutely punish scientific research corruption. We must strengthen science popularization and publicity, create a strong atmosphere throughout society of respecting knowledge, advocating innovation, respecting talent, loving science, and dedicating oneself to science, stimulate the curiosity, imagination, and desire to explore of young people, and make devoting oneself to basic research the life pursuit of more young people.
Return to TopBy: 阴和俊
Strengthening Basic Research with Greater Effort and More Concrete Measures
Yin Hejun
Basic research is the research activity of understanding natural phenomena, revealing natural laws, exploring technological principles, and acquiring new knowledge, new theories, and new methods. It is the source of the entire scientific system and the master key to all technological problems. "One important criterion for measuring a country's scientific and technological strength is the level of its basic research." General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized at the symposium on strengthening basic research, "To become a world leader in science and technology, basic research must be elevated." General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech made strategic arrangements and set clear requirements for strengthening China's basic research, providing fundamental guidance for strengthening basic research with greater effort and more concrete measures and advancing the building of a strong science and technology nation.
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has placed the enhancement of original innovation capacity in a more prominent position, formulated and implemented a series of plans and policies, deployed a number of major scientific research tasks and major scientific projects, built a number of world-leading major scientific and technological infrastructure facilities, and promoted the continuous emergence of major original achievements in basic and frontier directions. On the whole, the overall strength of China's basic research has been significantly enhanced, entering a new stage of comprehensive improvement and key breakthroughs. China ranks first in the world in the size of its basic research talent pool, has ranked first in the world for many consecutive years in the total number of scientific research papers published and in PCT international patent applications, and has ranked second in the world for many consecutive years in the number of highly cited papers. China has become an important contributor to global basic scientific knowledge output. At present, changes unseen in a century are accelerating, and global scientific and technological competition is focusing more on basic and frontier fields. A new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation is accelerating breakthroughs, scientific research paradigms are undergoing profound changes, the transformation cycle of basic research has been significantly shortened, and the importance of original and disruptive innovation has become more prominent. For example, in the field of biomanufacturing, where global competition is fierce, with the increasing maturity of new research paradigms such as artificial intelligence-assisted gene editing, the speed at which basic research results are transformed into industrial fields such as medicine, chemicals, and energy has greatly increased. Underlying technological innovations such as gene editing tools and chassis cell construction are demonstrating the power to reshape industrial development paths. Under such circumstances, to achieve high-level self-reliance and strength in science and technology and to lead the accelerated development of new quality productive forces through scientific and technological innovation, we must place basic research at a strategic height that concerns the lifeline of science and technology, concerns national security, and concerns the initiative for future development. We must enhance our sense of crisis and urgency, adhere to a problem-oriented approach, take practical measures, extensively mobilize the strength of all parties, work with full dedication and sustained effort, and continuously achieve new results in basic research work.
Effectively solve the problem of insufficient systematic coordination in basic research.
Basic research is future-oriented. Only by strengthening overall planning, systematic layout, organizational coordination, and coordination can we promote the coordination and integration of strategic goals, resource allocation, and scientific research practice, provide solid systematic support for original innovation, and grasp the initiative and seize the high ground amid changes. Since the 18th National Congress of the Party, China has leveraged the advantages of the new system of mobilizing resources nationwide, adhered to the strategic orientation of the "four orientations," coordinated the implementation of national science and technology plans and major scientific projects, laid out goal-oriented applied basic research and frontier-oriented exploratory basic research, and coordinated the strengthening of national strategic scientific and technological forces such as national laboratories, high-level research universities, national research institutions, and leading science and technology enterprises. The systematic tackling capability of basic research has been steadily improved, major breakthroughs "from 0 to 1" have been achieved in a number of frontier directions, and disciplines such as chemistry, materials science, and agriculture have entered the international advanced ranks.
However, compared with the requirements of supporting and leading Chinese modernization, China's basic research layout is still not sufficiently focused on major national needs, and there are problems such as weak system coordination and low overall effectiveness. In terms of task deployment, basic research tasks tend to follow trends and chase hot topics, and the mechanism for distilling key scientific problems from major needs, major projects, and key industries is not yet sound. The National Natural Science Foundation of China's major projects and key projects have not proactively distilled many scientific problems from the industrial end. In terms of force coordination, the mechanism for coordinated tackling of key problems by national strategic scientific and technological forces is not yet perfect, especially the role of leading science and technology enterprises as "problem setters," "problem solvers," and "paper graders" has not been fully brought into play. In terms of discipline layout, the development of emerging disciplines and interdisciplinary disciplines needs to be strengthened, and the construction of resource allocation and evaluation systems adapted to interdisciplinary innovative research lags behind. Some universities' interdisciplinary disciplines are attached to professional departments, and the path dependence of allocating resources by department remains, with organizational forms outweighing substance. These problems lead to a mismatch and disconnect between the frontier supply of basic research and the country's urgent needs, making it difficult to fully release the innovation potential of multidisciplinary integration and large-team coordination, and limiting the ability to generate disruptive innovation achievements from the source.
To solve these problems, it is necessary to further strengthen task coordination, establish and improve coordination mechanisms for major tasks between departments and local governments, optimize the positioning of various science and technology plans, and strengthen the differentiated layout and effective connection of basic research tasks from different channels. Proceeding from national strategic needs and industrial needs, further identify the main attack direction of basic research, systematically plan a number of major basic research projects in frontier fields, key fields, and strategic fields, and improve the level of project organization. Build and improve a basic research force system with clear positioning and efficient coordination, and strengthen the coordinated tackling of key problems by national strategic scientific and technological forces. Support leading science and technology enterprises in taking the lead in distilling scientific problems, organizing and implementing research tasks, and participating in the evaluation of results, and effectively implement the role of leading science and technology enterprises as innovation entities in institutional arrangements. Encourage and strengthen interdisciplinary research, and further strengthen the development of emerging disciplines and interdisciplinary disciplines. Accelerate the construction of international science and technology innovation centers and regional science and technology innovation centers, and strive to build highlands for basic research.
Strive to solve the problem of insufficient high-level talent.
Strengthening basic research ultimately depends on high-level talent. In 2024, China's basic research personnel reached 597,000 full-time equivalents, the number of highly cited scientists ranked second in the world, and the reserve force of talents in science, engineering, agriculture, and medicine was the largest in the world. Although the advantage in talent scale is obvious, China's basic research personnel account for only about 8% of all R&D personnel, far lower than the 15%–25% level of developed countries in Europe and America. In terms of high-level talent, the problem of "having plateaus but few peaks" has become a prominent bottleneck restricting original innovation. Existing highly cited scientists are concentrated in fields such as materials science, chemistry, and engineering science, and there is a scarcity of strategic scientists and leading talents who can open up new disciplinary directions and lead international frontiers. In terms of young talent, the pressure of "involution" is high, and there is a tendency to choose "short, flat, and fast" research directions, making it difficult to devote oneself to original problem exploration. Guidance and cultivation of young talents with innovation potential are insufficient, and support in the early career stage is inadequate. Insufficient attention is paid to cultivating scientific interest among undergraduate students, and many young students with scientific research potential turn to popular applied directions too early.
Solving these problems is the focus of our efforts to build a systematic, high-level basic research talent team. It is necessary to strengthen the independent cultivation of basic research talent, optimize the basic discipline education system, actively explore effective paths for the integrated development of education, science and technology, and talent, and cultivate a number of high-level basic research talents. Increase support and guarantees for young talents to carry out basic research in the early stage of their careers, provide long-term and stable support for a number of outstanding young talents with remarkable achievements and innovation potential, and explore the establishment of talent support models based on continuous funding on the basis of competition and merit selection and long-cycle funding on the basis of milestone assessment. Improve the mechanism for selecting and discovering outstanding young talents at the front line of scientific research, and give outstanding young talents more opportunities to "take on major roles" and "play leading roles." Continue to increase the introduction of high-level international talents, and rely on major scientific research tasks to gather urgently needed high-level talents for the country. Continuously improve the scientific literacy of citizens, stimulate young people's scientific interest and curiosity, and cultivate reserve forces for basic research.
Accelerate the filling of shortcomings in long-cycle basic research support and guarantees.
Basic research has slow results, long cycles, and great uncertainty, and often requires long-term accumulation before it can achieve achieving sudden and remarkable success (一鸣惊人, yi ming jing ren - "one, sound, startle, person") breakthroughs. Therefore, it is necessary to improve a long-term stable support and guarantee system. In recent years, China's basic research support and guarantee system has been continuously improved, and its supporting role for original innovation has been continuously strengthened. The central government has established a mechanism for the steady growth of basic research investment, and China's basic research investment has entered a stage of rapid growth, with a growth rate far exceeding that of R&D investment in the same period. Forty-five world-leading national major scientific and technological infrastructure facilities have been built, including the China Spallation Neutron Source and the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), and a number of high-end scientific research instruments such as quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometers and meter-aperture diffraction gratings have been developed. The system of various resource platforms such as scientific data centers and experimental material resource banks has been continuously improved, the level of sharing of scientific and technological basic conditions and resources has been steadily improved, and the capacity for independent guarantee has been significantly enhanced. However, compared with the requirements of high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and strength, shortcomings in funding investment and scientific research condition guarantees remain obvious. In terms of funding investment, in 2025, China's basic research funding accounted for a record high of 7.08% of total social R&D investment, but there is still a considerable gap compared with the 15%–20% proportion of the world's scientific and technological powers. Moreover, China's basic research funding is highly dependent on government finance, enterprises and social capital have weak willingness to invest, and a diversified investment pattern has not yet truly formed. Enterprise basic research investment accounts for less than 10% of all basic research funding, a large gap compared with about 35% in the United States and about 45% in Japan. Most leading enterprises' R&D funding is concentrated on product iteration and process improvement, and their endogenous motivation to carry out basic research is insufficient. In terms of support models, the proportion of competitive short-term projects is too high, while the proportion of stable support funding is relatively low, which is not conducive to carrying out long-cycle major original research. In terms of scientific and technological basic condition guarantees, the capacity for independent guarantee of high-end scientific research instruments, key reagents, and scientific data is not high. For example, some high-end reagents in the life sciences field, special scientific research inspection and testing instruments, and core scientific software are still highly dependent on imports; some major scientific facilities "emphasize construction but neglect operation," provide insufficient support for major national scientific and technological tasks and key industry development, and their open sharing efficiency has not been fully released.
It is necessary to improve the above situation, provide better support and guarantees, and help basic research run at "accelerated speed." It is necessary to steadily increase the scale of basic research funding from central and local government finance, adopt more powerful policies to leverage enterprises to increase basic research investment, open up channels for social forces to establish science funds and donate to support basic research, and expand paths for science and technology finance to support basic research. Build a funding system with clear positioning, standardized management, and efficient allocation, optimize the funding mechanism combining competitive support and stable support, and improve the efficiency of fund use. Strengthen the independent guarantee of scientific and technological basic conditions, coordinate the layout of major scientific and technological infrastructure construction with major national scientific research tasks, concentrate efforts on tackling key problems in high-end scientific research instruments, cultivate leading enterprises in scientific research instruments, build world-class scientific and technological journals, and create a scientific and technological publishing group with international competitiveness. Promote artificial intelligence to empower scientific research innovation, improve infrastructure such as computing power and data, and expand intelligent application scenarios for scientific research. Do a good job in basic work such as experimental materials, scientific data, scientific and technological resource surveys, and scientific expeditions.
Resolutely eradicate deep-rooted problems in the scientific research ecosystem.
Basic research is a process of exploring the unknown and requires an open, inclusive, and failure-tolerant innovation environment. In recent years, China has continuously deepened the reform of science and technology evaluation, continuously carried out governance of problems such as the "four onlys," review experts being "greeted," and paper fraud, increased punishment for academic misconduct, and achieved phased results. At the same time, strengthen positive guidance, vigorously promote the spirit of scientists, promote the building of a good academic atmosphere, and create a good scientific research ecosystem. For example, the Chinese Academy of Sciences has established scientific and technological tackling assault teams named after senior scientists, and the China Association for Science and Technology has continuously promoted the "Science Masters Famous University Publicity Project." However, building a scientific research ecosystem conducive to original innovation still has a long way to go, and many deep-rooted problems have not yet been eradicated. For example, many scientific research institutions still use "number of high-level journal papers," "number of projects," "amount of funding," and "titles" as assessment and evaluation indicators, making it difficult to eliminate violations such as academic fraud and "greeting" in project applications. Furthermore, problems such as "clique culture" and the style of "academic overlords" still exist, leading to bad money driving out good money and the alienation of academic atmosphere. In addition, the deterrent and deterrent effect of academic misconduct punishment has not been fully brought into play, some units have not implemented their primary responsibility for academic atmosphere and style, the effectiveness of joint punishment and lifelong accountability mechanisms has not been fully released, and scientific research integrity constraints need to be further strengthened.
To cultivate a good scientific research ecosystem conducive to original innovation, we must face problems directly, prescribe the right medicine, and make sustained, long-term effort and continuous efforts. It is necessary to establish an original-oriented evaluation system and incentive mechanism, deepen the reform of basic research project, talent, and institution evaluation, and strengthen classified evaluation and reform linkage. Carry out basic research evaluation reform oriented by the originality and academic value of results, and improve mechanisms such as representative results evaluation, long-cycle evaluation, international peer evaluation, and team evaluation. Continue to deepen the governance of chronic problems such as the "four onlys," "titles," and "academic overlords," do a good job in the special rectification of review experts being "greeted," combat academic misconduct with stricter standards and more concrete measures, build a scientific research integrity system with strong punishment, and establish a multi-party collaborative science and technology ethics governance mechanism. Continue to carry out the publicity of "fastening the first button of academic career," give play to the role of the scientific community, regulate academic ethics, strengthen academic self-discipline, promote adherence to scientific research integrity, and cultivate a good academic atmosphere and style. Shape an innovation culture that encourages exploration and tolerates failure, and respect diverse innovative ideas. Vigorously promote the spirit of scientists and create a social atmosphere that advocates science.
Vigorously improve the level of international cooperation.
Scientific and technological progress is a worldwide and contemporary issue. China has always adhered to expanding international exchange and cooperation in basic research with an open mindset and measures. It has established scientific and technological cooperation relations with more than 160 countries and regions, signed 120 intergovernmental science and technology cooperation agreements, joined more than 200 international organizations and multilateral mechanisms related to science and technology, and formed a pattern of all-round international cooperation. China has taken the lead in launching international big science programs such as "Deep-time Digital Earth," "Marine Negative Carbon Emissions," and "Human Proteome Navigation," built a data network covering 122 countries and 12 disciplines, and deeply participated in international big science projects such as the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor program and the Square Kilometre Array radio telescope.
China's basic research open cooperation has taken new steps, but as international scientific and technological competition becomes increasingly fierce, individual countries have continuously increased their suppression of basic research cooperation and exchange, seriously hindering the free flow of innovation elements. Facing the increasingly complex and severe external situation, China still has certain shortcomings in carrying out high-level international exchange and cooperation in basic research. For example, the ability of Chinese scientists to distill and propose major worldwide scientific problems needs to be improved, and the number of high-level basic research cooperation projects led by China is relatively small. There is not much in-depth coordinated tackling of major frontier scientific problems, and there are few landmark innovation achievements. The number of international science and technology organizations established in China is limited, the proportion of core seats held by China in international academic organizations, technical standards organizations, and top academic platforms is relatively low, and there are limited channels for China to voice its views in key links such as the selection of major international science programs, the revision of international review rules, and the formulation of open science standards.
Based on the present and facing the future, we must seize the momentum in international cooperation and continuously open up new prospects. Deepen and expand the international science and technology cooperation partner program, make good use of exchange and cooperation mechanisms such as the intergovernmental joint committee on science and technology cooperation, actively explore new channels and new models for international cooperation in basic research, and support the initiation and establishment of multilateral research and exchange mechanism networks. Strengthen research on major scientific problems in fields of common concern to mankind such as climate change, energy and environment, and life and health, and attract more countries to carry out joint tackling of key problems. Actively take the lead in initiating and organizing international big science programs and big science projects, carry out international open cooperation projects on major scientific research infrastructure, and support the establishment of international science and technology organizations in China. Deeply implement the "Belt and Road" scientific and technological and cultural exchange, the International Outstanding Young Scientists Program, and the China-Europe Young Scientists Exchange Program, increase the implementation of global scientific research funds, and attract international high-end talents to China for cooperative research. Build international basic research cooperation platforms, expand the scale of exchange of basic research personnel, and promote more Chinese scholars to participate in top international academic organizations. Vigorously advocate the concept of openness, actively integrate into the global innovation network, and continuously enhance original innovation capacity through high-level open cooperation.
Author: Yin Hejun, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology
Return to TopBy: 于吉红
Continuously Deepening Our Understanding of the Regular Patterns of Basic Research
Yu Jihong
At present, the new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation is accelerating and breaking through, international scientific and technological competition continues to shift toward the basic frontiers, and the position of basic research in the national innovation system has become more prominent. On April 30, 2026, at the Symposium on Strengthening Basic Research, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that, compared with the world's scientific and technological powers, there is still a gap in our basic research, and he required us to strengthen our sense of crisis and urgency and to strengthen basic research with greater force and more concrete measures. To advance basic research, we must deepen our understanding of the regular patterns of basic research. Only by fully grasping the inherent laws of basic research can we reduce blindness and enhance scientificity in scientific research organization, resource allocation, evaluation and incentives, and transformation of achievements, thereby providing a sustained source of supply for national strategic needs.
I
Free exploration and goal-oriented research are the two major driving forces for the development of basic research. The former, driven endogenously by scientists' curiosity and desire for knowledge, is an important source of original and disruptive scientific breakthroughs. The latter, guided externally by national strategic needs and the needs of economic and social development, carries out targeted and systematic basic research and is the key link in transforming scientific research achievements into development momentum. The two are a dialectical unity of opposites (辩证统一, bian zheng tong yi - "dialectical, unified; dialectical, unified") and transform into each other. The scientific achievements accumulated through free exploration provide knowledge reserves and methodological tools for goal-oriented research, while the underlying scientific questions distilled by goal-oriented research open up new research directions and application scenarios for free exploration. The leapfrog development of China's quantum science and technology is a vivid example of the two major driving forces working in concert. Starting from basic questions such as quantum entanglement, the team of Pan Jianwei formed an accumulation through long-term exploration, then distilled this into a national strategic task, and led the development of the world's first quantum science experiment satellite, "Mozi," enabling China to rank among the world's leaders in quantum science and technology.
At present, in terms of the driving mechanism of basic research in China, there still exist problems of insufficient coordination and poor articulation between free exploration and goal-oriented research. On the one hand, some free exploration, lacking demand traction and scenario anchoring, falls into the predicament of "research for the sake of research," with scattered research directions and insufficient originality, making it difficult to converge into a combined force for solving major scientific problems. On the other hand, goal-oriented research, in task decomposition and project organization, often overemphasizes technical indicators and milestone delivery, and does not sufficiently absorb the new ideas and new directions that emerge spontaneously from frontier science, which constrains the sustained emergence of "from 0 to 1" original innovation achievements driven by curiosity, making it difficult to achieve two-way empowerment and mutual promotion between frontier scientific breakthroughs and national strategic needs.
To conform to the laws of basic research and promote the organic integration of free exploration and goal-oriented research, it is necessary to improve the institutional system for the coordination of the two wheels. At the level of top-level design, coordinate major national science and technology strategies with frontier scientific exploration, establish a two-way communication mechanism between strategic goal lists and frontier exploration topics, so that goal-oriented research points out for free exploration the value orientation of serving national strategic needs, while at the same time the frontier original achievements of free exploration provide source support for goal-oriented research. At the level of scientific research management, optimize differentiated yet compatible and interoperable project management mechanisms. For basic research oriented toward major strategies, reserve appropriate flexible exploration space and avoid constraining original exploration with rigid task indicators; for free exploration driven by curiosity, fully tap its potential value in empowering industrial upgrading, scientific and technological tackling of key problems, and people's livelihood security, and promote the coordinated efforts of free exploration and targeted tackling of key problems. At the level of resources and the evaluation system, open up channels for the overall coordination of funds, sharing of platforms, and mobility of talent between the two types of research, and build shared scientific research platforms and talent mobility mechanisms.
II
From the posing of a question, to the exploration of a path, to the achievement of substantive breakthroughs, basic research often requires several years, decades, or even longer. The long cycle and high uncertainty are important characteristics that distinguish basic research from applied research and technological development. Academician Zhao Zhongxian, recipient of the national honorary title "People's Scientist," devoted half a century to deep cultivation of high-temperature superconductivity, and in 2008 led his team to raise the superconducting critical temperature to above 50K, creating a world record for the transition temperature of iron-based superconductors of 55K; Tu Youyou, recipient of the "Medal of the Republic," undertook the task of antimalarial research from 1969, and after hundreds of screenings, repeated experiments, poring over voluminous ancient Chinese medical texts, and enduring countless failed stages of exploration, finally succeeded in discovering and extracting artemisinin, bringing a historic breakthrough to the global antimalarial cause. From the proposal of a major theory to its recognition, and from principled innovation to the gestation of disruptive technologies, often requires the continuous efforts of several generations of scientific researchers. Therefore, judging the achievements and effectiveness of basic research must conform to its basic characteristics of a long cycle and high risk; neither can the process of scientific exploration be measured by the standards of an industrialized assembly line, nor can the value of innovative activities be measured by a short-term utilitarian yardstick.
At present, to a certain extent there still exists a short-sighted tendency in the management of basic research in China, leading to the formation of institutional obstacles that constrain original exploration and disruptive research. Current scientific research projects mostly operate on a cycle of 3-5 years, accompanied by rigid whole-process control of annual assessments, mid-term evaluations, and final acceptance checks. Such high-frequency, indicator-based assessment mechanisms objectively tend to make scientific researchers prioritize research directions with short cycles and quick results, while avoiding "no-man's-land" topics with long cycles and high risks, resulting in a relatively large number of "follow-up" and "incremental" achievements in basic research output, while "leading" and "disruptive" breakthroughs are insufficient. In addition, scientific researchers need to continuously apply for projects and compete for funding, making it difficult to form long-term stable research directions and team accumulation; there is a tendency to emphasize project application over deep academic cultivation, and there even appear short-term behaviors in which research directions are frequently adjusted according to project guidelines. At present, in scientific research practice, the definition of scientific research failure is vague and tolerance is insufficient; failure in exploratory research is often regarded as a lack of scientific research capability, causing scientific researchers to adopt a mindset of "seeking stability and fearing mistakes," tending to choose hot areas with low risk and easy results, which is not conducive to the sustained tackling of core scientific questions.
To follow the process laws of basic research, we must make a sustained, long-term effort, making all-round efforts in management concepts, evaluation systems, investment mechanisms, and other aspects, and build a good scientific research environment that encourages devoted and in-depth study. Establish a long-cycle stable support system, optimize the structure of basic research funding, gradually increase the proportion of stable support funding, and remove the management constraints of simple quantification and frequent assessment, so that scientific researchers can devote themselves to long-term in-depth cultivation. Abandon engineering-style and linear management thinking, give scientific researchers greater power to adjust technical routes, streamline various forms, inspections, and review activities, and effectively reduce the administrative burden on scientific researchers. Based on the realistic scenario of deep participation of enterprises in basic research and collaborative tackling of key problems in industry-university-research cooperation, improve the mechanism for coordinating the interests of multiple subjects and sharing achievements, and clarify the boundaries of rights and responsibilities of the government, universities, research institutes, and enterprises in joint industry-university-research basic research. Consolidate the primary responsibility of scientific research entities, improve the whole-chain control mechanism for scientific research integrity and scientific and technological ethics, and perfect the systems for punishing academic misconduct and reviewing ethics. Cultivate in the whole society the value orientation of respecting laws, tolerating failure, and honoring dedication, guide scientific researchers to abandon impetuousness, and forever maintain their original academic aspirations.
III
The development trend of modern science shows that interdisciplinary integration has become a major path to breakthroughs in basic research. As human understanding of the objective world continues to expand toward the microscopic, the macroscopic, and complex systems, the theories, methods, and tools of a single discipline can no longer solve frontier scientific problems or meet major practical challenges, and the growth points of scientific breakthroughs increasingly appear at the boundaries and intersection areas of traditional disciplines. For example, the successful development of the "Jiuzhang" quantum computing prototype is the result of the coordinated tackling of key problems by multiple disciplines including mathematics, physics, computer science, and materials science; the breakthrough in artificial intelligence is the product of the interdisciplinary integration of mathematics, computer science, statistics, psychology, linguistics, philosophy, and other disciplines. Interdisciplinary integration is not a simple superposition of different disciplines, but rather, through the deep integration of knowledge systems, research methods, and thinking paradigms, it gives birth to new disciplinary branches, new theoretical frameworks, and new research tools, thereby breaking through the cognitive limitations of a single discipline and opening up new scientific fields. Looking to the future, whether it is frontier scientific directions such as brain science, quantum information, and synthetic biology, or major strategic needs such as food security, ecological protection, and life and health, fundamental breakthroughs can only be achieved through the coordinated tackling of key problems across multiple disciplines.
Although the importance of interdisciplinary integration has formed a relatively broad consensus, at present the problem of "formally integrated but not substantively integrated" still objectively exists in the field of basic research in China. First, the organizational barriers of traditional disciplines are deeply entrenched. Universities and research institutes in China generally set up faculties and research offices according to first-level and second-level disciplines, and resource allocation, talent recruitment, professional title evaluation, and achievement recognition are largely based on a single discipline as the basic unit, making it difficult for interdisciplinary research to obtain stable policy guarantees and resource support; interdisciplinary research platforms are mostly loose and virtual organizations, lacking independent management authority over personnel, finances, and materials, making it difficult to form substantive interdisciplinary research forces. Second, the depth and quality of interdisciplinary research remain low. Most interdisciplinary cooperation remains at the shallow level of "patchwork" and "assorted-platter" collaboration, where personnel from different disciplines each carry out their own research around the same project, lacking the traction of a common core scientific question, making it difficult to produce truly original major interdisciplinary achievements. Third, the training and evaluation systems for interdisciplinary talent are relatively lagging. The existing higher education system still mainly trains students within a single discipline, and students' knowledge structures are confined to the scope of their own discipline, lacking systematic cross-disciplinary training and thinking cultivation, resulting in insufficient supply of high-end interdisciplinary talent; at the same time, interdisciplinary achievements face the predicament of "unclear attribution and low recognition," resulting in insufficient endogenous motivation for scientific researchers to carry out interdisciplinary research.
To conform to the laws of interdisciplinary integration and development, we must break down institutional and mechanistic barriers and build an all-round, deep-level pattern of interdisciplinary integration. We must break down disciplinary organizational barriers, build substantive interdisciplinary research platforms, and, around major frontier scientific questions and national strategic needs, establish a number of independently organized interdisciplinary research institutions. Adhere to the traction of core scientific questions, distill a number of major interdisciplinary scientific questions that require coordinated tackling by multiple disciplines, and, through the establishment of major special projects for interdisciplinary research, integrate the theoretical, methodological, and technological resources of different disciplines to carry out systematic and institutionalized tackling of key problems. Gather and absorb high-quality scientific research resources from around the world, support and encourage Chinese scientific researchers to deeply participate in international basic research cooperation, and expand the breadth and depth of interdisciplinary integration in two-way open collaboration.
IV
The inherent laws of basic research determine that the cultivation of basic research talent must respect the logic of talent growth. At the Symposium on Strengthening Basic Research, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "We must follow the laws of talent growth, comprehensively improve the quality of education, and continuously cultivate reserve forces for basic research." The key to cultivating basic research talent lies in advancing the development of education, science and technology, and talent as an integrated whole. Education builds the knowledge framework and shapes scientific character; scientific research provides real problem scenarios and completes practical capability training; the talent system addresses incentive orientation and development guarantees. As an important junction point of science and technology as the primary productive force, talent as the primary resource, and innovation as the primary driving force, universities are the main battlefield and main force for the independent cultivation of basic research talent. China has built the world's largest higher education system, with a total enrollment exceeding 48 million people, deep disciplinary accumulation, and ample student reserves, possessing favorable conditions for independently cultivating first-class basic research talent.
Measured against the strategic goal of building a world scientific and technological power, and benchmarked against the strategic requirements of high-level self-reliance and strength in science and technology, the current basic research talent cultivation system still has several shortcomings and weaknesses. For example, the depth of value shaping is insufficient, and some young teachers and students need to deepen their understanding of the strategic value of basic research; the means of talent identification are relatively singular, emphasizing scores over potential, making it difficult to precisely discover seedlings who truly possess scientific curiosity and critical thinking and exploration ability; the training chain is poorly articulated, with insufficient continuity from basic education to the graduate stage, and many students do not encounter real scientific research training for the first time until the graduate stage, missing the precious window period for academic growth; stable support resources are insufficient, and young talent still faces practical difficulties in terms of livelihood security.
To conform to the laws of talent cultivation, we must adhere to the combination of problem orientation and goal orientation, resolve structural contradictions through systematic reform, and strive to build a new pattern for the independent cultivation of basic research talent. We must broaden the entrance for talent, build a diversified identification system that takes into account academic level, scientific interest, and innovation potential, continue to strengthen the Top-Notch Talent Program, the Strong Foundation Plan, and the Elite Talent Program, temper scientific research capability through through-type cultivation, smooth the laddered training path of laying a foundation at the undergraduate level, through-type undergraduate-graduate articulation, and practical training, and promote students' early entry into research groups, early entry into laboratories, and early exposure to real scientific questions. Establish flexible interdisciplinary organizational mechanisms, promote the full opening of national-level scientific research platforms to young students, give play to the advantages of research institutes in concentrating major scientific research tasks, advance joint training between institutes and universities, and transform scientific research tasks into educational resources. Broaden the channels for attracting, gathering, and using talent with a more open and inclusive talent pattern, gather high-level intellectual resources from around the world, remove institutional bottlenecks in the flow of topics, equipment, and personnel, and promote the coordinated tackling of the same scientific problem by teachers and students from different disciplines. The interests and aspirations of basic research talent often sprout in the primary and secondary school stage. Universities should proactively connect with basic education, and, through carriers such as open laboratories, science popularization study tours, summer scientific research experiences, and training for primary and secondary school teachers, show young people the unique charm of basic science and discover and protect children's curiosity about science as early as possible. Higher normal universities, in particular, should give play to their own distinctive advantages, empower science education in basic education, cultivate young people's scientific spirit, create a cultural atmosphere in the whole society that respects basic research, and guide more outstanding young people to be willing to choose the development path of basic disciplines.
Author: President of Beijing Normal University, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences
Return to TopBy: 于晓宇
Giving Full Play to the Important Role of Enterprises in Basic Research
Yu Xiaoyu
Basic research is the source of the entire scientific system. At the symposium on strengthening basic research, General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly pointed out that it is necessary to promote the deep integration of industry, academia, and research led by enterprises, and to unblock the innovation chain of basic research, applied development, and commercialization of results. Why is it that, in strengthening basic research, special importance should be attached to giving play to the role of enterprises?
For some time, people have been accustomed to understanding scientific and technological innovation as a relatively clear chain: universities and research institutes explore scientific principles, enterprises carry out applied development, and then mature technologies are transformed into products. However, as the new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation accelerates and breaks through, the relationship among scientific discovery, technological invention, and industrial innovation is undergoing profound changes. In frontier fields such as artificial intelligence, advanced materials, life sciences, new energy, and quantum technology, basic research and applied research are interpenetrating, engineering problems in industry are continuously extending into the depths of basic science, and a new scientific discovery may also rapidly open up new technological and industrial space. Amid these changes, enterprises conducting basic research can transform their unique advantages of being closest to industry, scenarios, and technological limits into the ability to discover scientific problems, organize innovation resources, and verify scientific discoveries, turning the very frontier of industrial development into the frontier of scientific problems, and further expanding the source of original innovation.
I
Regarding enterprises conducting basic research, there have long been many cognitive misunderstandings.
Misunderstanding one: the farther basic research is from real-world application, the more "basic" it is. In some people's impression, basic research mainly comes from scientists' curiosity and free exploration, while enterprises, facing market competition, are more suited to solving specific technical problems; the two belong to different fields. In fact, the "basic" nature of basic research does not depend on how far it is from real-world problems, but on whether it explores the basic principles, basic laws, and basic mechanisms behind phenomena. The French scientist Pasteur studied microorganisms, starting from real-world problems such as fermentation and disease prevention and treatment, yet thereby promoted a major breakthrough in microbiology. Many engineering problems, traced back layer by layer, ultimately touch upon unsolved scientific problems. Embodied intelligence is a typical example. After robots truly enter complex real-world environments, they face not only problems of mechanical structure and product design, but also extend to underlying problems such as physical interaction, environmental cognition, long-horizon reasoning, and dynamic prediction. In many places that appear to be application bottlenecks, research ultimately reveals that what is lacking is precisely a deeper understanding of basic mechanisms. The course of scientific and technological development shows that the pursuit of scientific truth and the solving of real-world problems are not one or the other (非此即彼, fei ci ji bi - "not this, then that"); whether one pursues basic laws or is driven by major real-world problems, original scientific discoveries can be produced. This type of research is especially worthy of enterprise participation.
Misunderstanding two: enterprises are the "last leg" of the innovation chain. "Scientists are responsible for discovery, engineers for invention, and enterprises for industrialization" — this understanding underestimates the value of enterprises' own creation of new knowledge. In the history of scientific and technological innovation, enterprises have always been important producers of scientific knowledge. Bell Laboratories nurtured the transistor and information theory; IBM has long promoted research in computer science and system architecture; in recent years, the artificial intelligence model AlphaFold developed by Google DeepMind cracked the protein structure prediction problem that had long puzzled the scientific community. This shows that enterprises conducting scientific research is not merely for better absorbing "knowledge produced by others"; they themselves can also become producers of knowledge. As competition in key core technologies increasingly moves forward toward underlying scientific problems, this point appears particularly prominent. If enterprises only innovate on the basis of already public knowledge, their competitive advantage can to a large extent only be built on paths others have already taken, which clearly cannot allow enterprises to go far. Truly globally leading science and technology enterprises must not only be able to transform existing scientific knowledge into technology, but also have the ability to produce new knowledge that others do not yet possess. Whoever discovers a new scientific law earlier may open up a new technological route earlier, thereby influencing technical standards, the industrial ecosystem, and even future markets.
Misunderstanding three: enterprises doing basic research is equivalent to "building a big laboratory." When it comes to enterprises doing basic research, people often first think that basic research requires huge investment, long cycles, and extremely high risk, and belongs only to a few large technology enterprises. In fact, there is no standard model for enterprise participation in basic research, and it certainly does not mean that every enterprise must replicate a large enterprise research institute. Leading science and technology enterprises can form long-term and stable basic research capabilities around important directions that determine the pattern of emerging industries and future industries; growth-stage technology enterprises can form "small but deep" scientific accumulation around key core technologies; small and medium-sized technology enterprises can participate in basic research through joint laboratories, innovation consortia, open-source communities, and public research platforms. Enterprises can also play a more unique role: raising truly important questions. Transforming practical problems in industrial development into genuine questions worthy of further scientific research is itself an indispensable capability of the national basic research system.
Misunderstanding four: evaluating basic research by the yardstick of ordinary R&D projects. Applied development can often set clear product goals, schedules, and market returns, but basic research is inherently exploratory and uncertain. The stronger the originality of the research, the harder it is to accurately judge in advance when a breakthrough will be achieved and what results will ultimately take shape. If every basic research project is required to produce patents, products, and profits within a specified time, enterprises will inevitably prefer to invest resources in R&D activities with low risk and quick returns. Basic research tests not only how solid an enterprise's "foundation" is, but also whether the enterprise can adhere to long-termism. Failure in scientific exploration does not necessarily mean a waste of resources; in many cases, it is precisely the learning cost that must be paid to approach the boundaries of the unknown.
II
The relationship between scientific discovery and industrial innovation is undergoing profound changes, and it is especially necessary for enterprises to play an important role in basic research.
One important change is that the distance from scientific discovery to industrial application is getting shorter and shorter, and the feedback loop is getting faster and faster. In the past, a basic scientific discovery often took a long time to go from paper to technology, and then from technology to industry. Today, in fields such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and advanced materials, the interaction among scientific discovery, technological invention, and industrial application is getting faster and faster. A new algorithm may quickly enter end products, a breakthrough in the mechanism of a material may rapidly change device design, and a life science discovery may also directly open up new diagnostic and therapeutic pathways. Basic research is no longer a "reservoir" far upstream of industrial innovation; in some frontier fields, it has itself become an important component of industrial competition.
Artificial intelligence can particularly illustrate this change. Some large-model enterprises both develop products and continuously conduct research around frontier issues such as model architecture, training methods, and reasoning mechanisms. Taking DeepSeek as an example, its series of research results simultaneously contain obvious characteristics of scientific exploration and engineering innovation. In the process of solving real-world technical problems, enterprises may continuously approach the frontier of knowledge, and new knowledge breakthroughs may also quickly change model and product capabilities. The previously clearly demarcated boundary of "basic research—applied research—product development" is being gradually broken down in some emerging technology fields, and is showing increasingly strong mutual penetration.
Another important change is that more and more major scientific problems transcend traditional disciplinary boundaries. For example, in brain-computer interface research, understanding brain signals involves neuroscience; collecting signals requires materials, electrodes, and chips; decoding signals depends on mathematics and artificial intelligence; and moving toward clinical application involves medicine and engineering. The problems that truly need to be solved do not belong to any single discipline, but rather require multiple basic disciplines to reorganize knowledge and capabilities around the same problem. This means that the organizational mode of basic research also needs to change accordingly. In the past, scientific research was more organized around disciplines, laboratories, and research institutions; today, more and more major scientific research requires the allocation of talent, knowledge, and resources around "problems." What enterprises face is also not merely problems within a single discipline. For example, new energy vehicle enterprises face the question of how to make batteries safer, lighter, and more durable; artificial intelligence enterprises face the question of how to enable machines to form more reliable perception, reasoning, and decision-making capabilities; biotechnology enterprises face the question of how to understand disease mechanisms and form effective intervention means; and so on. Solving these problems inevitably requires crossing disciplinary boundaries and achieving cross-disciplinary integration.
The roles of scientists and entrepreneurs are also thus converging in new ways. On the one hand, more and more scientists, through innovation and entrepreneurship, bring new discoveries from the laboratory to the front line of industry; on the other hand, a number of founders and technical leaders of technology enterprises participate deeply in frontier research, making enterprises simultaneously possess the attributes of technological innovation organizations and knowledge production organizations. This has brought into contact two ways of thinking that previously existed separately in the scientific research system and the industrial system. Scientists continuously ask "why," focusing on laws, mechanisms, and the boundaries of the unknown; entrepreneurs continuously ask "what use is it" and "how to achieve it," focusing on scenarios, needs, and resource organization. With only scientific thinking and lacking industrial thinking, some important discoveries may remain in the laboratory for a long time; with only industrial thinking and lacking scientific thinking, many bottleneck and blockage problems are difficult to effectively resolve. When the two ways of thinking truly merge, with one end continuously exploring toward the depths of scientific principles and the other end continuously pushing scientific discoveries toward the real world, scientific discovery, technological breakthrough, and industrial innovation may form a mutually reinforcing cycle.
The key to enterprises conducting basic research lies in whether they can transform industrial advantages into the ability to discover scientific problems. First, they must learn to "question downward." Enterprises are good at solving engineering problems: if costs are high, reduce costs; if performance is insufficient, optimize parameters; if problems arise in products, adjust the design. But to truly move toward basic research, they must further ask: why does this material have such performance limits? Why does a certain algorithm repeatedly fail on a certain class of problems? Why is it difficult for a certain technological route to cross a certain boundary no matter how it is optimized? Continuing from "how to do things better" to asking "why can it only be done up to here" is often the key step from engineering problems to scientific problems.
Enterprises conducting basic research must also learn to "open up" problems. Truly important industrial problems are often not solvable by a single enterprise, a single laboratory, or even a single discipline. Enterprises should be good at opening up genuine problems and jointly seeking answers with universities, research institutes, new-type R&D institutions, and upstream and downstream enterprises. A more viable innovation process in the future is not just a one-way chain of "university research—enterprise transformation," but may form a cycle of "enterprises discovering problems—scientists exploring principles—engineers verifying solutions—industrial practice testing—new scientific problems emerging again." Science, technology, and industry thus pose questions to each other and provide answers to each other.
Enterprises conducting basic research must also learn to operate according to "two clocks" simultaneously. Industrial competition requires "speed," while basic research requires "slowness." Products must catch the market window, but scientific problems will not give answers ahead of time because of periodic assessments. A technology enterprise truly committed to basic research should have one clock operating around today's products, customers, and markets, and another clock facing scientific and technological changes five, ten, or even more years ahead, researching problems that may determine the pattern of the next round of industry. Without the first clock, the enterprise may not survive to the future; without the second clock, the enterprise will find it difficult to define the future.
III
To fully give play to the important role of enterprises in basic research, we cannot rely only on the foresight and commitment of a few entrepreneurs, nor simply transfer research tasks originally belonging to universities and research institutes to enterprises. Rather, it is necessary to form an innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem suited to the laws of basic research, and to form a basic research system in which enterprises, universities, and research institutes each give play to their respective strengths and complement one another's advantages.
First, attach greater importance to the role of enterprises in discovering and raising scientific questions. The advantage of enterprises lies in understanding industrial scenarios, technological bottlenecks, and market demands, while the advantage of universities and research institutes lies in deep disciplinary accumulation and an academic environment of free exploration. Further conditions should be created to give full play to the role of national science and technology programs, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, major scientific and technological infrastructure, and various innovation platforms, to promote the optimal allocation of high-quality scientific research resources around major industrial scientific problems, to enable enterprises truly at the technological and industrial frontier to participate in the refinement of scientific questions, and to become not only recipients of scientific research results but also important proposers and co-researchers of major scientific questions.
Second, establish investment and evaluation mechanisms that match the cycle of scientific exploration. Basic research has the characteristics of high risk, long cycles, and strong knowledge spillover. Relying entirely on individual enterprises to bear the costs and uncertainties can easily lead to insufficient investment. Further play should be given to the role of government funds, enterprise funds, and social capital, forming a diversified investment pattern, and providing long-term and stable support for basic research with important scientific value and potential industrial value. In particular, for leading science and technology enterprises undertaking major national strategic tasks, they should not be simply evaluated and measured according to annual profits and short-term commercialization rates, but rather more appropriate funding investment and long-cycle evaluation mechanisms that conform to the laws of basic research should be explored.
Third, promote the agglomeration of innovation resources toward enterprises. For enterprises to participate in basic research, the key lies in having the ability to organize the most suitable forces to jointly solve important problems. The level of open sharing of resources such as major scientific and technological infrastructure, public experimental platforms, and scientific research data should be further raised, and leading science and technology enterprises, small and medium-sized technology enterprises, universities, and research institutions should be promoted to collaborate on tackling key problems around major issues, truly building an innovation mechanism of "enterprises posing questions, all parties answering them, and practice testing them," so that new scientific discoveries and technological breakthroughs emerge amid the benign interaction and positive cycle of industry, academia, and research.
Author: Vice Dean of the School of Management, Shanghai University; Director of the Shanghai Research Center for Enterprise Innovation and High-Quality Development
Return to TopBy: 潘建伟
Vigorously Promote the Scientific Spirit and a Culture of Innovation
Pan Jianwei
In 1925, the quantum physicist Heisenberg, then not yet 24 years old, proposed a "crazy" theory: to abandon the concept of electron orbits, which could not be observed, and to construct a new mechanics using only spectral data. He himself could not grasp the mathematical essence of these symbols, so he sent the manuscript to his mentor, Born. Born did not dismiss the young man's unrealistic or wild ideas (异想天开, yi xiang tian kai - "different, think, heaven, open"), but instead keenly realized that the mathematical structure behind them was matrix algebra, and threw himself into the research together with his assistant Jordan. The three collaborated for several months and established the mathematical framework of matrix mechanics. Heisenberg's courage to challenge authority, Born's tolerance and appreciation for acting contrary to established norms or traditions (离经叛道, li jing pan dao - "leave, classics, rebel, path"), and the joint efforts of a cross-disciplinary team together constitute a vivid footnote to the scientific spirit and a culture of innovation.
Today, competition in science and technology is a competition of talent and of institutions, and still more a competition of the scientific spirit and of a culture of innovation. The scientific spirit is the inner driving force of seeking truth and being pragmatic (求真务实, qiu zhen wu shi - "seek, truth, pragmatic, solid"), rational critique, and bravely striving for the highest achievements (勇攀高峰, yong pan gao feng - "brave, climb, high, peak"); it is the "soul" of the scientific enterprise. A culture of innovation is the social atmosphere and institutional conditions that encourage exploration, tolerate failure, and foster openness and cooperation; it is the "soil" that nourishes innovation. Together, the two provide deep-level support for high-level self-reliance and strength in science and technology.
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has placed scientific and technological innovation at the core of the overall national development situation, leading and driving China's science and technology to achieve a historic leap from "following" to "running alongside," and then to "leading" in some fields. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out that "we must vigorously promote in the whole society the scientific spirit of pursuing truth and bravely striving for the highest achievements," and "persist in cultivating a culture of innovation, inherit the innovative genes of China's excellent traditional culture, create a good environment that encourages exploration and tolerates failure, and make advocating science and pursuing innovation become a widespread and established trend (蔚然成风, wei ran cheng feng - "grand, naturally, become, wind") throughout society." In April this year, at the symposium on strengthening basic research, the General Secretary further emphasized "enhancing our country's original innovation capacity" and "creating an open, inclusive, and failure-tolerant innovation environment." These important expositions point the way for promoting the scientific spirit and a culture of innovation and advancing self-reliance and strength in science and technology.
However, compared with the goal of building a world leader in science and technology, the foundation of our country's original innovation remains relatively weak; in some fields, key and core technologies are still controlled by others; and there remains a considerable gap in top-tier scientific research talent. How can we achieve the transformation of our country's scientific and technological innovation strength from quantitative accumulation to qualitative leap, from breakthroughs at individual points to the enhancement of systemic capability? How can we firmly grasp the initiative for future development in our own hands and seize the commanding heights in the increasingly fierce international competition in science and technology? Relying solely on continued investment in hardware facilities is clearly insufficient; what is even more needed is effort in the deep cultivation of the scientific spirit and a culture of innovation. Examining reality, some constraining factors that hinder the full release of innovation potential still exist.
Looking at the source of education, the systematic cultivation of pioneering spirit still needs to be strengthened. The current education system is highly effective in knowledge transmission, but there is considerable room for improvement in cultivating students' scientific thinking, exploratory spirit, and pioneering ability. At the basic education stage, the orientation toward examination preparation is rather strong, and the stimulation of curiosity, imagination, and critical thinking by curriculum content and teaching methods is still insufficient. Einstein once said: "The formulation of a problem is often more essential than its solution." And when a student becomes accustomed to finding the single correct answer within a fixed framework, he gradually loses the impulse to ask questions. At the higher education stage, overly fine specialization and rigid disciplinary barriers are not conducive to cultivating cross-disciplinary thinking and the ability to solve complex problems, resulting in students who, though solid in basic knowledge, suffer from insufficient pioneering spirit. The "soil fertility" that supports self-reliance and strength in science and technology — namely, the scientific literacy of advocating inquiry and daring to question — needs to be improved through deeper educational reform.
Looking at the research ecosystem, utilitarian tendencies and evaluation orientation need further correction. Through sustained reform, the tendency of the "four onlys" has been markedly rectified, but its inertia has not yet been eradicated. Researchers devote a great deal of energy to project applications, mid-term assessments, and competitive defenses for various talent "hats," research time is fragmented into discrete cycles, and in some fields research activities have been alienated into short-term competitions over paper counts, impact factors, and project funding, causing some research to chase hot topics, avoid difficult problems, and seek quick success. At the same time, for basic research and frontier exploration that truly require a long-termist attitude, stable support and institutional guarantees remain insufficient. Once the evaluation orientation deviates from the laws of science, it breeds a trend of seeking quick success and immediate benefits (急功近利, ji gong jin li - "urgent, merit, near, profit") and erodes the resolve to sit patiently on the "cold bench," ultimately weakening the inner driving force of original innovation.
Looking at the talent environment, the mechanism for tolerating exploratory failure is not yet sound. Innovation, especially original innovation "from 0 to 1," is in essence a high-risk exploration into the unknown, where failure is the norm and success is the exception. Edison experienced countless failures before finding a durable filament of practical value, yet he said he had not failed; he had simply found ten thousand ways that did not work. Fleming's discovery of penicillin originated from a "failed" petri dish experiment. However, the current systems for research project management, fund use, and performance assessment generally tend to favor research with higher certainty and greater probability of success. For exploratory projects that are ambitious in goal, unclear in path, but potentially capable of nurturing disruptive breakthroughs, there is still a lack of reasonable tolerance mechanisms. Researchers fear that failure will affect title evaluation, project renewal, and academic reputation, and thus their courage to challenge the "no-man's land" of science and technology and to undertake original research is greatly diminished.
Examining at a deeper level, the cultivation of a culture of innovation also requires effort in two directions: drawing on traditional wisdom and expanding the global vision. China's excellent traditional culture contains a wealth of innovative philosophy and wisdom, such as the spirit of inquiry of investigating things to extend knowledge (格物致知, ge wu zhi zhi - "investigate, things, extend, knowledge"), the consciousness of change of discarding the old to establish the new (革故鼎新, ge gu ding xin - "reform, old, tripod, new"), and the craftsmanship wisdom of the ingenious works of nature and human skill (天工开物, tian gong kai wu - "heaven, work, open, things"). How to integrate these ancient wisdoms with the contemporary scientific spirit and innovative practice, and to shape a Chinese innovation culture identity with profound heritage and distinctive characteristics, still awaits in-depth resolution. At the same time, major scientific and technological breakthroughs often originate from the collision of ideas and the fusion of wisdom on a global scale. The breadth and depth of our country's opening up, cooperation, and exchange in science and technology need to be expanded, the normal and long-term mechanisms need to be improved, and a culture of innovation needs to be continuously enriched and developed through open exchange.
Practice repeatedly demonstrates: education and training, evaluation orientation, institutional environment, and cultural immersion are closely interconnected or linked step by step (环环相扣, huan huan xiang kou - "ring, ring, mutually, link") and nested within one another; no single reform can easily shake deep-seated accumulated ills. Only by abandoning the path dependence of piecemeal tinkering and advancing in a coordinated manner with a systemic perspective can we form a strong atmosphere of advocating science, encouraging innovation, and tolerating failure.
Education is the root from which innovative talent grows; only with deep roots can leaves flourish. We should promote the transformation of the educational paradigm from "knowledge-transmission-centered" to "thinking-shaping and ability-cultivation-centered," and run curiosity, critical thinking, a truth-seeking attitude, and exploratory courage through the entire process of talent cultivation. At the basic education stage, the proportion of inquiry-based and practical courses should be significantly increased, and in key examinations, the weight of heuristic, open-ended, and comprehensive questions should be appropriately raised, forcing teaching to shift from "the teacher lectures, the students memorize" to "teachers and students explore together, driven by problems." At the higher education stage, departmental barriers can be broken down, and cross-disciplinary courses, project-based learning, and undergraduate research programs should be vigorously promoted, allowing students to exercise their ability to connect knowledge and to create in the process of solving real problems. Teachers are the direct transmitters of the scientific spirit; the cultivation of teachers at all levels in inquiry-based teaching and the guidance of critical thinking should be strengthened, so that the classroom truly becomes a "seedbed" for speculation and innovation.
The evaluation system is the baton of research activities; wherever the baton points, the talent and energy of researchers flow. To reform the evaluation system, the evaluation authority of employing units should be implemented, allowing the employing units that best understand job requirements, actual contributions, and team collaboration to formulate evaluation standards autonomously; the role of professional evaluation by close peers should be brought into play, with evaluation conducted by peers who are truly familiar with the frontiers and difficulties of the field, avoiding "outsiders evaluating insiders." For personnel engaged in basic and frontier research, more emphasis should be placed on original ideas, scientific value, and long-term accumulation; for talent engaged in research and development of key and core technologies, the focus of assessment should be on the application value of results, transformation potential, and the supporting role for major national scientific and technological research tasks. In the fields of basic research and frontier technology, excessive annual assessment interference should be reduced, and the focus of evaluation should shift from paper quantity to the originality of results, actual contributions to key problems, and the effectiveness of talent cultivation, allowing evaluation to return to the true nature of scientific research and guiding researchers to concentrate their energy on major problems that require long-term tackling.
The vitality of innovation lies in encouraging exploration and tolerating failure. If the system does not permit trial and error, researchers will tend to choose low-risk, follow-up directions, and original innovation "from 0 to 1" will be out of the question. To this end, a tolerance mechanism of "due diligence and compliance" should be improved: for exploratory research that has a reasonable technical route, standardized process, and compliant use of funds but fails to achieve preset goals, the project should be normally concluded after professional evaluation, without simply being recorded in negative credit, and unexpected data and lessons learned during exploration should be retained as public knowledge. For forward-looking, non-consensus, and exploratory research, assessment should not be too frequent, and the technical route should be allowed to be adjusted as understanding deepens. In addition, institutional space should be reserved for non-consensus projects; evaluation and funding should focus on whether the scientific question can stand up and whether the research process is standardized, rather than on whether mainstream consensus is immediately formed. When Einstein proposed the light quantum hypothesis, even Planck, an important founder of quantum theory, thought it "went too far." If the mainstream view of the time had been the criterion for acceptance, the course of the 20th-century physics revolution would likely have been very different.
The growth of the scientific spirit requires not only institutional deregulation but also cultural nourishment. We should systematically sort out the innovative ideas and methodological cases contained in the classics of Chinese civilization and the heritage of science and technology, interpret them in modern language and from a global perspective, and bring them into general education and public communication. The dedication and exploratory spirit of the older generation of scientists, especially the "Two Bombs, One Satellite" spirit and the spirit of westward relocation, should be organically integrated into research ethics, engineering education, and general courses, guiding scientific and technological workers to unify personal exploration with national needs. At the same time, a culture of innovation should be cultivated through mutual learning among civilizations, encouraging scientists to deepen international scientific and technological cooperation around global challenges such as climate change, public health, and energy security; supporting scientists and humanities scholars in participating in high-level international dialogues on science, technology, and humanity, demonstrating our country's scientific and technological contributions to solving the common challenges of humanity, and manifesting the concepts of "benefiting all under heaven" and "harmonious coexistence," so that China's innovation culture becomes richer and more dynamic through exchange and mutual learning.
Promoting the scientific spirit and cultivating a culture of innovation is a systemic project that bears on the long-term development of the nation. It depends on coordinated reform across the fields of education, science and technology, talent, and culture; it depends on the joint participation of government, society, the market, and individuals; and still more it depends on the historical patience of sustained, long-term effort. It can be believed that through the joint efforts of all sectors of society, the scientific spirit of seeking truth and being pragmatic, rational critique, and bravely striving for the highest achievements will take deeper root in people's hearts, and a culture of innovation that encourages exploration, tolerates failure, and fosters openness and cooperation will better permeate society. When advocating science and pursuing innovation become a widespread and established trend throughout society, the foundation of our country's scientific and technological innovation will surely become more solid, and its momentum will surely become more surging.
Author: Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Vice Chairman of the Central Committee of the Jiusan Society, Executive Vice President of the University of Science and Technology of China
Return to TopBy: 《求是》杂志评论员
Consciously Use Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building to Plan and Advance Party Building
Qiushi Commentator
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has, around the major issue of the era of what kind of long-term governing Marxist party to build and how to build a long-term governing Marxist party, put forward a series of new concepts, new ideas, and new strategies for governing the Party, strengthening the Party, and making the Party strong, forming Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building. As the chapter on Party building in Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building is the summation of experience and theoretical distillation of all the practical work of Party building in the new era led and promoted by General Secretary Xi Jinping. It not only profoundly clarifies the fundamental question of what the Communist Party of China is and what it is to do, but also scientifically answers the practical path of how Party building is to be carried out. Studying, implementing, and carrying out Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building well is an important political task for the entire Party at present and for a period to come.
One cannot judge a matter based on mere talk (道不可坐论, dao bu ke zuo lun - "way, not, can, sit, discuss"), and principles cannot be discussed in the abstract. To study and implement Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building, in the final analysis, one must see whether the actual effectiveness of governing the Party and running the Party strictly has been genuinely improved. On the basis of the previous stage of study and implementation work, it is necessary to further enhance the consciousness and initiative of using Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building to plan and advance Party building, to take concrete measures in solving the difficult problems of governing the Party and running the Party strictly, to seek breakthroughs in improving the quality of Party building, to show real results in improving the system for full and rigorous self-governance of the Party, and to make the ideas and measures for full and rigorous self-governance of the Party more scientific, more rigorous, and more effective.
The premise and foundation for using Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building to plan and advance Party building is to truly understand and master this thought. Going one level deeper in study, one can gain a bit more clarity and a bit more initiative in application. It is necessary to persist in reading the original works, studying the original texts, and comprehending the principles, to study and use well the first and second volumes of the Selected Works of Xi Jinping on Party Building, to deeply grasp the principled achievements and original contributions of Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building, and to clearly understand its scientific system, rich connotations, spiritual essence, and practical requirements. It is necessary to place Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building within the scientific system and the process of formation and development of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, within the vivid practice of our Party's governance and administration and governing the Party and running the Party strictly since the 18th National Congress of the Party, and to think about and comprehend it in connection with the prominent problems solved and the valuable experience explored in Party building in the new era, and in connection with the historic achievements and historic changes in the cause of the Party and the state in the new era. Most importantly, through study, one must further deeply comprehend the decisive significance of the Two Establishments (两个确立) and resolutely achieve the Two Upholds (两个维护).
The key to using Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building to plan and advance Party building is to accurately identify the entry point and focal point of the work. Party building work has never been isolated; rather, it resonates with the development of the times and the central tasks. Only by integrating into the development of the Party's cause can it exert its due effect; if one engages in Party building for the sake of Party building and creates a disconnect between two related things (两张皮, liang zhang pi - "two, sheets, skin"), it will fall into empty operation and be difficult to see results. It is necessary to persist in focusing on the central tasks to carry out Party building, to do Party building well to promote development, to closely align with the economic and social development goals and tasks of the 15th Five-Year Plan period, to focus on key areas such as scientific and technological innovation, industrial upgrading, rural revitalization, people's livelihood security, and grassroots governance, to accurately identify the integration points between Party building and professional work, and to lead and promote high-quality development with high-quality Party building. It is necessary to accurately grasp the characteristics and laws of Party building work at all levels, in all fields, and in all industries, to closely combine the different realities of Party building work in enterprises, rural areas, government organs, public institutions, sub-district communities, emerging fields, and other fields, to transform the Party Central Committee's deployments and requirements into operable and verifiable concrete measures, to achieve "one key opens one lock," and to prevent being too general and treating all levels the same. Only by grasping the concrete and the deep can Party building work break through the "last kilometer" and activate the "nerve endings," allowing the various deployments of full and rigorous self-governance of the Party to take root at the grassroots level.
A distinct problem orientation is an important theoretical character of Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building. To use Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building to plan and advance Party building, one must make efforts in firmly grasping the weak links and solving prominent problems. After sustained efforts, full and rigorous self-governance of the Party has achieved notable results. At the same time, there are still many shortcomings and weaknesses in Party building work in some localities and departments, including problems of lax and soft education and management of Party members, problems of insufficient political and organizational functions of grassroots Party organizations, problems of deviations in the orientation of personnel selection and unhealthy tendencies, problems of insufficient internal motivation and overall vitality of the cadre contingent, problems of unclear thinking on how to carry out Party building, and problems of inadequate implementation of responsibility for governing the Party and running the Party strictly. In this regard, one must never conceal one's illness and avoid treatment; rather, one should actively take up the "searchlight" and the "microscope," go after the problems, tackle the difficult issues head-on, solve whatever problems exist, and focus on rectifying whatever problems are prominent. In particular, it is necessary to make sustained efforts in solving the prominent problems strongly reflected by the people, to tirelessly rectify formalism to reduce burdens at the grassroots level, and to resolutely punish unhealthy tendencies and corruption problems around the people, so that the masses can see tangible changes and results.
Advancing Party building requires both rules and methods and constant innovation. At present, the structure of the Party membership contingent and the form of social organization have undergone profound changes, and some grassroots Party organizations face the practical dilemma that old methods no longer work and new methods are not yet mastered. To use Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building to plan and advance Party building, one must be adept at using the scientific methods contained in this thought to advance innovation in Party building. It is necessary to more prominently apply the concepts of governance, the concept of systems, and dialectical thinking to govern the Party, run the Party strictly, and build the Party, and to continuously take new steps in improving the system for full and rigorous self-governance of the Party. It is necessary to be adept at studying new situations and solving new problems, and around doing Party building work well in new economic organizations, new social organizations, and new employment groups, to further clarify where the "newness" lies, where the "difficulty" lies, and where the "implementation" lies, and to continuously enhance the Party's appeal, cohesion, and influence in emerging fields. It is necessary to respect the pioneering spirit of the grassroots, to promptly discover, summarize, and refine effective good experiences and good practices, and to contribute wisdom and strength to solving Party building difficulties. It must be emphasized that innovation in Party building work cannot deviate from principles to be unconventional, nor can it engage in flashy but lacking substance (华而不实, hua er bu shi - "flowery, and, not, real") "bonsai-style innovation." No matter how innovation is carried out, it must be conducive to upholding and consolidating the Party's leadership and to consolidating and developing the Party's political and organizational advantages.
Using Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building to plan and advance Party building must ultimately be implemented in fulfilling the responsibility for governing the Party and running the Party strictly. Party organizations at all levels must earnestly shoulder their primary responsibility, and plan, deploy, advance, and assess Party building work together with central tasks. Party committee secretaries must firmly establish the concept that "doing Party building well is one's duty, not doing Party building is dereliction of duty, and doing Party building poorly is incompetence," earnestly fulfill the responsibility of the first responsible person, and members of the leadership team must also conscientiously fulfill the "dual responsibility for one post," forming a work pattern in which each level grasps the next and each level implements in a down-to-earth manner. For those who fail to implement Party building responsibilities effectively or engage in formalism and going through the motions, serious accountability and questioning must be pursued, and precise and scientific accountability must be used to force the implementation of the political responsibility for governing the Party and running the Party strictly.
"Once the main rope of the net is pulled, all the meshes open." Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building provides the fundamental guidance and action guide for deeply advancing the great new project of Party building in the new era. Party organizations at all levels must, with a more conscious attitude, a more pragmatic style, and more forceful measures, implement this thought throughout the entire process and in all aspects of Party building, continuously promote the study and implementation work to go deeper and more practical, and continuously create a new situation in governing the Party, running the Party strictly, strengthening the Party, and making the Party strong.
Return to TopBy: 陈晋
The Eternal Long March
Chen Jin
The Long March 90 years ago was a magnificent epic written by the Communist Party of China and the Red Army, and a towering monument in the historical process of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. After the Central Red Army's Long March arrived in northern Shaanxi, Comrade Mao Zedong said, "The Long March is the first of its kind in the historical record." The Long March was a "declaration" — proclaiming to the whole world that the imperialists and the reactionary Kuomintang clique's plans to encircle, pursue, block, and intercept and to annihilate the Red Army had completely collapsed, and that the Red Army led by the Communist Party of China possessed invincible tenacious will and powerful strength. The Long March was a "propaganda team" — spreading revolutionary ideas and the Party's propositions of resisting Japan and saving the nation to the broad masses along the route. The Long March was a "seeder" — establishing revolutionary armed forces and political power in many places, leaving behind revolutionary cadres and mass foundations, and sowing the seeds of revolution. In 2016, in his important speech at the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Red Army's Long March, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that the Long March was a great expedition of ideals and convictions, a great expedition to test truth, a great expedition to awaken the masses, and a great expedition to open up new prospects. Our exploration of why the Long March is eternal, and of the contemporary value of the great Long March spirit, is precisely for the purpose of using the great Long March spirit to walk well the Long March road of the new era.
Why the Long March Was Victorious
To answer why the Long March is eternal, one must first understand why the Long March was victorious.
On December 1, 1936, shortly after the Battle of Shanchengbao, the last battle of the Agrarian Revolutionary War, Comrade Mao Zedong wrote a letter to Chiang Kai-shek appealing for an end to the civil war and united resistance against Japan. The letter said of the Battle of Shanchengbao: "It is not that this army truly could not fight; it is rather that it was unwilling for Chinese to fight Chinese, and preferred to surrender its weapons to the Red Army. Since the sentiments of the people and the morale of the army are thus, why does Your Excellency not reflect in the quiet of the night upon the reasons for this?"
Whether Chiang Kai-shek "reflected in the quiet of the night upon the reasons for this" is unknown. Assuming he truly did reflect, the answer was right there: favorable conditions including timing, location, and people (天时地利人和, tian shi di li ren he - "heavenly time, earthly advantage, human harmony") were all on the side of the Communist Party of China and the Red Army, not on his side. What is called favorable timing, location, and people, in today's terms, means perceiving the general trend, bearing the overall situation in mind, firmly holding to ideals, convictions, and strategic will, proceeding from the fundamental interests of the country, the nation, and the people, and striving in unity and with one generation succeeding another. By this means, even when in adversity or even desperate straits, one can break out a path of survival and open up new prospects.
Specifically speaking, the "favorable timing" of the Long March's victory was the historical trend of establishing the anti-Japanese national united front. During the ten years of civil war, Chiang Kai-shek stubbornly insisted on "resisting foreign aggression only after pacifying the interior," placing "suppressing the Communists" above "resisting Japan," unable to see — and naturally unable to grasp — the major trend of the contradiction between China and Japan rising to become the principal contradiction in Chinese society, thereby going against the tide of the times. The basic slogan of the Red Army's Long March, however, was "marching north to resist Japan." This conformed to the major trend of the world anti-fascist war and the Chinese people's strong desire to resist Japan and save the nation, placed the Red Army on the correct side of history, made the "favorable timing" thoroughly clear and bright, let the people see it plainly and clearly, and firmly grasped the historical initiative.
The "favorable location" of the Long March's victory was that the Party and the Red Army advanced while closely adhering to the political soil of Chinese society. When the Red Army won battles, the people were its mountain of support. The Red Army, which represented the interests of the poor common people, strictly observed discipline along the Long March route, maintained ties with the masses, propagated among the masses, armed the masses, united the masses, and relied on the masses, winning the support and endorsement of the broad masses through its own exemplary actions. This was the "ground" on which the Red Army naturally stood. At the same time, Chinese society at that time increasingly and clearly showed political soil favorable to the Red Army's northward march to resist Japan, and the center of gravity of the Chinese revolution gradually shifted from the south to the north: about 50 days after the Central Red Army arrived in northern Shaanxi on October 19, 1935, the "December 9th" Movement broke out in Beiping; about 50 days after the three main forces of the Red Army triumphantly joined forces on October 22, 1936, the Xi'an Incident, which shocked China and the world, broke out. These two major events greatly inspired the Chinese people's enthusiasm for resisting Japan. In particular, the peaceful resolution of the Xi'an Incident became the turning point from the domestic revolutionary war to the anti-Japanese national war, and the Party and the Red Army firmly grasped the "pivot" of historical transformation.
The "human harmony" of the Long March's victory was the most important, embodying the essential difference in political nature between the Red Army led by the Communist Party of China and the Kuomintang army. What the Kuomintang army used to unite military morale was nothing more than territory and interests, with scheming and maneuvering against each other (各派系之间勾心斗角, gou xin dou jiao - "each faction, inside, heart, struggle, struggle") among its factions, and no talk of doctrine or conviction. Chiang Kai-shek not only wanted to "exterminate" the Red Army but also took the opportunity to have the central army occupy the provinces and regions along the Red Army's Long March route — a strategy called using one enemy to eliminate another (驱虎吞狼, qu hu tun lang - "drive tiger, swallow wolf") — thereby losing internal "human harmony." In contrast, along the Red Army's Long March route, there were spiritual high grounds of firm conviction, there was "Chairman Mao's use of troops was truly miraculous," there were heroic soldiers who, one after another, went forward charging through obstacles and defeating enemies (过关斩将, guo guan zhan jiang - "pass gates, slay generals"), and there was strategic coordination among the various Red Army units on the Long March... With such "human harmony," how could the various Red Army units of the Long March not converge into an invincible iron current?
Why the Long March Opened Up New Prospects
Ten years before the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army began the Long March, from October 1924 to February 1927, on the other side of the world in Brazil in South America, there was also an expedition that evoked admiration.
Its leader was Luís Carlos Prestes. He led a military uprising in the city, formed the "Prestes Column," and decided to carry out a "great loop" expedition through the interior of Brazil. They fought across 14 states of Brazil, covering a distance of approximately 26,000 kilometers. At its peak, the column had three to four thousand men; in the end, only a few hundred people left Brazil and arrived in Bolivia. Brazilian left-wing media once called the expedition of the "Prestes Column" and the Long March of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army "the two greatest revolutionary expeditions of the 20th century." The two expeditions, ten years apart, both possessed suffering and glory leaving a brilliant mark in history (彪炳史册, biao bing shi ce - "shining, record, history, book"). The "Prestes Column," named after an individual, ultimately failed because it did not open up a new situation, and gradually faded and receded from people's memory. The Red Army's Long March led by the Communist Party of China, although it suffered great losses, directly influenced China's future because it created a new situation.
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that our Party led the Red Army to successfully complete the Long March, "proclaiming that the Communist Party of China and the Red Army, bearing the hopes of the nation, successfully realized the strategic shift of marching north to resist Japan, and realized the great turning point of the cause of the Communist Party of China and the Chinese revolution from setbacks to victory." At the grave moment when the fifth counter-"encirclement and suppression" campaign failed and the revolution encountered serious setbacks, our Party, facing turbulent and unpredictable circumstances (乱云飞渡, luan yun fei du - "chaotic, clouds, fly, cross") and raging waves, displayed a fearless spirit of practice and a creative spirit of emerging renewed after a great ordeal (浴火重生, yu huo chong sheng - "bath, fire, again, birth"), forging a path through blood and fire toward rebirth and toward victory, linking the general direction of the Long March with the establishment of forward positions for resisting Japan, and ultimately realizing the transformation from the domestic revolutionary war to the anti-Japanese national war, "finding a new starting point for the victorious advance of the cause of the Chinese revolution."
Before the Red Army set out on the Long March, the revolutionary base areas were mostly in the Yangtze River basin, and the center of gravity of the national revolution was in the south. After the September 18th Incident, the Sino-Japanese national contradiction became the principal contradiction in Chinese society. Whichever political force could become the backbone of resistance against Japan would win the support of the people of the whole country and would achieve rapid development. The northward shift of the revolutionary center of gravity was both a need of the anti-Japanese struggle and a need to escape difficulties and develop revolutionary strength — an inevitable trend of historical development. The victory of the Red Army's Long March concentrated the various Red Army units in the northwestern region relatively close to the front line of the anti-Japanese war, conforming to the demands of historical development, rapidly opening up a new situation in the Chinese revolution, playing an important role in the War of Resistance Against Japan, and rapidly developing its own strength. Comrade Mao Zedong once pointed out: "If we had not gone to northern Shaanxi, how could we have gone to the North China region, the East China region, the Central China region, and the Northeast region? How could we have established so many base areas during the War of Resistance Against Japan?"
The Long March was the road that changed the fate of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, and the Chinese revolution. Through the Long March, and especially through the Zunyi Meeting, the leading position of Comrade Mao Zedong in the Party Central Committee and the Red Army was in fact established, the leading position of the correct Marxist line, with Comrade Mao Zedong as its principal representative, in the Party Central Committee began to be established, and the Party's first generation of central leadership collective, with Comrade Mao Zedong at its core, began to take shape. This was the most important guarantee for our Party and the cause of the revolution to turn a crisis into safety (转危为安, zhuan wei wei an - "turn, danger, become, peace") and continuously open up new situations. Comrade Deng Xiaoping once said, "Before the Zunyi Meeting, our Party had not formed a mature Party Central Committee," and "Our Party's leadership collective was gradually formed starting from the Zunyi Meeting." If one extends this further, the Long March can be understood as follows: for the Communist Party of China, it was the beginning of the transition from an immature, small, and weak party to a mature major party; for the people's army, it was the transition from setbacks to victory; for the Chinese revolution, it was breaking out from a perilous situation, a difficult situation, a dangerous situation, and a desperate situation, and then moving toward a new situation.
During the Long March 90 years ago, the various Red Army units fought through a total of approximately 65,000 li of arduous campaigning and suffered enormous losses. The First, Second, and Fourth Front Armies of the Red Army and the 25th Red Army had a total of more than 200,000 men before setting out; when they arrived in the Shaanxi-Gansu region, only 50,000 to 60,000 remained. Since so many people were lost, why is it still said to have been a victorious expedition, and why is it said to have created a new situation? As soon as he arrived in northern Shaanxi, Comrade Mao Zedong answered this question. He said, "The number of Red Army soldiers is somewhat smaller than before, but those who remain are the cream of the Chinese revolution, all of whom have undergone severe tempering and testing. The comrades who remain must not only be able to fight one against ten, but also one against a hundred, against a thousand." What is "the cream"? It is like gold panned from sand, steel smelted from ore, seeds buried in the soil — having grown their abilities through the test of severe struggle, they became the backbone for opening up new situations in the future. The survivors of the Long March continuously set out toward a brand-new future, truly like miraculous seeds that not only took root and sprouted in the soil of northern Shaanxi but were also scattered across the country, blooming and bearing fruit everywhere.
Why the Long March Is Eternal
The Long March is forever on the road. Even on the eve of winning victory across the whole country, Comrade Mao Zedong insisted that the Long March had not ended. In March 1949, when he was about to enter Beiping, he solemnly admonished the whole Party: "Winning victory across the whole country is only the first step in a Long March of ten thousand li."
Why is the Long March eternal? Because the Long March itself is an indispensable passage through which the Party and the people connect with the future, advance toward the future, and create the future. It is a history that is breathtaking, magnificent, a matter of life and death, and full of suffering and glory, concerning the Party and the Red Army and concerning the fate of China. Under the Party's leadership, relying on the struggles of countless heroes who staked their lives, faced death, and sought survival from desperate straits, one could pass through this passage and march toward victory. Therefore, Comrade Mao Zedong said in "Snow — to the tune of Qinyuanchun," "Count the great figures of the age, and look to the present." In the final analysis, this is the distinctive feature of the Party, the Red Army, and the Chinese revolution — in essence, it is the struggle, sacrifice, and advance that overcomes all difficulties, and this undoubtedly has eternal value.
The Long March is even more a spiritual passage. The Communists and Red Army soldiers on the Long March road were a group of outstanding figures of the era who, after establishing their faith, made revolution for the sake of truth. When there is faith in the heart, there is light in the world, strength in the legs, and a road under the feet; one will walk out of desperate straits and toward victory. On the 25,000-li journey of the First Front Army of the Red Army, on average one Red Army soldier sacrificed his life every 300 meters. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "It was precisely because the Red Army was a revolutionary army with ideals and convictions that it could face death unflinchingly, advance courageously despite death, press forward with indomitable spirit, and be reborn from desperate straits, bursting forth with the heroic spirit of not being overwhelmed by any enemy but overwhelming all enemies. Why was it that the Chinese revolution succeeded when others thought it could not possibly succeed? The secret of that success lies precisely here." The great Long March spirit, like a blazing torch, illuminated the road ahead, illuminated the sky of history, and moved the thoughts, spirits, and emotions of generation after generation. In 1984, American journalist Harrison Salisbury came to China and retraced the Long March road by jeep, sedan, and minibus. His conclusion was: "The Long March is unparalleled in the world. The heroic spirit it displayed inspired a nation of 1.1 billion people, causing China to advance toward a future that no one could predict."
What Does the Long March Tell the Future?
Hold a heart of certain faith. Among the revolutionary predecessors on the Long March road — Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Liu Shaoqi, Zhu De, Ren Bishi, Deng Xiaoping, Chen Yun, Zhang Wentian, Wang Jiaxiang, Lin Boqu, Li Fuchun, and others — more than 50 had studied abroad in the Soviet Union, Europe, Japan, and the United States. They had lived in high-rise buildings, Western-style mansions, and villas, and had strolled along the banks of the Seine, in Moscow's Red Square, in Beijing's Beihai Park, and along Shanghai's bustling foreign concessions. Yet on the Long March road, what they often stayed in were dilapidated farmhouses, thatched huts in the woods, cave dwellings in the mountains, makeshift grass shelters, tarpaulin tents, and small huts plastered with cow dung — sometimes even simply sleeping in the open with the sky as a quilt and the earth as a bed. For the light of the ideal in their hearts, to practice their own choice, they kissed the earth, measured the rivers and mountains with their bodies, and transformed the rivers and mountains with their faith. History moves ever forward. At present, we are closer to the goal of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation than at any time in history; at the same time, we must clearly recognize that there is no smooth broad road to the realization of the great goal. On the Long March road of the new era, there are still many "snowy mountains" and "grasslands" to cross, and many "Loushan Passes" and "Lazikou Passes" to conquer. To walk well the Long March road of the new era, we must carry forward the great Long March spirit, firmly hold to ideals and convictions, and regardless of how the times change or how conditions change, remain as unshakable as a mountain in wind and rain, illuminating the road of struggle with the light of ideals and creating a better future with the power of faith.
Uphold a principle that must be observed. The Long March 90 years ago tells people that truth can only be tested and established through practice. Only that lamp in the darkness can be called light; only light that dispels the mist on the road can illuminate truth; only that which people can see and which can lead people to embrace the future is truth. The victory of the Long March proved that only by combining the basic principles of Marxism-Leninism with the concrete realities of the Chinese revolution and independently resolving the major issues of the Chinese revolution could the revolutionary cause be led to victory. To walk well the Long March road of the new era, understanding truth, mastering truth, and upholding truth are the ideological premise. We must unswervingly use Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to consolidate the soul and strengthen the heart, persist in learning with faith, learning with thought, and learning with action, and transform the results of study into a powerful driving force for comprehensively advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese modernization.
Walk a road that must be taken. The victory of the Long March was the victory of direction and of the road. The process of the Long March not only crossed vast distances and many obstacles (千山万水, qian shan wan shui - "thousand, mountains, ten thousand, waters") but also crossed the erroneous ideological obstacle of treating Marxism as an immutable dogma. Under Wang Ming's "Left" dogmatism, the Red Army's fifth counter-"encirclement and suppression" campaign failed, "the White areas lost 100 percent, and the Soviet areas lost 90 percent," and the Chinese revolution reached a critical juncture of life and death. In sharp contrast, it was precisely under the leadership of the correct Marxist line, with Comrade Mao Zedong as its principal representative, that our Party found the correct road and was able to overcome one difficulty after another and step by step lead the Chinese revolution to victory. History and reality prove that direction determines the road, and the road determines destiny. Socialism with Chinese characteristics is the road that must be taken to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and it is the road that must be taken to guide the Chinese people in creating their own better life. To walk well the Long March road of the new era, we must strengthen confidence in the road, and at the same time, in accordance with actual conditions, proceed from reality in everything, continuously make new discoveries, new inventions, new creations, and new advances, so that socialism with Chinese characteristics will forever be full of vigorous vitality.
Forge an army certain of victory. The bloody battle at the Xiang River, the four crossings of the Chishui River, the skillful crossing of the Jinsha River, the forced crossing of the Dadu River, the flying capture of Luding Bridge, the fierce battle at Dushu Town, the courageous capture of Baozuo, the mobile warfare in the Wumeng Mountains... Under the Party's leadership, the Red Army, uniting all people with a single purpose (万众一心, wan zhong yi xin - "ten thousand, masses, one, heart"), was brave and fearless, displaying indestructible strength. As Comrade Mao Zedong pointed out: "Who made the Long March victorious? It was the Communist Party. Without the Communist Party, such a Long March would have been inconceivable. The Communist Party of China, its leading organs, its cadres, and its Party members are not afraid of any hardship or difficulty." To walk well the Long March road of the new era, we must uphold the Party's overall leadership and the centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee, persevere in advancing full and rigorous self-governance of the Party, advance the great new project of Party building in the new era, continuously strengthen the Party's political leadership, ideological guidance, mass organization, and social appeal, and ensure that the Party always remains the strong leading core in the historical process of upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era.
Why is the Long March eternal? Because the powerful, stirring force that the Long March burst forth with transcends time and space and transcends nations — the Long March is a great epic of humanity's unremitting efforts to pursue truth and light. The development of history, the progress of civilization, and the growth of the spirit are forever on the road. The great Long March spirit, forged by Chinese Communists and Red Army officers and soldiers with their lives and their blood, will never become outdated. Every generation has its own Long March road, and every generation must walk its own Long March road well with the Long March spirit.
Author's affiliation: Institute of Party History and Literature of the CPC Central Committee
Return to TopBy: 《求是》杂志评论员
Leveraging Strengths to Resolve the Contradiction of Strong Supply and Weak Demand
Qiushi Commentary
Resolving the contradiction of strong supply and weak demand is a key task in current economic work. Since the beginning of this year, under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, China has adhered to the strategic basis of expanding domestic demand, adopted comprehensive measures and sustained efforts, continuously enhanced the compatibility of supply and demand, steadily optimized the structure of supply and demand, and the economy has shown a development trend of new drivers of growth and improved structure. However, affected by various complex factors at home and abroad, the current domestic contradiction of strong supply and weak demand remains relatively pronounced, placing considerable pressure on economic operations. We must consciously unify our thinking and actions with the Party Central Committee's decisions and arrangements, strengthen confidence, face difficulties head-on (迎难而上, ying nan er shang - "face, difficulty, and, go up"), adopt more precise and more effective measures to strive to resolve the contradiction of strong supply and weak demand, promote a high-level dynamic balance between supply and demand, and ensure that China's economic operations remain within a reasonable range.
The dynamic balance between aggregate supply and aggregate demand is a basic condition for sustained and healthy economic development. But in reality, the balance between supply and demand always changes along with economic development. As a late-developing country, for a long time insufficient supply was a principal contradiction troubling China's economic and social development, and changing the state of "backward social production" was the main task of China's economic development. After decades of sustained struggle, China has built the world's largest and most complete industrial system and grown into a super-large-scale economy with a gross domestic product exceeding 140 trillion yuan. In recent years, compared with the pace of expansion of the supply system, affected by various cyclical, structural, and institutional factors, the pace of expansion of effective domestic demand has generally lagged relatively behind — this is the fundamental cause of the contradiction of strong supply and weak demand. We must understand this phenomenon comprehensively and objectively. We must both face the problems and challenges directly, and at the same time, all the more, see the demand advantages of the unique super-large-scale market and the supply advantages of a complete industrial support system formed after China's development level has leaped upward, and see that the current contradiction of strong supply and weak demand is a contradiction in development and a problem in progress. As China's economic transformation and upgrading accelerates and its development model shifts, the advantages inherent in the supply side and the demand side will surely become even more prominent, and we fully possess the favorable conditions and internal support to resolve the contradiction of strong supply and weak demand.
Viewed from consumption, the continuously upgrading consumption structure will drive the domestic large market to grow increasingly strong. China has a population of more than 1.4 billion and the world's largest middle-income group, is the world's second-largest consumer market, and the strong domestic market is a unique advantage. International experience shows that after a country's per capita gross domestic product exceeds US$10,000, the consumption structure of its residents accelerates its upgrading, the share of spending on physical goods declines, and the share of spending on services rises. In 2025, China's per capita gross domestic product exceeded US$13,000, and residents' consumption is no longer merely satisfied with "rigid needs"; development-oriented and enjoyment-oriented discretionary consumption is in the stage of popularization and upgrading. Since the beginning of this year, China's service consumption, experience consumption, and holiday consumption have shown a splendid array of highlights, demonstrating the enormous potential contained in consumption upgrading. The current relatively low resident consumption rate and the not-high share of service consumption are stage-specific phenomena, and do not mean that the people's living standards are low. China's physical goods consumption ranks first in the world, and the per capita annual consumption of some industrial products has already approached the level of developed countries. In fact, this phenomenon is, to a certain extent, precisely a manifestation of changes in the consumption structure. It can be anticipated that, as the people's diverse demands for a high-quality life continue to grow, and the consumption potential, especially the service consumption potential, continues to be released, this will surely drive the continuous expansion and upgrading of the domestic market and promote the raising of the resident consumption rate and the share of service consumption.
Viewed from investment, the enormous investment potential and space will continue to play a key role in the growth of domestic demand. The slowdown in the growth rate of investment is a concrete manifestation of the current contradiction of strong supply and weak demand, and has triggered social concerns about the space for investment growth. Some views hold that China's infrastructure and real estate, having undergone decades of rapid expansion, have seen "everything that should have been invested in already invested in" in traditional fields, and that investment has already become saturated. This is clearly a one-sided understanding. Viewed dynamically, China is in the stage of rapid modernization development, the per capita capital stock is relatively low, and there are still many shortcomings in fields such as water conservancy, energy, municipal facilities, and new-type infrastructure, and the potential for investment growth remains enormous. Coordinately advancing new-type urbanization and comprehensive rural revitalization, promoting integrated urban-rural development, implementing urban renewal, the construction and renovation of underground pipeline networks, and promoting the gradual resolution of the issue of non-registered resident populations enjoying basic public services in cities and towns — all of these also require increased investment in infrastructure and public services. At the same time, the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries has a strong demand for investment, and emerging industries and future industries will also continuously give rise to new investment growth points. According to estimates, this year investment in the "six networks" and key fields will exceed 7 trillion yuan. Looking toward the 15th Five-Year Plan, the broad investment space will drive the continuous expansion of domestic demand.
Viewed from supply, the advantages of the strong supply system will drive the supply-demand structure to become more compatible. The current contradiction of strong supply and weak demand in China's economic operations involves both the problem of aggregate imbalance and the problem that structural incompatibility leads to insufficient tapping of effective demand and inadequate release of it. With the high-quality development of the economy and society, it is inevitable that the supply system shifts from "whether it exists" to "whether it is good," but this cannot be achieved in one step (一蹴而就, yi cu er jiu - "one, kick, and, achieve"). The mismatch between the supply structure and the demand structure of some products and services, and the coexistence of excess supply at the mid-to-low end and shortage of quality supply, are objective development processes that must be experienced. At the same time, we should all the more see that China is the only country in the world possessing all industrial categories in the United Nations industrial classification, and its scientific and technological innovation capabilities and industrial innovation capabilities continue to improve, and it is gradually forming a modern industrial system that is complete in system, fully supported, and efficient in coordination. Added to this is the hardworking and able to endure hardship (吃苦耐劳, chi ku nai lao - "eat, bitterness, endure, toil") entrepreneurial spirit of the Chinese people and the innovative spirit of Chinese entrepreneurs, and the advantages of China's supply system are very pronounced, possessing the strong capability to provide support for continuously upgrading social demand.
Viewed from macroeconomic governance, as the national governance system matures day by day and national governance capacity continuously strengthens, China's experience in economic governance is increasingly rich, and its ability to steer economic operations has improved significantly. At present, China's macro-policy toolbox is abundant, and the space for cross-cyclical and counter-cyclical adjustment remains relatively large. In particular, China has the institutional advantages of socialism with Chinese characteristics, is able to assess the situation, formulate and implement various policies in accordance with the times, mobilize high-quality resources from all sides to organize and implement major strategies, major projects, and major programs, effectively prevent and handle major risks, and play a leading and driving role in economic and social development.
Facts show that we fully have the foundation, the conditions, and the capability to resolve the contradiction of strong supply and weak demand and achieve benign interaction and mutual promotion between supply and demand at a higher level. We must view the current situation dialectically, accurately grasp the laws of change in the supply-demand relationship, fully tap economic potential, make full and good use of development advantages, continuously improve supply-demand compatibility, and promote the economy's sustained development toward new, better, and improved directions. On the one hand, we must base ourselves on the present, adhere to the close integration of investing in things and investing in people, accelerate the implementation of major projects under the 15th Five-Year Plan, deeply implement the special action to boost consumption, and fully release the potential of domestic demand. On the other hand, we must focus on the long term, further comprehensively deepen reform and opening up, improve the institutional mechanisms supporting comprehensive innovation, accelerate the building of a high-level socialist market economy system, promote the formation of more economic development models led by domestic demand, driven by consumption, and generated endogenously, and provide strong momentum for sustained and healthy economic development.
Return to TopBy: 潘功胜
Deeply Understanding the Transformation of China's Financial Structure and Enhancing the Adaptability of Financial Services to the Real Economy
Pan Gongsheng
Finance is the lifeblood of the national economy. Whether the lifeblood flows smoothly depends not only on aggregate volume, but even more on structure. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out that a reasonable and healthy financial structure is the prerequisite for the sustained and sound development of finance and its effective service to the real economy. In recent years, China's economic operations have been generally stable, moving toward innovation and improvement, and high-quality development has continuously achieved new results. The financial structure has also undergone profound changes in this process. At the same time, it must be recognized that with the shift between old and new drivers of economic growth and the deepening advancement of industrial structure transformation, optimizing the financial structure and improving the quality and efficiency of financial services face new and higher requirements. To do the economic and financial work well for the current period and the period ahead, it is necessary to deeply understand the internal logic of the transformation of China's financial structure, dynamically optimize and adjust the monetary policy framework, continue to build and develop a modern financial market system, and further enhance the adaptability of financial services to the real economy.
I. China's Financial Structure Is Undergoing Profound Changes
The financial structure can be measured from multiple dimensions, of which the financing structure is the most important. For a long time, China's financing structure has been dominated by bank loans, and the scale of the financial market has been relatively small. In recent years, the share of indirect financing, with bank loans as the main body, has continued to decline, while the share of direct financing, including bonds and stocks, has been advancing steadily (稳步推进, wen bu tui jin - "steady, step, push forward"). The financial structure is undergoing profound changes.
From the perspective of incremental volume, the combined increment of bond and stock financing has already exceeded that of loans. Before 2013, the share of new indirect financing in the increment of aggregate social financing in China was above 80%, consisting basically entirely of loans. In 2025, the increment of aggregate social financing was 35.6 trillion yuan, of which the combined share of corporate bonds, government bonds, and stock financing was approximately 47%, exceeding loans for the first time. In the past few years, under the proactive fiscal policy, net financing of government bonds increased, special bonds were used to replace implicit debt, and banks stepped up the write-off of non-performing loans, which raised the share of bonds and lowered the share of loans. Even excluding these factors, the change in China's financing structure is significant. From the perspective of corporate financing, the ratio of the increment of corporate bond financing to the increment of loans in the same period rose from 7% in 2023 to nearly 20% in the first half of 2026.
From the perspective of stock volume, the share of direct financing has steadily risen to about one-third. In the early stage of building a modern financial market system in the 1990s, the share of indirect financing in the stock of aggregate social financing was close to 100%. With the sustained and stable development of the financial market, by the end of June 2026, the share of the balance of indirect financing in the stock of aggregate social financing had fallen to about two-thirds, and the share of the loan balance had fallen to about 60%; the share of the balance of direct financing had risen to about one-third, and the share of bond financing had risen to about 30%. China's financing structure has already shifted from being dominated by indirect financing to developing in a coordinated manner (协同发展, xie tong fa zhan - "coordinate, develop") between direct financing and indirect financing.
From the perspective of fund allocation, financial resources are flowing more toward key areas and weak links. In the past 10 years, the share of new loans to real estate and infrastructure construction in all loans has fallen from over 60% to about 10%, while the share of new loans in the "five major articles" of finance has risen to over 70%. In the past few years, the growth rate of loans to technology-based small and medium-sized enterprises has remained at about 20%, the average annual growth rate of inclusive loans to small and micro businesses has been about 20%, and green loans and loans to the elderly care industry have both maintained double-digit growth, all significantly higher than the growth rate of all loans. The shift in the direction of credit funds indicates that financial resources are increasingly concentrating in key areas such as scientific and technological innovation, green development, and small, medium, and micro enterprises. This structural change may not necessarily be reflected in the increment of loans, but it can improve the efficiency of fund utilization and inject new momentum into high-quality economic development.
From the perspective of the financial market, market forms have become richer, and the depth and breadth have been steadily enhanced. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, China's financial market has gradually developed from one mainly based on the credit market into a modern financial market system in which various financial sub-markets, including stocks, bonds, money, gold, bills, commodities, and derivatives, are flourishing and developing rapidly (蓬勃发展, peng bo fa zhan - "lush, vigorous, develop"), with sound functions and complete categories. The financing channels of the real economy have become more diversified. In the stock market, there are currently more than 5,500 A-share listed companies, with a total market value exceeding 110 trillion yuan, ranking second in the world. Among them, there are more than 2,000 "specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative" enterprises. In the bond market, when the interbank bond market was established in 1997, the balance was less than 500 billion yuan; at present, the total scale has exceeded 200 trillion yuan, firmly ranking second in the world. Since the "technology board" of the bond market was launched more than a year ago, a cumulative total of about 3 trillion yuan of science and technology innovation bonds has been issued, becoming an important source of medium- and long-term funds for technology-based enterprises.
II. The Internal Logic of the Transformation of China's Financial Structure
Financial development is closely related to the stage of economic development. The history of financial development in countries around the world shows that, as the economic structure evolves, financial activities shift from focusing on aggregate expansion to structural optimization, and the financial structure shifts from singular to diversified. The transformation of China's financial structure is both a concrete manifestation of this universal law and has its own development logic and stage characteristics, which need to be understood and grasped in light of the reality of China's economic transformation.
First, the transformation of China's financial structure fundamentally reflects the dynamic evolution of the stage of economic development and the shift between old and new drivers of economic growth.
In the past, the relatively rapid growth of China's financial aggregates was mainly related to the monetization process of the economy and the relatively large monetary demand brought by rapid growth. Since the reform and opening up, China has shifted from the previous distribution mainly in kind to distribution in money. More and more commodities and housing are priced in money, transactions are conducted with money as the medium, financing demand has also increased rapidly, and financial aggregates have grown relatively quickly. At present, China's economy has shifted from the stage of rapid growth to the stage of high-quality development, the monetization process has basically ended, and finance's service to the economy is more reflected in structural optimization and improved adaptability than in the continuous expansion of macro financial aggregates. From the mathematical relationship of aggregates, the growth rate is the ratio of the increment to the entire stock. The numerator is the current increment, and the denominator is the entire stock. At present, the stock of aggregate social financing in China exceeds 460 trillion yuan, the balance of broad money exceeds 350 trillion yuan, and the balance of loans exceeds 280 trillion yuan. The scale of macro financial aggregates is already very large. With the expansion of the stock, a decline in the growth rate of financial aggregates is also natural, which is consistent with the shift in the stage of China's economic development.
The slowdown in the growth of financial aggregates is conducive to maintaining the basic stability of the macro leverage ratio. In the past few years, China's macro leverage ratio has risen relatively quickly. On the one hand, macro policy has strengthened counter-cyclical adjustment to promote stable economic growth, and financial aggregates and debt growth are two sides of the same coin, pushing up the scale of debt; on the other hand, prices have been at a low level, dragging down the nominal economic growth rate. The financing market has shifted from supply constraints to demand constraints, effective financing demand can be fully satisfied, and social financing conditions remain relatively loose. In this regard, it is necessary to balance the relationship between the short term and the long term, avoid financial aggregate growth exceeding the needs of the real economy, causing idle circulation and accumulation of funds, further pushing up the macro leverage ratio, making it difficult for backward production capacity and inefficient enterprises to be cleared out, and affecting economic efficiency.
The slowdown in loan growth with improved quality may become one of the new normal features of macro operations. Among the current loan balance of more than 280 trillion yuan, the share of loans to real estate and local government financing platforms is still relatively large, and these areas are not only no longer growing but are actually declining. From 2025 to the first half of 2026, the balance of real estate loans declined by a cumulative total of more than 2 trillion yuan. Loans in other areas must first fill this declining portion before aggregate growth can be achieved. With the transformation of the economic structure and changes in the credit structure, the credit growth needed by the real economy is also changing. It is very difficult and also unnecessary for all credit to maintain the past growth rate. For supporting economic growth, revitalizing inefficient existing loans and new loans are essentially of the same significance.
Second, the transformation of China's financial structure reflects the dynamic adaptation of the financial system to the transformation and upgrading of the industrial structure.
In the past period, China's economic growth was mainly driven by real estate, infrastructure construction, and traditional manufacturing, showing financing-intensive characteristics. These industries have large investment scales, long construction cycles, and abundant collateral such as land and real estate, and have strong demand for medium- and long-term loans, making them more suited to a bank-dominated financial system structure. Banks have advantages in providing funds to traditional industries with mature technology and sufficient collateral. According to estimates, the ratio of the balance of medium- and long-term loans to the industry value added in various traditional sectors is greater than 1, with real estate and transportation at 1.7 and 3.3 respectively, which means that more credit needs to be invested to create every 1 yuan of value added.
In recent years, emerging industries such as scientific and technological innovation, high-end manufacturing, and green and low-carbon development have been flourishing and developing rapidly, and the industrial structure is shifting from traditional factor-intensive to technology-intensive, with financing demand becoming more "light-asset." In the first half of 2026, new drivers of growth represented by high-end manufacturing and others contributed more than 40% to economic growth. These industries have the characteristics of large R&D investment, high risk and uncertainty, and long investment cycles, and the form of enterprise assets has also shifted from land, factories, and equipment more toward technology, data, brands, and human capital. Light-asset industries generally correspond to low leverage, and the bank loans required per unit of economic growth are relatively small. According to estimates, the ratio of the balance of medium- and long-term loans to the industry value added in new driver areas is generally lower than 1, with the information services industry at only about 0.1, far lower than traditional industries.
At present, scientific and technological innovation activities are complex and diverse, and are more suited to a diversified financing structure. Technology-based enterprises generally go through different stages such as the seed stage, start-up stage, growth stage, and maturity stage, and the risk characteristics and financial needs at each stage are very different, requiring adaptation to a rich and diverse financial market and financial ecosystem. In the early stage of growth, technology-based enterprises are mainly engaged in early-stage R&D, and the commercial prospects are unclear; private equity and venture capital are very important fund providers. In the middle and later stages, as the business model gradually matures, they can finance through multiple channels such as bank loans, bonds, and equity. The financial market has advantages in providing financing to innovative industries at the technological frontier with high risk and high returns, bringing about a benign substitution and diversion of loans. This change will also become the norm, and the intensity of financial support for the real economy cannot simply be measured by credit growth.
Third, the transformation of China's financial structure is an inevitable requirement for the high-quality development of the financial industry itself.
From the perspective of the development of the financial industry itself, it also needs transformation and high-quality development to enhance its adaptability to the transformation of the economic structure. Since the reform and opening up, China has undergone relatively large-scale financial risk governance, with reasons including both economic system reform and economic structure transformation, as well as reasons related to the inadaptability of the financial structure and financial governance. For example, starting in the 1980s, China shifted from a planned economy to a market economy, a large number of enterprises went bankrupt, restructured, and merged, and the large state-owned banks accumulated non-performing assets. The state-owned banks' own systems also lagged behind the needs of the real economy, further exacerbating the pressure of non-performing assets. Against this background, the central government launched a state-owned bank reform that lasted more than a decade. As another example, after the 2008 international financial crisis, local government debt continued to expand, and economic growth relied relatively heavily on real estate, causing financial resources to concentrate in areas such as real estate and financing platforms, which to a certain extent constrained economic structural adjustment. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the central government has deepened financial system reform with the adjustment and optimization of the financial system structure as the focus, resolutely fought the tough battle of preventing and defusing major risks, financial risks have continued to converge, and the quality and efficiency of financial services for high-quality economic development have continued to improve.
When measuring a country's financial competitiveness and the influence of an international financial center, the scale of traditional financial institutions is certainly an important indicator, but the degree of development of the financial market, its radiation capacity, and the richness of its business forms are even more important. Against the background of economic structure transformation, accelerating the development of the financial market is also an inevitable requirement for the transformation and high-quality development of the financial industry itself. Countries have different historical paths, bank-enterprise relationships, and legal systems, and there is no unified model for financial structure. In the coming period, China's banking system will still account for a relatively large share, but with the transformation of the economic structure, more active economic innovation, and the rising complexity of economic activities, greater attention needs to be paid to the coordinated development of direct financing and indirect financing, improving the structure of the financial institution system, financial market system, and financial product system, and better leveraging the functions of the financial market.
III. Serving High-Quality Economic Development through the Continuous Optimization of the Financial Structure
During the period of the 15th Five-Year Plan, the environment for China's economic and financial development faces profound and complex changes. The recently issued "15th Five-Year Plan for Building a Strong Financial Nation" makes systematic arrangements for financial work in the current period and the period ahead. To implement the relevant arrangements, the People's Bank of China has formulated and issued the "People's Bank of China 15th Five-Year Plan for Reform and Development," and has also issued 9 action plans in related areas as supporting documents. It is necessary to follow the trend of the transformation of China's financial structure, continue to optimize the financial structure, promote the gradual transformation and optimization of the policy framework, make the financial system more adaptable to the profoundly changing economic and financial structure, and create a sound financial environment for high-quality economic development.
First, continue to advance the transformation of the monetary policy framework and build a scientific and sound monetary policy system.
Continuously optimize the intermediate variables of monetary policy, downplay attention to quantity targets, especially attention to the single channel of loans, and treat financial aggregates more as observational, reference, and expectation indicators. Pay more attention to the role of price-based regulation, and improve the market-based interest rate formation, regulation, and transmission mechanism. Improve the short-end interest rate regulation mechanism, further optimize and improve the policy interest rate and supporting institutional construction, and enhance the role of the central bank's policy interest rate. Improve the pricing of deposit and loan interest rates, and provide business entities with more choices of loan pricing benchmarks. Strengthen the implementation and supervision of interest rate policy, and continue to rectify "involution-style" competition and idle circulation of funds in the financial industry. Improve a credible, normalized, and institutionalized policy publicity and market communication mechanism, and do a good job of policy communication and expectation guidance in a professional and pragmatic manner.
Second, strengthen policy coordination and cooperation, and improve the quality and efficiency of financial services for key areas and weak links of the national economy.
Strengthen the overall coordination of the "five major articles" of finance, guide financial institutions to improve service capabilities, enrich financial products, strengthen information technology support, and optimize the allocation of financial resources. Accelerate the building of institutional mechanisms suited to scientific and technological innovation, explore the open sharing of information and the integrated application of data in the field of technology finance, and enhance the effectiveness of financial support for scientific and technological innovation. Optimize the design and management of structural monetary policy tools, adhere to focusing on key points, being reasonable and moderate, and advancing with progress and retreat, and use market-based methods to incentivize and guide financial institutions to optimize the direction of fund allocation. Strengthen policy coordination and cooperation, focus on directions such as financing guarantees and risk sharing, and amplify the effectiveness of policy incentives. Strengthen coordination with industrial policy, guide financial institutions to scientifically assess risks, implementing policies based on specific categories (分类施策, fen lei shi ce - "classify, implement, policy"), with support and control, and curb "involution-style" competition in some industries.
Third, focus on serving the needs of the transformation and upgrading of the economic structure, and continue to build a standardized, open, vibrant, and resilient modern financial market.
Build and develop a multi-category, multi-level financial market system, and further enrich the forms of the financial market. Develop the equity market and the "technology board" of the bond market. Develop China's wealth management market and support the healthy and orderly development of the asset management industry. Promote the interconnection and interoperability of financial market infrastructure, prudently develop interest rate and exchange rate derivatives, and promote the improvement of market liquidity and price formation. Strengthen the benchmark role of the government bond yield curve. Improve the legal system of the financial market, advance the optimization and improvement of systems for issuance and trading, registration and settlement, and taxation, maintain order in the financial market, and cultivate a sound market ecosystem. Advancing steadily the institutional opening up of the financial sector, and further enhance the internationalization level of China's financial market. Build and improve a multi-channel, wide-coverage cross-border payment system. Coordinate the development of the offshore renminbi market. Support Shanghai in enhancing its cross-border financial and offshore financial service capabilities. Consolidate Hong Kong's position as a hub for offshore renminbi business.
Fourth, improve a comprehensive macro-prudential management system, and further enhance the stability and resilience of the financial system.
At the macro level, grasp the dynamic balance between economic growth, economic structure adjustment, and financial risk prevention. Prudently resolve risks in key areas. Continue to do a good job of financial support for the resolution of debt risks of local government financing platforms. Prudently and orderly advance the resolution of risks in key regions and key institutions, and strictly enforce fiscal discipline, market discipline, and regulatory rules. Improve the financial stability guarantee system. Strengthen the monitoring, assessment, and early warning of systemic financial risks. Expand the central bank's macro-prudential and financial stability functions, enrich the toolbox of macro-prudential management, and maintain the stable operation of financial markets such as the stock market, bond market, and foreign exchange market.
Author: Secretary of the Party Committee and Governor of the People's Bank of China
Return to TopBy: 中共福建省委政策研究室
Drawing on the "Yiwu Development Experience" to Promote High-Quality Development of County Economies in Light of Local Conditions
Policy Research Office of the CPC Fujian Provincial Committee
When the counties are well governed, the world is at peace. Yiwu, located in the interior of central Zhejiang, has undergone more than 40 years of struggle since reform and opening up, developing from a poor and backward small agricultural county in the past into the world's largest distribution center for small commodities. This is a successful practice of developing the county economy in light of local conditions. During his work in Zhejiang, General Secretary Xi Jinping conducted research in Yiwu on 11 occasions and, in 2006, summarized and promoted the "Yiwu Development Experience." In April this year, General Secretary Xi Jinping issued important instructions on further summarizing and applying the "Yiwu Development Experience" well. Fujian should take the opportunity of learning from and drawing on the "Yiwu Development Experience" to promote high-quality development of the county economy in light of local conditions, better serve and integrate into the new development pattern, and make positive contributions to advancing the great cause of building a strong country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
I. The "Yiwu Development Experience" Is a Profound Summary of the Practice of China's County Economic Development and Has Important Contemporary Value for Promoting High-Quality Development of the County Economy
Being good at summing up experience is a fine tradition of the Communist Party of China. The "Yiwu Development Experience" is not only a profound grasp of the internal laws of Yiwu's commerce and trade from gestation to growth, from development to expansion, but also a deep reflection on deepening reform and opening up and exploring and improving the socialist market economy system, providing rich and vivid theoretical nourishment and practical demonstration for China's county economic development. Over the past 20 years, Yiwu has continuously explored a socialist development path with county characteristics while upholding fundamental principles and breaking new ground, achieving a transformation in its pattern from a local market to one linked to the world, a transformation in its path from a single market to industrial clusters, a transformation in its driving force from traditional commerce to digital trade, and a transformation in its governance from deregulation and power delegation reform to systematic and integrated reform, creating experience and practices in various fields that can be drawn upon for county economic development, and continuously endowing the "Yiwu Development Experience" with new connotations and contemporary characteristics. At present, the number of business entities in Yiwu's small commodities market has exceeded 1.26 million, with trade ties with more than 230 countries and regions. In 2025, Yiwu's import and export volume reached 836.5 billion yuan, ranking first among counties (cities, districts) nationwide.
The transformation from adhering to "prospering commerce to build the city" to building a "world supermarket" vividly demonstrates the strong vitality of the socialist market economy. Yiwu has a business tradition of "exchanging chicken feathers for sugar," which is a small commodity economy centered on the circulation of small commodities, with barter coexisting with low-value monetary transactions, shaping Yiwu's primary commodity circulation network. In the early 1980s, Yiwu took the lead in breaking through the planned economy mindset and liberalizing commercial management rights. Over more than 40 years, Yiwu has focused on the exchange link in social reproduction, established the leading position and engine role of trade, started from a specialized market, adopted a seated-merchant market institutional arrangement with large-scale centralized transactions, and formed a lasting development momentum of prospering the city through trade. At present, Yiwu's small commodities market has undergone multiple rounds of iterative development, bringing together 26 major categories and 2.1 million individual products. By creating a good market space, institutions, and rules, it has continuously enhanced the price discovery function, effectively improved circulation efficiency, and reduced transaction costs. The prosperity of Yiwu's commerce and trade is a vivid microcosm of the continuous deepening and improvement of China's economic system reform, demonstrating the vigorous vitality and abundant energy of the socialist market economy.
The transformation from promoting industrial linkage to building a modern industrial system fully reflects the development law of industry-led regional economy advancing through iterative upgrading. In its early days, Yiwu had a "market" but no "industry." With the development of exchange and the expansion of the market, small commodity production also developed accordingly. In response to the characteristics of small commodities, such as universality of demand, high frequency of updating, and high elasticity of supply, Yiwu, with small commodity circulation as the carrier, adhered to the "shop in front, factory in back" model, transmitting market demand in reverse to the production and manufacturing link, forming specialized, refined, and clustered supply capacity. At the same time, Yiwu leveraged its first-mover advantage in the market, improved its industrial system by implementing a new "trade-industry linkage" strategy, achieved an overall leap in the industrial system through the dual drive of advanced manufacturing and modern service industries, and formed a development pattern with commerce and trade leading, industry supporting, and the entire chain coordinating. When industry prospers, the economy prospers; when industry is strong, the economy is strong. Only by unswervingly building a modern industrial system, coordinating the development of traditional industries, emerging industries, and future industries, and continuously consolidating the foundation of the real economy can we promote making steady progress toward long-term success (行稳致远, xing wen zhi yuan - "walk, steady, reach, far") in county economic development.
The transformation from emphasizing urban-rural coordination to promoting urban-rural integrated development fully demonstrates the distinctive advantage of development achievements being shared by all and advancing toward common prosperity. Over the years, Yiwu has empowered urban-rural integrated development through the market, used the Thousand-Village Demonstration and Ten-Thousand-Village Improvement Project (千万工程) as the driving force to continuously narrow the "three major gaps," coordinated rural industrial revitalization, improvement of the living environment, and development of the collective economy, and created a modern version of the "Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains" painting. In 2025, collective operating income of administrative villages achieved "every village exceeding one million yuan," and as of the end of 2025, per capita disposable income of urban residents had ranked first among counties (cities, districts) nationwide for 19 consecutive years, with the income ratio between urban and rural residents narrowed to 1.76. The relationship between industry and agriculture and between urban and rural areas is a problem of overall and long-term significance in the modernization process. Yiwu's practical exploration of solving the problem of unbalanced urban-rural development and coordinating urban-rural functional layout and factor flows in the whole region provides a vivid footnote for promoting the sharing of development achievements by the people and solidly advancing common prosperity.
The transformation from promoting harmonious development to building a Safe Yiwu and a Beautiful Yiwu profoundly interprets the people-centered value orientation. In recent years, in response to the characteristics of a large number of migrant workers and foreign personnel and the diverse and complex social structure, Yiwu has led efficient governance with high-quality Party building, actively innovated social governance models, and achieved harmonious integration of people from different countries, ethnic groups, and cultural backgrounds. For example, it has built international communities, improved mechanisms for foreign-related services and management, established systems of foreign affairs specialists and foreign affairs liaison officers, with 38,000 foreign nationals putting down roots in Yiwu and more than 10,000 foreign-funded business entities. In the face of new challenges and risks in the Party's mass work under the new circumstances, Yiwu's practical exploration of grasping the interest demands of different groups and guiding various social forces to participate in social governance provides useful reference for doing a good job in the modernization of grassroots governance and enhancing economic and social resilience.
The transformation from rich cultural heritage to building a culturally strong city powerfully confirms the spiritual force of culture in nourishing regional economic development. As the mother county of central Zhejiang and the foundation of the eight Wu prefectures, Yiwu has formed a local cultural charm characterized by "revering learning, valuing martial arts, and being skilled in commerce," and has nurtured the unique "rattle drum culture" and the spiritual qualities of diligent farming and eager learning, uprightness and courage, and integrity and inclusiveness. Yiwu has implemented the New Era Yiwu Culture Project, cultivated a commercial culture with contemporary connotations, Yiwu characteristics, and the qualities of the modern market economy, promoted the construction of a credit system, demonstrated the broad and profound Chinese culture in opening up and exchanges with the outside world, and endowed excellent regional culture with modern power. In the process of Yiwu's development, cultural genes and economic development have been deeply integrated and mutually empowering, playing an important role in spiritual guidance and accumulating lasting development momentum for the county economy.
The transformation from striving for an active and effective Party and government to promoting the modernization of municipal governance clearly reveals the proper meaning of better playing the role of the government. Yiwu has firmly established the concept that "grasping the market is grasping development," adhered unwaveringly to "prospering commerce to build the city" at the planning level, removed institutional and mechanism obstacles to market development at the reform level, and promoted infrastructure renewal, improved market governance, and strengthened public services at the service level, making market forces the protagonists in the allocation of production factors and turning the market into "Yiwu's market" rather than "the Yiwu government's market," establishing a first-mover advantage in the global trade landscape. Scientific macro-regulation and effective government governance are inherent requirements for giving play to the advantages of the socialist market economy system. Always adhering to and strengthening the government's guiding and service functions for the development of the market economy and properly handling the relationship between vitality and order are the deep logic of stable and healthy economic and social development.
II. Comprehensively Grasping the Essence and Key Points of the "Yiwu Development Experience" and Continuously Deepening the Understanding of the Laws of County Economic Development
China's counties have significantly different resource endowments, which is not only the foundation for counties to seek economic development but also the confidence for differentiated competition. During his work in Fujian, General Secretary Xi Jinping went to Jinjiang seven times in six years to summarize and put forward the "Jinjiang Experience," clearly pointed out that "the distinctive path taken by Anxi County in developing its county economy has a certain typical significance," put forward the "Zherong Phenomenon" with regard to Zherong County's experience in developing industry, guided various places to explore effective development paths, and led the rapid development of Fujian's county economy. These county economic development experiences of appreciating the unique beauty of different things (各美其美, ge mei qi mei - "each, beautiful, its, beautiful") and with their own distinctive features are interconnected and mutually referential with the "Yiwu Development Experience," sharing the same development philosophy, the same development logic, and the same development laws, and still have important guiding significance today.
Adhere to small places, great achievements, and in development positioning, integrate into the overall situation and serve the overall interests. The county economy is not an isolated and closed "island economy," but an important component of building the national development strategy system and forming the unified national market nationwide. From responding to the national policy of invigorating the economy in the early days of reform and opening up, to supporting the construction of the national circulation system with market prosperity in the 1980s and 1990s, to assisting the implementation of the national opening-up strategy with open exploration in the new century, and to serving the construction of the new development pattern with digital transformation in the new era, Yiwu has always found its position and seized opportunities in national strategies, thereby achieving a leap in development. Jinjiang has implemented the Party's and the state's basic principles and policies on the development of the private economy, unswervingly developed the real economy, and achieved a historic leap from a backward and poor county to one of the "top ten counties (cities) in the country." Anxi has made good use of the "mountain-sea classic," expanded the "economic circle," and deepened the "overseas Chinese and Taiwan ties," becoming one of the top 100 counties in China in terms of comprehensive county economic strength through cross-regional open cooperation. Zherong has anchored its positioning of building the "Mindong Medicine City" and "China Slow City," forming national-name-brand titles such as "China's Hometown of Taizi Shen" and "China's Hometown of High-Mountain White Tea." These practices profoundly show that to promote county economic development, we must firmly establish the thinking of a unified, coordinated overall plan (一盘棋, yi pan qi - "one, board, chess") for the whole country, break out of regional parochial thinking, accurately identify our own comparative advantages and functional positioning, shoulder our responsibilities and missions in serving and safeguarding the overall work of the Party and the state, and achieve both glory for one region and added splendor for the whole.
Adhere to small specialties, great industries, and in the development path, act in light of local conditions and build a solid foundation through real industry. Each region's soil and water nurture its own products, and each region's specialties nurture its own industries. The comparative advantages of counties are the basis for developing the county economy, and comparative advantages must be reflected through the word "specialty" before they can be transformed into economic advantages. Yiwu has broken the inherent perception that "resource endowments determine the ceiling of development," focused on commodity trade as its main direction, given play to its unique advantage of a vast gathering of merchants from all over (万商云集, wan shang yun ji - "ten thousand, merchants, cloud, gather") and trading goods across the entire world (货通四海, huo tong si hai - "goods, pass through, four, seas"), built a trade network connecting the world, and step by step consolidated the industrial foundation and improved the development system. Jinjiang has been concentrating fully without distraction (心无旁骛, xin wu pang wu - "heart, no, side, distraction") in doing real business, focusing on a pair of shoes, a piece of clothing, a piece of paper, and a piece of candy, forming four industrial clusters each exceeding 40 billion yuan and one exceeding 400 billion yuan. Anxi has made its specialty economy shine, promoting the tea industry to become a wealth-generating industry of "from one tea to a hundred teas, from one leaf to a hundred industries." Zherong has cultivated emerging industries represented by biomedicine, accelerating the transformation from a poor and remote place to a health and wellness destination. These practices profoundly show that to promote county economic development, we must adhere to "one key opens one lock," develop industry where industry is suitable, agriculture where agriculture is suitable, commerce where commerce is suitable, and tourism where tourism is suitable, play the specialty card well, and take the differentiated path. Only in this way can we form a competitive advantage of "what others don't have, I have; what others have, I have better; what others have better, I have unique."
Adhere to small entry points, great articles, and in development momentum, be market-led and driven by reform and innovation. The miracle of Yiwu's development is a miracle of reform and innovation. In the mid-1990s, Yiwu innovated its market management mechanism, implemented the separation of management and operation, carried out the "categorization of trades and markets" in trading areas, and formed a small commodity market management system with Yiwu characteristics. As the country's first county-level comprehensive reform pilot for international trade, Yiwu boldly broke traditional general trade rules, pioneered the market procurement trade method, and established a new type of trade institutional system adapted to the characteristics of small commodity exports. Over more than 40 years, Yiwu has broken new ground through reform and empowered development through innovation. As of the end of 2025, it has undertaken 111 national-level innovation pilot tasks, and many major institutional innovation achievements have been replicated and promoted nationwide. Jinjiang, Anxi, Zherong, and other places have been daring to be a pioneer (敢为人先, gan wei ren xian - "dare, for, person, first") and striving to win through hard work, deepened institutional and mechanism innovation, accelerated the transformation of government functions, vigorously cultivated market organizations, continuously expanded various types of enterprise entities, stimulated the vitality of private economic development, and formed a powerful driving force for county economic development. These practices profoundly show that to promote county economic development, we must adhere to a market orientation, continue to remove development obstacles through deepening reform, and better stimulate market vitality, institutional vitality, and social creativity.
Adhere to small enterprises, great clusters, and in development entities, optimize the environment and develop together. Business entities are the foundation and lifeline of economic development, and a good business environment is the sunshine and rain that nourishes the growth of business entities. Yiwu has built a complete market supporting service system, reduced institutional transaction costs, and effectively attracted global buyers, business operators, and entrepreneurs. Yiwu's more than one million business entities are hailed as "a mighty army of ants," converging into a mighty force promoting commercial prosperity. Jinjiang, Anxi, Zherong, and other places have made optimizing the business environment a top priority, cultivating business entities throughout their entire life cycles, and creating a fertile business soil that attracts people from near and far. As of the end of 2025, Jinjiang had 355,600 business entities, ranking first among Fujian counties in total for many consecutive years. These practices profoundly show that to promote county economic development, we must adhere to and implement the "two unswervinglys," ensure that all forms of ownership economies use production factors equally, participate in market competition fairly, and receive equal legal protection, comprehensively build a new type of cordial and clean government-business relationship, let private enterprises dare to venture and dare to act and operate with peace of mind, and promote the healthy and high-quality development of the private economy.
Adhere to small radius, big world, and in development space, have an open mind and connect internally and externally. Looking at strong county economies such as Yiwu, Jinjiang, and Anxi, an important feature is their developed external economy. Yiwu is Yiwu of Zhejiang, but also Yiwu of China and Yiwu of the world. As the global pricing center, distribution center, and information center for small commodities, Yiwu focuses on smooth flow of goods, goods reaching the world, and data connecting the globe, accelerating the formation of a comprehensive logistics hub development system integrating land, sea, and air, combining rail, postal, and internet, connecting externally through the Yixin'ou (Yiwu-Xinjiang-Europe) railway and internally through the Yiyongzhou (Yiwu-Ningbo-Zhoushan) route, building the Yiwu Comprehensive Bonded Zone to a high standard, creating professional international exhibition platforms such as the China Yiwu International Commodities Fair, implementing the international branding layout of regional characteristic industries, improving the digital system for cross-border trade compliance governance, and continuously expanding the spatial and temporal boundaries of "buying globally, selling globally." Jinjiang, Anxi, Zherong, and other places are good at leveraging external forces, activating internal forces, and enhancing strength in the allocation of production factors, raising the level of openness, and achieving development by integrating into regional openness and even the global division of labor system. These practices profoundly show that to promote county economic development, we must break through the boundaries of the county economy, enhance the efficiency of factor allocation through the linkage effect of the two domestic and international markets and two types of resources, introduce competitive pressure, form development assistance, and inject external vitality through optimizing the opening-up layout.
III. Learning and Applying the "Yiwu Development Experience" Well and Striving to Promote High-Quality Development of Fujian's County Economy
The "Yiwu Development Experience" was conceived and formed in the practice of reform and opening up, and it will certainly continue to be enriched and developed on the new journey of the new era. The key to learning from and drawing on the "Yiwu Development Experience" while keeping pace with the times is to grasp the dialectical unity of universality and particularity, give play to Fujian's characteristic advantages, base ourselves on the main functional positioning of counties, coordinate the integrated development of prospering industry, strengthening the county, and enriching the people, and comprehensively enhance the overall strength of the county economy.
Properly handle the relationship between traditional industries and emerging industries, and accelerate the construction of a modern industrial system reflecting Fujian's characteristics. Industry is the lifeline and foundation of county development, and the basis and support for the comprehensive strength of counties. On the new journey, we must adhere to consolidating the foundation, focus on building the "555X" industrial clusters, optimize the layout of county industrial development, promote the deep integration of scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation, and make every effort to cultivate characteristic and advantageous industries. Strive to optimize the existing stock, optimize and upgrade traditional industries, deeply advance the "intelligent transformation, digital transformation, networked connectivity" of traditional industries, coordinate the digital and intelligent transformation of manufacturing, the large-scale application of new technologies, new products, and new scenarios, and the standardized construction of industrial parks, cultivate and promote a number of digital and intelligent transformation service providers and high-quality solutions, and promote traditional industries to "sprout new branches from old trees." Strive to expand the increment, take strengthening county key industrial chains as an important starting point, focus on sub-tracks of emerging industries, cultivate a number of specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative "little giant" enterprises and manufacturing single champion enterprises, cultivate and introduce leading enterprises with strong pulling power, guide upstream and downstream supporting enterprises in the industrial chain to gather and develop, and create more famous county industrial products. Strive to make the variable solid, establish mechanisms for identifying, dynamically adjusting, precisely cultivating, and rapidly applying future industries, explore multiple technology routes, typical application scenarios, and feasible business models, deepen and expand the "artificial intelligence+" action, and cultivate future tracks with development potential.
Properly handle the relationship between an effective government and an efficient market, and help build a high-level socialist market economy system. The market determining resource allocation is the general law of the market economy, and the market economy is essentially an economy in which the market determines resource allocation. On the new journey, we must handle the relationship between the government and the market well, better play the role of market mechanisms, take economic system reform as the driving force, and accelerate the creation of a first-class business environment. Focusing on deepening the strategy of building a strong province through the private economy in the new era, deepen comprehensive reform of the development environment for the private economy, improve the long-term mechanism for private enterprises to participate in the construction of major projects, improve the special work coordination mechanism for recommending projects to private capital, carry out special actions to regulate law enforcement involving enterprises, guide private enterprises to do a good job in intergenerational succession, and promote the overall optimization and systematic improvement of the development environment of the private economy. Focusing on improving the long-term mechanism for better integrating into the unified national market, strictly implement the "one national list" management model, deeply implement the efficient removal of market access barriers as "one thing," resolutely rectify "involution-style" competition, and find the right coordinates and seize the first opportunity in smoothing the domestic grand cycle. Focusing on accelerating the construction of a service-oriented government, deepen innovation in government service models, advance the construction of government efficiency in the new era, fully implement the "four grassroots levels" system, give play to the role of mechanisms such as leading cadres linking up with private enterprises and regular exchanges between enterprise-related departments, create a distinctive government service brand of "doing it right away," and build a better county business environment.
Properly handle the relationship between deepening reform and expanding opening up, and effectively stimulate the momentum and vitality of county economic development. The deeper the reform, the higher the requirements for the level of opening up; the higher the level of opening up, the greater the promoting effect on reform. On the new journey, we must continue to carry forward the pioneering and innovative spirit of daring to be a pioneer and striving to win through hard work, unswervingly "eat the rice of reform and take the road of opening up," and continuously open up new prospects for county reform and opening up. Focus on enhancing endogenous momentum. Implement the special reform of "one pilot per city, one feature per county," deepen the reform of empowering strong counties, consolidate and deepen the achievements of institutional reform in counties with small populations, develop new types of rural collective economy, explore new ways of allocating factors, and optimize factor guarantees for new business forms and new fields. Focus on expanding opening-up space. Promote innovative development of trade, strengthen the linkage between trade and industry, promote market diversification and the integration of domestic and foreign trade, innovatively develop digital trade, and expand new space for growth in foreign trade and foreign investment. Play the new "overseas Chinese card" of the new era well, adhere to attracting overseas Chinese with overseas Chinese, attracting foreigners with overseas Chinese, and attracting business with overseas Chinese, continue to do a good job in uniting overseas Chinese hearts, attracting overseas Chinese capital, gathering overseas Chinese wisdom, and pooling overseas Chinese strength, and promote the convergence of more high-end factors, global capital, and high-quality projects in Fujian.
Properly handle the relationship between cities and villages, and actively explore a path to common prosperity with regional characteristics. As two spatial and territorial carriers of economic and social development, cities and villages are an organic whole with interconnected bloodlines and connected territories. On the new journey, we must anchor on narrowing regional gaps and urban-rural differences, deeply grasp the relationship between mountains and seas, cities and villages, and set an example in promoting regional coordinated development and urban-rural integrated development. Shape the pattern of common prosperity through spatial integration. Strengthen the leading role of the Fuzhou metropolitan area and the Xiamen-Zhangzhou-Quanzhou metropolitan area, enhance the development capacity of coastal central cities, promote new urbanization with county towns as carriers, and strengthen the construction of central towns, market towns, and characteristic towns. Deepen the new era of mountain-sea collaboration, and improve the counterpart cooperation mechanisms at the city and county levels. Deeply implement the "Thousand Villages Demonstration and Leadership, Ten Thousand Villages Common Prosperity and Common Beauty" project, promote rural revitalization in a classified, orderly, and area-based manner, and build livable, workable, and beautiful villages. Stimulate the momentum of common prosperity through factor integration. Deepen the reform of the rural land system, and build a unified urban-rural construction land market. Improve support policies for strengthening agriculture, benefiting farmers, and enriching farmers, increase financial support for rural revitalization, and ensure that public finance tilts toward agriculture, rural areas, and farmers (三农) with greater intensity. Establish and improve mechanisms for urban-rural capital flow and technology and information sharing platforms. Break down barriers to the flow of talent between urban and rural areas, and promote the two-way flow of talent.
Return to TopBy: 求是杂志社经济编辑部、中国社会科学院工业经济研究所联合课题组
In-Depth Investigation
Survey of the New Energy System: Profound Transformation Under the Guidance of the New Energy Security Strategy
Joint Research Group of the Economic Editorial Department of Qiushi Magazine and the Institute of Industrial Economics of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
At the end of February 2026, Israel and the United States launched military strikes against Iran, and Iran immediately announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, affecting approximately one-quarter of global seaborne oil trade. Some economies highly dependent on oil and gas imports suffered severe shocks, while China, despite a sharp reduction in crude oil imports, maintained stable energy supply and effectively withstood the impact of external shocks on its economy. JPMorgan Chase analysis showed that China accounted for about three-quarters of the global reduction in crude oil imports from February to May. The New York Times of the United States, citing scholars' views, pointed out that China's reduction in oil imports was one of the most important reasons why international oil prices did not spiral out of control. Le Figaro of France commented that "this is the second time China has saved the global economy."
This global energy crisis is like a mirror, reflecting both the buffer space and substitution capacity provided by the new energy system under extreme circumstances, and revealing the far-sighted planning and responsibility of a major country embodied in China's promotion of energy strategic transformation. As early as 2014, General Secretary Xi Jinping creatively proposed the new energy security strategy of "four revolutions and one cooperation," providing guidance and setting the direction for energy strategic transformation. The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China clearly proposed accelerating the planning and construction of a new energy system, and the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee incorporated accelerating the construction of a new energy system into the 15th Five-Year Plan. Over more than 10 years, we have been advancing steadily and in an orderly manner (循序渐进, xun xu jian jin - "follow order, advance step by step") in promoting energy transformation, the energy security foundation for economic and social development has become more solid, and a green energy landscape covering wind, solar, hydro, nuclear, and storage with multi-energy complementarity has taken shape. Where is the new energy system "new"? Where are the "difficulties" in energy transformation and development? Where does the future development path lie? Around these questions, we conducted in-depth research.
I. Where the New Energy System Is "New"
The new energy system is a safe and efficient energy system with non-fossil energy as the main source of supply, fossil energy as the bottom-line guarantee, a new power system as the key support, and green, smart, and frugal energy use as the orientation. Its "newness" is reflected in the historic replacement of the primary energy source from fossil to non-fossil energy. Research found that China has built the world's largest and fastest-growing renewable energy system. In 2025, renewable energy power generation nationwide accounted for 38.5 percent of total social electricity consumption, meaning nearly 4 out of every 10 kilowatt-hours of electricity was green electricity. The profundity of this transformation lies not in the single-point substitution of a particular technology, nor in a simple "coal-to-oil-to-electricity switch," but in fundamentally changing the "unidirectional, passive, and rigid" pattern of the traditional energy system.
In terms of infrastructure, the shift is from "generation following load" to "coordination of generation, grid, load, and storage." General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized building a new power system. The key to building a new power system is realizing the transformation from "generation following load" to "coordination of generation, grid, load, and storage." The traditional power system is like a one-way river: how much is generated, how much is transmitted, and how much is consumed proceed in sequence. After large-scale grid integration of wind and solar power, the generation side has changed from a controllable, determinate quantity to a random, fluctuating quantity, driving power sources, the grid, loads, and storage from each managing its own segment toward flexible interaction and intelligent dispatch. Compared with the traditional power system, the characteristics of the new power system are very obvious. First, the backbone grid is stronger. By 2025, the country had cumulatively completed and put into operation "24 UHV DC and 21 UHV AC" transmission channels, with the total length of transmission lines at 220 kV and above exceeding 1 million kilometers, and the "west-to-east power transmission" and "north-to-south power supply" corridors becoming increasingly dense. Second, the distribution grid is smarter. Intelligent transformation of the distribution grid has made every rooftop photovoltaic panel and every charging pile a perceivable and dispatchable node, and virtual power plants aggregate dispersed air conditioners, charging piles, and storage into "invisible power plants." Third, storage regulation is more flexible. Pumped-storage hydropower installed capacity has ranked first in the world for 10 consecutive years, and storage is upgrading from the system's "power bank" to the grid's "stabilizer" and "regulating valve."
In terms of security assurance, the shift is from "fossil-fuel dominance" to "diversified complementarity." Ensuring energy security cannot focus only on static indicators such as self-sufficiency rates, but must also examine whether the system can withstand extreme shocks and recover quickly. This determines that the new energy system is an energy structure gradually established on the basis of the traditional energy system, with non-fossil energy as the main source of supply and fossil energy as the bottom-line guarantee. By the end of 2025, the country's total installed power generation capacity was approximately 3.89 billion kilowatts, with non-fossil energy installed capacity accounting for over 60 percent, and wind and solar installed capacity historically surpassing thermal power. Coal output remained stable at 4.85 billion tons, and coal power, as the "ballast stone," provides dispatchable, certain support, forming an effective complement to new energy that "depends on the weather." China maintains around 40 sources of crude oil imports, and the three overland pipelines of China-Russia, China-Kazakhstan, and China-Myanmar, together with maritime channels, constitute an import pattern of land and sea advancing in parallel with diversified complementarity.
In terms of the consumption system, the shift is from "passively curtailing load" to "resource-izing the demand side." In the past, demand-side management focused on curtailing load and shifting peak electricity use; now the demand side is "operated" as a strategic resource that can be optimally allocated. During our research at the Shenzhen vehicle-to-grid demonstration station, we learned that over 5 days, more than 2,500 vehicle trips citywide participated in reverse discharging, with total discharge exceeding 70,000 kilowatt-hours, and vehicle owners went from paying electricity bills to earning electricity income. On-site technical staff told us, "Every electric vehicle is a mobile power bank; aggregated together they form a virtual power plant." User-side resources such as distributed photovoltaics and electric vehicles are driving energy consumers to transform into "prosumers." Data from the National Energy Administration show that in 2025, electricity consumption by computing infrastructure facilities in China reached 170 billion kilowatt-hours, a year-on-year increase of about 30 percent. Through computing-power-electricity coordination that lets computing follow electricity prices, such flexible loads can transform from "electricity tigers" into adjustable resources for peak shaving and valley filling.
In terms of scientific and technological innovation, the shift is from "following" to "running alongside" and "leading." During our research in Dongying, Shandong, we saw a 26-megawatt-class offshore wind turbine, designed and manufactured entirely with domestic technology, standing tall and majestic (巍然矗立, wei ran chu li - "towering, standing majestically"), with a hub center height equivalent to a residential building of more than 50 stories, a rotor diameter exceeding 310 meters, and a swept area larger than 10.5 standard football fields. The driving force of energy development is shifting from "what lies underground" to "what capabilities we possess," from resource endowment to technological capability. The 300-megawatt-class F-class heavy-duty gas turbine has rolled off the assembly line, breaking the long-standing situation of being constrained by others; Kuqa in Xinjiang has built the country's first large-scale solar direct green hydrogen production project, with an annual green hydrogen output of up to 20,000 tons; hydropower stations such as Baihetan have formed the world's largest clean energy corridor; and the world's first hundred-billion-parameter large model for the power generation industry, "Qingyuan," has been released, leveraging artificial intelligence technology to advance computing-power-electricity coordination and direct green electricity connection, accelerating the two-way cycle of energy supporting computing and computing feeding back into the grid.
In terms of the governance system, the shift is from "planned control" to "market-driven." A comrade from a local energy bureau candidly said, "In the past, managing energy mainly meant managing power plants and managing quotas; now, faced with rooftop photovoltaics in millions of households and massive numbers of charging piles, issuing documents alone simply cannot manage it all." Traditional energy is extracted at fixed points and dispatched in a unified manner, making management relatively simple, whereas new energy is scattered across many points and sites—every household roof can generate electricity, and wind turbines everywhere can connect to the grid. Capital, technology, land, labor, and other factors need to flow efficiently over a larger scope, which places new demands on governance mechanisms. The Energy Law of the People's Republic of China and industry standards for green hydrogen, green ammonia, and green methanol have been successively promulgated, continuously consolidating the foundation of the rule of law. Reform of the electricity market has accelerated. In 2025, electricity traded on the national power market accounted for 64 percent of total social electricity consumption, provincial spot electricity markets have basically achieved full coverage, and price signals have begun to genuinely guide the flow of resources. The national unified electricity market and the carbon market are accelerating their coordination, the transmission chain linking green electricity, green certificates, and carbon accounting is gradually being opened up, and the competitive advantage of clean energy is shifting from policy subsidy-driven to market revenue-driven.
In terms of international cooperation, the shift is from "accepting rules" to "participating in rule-making." In recent years, China's international energy cooperation has advanced simultaneously on two levels: capacity cooperation and rule-building. On the one hand, since 2020, several hundred projects have been implemented under the Belt and Road Initiative green energy cooperation, and landmark projects such as the Buka photovoltaic project in Uzbekistan and the MAS and AHK2 large-scale photovoltaic projects in Saudi Arabia have commenced construction one after another. What China exports is not only equipment and technology, but also system solutions and construction and operation standards. On the other hand, China has released important product standards for green hydrogen, green ammonia, and green methanol, and has cumulatively initiated a batch of International Electrotechnical Commission standards in areas such as new energy grid integration and UHV. From product export to standard export, from project cooperation to rule co-building, China is moving from a rule acceptor to a rule participant, and in some areas has become a rule contributor.
II. Where the "Difficulties" of Energy Transformation and Development Lie
Over more than 10 years, under the guidance of the new energy security strategy, China's energy transformation and development have taken historic steps. From accelerating the construction of large-scale new energy bases in the Gobi, deserts, and other arid regions, to opening up green transmission corridors such as "Ningxia power to Hunan," "Gansu power to Zhejiang," and "Tibet-Guangdong DC"; from accelerating the construction of a national unified electricity market system, to innovatively developing new business forms such as direct green electricity connection and smart microgrids—emerging energy products are iterating rapidly, traditional high-energy-consuming industries are accelerating their "blood replacement," and the energy structure has undergone a fundamental transformation. At the same time, energy transformation has entered the deep-water zone. The difficulties we now encounter are no longer whether we have the technology or the installed capacity, but whether the technology can be effectively integrated into and enhance the system, and whether installed capacity can truly be converted into system resilience. Behind this lies a series of deep-seated contradictions that urgently need to be resolved.
The contradiction between supply security resilience and exogenous risks is mainly that the security boundary urgently needs to be reshaped. The traditional energy security concept focuses on static indicators such as oil and gas import dependence and self-sufficiency rates, but current risks are rapidly extending in two new dimensions. First, the risk to the critical minerals supply chain is prominent. Cobalt, copper, lithium, nickel, and other materials needed by the new energy industry are highly dependent on overseas sources, and the "Minerals Security Partnership" led by the United States and Europe attempts to build an exclusive alliance. Second, the defining power over green standards faces challenges. Although China's production capacity for green hydrogen, green ammonia, and green methanol ranks among the world's foremost, the certification authority over "whether it is green" and "whether it counts" still rests with the European Union's Renewable Energy Directive and the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification system, leaving China's green energy development in a passive situation of "having production capacity but lacking rules."
The contradiction between scale expansion and system adaptation is mainly that infrastructure coordination lags behind. China's new energy installed capacity ranks first globally, but the level of "coordination of generation, grid, load, and storage" has not kept pace. At the physical level, there is a conflict between the volatility of wind and solar power that "depends on the weather" and grid stability; at the spatial level, the construction of "west-to-east power transmission" corridors cannot keep up with the installation speed of western bases, resulting in "having electricity but being unable to transmit it"; at the mechanism level, inter-provincial hidden barriers keep the proportion of cross-provincial and cross-regional traded electricity low for a long time and distort price signals. During peak generation periods in the west, wind and solar power have to be curtailed, while load centers in the east find it difficult to purchase electricity as needed due to poor inter-provincial mechanisms, forming a dilemma in which both sides are anxious.
The contradiction between technological leadership and reform lag is mainly that the release of innovation efficiency is obstructed. China's new energy sector has already taken the lead globally in energy equipment manufacturing and engineering application, but institutional mechanisms still exhibit path dependence. Taking energy storage as an example, the average utilization hours of grid-side independent storage have reached more than 1.3 times that of power-source-side configured storage, yet the current institutional mechanisms still favor the traditional configured-storage model in terms of storage layout, revenue distribution, and market access, making it difficult to promote the more efficient solution. If the problem of technology running fast while institutional mechanism reform cannot keep up is not resolved, many mature technologies will find it difficult to be smoothly integrated into the system.
The contradiction between the supply side and the demand side is mainly that demand-side resources are dormant. Compared with the rapid and sweeping progress (突飞猛进, tu fei meng jin - "sudden, rapid progress") on the supply side, the potential of the demand side is far from activated. On one end, standards for large electricity consumers such as data centers and charging piles lag behind, and computing-power-electricity coordination is immature—for example, a large data center in a central province consumes more electricity annually than a medium-sized city, yet "wants to use more green electricity but cannot." On the other end, channels for massive distributed resources to participate in regulation are not smooth, many vehicle-to-grid and virtual power plant initiatives remain at the pilot stage, and price incentives are absent. Last summer, the superposition of evening charging peaks in some cities caused local grid pressure, which precisely demonstrates that without intelligent guidance, mobile power banks can become new peak creators.
The contradiction between domestic transformation and international competition is mainly that the discourse power over rules urgently needs to be enhanced. In areas such as photovoltaics and wind power, China has long been in a passive situation of technological leadership but standard-following. Green energy standards are currently the most intense and most representative standard competition. The rules for renewable fuels of non-biological origin under the EU's Renewable Energy Directive require a life-cycle greenhouse gas emission reduction of no less than 70 percent. For Chinese products to be exported to the EU and obtain the green premium, they must pass this standard certification, and domestic rules have not yet achieved international mutual recognition. This creates a mismatch of "manufacturing in China, rules in others' hands."
III. How to Build the New Energy System
Building a new energy system is not a simple stacking of wind turbines and photovoltaic panels, but a systematic leap from the old system to a new one. It is like building a new house on an old foundation—it must be built well while ensuring that the occupants are not affected, which is far more difficult than demolishing and rebuilding. At present, China's energy transformation and development faces multiple practical challenges. The rigid constraint of the "dual carbon" goals, the bottom-line requirement of energy security, and the continued expansion of end-use energy consumption create a triple pressure that is superimposed; the multi-dimensional goals of green and low-carbon, safe and reliable, and economically feasible constrain one another, and any rash advance or lag could trigger major economic and social risks. The "15th Five-Year Plan" period is an acceleration period for the global transition of energy toward low-carbon and zero-carbon. As China ensures the achievement of its carbon peak goal on schedule and embarks on a new journey of addressing climate change, the role of renewable energy as the main support for the comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development becomes even more prominent. How can we enhance the resilience and self-controllability of China's energy system amid the profound reshaping of the global energy landscape? How can we ensure that renewable energy, on the basis of the high-quality leapfrog development during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, further achieves expansion in quantity, improvement in quality, and reliable substitution? We must adhere to establishing the new before abolishing the old and promoting both simultaneously, adhere to combining an effective market with a well-functioning government, and proceed from aspects such as laws and regulations, development mechanisms, market mechanisms, and factor guarantee mechanisms, continuing to advance energy strategic transformation in an orderly manner on the premise of ensuring stable energy supply.
Improve the energy security assurance system, shifting from single-pillar support to coordinated complementarity. Holding the bottom line of energy security is the prerequisite for all transformation; we must never abolish the old before establishing the new, or demolish the old bridge without building a new one. We must stabilize the existing stock, make good use of the bottom-line guarantee role of traditional energy, promote the transformation of coal power from a main power source to one that equally emphasizes basic guarantee and system regulation, accelerate the construction of the entire chain of oil and gas production, supply, storage, and marketing, and enhance the national strategic energy reserve capacity. We must expand the increment, accelerate the expansion and quality improvement of renewable energy, accelerate the construction of key projects such as wind and solar bases in the northwest and hydropower bases in the southwest, promote distributed photovoltaics and distributed wind power, develop biomass energy and geothermal energy in light of local conditions, and coordinate the development of the entire chain of hydrogen production, storage, transportation, and utilization. We must supplement critical minerals, accelerate the implementation of a new round of domestic mineral prospecting breakthrough strategic actions, promote the recycling and reuse of waste batteries and photovoltaic modules, simultaneously advance diversified overseas layout, and take multiple approaches simultaneously to defuse the supply risk of critical minerals.
Strengthen the new energy infrastructure system, shifting from scale construction to intelligent coordination. The bottleneck in new energy consumption lies in infrastructure, and solving the problem also depends on upgrading infrastructure. We must focus on supplementing transmission corridors, accelerating the construction of cross-regional transmission channels, improving cross-provincial and cross-regional power dispatch mechanisms, and ensuring that green electricity from resource-rich areas can be transmitted out and delivered. We must focus on strengthening regulation, scientifically deploying pumped-storage hydropower, vigorously developing new types of storage, making good use of the favorable trend of continuously declining storage costs, and developing multi-energy complementarity and bundled operation of wind, solar, thermal, and storage. We must focus on activating loads, vigorously tapping demand-side adjustable resources, accelerating the transition of virtual power plants from pilot to scale, and aggregating dispersed air conditioners, charging piles, and storage into dispatchable system resources. It should be noted that the pace of storage configuration, cross-regional interconnection, and the phase-down of traditional power sources must be planned in a unified manner and cannot advance rashly on a single front.
Promote the transformation of the energy consumption system, shifting from demand-side management to demand-side resource-ization. Taking the upgrading and expansion of energy efficiency standards as the guide, bring new energy-consuming areas such as data centers, computing power, 5G base stations, and charging piles within the scope of standard coverage, make good use of policies such as large-scale equipment renewal and consumer goods trade-in to promote replacement and efficiency improvement, vigorously develop the circular economy, pick up wasted energy, and put harmful waste to use. Take green computing-power-electricity coordination as a breakthrough, letting computing follow electricity prices—computing more when wind and solar are generating abundantly and less when electricity is tight. Improve mechanisms such as peak-valley electricity pricing, demand response compensation, green certificates, and direct green electricity connection, so that users who participate in peak shaving and consume green electricity obtain tangible benefits.
Improve the energy science and technology innovation system, shifting from partial application to system-wide empowerment. For technology to truly be converted into system effectiveness, technological innovation and institutional innovation must be advanced simultaneously—this is the key to moving from equipment leadership to system completion. We must fill the gaps, accelerate breakthroughs in industrial control chips, specialized software, key components, and core materials, and build a whole-industry-chain technological system around self-controllability. We must select the right frontiers, make appropriately forward-looking arrangements for controlled nuclear fusion, next-generation wind and photovoltaic power, high-temperature superconductivity, and long-duration storage, prudently assess the opportunity costs of technological routes, establish a mechanism for stable growth of R&D investment, and strengthen basic theoretical research. We must promote integration, and in accordance with the deployment of the Action Plan on Promoting Two-Way Empowerment of Artificial Intelligence and Energy, coordinate the layout of new energy bases and computing hub facilities, increase the proportion of green electricity used by computing infrastructure, let computing demand consume green electricity nearby, and truly get the two-way cycle of energy supporting computing and computing feeding back into the grid running.
Improve the modern energy governance system, shifting from fragmented compartmentalization to unified openness. How can an architecture designed for the old fossil energy system be rapidly transformed into a new system architecture that can accommodate a high proportion of renewable energy? We must further break down barriers, deepen electricity market reform, accelerate the construction of electricity spot markets, and improve ancillary service markets and capacity markets. Explore the separation of electricity flow and value flow, allowing energy-exporting regions to share in the value-added of the industrial chain generated by importing regions' use of clean energy. We must further enhance coordination, promote the coordinated linkage of multiple markets such as carbon emissions trading, electricity trading, and green certificates, improve pricing, incentive, and regulatory mechanisms, let green value truly be priced by the market, and prevent transformation costs from being disproportionately shifted to less developed regions. We must further strengthen articulation, strengthen planning coordination, do a good job of coordinating and linking comprehensive and specialized, medium- and short-term and medium- and long-term, and overall and regional energy plans, enhance the systematic, holistic, and coordinated nature of planning, and ensure that measures are implemented to achieve tangible results (落地见效, luo di jian xiao - "land, see, effect") and form synergy.
Deepen the international energy cooperation system, shifting from passive response to active shaping. A new energy system cannot be built behind closed doors; only through open cooperation can we gain the initiative. Deepen global cooperation, promote the Belt and Road Initiative energy cooperation to go deeper and more practical, leverage China's whole-industry-chain advantages in new energy, and provide high-quality energy products and services to partner countries. Deepen participation in governance, actively participate in the reform of the global energy governance system, and unequivocally oppose the politicization and weaponization of energy issues. Enhance discourse power over standards, deeply participate in the formulation of international rules in the International Organization for Standardization, the International Electrotechnical Commission, and the International Maritime Organization's net-zero framework, while accelerating the improvement of domestic standards for green hydrogen, green ammonia, and green methanol and promoting international mutual recognition, converting China's manufacturing advantages in green energy into standard advantages.
Research Notes:
Walking across the vast land of our motherland, the "photovoltaic Great Wall" stretching dozens of kilometers across the Kubuqi Desert glimmers with blue light under the scorching sun, the white wind turbine arrays off the coast of Dongying trace graceful arcs in the sea breeze, electric vehicles on the streets of Shenzhen participate in vehicle-to-grid reverse discharging, and deep in the grasslands of Inner Mongolia, data centers stand side by side with wind farms—the birth of every kilowatt-hour of green electricity, the dispatch of every load, and the breakthrough of every standard are redefining the connotation of energy security. From firewood to coal, from oil to electricity, the transformation of energy carriers has always driven the reshaping of production methods, social structures, and geopolitical patterns. Today, standing in the midst of the broadest, fastest, and deepest wave of energy transformation in human history, how do we respond to the all-dimensional restructuring of supply, transmission, consumption, governance, and even international rules? How do we break through the multiple barriers of cost, technology, and rules facing the green transformation? We have forged a path of energy transformation with Chinese characteristics. The installed capacity of wind and solar power has historically surpassed thermal power, several hundred green energy projects have been implemented under the Belt and Road Initiative, and the "new three items" lead the world... What the world witnesses is not merely the replacement of an industry, but also the proactive choice of a developing country rich in coal, poor in oil, and scarce in gas to firmly hold its own energy rice bowl in its hands, and moreover the unremitting exploration of a responsible major country to continuously reduce the marginal cost of renewable energy and expand the boundaries of sustainable human development through its whole-industry-chain advantages and large-scale application practices.
Writers: Guo Feiran, Shi Dan, Tu Xiwei, Chen Youyong, Shu Yu
Return to TopBy: 《求是》杂志记者 侯亚景
Qiushi Exclusive Interview
Striving to Break Through the Sticking Points and Obstacles in the Development of Private Investment
Qiushi reporter Hou Yajing
Editor's Note: Private investment is an important indicator reflecting the degree of economic vitality, and an important force driving economic development, promoting full employment, and stimulating market vitality. Striving to break through the sticking points and obstacles in the development of private investment and further mobilizing the enthusiasm of private investment is of great significance for developing and strengthening the private economy, fully tapping the potential of domestic demand, and promoting the optimization and upgrading of the economic structure. Focusing on deeply understanding and striving to break through the sticking points and obstacles in the development of private investment, our journal's reporter conducted an exclusive interview with Yang Ping, researcher at the Investment Research Institute of the National Development and Reform Commission, and Xu Yingjie, researcher at the Enterprise Research Institute of the Development Research Center of the State Council.
Reporter: As an important component of expanding effective investment, private investment plays an important supporting role in China's economic and social development. How should we understand private investment? Why is it necessary to effectively stimulate the vitality of private investment?
Xu Yingjie: According to the caliber of the National Bureau of Statistics, private investment refers to the investment in the construction or purchase of fixed assets within China's territory by domestic-funded enterprises and institutions with collective, private, or individual nature, as well as enterprises controlled by them. In the early days of reform and opening up, the investment of China's non-public economy accounted for less than 15% of total investment. With the continuous deepening of economic system reform and opening up to the outside world, the private economy has developed and grown rapidly, and private investment has accelerated. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, China has continuously optimized the development environment of the private economy, deepened the reform of the investment and financing system, and the scale of private investment has significantly expanded, accounting for about 50% of total social investment for a long time, playing an important role in stabilizing the overall economic situation. On the whole, since reform and opening up, private investment has become an important driving force for expanding effective investment through participation in economic construction.
Yang Ping: Among total social investment, private investment has broader sources, more flexible mechanisms, and higher market sensitivity, and has increasingly become an important source for expanding domestic demand, technological innovation, industrial upgrading, and employment expansion. The more active private investment is, the more it can improve the efficiency of resource allocation and enhance the vitality and resilience of economic development.
Private investment is a key engine driving economic growth. In the short term, in addition to its own contribution to economic growth, private investment can also form a multiplier effect through industrial chain transmission, promoting a multiple of GDP growth relative to itself. In the medium and long term, private investment increases the capital stock and raises the level of per capita capital possession, thereby affecting potential output and aggregate supply. Effectively stimulating the vitality of private investment and promoting the high-quality development of private investment is conducive to consolidating the foundation of economic development by making efforts in both expanding domestic demand and improving the quality of the supply system.
Private investment is solid support for promoting innovative development and industrial transformation and upgrading. Data shows that about 65% of invention patents, about 70% of technological innovation, and more than 80% of new product development in China are completed by private enterprises. Private enterprises are not only important subjects of R&D investment, but also the main front for technology diffusion and commercial application. Effectively stimulating the vitality of private investment, encouraging private enterprises to increase investment in technological innovation and industrial upgrading, and promoting breakthroughs in key technologies and the cultivation of the industrial ecosystem are playing an increasingly prominent role in developing new quality productive forces and building a modern industrial system.
Private investment is an important channel for absorbing employment and improving people's livelihood. With the effective support of private investment, the private economy contributes more than 80% of urban employment positions. In addition, as access restrictions in livelihood fields such as education, elderly care, and medical care continue to be relaxed, the coverage of private investment continues to expand. Effectively stimulating the vitality of private investment can not only directly create employment opportunities and promote the increase of residents' income, but also make up for shortcomings in public services, improve service efficiency and quality, and enhance the quality of people's lives.
Reporter: In recent years, China's private investment has experienced consecutive negative growth, which has attracted social attention. How do you view the current development situation of private investment? What sticking points and obstacles still exist in promoting the high-quality development of private investment? What are the deep-seated reasons restricting the development of private investment?
Yang Ping: From 2023 to 2025, China's private investment experienced negative growth for three consecutive years, and the decline has been expanding. From January to July this year, private investment fell by 9.4% year-on-year, and private investment excluding real estate development fell by 5.7%. The consecutive negative growth of private investment has triggered social concerns about the "stalling of private investment." Objectively speaking, the slowdown in the growth rate of private investment is not affected by a single factor, but is the result of the interweaving of short-term and long-term, external and internal, cyclical and structural problems. Therefore, when observing the development situation of private investment, we should not only look at the scale and speed of investment, but also pay attention to the structure, quality, and trend of investment.
From the perspective of the development environment, the momentum of world economic growth is insufficient, risks are accumulating, and there are many variables. Unilateralism and protectionism are on the rise, and the international economic and trade order is facing severe challenges. Coupled with insufficient effective domestic demand and the prominent contradiction of strong supply and weak demand, private enterprises are facing multiple pressures in their operations, which in turn affects the expectations of private investment and reduces the willingness to expand reproduction and make new investments.
From the perspective of the development stage, China is in a critical period of transitioning between old and new growth drivers. The slowdown in the growth of traditional industries coexists with the vigorous development of emerging industries, prompting private enterprises to actively adjust their investment strategies to adapt to new development methods. This phenomenon of more prudent investment decisions and a phased slowdown in investment growth is a rational response of market entities to changes in the environment and a necessary preparation for accumulating new momentum.
From the perspective of internal structure, private investment is achieving a leap from quantitative expansion to qualitative growth. Real estate development is an important field of private investment. The significant decline in the scale of real estate development investment affects the growth rate of private investment, which is a normal adjustment in line with the laws of real estate market development. In addition, private investment pays more attention to industrial upgrading, technological innovation, and long-term returns, showing an obvious trend of moving toward the real economy, innovation, and excellence.
Xu Yingjie: While analyzing the development situation of private investment, we must also clearly recognize that private investment still faces many sticking points and obstacles, mainly including several aspects: First, hidden barriers to market access coexist with uncertainty in access, and local protection and market segmentation restrict the layout of private investment; second, the development space of traditional industries is narrowing, the technology and capital thresholds of emerging industries are relatively high, and the existing system cannot effectively adapt to the development needs of private investment; third, the problem of difficult and expensive financing for private enterprises still exists, there are still unequal situations in the acquisition of factors such as land, and some factor flow channels are not smooth; fourth, government misplacement, overstepping, and absence occur from time to time, and administrative supervision and law enforcement in some fields and localities are excessive and too frequent.
These sticking points and obstacles restricting the development of private investment have objective reasons related to the development stage, and also reflect deep-seated constraints in the market-oriented allocation of factors and the transition between old and new growth drivers, but the key lies in better handling the relationship between the government and the market. We must adhere to the combination of an effective market and a proactive government, promote the transformation of the government's role from a manager that focuses on approval and restriction to a maker of market rules, a maintainer of market order, and a provider of public services, remove institutional obstacles for the development of private enterprises, further optimize the development environment of the private economy, and enable private investment to "dare to invest, be willing to invest, be able to invest, and invest for the long term."
Reporter: Market access is a prerequisite for market entities to participate in economic activities. At present, there are still access thresholds in some fields in China, which restrict the enthusiasm of private investment. How can we break down market access barriers and provide fair participation opportunities for private investment?
Xu Yingjie: Establishing and implementing a national unified negative list system for market access is a major decision and deployment made by the Party Central Committee and the State Council. According to the institutional requirement of the negative list for market access that "everything not prohibited is allowed," in fields outside the list, all types of market entities can enter legally and equally, and the most direct beneficiaries of this are private enterprises. In 2025, the proportion of private investment in infrastructure in China's total infrastructure investment increased to 21%; the maximum shareholding ratio of private capital in some nuclear power projects reached 20%; and the proportion of funds supporting private enterprise projects in the fields of industrial equipment renewal and recycling and circular utilization exceeded 80%. With the deepening of the reform of the market access system, market access thresholds have been continuously lowered, the market environment has become fairer, which has played a positive role in stimulating the endogenous driving force and innovation vitality of private enterprises and promoting the expansion of private investment into more fields.
Yang Ping: In recent years, China has continuously relaxed market access for private enterprises, and private capital has made significant progress in participating in infrastructure construction, public services, and other fields, but there is still a certain gap from the institutional requirement of "everything not prohibited is allowed." Looking further, chaos in bidding and unclear investment boundaries in some emerging fields are the main manifestations of current market access barriers for private investment.
To promote the implementation of "everything not prohibited is allowed" and enable private capital not only to "get in the door" but also to "get in easily," it is necessary to establish a more open and transparent participation mechanism at the source of investment projects. Strictly implement the "one national list" management model, improve the market access supervision mechanism, and optimize the market environment for private enterprises to participate equally and compete fairly. Establish and improve a special work coordination mechanism for recommending projects to private capital, support their active participation in the construction of "two major" projects and the "two new" work, incorporate market access into the business environment assessment system, and strengthen rectification and accountability. Deepen the reform of the investment and financing system, optimize operation management, income distribution, and rights protection mechanisms, and enhance the participation of private investment. Smooth the channels for handling complaints about private investment access, standardize the rules system for access to emerging industries, and stabilize the expectations of private investment.
Reporter: At present, China's private investment is in a critical period of structural optimization and growth driver transformation. How can we better guide private enterprises to increase investment in technological innovation, industrial upgrading, new infrastructure, and other fields, and continuously optimize the investment structure?
Yang Ping: For a long time, private investment has been mainly concentrated in real estate development, manufacturing, especially traditional manufacturing. In recent years, with major changes in the supply-demand relationship in the real estate market and the traditional manufacturing industry's transformation and upgrading hitting a "ceiling," private investment is facing greater growth pressure. From the perspective of the real estate sector, private investment in real estate development accounts for a relatively high proportion of private investment, and the continuous adjustment of the real estate market has a greater impact on private investment. From the perspective of manufacturing, the current transformation and upgrading of traditional manufacturing is under pressure both internally and externally, some industries have fallen into a vicious cycle of low quality and low price, and the growth momentum of private investment is insufficient. At the same time, it should also be noted that traditional industries account for more than 80% of the manufacturing industry, and the potential investment demand for high-end, intelligent, and green transformation and upgrading is strong, providing broad development space for private investment.
Xu Yingjie: Nowadays, emerging fields are attracting a large influx of private capital. With the accelerated breakthrough of the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, new tracks such as biomanufacturing, quantum technology, and embodied intelligence are developing vigorously, and the construction of modern infrastructure represented by the "six networks" is being solidly promoted, giving rise to new investment demand. For example, this year, investment in the "six networks" and key fields will exceed 7 trillion yuan; during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, the output value of the six major emerging pillar industries is expected to exceed 10 trillion yuan, the total scale of the service industry still has 20 trillion yuan of growth space, and urban renewal is expected to drive investment of 15 trillion yuan. Private enterprises have long been on the front line of the market, and have the ability and conditions to discern market opportunities, grasp the trends of technology and industrial development, make investment layouts in advance on new tracks, and continuously improve the "innovation content" of investment.
However, judging from the current domestic situation, private investment still faces certain obstacles in emerging fields. Some industries have serious problems of "involution-style" competition, the policy system for the growth and expansion of emerging industries urgently needs to be improved, and the long-term mechanism for private enterprises to participate in the construction of major projects needs to be improved. It is necessary to adapt to the trend of private investment breaking through into new tracks, accelerate the improvement of the long-term mechanism for private enterprises to participate in the construction of major projects, and support private capital in increasing investment in new quality productive forces, new infrastructure, the service industry, and other fields. Actively guide private investment to participate in major technological innovation and promptly apply innovation results to specific industries and industrial chains.
Reporter: In addition to difficult and expensive financing, private enterprises also face the problem of inadequate factor guarantees, which directly affects the efficiency and cost of private investment. How can we make up for the shortcomings in the guarantee of funds and factors for private investment?
Xu Yingjie: Fund and factor guarantees are important support for stimulating the vitality of private investment. Private investment is not simply investing money; it also involves the allocation of multiple important factor resources such as land, sea use, technology, energy, and data. At present, China's economy has entered the stage of high-quality development, and indicators such as land, energy consumption, and emissions are becoming increasingly scarce. Whether the funds and factors needed for investment projects can be obtained fairly and justly concerns the capability, willingness, and direction of private investment.
Yang Ping: In recent years, China has increased support for financing and factor guarantees for private investment projects, but private enterprises still face structural problems in financing, and there are still many difficulties in factor guarantees. For example, due to credit risk control and the threshold of direct financing, the difficulty and cost for private enterprises to obtain funds are higher than those for state-owned enterprises; land and energy consumption indicators are more tilted toward major projects, and the mechanism for transferring existing land is not flexible enough; the technology achievement transformation system is not yet sound, the reform of the market-oriented allocation of new factors such as data is not yet complete, and major strategic scenarios and data resources are not open enough to private enterprises. To make up for the shortcomings in the guarantee of funds and factors for private investment, fundamentally, we must seek momentum from reform.
In terms of fund guarantees, it is necessary to improve the financing support policies for private enterprises and focus on solving the problem of difficult and expensive financing. Increase the support of central budget investment for eligible private investment projects and make good use of new policy-based financial instruments. Actively support more eligible private investment projects to issue real estate investment trusts in the infrastructure field and broaden the financing channels for private enterprises. Promote financial institutions to optimize financing services for private enterprises, promote efficient docking of investment and financing, and more accurately allocate credit resources to private enterprises.
In terms of factor guarantees, it is necessary to deepen the market-oriented reform of factors, promote the efficient allocation of factor resources, and open up channels for private enterprises to obtain factors. Optimize land supply policies and set a guarantee proportion for private investment in the allocation of indicators such as land and energy consumption. Increase support for technological innovation and smooth the channels for social mobility of labor and talent. Accelerate the construction of markets for new factors such as data and promote the orderly opening of key data resources to private enterprises.
Reporter: At present, problems such as abuse of administrative discretion and unfair law enforcement still exist in some fields and localities, infringing on the legitimate rights and interests of private enterprises and entrepreneurs. How can we create a good business environment and effectively enhance the confidence and vitality of private investment?
Yang Ping: The business environment is the soil for the survival and development of enterprises. Research reports show that for every 1% improvement in the ease of doing business, GDP can be driven to grow by 0.15%, investment by 0.18%, and exports by 0.58%, profoundly revealing that a good business environment is productivity and competitiveness. The private economy is a typical "environmental economy" and is highly sensitive to environments such as policies, government services, and the rule of law. The quality of the business environment directly affects the development momentum and investment and operation decisions of private enterprises.
In recent years, in order to solve the problems strongly reflected by private enterprises, China has implemented a series of special actions, such as the special action to clean up and rectify market access barriers carried out by the National Development and Reform Commission and other departments, the special action of "Qinglang·Optimizing the Network Environment for Business and Rectifying Malicious Speculation on Enterprise-Related Information" carried out by the Central Cyberspace Administration of China, the special action to regulate administrative law enforcement involving enterprises carried out by the Ministry of Justice and other departments, the special supervision of illegal cross-regional law enforcement and profit-driven law enforcement and justice carried out by the Supreme People's Procuratorate, and the special action to maintain fair competition market order carried out by the State Administration for Market Regulation, etc., and related work has achieved positive results. However, at present, situations such as inaction in law enforcement, arbitrary action, improper punishment, and punishing without managing still occur from time to time, and the problem of arrears owed to private enterprises has not been completely solved. These problems not only damage the business environment and erode the confidence of private investment, but also harm the credibility of the government, and must be properly resolved.
Xu Yingjie: There is no best business environment, only a better one. Continuously promoting the improvement and enhancement of the business environment and optimizing the development environment of the private economy requires sustained, long-term effort. On the one hand, it is necessary to strengthen the guarantee of the rule of law, accelerate the implementation of the legal provisions of the Private Economy Promotion Law concerning the participation of private enterprises in fair competition, obtaining investment and financing support, participating in technological innovation, and the protection of legitimate rights and interests, create a stable and predictable rule-of-law environment, and enable private enterprises to travel light and develop with peace of mind in the process of investment and business. On the other hand, it is necessary to further transform government functions, vigorously promote the construction of a service-oriented government that "does not disturb when there is nothing, and responds when there is a request," normalize the channels for private enterprises to reflect demands and solve problems, properly solve the problem of arrears owed to private enterprises, enhance the transparency, continuity, and stability of enterprise-related policies, and truly transform the policy dividends supporting the development of private investment into development momentum.
Reporter: Thank you to the two experts for accepting the interview.
Return to TopBy: 中国人民政协理论研究会秘书处
How to Understand the Distinctive Features and Advantages of the CPPCC's Sectoral Groupings
Secretariat of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Theory Research Association
The sectoral groupings of the CPPCC are the specific form of division by which the various political parties and groups, and people from all ethnic groups and all walks of life participating in the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference are organized within the CPPCC, and they are the basic units of the CPPCC's composition. Participating in the CPPCC's performance of its duties in the form of sectoral groupings reflects the broad representativeness of the patriotic united front organization led by the Communist Party of China, and embodies the distinctive features and unique advantages of China's socialist consultative democracy, in which matters are discussed more when there are matters, matters are discussed when they arise, and matters are discussed when they are done. Accurately grasping the historical evolution, distinctive features and advantages, and functional role of the CPPCC's sectoral groupings is of great significance for studying and comprehending General Secretary Xi Jinping's important thoughts on strengthening and improving the work of the CPPCC, implementing the requirements of developing whole-process people's democracy, consolidating the common ideological and political foundation for united struggle, and broadly rallying hearts and strength for advancing Chinese modernization.
How Did the CPPCC's Sectoral Groupings Come into Being
The creation of the CPPCC's sectoral groupings has its roots, its origins, and its vitality in China. It is the product of the combination of the Marxist theory of the united front with China's concrete realities and with the excellent traditional Chinese culture, and it is a political institutional arrangement by which the Communist Party of China integrates the forces of all social strata to jointly discuss state affairs. Scientifically grasping the logic of the formation of the CPPCC's sectoral groupings helps to accurately understand and fully bring into play their distinctive features and advantages.
The term "sectoral grouping" (jiebie) has existed since ancient times and has three main meanings. First, it is used as a causative verb, expressing the meaning of demarcation and division. The Book of Han records that "the discussions of Huainan, Du Qin, and Yang Xiong all held that this is how heaven and earth demarcate regions and separate the inner from the outer," reflecting its usage of separating the inner and the outer. Second, it is extended as a noun, referring to boundaries and territories. The Shuowen Jiezi says, "Jie (界) means boundary (jing)." In ancient times, when welcoming guests and seeing off visitors, one observed the rites at the boundary and did not see guests off beyond the boundary, hence it was called bidding farewell at the boundary (jiebie), abbreviated as jiebie. Third, it is transformed into a metaphysical philosophical category. In the Buddhist context, "jie" (界) can refer both to categories and types with different functions and distinct limits, and to the original source and fundamental substance from which all dharmas derive, already transcending the original meaning of concrete spatial boundaries. In the modern period, "jiebie" was endowed with political connotations for explaining real society, referring to the social relationship networks formed by the linkage of specific social strata and groups. In the late Qing and early Republic period, concepts such as the "political sphere," "intellectual sphere," and "cultural sphere" gradually emerged. After the May Fourth Movement, this concept was adopted by the Communist Party of China and reshaped in discourse, widely used in political declarations leading the people to achieve national independence and people's liberation, carrying the mighty revolutionary force of the great unity and great solidarity of compatriots from all walks of life—workers, peasants, military, government, business, and academia. For example, in August 1920, the first workers' publication founded by the Shanghai founding group of the Communist Party of China was named The Labor World (劳动界).
At the founding of the CPPCC, there was no mention of "sectoral groupings"; rather, "participating units" and "sectors" (jie) were used to describe its organizational composition. Regarding the mention of "sectors" (jie), Comrade Mao Zedong stressed in June 1949 at the preparatory meeting for the new Political Consultative Conference that the new Political Consultative Conference must "include representative figures from all democratic parties, all people's organizations, democratic personages from all walks of life, domestic minority nationalities, and overseas Chinese." In the same month, Comrade Zhou Enlai proposed in his explanatory report on the organizational regulations (draft) of the preparatory meeting for the new Political Consultative Conference: "The new Political Consultative Conference is stipulated to be composed of representative figures from all democratic parties, all people's organizations, the people's governments of all liberated areas, the People's Liberation Army, domestic minority nationalities, overseas Chinese, and non-party and democratic personages from all walks of life." In August, at the fourth meeting of the Standing Committee of the preparatory meeting for the new Political Consultative Conference, he pointed out that "the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference is an organization of the united front and is a collective of all units." In September, in his report to the CPPCC delegates before the First Plenary Session of the CPPCC, he pointed out that "in order to expand the representativeness of the CPPCC, we must first expand the components, units, and quotas participating in the CPPCC"; the constituent units of the CPPCC should not only reflect the foundation of the worker-peasant alliance and the leadership of the working class, but also take care of all aspects. The 45 participating units of the CPPCC, including political parties, regions, the People's Liberation Army, and organizations, were thus created; "but even so it was still not comprehensive enough, so a specially invited unit was also established."
In 1954, when the First Session of the First National People's Congress was convened, the mission of the plenary sessions of the CPPCC to exercise the functions and powers on its behalf came to an end. The CPPCC Charter adopted at the First Session of the Second CPPCC National Committee clearly stipulated: the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference is composed on the basis of all democratic parties and all people's organizations. From the Second CPPCC National Committee onward, designations such as "medical and health sector," "education sector," "journalism sector," and "religious sector" began to appear among the participating units, and the concept of "sectors" (jie) gradually acquired more specific political connotations. In the new period of reform and opening up and socialist modernization, in 1988, during the Seventeenth Meeting of the Standing Committee of the Sixth CPPCC National Committee, the term "sectoral groupings" (jiebie) was used for the first time in the explanation concerning the list of members of the Seventh CPPCC National Committee. In 2004, the amendment to the CPPCC Charter adopted at the Second Session of the Tenth CPPCC National Committee adopted the expressions "establish a number of sectoral groupings" and "sectoral grouping setup." For the first time, the CPPCC Charter formally used "sectoral groupings" to refer to all CPPCC participating units, providing an important institutional basis for the subsequent establishment of CPPCC sectoral groupings.
Since the Eighteenth National Congress of the Party, General Secretary Xi Jinping has attached great importance to the work of the CPPCC, delivering a series of important expositions and making a series of important deployments on how to bring into play the distinctive features and advantages of the CPPCC's sectoral groupings, emphasizing the need to improve the institutional mechanisms for the CPPCC's democratic supervision and for members' contact with the masses in their sectors, and to enhance the representativeness of the CPPCC's sectoral groupings. The Fourteenth CPPCC National Committee has issued a series of important documents, including the Opinions of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference on Improving the Institutional Mechanisms for Members' Contact with the Masses in Their Sectors (Trial) and the Opinions on Bringing into Play the Role of the Sectoral Groupings of the CPPCC National Committee, putting forward clear requirements for improving work systems and mechanisms and bringing into play the distinctive role of sectoral groupings. The Fourteenth CPPCC National Committee has 34 sectoral groupings, which can be divided into four categories: first, the Communist Party of China, the eight democratic parties, and personages without party affiliation; second, people's organizations, such as the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, the All-China Women's Federation, and the China Association for Science and Technology; third, all sectors of society divided on the basis of industry, such as the culture and arts sector, the economic sector, and the agriculture sector; and fourth, specially invited personages, such as specially invited Hong Kong personages, specially invited Macao personages, and specially invited personages.
Viewed from the course of development, the CPPCC's sectoral groupings have undergone multiple adjustments. For example, the Seventh CPPCC National Committee explicitly established 31 sectoral groupings, and after the "China Association for Science and Technology" was restored mid-term, there were 32 sectoral groupings in total; the Eighth CPPCC National Committee added the "economic sector," divided "compatriots from Hong Kong and Macao" into "Hong Kong compatriots" and "Macao compatriots," establishing 34 sectoral groupings in total; the Ninth CPPCC National Committee maintained 34 sectoral groupings and renamed sectoral groupings such as the "friendship groups with foreign countries"; the Tenth CPPCC National Committee continued with 34 sectoral groupings, renamed sectoral groupings such as the "social welfare sector," and this continued through the Thirteenth CPPCC National Committee; the Fourteenth CPPCC National Committee added the "environment and resources sector" and integrated the "Communist Youth League of China" and "All-China Youth Federation" sectoral groupings, establishing the "Communist Youth League of China and All-China Youth Federation" sectoral grouping. These adjustments adapted to changes in the situation and tasks, changes in the structure of society, and changes in the internal structure of the united front, adapted to the needs of China's economic and social development, and played a positive role in promoting the development of the Party and the country's undertakings. Over the years, with the development of the times, the fields and content of CPPCC work have also been innovated and developed, but the general scope of the CPPCC's composition of political parties, groups, and personages from all ethnic groups and all walks of life has not changed, and sectoral groupings as the basic method of division and channel of activity of the CPPCC have not changed. This provides reliable institutional guarantees for the CPPCC's sectoral groupings to closely follow the overall situation, stay close to the overall situation, and keep pace with the overall situation, demonstrating strong vitality and institutional resilience.
What Distinctive Features and Advantages Do the CPPCC's Sectoral Groupings Have
The CPPCC's sectoral groupings bear important responsibilities in doing well the work of maintaining contact with members in their sectors, reflecting social conditions and public opinion, actively offering suggestions and participating in governance, and broadly rallying hearts and pooling strength, in accordance with the CPPCC Charter and organizational arrangements. The foundation of the CPPCC lies in its sectoral groupings, its advantages lie in its sectoral groupings, and its vitality lies in its sectoral groupings.
An important form of developing democracy. The CPPCC's sectoral groupings bear the important responsibilities of communicating public opinion, maintaining contact with members, offering suggestions and participating in governance, and building consensus. They are effective carriers for the CPPCC to perform its functions as a specialized consultative body and are also an important form of realizing whole-process people's democracy. The current setup of CPPCC sectoral groupings covers all sectors and all aspects of society. One sectoral grouping involves one field and one aspect, and through effective performance of duties, it maintains contact with one group of people and one body of the masses. For example, members of the social welfare and social security sector are mainly composed of representative figures from the fields of social welfare, social security, civil affairs, and disabled persons' federations, with a focus on the needs of groups such as persons with disabilities and the elderly. Since the Eighteenth National Congress of the Party, General Secretary Xi Jinping has, during each annual plenary session of the CPPCC, visited members of the relevant sectoral groupings participating in the session and attended joint group meetings of sectoral groupings, listening to opinions and suggestions, demonstrating the high importance attached to the work of the CPPCC and fully illustrating the important position and role of sectoral groupings in the development of the CPPCC's undertakings. Making good use of the form of developing democracy represented by the CPPCC's sectoral groupings is conducive to expanding the coverage of participation, broadening the breadth and depth of democracy, providing an institutionalized platform for different social strata and different social groups to offer suggestions and advice, and pooling together opinions and suggestions from all sides.
A distinctive bond for uniting all parties. Fully bringing into play the role of the CPPCC's sectoral groupings is always closely linked with expanding the scope of unity and expanding the coverage of work among the masses in the sectors. In fact, each sectoral grouping of the CPPCC, and the CPPCC members of each sectoral grouping, going deep among the masses in their sectors to reflect social conditions and public opinion and to strengthen ideological and political guidance, serve as bridges and bonds for the Party and the government to maintain contact with the masses and unite all sectors, embodying the united front nature of the CPPCC. Adapting to the needs of the development of the situation and tasks, enhancing the representativeness of the CPPCC's sectoral groupings in accordance with regulations and the Charter, absorbing representative figures from the new social strata into the relevant sectoral groupings of the CPPCC, and promoting the continuous expansion of the scope of unity and enhancement of inclusiveness of the CPPCC organization can inject new strength into the united front and expand its target scope, thereby better assisting the Party and the government in doing the work of coordinating relations, resolving contradictions, rallying hearts, and enhancing consensus, and further consolidating and developing the broadest patriotic united front. For example, in 2025, the CPPCC National Committee carried out 6,777 "serving the people" activities for members' performance of duties, 11,115 activities for contacting the masses in their sectors, with 21,113 member participations, serving more than 4 million members of the public, actively promoting the transformation of the Party and the government's policies and propositions into broad consensus and conscious action across all sectors of society, and broadly pooling the powerful positive energy of Chinese sons and daughters at home and abroad in forging ahead on the new journey.
An effective channel for interest expression. Each sectoral grouping of the CPPCC is a channel for interest expression and maintains contact with the corresponding social group. By improving the platform mechanism for interest expression represented by sectoral groupings, and reflecting the opinions and demands of all social strata, all ethnic groups, and personages from all walks of life, it helps the Party and the government make scientific and democratic decisions and implement policies in a timely and effective manner. For example, on March 10, 2026, multiple sectoral groupings, including the science and technology sector, the economic sector, and the minority nationalities sector, held sectoral consultative meetings, focusing on themes such as how to consolidate and strengthen the foundation of the real economy and further unleash innovation potential, integrating research findings, bringing into play professional strengths, and exchanging genuine insights and good strategies, offering suggestions and participating in governance for the work of the relevant departments. Consultative meetings of this kind, which effectively transform the fragmented and scattered opinions of the masses in the sectors into systematic and professional performance-of-duties recommendations, have become an established practice since they were first held during the National People's Congress and CPPCC sessions in 2019 at the Second Session of the Thirteenth CPPCC National Committee.
An important carrier for the CPPCC's performance of duties. The work of the CPPCC's sectoral groupings covers a wide range of fields and long lines, with many common requirements. Oriented by special topics and supported by professional expertise, focusing on specific fields and targeting specific problems, they make consultation more targeted and more effective, and are an important window for displaying the functions of the CPPCC. In performing its functions, the CPPCC needs to optimize the allocation of personnel and strength closely around the central tasks, demonstrate intellectual and professional advantages based on its nature and positioning, and focus on overall effectiveness in grasping the implementation of work—all of which are inseparable from the full play of the role of sectoral groupings. The Fourteenth CPPCC National Committee has actively explored paths for bringing into play the distinctive role of sectoral groupings, continuously improved the institutional mechanisms for members' contact with the masses in their sectors, and effectively promoted the work of sectoral groupings to "stand up" in standardization, "come alive" in performance of duties, and "become solid" in role. For example, members of the economic sector have fully brought into play their expertise, going into the front lines of production such as enterprise workshops, and, combined with the theory and practice of promoting high-quality development, have publicized Xi Jinping's economic thought, uniting and leading the broad masses in their sectors to deeply understand the Party and the state's economic work principles and policies.
How to Strengthen and Improve the Work of the CPPCC's Sectoral Groupings
At present, the new situation and new tasks have put forward new requirements for the work of the CPPCC's sectoral groupings. For example, China's economic and social structure has undergone profound changes, requiring the work of the CPPCC's sectoral groupings to better reflect public opinion and pool collective wisdom. At present, there are approximately 84 million workers in new forms of employment in China, and the scale of flexible employment personnel has exceeded 200 million. How to effectively transform their wishes and demands into systematic and professional performance-of-duties recommendations, and better add vitality to economic and social development, has become a new topic for the work of sectoral groupings. Another example: with the in-depth development of the new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, and the accelerating iteration of new technologies and new business forms, cutting-edge computing and information technologies in emerging fields such as cloud computing, the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, big data, and blockchain technology are becoming increasingly widespread. How to adapt to the development trend of digitalization and intelligence, comprehensively use new technologies and new platforms, and promote the leap of working methods from the "traditional model" to the "digital-intelligent model" has put forward new requirements for the effectiveness of the work of the CPPCC's sectoral groupings.
General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "It is necessary to adapt to changes in economic and social development and the internal structure of the united front, conduct in-depth research on ideas and methods for better bringing into play the role of the CPPCC's sectoral groupings, expand the scope of unity, enhance inclusiveness, and expand the space for orderly political participation." To do well the work of the CPPCC's sectoral groupings and bring into play their advantages, it is necessary to adhere to the organic combination of the Party's leadership, the united front, and consultative democracy, adhere to the nature and positioning of the CPPCC, adhere to bringing into play the principal role of CPPCC members, adhere to upholding fundamental principles and breaking new ground and making steady progress in a stable manner (稳中求进, wen zhong qiu jin - "stable, seek progress"), expand orderly political participation, and improve the effectiveness of the CPPCC's consultative democracy.
Strengthen the leadership of the Communist Party of China over the work of the CPPCC's sectoral groupings. As a political organization led by the Communist Party of China, the CPPCC is participated in by all political parties and groups and people from all ethnic groups and all walks of life who share a common political foundation and common goals of struggle. The work of the CPPCC's sectoral groupings is highly political and policy-oriented, and adhering to the leadership of the Communist Party of China is the fundamental political guarantee. It is necessary to adhere to Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as the general program governing all CPPCC work, adhere to the "first agenda item" system, and consolidate the ideological foundation for achieving the Two Upholds. Adhere to and improve institutional mechanisms such as Party group members of the CPPCC maintaining contact with Party member members of relevant sectoral groupings, members of the Chairman's Meeting maintaining contact with sectoral groupings, and CPPCC members maintaining contact with the masses in their sectors; improve the mechanism for special committees to maintain contact with and organize relevant sectoral groupings and members to carry out activities; and improve mechanisms for conducting consultation, research, inspection, submitting proposals, and making conference speeches in the name of sectoral groupings. Implement the working rules for sectoral consultation and improve mechanisms such as joint group discussions of sectoral groupings and sectoral consultation at plenary sessions of the CPPCC.
Enhance the representativeness and inclusiveness of the CPPCC's sectoral groupings. The identity of CPPCC members as representatives of their sectors is the key to the CPPCC organization's broad representativeness and enormous inclusiveness. It is necessary to focus on expanding the scope of unity and enhancing inclusiveness, absorb representative figures from all sides to the greatest extent possible, more effectively bring into play their professional expertise, and mobilize the enthusiasm of all sides. Guide the masses in all sectors to participate in political life in an orderly manner, effectively integrate social forces through the CPPCC platform, promote the full expression and in-depth exchange of different ideas and viewpoints, and truly produce methods, consensus, feelings, and unity through consultation.
Innovate the platforms and means for the CPPCC's sectoral groupings to perform their duties. Strengthening political guidance for non-Party intellectuals, non-public economic personages, and new social strata personages helps to continuously enhance the degree of consensus and expand the scope of unity. It is necessary to encourage and guide members to carry out work among the masses in their sectors based on actual conditions, highlight the distinctive features of their sectors, make good use of the channels of their sectors, and strive to unite the masses they maintain contact with, represent, and can drive and influence. Advance the construction of a "digital CPPCC" to high standards and create a new ecology for digital performance of duties. Innovate mechanisms for collecting, reflecting, and transforming social conditions and public opinion, support members of sectoral groupings in going deep into the front lines at the grassroots level such as business districts, industrial parks, and communities, and do well the work of policy publicity, proposal solicitation, and sincere discussions on social conditions and public opinion.
Strengthen the capacity building of members of sectoral groupings in performing their duties. As representative figures of all political parties and groups and all ethnic groups and all walks of life, CPPCC members are produced through earnest consultation among all sides and participate in state affairs and perform their duties on behalf of the masses of all sectors. It is necessary to deepen the political training system for members, actively carry out member reading activities, and through methods such as "online + offline," centralized training, and self-selected learning improvement, help members of sectoral groupings deepen their understanding and grasp of the Party and the state's principles and policies, master the methods and means of research and investigation, inspection and observation, and consultation and deliberation, skillfully use performance-of-duties means such as conference speeches, proposals, and social conditions and public opinion information, integrate them with their own work and social practice, and consciously contribute ideas and strength to enhancing people's well-being.
Return to TopBy: 李卓
Cultural China
Deeply Grasping the Outstanding Innovativeness of Chinese Civilization
Li Zhuo
The Chinese nation is a nation of extraordinary creativity, having created the great Chinese civilization. On June 2, 2023, at the Symposium on Cultural Inheritance and Development, General Secretary Xi Jinping, possessing a broad and strategic perspective (高屋建瓴, gao wu jian ling - "high, roof, build, grasp"), summarized the outstanding characteristics of Chinese civilization, among which one important item is its "outstanding innovativeness." This outstanding innovativeness fundamentally determines the enterprising spirit of the Chinese nation of upholding integrity without being conservative and respecting antiquity without restoring it, and determines the fearless character of the Chinese nation in not fearing new challenges and being courageous in accepting new things. Deeply grasping the outstanding innovativeness of Chinese civilization is of great significance for upholding the Two Integrations (两个结合) and vigorously advancing theoretical innovation, practical innovation, institutional innovation, cultural innovation, and innovation in all other aspects on the new journey.
I
To examine the actual achievements of innovation in Chinese civilization, one may proceed from three aspects: material production, spiritual culture, and political institutions. Innovation in material production consolidates the realistic foundation for the evolution of civilization, providing objective conditions for spiritual production and institutional construction; innovation in spiritual culture, through its intellectual guidance and value appeal, injects intrinsic impetus into technological invention and political practice; innovation in political institutions, through the establishment and adjustment of institutional frameworks, provides order guarantees for economic and social development. These three, while each renewing and extending along its own track, are also closely linked and mutually reinforcing, causing Chinese civilization to present a myriad of scenes in which "the old transforms into the new, and the new connects with the old."
Innovation in ancient Chinese material production is first embodied in the continuous resolution of difficulties in production and daily life. Ancient society long faced multiple pressures such as insufficient food supply and frequent floods and droughts, and the ancestors of the Chinese people accordingly carried out agricultural innovation and creation practices in light of local conditions and guided by circumstances. Around ten thousand years ago, the ancestors began to domesticate millet and rice along the Yellow River and the Yangtze River. To ensure the survival and development of agricultural society, the ancestors creatively developed and utilized water resources. The Liangzhu water conservancy system of the late Neolithic period, possessing comprehensive functions of flood control, water storage, transportation, and irrigation, is one of the earliest large-scale water conservancy system projects in the world discovered to date. Subsequently constructed projects such as Dujiangyan, the Zhengguo Canal, the Lingqu Canal, and the Grand Canal all reflect the wisdom of the ancestors in participating in the transformation of heaven and earth and guiding nature in accordance with the nature of water, constituting pioneering feats in the history of human water conservancy. This innovation tradition, oriented toward practical problems and combining long-term observation, empirical generalization, and technical improvement, likewise runs through innovation in science and technology in other fields. The Four Great Inventions are widely known, among which gunpowder, the compass, and printing were called by Marx "the three great inventions that heralded the arrival of bourgeois society," and "generally speaking became the means of scientific revival and the most powerful lever for creating the necessary preconditions for spiritual development." In addition, the hundred crafts, such as pottery making, silk reeling, jade working, and bronze casting, everywhere manifest the subtlety of the ancestors' innovation. These inventions and creations are historical testimony to the creativity and innovative spirit of the Chinese nation.
Innovation in ancient Chinese spiritual culture is concentratedly embodied in the iterative expansion and renewal of ideas and principles. The various schools of thought of the pre-Qin period, in a period of great intellectual ferment and diverse schools of thought (百家争鸣, bai jia zheng ming - "hundred, families, contend, sound"), constituted one of the most splendid blooms of thought in the "Axial Age" of human civilization. Confucius renewed the civilization of rites and music with "benevolence," advocating the realization of lofty value ideals in daily life, profoundly shaping the this-worldly attitude and rational spirit of Chinese civilization; Laozi's dialectical thinking that "the movement of the Way is reversal" still inspires modern science and philosophy; Mozi advocated universal love and non-aggression (兼爱非攻, jian ai fei gong - "universal, love, not, attack"), emphasized logic and mechanics, and initiated the Eastern scientific spirit; Han Feizi established his theory on law, statecraft, and power, strengthening the tradition of institutional rationality. The intellectual transformation of the Han dynasty moved into the era of classical studies; during the Wei and Jin periods, Neo-Daoism and Buddhism mutually drew upon each other, and theoretical thinking developed unprecedentedly; the rise of Neo-Confucianism in the Song and Ming dynasties inherited the essential meanings of Confucius and Mencius, absorbed the finest elements of Buddhism and Daoism, and established a new Confucian system in which the Way of Heaven, human nature, and destiny were interconnected. Scholars of successive generations, in dialogue with the classics and in response to their times, engaged in reviewing the old to learn the new (温故知新, wen gu zhi xin - "warm, old, know, new"), enabling scholarship to produce new voices in each era without losing its foundation. Innovation in ancient Chinese spiritual culture not only provided the ancestors with a constant and ever-renewing intellectual coordinate for transforming the subjective world, but also established for transforming the objective world a value orientation of advancing with the times and upholding integrity while opening up the new, displaying the radiance of wisdom that is passed down from generation to generation and remains ever fresh through the ages.
Innovation in ancient Chinese political institutions is prominently embodied in the layered evolution of the national governance system and governance capacity. The Book of Changes states, "Regulate with institutions, so as not to harm wealth, nor to harm the people," emphasizing that one should be restrained by statutes and institutions, so as not to harm wealth or the people. In the pre-Qin period, the Chinese nation, responding to changes in circumstances, explored and formed a series of institutional creations and governance means, including the inner-outer service system, the enfeoffment system, the hereditary ministerial system, and the system of military merit titles. After the Qin and Han dynasties, the Chinese nation gradually constructed a complete set of national institutions and a national governance system encompassing court institutions, commandery and county institutions, land institutions, tax institutions, the imperial examination system, supervisory institutions, military institutions, and institutions in all other aspects, so that within the vast territory officials had fixed regulations, finances had established systems, and affairs had established procedures, forming an operational pattern with statutes and rules and unimpeded government orders, which was studied and emulated by neighboring countries and peoples. On the whole, ancient China passed through different social formations and multiple dynastic changes, but in terms of the institutional system and governance system, it was in most cases able to achieve an organic unity of inheritance and innovation. As Confucius said, "The Yin dynasty followed the rites of the Xia; what was added and what was removed can be known. The Zhou dynasty followed the rites of the Yin; what was added and what was removed can be known. Should there be a successor to the Zhou, even a hundred generations hence, it can be known." Successive dynasties, at moments of dynastic change, often took it upon themselves to inherit the orthodox mandate, and in the conscious process of following and adjusting, continued old statutes and remedied defects and revived what had fallen into disuse, providing solid institutional guarantees for the continued extension of the great unified state.
Over several thousand years, the spirit of innovation has run through every historical period of the Chinese nation and permeated every aspect of Chinese civilization. In responding to changes in its internal and external environment, Chinese civilization has always upheld the wisdom that "when there is change, there is passage; when there is passage, there is endurance," opening up the new while upholding integrity and reaching far through adaptation to change. It is precisely this character of endless and continuous creation and growth (生生不息, sheng sheng bu xi - "birth, birth, not, cease") that has made the Chinese nation a nation with a great spirit of innovation and has enabled Chinese civilization to manifest its outstanding innovativeness in the history of world civilization.
II
The outstanding innovativeness of Chinese civilization is deeply rooted in the historical lineage and spiritual tradition of the Chinese nation. The intellectual concept of unremitting self-renewal, the historical practice of reforming the old to establish the new (革故鼎新, ge gu ding xin - "remove, old, tripod, new"), and the integrated evolution of comprehensive innovation respectively laid a solid foundation for the formation and development of the outstanding innovativeness of Chinese civilization from the dimensions of value orientation, practical impetus, and open mechanism.
"Daily renewal" derives from the profound recognition of the universe by ancient sages. Confucius said, "It passes on like this! It does not cease day or night." The Zhuangzi states, "Waning and waxing, fullness and emptiness, now dark, now bright; daily changing and monthly transforming, there is something accomplished every day." The Commentaries on the Book of Changes states, "It moves without rest, circulating through the six empty positions." All of these depict the natural movement of the universe as a creative process of daily change and renewal. Among them, the Commentaries on the Book of Changes reveals that the changes of the universe take "generation" as their content and pursue endurance through adaptation to change, as it says, "Abundance is called the great enterprise; daily renewal is called the abundant virtue. Generation and regeneration are called change." "Generation" is the creation and production of things from nothing; "generation and regeneration" is generation upon generation, never ceasing. At the same time, the Commentaries on the Book of Changes holds that the endless generation of the universe lies in changes caused by the interaction of opposites such as yin and yang, firm and yielding. With change there is innovation, with innovation new things are accomplished, and new things in turn influence heaven, earth, and all things, so that the operation of the universe presents a grand scene of innovation accomplishing and accomplishment innovating. Zhou Dunyi revealed that "all things are generated and regenerated, and their changes are inexhaustible." Zhang Zai said, "Daily renewal is enduring and inexhaustible." Wang Fuzhi put forward the theory of daily change and renewal. The cosmology of generation and daily renewal they embodied not only regards the changes of the universe as objective movement, but also views change as a process in which vitality is manifested, thereby endowing it with deep value connotations. Applying this concept to the character of the exemplary person is "unremitting self-improvement" and "daily renewal of one's virtue." All pioneering creation is the overcoming of difficulties; whether individual, society, or state, all should be resolute, courageous, and striving, so that virtue and enterprise advance daily and forever, thereby conforming to the law of the universe's generation and daily renewal and "matching the virtue of heaven and earth." With the concept of "unremitting self-renewal" as the value foundation, the Chinese nation has been able to fear no new challenges and courageously accept new things, incorporating change into the historical process of its own development.
While "unremitting self-renewal" serves as the value foundation, "reforming the old to establish the new" is the requirement of development, and "adapting to the times and responding to change" is the principle of practice. Change is a universal law of the universe; the natural world is so, and human society is no exception. Unlike passive compliance, humanity must not only adapt to the objective requirement of change, but also give play to subjective initiative, transforming external necessity into internal consciousness in recognizing change, responding to change, and seeking change, actively grasping change, and realizing innovative development through adaptation to change. The Commentaries on the Book of Changes proposes, "Revolution removes the old; the cauldron takes up the new," meaning that when old institutions no longer adapt to the development of the times, one must actively change the old order and create a new pattern. In the concrete practice of reforming the old to establish the new, the Chinese nation emphasizes that the key to grasping change lies in "adapting to the times and responding to change." "Adapting to the times" means actively following what is timely and advancing with the times. The trend of the times is the overall direction of change in the world; only by following changes in the trend of the times can one conform to the tide of history. Opportunity is the key node of change in things; only by precisely grasping opportunity can one be invincible. Only by grasping the trend of the times and opportunity with an attitude of seeking truth from facts and being pragmatic and realistic can one change in response to the times and act in accordance with the prevailing trend (顺势而为, shun shi er wei - "follow, trend, and, act"). "Responding to change" means analyzing with historical rationality the changes of order and disorder, rise and fall, and actively adjusting to adapt to the changes of the times. "Adapting to the times and responding to change" requires grasping the entire process of change to "trace origins and examine ends," discovering signs of decline during prosperity to "see decline in prosperity," and daring to face crises, reform defects, and innovate to "carry on through adversity and open up change." Under this influence, the Chinese nation, in its complex historical process, accomplished tasks according to the times, weighed circumstances and assessed situations, reformed and transformed, and responded to all manner of practical challenges. It should be particularly noted that ancient Chinese politics placed special emphasis on the two characters "following" and "reforming": "following" is inheritance, "reforming" is innovation, and the two are dialectically unified, reforming defects and innovating within continuity and stability, forming a political tradition of following, reforming, adjusting, and preserving. This highly resilient path of institutional evolution enabled Chinese civilization to avoid both the rashness of wholesale change and the conservatism of clinging to old ways, always maintaining the necessary balance between practical needs and historical foundations. The historical wisdom and political practice of reforming the old to establish the new accumulated by Chinese civilization on the basis of connecting history and reality constitute the realistic foundation and internal mechanism that shape the outstanding innovativeness of Chinese civilization.
In addition to the profound shaping of the outstanding innovativeness of Chinese civilization at the intellectual and practical levels, the ancient sages of China also recognized the importance of comprehensive innovation. Shi Bo, the Grand Historian of Zhou, proposed that "harmony generates things, while sameness does not lead to continuation," holding that coordinating and balancing different things can enrich and develop, while simply adding identical things together makes continuation difficult. In fact, from the very moment of its gestation, Chinese civilization faced the blending and collision of multiple regions and multiple centers. It gradually developed from a pluralistic origin of "stars scattered across the sky" into a pluralistic unity led by the Central Plains dynasties, and gradually formed a pattern of great unity through integration with the Yi, Man, Rong, Di, and other peoples; thereafter, successive dynasties continued innovative development through collision and fusion with various ethnic groups and cultures. This course of evolution enabled Chinese civilization not only to possess the sharpness of innovation and creation, but also to possess the breadth of mind for tolerance and reception, able to innovate, develop, and advance with great strides while absorbing and incorporating diverse elements (兼收并蓄, jian shou bing xu - "simultaneously, receive, and, store"). Since the medieval period, Chinese culture has continuously developed in mutual interaction with foreign cultures. The eastward transmission of Buddhism was not rejected, but through digestion, absorption, and creative transformation, gave rise to new Sinicized schools such as the Tiantai, Huayan, and Chan schools; after the Ming dynasty, the "convergence of Islam and Confucianism" had a profound influence on promoting the Sinicization of Islam. Since modern times, from the eastward spread of Western learning to the Sinicization of Marxism, Chinese civilization has always maintained an open posture of absorbing and incorporating diverse elements, achieving self-renewal while upholding cultural subjectivity. Zhang Dainian held that the synthesis and innovation of culture is the fundamental path of Chinese cultural development. Indeed, synthesis is not simple piling up, and innovation is not blind pursuit of the new, but rather a dialectical sublation of selecting the essence and discarding the dregs (取其精华去其糟粕, qu qi jing hua qu qi zao bo - "take, its, essence, discard, its, dregs"); absorbing and incorporating diverse elements is by no means accepting everything that comes, but rather "drawing on the external to enrich the internal" by choosing what is good and following it. In exchange and mutual learning, Chinese civilization drew on the finest and most extensive elements, upheld the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation, and thereby formed a uniquely characterized form of civilization.
III
Surveying the history of world civilization, only Chinese civilization has continued unbroken and developed to this day in the form of a state, standing in the world for a very long historical period as the most prosperous and powerful civilization. This could never have been achieved by a nation or civilization lacking innovative capacity. Certain biased views originating from outside China over a long period regarding the innovative capacity of the Chinese nation not only lack sufficient historical basis, but also affect people's understanding of the innovation tradition of Chinese civilization.
The "theory of the stagnation of Chinese history" is a typical argument used by some Western scholars to demonstrate that Chinese civilization lacks innovative capacity. Adam Smith claimed that China "seems to have been long stationary," and Hegel asserted that China "merely repeats the same majestic ruin that has endured from time immemorial." These assertions confuse the continuity of Chinese history with stagnation, and take the Western path of "rupture and reconstruction" as a universal law. In fact, many Western scholars' understanding of China came from fragments of knowledge brought back by missionaries and travelers, which do not fully accord with the actual conditions of Chinese history. Surveying several thousand years of history, innovative development is the norm of Chinese history. With regard to political institutions, although the inertial force of traditional institutions and the defense of vested interest groups constituted multiple obstacles to reform, society internally was by no means silent, but rather, in continuous adjustment and evolution, gradually nurtured intellectual factors that negated the old institutions. Whenever social contradictions became increasingly acute and the internal defects of existing institutions were fully exposed, there were always thinkers and statesmen who engaged in profound reflection on actual politics, whether constraining monarchical power with people-oriented thought, attacking the old system with reform proposals, or criticizing rigid and hollow governance models with the learning of practical statecraft. Although these proposals mostly appeared in the guise of reform and had not yet fundamentally broken through the framework of traditional institutions, their critical examination of the old system in essence constituted the internal tension and intellectual precursor of institutional evolution. It is precisely these reflections and critiques accumulated continuously in different historical periods that stored intellectual resources for institutional change on a larger scale, and also caused the evolution of Chinese history to present a trajectory of advancing back and forth between gradual adjustment and deep-seated change.
During the long period from the first century BC to the fifteenth century AD, the Chinese were more successful than Europeans in applying natural knowledge to meet human needs; then why did modern science not arise in China? This is the famous "Needham Question," which once triggered extensive discussion in domestic and foreign academic circles on the reasons for the backwardness of modern science in China, greatly stimulating the Chinese people's ambition to serve and strengthen the country. But some scholars erroneously extended and interpreted it, deriving from the backwardness of modern science in China the conclusion that Chinese civilization lacks the gene of innovation. This argument presupposes that the emergence of modern science is a universal yardstick, or even the sole yardstick, for measuring a civilization's innovative capacity, which is logically untenable. In fact, modern science is the product of the coupling of multiple factors in specific historical circumstances; even Needham himself indicated that whether modern science and the Industrial Revolution occurred in a given place does not depend solely on the innovative capacity of that nation or civilization. The reason modern science did not first emerge in China lies to a great extent in the closed and conservative situation of the late feudal society in which "ten thousand horses stood mute," which severely constrained the opening up of academic thought and the exploration of science and technology; the root cause was the constraint imposed by the backward economic base and superstructure on the development of science and technology. Today, China's scientific and technological development is vigorous, with more and more fields achieving "running alongside" and even "leading" the world, making China one of the countries with the fastest rising innovative capacity. This irrefutably demonstrates that innovation is the deepest national endowment of the Chinese nation, and that the creative capacity of Chinese civilization, accumulated over time, is manifested ever more prominently.
In recent years, some have also used the theory of paradigm shifts and the theory of rupture-based innovation to disparage the innovation path of Chinese civilization, holding that only "breaking the old to establish the new" through the complete negation of tradition is true innovation, while the "returning to the source to open up the new" of Chinese civilization cannot bring about fundamental breakthroughs. This universalizes and singularizes the narrative of the "rupture" between the Western Middle Ages and classical tradition, and the model of the Renaissance carrying out "transformation" under the name of "revival." Unlike the innovation of Western civilization, the innovation of Chinese civilization emphasizes embodying creation within transmission, reviewing the old to learn the new, blending the new and the old, connecting the preceding and the following, and respecting antiquity without restoring it. To respect antiquity and restore it is to cling to what is obsolete and defective, which will inevitably lead to rigidity; to discard antiquity and pursue the new is like a kite with a broken string, which will ultimately be lost. Only by respecting antiquity without restoring it can one continue tradition in a new situation and open up a new situation within tradition. Confucianism bestowed upon "antiquity" the name of the ideal, intending to criticize reality in the name of respecting antiquity, giving authority to the ideal and legitimacy to criticism. The Western Han thinker Yang Xiong long ago pointed out that knowing only inheritance without knowing innovation would cause "things to lose their standard," violating the law of the development of things; knowing only innovation without knowing inheritance would cause "things to lose their balance," losing the due equilibrium of things. It is precisely this innovation that does not sever itself from tradition that enables Chinese civilization both to hold fast to its foundation and to open up new prospects.
At present, a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation is profoundly changing the mode of human production and life and the pattern of world development. Facing a complex and changeable development environment, whether for national development or individual endeavor, "only the innovator advances, only the innovator grows strong, only the innovator prevails" is an irrefutable truth. On the new journey, we should strengthen cultural confidence, deeply recognize the civilizational trait of Chinese civilization in reforming the old to establish the new and shining with ever-renewed radiance, continuously accept new things, meet new challenges, and solve new problems, so that Chinese civilization radiates even more vigorous vitality in the new era.
Author: Researcher at the Tianjin Academy of Social Sciences
Return to TopBy: 王聪 张也
The Implications of the "SCO Answer Sheet" for Improving Global Governance
Wang Cong, Zhang Ye
On September 1, 2026, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Bishkek Summit opened, and the world's attention once again focused on the SCO. General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered an important speech titled "Promoting Higher-Quality Development of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization" at the 26th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which drew positive responses from all parties. Leaders of participating countries appreciated China's important contributions as a founding member state to promoting the Organization's development, fully affirmed the development achievements made since the SCO's founding 25 years ago, agreed to implement the outcomes and consensus of the Tianjin Summit, continue to carry forward the Shanghai Spirit of "mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diversity of civilizations, and pursuit of common development," and write a new chapter in the history of lasting peace and common development. As a representative organization of Global South countries, the SCO upholds the Shanghai Spirit, transcends differences in history, culture, and social systems, properly handles contradictions and differences, gradually enhances trust and mutual understanding, effectively safeguards regional peace and stability, and has blazed a path of regional cooperation that conforms to the trend of the times and meets the needs of all parties. It has pooled the development strength of nearly half of the world's population and one quarter of the world's economic output, and has set a model for relations between major countries, between neighboring countries, and between large and small countries. Against the backdrop of the accelerating evolution of the once-in-a-century transformation of the world, deeply summarizing the successful experience of SCO cooperation and governance is of important reference significance for reforming and improving global governance.
The birth of the SCO had a profound historical background. After the end of the Cold War, the geopolitical landscape of Central Asia underwent profound adjustments. Security threats such as the "three forces" and transnational organized crime became intertwined, and the practical needs of regional countries to maintain peace and stability became increasingly urgent. The founding of the SCO responded to the demands of the times for regional cooperation. Starting from joint efforts to combat the "three forces," it effectively coordinated traditional and non-traditional security, and translated political mutual trust into institutional achievements and governance effectiveness. A series of security treaties, including the Shanghai Convention on Combating Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism, were successively adopted, and regular meeting mechanisms such as those of defense ministers, secretaries of security councils, and ministers of public security and internal affairs were successively established. Security cooperation extended from coordination at the level of heads of state to functional departments such as defense, public security, and internal affairs, achieving vertical deepening from political consensus to institutional building and from top-level design to departmental collaboration. Sharing economic dividends is another engine of SCO development. In 2025, the total merchandise trade volume of member states reached US$8.88 trillion, an increase of approximately 9.3 times compared with 2001, while global merchandise trade volume grew only 3.2 times over the same period. In 2025, the total merchandise trade volume between China and other SCO member states was approximately US$523.5 billion, an increase of more than 40 times compared with approximately US$12.1 billion in 2001, and the economic and trade ties within the region continued to tighten. People-to-people and cultural exchanges have become one of the "three carriages" leading SCO development. Member states have continuously promoted exchanges and mutual learning in fields such as education, health, culture, and tourism. Focusing on directions such as energy, information technology, and the ecological environment, the SCO University brings together more than 120 universities from 7 member states to carry out multi-level joint training at the bachelor's, master's, and doctoral levels. Luban Workshops have been established in multiple countries, including Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, with a focus on vocational skills training. Meetings of ministers of culture, art performances and exhibitions, film festivals, and other events are held on a regular basis, and exchanges are rich and varied, effectively consolidating the social foundation for the SCO to move steadily and reach far into the future. After 25 years of accumulation, the SCO has grown from 6 founding member states to the "SCO family" covering 27 countries across Asia, Europe, and Africa, and has increasingly become a positive driving force for promoting a multipolar world and reforming and improving global governance.
At present, the global peace deficit, development deficit, security deficit, and trust deficit continue to widen, and the world needs fair, reasonable, and effective governance solutions more than ever. General Secretary Xi Jinping attended the "SCO Plus" meeting in Bishkek and delivered an important speech, pointing out that "SCO member states and partners should all grasp the historical trend and shoulder the responsibilities of the times," "base themselves on a people-centered approach, adhere to an action-oriented approach, jointly advocate an equal and orderly multipolar world, promote more just and reasonable global governance, and work together to build a community with a shared future for mankind." The SCO has developed to where it is today, and the principles it upholds, the achievements it has made, and the many new governance concepts it has proposed and implemented provide new ideas and new paths for reforming and improving global governance.
Pooling diverse forces through equal treatment.
For a long time, Western countries, relying on their first-mover advantages, have propagated the binary evaluative standards of "civilization VS barbarism" and "advanced VS backward" based on size, national strength, and order of development, in an attempt to form a hierarchical international order on a global scale. In contrast, on the basis of acknowledging and respecting differences, the SCO upholds the cooperative concept of sovereign equality and mutual respect, seeks consensus on the basis of mutual understanding and respect for the opinions of every member state, and puts this into practice through a set of institutional practices that have operated stably over the long term. In official cooperation mechanisms such as the Council of Heads of State and the Council of Heads of Government (Prime Ministers), all member states enjoy equal status, and no country can act arbitrarily without consulting others. In non-governmental exchange mechanisms such as the Business Council and the Interbank Consortium, the relevant institutions of all member states can participate, and no country can exclude others from participation. A rotating presidency system has been established, and all member states, regardless of size, take turns assuming this important responsibility. This institutional resilience of seeking common ground while reserving differences proves that sovereign equality and mutual respect are by no means obstacles to reforming and improving global governance, but rather important norms for regulating relations between countries and an inevitable requirement for promoting the democratization of international relations. Only by upholding sovereign equality and mutual respect, and promoting equal rights, equal opportunities, and equal rules for all countries, can the fairness and legitimacy of global governance be consolidated and consensus and synergy for global governance be gathered.
Shaping an orderly landscape through rules and institutions.
The norms of international relations established by the Charter of the United Nations are the cornerstone of the contemporary international order. The core crux of the current predicament of the international order is not the absence of the international order and international law itself, but rather the fact that individual countries readily replace international law with domestic law, use "small circle" rules to undermine universal rules, and replace equal consultation with the threat of force. In the face of such chaos as the failure of international rule of law and the rampant exercise of power politics and bullying, the SCO takes balance, order, and adherence to the rule of law as inevitable requirements, rejects double standards, exceptionalism, interference, bullying, and the law of the jungle, and advances the rule of law in international relations. First, it always respects and firmly supports the United Nations and the Charter of the United Nations, a position clearly reflected in the SCO's programmatic documents, declarations over the years, and its latest official statements. For example, the Charter of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization explicitly states its commitment to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. Second, the development process of the SCO is itself a process of continuously strengthening the rule of law through international treaties. The Treaty on Long-Term Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation Between the Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization fundamentally regulates the basic framework for exchanges among member states. A series of treaties, including the Shanghai Convention on Combating Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism, provide a solid legal basis for intelligence exchange and investigative cooperation among member states, and enhance the degree of rule of law in the SCO's non-traditional security cooperation. International rule of law is the fundamental guarantee of global governance. The SCO's development experience shows that only rule-of-law-based global governance can truly provide a fair and just development environment for all countries, ensure a balance between rights and obligations, and promote the evolution of the international order in a more just and reasonable direction.
Resolving common challenges through multilateralism and dialogue and consultation.
In recent years, multilateral mechanisms have faced the risk of weakening and fragmentation, the root cause of which lies in a few countries instrumentalizing multilateralism and practicing exclusion in the name of multilateralism. True multilateralism is not merely formal majority participation, but also fairness and justice in concept and equality of rights and responsibilities in practice. In its long-term practice, the SCO does not draw ideological lines, does not create institutional confrontation, and does not set up external imaginary enemies. On the basis of fully preserving the strategic autonomy of member states' foreign policies, it deepens practical cooperation around common security demands and common development interests, and has explored a brand-new governance paradigm different from the hegemony of a single country and bloc politics. The SCO actively aligns with multilateral mechanisms such as the United Nations and the Commonwealth of Independent States, achieving complementary advantages and enhanced synergy between regional governance and global governance. At the same time, it always upholds the concept of equal consultation and mutually beneficial cooperation, and has blazed a new path of cooperation characterized by "partnership rather than alliance, dialogue rather than confrontation." The SCO's predecessor, the "Shanghai Five," started with the most sensitive issue of mutual trust in border military affairs, turning historical legacy issues into increments of mutual trust through consultation and negotiation, and thus contained the gene of dialogue and consultation from its very inception. Within the SCO framework, a Council of National Coordinators of Member States has been established to coordinate communication and liaison among member states on a regular basis, resolve cooperation differences in advance, and consolidate the implementation of summit consensus, thereby reducing the barriers between top-level political consensus and frontline practical cooperation and turning multilateral dialogue from periodic meeting consultations into a full-cycle governance practice. The SCO's development practice shows that multilateralism is not a multiple-choice question, but the only viable path. The existence of historical legacy issues, differences in development levels, and practical interest demands among countries does not necessarily lead to confrontation. The key lies in whether dialogue and consultation can be upheld, whether conflicts, frictions, and differences can be managed within a dialogue framework, and whether common concerns can be turned into cooperation topics.
Consolidating the foundation of solidarity through common well-being.
Most countries in the world are currently at a critical stage of modernization and particularly need a stable and open external environment. However, the global economic recovery is weak, unilateralism and protectionism are rampant, some countries are building "small yards with high fences," forcibly promoting "decoupling and severing supply chains," and clamoring for "de-risking" of supply chains, and economic globalization is encountering headwinds. In response, the SCO adheres to the development direction of mutual benefit, win-win cooperation, inclusiveness, and shared benefits, unequivocally opposes trade protectionism, insists on building bridges rather than walls and integration rather than decoupling, and promotes the development of economic globalization in a more inclusive and beneficial direction. It always regards open cooperation as an important condition for common development, continuously deepens strategic alignment of major national economic development plans, and strives to build a broad, open, mutually beneficial, and equal space for cooperation among member states. In response to the fact that member states are generally in a stage of rapid economic and social development and face common challenges such as poverty and climate change, China adheres to the concept of extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits, and through high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, especially poverty reduction and agricultural cooperation and vocational skills training, transforms its own development opportunities into shared regional opportunities and helps member states enhance their capacity for self-driven development. This cooperation model of mutual benefit, win-win cooperation, inclusiveness, and shared benefits provides an important practical example for global governance to return to its original purpose. Human well-being is the core concern of global governance, and the people of all countries are the fundamental participants in and beneficiaries of global governance. World prosperity and stability cannot be built on the basis of a widening gap between the rich and the poor. Only by promoting common development and bringing a greater sense of gain to the people of all countries can the global governance system gain broad support and function effectively.
Building a more just and reasonable global governance system is both an achievable and attainable goal and a historical process. At present, the trend toward a multipolar world and the democratization and rule of law in international relations is unstoppable. It is a historical inevitability for human society to move from confrontation to cooperation, from imbalance to equilibrium, and from estrangement to symbiosis. The 25-year development course of the SCO has already provided the "answer sheet." With the progress of the times and the awakening of the people, power politics, hegemony, and "small circle" governance are increasingly losing ground. As long as all parties hold high the torch of multilateralism, possess unwavering and steadfast determination, and do not neglect the accumulation of small gains or minor efforts, they will surely enable global governance to break through the haze and mist and reach the bright shore.
Authors' affiliation: Institute of Eurasian Studies, China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations
Return to TopBy: 旷思思 梁佩韵 马鹏
Summary of the Theoretical Seminar on Deeply Studying and Implementing Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building
Kuang Sisi, Liang Peiyun, Ma Peng
On September 2, 2026, the Editorial Board of Qiushi and the Publicity Department of the CPC Shandong Provincial Committee jointly held in Tai'an City, Shandong Province, a theoretical seminar on deeply studying and implementing Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building. More than 150 experts, scholars, and responsible comrades from relevant departments and units across the country attended the meeting. The seminar discussions are summarized as follows.
I. Deeply Understand and Grasp Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building
As the chapter on Party building in Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building systematically answers the major questions of the era: what kind of long-term governing Marxist party to build, and how to build a long-term governing Marxist party. The attending experts conducted in-depth discussions on the theoretical origins, practical foundations, scientific system, theoretical character, and major significance of this thought.
The attending experts pointed out that Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building is a major achievement in advancing theoretical innovation by adhering to the Two Integrations (两个结合). The formation of scientific theory is born of theoretical accumulation, inherits from the historical lineage, and is rooted in the fertile soil of practice. In terms of theoretical origins, this thought originates from Marxist scientific theory, flexibly applying its standpoints, viewpoints, and methods to decode the laws of communist party governance and the laws of party self-building, internalizing the soul of Marxism as the theoretical cornerstone of party governance and party self-discipline. In terms of cultural roots, this thought is rooted in the fine traditional Chinese culture, creatively transforming traditional political wisdom such as the people being the foundation of the state, governing with virtue, cultivating oneself and rectifying oneself, the world being shared by all, and discarding the old and embracing the new, endowing Party building in the new era with profound historical depth and a distinct Chinese style. In terms of practical foundation, this thought was nurtured in the great practice of full and rigorous self-governance of the Party in the new era, is a theoretical distillation of fresh experience in party governance and party self-discipline, and continues to be enriched and developed through the tempering of practice, vividly interpreting the dialectical materialist epistemology of "practice—cognition—re-practice—re-cognition."
The attending experts held that Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building is a scientific theoretical system that illuminates the substance and achieves its application, with the substance and application being fully integrated. It is rich in content, profound in thought, rigorous in logic, and complete in system. Its core essence is concentrated in the Fourteen Commitments (十四个坚持), of which the first four "commitments" constitute the general introduction, profoundly elucidating the highest principles, strategic guidelines, and value pursuits of Party building; the fifth through thirteenth "commitments" constitute the specific exposition, systematically laying out the key tasks of the Party's political building, thought building, organizational building, conduct building, discipline building, the fight against corruption, and institutional building; and the final "commitment" governs the whole, serves as a powerful guarantee, and is the foundational support for implementation and tangible results. Some scholars further elaborated that this thought both "illuminates the substance"—profoundly revealing the fundamental direction, major principles, and inherent laws of the building of a Marxist governing party—and "achieves its application"—transforming understanding of laws into practical requirements, institutional mechanisms, and working methods for governing the Party, strengthening the Party, and making the Party prosperous, thereby opening up the complete chain from theoretical substance to practical application, from value standpoints to institutional arrangements, and from Party building to national rejuvenation and strength, achieving the full integration of substance and application.
The attending experts pointed out that Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building possesses a distinct theoretical character, imbued with firm ideals and convictions, a high degree of historical initiative, a distinct problem orientation, a strong sense of mission and responsibility, profound feelings for the people, and scientific methods of thinking, with the power of truth and the power of personality complementing each other. Many scholars focused their discussions on the scientific methods of thinking contained therein: for example, making good use of systematic concepts and dialectical thinking to properly handle major dialectical relationships such as thought building and institutional governance of the Party, grasping the "key minority" and managing the "overwhelming majority," and exercising power and assuming responsibility, thereby amplifying the comprehensive effectiveness of party governance and party self-discipline through overall coordination; making good use of historical thinking to extract the essence from the fine traditional Chinese culture, draw wisdom from more than a century of Party history, and learn lessons from the rise and fall of governance throughout ancient and modern times, at home and abroad, thereby enhancing the historical initiative in party governance and party self-discipline; making good use of rule-of-law thinking to raise the level of institutional governance and rule-based governance of the Party, providing a strong institutional guarantee for Party building; and so on.
The attending experts held that Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building has major practical significance and long-term guiding significance. From a political significance perspective, it centrally embodies our Party's political will, political standpoints, political propositions, and political wisdom in governing the Party, strengthening the Party, and making the Party prosperous, is conducive to promoting the whole Party to more deeply comprehend the decisive significance of the Two Establishments (两个确立) and resolutely achieve the Two Upholds (两个维护), and provides solid theoretical support for the whole Party to achieve a high degree of ideological unity, political solidarity, and uniformity of action. From a theoretical significance perspective, it answers a major question in the history of Marxist party-building theory that predecessors had not yet fully developed and that urgently needs to be answered—namely, how a communist party can always maintain its advanced nature and purity under conditions of long-term governance—profoundly reveals the inherent laws of the building of a long-term governing Marxist party, and makes major original contributions to the development of Marxist party-building theory. From a practical significance perspective, it systematically answers a series of major questions concerning how to govern the Party, strengthen the Party, and make the Party prosperous in the new era, and provides fundamental guidance for strengthening Party building in the new era.
II. Strengthen the Systematic and Theoretical Research and Interpretation of Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building
The systematization and theorization of theory reflect the height, depth, and breadth of theoretical innovation and are important markers of a theory's continuous maturation. The attending experts proposed that to advance the study, implementation, and understanding of Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building to greater depth and substance, efforts must be made in systematic and theoretical research and interpretation, so that Party members and cadres come to know not only what it is but also why it is so.
The attending experts proposed that only by deeply studying the origins and development of Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building and fully grasping its theoretical, historical, and practical logic can the deep context of upholding fundamental principles and breaking new ground be clarified. It is necessary to deeply study the basic principles of the classical Marxist writers on party building and elucidate how Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building has achieved innovative development in light of the new era, new circumstances, and new tasks. It is necessary to systematically sort out the political wisdom and governance concepts in the fine traditional Chinese culture and reveal their inherent points of convergence with Party building in the new era. It is necessary to conscientiously summarize the historical experience of Party building, especially the vivid practice and great achievements of full and rigorous self-governance of the Party in the new era, and elucidate how Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building comes from practice and in turn guides practice. At the same time, it is necessary to fully explore the rich theoretical reflections and practical explorations on Party building conducted by Comrade Xi Jinping during his work in local governments and the central government before the 18th National Congress of the Party, revealing the complete trajectory of development through which Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building was nurtured and accumulated, continuously deepened, and gradually matured.
The attending experts held that deepening the interpretation of principled theoretical achievements is the focus of systematic and theoretical research on Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building. Without research in this area, theoretical interpretation can easily remain at the level of restating viewpoints, making it difficult to demonstrate the theoretical depth and innovative height of this thought. Principles are laws that are universal, most fundamental, and can serve as the basis for other laws; they are truths of universal significance. It is necessary to systematically sort out the new concepts and new assertions put forward by Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building and extract and summarize from them principled achievements that are fundamental and foundational in nature. Following the logical chain of theoretical generation, it is necessary to elucidate the foundational basis, core essence, and internal connections of each principle, revealing the cornerstone and core of the entire ideological system. Some scholars further proposed that principled theoretical achievements often appear in the form of iconic concepts. It is necessary to strengthen the distillation of iconic concepts in Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building, and from the dimensions of ontology, epistemology, axiology, and methodology, sort out the "keywords" that carry the core connotations and manifest the theoretical characteristics, clearly explaining the reasoning, scholarly principles, and philosophical principles contained therein.
The attending experts noted that Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building is an organic whole composed of a series of closely linked and mutually penetrating theoretical viewpoints, and fragmented or isolated interpretations must be avoided. It is necessary to clearly explain the theoretical starting point, logical main line, and framework structure of this thought, helping the broad ranks of Party members and cadres not only understand each specific assertion but also grasp the scientific system as a whole, avoiding taking things out of context. It is necessary to connect history, reality, and the future, adhere to systematic concepts, properly handle the relationships between the whole and the parts, the current and the long-term, the macro and the micro, the principal contradiction and secondary contradictions, and the special and the general, and comprehensively, systematically, and holistically understand and grasp the positioning function, connotative substance, and significance and role of each theoretical viewpoint. It is necessary to deepen the application of research and interpretation results on Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building, systematically transform research results into theoretical support for disciplinary development and valuable resources for academic innovation, and make great efforts to advance the construction of the Party building disciplinary system, academic system, and discourse system.
III. Guided by Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building, Promote the Party's Cause to Continuously Open Up New Prospects
The purpose of study is application. The comrades attending the meeting generally held that the study and research of Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building must ultimately be anchored in using this thought as a guide to solve practical problems in Party building, truly transforming the results of study into vivid practice in advancing the great new project of Party building in the new era. Particular attention should be paid to grasping the following aspects.
Raise the level of institutionalization and standardization of full and rigorous self-governance of the Party. Some scholars noted that the years since the beginning of the new era constitute the period in the Party's history with the most abundant institutional achievements in Party building. Laws, regulations, and institutions are fundamental, holistic, stable, and long-term in nature. To deepen the governance of the Party, a very important point is to further raise the level of institutionalization and standardization. By improving norms and perfecting institutions, we can both achieve more thorough and effective resolution of prominent contradictions and problems that have already emerged and effectively prevent new contradictions and problems from breeding and spreading, and effectively prevent contradictions and problems that have already been resolved from rebounding and recurring. At the same time, we must strictly enforce institutional implementation. In particular, cadres in leadership positions must take the lead in implementing institutions, resolutely correct phenomena such as arbitrary modification, malicious evasion, and disregard for institutions, and safeguard the seriousness and authority of institutions.
Advance Party building in close connection with the Party's central tasks. Some scholars noted that Party building work in some localities is divorced from development reality and detached from the central overall situation. It may appear to be tightly grasped, but in reality it is hollow and empty, making it difficult to produce actual effectiveness. Studying and implementing Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building is not only about strengthening the Party, but also about better promoting the strengthening of the country through strengthening the Party. Comprehensively advancing the building of a great modern socialist country and the great cause of national rejuvenation through Chinese modernization is the central task of the Party and the state on the new journey of the new era. Party building must be carried out in close connection with this central task and advanced toward this goal. It is necessary to identify the points of integration, entry points, and focal points between Party building work and central work, guide Party organizations at all levels and the broad ranks of Party members and cadres to assume responsibility and fulfill their duties in promoting the implementation of major strategies and solving difficult problems in reform and development, continuously transform the Party's political advantages and organizational advantages into advantages in winning, and lead and promote high-quality development with high-quality Party building.
Stimulate the endogenous driving force and overall vitality of the cadre contingent. Some scholars noted that some Party members and cadres do not correctly view the relationship between full and rigorous self-governance of the Party and undertaking work and starting businesses, giving rise to the negative mentality of "the more you do, the more mistakes you make; the less you do, the fewer mistakes you make; doing nothing, you make no mistakes." In this regard, it must be deeply recognized that full and rigorous self-governance of the Party and encouraging responsibility and action are inherently unified. Strict management does not mean managing cadres to death, nor does it mean turning the cadre contingent into a lifeless, stagnant pool. Rather, it means creating a favorable environment conducive to Party members and cadres undertaking work and starting businesses by clarifying directions, establishing rules, rectifying conduct, and strengthening immunity, further mobilizing initiative, enthusiasm, and creativity. It is necessary to improve the mechanisms for cadre cultivation and selection, assessment and evaluation, and incentive and protection, vigorously select good cadres who dare to take responsibility, are willing to shoulder responsibility, and are capable of effective action, resolutely adjust cadres who are inactive or act arbitrarily, promote the normalization of cadres being able to move up and down, and form a sound situation in which the capable are promoted, the excellent are rewarded, the mediocre are demoted, and the inferior are eliminated. It is necessary to adhere to the combination of strict management and care, prevent the generalization and abuse of accountability, and promote cadres to better assume responsibility and take action through precise accountability. It is necessary to seriously handle acts such as false accusations and retaliation, so that cadres have the peace of mind to devote themselves wholeheartedly to their work without the fear of being targeted from the side.
Return to TopBy: 孙伟平
Study Q&A
How to Understand That Persisting in Using the Party's Innovative Theory to Unite Minds and Forge Souls Is the Fundamental Task of the Party's Ideological Development
Sun Weiping
Persisting in using the Party's innovative theory to unite minds and forge souls is one of the core tenets of Xi Jinping's thought on Party building, and it is also the fundamental task of the Party's ideological development. Thought is the precursor to action; without the guidance of correct ideological theory, one can easily fall into the dangerous predicament of acting recklessly without foresight or caution (盲人骑瞎马，夜半临深池, mang ren qi xia ma, ye ban lin shen chi - "blind person, ride, blind, horse; midnight, approach, deep, pool"). For a Marxist governing party as large as ours—the largest in the world—only with strong theory can we have clear direction, united hearts, and solid confidence; ideological unity is the deepest, most enduring, and most reliable guarantee of the Party's unity and solidarity.
Emphasizing ideological Party building and theoretical strengthening of the Party is a distinctive feature and glorious tradition of our Party. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out that "theoretical maturity is the foundation of political maturity, and political firmness stems from theoretical sobriety." 105 years ago, our Party set out from a small red boat on South Lake in Jiaxing; today it has grown into a majestic giant vessel steering China. A very important reason for this lies in consistently placing ideological and theoretical development in a prominent position, and consistently maintaining unified thought, firm will, coordinated action, and strong combat effectiveness. As for the Communist Manifesto, Comrade Mao Zedong read it no fewer than a hundred times, Comrade Zhou Enlai regarded it as a "close companion," and Comrade Deng Xiaoping likened it to a "teacher who initiates one into the door"... Why? Because within it lie the power of thought and the flavor of truth. During the Yan'an period, there was a vivid saying: "Eat millet rice, assault the mountain of theory." Many students at the Red Army University, though battle-hardened, were mostly of poor origin with limited education and theoretical level. They used stone caves as classrooms, stone walls as blackboards, and stone blocks as desks and chairs, "attacking what they could not understand as if it were an enemy," storming the fortress of theory just as they would storm a hilltop. Comrade Mao Zedong once quipped that they were living a Stone Age life while studying the most advanced science of the contemporary era—Marxism-Leninism—and vividly likened the students to disciples of the "Primordial Heavenly Venerable" cultivating themselves in caves. The result of this "cultivation" was that these "stone-cave disciples," who gnawed on cornmeal buns and wore patched clothes, read out from the mountain gullies the strategic vision and unwavering conviction needed to defeat the Japanese aggressors, achieve national liberation, overthrow the reactionary rule of the Kuomintang, and seize state power across the country, thereby laying the ideological foundation for one victory after another in revolution, construction, and reform.
Why is the Communist Party of China capable? Why is socialism with Chinese characteristics good? Ultimately, it is because Marxism works, and because Marxism adapted to the Chinese context and the needs of the times works. Since its founding, our Party has written Marxism onto its banner, and in the course of revolution, construction, and reform, it has continuously advanced the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism. Comrade Mao Zedong once vividly stated, "What we want is fragrant Marxism, not stinking Marxism; living Marxism, not dead Marxism." The so-called fragrant, living Marxism is Marxism that integrates theory with practice and takes root in the historical and cultural soil of our country and nation—it is Marxism adapted to the Chinese context and the needs of the times. Entering the new era, Chinese Communists, with Comrade Xi Jinping as their chief representative, have adhered to integrating the basic principles of Marxism with China's specific realities and with China's fine traditional culture, profoundly answering a series of major questions of the times concerning the development of the Party and the state's cause and the Party's governance of the country. With a brand-new perspective, they have deepened understanding of the laws of Communist Party governance, the laws of socialist construction, and the laws of human social development, and established Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, achieving a new leap in the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism. Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era was founded in the great practice of the new era, and in guiding that great practice it has demonstrated immense power of truth and tremendous practical force. In recent years, the fact that the cause of the Party and the state has been able to achieve historic accomplishments and undergo historic transformations, withstand tests and challenges from political, economic, ideological, and natural domains, overcome many difficulties that had long remained unresolved, accomplish many major matters of long-term significance, and write new chapters in the two miracles of rapid economic development and long-term social stability—all this is fundamentally due to the helm-holding and steering of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, and to the scientific guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.
Every step forward in theoretical innovation must be followed by a step forward in theoretical arming—this is a successful experience of our Party in advancing the cause of the Party and the people. Since the new era began, we have made the in-depth study and implementation of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era the top priority in theoretical arming. Every round of intra-Party centralized education has been led by ideological education; we have implemented the system of theoretical study central group learning for Party committees (Party groups), improved the mechanism for cadre education and training, improved the system for theoretical popularization oriented toward the grassroots and the masses, and achieved notable results in the study and education of the Party's innovative theory.At the same time, it must be recognized that, compared with the changes in the situation and the needs of the development of the cause, the task of theoretical arming remains arduous. In particular, in terms of truly learning, truly believing, truly using, and understanding thoroughly and implementing solidly, there are still some problems that need attention. For example, some Party members and cadres have little interest in theoretical study—flipping through a couple of pages when they have free time and setting it aside when busy, going through the motions in a perfunctory manner; some study unsystematically and superficially, doing something superficially or perfunctorily (蜻蜓点水, qing ting dian shui - "dragonfly, touch, water"), having a superficial understanding of something (浮光掠影, fu guang lue ying - "floating, light, sweep, shadow"), having only a superficial or partial understanding (一知半解, yi zhi ban jie - "one, know, half, understand"), stopping after only a superficial attempt or experience (浅尝辄止, qian shang ze zhi - "shallow, taste, then, stop"), knowing the what but not the why; some separate study from application—studying is studying and doing is doing—and are not adept at transforming the fruits of learning into practical abilities for undertaking work and starting businesses; and so on. These problems show that the Party's theoretical arming must continue to go deeper, go more practical, and go into the heart, and cannot tolerate the slightest bit of empty effort.
At present, changes unseen in a century are accelerating, and the basic realization of socialist modernization has entered a critical period of consolidating the foundation and exerting full effort. The more complex the situation, the more arduous the task, and the more severe the challenges, the more we must unswervingly use the Party's innovative theory to unify thought, unify will, and unify action. At the same time, it must be recognized that Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is a continuously unfolding, open-ended ideological system, and studying the Party's innovative theory is also an endless process of continuous refinement. This requires that we must unremittingly use Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to unite minds and forge souls, and improve the long-term mechanisms of forging souls through learning, enhancing wisdom through learning, rectifying conduct through learning, and promoting action through learning. We must highlight the position of the Party's innovative theory as the first course and main course in the education and training of Party members and cadres, improve systems such as the "first agenda item," theoretical study central group learning for Party committees (Party groups), and theoretical learning for grassroots Party organizations, and guide Party members and cadres to study comprehensively and systematically, study in its original form, and study in a timely and follow-up manner, systematically mastering the scientific system, core tenets, and practical requirements of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and deeply grasping the positions, viewpoints, and methods that run through this important thought. The purpose of learning all lies in application. We must carry forward the Marxist style of study that integrates theory with practice, adhere to the unity of learning, thinking, and application and the unity of knowledge, belief, and action, discern patterns, clarify direction, learn methods, and increase wisdom from the Party's innovative theory, continuously improve our abilities for modernization, and transform the fruits of learning into a powerful force for firming ideals, tempering Party character, guiding practice, and promoting work.
From the Shikumen gate to Tiananmen, from Xingye Road to Fuxing Road, generations of Communists, relying on their persistent pursuit of scientific truth, have blazed a bright and righteous path toward the light. Today, taking up the baton of history, we should hold high the banner of thought all the more, transform the radiance of truth into the mighty force for comprehensively advancing the building of a strong country and the great cause of national rejuvenation, and deliver an even more outstanding answer on the new road of the examination.
Author: Distinguished Professor, Weichang Scholars Program, Shanghai University
Return to TopBy: 陈吉鄂
Dear Comrade Editor:
In our work, we often hear such voices: "Wait for the leadership to arrange it," "Wait for the notice before we talk about it." Waiting for arrangements, instructions, and notices in everything may appear to be following procedure and observing rules, but in reality it reflects a work state of passive waiting and passive performance of duties.
In reality, some Party members and cadres treat "waiting for arrangements" as the normal state of work: if superiors do not deploy, they do not plan; if leaders do not nod, they do not implement; when encountering problems, they wait for coordination; when facing difficulties, they wait for impetus. Some comrades are accustomed to reporting at every level and waiting at every level, and problems that could have been resolved in a timely manner are repeatedly delaying or procrastinating (一拖再拖, yi tuo zai tuo - "one, drag, again, drag"). Some comrades, though their responsibilities are clearly defined, wait for others to remind them and rely on others to urge them in everything, turning proactive action into passive execution. What is worse, some take "no arrangement" as a reason for exemption from responsibility, dragging out work wherever possible and dodging it wherever possible, lacking the due sense of responsibility and commitment.
"Waiting for arrangements" appears on the surface to be cautious in work, but in reality it is insufficient responsibility and unsolid work style. The urgent, difficult, anxious, and expectant concerns of the masses will not resolve themselves through waiting, and the bottlenecks and difficulties of reform and development cannot be cleared through standing by and watching. If one waits for others to push and lead in everything, it will be difficult to proactively plan work and actively do things, and even more difficult to demonstrate capability and manifest responsibility in solving difficult problems.
We should abandon the dependent mentality of "waiting for arrangements," strengthen the awareness of initiative and the awareness of responsibility, proactively grasp, proactively manage, and proactively implement work within the scope of our duties, and proactively respond to and actively resolve issues of concern to the masses. Only by performing duties and fulfilling responsibilities with a sense of responsibility of "always being unable to rest easy" can we achieve real results and real effectiveness through proactive commitment.
Chen Ji'e, School of Marxism, Guangdong Polytechnic Normal University
Return to TopBy: 魏冰心
In the management of the cadre contingent, compared with clearly defined hard defects such as violating discipline or law, dereliction of duty, and malfeasance, soft ailments such as weak dedication to the cause, lazy and lax work style, passive and feeble performance of duties, and shirking and dilatory handling of affairs often possess a certain degree of concealment. Soft ailments appear at first glance to be insignificant or superficial (不痛不痒, bu tong bu yang - "not, pain, not, itch"), but in reality they dissipate the atmosphere of undertaking work and starting businesses, and erode the foundation of grassroots governance.
Soft ailments are difficult to identify, and the difficulty lies in vague standards. Judging hard defects has rules to follow and evidence to rely on, whereas soft ailments such as "weak sense of dedication to the cause" and "unenthusiastic attitude" still lack clear quantitative yardsticks. Some persons who pretend to be capable (南郭先生, nan guo xian sheng - "South, Guo, Mr.") are precisely the ones who exploit such loopholes; on the surface they appear busy and bustling, but in reality they show up for work without exerting effort and do not solve practical problems.
The harm of soft ailments lies in their concealment. Some people believe that soft ailments do not touch the red line of discipline and law, and there is no need to make a mountain out of a molehill (小题大做, xiao ti da zuo - "small, topic, big, do"). What they fail to realize is that this kind of lazy and indolent governance of the gradual destruction through complacency (温水煮青蛙, wen shui zhu qing wa - "warm, water, boil, green, frog") variety is causing endless harm (贻害无穷, yi hai wu qiong - "cause, harm, no, end"), day after day dissolving the people's trust in the Party and the government. What is even more worthy of vigilance is that soft ailments are contagious and can easily foster the unhealthy atmosphere of "whether one works or not, it is all the same," undermining the good environment for undertaking work and starting businesses.
To govern soft ailments, the key is to make "soft standards" hard and "soft constraints" strong. First, strengthen institutional development, refine the list of post responsibility duties, and consolidate work responsibilities at every level. Second, improve assessment methods, adhere to combining the assessment of people with the assessment of affairs, and conducting dual evaluation of actual performance and work style, so that those who are passively slack in their work have nowhere to hide. Third, wield the sharp sword of accountability, use serious accountability to compel the fulfillment of duties and the improvement of efficiency, and impel cadres to act in a practical and conscientious manner (务实笃行, wu shi du xing - "matter, real, earnest, act").
(Excerpted from the first half of September 2026 issue of Communist Party Member, published by the Hebei Provincial Party Committee)