Summary: The article examines Jiang Zemin's contributions to the theory of "national rejuvenation" (中华民族伟大复兴), highlighting his role as core of the Party's third-generation leadership in systematizing this concept. It details seven key components of Jiang's framework: upholding CCP leadership, adhering to the socialist path with Chinese characteristics, prioritizing development as the Party's primary task in governance, building spiritual civilization, emphasizing science/education/talent, consolidating the united front, and achieving national reunification—including his work on Hong Kong/Macau handovers and the "1992 Consensus" on Taiwan. The author, a deputy director at the Party School's history department, argues these ideas remain relevant today and have been developed further under Xi Jinping, particularly regarding the "Chinese path to modernization" and the integration of education, technology, and talent development. The piece frames Jiang's legacy as foundational to current strategies for achieving national rejuvenation through China's modernization drive.
Summary: The article, authored by the Deputy Director of the International Strategy Research Institute at the Central Party School, argues that high-level opening up and deep reform must be efficiently coordinated to sustain China's economic stability and development. It outlines the historical, theoretical, and practical logic behind this linkage, while noting challenges such as uneven progress between regions, insufficient systemic coordination, and risks from global financial volatility. The piece proposes measures including institutional opening, strengthened policy coordination, and the use of pilot free trade zones as platforms for integrated reform. It also emphasizes the need to balance risk prevention with continued openness and innovation.
Summary: The article emphasizes that officials should prioritize the people's expectations and address their urgent concerns in areas such as employment, education, healthcare, housing, and childcare. It urges party cadres to go to grassroots communities, listen to public feedback, and convert problem lists into action plans. The piece stresses focusing on key livelihood issues, solving them with practical measures, and avoiding formalism or delay. It concludes that tangible improvements in people's daily lives are essential for consolidating the Party's popular support and advancing Chinese modernization.
Summary: The article argues that integrating technological innovation with industrial innovation is essential for developing "new quality productive forces," a concept central to China's current strategy. It identifies persistent obstacles, including insufficient original research, weak basic research funding, "bottleneck" technologies, and institutional barriers that disconnect research from market needs. The piece proposes five priority actions: increasing high-quality technology supply, strengthening enterprises as the main innovators, using application scenarios to bridge research and market, reforming institutions to support deep integration, and fostering a collaborative innovation ecosystem. It references President Xi Jinping's guidance that integration depends on high-quality supply, enterprise leadership, and commercialization of research. The author is a professor and executive dean at Renmin University's National Academy of Development and Strategy.
Summary: The article examines Jiang Zemin's systematic contributions to the concept of Chinese national rejuvenation, highlighting his core ideas on CCP leadership, the socialist path, development as the Party's primary task, and spiritual civilization. It details Jiang's emphasis on science, education, talent cultivation, the united front, and national reunification as essential pillars for rejuvenation. The piece also connects Jiang's legacy to current policy directions under Xi Jinping, including the integrated development of education, technology, and talent, and the continued push for Taiwan's reunification. The author situates Jiang's framework within the broader historical trajectory from Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping to the present, stressing the continuity of the rejuvenation project.
Summary: Xi Jinping emphasized that foreign-related legal work is a systemic project requiring coordinated domestic and international approaches, integrated advancement of legislation, law enforcement, judiciary, compliance, and legal services, and a comprehensive coordination framework. The article outlines three levels of coordination: internal elements within each legal domain, inter-domain coordination across legislative, enforcement, judicial, and service functions, and constructive interaction between domestic and international legal systems. It calls for enhancing the systematization and coherence of foreign-related legislation, optimizing institutional functions and inter-agency collaboration mechanisms, and strengthening supporting systems such as legal services and talent cultivation. The piece also stresses the importance of developing a Chinese foreign-related legal discourse system to translate domestic practices into globally understandable narratives, thereby influencing international rule-making and global governance reform.
Summary: The article discusses the need to improve village and community affairs disclosure systems in China, citing President Xi Jinping's instruction to broaden orderly public participation in grassroots governance. It notes that the recently issued National Human Rights Action Plan (2026–2030) calls for strengthening these systems, which are vital for safeguarding residents' rights and ensuring transparent exercise of grassroots power. The piece identifies shortcomings such as incomplete disclosure of financial and project details, procedural irregularities, and weak oversight mechanisms. It proposes expanding disclosure content, standardizing procedures, and enhancing supervision through digital platforms and clearer institutional roles. No mention is made of the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: China is advancing legislation for childcare services as part of its生育 support system to address declining birthrates and an aging population. The draft law, reviewed by the NPC Standing Committee, emphasizes government leadership and integrating affordable childcare into basic public services. Key legislative priorities include clarifying government, social, and family responsibilities; establishing stable fiscal funding mechanisms; tightening licensing requirements for childcare institutions; and professionalizing the childcare workforce. The law also aims to elevate childcare services from mere supervision to comprehensive early childhood development, aligning with scientific evidence on the critical importance of the first three years of life. The article does not discuss the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: The article, authored by the Party Committee of Huadian Guangxi Energy Co., outlines the company's commitment to correct political performance views in alignment with Xi Jinping's directives for Guangxi's development. It reports that the company has established a "3558 work style construction" system, achieving significant growth in new energy capacity and operational metrics, including a 457% increase in managed installed capacity and the establishment of China Huadian's ASEAN headquarters in Nanning in September 2024. The company emphasizes a strategy of differentiated development, prioritizing green and low-carbon growth while expanding into clean energy and non-electric applications, with a focus on rigorous implementation and avoiding formalism. The piece highlights plans for the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, stressing innovation, reform, and safety to ensure long-term energy security and high-quality development. No mention is made of the United States or U.S.-China relations in the article.
Summary: The article details how the State Grid Jiangsu Management Training Center is implementing a talent development strategy to support high-quality growth during China's "15th Five-Year Plan" period, emphasizing that talent is fundamental to enterprise development. The center is building a systematic training framework covering 12 key areas, developing targeted resources including over 7,000 online courses and practical case studies, and establishing collaborative mechanisms with universities such as Tsinghua, Peking University, and Nanjing University. It has created flexible expert teams in areas including party building, risk management, legal compliance, and new power systems, while also leveraging internal leadership and advanced personnel as trainers. The article highlights the center's approach of integrating strategic planning, precise resource allocation, and coordinated efforts to serve the enterprise's development goals and support the broader national strategy of building a strong energy sector.
Summary: The article highlights Zhangzhou, Fujian's application of the "Fengqiao Experience" to grassroots governance, emphasizing Xi Jinping's guidance on this model. It details people-centered initiatives like the "Chunlei safety officer" mechanism for vulnerable children, the "96111" mediation hotline, and the integration of local legislation to institutionalize governance. Innovations include the "mobile mediation room," "Shu Zhi Hu He" data-driven dropout prevention, and the "Four-in-One" joint mediation model, which have improved conflict resolution and public participation. The piece underscores building a co-governance structure with Party leadership, rule of law, and mass involvement to resolve disputes locally. No direct reference to the United States or U.S.-China relations appears in the text.
Summary: The article outlines strategic tasks from China's 15th Five-Year Plan to develop new cultural formats such as digital animation, immersive performances, and micro-dramas, emphasizing the integration of culture and technology. It examines internet-based arts across four dimensions: dissemination platforms, internet-themed content, technological evolution, and aesthetic innovation. Key data cited include 1.125 billion internet users in China as of December 2025 and the rapid growth of micro-drama users to 664 million. The author, identified as the director of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles' Internet Arts Communication Center, argues that internet-driven arts will continue to enrich cultural life. The piece does not reference the United States or bilateral relations.
Summary: The article examines how the newly released Long March-themed film *Four Crossings* (*Sidu*) is driving red tourism in Guizhou, with 107 scenes shot across 32 locations and boosting visits to revolutionary sites like the Zunyi Conference and Loushan Pass. It argues that red-themed films create emotional resonance that converts viewers into travelers, citing examples like *The Battle at Lake Changjin* boosting visitor numbers and *Half a Cotton Quilt* popularizing Shazhou Village in Hunan. The piece warns against superficial film-tourism integration and calls for immersive experiences, digital technology, and youth-oriented products to deepen engagement. It recommends linking scattered revolutionary sites along the Long March route into themed cultural corridors and extending film IP into research tours, homestays, and creative merchandise. The article stresses transforming short-term viewing into long-term cultural immersion, with no direct mention of the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: The article is a tribute to the late renowned scholar and calligrapher Qi Gong (启功), focusing on his celebrated humor as a reflection of his wisdom and character. It details how his wit served as a tool to counter life's hardships, including his early loss of his father, poverty, and chronic illness, as well as a manifestation of his detachment from fame and material pursuits. Specific anecdotes illustrate his humility, such as dismissing comparisons to Wang Xizhi by calling himself a "living treasure," and his clever refusals of requests, including telling a property developer he would not write a plaque just because a brush was prepared. The piece also highlights his role as a source of joy for friends and family, and his deep emotional capacity, noting a friend's memorial couplet that described his outer humor masking an inner solitude. The author concludes that Qi Gong's humor was not merely a personality trait but a form of self-confidence, cultivation, and spiritual breadth, comparing him to Su Dongpo.
Summary: President Xi Jinping has called for deepening reform of science and technology evaluation and leveraging its guiding role, as detailed in an article by the Science and Technology Evaluation Center of the Ministry of Science and Technology. The article traces the origins of quantitative evaluation to the 1990s introduction of SCI paper metrics, which became dominant but led to problems such as the "four onlys" and over-linking evaluation results to material rewards. Since the 2018 reform, progress has been made in establishing an innovation-oriented evaluation system, yet challenges persist, including unclear alternatives to the old metrics, unresolved quantitative pressure on researchers, and policy distortions at lower levels. The complexity stems from the intricate evaluation system, its ties to government governance, and dependence on academic and social ecosystems, making reform inherently long-term. Future steps include consolidating reform efforts, shifting focus to government-led evaluations, and fostering a mature academic environment to support scientific and responsible evaluation practices.
Summary: The article examines the challenges of credit assessment for tech enterprises in China's sci-tech finance system, highlighting difficulties in risk identification due to intangible assets, information asymmetry, and rapid industry changes. It attributes the core problems to structural mismatches between traditional evaluation models (relying on collateral and historical financials) and the nature of tech firms, as well as inadequate data sharing and professional expertise. The author proposes solutions including improving credit information supply mechanisms, transforming evaluation paradigms through third-party expertise and AI-driven models, enhancing risk diversification tools like credit insurance and IP securitization, and encouraging tech firms to proactively improve governance and information transparency. The piece stresses that overcoming these hurdles requires systemic innovation in the underlying logic of credit assessment rather than simply blaming a lack of patient capital.
Summary: The article argues that high-level opening up and deep-level reform are mutually reinforcing and essential for China's economic stability and modernization. It traces the historical, theoretical, and practical logic of this linkage, while identifying challenges such as regional imbalances in free trade zones, lagging service sector opening, and systemic financial risks. The author proposes strengthening coordination mechanisms, advancing institutional opening aligned with high-standard international economic rules, and enhancing risk prevention systems. The piece is authored by a vice president of the International Strategic Studies Institute at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee.
Summary: The article, authored by the Director of the Policy Research Center of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, emphasizes that energy efficiency and carbon reduction in the building sector are crucial for China's green transition and the development of new quality productive forces. It highlights progress under the 14th Five-Year Plan, including policy frameworks, green technology innovation, and over 135 billion square meters of green buildings constructed by the end of 2025. The piece identifies challenges such as uneven development of green buildings, insufficient energy-saving measures in new constructions, and low efficiency in existing buildings. Proposed pathways include fostering green building growth, enhancing new building standards, and accelerating retrofits of existing structures to improve energy performance. The article frames these efforts as serving national carbon neutrality goals and improving people's living quality.
Summary: The article discusses the "Three-North" Shelterbelt Project, China's major ecological campaign against desertification, which the author describes as a national strategy personally planned by Xi Jinping. It reports significant progress, including 889 billion yuan in central investment and 544 key projects since 2023, while acknowledging remaining challenges such as fragile ecosystems, water scarcity, and weak ecological compensation mechanisms. The author, identified as the director of the Institute of Comprehensive Economics at the Ningxia Academy of Social Sciences, recommends prioritizing water constraints, diversifying ecological compensation, and developing green industries like photovoltaic desert control and ecotourism. The piece emphasizes transforming desert resources into economic value through integrated models combining sand control with agriculture, livestock, and renewable energy. No mention is made of the United States or bilateral relations.
Summary: The article outlines the “new” aspects of China’s new energy system as defined by the 14th Five-Year Plan and the 15th Five-Year Plan, targeting initial completion by 2030. It highlights new supply security (balancing development and safety, diversifying overseas oil/gas, building a “national energy brain”), new production-consumption structures (renewables surpassing thermal power, rising electricity share), and new forms (expanding energy types like hydrogen and nuclear, digitalization). It also emphasizes new operational modes (market-driven pricing, AI-enabled grid coordination), new industrial content (emerging sectors like hydrogen, virtual power plants), and new governance (participatory, scenario-based, digitalized management). No mention is made of the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: <b style="color:red">[Summary Error - Empty Input]</b>
By: 李庆刚
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out at the commemoration of the centenary of Comrade Jiang Zemin's birth that "Comrade Jiang Zemin once looked ahead with full confidence: 'In the new century, the Chinese people will unswervingly continue to advance along the path of building socialism with Chinese characteristics; the Chinese socialist system will be further consolidated and improved through continuous reform; China's development will achieve universal prosperity through the common progress of all regions; and the Chinese nation will achieve great rejuvenation on the basis of completing the reunification of the motherland and building a modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, and culturally advanced!' Today, we can say with immense pride that through long-term efforts, the cause of the Party and the state is thriving, the land of China is stable and peaceful, the people's lives continue to improve, the prospects for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation are bright, and the dream that generations have striven for is being turned into reality step by step." All great achievements are the result of continued struggle, and all great causes need to be advanced by carrying forward the legacy and opening up the future. The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation embodies the painstaking efforts and struggles of generation after generation of Communists, including Comrade Jiang Zemin. As the core of the Party's third generation of central collective leadership, Jiang Zemin, in the process of creating a new situation in reform and opening up and modernization, made a series of important expositions centered on the theme of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, forming a systematic body of theoretical achievements with rich connotations and far-reaching vision, which has important historical reference and practical enlightenment significance for comprehensively advancing the building of a strong country and the great cause of national rejuvenation through Chinese-style modernization.
All the struggles of the Chinese people are for the prosperity and strength of the motherland, the well-being of the people, and the great rejuvenation of the nation.
On July 1, 2001, Jiang Zemin grasped the direction of China's socialist modernization from the longitudinal development of history and put forward the historical inevitability of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation: "From the mid-nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth century, all the struggles of the Chinese people were for the independence of the motherland and the liberation of the nation, to completely end the history of national humiliation. This great historical undertaking, we have already completed. From the mid-twentieth century to the mid-twenty-first century, all the struggles of the Chinese people are for the prosperity and strength of the motherland, the well-being of the people, and the great rejuvenation of the nation. This great historical undertaking, our Party has led the people of the whole country in striving for it for fifty years and has made tremendous progress; after another fifty years of struggle, it will surely be completed victoriously."
Observing the development of Chinese and foreign history with the broad vision of Marxism was the historical basis on which Jiang Zemin proposed the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The history of the Chinese nation is long and has created a splendid and brilliant civilization. Jiang Zemin pointed out that "the Chinese nation once created the world's most advanced productive forces and the most glorious scientific and technological achievements in history, and maintained this leading position until the fifteenth century." However, if the quantitative advantage of traditional agricultural civilization lacks the support of institutional innovation, scientific and technological progress, and an open vision, it will ultimately be eliminated by the tide of history. The pain of being beaten for backwardness spurred the advanced elements of modern China to continuously explore the path of national rejuvenation. Sun Yat-sen was the first to advocate "revitalizing China"; the Communist Party of China led the people in overthrowing the three great mountains of imperialism, feudalism, and bureaucrat-capitalism, achieving national independence and the liberation of the people, and creating the fundamental social conditions for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. After the founding of New China, the Party's first generation of central collective leadership with Comrade Mao Zedong at its core proposed that "China ought to make a greater contribution to humanity" and strove to achieve the goal of socialist modernization in four aspects within a relatively short historical period. On this basis, the Party's second generation of central collective leadership with Comrade Deng Xiaoping at its core continued the struggle. In 1987, the Thirteenth National Congress of the Party proposed that the primary stage of socialism "is the stage in which the whole people rise up, work hard and pioneer, and realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation," clarifying that "realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation" is the theme running through the entire history of the primary stage. The "three-step" development strategy proposed by Deng Xiaoping was the specific timetable for achieving this goal. From Sun Yat-sen's pioneering advocacy of "revitalizing China" as a national awakening, to Mao Zedong's establishment of the institutional foundation of the "four modernizations," to the implementation of Deng Xiaoping's "three-step" strategy, the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation underwent a profound transformation from a political mobilization slogan to an economic and social development program. In 1988, Jiang Zemin pointed out that "reform and opening up is the pioneering undertaking of our Party to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation under new historical conditions. Striving for the success of reform, opening up, and modernization, realizing the comprehensive revitalization of the Chinese nation, and fundamentally changing the backward and impoverished state of one-fifth of the world's population are the bounden historical responsibilities of us Chinese Communists." This was Jiang Zemin's earlier mention of "the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation," used simultaneously with "the comprehensive revitalization of the Chinese nation." With the drastic changes in Eastern Europe, the disintegration of the Soviet Union, and the end of the Cold War pattern, the international situation underwent profound changes, and peace and development remained the themes of the times. Jiang Zemin used the broad vision of Marxism to clarify China's historical position and direction of progress in development. In the report to the Fifteenth National Congress of the Party, Jiang Zemin explicitly put forward the major thesis of "realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on the basis of socialism," making rejuvenation a historical process with clear institutional attributes and path orientation.
The historical mission and sense of responsibility borne at the turn of the century were the practical motivations for Jiang Zemin to propose the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. After nearly 20 years of reform and opening up, China smoothly achieved the first and second step goals of the "three-step" strategy for modernization. Jiang Zemin pointed out that "China's social productive forces, comprehensive national strength, and people's living standards have again reached a new level." The people's lives reached a level of moderate prosperity overall. On this basis, the Fifteenth National Congress of the Party made strategic arrangements for China's development across the century. The Fifth Plenary Session of the Fifteenth Central Committee clarified that from the beginning of the 21st century, China entered a new stage of development of comprehensively building a moderately prosperous society and accelerating socialist modernization. Facing the profound changes brought by the scientific and technological revolution and the rise of the knowledge economy in the 1990s, how to truly transform the "cross-century development strategy" into practical momentum for promoting the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation became a new test for the Party. To this end, the Party Central Committee decided to carry out a two-year concentrated "Three Emphases" education campaign for leading bodies and leading cadres at and above the county level. Through "emphasizing study," "emphasizing politics," and "emphasizing integrity," leading cadres at all levels gained a clearer understanding of their own historical position and the mission they bore. Jiang Zemin pointed out that through the "Three Emphases" education, "we have gained a deeper understanding of the historical responsibilities we bear. In modern times, how many people of lofty ideals and benevolence fought stirring and tragic struggles to realize the great goal of revitalizing China... The historical mission of our generation is to comprehensively uphold, develop, and improve the socialist system on the solid foundation laid by Chairman Mao and Comrade Xiaoping, continue to push forward our socialist cause, and hand it over to later generations at a further level, a newer level, and a higher platform." Driven by a strong sense of historical mission and responsibility, at the special historical juncture of the turn of the century, Jiang Zemin talked about "national rejuvenation" on almost every major occasion. In 1999, Jiang Zemin pointed out that "the Chinese nation will achieve great rejuvenation on the basis of completing the reunification of the motherland and building a modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, and culturally advanced." In 2001, Jiang Zemin pointed out that we must "build our great motherland into a modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, and culturally advanced, and strive to make new and greater contributions to humanity." In 2002, Jiang Zemin pointed out that "by the middle of this century, basically realizing modernization, building China into a prosperous, strong, democratic, and culturally advanced socialist country, and realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation—this is the goal of struggle of the people of all ethnic groups across the country." The Chinese Communists, with Comrade Jiang Zemin as the principal representative, inherited and developed the cause pioneered by revolutionary predecessors, consciously undertook the historical responsibility of realizing national rejuvenation, and scientifically planned a grand blueprint. Without the prosperity and strength of the country, it would be difficult to provide Chinese solutions for human development; and a China moving toward rejuvenation must inevitably make greater contributions to human progress with a more proactive posture. In the practice of socialist modernization with the goals of "prosperity, strength, democracy, and civilization," Jiang Zemin's important expositions on realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation gradually became systematic.
The development direction and correct path for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
Jiang Zemin summarized the experience of China's socialist modernization and concentrated on elaborating the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, forming a systematic body of theoretical achievements with rich connotations and far-reaching vision. These achievements include the leadership force, the fundamental path, the primary task, the spiritual support, the strategic tasks, the important magic weapon, and the fundamental foundation, and possess distinct characteristics of the times and strong practical enlightenment significance.
To realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, it is necessary to uphold the leadership of the Communist Party of China. The leadership of the Communist Party of China is the choice of history and the inevitable conclusion of the development of modern Chinese history. Jiang Zemin pointed out that "only the Communist Party of China can lead the Chinese people to achieve national independence, the liberation of the people, and the victory of socialism, and can pioneer the path of building socialism with Chinese characteristics, realizing national rejuvenation, national prosperity and strength, and the well-being of the people." Upholding the leadership of the Communist Party of China, comprehensively advancing the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics into the 21st century, and realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation require that "the Party must strengthen its own construction in all aspects, enhance its adaptability, improve its leadership level, and always remain the core force leading reform and construction." In 2000, Jiang Zemin explicitly put forward the important thought of the "Three Represents," creatively closely linking the Party's own construction with the historical mission of national rejuvenation. As long as our Party always represents the development requirements of China's advanced productive forces, represents the forward direction of China's advanced culture, and represents the fundamental interests of the broadest masses of the Chinese people, it can stand at the forefront of the times, withstand the test of any storms, shoulder the historical responsibility of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and continuously open up new prospects for the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
To realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, it is necessary to adhere to the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Since the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Party, the Party has led the people in neither taking the old path of closed-door rigidity nor the evil path of changing flags and banners, but along the correct path of "building socialism with Chinese characteristics," properly responding to various difficulties and risks arising at home and abroad, and withstanding the severe test of serious setbacks in world socialism. The Party's third generation of central collective leadership with Comrade Jiang Zemin at its core led the people in defending and successfully advancing socialism with Chinese characteristics into the 21st century, endowing national rejuvenation with vigorous vitality. Jiang Zemin pointed out that "we have pioneered the cause of building socialism with Chinese characteristics and opened up the correct path for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation." On the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, it is necessary to formulate development strategies that conform to reality and seize opportunities to develop as quickly as possible in order to achieve national rejuvenation. In 2002, Jiang Zemin pointed out that "for our country, the first two decades of the 21st century are a period of strategic opportunities that must be firmly grasped and in which great achievements can be made." This judgment conforms to China's national conditions and the aspirations of the people, and is conducive to mobilizing and fully arousing all positive factors to the broadest extent to strive for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
To realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, it is necessary to regard development as the Party's top priority in governing and rejuvenating the country. Jiang Zemin deeply recognized that development is the master key to solving all of China's problems. He pointed out that "actively and steadily developing the national economy has always been the central task of our modernization drive... Only when the economy develops and national strength grows can we have the power to resist any natural and social storms, withstand any external threats and pressures, and realize national rejuvenation." He emphasized that "unless a large-scale foreign invasion occurs, this central task must not be shaken under any circumstances." This major thesis drew an insurmountable principled bottom line for "taking economic construction as the center." It was precisely by always adhering to economic construction as the center that China's reform, opening up, and socialist modernization continued to reach new levels. In the report to the Sixteenth National Congress of the Party, Jiang Zemin put forward the major thesis that "development must be regarded as the Party's top priority in governing and rejuvenating the country," emphasizing that "under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China, we must develop the socialist market economy, socialist democratic politics, and advanced socialist culture, continuously promote the coordinated development of socialist material civilization, political civilization, and spiritual civilization, and advance the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation." These important expositions elevated development to a strategic height related to the success or failure of national rejuvenation, profoundly revealing a simple truth: the great cause of national rejuvenation must ultimately be supported by the strength of development; without a solid foundation of development, rejuvenation would be like water without a source or a tree without roots.
To realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, it is necessary to build socialist spiritual civilization. A person cannot stand without spirit, and a country cannot be strong without spirit. Jiang Zemin pointed out that "realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation requires not only a developed material civilization but also an advanced spiritual civilization. Realizing the coordinated development of these two civilizations is the only way for the comprehensive progress of our society." To build socialist spiritual civilization and realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, the most fundamental thing is to "uphold the guiding position of Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, and Deng Xiaoping Theory in the ideological field, and use the important thought of the 'Three Represents' to lead the construction of socialist culture." Through building socialist spiritual civilization, "firmly establish common ideals, beliefs, and spiritual pillars throughout society." In the construction of spiritual civilization, cultural construction plays a foundational role. Jiang Zemin pointed out that "in contemporary China, developing advanced culture means developing the culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics, which means building socialist spiritual civilization." The national spirit is an important component of building socialist spiritual civilization. Jiang Zemin emphasized that "the national spirit is the spiritual support on which a nation depends for survival and development. A nation without an invigorated spirit and noble character cannot stand proudly among the nations of the world." Facing the mutual impact of various ideologies and cultures worldwide, Jiang Zemin pointed out that "the promotion and cultivation of the national spirit must be regarded as an extremely important task of cultural construction," and that we must "arm people with scientific theory, guide people with correct public opinion, shape people with noble spirit, and inspire people with excellent works," vigorously developing advanced socialist culture. He required that the promotion and cultivation of the national spirit be incorporated into the entire process of national education and into the entire process of spiritual civilization construction, so that the entire people always maintain a high-spirited state of mind.
To realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, it is necessary to attach great importance to science and technology, education, and talent. In the 1990s, the new scientific and technological revolution marked mainly by information technology developed rapidly. Jiang Zemin assessed the situation and attached great importance to stimulating the innovative spirit and capability of the nation. He emphasized that "innovation is the soul of a nation's progress and the inexhaustible motive force for a country's prosperity and development." Innovation depends on talent. Jiang Zemin pointed out that "the key to innovation lies in talent, and the growth of talent depends on education. When the level of education improves, scientific and technological progress and economic development will have staying power. The strength of science and technology and the level of national education have always been important indicators for measuring comprehensive national strength and the degree of social civilization, and are also the two indispensable flywheels for every country to move toward prosperity... Education is the foundation for developing science and technology and cultivating talent, plays a pioneering and overall role in modernization, and must be placed in a strategic position of priority development." These important expositions, based on reality, aimed at catching up with and surpassing the world's advanced science and technology, and focused on the overall situation of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation in the 21st century, clarified the close relationship among science and technology, education, and talent and their status and role in social development. To this end, the Party's third generation of central collective leadership with Comrade Jiang Zemin at its core proposed the strategy of rejuvenating the country through science and education, promoting China's overall scientific and technological strength to rank among the forefront of developing countries, and beginning the transition from a large country in education to a strong country in education.
To realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, it is necessary to consolidate and develop the patriotic united front and unite all forces that can be united. The patriotic united front in the new period is a political advantage for uniting all patriotic forces and advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Jiang Zemin believed that the patriotic united front is the broadest alliance of all socialist laborers, patriots who support socialism, and patriots who support the reunification of the motherland. In united front work, Jiang Zemin attached great importance to the role of intellectuals and youth, pointing out that intellectuals "to a large extent determine the rise and fall of our nation and the process of modernization," and that "the youth of all ethnic groups across the country represent the future of our motherland and nation and the hope of the flourishing of our cause." The grand cause of socialist modernization needs youth to build it, and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation will be realized in the hands of youth. National rejuvenation is the theme and goal of the Party's united front work. Jiang Zemin believed that the united front is an important magic weapon and political advantage of the Party, and that "we must mobilize all positive factors to the broadest and fullest extent and continuously add new strength to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation."
To realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, it is necessary to complete the great cause of national reunification. Jiang Zemin led the smooth return of Hong Kong and Macao, promoted the two sides of the Taiwan Strait to reach the "1992 Consensus" embodying the One-China principle, and vigorously carried out major struggles against separatism and against "Taiwan independence." Jiang Zemin pointed out that "realizing the complete reunification of the motherland and safeguarding the security of the motherland are the fundamental foundation for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and also the unshakable strong will of all Chinese people." Completing the reunification of the motherland is an inherent part of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Jiang Zemin pointed out: "Striving for peaceful reunification and jointly seeking the great cause of rejuvenation... should become the common major goal of the people on both sides of the Strait, including all political parties and groups." He emphasized that "the country must be unified, the nation must be rejuvenated, and the Taiwan issue cannot be delayed indefinitely." We believe that the Chinese nation will achieve great rejuvenation on the basis of completing the reunification of the motherland.
Firmly confident and continuing the struggle, advancing courageously toward the grand goal of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
History can often be seen more clearly after the passage of time; thought can only demonstrate its value and significance when implemented and carried out. Jiang Zemin's series of important expositions on realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation still possess important reference value and guiding significance, and have been inherited and developed with the times on the new journey of the new era.
First, regarding the leadership force for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Jiang Zemin pointed out that "the Communist Party of China is deeply rooted in the Chinese nation. From the day of its founding, the Party has been the vanguard of the Chinese working class, and at the same time the vanguard of the Chinese people and the Chinese nation, shouldering the solemn mission of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. During the new democratic revolution, our Party united and led the people of all ethnic groups across the country to complete the historical task of national independence and the liberation of the people, creating the prerequisite for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. After the founding of New China, our Party creatively completed the transition from new democracy to socialism, realizing the greatest and most profound social change in Chinese history, and began the historical journey of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on the socialist path. Since the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee, our Party has found the correct path of building socialism with Chinese characteristics, endowing national rejuvenation with new and powerful vitality. The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is showing brilliant prospects." This important exposition succinctly summarized the historic achievements made by the Party since its founding in realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Jiang Zemin emphasized that to govern the country well, the Party must first be built well, and Party building must be strict; the more reform and opening up and economic development progress, the more necessary it is to strengthen Party leadership and Party building. The key to running China's affairs well lies in the Party. The leadership of the Communist Party of China is the most essential feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics and the greatest advantage of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics. The Communist Party of China is the highest political leadership force. Party, government, military, civilian, and academic; east, west, south, north, and center—the Party leads everything. On the new journey of the new era, only by upholding and strengthening the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee can we comprehensively advance the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-style modernization.
Second, regarding the correct path for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Jiang Zemin firmly believed that the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics endows national rejuvenation with vigorous vitality. He proposed that the first two decades of the 21st century are an important period of strategic opportunities that China must firmly grasp and in which great achievements can be made, and made forward-looking plans for comprehensively building a moderately prosperous society and realizing the third-step strategic goal, which enriched and developed the development stage and development strategy of socialism with Chinese characteristics. The goals Jiang Zemin hoped for at that time have already become reality through the unremitting struggle of the Party and the people. Now the Party is leading the people on a new journey of comprehensively advancing the building of a strong country and the great cause of national rejuvenation through Chinese-style modernization, "irreversibly moving toward the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics."
Third, regarding the primary task for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. In the magnificent process of reform and opening up, the Party has always taken economic construction as the center, placed development in an important strategic position, and used development to continuously satisfy the people's aspirations for a better life. From Jiang Zemin's proposal to General Secretary Xi Jinping's reiteration that "development is the Party's top priority in governing and rejuvenating the country," what is demonstrated is the strategic resolve of Chinese Communists to draw one blueprint to the end. Only with a solid material and technological foundation can we comprehensively build a great modern socialist country and realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
Fourth, regarding the spiritual force for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation requires the accumulation of material civilization and even more the support of spiritual civilization. Jiang Zemin pointed out that "building socialist spiritual civilization concerns the future and destiny of the Party and the state, and concerns the Chinese nation's self-respect, self-confidence, and self-strengthening in standing proudly among the nations of the world." In the process of advancing reform, opening up, and socialist modernization, our Party has insisted on grasping material civilization with one hand and spiritual civilization with the other, promoting the flourishing and development of socialist culture, invigorating the national spirit, and condensing national strength. With the improvement of material living standards, people's spiritual and cultural lives have also undergone tremendous changes. Since the Eighteenth National Congress of the Party, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has attached great importance to the construction of spiritual civilization. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that "without the active guidance of advanced culture, without the great enrichment of the people's spiritual world, without the continuous strengthening of the national spiritual force, a country or a nation cannot stand proudly among the nations of the world." On the road forward, we must correctly grasp the dialectical relationship between material civilization and spiritual civilization, and by promoting the high-quality development of spiritual civilization construction, provide a strong spiritual force for building a strong country and national rejuvenation.
Fifth, regarding the strategic tasks for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation requires the implementation and promotion of strategic tasks such as education, science and technology, and talent. Educational development provides talent and intellectual support for scientific and technological innovation; scientific and technological progress powerfully promotes the high-quality development of education; talent guarantees the continuous innovation and sustainable development of education and science and technology. The implementation of the strategy of rejuvenating the country through science and education serves the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation. The integrated development of education, science and technology, and talent is a major deployment of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core and a key lever for building a strong country in education in the new era. "The pattern of integrated development of education, science and technology, and talent has basically taken shape" has been included in the economic and social development goals of the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, pointing the way forward for us to fully understand the internal connections and important value of education, science and technology, and talent at the national strategic level, and to systematically advance the building of a strong country in education, a strong country in science and technology, and a strong country in talent.
Sixth, regarding the powerful magic weapon for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The united front is a powerful magic weapon for condensing hearts and gathering strength. Jiang Zemin pointed out that only by uniting all Chinese sons and daughters in common struggle can "the realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation have greater certainty of success," and therefore "we must forever carry forward the great spirit of unity of the Chinese nation," so that "Chinese sons and daughters at home and abroad achieve new unity and alliance for the modernization of China and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation." Since the Eighteenth National Congress of the Party, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has made comprehensive arrangements for united front work from the strategic height of governing the country, promoting historic achievements in united front work. We must uphold great unity and great alliance, mobilize all Chinese sons and daughters to think together and work together, and let the mighty force bursting forth from the unity and concerted struggle of all Chinese sons and daughters become a powerful driving force for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
Seventh, regarding the inevitable requirement for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The Party's third generation of central collective leadership with Comrade Jiang Zemin at its core actively promoted theoretical and practical innovation in Taiwan-related work. Since the Eighteenth National Congress of the Party, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has firmly grasped the leading and initiative power in cross-strait relations, effectively safeguarded peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, and solidly advanced the process of national reunification. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Resolving the Taiwan issue and realizing the complete reunification of the motherland is the Party's unswerving historical task, the common aspiration of all Chinese sons and daughters, and an inevitable requirement for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation." National rejuvenation and national reunification are the trend of the times, the cause of righteousness, and the will of the people. A strong and unified country has always been the destiny of all Chinese sons and daughters, including our compatriots in Taiwan. Compatriots on both sides of the Strait must resolutely oppose "Taiwan independence" separatist activities and interference by external forces, firmly safeguard the common homeland of the Chinese nation, jointly pursue the beautiful future of peaceful reunification, and firmly grasp the destiny of the Chinese nation in the hands of the Chinese people themselves.
Realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is the historical aspiration that generations of Chinese Communists have continuously striven for. Jiang Zemin pointed out that "mankind has already entered a new century. By the middle of this century, we will basically realize modernization and achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. At that time, a modern socialist China that is prosperous, strong, democratic, and culturally advanced will stand proudly in the East of the world, and the Chinese people will make new and greater contributions to humanity. This is the historical mission that the Chinese people have been striving for since modern times. All Chinese sons and daughters with ambition, ideals, and aspirations feel proud to be able to devote themselves to this magnificent cause." On the journey of continued struggle, we are getting closer and closer to the goal of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Time waits for no one and urges us forward. We must unite more closely around the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, hold high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics, strengthen confidence, work hard and strive to be strong, and make unremitting efforts to comprehensively advance the building of a strong country and the great cause of national rejuvenation through Chinese-style modernization, continuously creating a better life for the Chinese people and writing a more magnificent chapter for the Chinese nation.
[The author is Deputy Director of the Teaching and Research Department of the History of the Communist Party of China at the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance).]
Return to TopBy: 陈建奇
Reform and opening up is a crucial move that determines the fate of contemporary China, and it is also a crucial move for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Through more than 40 years of 波澜壮阔 (bō lán zhuàng kuò - "waves surging, vast and magnificent," grand and sweeping) practice of reform and opening up, China has always adhered to the 相辅相成 (xiāng fǔ xiāng chéng - "mutually complement and mutually complete," interdependent and mutually reinforcing) and mutual promotion of reform and opening up, seeking vitality from reform and seeking space from opening up, and successfully creating the two major miracles of rapid economic development and long-term social stability. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that expanding opening up should promote deepening reform, and deepening reform should promote expanding opening up, injecting new momentum, adding new vitality, and expanding new space for economic development. At present, the world's century-scale transformation is accelerating, geopolitical and geo-economic conflicts occur frequently and repeatedly, protectionism and unilateralism are prominent problems, the global governance system faces severe challenges, and the uncertain and unpredictable factors facing reform and opening up are increasing. The Outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan emphasizes promoting the efficient tandem of high-level opening up and deep-level reform. In keeping with the general trend of globalization and coordinating the two overall situations of domestic and international affairs, it is necessary to expand high-level opening up to the outside world, advance comprehensive deepening of reform, continuously shape new advantages in international cooperation and competition, and provide 源源不断 (yuán yuán bù duàn - "continuous and unceasing," flowing without interruption) strong support for Chinese-style modernization (中国式现代化) to proceed 行稳致远 (xíng wěn zhì yuǎn - "walk steadily to reach far," steady progress toward distant goals).
The efficient tandem of high-level opening up and deep-level reform is an inevitable requirement for the stable and healthy development of China's economy.
By integrating into globalization through opening up to the outside world, China has proactively aligned with international rules, introduced external competition, and prompted mutual influence between different domestic and international rules and standards, which objectively requires reforming various institutions and mechanisms that affect international cooperation. Along with the steady advancement of reform, the business environment has continuously improved, the vitality of micro-level entities has been continuously released, and the institutional advantages of deepening international cooperation have been continuously demonstrated, objectively forming important support for expanding opening up. The efficient tandem of high-level opening up and deep-level reform promotes the sustained, stable, and healthy development of China's economy, which has deep historical logic, theoretical logic, and practical logic.
From the perspective of historical logic, opening up and reform have always advanced in tandem and mutual promotion. In the early exploratory practice of reform and opening up, China established special economic zones and opened coastal cities; actively undertook global industrial transfers such as processing trade, which objectively required labor and other factor resources to continuously concentrate in industrial enterprises, and the institutional and mechanism obstacles restricting the efficiency of market resource allocation urgently needed to be broken. Against this background, China implemented reforms such as the household contract responsibility system (家庭联产承包责任制), state-owned enterprise reform, and price reform, stimulating the vitality and enthusiasm of micro-level entities and consolidating the foundation for opening up. After joining the World Trade Organization, China's opening up expanded comprehensively, actively fulfilled its opening commitments, and promoted many reforms such as tariff reduction, simplification of administrative approval, and promotion of international investment, and China's cooperation with major world economies continued to deepen. Since the new era, China has promoted the implementation of the pilot free trade zone (自贸试验区) and free trade port strategies, continuously deepened reform and expanded independent opening up, practiced the global governance concept of extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits (共商共建共享), and promoted global opening cooperation to go deeper and more solid. China's opening up and reform have never been strategic measures that are separated from each other or implemented independently, but rather an organic whole that is 相得益彰 (xiāng dé yì zhāng - "each gains from the other, both shine more brightly," mutual enhancement) and mutually complementary, promoting China's deep integration into the global industrial chain, supply chain, and value chain, and making China the world's second-largest economy and the world's largest trader in goods.
From the perspective of theoretical logic, the efficient tandem of high-level opening up and deep-level reform continuously releases enormous momentum for economic development. Countries have different factor resource endowments and different comparative advantages, which constitute the driving force and foundation for opening cooperation. Opening up follows the theory of international division of labor, breaks through barriers between domestic and foreign markets, promotes cooperation in energy resources, industrial capital, advanced technology, and other areas, solves the bottleneck constraints on countries' development, expands the market boundaries of enterprises, and realizes the smooth domestic and international circulation of the economy. However, the international economic circulation faces constraints from factors such as tariff and non-tariff barriers, which objectively requires reform to break the blockage points and stagnation points hindering economic circulation, especially to consolidate global consensus on rules and standards for opening cooperation, promote the formation of a global economic governance system through reform, reduce the institutional costs of opening up, promote the global circulation of factors such as labor, capital, technology, management, and data, and enhance the efficiency and level of global factor resource allocation. Reform is the endogenous driving force, and opening up is external empowerment. The efficient tandem of high-level opening up and deep-level reform continuously releases institutional dividends and opening dividends, becoming the source of momentum for sustained economic growth and transformation and upgrading.
From the perspective of practical logic, the efficient tandem of high-level opening up and deep-level reform is a scientific choice for China to adapt to the century-scale transformation. At present, economic globalization is encountering countercurrents. International economic and trade cooperation is shifting from emphasizing efficiency to balancing efficiency and fairness, from emphasizing development to coordinating development and security, and from multilateralism to placing equal emphasis on regional and multilateral approaches. The global industrial chain and supply chain are accelerating their restructuring, with obvious trends toward regionalization, nearshoring, and localization. The opening up China faces is no longer limited to product cooperation and cost competition, but is shifting toward institutions and rules, toward digital trade and the intelligent economy. It is necessary to align with high-standard international economic and trade rules, implement high-level opening up, lead the reform of the global economic governance system, and strengthen the initiative and leadership of international economic and trade cooperation. However, high-level opening up touches upon high-standard economic and trade rules such as environmental protection, labor standards, digital economy, and intellectual property rights. It is necessary to attach importance to accelerating deep-level reforms in ecological and environmental protection, intellectual property rights, competition institutions, and other aspects in order to meet the requirements of high-level opening up. In addition, reform involves the adjustment of interest patterns and the innovation and improvement of domestic and foreign cooperation mechanisms, with resistance and pressure coexisting. It is necessary to adhere to the efficient tandem of high-level opening up and deep-level reform, promote deep-level reform through high-level opening up to the outside world, and support high-level opening up through deep-level reform.
The overall efficacy of the efficient tandem of high-level opening up and deep-level reform urgently needs to be improved.
Along with the deepening of reform and opening up, the new system of an open economy has been continuously improved, the linkage efficacy of opening up and reform has been continuously released, China's connection with the world has continued to deepen, China has injected confidence and momentum into global economic growth with its own economic development, and China's opening up has entered a new stage of high-level opening up. In the new era, China's deepening of external cooperation requires high-level opening up, and the development of globalization requires the leadership of high-level opening up. It is necessary to deeply analyze the problems and challenges facing the efficient tandem of high-level opening up and deep-level reform and enhance overall efficacy.
The systematic nature of the efficient tandem of high-level opening up and deep-level reform urgently needs to be strengthened. From a regional perspective, starting with the establishment of the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone in 2013, 23 pilot free trade zones have now been established, and Hainan is building a free trade port. The practice of pilot free trade zones in the eastern region has achieved significant results, with relatively rapid development of institutional innovation. However, the development of pilot free trade zones in the central and western regions is relatively lagging, and the intensity of replicating and promoting the eastern region's institutional innovation to the central and western regions needs to be further strengthened. From the perspective of domestic and international circulation, the shortcomings and weaknesses in the development of domestic major circulation are relatively prominent, the livelihood security system urgently needs improvement, and reform measures to release domestic demand potential and promote the upgrading of the supply system urgently need innovation. The slow development of domestic major circulation makes it difficult to form a strong traction for international cooperation. From the perspective of policy coordination, some regions and departments have the problem of emphasizing opening up over reform, one-sidedly pursuing trade scale and the quantity of foreign investment rather than effectively deepening reform to enhance new advantages in international economic and trade competition, and the efficiency of the linkage between opening up and reform is difficult to effectively release.
The scope of the efficient tandem of high-level opening up and deep-level reform urgently needs to be expanded. At present, technological changes such as artificial intelligence are accelerating, quantum technology, robotics, 6G, and the low-altitude economy are attracting much attention, and frontier technological innovation is reshaping the new pattern of international economic and trade cooperation, with the limitations of the traditional model of reform and opening up becoming increasingly prominent. It is necessary to actively explore new models of opening cooperation for factors such as data and computing power, accelerate the introduction of reform measures to cultivate and strengthen emerging industries and future industries, promote the concentration of global factor resources in related fields, consolidate global consensus on increasing opening cooperation in emerging fields, and explore new mechanisms and new paradigms for the efficient tandem of high-level opening up and deep-level reform. At the same time, the problem of uncoordinated and unsynchronized opening up and reform remains prominent. In particular, China's current level of opening up in goods is relatively high, but the lagging opening up of the service sector has attracted much attention, with education, finance, medical care, and telecommunications becoming key areas. Expanding the opening up of the service sector lies not only in aligning with external markets, but also in the steady advancement of deep-level reform in the domestic service sector.
The linkage mechanism of opening up and reform for preventing and defusing systemic risks urgently needs to be improved. Along with the continuous deepening of opening up, the lack of effective coordination of macro policies among major countries and the significant divergence of macro policies such as monetary policy have prompted large inflows and outflows of cross-border funds, increasing the uncertainty risk of financial markets such as exchange rates and stock markets. The cross-border capital chain presents characteristics of concealment and complexity, which significantly increases the difficulty of regulatory penetration. External shocks can easily evolve into cross-market, cross-field chain reactions, breeding systemic risks. In this regard, it is necessary to strengthen the linkage between opening up and reform and build institutional mechanisms for preventing and defusing systemic risks. However, reform measures such as supervision of cross-border capital flows and macro policy coordination are still being explored. In some fields, rising risks have led to relatively conservative policies, resulting in problems such as reform not being able to continue deepening and opening up not daring to make breakthroughs. The increase in external risk challenges objectively restricts the depth and breadth of the linkage between opening up and reform, affecting the enhancement of overall collaborative efficacy.
Promote the efficient tandem of high-level opening up and deep-level reform with pragmatic measures.
On the new journey, enhancing the linkage efficiency of opening up and reform must focus on the new requirements of high-quality economic development, must also be based on the era background of the accelerating reshaping of the world economic pattern, deeply analyze shortcomings and weaknesses, strengthen the systematic nature of the coordination between opening up and reform, implement new reform and opening up measures adapted to the technological revolution and industrial transformation, fill the shortcomings and weaknesses in linkage coordination and risk prevention and control, and fully release the stacking and multiplying effect of the efficient tandem of high-level opening up and deep-level reform.
Strengthen systematic thinking and overall perspective, and build an efficient coordination mechanism for high-level opening up and deep-level reform. Strengthen top-level planning and solve prominent problems such as the imbalance and lack of coordination between opening up and reform. Closely focusing on the theme of high-quality development and the strategic goal of accelerating the construction of a new development pattern, relying on the important measures for reform and opening up proposed in the Outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan, clarify the key areas, phased goals, and time nodes for the efficient coordination of high-level opening up and deep-level reform, and promote the synchronous deployment and synchronous implementation of domestic reform measures and external opening policies. Focus on solving the problem of how to make the connection between reform measures and opening policies closer, promote domestic reform and external opening to exert force in the same direction, promote cross-departmental, cross-field, full-cycle coordination and linkage, regularly evaluate the linkage effectiveness of opening up and reform, and build a new open economy system compatible with high-level opening up.
Drive deep-level reform with institutional opening up as the traction. High-level opening up transcends the traditional opening of commodity and factor markets, focuses on advancing institutional opening up, promotes the compatibility and mutual accommodation of rules, regulations, management, and standards, and continuously builds a market-oriented, law-based, and internationalized business environment. In recent years, China has continuously advanced institutional opening up, formally joined and fully implemented the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), and applied to join high-standard international economic and trade agreements such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA). At present and in the future, it is urgently necessary to promote reforms in high-standard fields such as intellectual property rights, green environmental protection, government procurement, and the digital economy. Intellectual property reform focuses on strengthening whole-chain intellectual property protection, improving the scientific and technological innovation environment, and gathering global innovation resources such as talent and capital. Green environmental protection focuses on promoting the comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development, benchmarking against global green governance standards, promoting reforms in ecological and environmental protection supervision and carbon emission control, and cultivating green development competitiveness. Government procurement focuses on improving the open and transparent government procurement mechanism, striving to reform and break down various barriers, and creating an institutional environment for equal participation and fair competition of various business entities. The digital economy focuses on reforms in areas such as cross-border data flows, international tax coordination, and digital credit systems, and promotes the construction of a global digital economy governance system.
Build new platforms for the efficient tandem of high-level opening up and deep-level reform. Pilot free trade zones and free trade ports break the unilateral advancement model of opening up or reform, realize the deep coupling of the two, and have become new platforms for the efficient tandem of high-level opening up and deep-level reform. At the level of deep-level reform, focusing on the institutional and mechanism problems that constrain high-level opening up, promote the reform of the negative list system, achieve the clearing of the negative list in manufacturing, steadily advance reforms such as customs inspection and quality inspection adapted to trade facilitation, actively explore financial capital account reform, and the integrated innovation of related institutions abandons the fragmented reform model and effectively supports the improvement of the level of opening up. At the level of high-level opening up, actively align with high-standard international economic and trade agreements, introduce important measures to expand independent opening up, significantly relax access, break down barriers, and increase the intensity of opening up in education, medical care, telecommunications, and other fields. Relying on the unique advantage of island-wide customs closure operation, Hainan Free Trade Port (海南自贸港) leads institutional opening up and builds a high ground for the efficient tandem of high-level opening up and deep-level reform.
Improve the risk prevention and control system and build a solid safety bottom line for the efficient tandem of high-level opening up and deep-level reform. To build an all-round risk prevention and control mechanism, it is necessary not only to prevent systemic risks caused by cross-border flows of financial capital, but also to attach great importance to the construction of a data security governance system in the context of the rapid development of the digital economy, and to pay attention to open security challenges such as the stability of the industrial chain and supply chain caused by trade frictions. It is necessary to strengthen the risk identification, early warning, and assessment system, actively plan response strategies, and enrich the toolbox for preventing and defusing systemic risks. At the same time, development is the most powerful security, and non-development is the greatest insecurity. While adhering to the security bottom line, it is necessary to attach great importance to promoting the implementation of reform and opening up policies, encourage bold exploration and active innovation, break the conservative mentality of not daring to reform, not willing to reform, and not daring to open up, let business entities share the dividends of the linkage between opening up and reform, stimulate the enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity of the whole society in supporting and promoting reform and opening up, promote high-quality development through high-level opening up, and defuse systemic risks in deepening reform and opening up.
[The author is Deputy Director of the Institute for International Strategic Studies at the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance) (中央党校（国家行政学院）)]
Return to TopBy: 程晓宇
What the people hope for is where governance points. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that "we must take the people's interests as the priority, keep the people's expectations in mind, sincerely listen to the people's voices, truthfully reflect the people's wishes, and genuinely care about the people's hardships," and "focus on identifying the focal points and breakthroughs of reform from the urgent, difficult, worried, and longed-for matters of the common people, such as employment, income increase, school enrollment, medical treatment, housing, administrative procedures, childcare and elderly care, and the safety of life and property." This important exposition points the way for Party members and cadres to identify the focal points of their work from the people's expectations.
The original aspiration and mission, the nature and purpose, and the goals of struggle of our Party determine that the people's expectations are the weather vane and measuring stick of Party members' and cadres' work. Where the people's expectations are, there the focus of work should be placed; where the people's voices are, there the blade of reform must point. Only by effectively solving the practical problems the people care about and focus on can the Party's work truly land and produce results and win the people's hearts. Chinese-style modernization has never been a blueprint hung on the wall, but a great undertaking built from thousands upon thousands of concrete livelihood matters. Party members and cadres should deeply understand that every timely response to the people's hardships is cultivating soil and strengthening the roots for the deep foundation of Party-mass relations; every warm care for the "elderly and the young" is weaving the warp and weft for the livelihood welfare of the full life cycle; every scientific decision in the face of safety hazards is building a solid defense line for the safety of the people's lives and property.
Go deep into the front line to observe the people's conditions, and grasp the "pulse" of the people's expectations. The people's needs are not thought up while sitting in offices, but "walked" out in the fields and ridges, factory workshops, and community buildings. Party members and cadres should actively change their working approach, take the initiative to leave their offices and go down to the grassroots, and through multiple channels such as door-to-door visits, courtyard conversations, people's sentiment discussions, and online message boards, listen to the people's voices face to face and observe the people's sentiments heart to heart. They should listen to both "pleasant words" and "unpleasant words," and pay special attention to those long-unresolved old problems and constantly emerging new pain points. For specific problems reported by the people, such as aging facilities in old residential communities, damaged rural roads, and inconvenient reimbursement for cross-regional medical treatment, ledgers should be established and categories sorted out, transforming the "problem list" into a "duty list," ensuring that the work direction does not deviate and the target does not scatter. Only by truly sinking down can the people's thoughts, ideas, and expectations be clearly and accurately understood, laying a solid foundation for precise policy implementation.
Focus on solving the people's urgent, difficult, worried, and longed-for problems, and make efforts to handle concrete livelihood matters well. The people's expectations vary widely, but the most urgent and strongest are often concentrated in livelihood areas such as employment, education, medical care, elderly care, and housing. Party members and cadres should be good at grasping the principal contradiction and the principal aspect of the contradiction from 千头万绪 (qiān tóu wàn xù - "a thousand heads, ten thousand threads," complex and tangled), and invest limited resources and energy into the matters the people are most concerned about. Facing the demand for installing elevators in old residential communities, one cannot simply hold a meeting and be done with it, but must communicate and consult door to door to find the greatest common divisor of all interested parties; facing the difficulty of inconvenient medical treatment for rural people, one cannot stop at forwarding documents, but must promote the sinking of high-quality medical resources so that villagers can see a doctor and be treated well at their doorstep; facing parents' anxiety about their children's school enrollment, one cannot simply push it away with "tight school places," but must coordinate the allocation of resources and optimize the layout of school districts. By solving one concrete livelihood matter after another, continuously strengthen the people's trust and confidence in the Party, and build the most reliable mass foundation for the Party's long-term governance.
Do it immediately and seek practical results, and win the people's hearts with solid work and real achievements. The people's expectations often have timeliness; children's school enrollment cannot wait three years, and patients' medical treatment cannot be delayed a year. Identifying the focal point is only the first step; the key is to grasp it through to the end with the nail-driving spirit. Party members and cadres should cultivate the fine work style of "doing it immediately, grasping firmly and doing solidly," achieving rapid response, completion within a time limit, and follow-up on results for the people's demands. They must strenuously guard against formalism and bureaucratism, and cannot use "let's study it" as an excuse for delay or "complex procedures" as a shield for inaction. They must work with feeling and with responsibility, and with the attitude of 将心比心 (jiāng xīn bǐ xīn - "put one's heart beside another's heart," empathy), the speed of doing it immediately, and the force of doing it well once done, let the people have one less moment of waiting agony and one more moment of comfortable delight, truly feeling the warmth of the Party and the government.
The cohesion of the people's hearts is not 一蹴而就 (yī cù ér jiù - "accomplished with a single kick," done overnight), but a perceptible process of accumulation. When Party members and cadres treat the people's employment anxiety as their own "matter of the heart," the people's educational expectations as their own "matter within their duty," and the grassroots governance pain points as their own "matter at hand," Chinese-style modernization will possess the deepest and most enduring source of strength.
Return to TopBy: 刘青
At present, a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation is advancing in depth. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Technological innovation and industrial innovation are the basic path for developing new quality productive forces." This important thesis profoundly elucidates the intrinsic relationship between technological innovation, industrial innovation, and the development of new quality productive forces. However, the integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation does not occur naturally; in reality, problems such as "two skins," "shallow integration," and "unsmooth integration" still exist. How to precisely identify the integration points, conjunction points, and focal points between the two in practice is a major issue that urgently needs to be answered.
Understanding the deep connotation of "integration": from "achievement transformation" to "deep integration"
Accurately grasping the deep connotation of the integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation is the cognitive prerequisite for identifying integration points. The traditional "achievement transformation" follows a one-way linear thinking of "from science and technology to industry," that is, researchers produce results and then seek industrial applications. "Deep integration," by contrast, emphasizes "two-way engagement and coordinated evolution": technological innovation provides endogenous impetus and key support for industrial innovation, while industrial innovation creates market value and application scenarios for technological innovation, achieving a high degree of coordination between the two in terms of objectives, factors, processes, and actors.
In the process of integration, five pairs of relationships need to be scientifically handled. First, the relationship between forward-lookingness and practicality. It is necessary both to lay out frontier technologies with a long-term perspective and allow free exploration in frontier fields, and to be grounded in current goal-oriented needs and solve real industrial problems. Second, the relationship between strategic orientation and market orientation. It is necessary both to serve national strategic needs and to respect the laws of the market and the laws of value. Third, the relationship between publicness and exclusivity. It is necessary both to give play to the public goods attribute of basic research and to protect the reasonable returns of innovation actors. Fourth, the relationship between comprehensiveness and locality. It is necessary both to coordinate the national layout of innovation resources and to adapt measures to local conditions and implement categorized policies. Fifth, the relationship between synergy and competition. It is necessary both to promote the coordinated linkage of innovation factors and to stimulate innovation vitality through healthy competition.
From the perspective of new quality productive forces, the logic of integration becomes clearer. New quality productive forces are an advanced form of productive forces in which innovation plays a leading role, breaking away from traditional economic growth modes and productivity development paths, and characterized by high technology, high efficiency, and high quality. They are engendered by revolutionary breakthroughs in technology, innovative allocation of production factors, and deep industrial transformation and upgrading. Technological innovation is the core element for developing new quality productive forces, and industrial innovation is the main pathway and powerful support for their development. Integration is the bridge and bond connecting the "primary productive force of science and technology" with "industrial competitiveness." In the outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan, the word "technology" appears 121 times and "innovation" appears 139 times, indicating the important role of technological innovation in developing new quality productive forces. Promoting the deep integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation is precisely the important pathway for transforming scientific and technological advantages into industrial momentum and innovation advantages into development advantages.
Recognizing the bottlenecks in "integration"
At present, there are still some prominent shortcomings and bottleneck constraints in the integrated development of China's technological innovation and industrial innovation. To identify integration points, one must first see clearly where the bottlenecks lie.
From the perspective of the science and technology supply side, high-quality scientific and technological supply remains insufficient. China's original innovation capacity is still relatively weak, lacking major original and disruptive innovations "from 0 to 1." The proportion of basic research funding is relatively low; although basic research investment in 2025 approached 280 billion yuan, reaching 7.08 percent, there remains a certain gap compared with major innovative countries in the world. The "chokepoint" problem of key core technologies remains prominent, and the situation in which China is constrained by others in fields such as integrated circuits, industrial machine tools, and advanced materials has not yet fundamentally changed. Within the technological innovation chain, the transformation links from science to technology and from technology to products are particularly weak. Some frontier achievements remain trapped in laboratories and stay in papers. A large number of innovation achievements remain at the level of technical reports, research papers, or laboratory samples, and have not been effectively transformed into actual productive forces.
From the perspective of institutions and mechanisms, the institutional safeguards for integration are not yet complete. Innovation supply is disconnected from industrial demand, organizational coordination is poor, and the situation of "difficulty finding technology" on the enterprise side coexisting with "difficulty finding markets" on the research side persists. Institutions such as data property rights and income distribution are not yet complete, constraining the free flow of innovation factors. Some research institutions hold advanced technologies but lack precise insight into real market demand, and the products they develop often emphasize technical indicators over practical application. Some regions and departments treat high-value application scenarios as "exclusive assets" of their own region or system, with weak willingness and insufficient intensity to open them to the market. Unsmooth institutions and mechanisms lead researchers to "dare not transform" and "do not want to transform," resulting in "sleeping" patents. School-enterprise cooperation mostly remains at the level of "signing agreements and conducting projects," with the relationship terminating as soon as the project ends, lacking sustained and in-depth cooperation mechanisms. These problems are intertwined and hinder the deep integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation.
Identifying "integration points" requires precise efforts and key breakthroughs
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that the foundation of integration is increasing high-quality scientific and technological supply, the key to integration is strengthening the principal position of enterprises in scientific and technological innovation, and the pathway of integration is promoting the transformation and application of scientific and technological achievements. This important exposition provides the fundamental guideline for identifying integration points. In practice, it is necessary to refine, make precise efforts, and achieve key breakthroughs in the following five aspects.
Support with scientific and technological supply, and increase high-quality sources of innovation. High-quality scientific and technological supply is the foundation of deep integration. Scientific and technological innovation capacity has become a key variable determining global industrial competition, and the quantity and quality of scientific and technological supply directly affect the benefits and level of industrial innovation. It is necessary to improve the scientific research organizational system, and, oriented toward the actual needs of major national strategies and industrial development, provide effective technical solutions and product ideas that can truly solve problems. Adhere to the strategic orientation of facing the world's scientific and technological frontiers, facing the main economic battlefield, facing major national needs, and facing the life and health of the people; focus on key fields such as integrated circuits, artificial intelligence, biomedicine, and quantum science and technology with increased long-term and stable support; fight the battle for key core technologies; implement major science and technology special projects; and deploy major science and technology tasks targeting bottleneck constraints. Strengthen original innovation, and advance system-oriented basic research guided by strategy, frontier-oriented exploratory basic research, and market-oriented applied basic research. During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, it is necessary to promptly deploy the construction of high-energy-level innovation platforms, accelerate the construction of the Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area international science and technology innovation centers, and build world-class sources of scientific and technological innovation. National high-tech zones concentrate 25 percent of the country's R&D personnel, 70 percent of national manufacturing innovation centers, and 80 percent of national key laboratories, and have produced a large number of original technologies and first-launch products such as artificial intelligence chips and quantum communication satellites. Fully leverage the source-generating function of these high-energy-level platforms, continuously produce high-quality scientific and technological achievements, and provide a source of living water for industrial innovation.
With enterprises as the principal actors, strengthen the principal position of enterprises in scientific and technological innovation. Enterprises are the main actors in the market economy, possess natural sensitivity to technological innovation, product innovation, and industrial innovation, and can organically combine innovation resources with market demand. Fully give play to the multiple roles of enterprises as "question setters," "answer writers," and "examiners," and promote their genuine transformation into the principal actors in technological innovation decision-making, R&D investment, research organization, and achievement transformation. Encourage enterprises to take the lead in forming innovation consortia, integrating resources from universities and research institutes; support capable private enterprises in undertaking major national technological research tasks; and improve mechanisms for the growth and development of technology-based small and medium-sized enterprises and specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative small and medium-sized enterprises. Different types of enterprises should choose the integration path most suitable for themselves. For leading enterprises and chain-owner enterprises that have entered the tracks of emerging industries and future industries, they are the "question setters" and "general integrators" of technological innovation and should play a leading role, effectively driving upstream and downstream supply chain enterprises to carry out technological upgrading and supporting innovation by formulating new standards and proposing new demands. A large number of small and medium-sized enterprises, especially professional component suppliers, can embed themselves in the innovation networks of chain-owner enterprises and achieve their own technological upgrading and value enhancement by meeting new demands and providing new products. For the vast number of traditional small and medium-sized enterprises, digital empowerment and quality and efficiency improvement are generally feasible paths; by actively embracing digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, and industrial internet, they can achieve digital transformation in production, management, marketing, and other links. For science and technology leading enterprises with strong innovation awareness and capability, they should have the courage to explore blue oceans and engage in source innovation, devoting themselves to discovering market gaps, opening up new tracks, and developing unprecedented innovative products or services.
With scenario verification as the bridge, open up the channel from R&D to the market. Scenarios are the bridge connecting technology and industry, the channel connecting R&D and the market, and play an important traction role in promoting new technologies and new products toward scaled and commercialized application. A scenario is a systematic "social pilot test," involving both "hard verification" of technological products and supporting infrastructure and "soft verification" of business models, market space, and supporting institutions. Actively promote the opening of scenario resources and promote the fair and efficient allocation of scenario resources. Accelerate the cultivation of application scenarios in key fields, support the construction of a number of comprehensive major scenarios, integrated scenarios in industry fields, and high-value small-incision scenarios, and form the path of "technological breakthrough—scenario verification—industrial application—system upgrading." In particular, accelerate the layout and construction of concept verification centers and pilot-scale verification platforms to help technology cross the "valley of death" from the laboratory to the market. The outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan explicitly deploys "a number of industry common technology platforms, pilot-scale verification platforms, and integrated and efficient quality infrastructure," which will open up the "last mile" of the transformation of scientific and technological achievements, accelerate the efficient transformation and application of major scientific and technological achievements, promote industrialization, and promote industry-university-research collaboration.
With institutional connection as the safeguard, break down institutional and mechanistic barriers to integration. The deep integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation cannot be separated from institutional safeguards; it is necessary to resolutely remove institutional and mechanistic drawbacks that affect and constrain high-quality development, and improve relations of production that are more compatible with new quality productive forces. Among these, venture capital and a multi-tiered capital market are particularly important; they can efficiently graft scientists with entrepreneurs and technological achievements with industrial applications, helping high-risk, high-uncertainty start-up technology enterprises and frontier technologies achieve industrial landing. Continuously improve supporting institutions such as technology finance and achievement transformation. Improve the mechanism for factors to participate in income distribution, and stimulate the vitality of production factors such as labor, knowledge, technology, management, capital, and data; improve the data factor market and solve institutional problems such as data rights confirmation, circulation, and trading; expand patient capital, establish special funds for the development of strategic emerging industries, and provide long-term funding guarantees for technological R&D and industrial upgrading. Build a technology finance system with government guidance, market leadership, and social participation, and provide differentiated funding support for achievements at different stages by establishing achievement transformation angel funds, industry guidance funds, and the like.
With ecological synergy as the traction, create a favorable environment for integration. The innovation ecosystem is the fertile soil for cultivating new quality productive forces and affects the efficiency and effectiveness of innovation and transformation application. The deep integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation is, in essence, a two-way engagement between scientific and technological supply and industrial demand, an organic balance between free exploration and goal orientation, and ecological synergy among multiple objectives, factors, processes, and actors. Vigorously promote the free flow and efficient allocation of innovation factors such as talent, technology, and capital. Create a favorable environment that is inclusive of innovation and tolerant of failure, allowing all types of innovation actors to travel light and innovate boldly; advance education, science and technology, and talent development as an integrated whole, and open up the channel connecting talent cultivation with industrial demand; deepen the reform of the science and technology system, and remove ideological and conceptual constraints and institutional and mechanistic obstacles that hinder deep integration.
(The author is Executive Dean of the National Academy of Development and Strategy and Wu Yuzhang Chair Professor of the School of Economics at Renmin University of China)
Return to TopBy: 李庆刚
At the meeting commemorating the centenary of Comrade Jiang Zemin's birth, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, "Comrade Jiang Zemin once looked to the future with full confidence: 'In the new century, the Chinese people will unswervingly continue to advance along the path of building socialism with Chinese characteristics; the Chinese socialist system will be further consolidated and improved through continuous reform; China's development will achieve universal prosperity through the common progress of all regions; and the Chinese nation will achieve great rejuvenation on the basis of completing the reunification of the motherland and building a prosperous, strong, democratic, and culturally advanced modern socialist country!' Today, we can say with immense pride that through long-term efforts, the cause of the Party and the state is thriving, the land of China is stable and peaceful, the people's lives continue to improve, the prospects for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation are bright, and the dream that generations have striven for is being turned into reality step by step." All great achievements are the result of continuous struggle, and all great causes need to be advanced by carrying forward the past and opening up the future. The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation embodies the painstaking efforts and struggles of generation after generation of Communists, including Comrade Jiang Zemin. As the core of the Party's third generation of central collective leadership, Jiang Zemin, in the process of creating a new situation in reform and opening up and modernization, made a series of important expositions centered on the theme of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, forming a systematic body of theoretical achievements with rich connotations and far-reaching vision, which has important historical reference and practical enlightenment significance for comprehensively advancing the building of a strong country and the great cause of national rejuvenation through Chinese-style modernization.
All the struggles of the Chinese people are for the prosperity and strength of the motherland, the well-being of the people, and the great rejuvenation of the nation
On July 1, 2001, Jiang Zemin grasped the direction of China's socialist modernization from the longitudinal development of history and put forward the historical inevitability of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation: "From the middle of the nineteenth century to the middle of the twentieth century, all the struggles of the Chinese people were for the independence of the motherland and the liberation of the nation, and for completely ending the history of national humiliation. This great historical undertaking, we have already completed. From the middle of the twentieth century to the middle of the twenty-first century, all the struggles of the Chinese people are for the prosperity and strength of the motherland, the well-being of the people, and the great rejuvenation of the nation. This great historical undertaking, our Party has led the people of the whole country in striving for it for fifty years and has made tremendous progress; after another fifty years of struggle, it will surely be completed victoriously."
Observing the development of Chinese and foreign history with the broad vision of Marxism was the historical basis on which Jiang Zemin put forward the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The history of the Chinese nation is long and has created a splendid and brilliant civilization. Jiang Zemin pointed out, "The Chinese nation once created the world's most advanced productive forces and the most glorious scientific and technological achievements in history, and maintained this leading position until the fifteenth century." However, if the quantitative advantage of traditional agricultural civilization lacks the support of institutional innovation, scientific and technological progress, and an open vision, it will ultimately be eliminated by the tide of history. The pain of falling behind and being beaten spurred the advanced elements of modern China to continuously explore the path of national rejuvenation. Sun Yat-sen was the first to advocate "revitalizing China," and the Communist Party of China led the people in overthrowing the three great mountains of imperialism, feudalism, and bureaucratic capitalism, achieving national independence and the liberation of the people, and creating the fundamental social conditions for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. After the founding of New China, the Party's first generation of central collective leadership with Comrade Mao Zedong at its core put forward that "China ought to make a greater contribution to humanity" and strove to achieve the goal of socialist modernization in four aspects within a relatively short period of history. On this basis, the Party's second generation of central collective leadership with Comrade Deng Xiaoping at its core continued the struggle. In 1987, the Thirteenth National Congress of the Party put forward that the primary stage of socialism "is the stage in which the whole people rise up, work hard and pioneer, and realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation," clarifying that "realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation" is the theme running through the entire history of the primary stage. The "three-step" development strategy proposed by Deng Xiaoping was the concrete timetable for achieving this goal. From Sun Yat-sen's pioneering advocacy of "revitalizing China" as a national awakening, to Mao Zedong's establishment of the institutional foundation of the "four modernizations," to the implementation of Deng Xiaoping's "three-step" strategy, the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation has undergone a profound transformation from a political mobilization slogan to an economic and social development program. In 1988, Jiang Zemin pointed out, "Reform and opening up is the pioneering undertaking of our Party to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation under new historical conditions. Striving for the success of reform and opening up and modernization, realizing the comprehensive revitalization of the Chinese nation, and fundamentally changing the poor and backward state of one-fifth of the world's population are the bounden historical responsibilities of us Chinese Communists." This was Jiang Zemin's earlier mention of "the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation," used simultaneously with "the comprehensive revitalization of the Chinese nation." With the drastic changes in Eastern Europe, the disintegration of the Soviet Union, and the end of the Cold War pattern, the international situation underwent profound changes, and peace and development remained the themes of the times. Jiang Zemin used the broad vision of Marxism to clarify the historical position and forward direction of China's development. In the report to the Fifteenth National Congress of the Party, Jiang Zemin explicitly put forward the major thesis of "realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on the basis of socialism," making rejuvenation a historical process with clear institutional attributes and path orientation.
The historical mission and sense of responsibility borne at the turn of the century were the practical motivations for Jiang Zemin to put forward the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. After nearly 20 years of reform and opening up, China smoothly achieved the first and second step goals of the "three-step" strategy for modernization. Jiang Zemin pointed out, "Our country's social productive forces, comprehensive national strength, and people's living standards have again risen to a new level." The people's lives reached a level of moderate prosperity on the whole. On this basis, the Fifteenth National Congress of the Party made strategic arrangements for China's development across the century. The Fifth Plenary Session of the Fifteenth Central Committee clarified that from the beginning of the 21st century, China has entered a new stage of development of comprehensively building a moderately prosperous society and accelerating socialist modernization. Facing the profound changes brought by the rise of the scientific and technological revolution and the knowledge economy in the 1990s, how to truly transform the "cross-century development strategy" into practical momentum for promoting the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation became a new test for the Party. To this end, the Party Central Committee decided to carry out a two-year concentrated "Three Emphases" education for leading bodies and leading cadres at and above the county level. Through "emphasizing study," "emphasizing politics," and "emphasizing integrity," leading cadres at all levels gained a clearer understanding of their own historical position and the mission they bore. Jiang Zemin pointed out that through the "Three Emphases" education, "we have gained a deeper understanding of the historical responsibilities we bear. In modern times, how many people with lofty ideals and benevolence have fought stirring and moving struggles to realize the great goal of revitalizing China." "The historical mission of our generation is to comprehensively uphold, develop, and improve the socialist system on the solid foundation laid by Chairman Mao and Comrade Xiaoping, continue to push forward our country's socialist cause, and hand it over to later generations at a further level, a newer level, and a higher stage." Based on a strong sense of historical mission and responsibility, at the special historical juncture of the turn of the century, Jiang Zemin talked about "national rejuvenation" on almost every major occasion. In 1999, Jiang Zemin pointed out, "The Chinese nation will achieve great rejuvenation on the basis of completing the reunification of the motherland and building a prosperous, strong, democratic, and culturally advanced modern socialist country." In 2001, Jiang Zemin pointed out that it is necessary to "build our great motherland into a prosperous, strong, democratic, and culturally advanced modern socialist country and strive to make new and greater contributions to humanity." In 2002, Jiang Zemin pointed out, "By the middle of this century, basically realizing modernization, building our country into a prosperous, strong, democratic, and culturally advanced socialist country, and realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation—this is the goal of the people of all ethnic groups throughout the country." The Chinese Communists, with Comrade Jiang Zemin as the main representative, inherited and developed the cause initiated by revolutionary predecessors, consciously undertook the historical responsibility of realizing national rejuvenation, and scientifically planned a grand blueprint. Without the prosperity and strength of the country, it would be difficult to provide Chinese solutions for human development; and a China moving toward rejuvenation must inevitably make greater contributions to human progress with a more proactive posture. In the practice of socialist modernization with the goals of "prosperity, strength, democracy, and civilization," Jiang Zemin's important expositions on realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation gradually became systematic.
The development direction and correct path for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation
Jiang Zemin summarized the experience of China's socialist modernization, concentrated on elaborating the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and formed a systematic body of theoretical achievements with rich connotations and far-reaching vision. These achievements include the leadership force, the fundamental path, the primary task, the spiritual support, the strategic tasks, the important magic weapon, and the fundamental foundation, and have distinct characteristics of the times and strong practical enlightenment significance.
To realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, it is necessary to uphold the leadership of the Communist Party of China. The leadership of the Communist Party of China is the choice of history and the inevitable conclusion of the development of modern Chinese history. Jiang Zemin pointed out, "Only the Communist Party of China can lead the Chinese people to achieve victory in national independence, people's liberation, and socialism, and can open up the path of building socialism with Chinese characteristics and realize national rejuvenation, national prosperity and strength, and people's well-being." Upholding the leadership of the Communist Party of China, comprehensively advancing the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics into the 21st century, and realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation require that "the Party must strengthen its own construction in all aspects, enhance its adaptability, improve its leadership level, and always remain the core force leading reform and construction." In 2000, Jiang Zemin explicitly put forward the important thought of the "Three Represents," creatively closely linking the Party's own construction with the historical mission of national rejuvenation. As long as our Party always represents the development requirements of China's advanced productive forces, represents the forward direction of China's advanced culture, and represents the fundamental interests of the broadest masses of the Chinese people, it can stand at the forefront of the times, withstand the test of any storm, shoulder the historical responsibility of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and continuously open up new prospects for the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
To realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, it is necessary to adhere to the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Since the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Party, the Party has led the people in neither taking the old path of closed-door rigidity nor the evil path of changing flags and banners, but in advancing along the correct path of "building socialism with Chinese characteristics," properly responding to various difficulties and risks arising at home and abroad, and withstanding the severe test of serious setbacks in world socialism. The Party's third generation of central collective leadership with Comrade Jiang Zemin at its core led the people in defending and successfully advancing socialism with Chinese characteristics into the 21st century, endowing national rejuvenation with vigorous vitality. Jiang Zemin pointed out, "We have opened up the cause of building socialism with Chinese characteristics and opened up the correct path for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation." On the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, it is necessary to formulate development strategies that conform to reality and seize opportunities to develop as quickly as possible in order to realize national rejuvenation. In 2002, Jiang Zemin pointed out, "For our country, the first two decades of the twenty-first century are a period of strategic opportunities that must be firmly grasped and in which great achievements can be made." This judgment conforms to China's national conditions and the people's aspirations, and is conducive to mobilizing and fully arousing all positive factors to the broadest extent to strive for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
To realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, it is necessary to regard development as the Party's top priority in governing and rejuvenating the country. Jiang Zemin deeply recognized that development is the master key to solving all of China's problems. He pointed out, "Actively and steadily developing the national economy has always been the central task of our modernization," and "only when the economy develops and national strength is enhanced can we have the strength to resist any natural and social storms, withstand any external threats and pressures, and realize national rejuvenation." He emphasized, "Unless a large-scale foreign invasion occurs, this central task must not be shaken under any circumstances." This major thesis drew an insurmountable principled bottom line for "taking economic construction as the center." It is precisely because of consistently adhering to taking economic construction as the center that China's reform and opening up and socialist modernization have continuously reached new levels. In the report to the Sixteenth National Congress of the Party, Jiang Zemin put forward the major thesis that "development must be regarded as the Party's top priority in governing and rejuvenating the country," emphasizing that "under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China, we must develop the socialist market economy, socialist democratic politics, and advanced socialist culture, continuously promote the coordinated development of socialist material civilization, political civilization, and spiritual civilization, and advance the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation." These important expositions elevated development to a strategic height related to the success or failure of national rejuvenation, profoundly revealing a simple truth: the great cause of national rejuvenation must ultimately be supported by the strength of development; without a solid foundation of development, rejuvenation would be like water without a source or a tree without roots.
To realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, it is necessary to build socialist spiritual civilization. A person cannot stand without spirit, and a country cannot be strong without spirit. Jiang Zemin pointed out, "Realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation requires not only a developed material civilization but also an advanced spiritual civilization. Realizing the coordinated development of these two civilizations is the only way for the comprehensive progress of our society." To build socialist spiritual civilization and realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, the most fundamental thing is to "uphold the guiding position of Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, and Deng Xiaoping Theory in the ideological field, and use the important thought of the 'Three Represents' to lead the construction of socialist culture." Through building socialist spiritual civilization, "firmly establish common ideals, beliefs, and spiritual pillars throughout society." In the construction of spiritual civilization, cultural construction plays a foundational role. Jiang Zemin pointed out, "In contemporary China, developing advanced culture means developing the culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and means building socialist spiritual civilization." The national spirit is an important component of building socialist spiritual civilization. Jiang Zemin emphasized, "The national spirit is the spiritual support on which a nation depends for survival and development. A nation without an invigorated spirit and noble character cannot stand proudly among the nations of the world." Facing the mutual impact of various ideologies and cultures worldwide, Jiang Zemin pointed out, "The promotion and cultivation of the national spirit must be regarded as an extremely important task in cultural construction," and "arm people with scientific theory, guide people with correct public opinion, shape people with noble spirit, and inspire people with excellent works," vigorously developing advanced socialist culture. He required that the promotion and cultivation of the national spirit be incorporated into the entire process of national education and into the entire process of spiritual civilization construction, so that all the people always maintain a high-spirited state of mind.
To realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, it is necessary to attach great importance to science and technology, education, and talent. In the 1990s, the new scientific and technological revolution marked mainly by information technology developed rapidly. Jiang Zemin assessed the situation and attached great importance to stimulating the innovative spirit and capability of the nation and the state. He emphasized, "Innovation is the soul of a nation's progress and an inexhaustible motive force for a country's prosperity." Innovation depends on talent. Jiang Zemin pointed out, "The key to innovation lies in talent, and the growth of talent depends on education. When the level of education is raised, scientific and technological progress and economic development will have staying power. The strength of science and technology and the level of national education have always been important indicators for measuring comprehensive national strength and the degree of social civilization, and are also the two indispensable flywheels for every country to move toward prosperity." "Education is the foundation for developing science and technology and cultivating talent, and plays a pioneering and overall role in modernization; it must be placed in a strategic position of priority development." These important expositions, based on reality, aimed at catching up with and surpassing the world's advanced science and technology, and aimed at the overall situation of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation in the 21st century, elucidated the close relationship among science and technology, education, and talent and their status and role in social development. To this end, the Party's third generation of central collective leadership with Comrade Jiang Zemin at its core proposed the strategy of rejuvenating the country through science and education, promoting China's scientific and technological strength to rank among the forefront of developing countries overall, and beginning the march from a large country in education to a strong country in education.
To realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, it is necessary to consolidate and develop the patriotic united front and unite all forces that can be united. The patriotic united front in the new period is a political advantage for uniting all patriotic forces and advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Jiang Zemin believed that the patriotic united front is the broadest alliance of all socialist workers, patriots who support socialism, and patriots who support the reunification of the motherland. In united front work, Jiang Zemin attached great importance to the role of intellectuals and youth, pointing out that intellectuals "to a large extent determine the rise and fall of our nation and the process of modernization," and that "the youth of all ethnic groups throughout the country represent the future of our motherland and nation and represent the hope for the flourishing of our cause." The grand cause of socialist modernization needs youth to build it, and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation will be realized in the hands of youth. National rejuvenation is the theme and goal of the Party's united front work. Jiang Zemin believed that the united front is an important magic weapon and political advantage of the Party, and that "it is necessary to mobilize and fully arouse all positive factors to the broadest extent and continuously add new strength to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation."
To realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, it is necessary to complete the great cause of national reunification. Jiang Zemin led the smooth return of Hong Kong and Macao, promoted the two sides of the Taiwan Strait to reach the "1992 Consensus" embodying the One-China principle, and vigorously carried out major struggles against separatism and against "Taiwan independence." Jiang Zemin pointed out, "Completing the complete reunification of the motherland and safeguarding the security of the motherland are the fundamental foundation for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and also the unshakable strong will of all Chinese people." Completing the reunification of the motherland is an inherent requirement of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Jiang Zemin pointed out, "Striving for peaceful reunification and jointly seeking the great cause of rejuvenation should become the common major goal of the people on both sides of the Strait, including all political parties and groups." He emphasized, "The country must be unified, the nation must be rejuvenated, and the Taiwan issue cannot be delayed indefinitely." We believe that the Chinese nation will achieve great rejuvenation on the basis of completing the reunification of the motherland.
Strengthen confidence, continue the struggle, and forge ahead courageously toward the grand goal of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation
History can often be seen more clearly after the passage of time; thought can only show its value when implemented and carried out. Jiang Zemin's series of important expositions on realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation still have important reference value and guiding significance, and have been inherited and developed with the times on the new journey of the new era.
First, regarding the leadership force for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Jiang Zemin pointed out, "The Communist Party of China is deeply rooted in the Chinese nation. From the day of its founding, the Party has been the vanguard of the Chinese working class, and at the same time the vanguard of the Chinese people and the Chinese nation, shouldering the solemn mission of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. During the new democratic revolution, our Party united and led the people of all ethnic groups throughout the country to complete the historical tasks of national independence and people's liberation, creating the prerequisite for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. After the founding of New China, our Party creatively completed the transition from new democracy to socialism, realized the greatest and most profound social change in Chinese history, and began the historical journey of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on the socialist path. Since the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee, our Party has found the correct path of building socialism with Chinese characteristics and endowed national rejuvenation with new and powerful vitality. The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is showing brilliant prospects." This important exposition succinctly summarized the historic achievements made by the Party since its founding in realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Jiang Zemin emphasized that to govern the country well, the Party must first be governed well, and governing the Party must be strict; the more reform and opening up and economic development, the more necessary it is to strengthen Party leadership and Party building. The key to running China's affairs well lies in the Party. The leadership of the Communist Party of China is the most essential feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics and the greatest advantage of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics. The Communist Party of China is the highest political leadership force. The Party leads everything from the Party, government, military, people, and academia to the east, west, south, north, and center of the country. On the new journey of the new era, only by upholding and strengthening the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee can we comprehensively advance the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-style modernization.
Second, regarding the correct path for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Jiang Zemin firmly believed that the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics endows national rejuvenation with strong vitality. He proposed that the first 20 years of the 21st century are an important period of strategic opportunities that China must firmly grasp and in which great achievements can be made, and made forward-looking plans for comprehensively building a moderately prosperous society and realizing the third-step strategic goal, which enriched and developed the development stage and development strategy of socialism with Chinese characteristics. The goals Jiang Zemin hoped for at that time have already become reality through the unremitting struggle of the Party and the people. Now the Party has led the people to embark on a new journey of comprehensively advancing the building of a strong country and the great cause of national rejuvenation through Chinese-style modernization, "irreversibly moving toward the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics."
Third, regarding the primary task for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. In the magnificent process of reform and opening up, the Party has always taken economic construction as the center, placed development in an important strategic position, and used development to continuously satisfy the people's aspirations for a better life. From Jiang Zemin's proposal to General Secretary Xi Jinping's reaffirmation that "development is the Party's top priority in governing and rejuvenating the country," this demonstrates the strategic resolve of Chinese Communists to carry out one blueprint to the end. Only with a solid material and technological foundation can we comprehensively build a great modern socialist country and realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
Fourth, regarding the spiritual strength for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation requires the accumulation of material civilization and even more the support of spiritual civilization. Jiang Zemin pointed out, "Building socialist spiritual civilization concerns the future and destiny of the Party and the state, and concerns the Chinese nation's self-respect, self-confidence, and self-strengthening in standing proudly among the nations of the world." In the process of advancing reform and opening up and socialist modernization, our Party has insisted on grasping material civilization with one hand and spiritual civilization with the other, promoting the flourishing of socialist culture, invigorating the national spirit, and condensing national strength. With the improvement of material living standards, people's spiritual and cultural life has also undergone tremendous changes. Since the Eighteenth National Congress of the Party, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has attached great importance to the construction of spiritual civilization. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, "Without the active guidance of advanced culture, without the great enrichment of the people's spiritual world, without the continuous strengthening of the national spiritual strength, a country or a nation cannot stand proudly among the nations of the world." On the road forward, we must correctly grasp the dialectical relationship between material civilization and spiritual civilization, and by promoting the high-quality development of spiritual civilization construction, provide strong spiritual strength for building a strong country and national rejuvenation.
Fifth, regarding the strategic tasks for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation requires the implementation and promotion of strategic tasks such as education, science and technology, and talent. Educational development provides talent and intellectual support for scientific and technological innovation; scientific and technological progress powerfully promotes the high-quality development of education; and talent guarantees the continuous innovation and sustainable development of education and science and technology. The implementation of the strategy of rejuvenating the country through science and education serves the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation. The integrated development of education, science and technology, and talent is a major deployment of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core and a key lever for building a strong country in education in the new era. "The pattern of integrated development of education, science and technology, and talent has basically taken shape" has been listed in the economic and social development goals of the "Fifteenth Five-Year Plan" period, pointing the way forward for us to fully understand the internal connections and important value of education, science and technology, and talent at the national strategic level, and to systematically advance the building of a strong country in education, a strong country in science and technology, and a strong country in talent.
Sixth, regarding the powerful magic weapon for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The united front is a powerful magic weapon for condensing hearts and gathering strength. Jiang Zemin pointed out that only by uniting all Chinese sons and daughters in common struggle can "the realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation be more assured of success," and therefore "it is necessary to forever carry forward the great spirit of unity of the Chinese nation," so that "Chinese sons and daughters at home and abroad achieve new unity and alliance for the modernization of China and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation." Since the Eighteenth National Congress of the Party, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has made comprehensive arrangements for united front work from the strategic height of governing the country, promoting historic achievements in united front work. We must uphold great unity and great alliance, mobilize all Chinese sons and daughters to think together and work together, and let the mighty force bursting forth from the unity and concerted struggle of all Chinese sons and daughters become a powerful driving force for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
Seventh, regarding the inevitable requirement for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The Party's third generation of central collective leadership with Comrade Jiang Zemin at its core actively promoted theoretical and practical innovation in Taiwan-related work. Since the Eighteenth National Congress of the Party, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has firmly grasped the leading power and initiative in cross-strait relations, effectively safeguarded peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, and solidly advanced the process of national reunification. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Resolving the Taiwan issue and realizing the complete reunification of the motherland is the Party's unswerving historical task, the common aspiration of all Chinese sons and daughters, and an inevitable requirement for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation." National rejuvenation and national reunification are the trend of the times, the cause of righteousness, and the aspiration of the people. A strong and unified country has always been the destiny of all Chinese sons and daughters, including our compatriots in Taiwan. Compatriots on both sides of the Strait must resolutely oppose "Taiwan independence" separatist activities and interference by external forces, firmly safeguard the common homeland of the Chinese nation, jointly pursue a beautiful future of peaceful reunification, and firmly grasp the destiny of the Chinese nation in the hands of the Chinese people themselves.
Realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is the historical aspiration that generations of Chinese Communists have continuously striven for. Jiang Zemin pointed out, "Humanity has already entered a new century. By the middle of this century, we will basically realize modernization and realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. By that time, a prosperous, strong, democratic, and culturally advanced modern socialist China will stand in the East of the world, and the Chinese people will make new and greater contributions to humanity. This is the historical mission that the Chinese people have been striving for since modern times. All Chinese sons and daughters with ambition, ideals, and aspirations feel proud to be able to devote themselves to this magnificent cause." On the journey of continuous struggle, we are getting closer and closer to the goal of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Time waits for no one, and it urges us forward. We must unite more closely around the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, hold high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics, strengthen confidence, work hard and strive for prosperity, make unremitting efforts to comprehensively advance the building of a strong country and the great cause of national rejuvenation through Chinese-style modernization, continuously create a better life for the Chinese people, and write a more magnificent chapter for the Chinese nation.
[The author is Deputy Director of the Teaching and Research Department of Party History of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance)]
By: 刘仁山
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that foreign-related rule of law work is a systematic project with broad coverage and strong interconnections, and it is necessary to coordinate domestic and international considerations, coordinate development and security, adhere to forward-looking thinking, holistic planning, strategic layout, and integrated advancement, strengthen top-level design, and advance in an integrated manner foreign-related legislation, law enforcement, adjudication, compliance, and legal services, so as to form a broad framework of coordination for foreign-related rule of law work. This important exposition provides the fundamental guidance for forming a broad framework of coordination for foreign-related rule of law work. A profound understanding and solid advancement of the formation of this framework are of great significance for safeguarding national sovereignty, security, and development interests, better serving high-level opening up, and creating a favorable external environment and advantageous rule of law conditions for Chinese-style modernization.
As "coordination" in the category of national governance, the goal is to bring dispersed governance resources, institutional arrangements, and action subjects together under a common goal to form an integrated force, and through the alignment of rules and the linkage of mechanisms, to promote positive interaction among various elements and links, thereby enhancing the overall effectiveness of governance. Specifically in the foreign-related field, the reason "coordination" is emphasized is that, on the one hand, legal risks and challenges in the foreign-related field are complex, and cannot be properly resolved by a single department or mechanism, requiring strengthened coordination and cooperation among state organs and the joint participation of multiple subjects such as enterprises, universities, research institutions, law firms, and arbitration institutions; on the other hand, coordination is not simply ad hoc work cooperation, but rather, through institutional alignment, mechanism connectivity, resource integration, and information sharing, it promotes the formation of a long-term, effective, and organically unified rule of law operation system among all subjects, links, and fields of foreign-related rule of law.
Coordination presupposes the existence of a system and emphasizes the organic coordination among various elements and the enhancement of overall effectiveness. To form a broad framework of coordination for foreign-related rule of law work, the relationships at three levels should be properly handled. First, coordination among internal elements within each field of foreign-related rule of law. Taking foreign-related legislation as an example, this includes not only laws and regulations in specialized fields such as foreign investment, cross-border data flows, and countering foreign sanctions, but also foreign-related legal norms in basic laws such as civil law, criminal law, administrative law, and procedural law. Only by strengthening coordination among laws and regulations at different levels and in different fields and avoiding conflicts of rules can the systematic nature and predictability of foreign-related legal supply be enhanced. Similarly, within each of the fields of foreign-related law enforcement, adjudication, and legal services, there are similar multi-element coordination issues. Second, coordination among different fields such as legislation, law enforcement, adjudication, compliance, and legal services. Legislation provides the basis for law enforcement and adjudication, while law enforcement and adjudication practices in turn promote the improvement of legislation; legal services safeguard the participation of enterprises and citizens in international exchanges in accordance with the law and also provide professional support for each link. Only when the various fields form mutual coordination and effective linkage can the foreign-related rule of law system truly become an organic and unified whole. Third, positive interaction between foreign-related rule of law and international rule of law. Foreign-related rule of law has a distinct attribute of connecting domestic and international dimensions. It must both be based on safeguarding national sovereignty, security, and development interests and respect the basic principles of international law and the basic norms of international relations. The broad framework of coordination for foreign-related rule of law work cannot be simply understood as the self-improvement of the domestic system; rather, institutional influence should be enhanced through interaction between domestic rule of law and international rule of law. On the one hand, it is necessary to actively align with internationally accepted rules and enhance the transparency, stability, and predictability of China's foreign-related legal system. For example, in the fields of international economic and trade, intellectual property protection, ocean governance, climate change, and the digital economy, China should improve domestic implementation mechanisms on the basis of fulfilling international treaty obligations and promote the effective alignment of domestic rules with international rules. On the other hand, it is necessary to actively participate in the formulation of international rules and transform the distinctive experience gained in foreign-related rule of law practice into foreign-related rule of law discourse and Chinese solutions for global governance.
To form a broad framework of coordination for China's foreign-related rule of law work, it is necessary to focus on real problems in foreign-related rule of law practice, identify the key points of effort, and promote the dynamic linkage among rules, subjects, mechanisms, talent, and discourse, so as to further realize the high degree of unity of value goals, institutional functions, and practical capabilities, and continuously enhance the overall operational capacity of the foreign-related rule of law system.
Enhance the systematization and connectivity of foreign-related legislation. Legislation is the source of foreign-related rule of law and the starting point for coordination. The degree of systematization and the level of connectivity of foreign-related legislation directly affect the operational effectiveness of subsequent links such as law enforcement, adjudication, and compliance. Systematization emphasizes the systemic completeness of foreign-related legal norms in overall layout, ensuring that all fields have laws to rely on and support each other; connectivity focuses on the consistency and coordination among different laws and regulations in specific application, avoiding conflicts or vacuums in rules. On the one hand, continuously improve legislation in fields such as national security, foreign economic and trade, and artificial intelligence, promptly fill legal gaps, and especially strengthen the organic connectivity within foreign-related laws and regulations to enhance the effectiveness of foreign-related law enforcement and adjudication. For example, in the fields of countering sanctions, countering interference, and countering "long-arm jurisdiction," a system of laws and regulations has been formed with the Law of the People's Republic of China on Foreign Relations (hereinafter referred to as the Foreign Relations Law) as the basic basis and the Law of the People's Republic of China on Countering Foreign Sanctions, the Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Countering Improper Foreign Extraterritorial Application, and the Rules on Blocking the Improper Extraterritorial Application of Foreign Laws and Measures as the core, but many specific issues, such as how "appropriate connection" should be determined as the criterion for the legitimacy of extraterritorial application measures, still need to be further clarified. On the other hand, properly handle the connectivity between specialized foreign-related laws and regulations and the Foreign Relations Law, ensure that all types of foreign-related legislation do not deviate from the basic principles and goals established by the Foreign Relations Law, and form a foreign-related legal norm system that is mutually coordinated, non-conflicting, and clearly hierarchical.
Optimize the functional allocation and coordination mechanisms of state organs. The premise of coordination lies in clear division of labor and clear powers and responsibilities. Only by clarifying and detailing the specific functions of each state organ in foreign-related rule of law affairs can unclear or overlapping powers and responsibilities be effectively prevented. At present, the complexity of foreign-related rule of law affairs has increased significantly. On the one hand, the types of foreign-related cases are constantly increasing, with a large number of emerging disputes emerging in fields such as cross-border e-commerce, offshore finance, cross-border data flows, and cross-border bankruptcy. On the other hand, issues such as countering sanctions, protecting overseas interests, and cross-border data governance often require coordinated responses from multiple departments, and a single organ is difficult to complete independently. This cross-field, cross-departmental characteristic places higher demands on the current allocation of powers and responsibilities and coordination mechanisms. Therefore, a normalized inter-departmental coordination mechanism should be established, the lead department and the division of labor among departments should be clarified in specific foreign-related fields, and work processes and emergency plans should be formulated. Fully leverage the enthusiasm and initiative of local governments in the foreign-related rule of law field, encourage open highlands such as pilot free trade zones to carry out innovative explorations in foreign-related rule of law in accordance with the law, and promptly summarize replicable experience. At the same time, fully leverage the systematic advantages of the people's courts and their function of transnational judicial governance, strengthen the capacity building of foreign-related adjudication in courts at all levels, and provide stable judicial support for the extraterritorial application of domestic law. Procuratorial organs should strengthen supervision over foreign-related criminal proceedings in accordance with the law, actively explore methods of legal supervision over other foreign-related law enforcement and adjudication activities, and ensure that foreign-related public power is exercised in a standardized manner in accordance with the law.
Strengthen the supporting role of the foreign-related rule of law safeguard system. The coordinated operation of all links of foreign-related rule of law cannot be separated from corresponding supporting forces such as service capacity and professional talent. On the one hand, improve the foreign-related legal service system, build internationally competitive law firms and arbitration institutions, and encourage them to make layouts in key regions such as along the Belt and Road. Promote the deep integration of legal services with emerging fields such as the digital economy and financial innovation. On the other hand, cultivate high-quality foreign-related rule of law talent, promote the joint construction of internship and practice bases by universities with political and legal organs, foreign affairs departments, and foreign-related enterprises, and implement joint training programs for foreign-related rule of law talent. Clarify the disciplinary affiliation of international law for the cultivation of foreign-related rule of law talent, pay attention to the coordination between the cultivation of domestic rule of law talent and the cultivation of foreign-related rule of law talent, and focus on cultivating practical foreign-related rule of law talent with firm political positions, solid professional quality, familiarity with international rules, and proficiency in foreign-related legal practice.
Promote the summarization and transformation of foreign-related rule of law discourse. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized, "It is necessary to strengthen confidence in the rule of law, actively explain China's foreign-related rule of law concepts, propositions, and successful practices, and tell the story of the rule of law in the new era of China," and "build a foreign-related rule of law theoretical system and discourse system with Chinese characteristics that integrates Chinese and foreign elements." By building a foreign-related rule of law discourse system with Chinese characteristics, Chinese style, and Chinese manner, unifying the concepts, positions, and actions of all subjects in foreign-related rule of law work, it is helpful to promote the formation of a broad framework of coordination at a deep level. China's foreign-related rule of law practice since the reform and opening up has accumulated a large number of concepts and institutional achievements with Chinese characteristics. The concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind, the legal arrangements in international cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, the "appropriate connection" principle stipulated in the Civil Procedure Law of the People's Republic of China and the Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Countering Improper Foreign Extraterritorial Application, and the practice of Chinese courts resolving legal conflicts arising from extraterritorial jurisdiction through mediation all contain unique institutional value and practical wisdom. These achievements need to be systematically summarized and theoretically refined and transformed into persuasive foreign-related rule of law discourse. At the same time, promote the transformation of policy discourse into academic discourse, establish a normalized mechanism for collaboration between theoretical researchers and practical departments, summarize and refine concepts, viewpoints, and theories with subjectivity, originality, and distinctiveness, and deeply explain China's foreign-related rule of law concepts, propositions, and practical achievements in a way that is easy for the international community to understand and accept, so as to better convey China's voice in participating in the formulation of international rules and global governance and promote the development of global governance in a more just and reasonable direction.
(The author is Vice President of Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Dean of the Institute of Foreign-Related Rule of Law, and Vice President of the Chinese Society of Private International Law)
By: 石晶
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, "Improve the system of open handling of affairs, and broaden the channels for orderly participation of various groups at the grassroots level in grassroots governance." Village (community) affairs disclosure is an important institutional arrangement for grassroots self-governance by the masses, and an important vehicle for safeguarding the masses' right to know, right to participate, right to express, and right to supervise. The recently issued National Human Rights Action Plan (2026–2030) has made arrangements for "improving the village (community) affairs disclosure system." Further improving the village (community) affairs disclosure system is of great significance for regulating the exercise of grassroots power, safeguarding the masses' vital interests, and consolidating the Party's governing foundation.
The village (community) affairs disclosure system is a collective term for the village affairs disclosure system and the community affairs disclosure system, and is an important component of the grassroots self-governance system of the masses. The Organic Law of the Villagers' Committees of the People's Republic of China (中华人民共和国村民委员会组织法) (hereinafter referred to as the Organic Law of the Villagers' Committees), promulgated and implemented in 1998, clearly stipulates that "villagers' committees implement the village affairs disclosure system." In 2004, the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council (中办、国办) issued the Opinions on Improving and Perfecting the Village Affairs Disclosure and Democratic Management System, which made systematic provisions on the content, procedures, forms, and oversight mechanisms of village affairs disclosure. The community affairs disclosure system went through a process from practical exploration to legal establishment. Although the Organic Law of the Urban Residents' Committees of the People's Republic of China (中华人民共和国城市居民委员会组织法) (hereinafter referred to as the Organic Law of the Urban Residents' Committees), promulgated in 1989, did not explicitly put forward the concept of "community affairs disclosure," it stipulated the publication requirements for related matters, and various localities gradually formed practical practices of community affairs disclosure through implementation. The Organic Law of the Urban Residents' Committees, revised in 2025, clearly stipulates in legal form that "residents' committees implement the community affairs disclosure system." In recent years, the village (community) affairs disclosure system has become increasingly complete, and various localities have actively explored and innovated. For example, some localities have formulated village affairs disclosure catalogs, dividing disclosure matters into several categories such as decision-making, management, and service, so that disclosure has a basis to rely on; some localities have promoted "topic-designated disclosure" (点题公开), promptly responding to matters of concern to the masses; some localities have advanced the standardized construction of village (community) affairs disclosure boards, unifying and standardizing disclosure content, disclosure formats, and update time limits; and so on. These explorations have achieved positive results in promoting the standardized operation of grassroots power, facilitating the effective resolution of grassroots conflicts, and improving the efficiency of grassroots governance.
However, the current operation of the system still faces some problems that need attention. First, the disclosure content is not comprehensive enough. In some localities, matters of concern to the masses such as financial revenues and expenditures, engineering projects, and agricultural subsidy payments are not disclosed in sufficient detail, making it difficult for the masses to comprehensively and accurately understand the specific circumstances. Second, disclosure procedures are not standardized enough. The processes for matters involving bidding, collective asset disposal, and the like are not transparent enough, and the masses face inconvenience in obtaining information. Third, the oversight and safeguard mechanisms still need improvement. In some localities, the capacity of village (community) affairs oversight committees to perform their duties needs to be strengthened, and there are deficiencies in the review and verification of disclosed matters. To further improve the village (community) affairs disclosure system, it is necessary to continue improving on the basis of the existing institutional framework, promoting more comprehensive disclosure content, more standardized disclosure procedures, and stronger oversight and safeguards.
Further expand the content of village (community) affairs disclosure. The right to know is the basic premise for the masses to participate in grassroots governance. Whether the disclosure content is comprehensive and precise directly determines the breadth of the masses' knowledge and also affects the depth of the masses' participation in grassroots governance. Both the Organic Law of the Villagers' Committees and the Organic Law of the Urban Residents' Committees have clarified the basic scope of matters for village (community) affairs disclosure in the manner of "enumeration + catch-all." On the basis of fully implementing legal provisions, the breadth and targeting of disclosure content should also be continuously expanded. On the one hand, keeping pace with grassroots governance practice, matters of general concern to the masses in practice, such as collective "three capitals" (funds, assets, and resources) management, homestead approval, land transfer, rural revitalization projects, elderly care services, social assistance, property management, and community public income, should be included in the scope of disclosure. Some localities have explored the establishment of "micro-power lists" (小微权力清单) and village-level disclosure matter lists, itemizing and disclosing village-level power matters one by one, clearly defining the boundaries of power from the institutional level, so that disclosure content has a basis to rely on and rules to follow. On the other hand, highlight the focus on financial disclosure. From collective fund revenues and expenditures, asset and resource disposal, to engineering project construction and cadre subsidy distribution, every sum of money concerns the vital interests of the masses and should be proactively subject to mass oversight. Especially in the process of comprehensively advancing rural revitalization, agricultural-related fund investment continues to increase, and matters such as rural collective "three capitals" management, village-level engineering construction, and collective economic income distribution are the focus of mass attention; the disclosure items must be refined and the disclosure content must be clarified.
Further standardize the procedures for village (community) affairs disclosure. The standardization of procedures is the foundation of the system's credibility. The Organic Law of the Villagers' Committees and the Organic Law of the Urban Residents' Committees respectively clarify the time limit requirements, disclosure forms, and publication periods for village affairs disclosure and community affairs disclosure. On this basis, first, further implement the time limit requirements for disclosure. General matters should be published regularly according to the prescribed cycle; matters with more frequent financial transactions should increase the frequency of publication; and major matters involving the vital interests of the masses should be published at any time. In particular, for major matters, disclosure should run through all stages of decision-making, implementation, and acceptance inspection, so that policy basis is disclosed and opinions are widely solicited before decision-making, project progress and fund usage are disclosed during implementation, and implementation results and fund final accounts are disclosed after completion, enabling the masses to participate in and supervise the entire process. Second, strictly standardize the disclosure process. Village affairs disclosure has a clear basis in procedure. The Opinions on Improving and Perfecting the Village Affairs Disclosure and Democratic Management System stipulates the basic procedure of the villagers' committee proposing a plan, the village affairs disclosure supervision group reviewing, supplementing, and improving it, the village Party organization and villagers' committee joint meeting discussing and determining it, and the villagers' committee publishing it. Although there is currently no unified national procedural regulation for community affairs disclosure, this institutional logic can be referenced to establish and improve corresponding norms in the stages of plan proposal, content review, discussion and determination, and public publication, ensuring that the disclosed content can withstand scrutiny. Third, optimize the forms of disclosure. The principles of being practical, useful, and effective should be adhered to, and fixed disclosure boards should be set up in places convenient for the masses to view. At the same time, rely on online platforms to expand disclosure channels, explore and promote digital disclosure models such as "village affairs codes" (村务码) and "code-based disclosure" (码上公开), and promote coordinated efforts online and offline.
Further improve the oversight and safeguard mechanisms for village (community) affairs disclosure. According to legal provisions, if a village (community) residents' committee fails to promptly publish matters that should be published, or publishes matters that are untrue, the village (community) residents have the right to report to the relevant departments, and the relevant departments should investigate and verify, and order disclosure in accordance with the law. In terms of institutional setup, villages should establish village affairs oversight committees, and communities should establish community affairs oversight committees, responsible for overseeing the implementation of the village (community) affairs disclosure system. Overall, the institutional framework for oversight and safeguards of village (community) affairs disclosure has been basically established, but in practice, oversight and safeguards remain a relatively weak link. In this regard, first, promote the effective performance of duties by oversight institutions. Further clarify the responsibilities, authority, and working methods of village (community) affairs oversight institutions, and establish and improve regular meeting systems, work report systems, and ledger management systems. In terms of the relationship of responsibilities, attention should be paid to clarifying the boundaries of authority and responsibility among village (community) Party organizations, village (community) residents' committees, and oversight institutions, so that oversight institutions can independently carry out oversight work in accordance with their statutory duties. Second, improve the mechanisms for handling mass opinions and providing feedback. For matters with strong professionalism involving policy adjustments, fund usage, engineering construction, and the like, the policy basis and decision-making process should be explained simultaneously with the publication of results, and questions and opinions raised by the masses should be promptly accepted, seriously verified, and answered within a time limit. Third, strengthen oversight inspection and assessment and evaluation. Townships (subdistricts) should incorporate village (community) affairs disclosure work into the scope of routine work inspections and annual assessments, take the situation of disclosure work as reference content for the assessment and evaluation of grassroots cadres, and promote the implementation of various institutional requirements through normalized oversight and inspection.
Return to TopBy: 陈偲
In recent years, in the face of the population development situation of declining birthrates and an aging population, China has continuously focused on the construction of a childbirth support system. Among these efforts, childcare services play a positive role in meeting family needs, raising the willingness to bear children, and reducing the cost of family child-rearing, and are an important component of the childbirth support system. China's childcare service work has developed rapidly and achieved initial results, and the policy and regulation system, standards and norms system, and service supply system for childcare services have been gradually established and improved. "Accelerating childcare service legislation" is an important deployment made in the outline of the "15th Five-Year Plan," and is an important step by the Party and the state to use the rule of law to protect infants and young children under three years old and to alleviate the "parenting anxiety" of countless families.
Judging from the legislative exploration and current progress in the field of childcare services, childcare service legislation should focus on the prominent contradictions in the development of childcare services and the urgent difficulties and concerns of the masses, mainly centering on the public service nature of childcare services, the division of powers and responsibilities, funding guarantees, regulatory norms, team building, and functional positioning, and construct a complete, scientific, standardized, and effectively functioning legal guarantee system for childcare services.
Clarify the public service nature of childcare services and clarify the powers and responsibilities of all parties. After the mid-1980s, the public childcare service system established in China during the planned economy period relying on enterprises, institutions, and collective organizations gradually contracted, the original supply model gradually withdrew, and childcare services came to be seen more as market behavior or internal family affairs, with some families facing a relatively heavy child-rearing burden. In recent years, with the establishment and improvement of the childbirth support policy system, the inclusive and basic characteristics of childcare services have become increasingly prominent, but inclusive childcare services have not yet been explicitly incorporated into the basic public service system, and still face difficulties such as limited coverage and insufficient funding supply. The "Childcare Services Law of the People's Republic of China (Draft)" (中华人民共和国托育服务法（草案）) (hereinafter referred to as the "Draft") reviewed at the 19th meeting of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress clarifies in its general provisions the need to "give play to the government's leading role" and stipulates "orderly incorporation of inclusive childcare services into the scope of basic public services," and the government's responsibility in infant and young child care is expected to be confirmed at the legal level, providing legal support for promoting the stable and sustained development of inclusive childcare. On this basis, it is also necessary to further clarify the boundaries of responsibility of the government, society, and families in the development of inclusive childcare services, especially the specific responsibilities of governments at all levels in planning and layout, financial investment, and other aspects, to avoid the hollowing out of powers and responsibilities or buck-passing and shirking. At the same time, grasp the behavioral boundaries of government leadership, and while guaranteeing basic public services, encourage, guide, and regulate the participation of social forces, and construct a supply system with diverse entities. By improving incentive mechanisms to guide enterprises, social organizations, communities, kindergartens, and other diverse entities to participate in the supply of inclusive childcare services, support employers in opening childcare classes, communities in embedding inclusive childcare service points, and kindergartens in extending nursery class services, so that the forms of inclusive childcare service supply become richer and more diverse.
Clarify the funding input mechanism to provide sustained support for the development of childcare services. As of the end of September 2025, China had 126,000 childcare service institutions, providing approximately 6.66 million childcare slots, but a long-term financial support system at the national level has not yet been established, and the operation of childcare services faces high-cost challenges brought by large venue and labor investments, large one-time investments, and long return cycles. In addition, because the levels of economic and social development vary across regions, there is also an imbalance in financial investment in childcare services, and the development of inclusive childcare services remains insufficient. The Draft proposes that people's governments at or above the county level should incorporate the development of childcare services into national economic and social development plans, incorporate childcare service work funds into the budgets of governments at the corresponding level, and establish a funding guarantee mechanism compatible with economic and social development, intending to promote the formation of an institutionalized system for guaranteeing childcare financial investment through legislation, so that relevant government expenditures receive legal authorization. In the specific institutional design, it is also necessary to refine the matching rules between financial investment and expenditure responsibilities, reasonably divide investment responsibilities between the central and local governments and between provincial and city/county levels, increase the tilt of fiscal transfer payments toward relevant regions, and effectively enhance the coverage and accessibility of childcare services.
Strictly enforce childcare institution admission standards and build a solid safety bottom line for childcare services. Safety is a prerequisite for the development of childcare services and is also the factor families value most when choosing childcare services. At present, there is an urgent need to pay close attention to the health and safety of infants and young children and to conduct more comprehensive supervision over the admission of childcare institutions. According to the "Measures for the Registration and Filing of Childcare Institutions (Trial)" (托育机构登记和备案办法（试行）) issued in 2019, China currently mainly reviews the establishment of childcare institutions through registration and filing. In September 2024, data from the "Report of the State Council on the Progress of Childcare Service Work" showed that due to the lack of binding measures for childcare institutions that do not file, the current national filing rate of childcare institutions is only 42%, and some childcare institutions remain outside government supervision. The Draft further clarifies that the establishment of childcare institutions requires admission permission from regulatory authorities. Compared with the filing system, admission permission makes the threshold conditions for the childcare industry clearer and helps prevent institutions without relevant qualifications from easily entering the industry. But the implementation of the licensing system is only the starting point of the regulatory chain; on this basis, a whole-process regulatory mechanism of pre-review, mid-process inspection, and post-event punishment should be further improved to reduce potential safety hazards.
Strengthen the professional development of childcare services and improve service quality. At present, the professional development of childcare services in China faces some practical challenges, and the qualification requirements for practitioners in the childcare service industry are relatively loose and flexible. At the same time, childcare services are highly professional, and the childcare workforce is crucial. In practice, although childcare institutions often require practitioners to hold certificates such as childcare worker certificates and infant nurturer certificates when recruiting, the acquisition of various certificates lacks unified standards, leading to the dilemma of inconsistent professional levels among practitioners and parents not being able to "rest assured in entrusting" their children. Legislation should clearly stipulate the qualification conditions for childcare personnel, such as requiring the implementation of a nationally unified childcare teacher qualification examination and registration system, to improve the professionalism of the childcare workforce. At the same time, further clarify the circumstances under which individuals are prohibited from serving as childcare personnel, and require childcare institutions to conduct pre-employment background checks and annual regular background checks on childcare personnel in accordance with the law, to ensure the provision of a safe service environment. On this basis, channels for parents to file complaints and reports can be further smoothed, a rapid complaint response and handling mechanism can be established, and a diversified pattern of government supervision, social oversight, institutional self-discipline, and family participation can be formed, enhancing the people's trust in childcare services through quality improvement.
Clarify the dual functions of "care" and "education" and create a good environment for early childhood development. Research shows that 0-3 years old is the most rapid and active period of brain development, a golden period that determines a person's physical, intellectual, and psychological development, and investment in early childhood is also the period with the highest return on human capital investment in the entire life cycle. Childcare service legislation is based on this scientific law, elevating the concept of "combining care and education" into legal norms, clarifying at the legal level that childcare services have the dual attributes of life care and early development, effectively correcting the positioning deviation of "emphasizing care over education" in some regions, and guiding the transformation of childcare services from the "custodial type" to the "developmental type." This functional positioning at the level of the rule of law not only provides clear behavioral guidelines for childcare institutions, but also gives rigid legal protection to the early development of infants and young children, laying a solid foundation for children's lifelong development and overall quality improvement while alleviating family care pressure. On this basis, the specific standards and assessment methods for early development services should be further refined, the monitoring and evaluation mechanism for infant and young child early development should be improved, so that legal principles are transformed into operable and verifiable institutional norms, truly building a solid legal foundation for "good care and education for the young."
Return to TopA correct view of political achievements is the virtue of governance, the way of exercising power, and the essence of administration. For an energy and power enterprise that bears the mission of giving play to the "three roles" and striving to be the "three pacesetters," establishing and practicing a correct view of political achievements requires first understanding, key action, and core implementation. General Secretary Xi Jinping has always been deeply concerned about the development of Guangxi. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, he has visited Guangxi three times for inspection, emphasizing the need to emancipate the mind, innovate and seek change, strive toward the sea for strength, and pursue open development. This has drawn a grand blueprint for Guangxi's new journey in the new era and has also pointed out the direction for China Huadian's development in Guangxi. In recent years, Huadian Guangxi Energy Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Huadian Guangxi Company), rooted in the southern border of the motherland and deeply cultivating the land of Bagui, has adhered to establishing and practicing a correct view of political achievements, established and improved the "3558 Work Style Construction" system, achieved breakthroughs in key indicators such as new energy installed capacity and production and operation, and promoted a good start to the "15th Five-Year Plan" through solid work and tangible results.
Strengthen the unity of knowledge, faith, and action, and take the path of green, low-carbon, and high-quality development. High-quality development is the primary task of building a modern socialist country in all respects, and adhering to high-quality development should become an important part of leading cadres' view of political achievements. The great truth is simple; solid work is the key. There is no shortcut to promoting high-quality development—only by taking one step at a time, focusing one's mind on getting things done, and concentrating one's energy on implementation. Huadian Guangxi Company focuses on "what Guangxi needs," "what the Group requires," and "what Huadian Guangxi Company can do," accurately grasping the current situation, fully integrating into it, and closely following it step by step. With a more open and proactive posture, it identifies the entry point for serving Guangxi, working for one year, planning for three years, and looking ahead to five years, striving to write a new chapter of high-quality development on the land of Bagui. During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, it cumulatively completed power generation of 32.7 billion kilowatt-hours and heat supply of 6.63 million gigajoules, an increase of 46.6% and 881% respectively compared with the "13th Five-Year Plan" period, effectively ensuring the safe and stable supply of energy. It cumulatively obtained new energy construction indicators of 6.708 million kilowatts, approved and filed 4.984 million kilowatts, and put into operation 1.22 million kilowatts of new energy, which are respectively 20 times, 15 times, and 3 times those of the "13th Five-Year Plan" period. The company's managed installed capacity exceeded 3 million kilowatts, an increase of 457% over the end of the "13th Five-Year Plan" period, with clean energy installed capacity accounting for 58.14%. In September 2024, as the first central energy enterprise to establish a regional headquarters in Guangxi, the China Huadian ASEAN Headquarters was officially settled in Nanning, Guangxi, responding to and implementing Guangxi's development path of "R&D in Beijing-Shanghai-Guangzhou, integration in Guangxi, and application in ASEAN," striving to build four core platforms for clean energy cooperation, international trade, scientific and technological innovation and R&D, and talent and cultural exchange, jointly painting a magnificent Guangxi chapter of central-local cooperation in striving toward the sea for strength. In the new landscape of a hundred boats contending and a thousand sails racing, Huadian Guangxi Company always insists on thinking one step higher when considering problems and going down one level to implement tasks, seizing time and opportunities with a striving posture, working hard without a moment's delay, organizing the strength of all parties, and implementing the determined tasks. All party organizations at all levels of the company, the broad masses of party members and cadres, especially leading cadres, act as both commanders and fighters, personally handling and grasping key tasks, resolutely opposing formalism and bureaucracy, and going all out to grasp every task tightly, meticulously, and solidly. Adhere to doing some things and not doing others, accelerate the start of construction of high-quality resources, steadily advance projects with good resource conditions, postpone projects whose returns have not yet reached the standard, and dare to withdraw from projects that are completely uncompetitive. The whole company actively practices Huadian's striving culture, focusing on high-quality development to learn, compare, catch up, and surpass—striving in comparison, catching up in striving, and breaking through in catching up—with the drive that fears no hardship, the determination that refuses to admit defeat, the courage that fears no difficulty, and the perseverance that never slackens, unswervingly promoting the company to become stronger, better, and larger.
Strengthen capacity and work style construction, and promote "major transformation" through "small entry points." Strengthening capacity and work style construction is a foundational and long-term project for consolidating political loyalty, improving governance efficiency, and promoting the development of the cause. In the past three years, Huadian Guangxi Company has continuously promoted capacity and work style construction, with one theme per year, one plan per year, one list per year, and one assessment per year, paying attention to close integration with the party discipline learning and education carried out in recent years and the learning and education on thoroughly implementing the spirit of the Central Committee's Eight Provisions, focusing on the three main lines of improving capacity, strengthening work style, and displaying image, adhering to the three keys of strictness, standardization, and closed-loop management, benchmarking against the spirit of the Central Committee, advanced industry practices, and development needs, resolutely breaking outdated thinking, comprehensively improving professional capacity, and strictly rectifying work style, systematically building a "3558 Work Style Construction" full-chain work system that organically unifies "goal traction + capacity and work style + ideological innovation + safeguard mechanism." In practice, it has established the "3 General" goal traction mechanism (adhering to promoting the high-quality development of the enterprise as the overall goal, taking high-quality party building leading and guaranteeing high-quality development as the overall guideline, and taking deepening the implementation of the "Four Forces and Four Promotions" party building project as the overall starting point), adhering to hierarchical and classified, precise policy implementation, firmly grasping the three key levels of leading personnel, middle-level cadres, and frontline workers, comprehensively improving the "5 core capacities" (the political capacity of loyal responsibility, the insight capacity of understanding problems, the penetrating capacity of analyzing problems, the mastery capacity of solving problems, and the self-discipline capacity of clean conduct), comprehensively forging "5 fine work styles" (the work style of innovation and seeking change, grasping implementation firmly, seeking truth and being pragmatic, taking responsibility and making contributions, and abiding by rules and discipline), resolutely achieving "five establishments and five breaks" (establishing the hard truth of high-quality development and breaking the "enclosure consciousness"; establishing the concept of openness and innovation and breaking the thinking of following old routines; establishing the work style of solid work and real action and breaking the empty talk of sitting and discussing; establishing the concept of respecting law and reason and breaking the phenomenon of crude management; establishing the awareness of striving to be first and breaking the slackness of insufficient enterprise), and building a complete, scientific, standardized, and effective institutional safeguard system covering 8 specific aspects.
Gather the strength to strive forward and stride confidently into the new journey of the "15th Five-Year Plan." A correct view of political achievements is the yardstick for measuring whether party members and cadres perform their duties and start businesses, and it is a political examination question that every party member and cadre must answer well. Facing a new journey full of hope and challenges, full of glory and dreams, Huadian Guangxi Company has identified its own development positioning and is unswervingly taking the new path of high-quality development. First, in terms of development direction, adhere to the path of differentiated development and dislocation competition. We must both base ourselves on the present, work hard on "quantity," adhere to grasping details, tapping potential, reducing costs, and improving results, and look to the future, seek improvement in "quality," adhere to the simultaneous development of sea, land, and rivers, the simultaneous development of internal and external, and the simultaneous development of construction and acquisition, fully expand high-quality resources, and optimize the asset structure. Second, actively adapt to the new situation of the energy industry, take multiple measures to improve the development support system, and promote the steady and long-term high-quality development of the enterprise. In terms of industrial layout, closely follow the main line of clean energy development and "non-electric" utilization such as hydrogen energy, coordinate the improvement of quality and efficiency of existing assets with the cultivation and expansion of incremental capacity; in terms of reform and innovation, establish a systematic concept, comprehensively deepen reform, and continuously promote innovative changes in systems and mechanisms; in terms of safety guarantee, firmly hold the bottom line of production safety and ensure long-cycle stable and reliable power supply; in terms of infrastructure construction, take doing solid business and consolidating foundations as the starting point, and accelerate the construction of a diversified business pattern with power generation as the core and heat supply and strategic emerging industries developing in coordination. Third, adhere to strategic leadership, grasp the overall situation and general trend, think prospectively, plan systematically, and promote all work of the "15th Five-Year Plan" as a whole, and go all out to promote the high-quality development of the enterprise. The whole company should further invigorate the spirit of entrepreneurship, consolidate the dual foundation of safety and stability, and demonstrate new responsibility in long-term peace and order; adhere to the dual drive of reform and development, and take new steps toward innovation and excellence; vigorously grasp the dual control of cost and performance, and make new breakthroughs in improving quality and efficiency; strengthen confidence, forge ahead with determination, grasp implementation firmly, and down-to-earth create outstanding political achievements that meet the requirements of the Party Central Committee, conform to the expectations of the people, and stand the test of the times.
(The Party Committee of Huadian Guangxi Energy Co., Ltd.)
Return to TopPromoting high-quality development is the theme of economic and social development during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period. For enterprises pursuing high-quality development, the foundation lies in talent, and the key lies in talent. The Management Training Center of State Grid Jiangsu Electric Power Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as the State Grid Jiangsu Management Training Center), as the main platform for talent cultivation and a strategic support unit of State Grid Jiangsu Electric Power, upholds the concept that "talent is the first resource," takes the study and education on establishing and practicing a correct view of performance as the guide, runs "ascertaining the actual situation, adopting practical measures, and pursuing tangible results" through the entire process of talent cultivation, closely follows the overall situation of new-type power system construction and enterprise development, makes systematic plans, implements precise measures, and coordinates efforts, empowering enterprise high-quality development with a high-caliber professional talent team, and striving to explore an effective path for talent work in central state-owned enterprises in the new era.
Aligning with the overall strategy, consolidating the talent foundation through systematic planning. Talent team building must align with enterprise strategy and serve the overall development situation in order to find its proper positioning and play its role. The State Grid Jiangsu Management Training Center adheres to strategic orientation and systematic thinking, consolidating the talent foundation through system construction, resource integration, and model exploration. In terms of system construction, it deeply decodes the company's strategic tasks, systematically sorts out post competency requirements, comprehensively surveys the needs of cadres and employees, and through comprehensive analysis forms a talent cultivation system covering cadres at all levels and key employees across 12 key areas, clarifying the competency items, knowledge requirements, course essentials, and evaluation elements for various personnel, answering the questions of "what kind of talent to cultivate," "how to cultivate," and "how to make cultivation effective," and promoting the precise alignment of talent development with post performance and company strategy. In terms of resource integration, centering on the course essentials and evaluation elements of the cultivation system, it systematically builds progressive course systems, course resources, evaluation systems, and evaluation resources for various personnel, ensuring the formation of a closed loop of "strategy decoding—system construction—resource support." In terms of model exploration, targeting management capability cultivation, it adopts a cultivation model of "basic theory + power grid characteristics + implementation practice" to promote targeted learning by various personnel of modern enterprise management knowledge and theory, frontier theories with power grid characteristics, and excellent practical cases, advancing strategy implementation; for example, in 2026 it will carry out learning based on safety management theory, combined with the company's safety production work deployment, promoting the transformation of safety culture from "I am asked to be safe" to "I want to be safe," consolidating the foundation for enterprise safe development.
Focusing on capability shortcomings, improving talent quality and effectiveness through precise supply. High-quality resources are an important guarantee for the effective implementation of talent team building. The State Grid Jiangsu Management Training Center adheres to "development sets the topics, research writes the articles, and results reach the front line," highlighting theoretical depth, professional depth, and practical intensity, building a three-dimensional resource system integrating quality content, practical cases, and professional materials. In terms of precise knowledge supply, based on the post competency model and relying on smart platforms such as the Sudian e-School (苏电e学堂), it promotes layered and precise resource delivery, completing the classification, organization, and precise matching of more than 7,000 online courses, effectively meeting the growth needs of cadres and employees and the business development needs of the company. In terms of practical case development, adhering to the principle of originating from practice and serving the front line, it develops practical performance management cases for municipal and county companies, providing strong support for the construction of the system's first performance culture demonstration center; it deeply excavates typical cases of disciplinary and regulatory violations within the system as materials for integrity education, enriching the content system of warning education, comprehensively applying them in key training classes such as those for young cadres, using "matters around us" to educate "people around us," and enhancing the effectiveness of integrity education. In terms of systematic material development, it organizes the compilation of professional materials such as the Maturity Model for Safety Production Management Capability of Power Grid Enterprises and the Practical Guide to Compliance Management for Power Grid Enterprises, promotes the application of political theory reading lists and professional capability reading lists, and equips each material with "small but refined" reading guides, receiving widespread attention and positive responses from employees across the company system.
Pooling strength from all sides, empowering talent growth through collaborative mechanisms. Pooling strength from all sides is the key support for talent team building. The State Grid Jiangsu Management Training Center empowers talent growth through internal-external collaboration and flexible team formation. It builds a strong internal-external collaborative faculty team: internally, it continuously promotes "leadership personnel, senior experts, and advanced models" to take the podium, with more than 50 internal faculty members sharing practical experience on company strategy, professional expertise, and east-west assistance experiences, playing a mentoring and guiding role; externally, it consolidates cooperation with high-quality resources such as Tsinghua University, Peking University, Nanjing University, and other institutions of higher learning, as well as the China Executive Leadership Academy Pudong, introducing more than 200 long-term cooperative faculty members from various disciplinary fields to guarantee the cultivation of key talent. It builds a strong professional flexible think tank team: in the field of Party building and Party conduct and clean governance, it establishes a research force guided by relevant experts and the company's Party building department, with the center's young faculty as the main body; in the fields of operation and management, and risk and safety, it establishes flexible teams composed of departmental experts as mentors, together with the center's middle-level managers and young employees; in the field of law and compliance, it establishes a flexible team comprising 22 internal legal experts from the company's legal department and more than 10 municipal and prefectural units, as well as 5 senior external lawyers; in the field of new-type power system construction, it establishes an electricity-carbon flexible research team, developing quality courses on electricity carbon management and carbon business operations, summarizing excellent cases of new-type power system construction and carbon reduction and efficiency enhancement both inside and outside the company system, and providing replicable and referential practical experience.
The practice of the State Grid Jiangsu Management Training Center shows that talent team building can truly play its role and create value only when it closely follows the overall situation of enterprise high-quality development. Through systematic construction of cultivation systems, precise allocation of quality resources, and coordinated integration of strength from all sides, the talent work platform of central state-owned enterprises can become an important support for promoting strategy implementation, empowering talent growth, and serving high-quality development. Facing the new journey of the "15th Five-Year Plan," the State Grid Jiangsu Management Training Center will continue to deepen talent team building, make sustained efforts in optimizing cultivation systems, enriching resource supply, and pooling strength from all sides, serve the company's high-quality development overall situation with higher standards and more practical measures, and contribute greater strength to advancing the construction of an energy powerhouse.
(Management Training Center of State Grid Jiangsu Electric Power Co., Ltd.)
Return to TopBy: 庄建平
Born in the 1960s, the "Fengqiao Experience" (枫桥经验) originated from the creative efforts of cadres and the masses in Fengqiao, Zhuji, Zhejiang, and the vivid practice of political and legal work, providing ideas and methods for grassroots governance. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping has issued a series of important instructions on upholding and developing the "Fengqiao Experience" in the new era, endowing the "Fengqiao Experience" with new contemporary connotations, namely, upholding and implementing the Party's mass line, and under the Party's leadership, fully mobilizing the masses, organizing the masses, and relying on the masses to solve the masses' own affairs, achieving the goal that "small matters do not leave the village, major matters do not leave the town, and contradictions are not handed upward." Grassroots governance is the cornerstone of national governance. To build a grassroots governance system under the leadership of Party organizations that combines self-governance, rule of law, and rule of virtue, it is necessary to uphold and develop the "Fengqiao Experience" in the new era. The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China explicitly requires upholding and developing the "Fengqiao Experience" in the new era at the grassroots level of society and improving the mechanisms for correctly handling contradictions among the people under the new situation. Zhangzhou City, Fujian Province, which has grassroots governance innovations such as "Zhangzhou 110" and the "Safe Zhangzhou e-Home" smart governance platform, has closely integrated the core essence of the "Fengqiao Experience" in the new era with local realities, forging a new path of law-based grassroots governance characterized by Party building leadership, rule of law safeguards, and mass participation.
Upholding a people-oriented approach and focusing grassroots governance on practical matters concerning people's livelihoods. The subjects of grassroots governance are people, and the objects of governance are also people. The aim is to, under the leadership of grassroots Party organizations, carry the people-oriented approach through the entire process and all areas of grassroots governance. The key to the "Fengqiao Experience" is to always trust and rely on the masses. The practice of grassroots governance in Zhangzhou has proven that in advancing the high-quality development of grassroots governance, the primary issue to address is the question of "for whom."
Protecting special groups and securing the bottom line of people's livelihoods is precisely the vivid starting point of Zhangzhou's practice of people-oriented governance. In response to the problems faced by children in difficult circumstances, Zhangzhou established a graded care and protection mechanism for such children, the "Spring Bud Safety Officer" (春蕾安全员) system, appointing 2,230 grassroots cadres and grid workers as "Spring Bud Safety Officers." Through visits and surveys, classified prevention, psychological counseling, and other work, a safety line has been established for the growth of children in difficult circumstances. This practice has been promoted and implemented across the province and was included by the Supreme People's Procuratorate in the White Paper on Juvenile Prosecution Work (2021). Currently, Zhangzhou has more than 5,000 "Spring Bud Safety Officers," and since the mechanism's operation began, 12,203 children in difficult circumstances have received effective care and protection. In recent years, Zhangzhou's public security authorities, in conjunction with education, procuratorial, school, and other relevant departments, launched the "Digital Intelligence Protecting the Young" (数智护禾) initiative, establishing a dynamic risk assessment and judgment mechanism to achieve second-level push notifications of early warnings for out-of-school and dropout students. The "Digital Intelligence 'Protecting the Young' Innovative Application" project won first prize in the big data intelligence application category finals of the national public security grassroots technical innovation special activity. At the same time, the Municipal Party Committee's Political and Legal Affairs Commission directly addressed the pain points of juvenile delinquency governance, promoting the establishment of two specialized schools and building a full-chain system of "early-stage correction – mid-stage education – late-stage follow-up," precisely filling the gaps in specialized education for minors. 209 juveniles have "turned over a new leaf" (浪子回头). Protecting special groups is nurturing the foundation of popular sentiment; the yardstick of the rule of law is placed where the masses need it most.
Good grassroots governance requires not only holding the bottom line of livelihood security and continuously caring for special groups, but also expanding governance channels and actively responding to the demands of the general public. In 2019, Zhangzhou took the lead in the province in implementing the triage and diversion of people's mediation and 110 non-police matters, diverting six categories of disputes, including medical disputes, neighborhood disputes, and family conflicts, from the 110 dispatch system to the 12348 platform, where local mediation organizations then arrive on the scene to handle them promptly. Concurrently, Zhangzhou comprehensively deepened the standardized construction of comprehensive governance centers. The Longhai District Comprehensive Governance Center broke down departmental barriers, facilitating the permanent stationing of 16 core departments and 48 key business personnel, with rotating stationing from departments supervising high-risk industries such as finance and urban management, transforming the past situation of "the masses chasing after departments" into "departments revolving around problems." To ensure the masses have "a place to voice concerns and someone to manage affairs," Zhangzhou took the lead in issuing standards for neighborhood services and, in 2024, took the lead in opening the "96111" hotline for mediation of disputes, providing round-the-clock 7×24-hour service. The Public Mediation and Diversion Center of Jiufeng Town, Pinghe County, while resolving more than 2,600 disputes and conflicts, also achieved the complete clearance of accumulated petition cases within its jurisdiction, vividly interpreting the people-centered governance core with its efficient and people-friendly work style.
Improving laws and regulations to consolidate the institutional safeguards for grassroots governance. To uphold and develop the "Fengqiao Experience" in the new era, it is necessary to comprehensively enhance the level of law-based social governance and be adept at using legal thinking and legal methods to solve stubborn problems in grassroots governance. The practice of grassroots governance in Zhangzhou has proven that a set of effective institutional systems can transform the mass line into executable, monitorable, and sustainable governance effectiveness.
Based on the actual needs of local governance and making good use of local legislative authority, a stable legal framework has been established for grassroots governance. In the process of promoting the institutionalization of grassroots governance, the Zhangzhou Municipal People's Congress has fully leveraged its advantages in local legislation, successively enacting a batch of local regulations with distinct Zhangzhou characteristics in key areas such as safe construction, social governance, government services, and historical and cultural protection. In terms of safe construction and grassroots conflict resolution, the Zhangzhou Municipal People's Congress passed the Regulations on the Development and Promotion of "Zhangzhou 110", concretizing, institutionalizing, and legalizing the working mechanisms and governance experience of "Zhangzhou 110" in grassroots social governance practice. In terms of community living environment order governance, it issued the Several Provisions of Zhangzhou City on Civilized Dog Ownership, regulating dog ownership by law to maintain community public order and the living environment. In terms of convenient government services and petition handling, it passed the Regulations of Zhangzhou City on Government Services, aiming to improve administrative efficiency and promote the standardization, normalization, and facilitation of government services, giving government services both speed and warmth. In terms of comprehensive governance of historical districts, Zhangzhou passed the Regulations on the Protection of the Ancient City of Zhangzhou, establishing a classified and graded protection mechanism and gradually realizing the law-based comprehensive governance of historical districts. The enactment of regulations across different dimensions not only responds to the legal needs of grassroots governance but also forms a complete closed loop of promoting law-based grassroots governance through institutional innovation.
Under the guidance of institutions, Zhangzhou continues to promote innovation in governance mechanisms, transforming institutional advantages into tangible governance effectiveness. The joint mediation mechanism originating in Longhai in 1985 is a true microcosm of Zhangzhou's institutional innovation. In handling rural disputes and conflicts, Dongmei Village, Jiaomei Town, former Longhai County, explored and established a joint mediation mechanism featuring regional linkage, joint conflict screening, information sharing, and joint dispute mediation. In the new era, Longhai District has innovated the "Four Integrations, Four Transformations" (四合四化) model, deeply integrating Party building leadership with grid management, and fully leveraging the role of the joint mediation mechanism on the basis of integrating Party building mechanisms, consolidating judicial resources, uniting industry forces, and aggregating smart capabilities. Since the mechanism's operation, the district has conducted 812 joint mediation activities, resolving 7,803 disputes and conflicts of various types, further demonstrating the effectiveness of grassroots governance. Yunxiao County, targeting problems such as low participation and insufficient credibility caused by the traditional "closed-door adjudication" of administrative reconsideration, has deeply cultivated the localized practice of the "Fengqiao Experience" in the new era, taking the lead in the province in launching a new model of "hearing-based dispute resolution" for administrative disputes. A single hearing transforms administrative disputes from "confronting each other in court" to "face-to-face reasoning."
Pooling the wisdom and strength of the people to build a grassroots governance pattern of joint contribution, joint governance, and shared benefits. Relying on the people to resolve disputes and conflicts is the essence of the "Fengqiao Experience." The people possess immense wisdom; the key lies in how to transform the masses from "bystanders" of governance into "participants," pooling scattered "collective wisdom" into orderly "collective strength."
Upholding and developing the "Fengqiao Experience" in the new era means adhering to the Party's mass line, relying on the people to handle contradictions among the people, and resolving problems at the grassroots level and nipping them in the bud. Comrade Lai Shuishun, winner of the National May Day Labor Medal, this "gold-medal peacemaker" successfully mediated 5,518 civil and commercial dispute cases. The effective methods he explored and proposed, such as the "Six-Six" mediation model and the "Sixteen Points" approach, have truly enabled professional mediation to take root among the masses and serve the masses. Under his exemplary leadership, Zhangzhou created a full-chain working model for dispute handling: "screening and early warning – classified mediation – tracking and feedback." Pooling collective wisdom to resolve public concerns, as the power of the masses continuously empowers grassroots governance, innovative practices are flourishing everywhere.
An important highlight of the "Fengqiao Experience" is that "small matters do not leave the village, major matters do not leave the town, and contradictions are not handed upward." Ultimately, the methods for resolving grassroots disputes and conflicts embody a principle of "proximity," that is, resolving disputes and conflicts at the grassroots level. The Party Committee of Heping Township, Yunxiao County, created a "mobile mediation room," moving the mediation table directly to the fields and to the front of houses and ends of alleys, gradually forging a new path of "mobile adjudication and mediation." Since 2019, the mobile mediation room has successfully resolved over 200 disputes, with a mediation success rate as high as 99.7%. Gan Village in Changtai District has formed a working mechanism in practice: "small matters are settled through casual conversation, difficult matters are discussed by everyone, and major matters are handled according to law." Since 2012, the number of dispute cases transferred from Gan Village to the town level has also declined linearly, truly achieving the goals of no involvement in organized crime or evil forces, no petitions to higher authorities, no drug users, and no criminal offenses. The "Xiangli Xiangqin" (芗里芗亲) volunteer service platform in Xiangcheng District provides a broader stage for mass participation. This platform connects with the 12345 convenience service platform and the 110 dispatch platform, integrating hidden danger information reporting and grid volunteer services. Since 2021, it has registered 304,000 mass volunteers, with approximately 3,000 volunteers online in real time, forming a solid "safety net" covering urban and rural areas.
Return to TopBy: 胡一峰
The "15th Five-Year Plan" outline proposes the strategic task of "transforming and upgrading traditional cultural industries, advancing the integration of culture and technology, promoting the digital-intelligence empowerment and informatization transformation of cultural development, developing new cultural formats such as digital animation, immersive exhibitions and performances, online broadcasting, short videos, and micro-dramas, and guiding and regulating the healthy development of online literature, online games, and online audiovisual content," making arrangements for the high-quality development of online literature and art during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period. Online literature and art are the product of the collision and fusion of internet technology with literature and art. The diverse dimensions through which the internet influences literature and art outline the main sectors and development trajectory of the online literature and art landscape.
First, literature and art disseminated on the internet. The internet entered people's field of vision as a "new medium" distinct from traditional media such as newspapers, radio, and television, and it also attracted attention as a new platform for disseminating literary and artistic works. "Literature and art going online," or "literature and art disseminated online," is our first impression of online literature and art. In 1998, Cai Zhiheng's The First Intimate Contact became widely popular on the internet and was later recognized as the pioneering work of online literature. Nearly 30 years have passed, and Chinese online literature has grown into a magnificent spectacle. Looking back at this once-fashionable novel, it differs considerably from the "younger generation" of online fiction that emerged later; rather, it bears greater family resemblance to the romance novel "predecessors" in literary history. Today, with changes in the production mechanisms of online literature, the subject matter and genres of online literature have become more diverse and varied, the chain of creative development, global dissemination, and value expansion is increasingly complete, and it is transforming from "traditional online fiction" to "new online fiction." The scale of online audiovisual content continues to grow, and its categories continue to enrich. For literature and art, the internet has long ceased to be merely a dissemination platform, but its significance as a dissemination platform still cannot be overlooked. Taking stage art as an example, as of May 2026, 576 state-owned literary and art troupes and 8,140 professional performers have joined Douyin, cumulatively conducting over 1.06 million livestreams, with cumulative audience views exceeding 6.14 billion, covering multiple categories including traditional opera, instrumental music, song and dance, acrobatics, and quyi folk arts. Relying on this platform, stage art has gained new performance spaces, found new audiences within them, and carved out a new development track brimming with the vitality of the times.
Second, literature and art themed on networked life. Literature and art originate from life and reflect life in the most sensitive manner. In the era of the internet, the content and logic of social life, the ways of information exchange and knowledge production, the ways and forms in which people connect and interact with one another, and the concepts and emotions arising therefrom are all undergoing profound changes. At the end of the 20th century, internet elements in daily life had already become creative material. In 2001, the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre launched the internet-themed play WWW.COM, which tells the story of a couple disappointed with their mundane married life who turn to the virtual world to engage in romance and pour out their feelings. In 2012, the film Caught in the Web focused on the topic of online violence. The song Small Village WeChat Group, created in 2017, presents a vivid picture of neighbors enthusiastically chatting in the group about shop openings and vegetable sales, showcasing a moving scene of information sharing, and it won the 15th "Five-One Project" Award for the Spiritual Civilization. To this day, online gaming, online romance, online shopping, and online violence are all reflected in literary and artistic works. The online fraud in the film No More Bets and the online games in the novel and its television adaptation of the same name The Three-Body Problem are both examples. At the same time, new phenomena of networked life such as watching short videos and hailing rides via ride-hailing apps are entering the field of vision of classical poetry creators, injecting contemporary content into traditional literary and artistic categories. Currently, the breadth and depth of the internet's influence on life are both increasing. As of December 2025, the number of internet users in China reached 1.125 billion, with an internet penetration rate of 80.1%, and rural and elderly groups are accelerating their integration into the digital society. All townships nationwide and 95% of administrative villages have been covered by 5G, and 5G-Advanced networks have covered more than 330 cities. The number of social networking users reached 1.114 billion, accounting for 98.9% of all internet users. The number of online shopping users reached 937 million, accounting for 83.2% of all internet users. The number of online food delivery users reached 630 million, accounting for 56.0% of all internet users. Facing the reality that "everyone is online, everyone is on the internet," networked life has become fertile soil for contemporary literary and artistic creation. As long as creators keep pace with the times and broaden the sources from which they draw from life, more excellent online literary and artistic works are bound to emerge.
Third, literature and art that iterate and evolve with the advancement of the internet. Technology is an important aid to literary and artistic innovation. From printing to photography, from the tape recorder to the television, technological progress has always given birth to new artistic categories and changed the overall face and landscape of art. Since the internet and literature and art joined forces, online literature has taken the lead, refreshing people's reading experience and changing people's understanding of literature. Online dramas, online films, online music, online variety shows, short videos, and micro-dramas have gradually flourished, each leading the way in its own time. As of December 2025, online audiovisual users reached 1.099 billion, of which short video users numbered 1.074 billion. Online game users numbered 573 million, and online literature users numbered 526 million. In particular, micro-drama users reached 664 million in 2025, with the market size exceeding 100 billion yuan, and excellent works have continued to emerge. At the same time, AI technology has become deeply involved in the creation and production of micro-dramas, both bringing a new windfall to the industry and prompting the industry to actively plan new development paths in response to technological change. Looking back at the process of literature and art changing under the impetus of internet technology, from PC internet to mobile internet, the trajectory and logic of internet technology changes, as well as the online application forms and governance systems that have formed and developed along with them, have profoundly influenced and even determined the iterative direction of online literature and art and the face of the next new category. In the history of online literature and art development, 1998 is called the "first year of online literature," 2004 is considered the "first year of online divine songs," 2005 is called the "first year of blogging," 2014 is considered the "first year of online dramas," and 2020 is regarded as the "first year of micro-dramas"... These landmark years are precisely like important notes in the melody of China's internet development, reflecting the shared technological characteristics of online literature and art with their numerous categories and rapid iteration, and also indicating that online literature and art will surely embrace even more promising prospects on the path of China's internet technological breakthroughs, industrial innovation, and governance for good.
Fourth, literature and art that respond to the aesthetic call of the internet. The process from collision to fusion of technology and art is also a process of creating new artistic language. The internet's profound influence on literature and art is embodied in the new creation of artistic language. In recent years, expressive techniques and aesthetic elements originating from online literature and art have spilled beyond specific genres and been widely applied in literary and artistic creation. The infinite-flow technique commonly seen in online literature has been applied in the creation of the online drama Reset and the micro-drama ENEMY, enriching the narrative layers of the works. The film Hi, Mom and the Yue opera Weaving Mansion employ time-travel narratives, the television drama Northward adapts the original literary work in a manner similar to "fan fiction" writing, and the stage play Magic Domain: Light of Atlantis presents game narratives on stage—all bringing new scenery that meets the aesthetic needs of the internet age. At the same time, new categories of literature and art that have risen because of the internet continuously raise new aesthetic propositions as they mature. The online novel Ten Days of Finality and the animation Yao-Chinese Folktales unfold new pictures of literature and art expressing the excellent traditional culture of China. Short videos and livestreams activate, in new forms, the function of literature and art to instantly record and reflect contemporary life, injecting new vitality into "sketch"-style creation. The differences between short dramas, medium-length dramas, and long dramas, between horizontal-screen dramas and vertical-screen dramas, and between live performances and cloud performances in terms of narrative, performance, scene setting, and thematic expression all require rethinking the methodological value and aesthetic significance of time, space, region, and culture in literary and artistic creation, and using this to guide and promote the continuous improvement of the artistic quality and aesthetic connotation of online literature and art.
With the further development of the internet and the deepening of its influence on literature and art, online literature and art will surely, with ever more diverse and varied "faces," make greater contributions to depicting the myriad phenomena of the times and satisfying the cultural needs of the masses.
(The author is the Director of the Online Literature and Art Communication Center of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles)
Return to TopBy: 李娟
The just-released Long March-themed film Four Crossings (《四渡》) took four years to plan, and completed the shooting of 107 scenes across 32 filming locations in Guizhou, using real terrain to present historical landscapes, depicting famous battle scenes with a strong sense of immersion, recreating the arduous years through light and shadow, restoring legendary campaigns through the lens, and reproducing the most shocking and most ingenious breakout-from-encirclement battle in the history of the Chinese revolution. One film has made one city famous. As the film became a box-office hit, red cultural tourism landmarks such as the Zunyi Conference site and Loushan Pass successively went viral, and the related red revolutionary sites, memorial venues, and distinctive village clusters were linked into premium red tourism routes, attracting tourists from across the country to embark on a red rendezvous across time and space. The integration of red-themed films with red cultural tourism resources is not only a win-win move for the development of both the film industry and cultural tourism, but also an important pathway for inheriting the red gene.
From cinematic empathy to on-site visits
Red-themed films are rooted in unique artistic expression and emotional mobilization mechanisms. Through character portrayal, plot progression, and audiovisual language, they transform grand and important historical events into perceptible revolutionary stories, becoming an emotional bond connecting audiences with history. The narrative space of a film is closely related to the real geographical space. Through the film's story, audiences are moved by the ideals, convictions, and heroic spirit of the revolutionary martyrs, generating deep emotional resonance and spiritual sympathy, which becomes the psychological driving force impelling audiences to want to see the real places for themselves. The box-office success of The Battle at Lake Changjin drove an increase in visitor numbers at related red tourism scenic areas, with the former residence of Peng Dehuai becoming a popular check-in destination. The Shanghai Film Park, the filming location of Nanjing Photo Studio, launched activities such as immersive experiences of the War of Resistance history, which are especially popular among young people, and the landmark building "Auspicious Photo Studio," which carries the spiritual core of the film, has been permanently retained as a fixed attraction in the park. The integrated development of film and tourism has once again confirmed that red-themed films can effectively stimulate audiences' patriotic fervor, which in turn translates into red journeys to visit revolutionary sites in person and commemorate the revolutionary martyrs.
Red films and the cultural tourism industry can form a sound interactive relationship. Through the mutual interpretation of film narrative and physical space, the immersive experience audiences have after watching a film constitutes a reproduction of the meaning of historical space. By deeply excavating the details of revolutionary history and innovating the narrative perspectives of revolutionary figures, films can construct a complete story thread and distinctive spiritual identity for red cultural tourism resources, thereby facilitating a spiritual root-seeking journey imbued with ritual and meaning. Changchun Film Studio, known as the "cradle of New China cinema," has since establishing its "NPC immersive tour" dynamically revitalized scenes from classic red films such as Gunshots of the Secret Service Bureau, The White-Haired Girl, and Battle of Shangganling, allowing visitors to participate in role-play performances. Through immersive experience, static historical sites are activated as perceptible, interactive carriers of memory. This interactive model of "using drama to bring scenes to life, and using scenes to attest to history" both drives cultural tourism projects through film and expands the pathways for inheriting red culture.
From short-term experience to long-term spatial immersion
Although the popularity of red-themed films has a strong pulling effect on cultural tourism integration, audiences must not be left merely at the level of simple tourism markers such as visiting filming locations and shooting sites. It is necessary to generate spiritual impact through immersive experience and transform film memories into experiential spaces suitable for interaction and co-creation. This requires avoiding undesirable tendencies such as superficial film-tourism integration and emphasizing form over substance. One must not "move flowers and graft trees" (substitute unrelated content) or implant irrelevant projects with "fabricated scenes" for the sake of traffic, nor simply graft film elements onto real locations to manufacture check-in points. The historical value and spiritual connotation contained in red-themed films should be deeply excavated, achieving in-depth interpretation and scene transformation of film stories, revolutionary historical backgrounds, and the spirit of the characters. The film Half a Cotton Quilt is adapted from a true story of the Red Army's Long March. It not only leads audiences to profoundly commemorate revolutionary history, but also directs their gaze to Shazhou Village in Rucheng County, Hunan Province, where the story took place. Leveraging the influence of the film's popularity, the Shazhou red tourism scenic area has become a sensation. The scenic area not only presents historical landscapes such as old houses, stone bridges, and ancient trees, but the "Warmth of Half a Quilt" special exhibition hall, together with the deeply emotional narration of the docents, has repeatedly moved the endless stream of visitors with the deep bond between the army and the people.
The integration of red-themed films and tourism provides an opportunity for cultural tourism projects to become sensations, drives scenic areas to engage in differentiated competition, and also extends the life cycle and value chain of red-themed film works. Young people are the main consumer force in film-tourism integration. They are no longer satisfied with traditional sightseeing tours, but instead pursue "in-character" deep experiences. This requires avoiding problems such as single-scenario and creativity-deficient cultural tourism integration products. Interactive plot performances, immersive study tours, themed cultural and creative products, and other film-tourism experience products that better fit young people's consumption habits should be added. A systematic mindset should be established, with story scenes carefully designed at the film production stage to lay the foundation for red cultural tourism traffic after the film becomes popular. Through the development of red-themed film IP, deeper integration with study tours, homestays, cultural and creative products, and rural revitalization should be pursued, transforming short-term viewing experiences into long-term immersion in red culture. At the same time, the communication influence of red-themed films should be enhanced, with extensive use of promotional formats such as short videos, livestreaming, and online immersive experiences to comprehensively elevate the social influence of quality film-tourism integration products and effectively activate new momentum for the inheritance of red culture.
From narrative space to consumption
Only when a film unifies its narrative space with the connotation of its story, deeply integrating people, emotions, objects, scenes, and the era, can it complete the mutual transformation between narrative space and geographical space. For film-tourism integration to achieve two-way empowerment, it cannot be limited to the experience of "seeing" and "playing," but must lie in "integration" and "extension," breaking the model of single-point development and fragmented growth. Through means such as the popularity and re-release of red-themed films, thematic cultural forums, new media short-video dissemination, and regular on-site performances, the vitality of red culture should be continuously awakened. Using the narrative thread of red-themed films as a guide, revolutionary sites, film and television shooting bases, natural ecological scenic areas, and rural cultural tourism resources within the region should be coordinated to create red cultural tourism premium routes with distinctive themes and rich experiences. Long March-themed films provide historical evidence for the development of red cultural resources along the Long March route. Following the narrative spatial thread of the films, scattered red cultural tourism attractions can be strung together like beads into a chain, integrating and extending red cultural tourism attractions such as the Zunyi Conference site, the Chishui ferry crossing, and the Luding Bridge to create a premium Long March-themed cultural tourism corridor. The deep integration of film narrative, Long March historical facts, and sites and relics will support the high-quality construction of the Long March National Cultural Park and expand new spaces for red-themed cultural tourism consumption.
In addition, reliance should be placed on classic red-themed film IP to drive the iteration and upgrading of business formats. Digital-intelligent light-and-shadow modern technology should be used to transform static historical resources and film stories into dynamic cultural tourism consumption spaces, restoring classic battle scenes and revolutionary life scenes, and creating youthful, digital-intelligent immersive experience projects. The aesthetic psychology and cultural needs of different generational groups should be studied in depth. Relying on red-themed films, new products such as situational performances and red script experiences should be developed to reproduce classic film characters and story space scenes, extend the red cultural tourism industry chain, and achieve deep integration of film narrative experience and cultural tourism scene immersion and interaction. Attention should be paid to upgrading "watching" into "co-creation," building a high-quality film-tourism integration product matrix, and expanding the new landscape of red culture inheritance.
Return to TopBy: 徐可
The renowned scholar Qi Gong, celebrated at home and abroad, leaves the world with an impression that, apart from his many laurels, is perhaps above all his humor. Over the years, videos and anecdotes about him have circulated widely online, leading netizens to exclaim: So Mr. Qi Gong was also a storyteller of jokes! Once, for some matter, I said "thank you" to Mr. Qi Gong, and he responded immediately: "No need to thank — just feed it while still harnessed!" Then he burst into laughter, leaving me utterly bewildered. Seeing that I did not understand, he told a story: Once upon a time, a man rode a horse-drawn carriage to visit someone's home. The host asked him to unharness the horse and give it fodder, but the guest said: "No need to unharness — just feed it while still harnessed." This time, the two of us both roared with laughter. This is Mr. Qi Gong — humor in every fiber, jokes in every corner of his mind; a single casual remark could send people into fits of joy.
Qi Gong's humor is the crystallization of life's wisdom. His calligraphy is famed throughout the world, yet he never became carried away or puffed up, but maintained his consistent modesty. Someone praised Qi Gong as the "Wang Xizhi of our time." Upon hearing this, the master immediately declared: "I am the 'living treasure of our time.'" One year, the celebrated CCTV program Sons of the East wanted to interview him. When they contacted him, they said: "Our program is of a very high caliber; we interview only renowned experts, scholars, and social elites, hence the name 'Sons of the East.'" Upon hearing this, the master replied: "I do not measure up to your caliber. At most I am a 'Grandson of the East.'" In his Self-Composed Epitaph, he courageously mocked himself: "Middle-school student, associate professor. Broad but not deep, specialized but not penetrating. Famous though I am, in reality insufficient."
Qi Gong's humor is a weapon against hardship. Faced with suffering, some blame heaven and others, some sink into despondency, some drift with the current, some willingly wallow in degradation. Qi Gong lost his father at the age of one, and his family fortunes declined; in middle age he lost his mother and endured countless tribulations; in his later years he lost his wife and grew old in solitude. His life was filled with setbacks and ordeals, yet he maintained an optimistic, cheerful disposition — striving constantly to improve himself, studying tirelessly without cease, and ultimately becoming a master of his generation. His health was poor year after year, and illness clung to him, yet he could dissolve the pain of sickness through humor.
Qi Gong's humor is the transcendence of one who is indifferent to fame and gain. "All men say the immortals are good, yet fame and merit they cannot forget." Faced with fame and profit, few can claim to be utterly unmoved, yet the master regarded them with great detachment — not only refusing to contend or snatch, but actively declining. He never presumed upon his identity as "ninth-generation descendant of the Yongzheng Emperor." Faced with letters addressed to "Aisin Gioro Qi Gong," he annotated: "No such person found; kindly return to sender." In 1999, Qi Gong was appointed Director of the Central Research Institute of Culture and History. Friends congratulated him: this position is not low — it is "ministerial level." The master replied wittily: "No hurry, no hurry — I truly am in no hurry." Someone once called him and began, "Hello, Director Qi..." The master answered: "I am a restaurant director — no, not even a restaurant director; I could not manage it." The master was an easygoing man, but he was not without his bottom line. Once a real-estate developer had prepared brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, insisting that the master inscribe a calligraphic motto for his building project. The master said slowly: "You have prepared a brush for me — must I then necessarily write? Then if you prepared a coffin, would I have to climb into it?" A single gentle needle, and the overbearing man was left speechless.
Qi Gong's humor is the joy he bestowed upon relatives and friends. From childhood, Qi Gong was the "family clown," and he was extremely filial to his mother and aunt who had raised him to adulthood. Even past the age of thirty, the master would often play the fool before his mother and tell all manner of jokes, solely to amuse the old lady. And whenever his mother was displeased and about to strike him with the feather duster, he would always stand properly at attention before her and say with utmost respect: "Grandmother (in those days Manchus called their mothers 'grandmother' and their paternal grandmothers 'great-grandmother'), let your son first take off his glasses, and then stand quietly to receive his beating." One sentence would dispel his mother's anger. Qi Gong was witty and humorous, his clever remarks flowing like a string of pearls; friends all loved to chat with him, and wherever he went, he brought laughter with him. The renowned painter Huang Miaozi once recalled: "As long as one heard from next door that Beijing-accented patter and a burst of hearty laughter, one knew the Master Qi had arrived... Listening to Mr. Qi hold forth from the ancient classics to mosquitoes and flies — even now in recollection, it remains the greatest joy of my life."
Qi Gong's humor is the natural outpouring of talent. Qi Gong loved to crack jokes, but his were not idle buffoonery or glib lip-service; rather, they displayed extraordinary wisdom. A visitor once said to him: "You look so spirited, sir — you will surely live to a hundred." The master immediately shot back: "Is your surname Yan?" The visitor was baffled. The master then explained slowly: "Only King Yan of the underworld knows how long I will live — how is it that you know too?" Everyone burst out laughing.
Behind Qi Gong's humor lay a profound compassion. After the master's passing, the renowned historian He Ziquan wrote in a funeral couplet: "Close to Zhuangzi, far from Laozi, his heart devoted to the Buddha; outwardly humorous, inwardly lonely, he was glad to meet the late spring." These are the words of one who knew him. Qi Gong's inner world was not so detached and philosophical as he appeared; rather, it held deep feeling. He wrote many belly-laughing doggerel verses, and also many grief-provoking poems of mourning for the dead. He was grateful to society, to his family, and to his teachers and friends. Detachment was his, and deep feeling was his too; the two dwelt harmoniously together in one person. Some have compared Qi Gong to "Su Dongpo of our time," and indeed the two share many similarities. Both presented a philosophical, transcendent face to the world, yet both harbored within great feelings and great compassion. Facing the honors and humiliations, the glories and coldness of the human world, they always maintained their self-confidence, self-love, and self-respect, and preserved an optimistic, far-seeing childlike heart. Qi Gong's humor is not merely a temperament; it is a confidence, a cultivation, a breadth of mind, a realm of being. Just as he wrote in one couplet: "Able to rank alongside the worthies of old, yet never letting worldly concerns weigh upon the heart."
(The author is a member of the Chinese Writers' Association National Committee)
Return to TopBy: 张仪帆 魏鹏
General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized the need to deepen the reform of science and technology evaluation and make good use of the baton of science and technology evaluation. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Party Central Committee has made a series of reform arrangements for science and technology evaluation, promoting the establishment of a science and technology evaluation system oriented toward scientific and technological innovation capability, quality, actual effect, and contribution, which has played a positive role in promoting scientific research activities and optimizing the innovation environment. However, the reform of science and technology evaluation is a systematic project, involving a wide scope and a long chain of interests, and is characterized by long-term, arduous, and complex features. To establish a new orientation for science and technology evaluation under the new circumstances, it is necessary to correctly grasp the objective laws of science and technology evaluation activities, fully understand the complexity and long-term nature of the reform of science and technology evaluation, maintain strategic resolve, and make persistent efforts over the long term (久久为功 - jiǔ jiǔ wéi gōng - "persist for a long time to achieve success," to keep working at something over a long period).
The formation of the current orientation of science and technology evaluation has gone through a relatively long cycle. Quantitative evaluation represented by SCI papers originated in the 1990s and was first introduced by Nanjing University. At that time, China's overall scientific and technological strength was relatively backward, especially its international influence was weak. Introducing high-level journal indicators with international influence and academic consensus was conducive to improving the quantity and quality of China's scientific research output and its capacity for international academic exchange. At the same time, because of its concise and objective characteristics, this quantitative evaluation method was adopted by the government and widely used in the evaluation and assessment of science and technology projects, talents, and institutions. Through more than 30 years of practice, it has gradually become a key indicator dominating China's science and technology evaluation. As China's science and technology evaluation work has become increasingly dependent on quantification, quantitative evaluation has also gradually become alienated, giving rise to problems such as the "Four Onlys" (唯论文、唯职称、唯学历、唯奖项 - "only papers, only titles, only degrees, only awards") and the excessive linking of material interests with evaluation results.
Since 2018, when the Party Central Committee made its first overall deployment for science and technology evaluation, a new round of reform has been carried out in an all-round way. From the national level to the local level and then to scientific research institutions, relevant laws, policies, and rules and regulations have been adopted successively to promote the implementation of the reform. The newly revised Law on Scientific and Technological Progress clearly stipulates the implementation of classified evaluation oriented toward innovation quality, contribution, and performance. The Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, and other departments have successively issued more than 100 supporting documents; various localities and units have also formed a large number of typical cases in light of their actual conditions. At the same time, eight departments including the Ministry of Science and Technology specifically issued the Work Plan for Carrying Out Pilots for the Reform of Science and Technology Talent Evaluation, exploring feasible paths at the micro level. After years of efforts, the orientation toward actual scientific research performance has basically become a social consensus.
At the same time, many scientific research managers are still puzzled by the question: "If not the Four Onlys, then what?" Many young scientific researchers report that in the assessment during their employment period, the quality requirements for journals have been raised, but the quantity requirements have not been reduced, and the problem of quantity-only evaluation has not been fundamentally solved. The alienated phenomenon of excessive linking of evaluation results such as "hats" (人才称号 - talent titles) and awards with material interests and resource allocation still exists to a certain extent. From the perspective of the management system, science and technology evaluation activities at all levels and of all types lack overall coordination, and standards lack synergy. The reform orientation at the national level is distorted and altered in its transmission to the grassroots level. Some science and technology workers have inertial thinking and behavior. The reform effects of discipline and degree assessment, "Double First-Class" construction assessment, and performance evaluation of scientific research institutes still need further testing.
The "difficulty" of the reform of science and technology evaluation is determined jointly by the complexity of the evaluation system, the interconnectedness of government governance, and the dependence of the academic ecosystem. It is mainly reflected in the following three aspects.
The complexity of science and technology evaluation determines that it is difficult to achieve an overall transformation of the evaluation orientation in the short term. The science and technology evaluation system is a complex system involving multiple evaluation subjects such as the government, various innovation entities, society, and academic organizations; facing multiple objects such as science and technology activities, talents, entities, platforms and bases, and achievements; and performing multiple functions such as assessment, management, selection, and incentives. These subjects, objects, and functions are intertwined and interrelated, forming a complex science and technology evaluation system. These evaluation activities involve the vital interests of relevant subjects and individuals, and a slight move in one part may affect the whole situation, so the value orientation of the entire system carries enormous inertia. In the reform, it is necessary to drive the overall transformation of the system through the prior adjustment of some evaluation activities (such as talent evaluation), and to lead the overall adjustment through breakthroughs at specific points, ultimately realizing the transformation of the evaluation system. This is a process of gradual transmission and penetration, which is objectively long-term in nature.
The close connection between science and technology evaluation and government governance makes the reform difficult to accomplish overnight (一蹴而就 - yī cù ér jiù - "accomplish in one step," to succeed at the first attempt). Science and technology evaluation is an important tool for the government's governance of scientific and technological innovation. China's universities and scientific research institutes are mainly publicly funded institutions managed by the government, which plays an important role in the evaluation system. The transmission logic of the government-led evaluation system is as follows: government departments, according to their functional positioning, translate the national strategic goals for scientific and technological innovation into departmental goals, which are then transformed into management requirements for the allocation of science and technology resources and for the evaluation and assessment of scientific research units. Scientific research units further refine these into their own development goals and evaluation indicators for scientific researchers, which ultimately act on the research directions of the broad mass of scientific researchers. As for the government's choices regarding what needs to be evaluated, what to evaluate, how to evaluate, and when to evaluate, it is necessary to comprehensively consider multiple factors such as credibility, effectiveness, cost, fairness and justice, and social impact. This transmission logic exists widely in multiple types of departments, including science and technology, education, economy, and talent. Therefore, the reform of science and technology evaluation requires relevant departments to extensively build consensus, coordinate and advance together, and form a joint force.
Science and technology evaluation depends on the gradual transformation of the academic environment and the social ecosystem. Science and technology evaluation cannot be separated from academic groups and social consensus. A good scientific research ecological environment is the foundation for ensuring that the evaluation of science and technology talents can be scientifically implemented, objectively judged, and correctly function. Because China's academic community developed relatively late, judging academic value and talent levels by journal-based paper evaluation, project levels, and award levels is still the main method. An academic evaluation system that has broad consensus and can reflect the actual value of scientific research has not yet been fully formed, and still needs to mature gradually through extensive exploration and practical verification. At the same time, social evaluation also has an important impact on science and technology evaluation. The cognition of business entities, social organizations, teams, and individuals regarding the value of scientific and technological innovation is reflected in science and technology-related evaluations, such as university ranking evaluations, the social recognition of experts, and product visibility. These changes in the soft environment of consensus, cognition, and culture also determine that the reform of science and technology evaluation cannot be achieved overnight.
On the whole, the concept of science and technology evaluation oriented toward innovation capability, quality, actual effect, and contribution has formed a broad consensus in government departments and the scientific and technological community, and active exploration by various localities has also accumulated rich cases. In the next step, efforts can be focused on advancing from three aspects to accelerate the improvement of the science and technology evaluation system under the new circumstances.
First, continue to promote the deepening and implementation of the deployment for the reform of science and technology evaluation, and maintain the intensity of reform without weakening. Since 2018, the state has made deployments for the reform of science and technology evaluation in different forms, demonstrating the Central Committee's determination to deepen the reform of science and technology evaluation, and also indicating that there are still many obstacles in the reform that need to be further removed. Explore the establishment of a long-term mechanism for "breaking the Four Onlys" and the cleanup of "hats," organize the relevant "look back" (回头看) on the cleanup, and carry out targeted cleanup and resolution of old problems where the reform has not been implemented in place and new problems where transmission deviations have occurred in the reform. Promote the application of pilot results such as classified evaluation of science and technology talents and evaluation of scientific and technological achievements, increase the promotion of pilot experience, and accelerate the transformation of mature experience into policies and systems.
Second, promote the gradual shift of the focus of reform toward government-led evaluation activities, and drive the overall transformation of the orientation of science and technology evaluation. Government-led science and technology evaluation activities are the "ox nose" (牛鼻子 - niú bí zi - "ox nose," the key link or crucial point) of the entire reform of science and technology evaluation. Take the reform of science and technology evaluation as a key entry point for promoting the integrated development of education, science and technology, and talent; improve in an integrated manner the institutional systems for science and technology evaluation, project management, resource allocation, and scientific research integrity; strengthen macro-level overall planning and meso-level guidance; and reduce micro-level intervention. On the one hand, deeply reform the science and technology evaluation system in universities, with education and science and technology departments coordinating to formulate various science and technology evaluation-related standards and methods involving universities, and continuously deepen the governance of "hats" in the science and education community. On the other hand, in accordance with the principle of "whoever uses it evaluates it, and what is not used is not evaluated," clean up existing government-led evaluation activities, so that employing entities can play an autonomous role in evaluation.
Third, attach great importance to the cultivation of the scientific research ecological environment, and guide academic evaluation to become more mature and standardized. Science and technology evaluation and the scientific research ecology are intrinsically related and mutually influential. Establish and practice a correct view of performance, guide scientific research units to set science and technology performance indicators according to their institutional missions and the laws of scientific research, highlight the orientation toward major scientific research achievements, reduce excessive attention to "hats" and "plaques" (牌子), and prevent the simple use of titles and honorifics to determine compensation and benefits or allocate innovation resources. Improve the scientific research integrity evaluation system for individual scientists led by the academic community, seriously rectify improper behaviors such as "pulling strings" (打招呼) and "favoritism" (照顾人情) in various science and technology evaluation activities, and encourage and guide academic communities such as societies and associations in various disciplines and fields to improve self-governance systems for disciplinary evaluation norms, academic standards, and responsible evaluation. Regulate third-party social evaluations, and crack down on evaluation activities such as university rankings conducted for profit.
(The author's affiliation: Science and Technology Evaluation Center, Ministry of Science and Technology (科技部科技评估中心))
By: 杨涛
Currently, doing a good job on the big article of technology finance is both an important lever for building a financial power and key support for achieving sci-tech self-reliance and self-strengthening and developing new quality productive forces. Since 1985, when the People's Bank of China and the Office of the former Science and Technology Leading Group of the State Council jointly issued the "Joint Notice on Actively Developing Science and Technology Credit," China's technology finance innovation and exploration, while achieving remarkable results, has also faced more prominent reform pain points. The core difficulty is that the credit evaluation system for technology enterprises is imperfect and risks are difficult to identify precisely, which significantly exacerbates the information asymmetry dilemma faced by financial institutions in carrying out technology innovation financing business and constrains the improvement of quality and efficiency in technology finance.
In technology finance practice, risk identification refers to the process in which financial institutions use multiple means to systematically discover, analyze, and predict the various potential loss possibilities faced by technology enterprises; credit evaluation refers to the quantitative or qualitative assessment of an enterprise's repayment willingness and repayment capacity on the basis of risk identification, ultimately forming the basis for credit-granting decisions. Risk identification is the foundation and primary difficulty of credit evaluation. Credit evaluation is the value transformation of risk identification. This closed loop is crucial because technology enterprises have the characteristics of "high technology, light assets, and rapid iteration," and their risk generation logic is more complex and their risk manifestation forms are more concealed, posing important challenges to the credit evaluation paradigm of financial institutions based on collateral and historical financial data. If risk identification is insufficient or credit evaluation is inaccurate, it will ultimately hinder the effective connection between technology innovation and financial resources.
In addition to the credit, market, liquidity, operational, and legal risks commonly faced in enterprise credit evaluation, technology enterprises also have some special risks. First, technology iteration and R&D failure risks. Technological uncertainty is the most essential source of risk. Technology routes may rapidly become obsolete due to disruptive innovation in the industry, and R&D investment also faces the possibility of failure or delay. Patent litigation, technology sanctions, and the like can also threaten the foundation of an enterprise's survival. Due to insufficient transparency of information on dual market and technology risks, financial institutions find it difficult to comprehensively grasp the true operating conditions and market prospects of technology enterprises. Second, information asymmetry and lack of financial transparency. Startups have great technological uncertainty and may even be in a state of strategic losses for a long time. Financial institutions cannot see through the technology "black box" to accurately assess the technological value of enterprises, and the traditional "capital flow" evaluation system that relies on financial statements also cannot truly reflect their growth potential. Third, industry differences and forward-looking judgment difficulties. The technology industry has a wide scope and deep barriers, with large differences in demand, competition, cycles, and policies, making it difficult for a unified risk analysis method to apply. At the same time, the technology industry updates extremely rapidly, and industrial policies and the external environment change frequently, so operating risks often exceed expectations. If financial institutions lack forward-looking capability, it is difficult for them to capture the dynamics of technology enterprise credit risk.
Objectively speaking, the difficulties of risk identification for technology enterprises have multi-dimensional and interwoven characteristics, including: technology risks testing the professional assessment capabilities of institutions, asset structure risks impacting traditional guarantee logic, information asymmetry risks affecting the effectiveness of pre-investment and pre-loan due diligence, and industry and policy risks challenging the forward-looking nature of prediction. This makes it more difficult for the traditional evaluation logic of financial institutions of "emphasizing collateral, looking at history, and relying on financials" to be implemented.
The credit evaluation model of financial institutions for technology enterprises is currently in a transitional state between old and new logic. On the one hand, the traditional evaluation paradigm of "looking at collateral, checking cash flows, and watching financial statements" still dominates; on the other hand, attempts to incorporate intellectual property, R&D investment, research teams, and other dimensions into the evaluation framework have already emerged. However, on the whole, the main pain points of the original credit evaluation system have still not been alleviated.
Tracing to the roots: First, there is a profound structural misalignment between evaluation standards and evaluation objects in the process of financial support for technology enterprises and technology innovation. The core assumption of traditional credit evaluation is that enterprises possess physical assets that can be valued, disposed of, and converted into cash, serving as the bottom line for risk control; the core assets of technology enterprises are precisely numerous intangible assets whose value is difficult to judge. For example, intangible assets such as intellectual property have defects such as large value fluctuations and difficulty in disposal and realization, their evaluation standards lack consistency, valuation differences among different institutions are large and fees are relatively high, and financial institutions generally lack professional evaluation talent and scientific evaluation models internally. This makes intellectual property pledge financing in practice inseparable from various risk-sharing or auxiliary safeguards.
Second, there are many contradictions and deficiencies in evaluation methods. Traditional evaluation models rely heavily on historical financial data, but technology enterprises, especially startups, often have poor profitability, and current financial data may conceal their true growth potential. When credit evaluation finds it difficult to use the "yesterday" of technology enterprises to endorse their "tomorrow," and cannot fully incorporate key dimensions such as technological advancement, R&D strength, and intellectual property value, the risk preferences of financial institutions naturally tend to support mature-stage enterprises, forming a de facto distortion of the "financing gradient."
Third, the capabilities and data shortcomings of evaluation subjects cannot be ignored. Whether it is financial institutions or third-party evaluation organizations, there are professional barriers when facing frontier fields such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing, and the key information necessary for efficient evaluation usually exists in various "data silos," making it difficult for evaluation subjects to obtain a full-information credit portrait of technology enterprises. This inevitably further amplifies information asymmetry. Therefore, the precise pricing capability for technology finance products is generally insufficient, forming the dilemma of "valuable but difficult to price, priceable but difficult to realize."
It should be said that the difficulties of technology finance development should not be simply attributed to a lack of "patience" in capital. The dilemma of credit evaluation for technology enterprises is not merely a problem of individual model or indicator design, but also a challenge of adaptability between the entire evaluation logic and the growth patterns of technology enterprises. Shifting from "looking at assets" to "looking at technology," and from "relying on history" to "judging the future," requires systematic innovation and reconstruction of the underlying logic and safeguard elements of credit evaluation.
Currently, it is urgent to gradually narrow the gap between the credit evaluation capabilities for technology enterprises and the market's evaluation needs through institutional arrangements and tool innovation.
Optimize the production and supply mechanism of credit information. Credit evaluation of technology enterprises requires the support of massive non-structural information, especially information held by various departments such as taxation, intellectual property, scientific research project establishment, and judicial litigation involvement, which still faces prominent sharing bottlenecks. The root cause lies in the ambiguous definition of data property rights, usage boundaries, and risk responsibility. Only by improving basic rules such as data desensitization standards, access permissions, and accountability for leaks can the governance of credit information be upgraded. At the same time, consideration should also be given to how to reasonably and objectively incorporate the "soft information" of technology enterprises into credit evaluation, so that horizontal data connectivity and vertical expansion of information dimensions are combined, and a dynamic credit file adapted to the growth cycle of technology enterprises is truly established.
Vigorously promote the transformation of the credit evaluation paradigm. In this regard, relying solely on financial institutions themselves to build professional due diligence and evaluation systems is clearly unrealistic in the short term. A more feasible path is win-win cooperation. For example, comprehensively strengthen the capabilities of third-party professional evaluation institutions, support them in conducting look-through valuation of technology assets, have insurance and guarantee institutions provide credit enhancement and risk underwriting, have venture capital funds provide patient support at the equity level, and have banks focus on cash flow management and debt financing design, thereby building a layered and collaborative evaluation ecosystem. Of course, the premise of this model is to comprehensively promote the iteration of credit evaluation theory and practice, effectively use new technologies such as artificial intelligence to improve evaluation models, and thereby build a technology enterprise evaluation model that combines universality with industry differentiation.
Further improve the risk diversification mechanism. Given that the risk attributes of technology finance are relatively prominent, it is difficult to require individual institutions to bear excessively high risk exposure. In this regard, it is not enough to merely rely on policies to constrain banks to "dare to lend and be willing to lend" and require investment institutions to "invest early, invest small, invest long-term, and invest in hard technology." Rather, through effective risk management and diversified financial instrument arrangements, gradient allocation of risks and market-based pricing should be achieved. For example, technology credit insurance, intellectual property securitization, supply chain finance, and the like are essentially providing risk mitigation outlets for bank technology credit.
Technology enterprises should actively participate in credit evaluation reform. If technology enterprises, especially startups, have non-standard financial management, insufficient initiative in information disclosure, lack verifiable evidence for technology routes, and fail to build internal governance and information exchange mechanisms that fit the logic of financial operations, then no matter how optimized the external credit evaluation system is, it can only have minimal effect. In fact, credit evaluation is a two-way interactive process. Technology enterprises should be guided to operate in compliance, develop in a standardized manner, and continuously release positive credit signals to the capital market.
(The author is a researcher at the Institute of Finance and Banking, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences)
Return to TopBy: 陈建奇
Reform and opening up is a crucial move that determines the fate of contemporary China, and it is also a crucial move for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Through more than 40 years of magnificent practice of reform and opening up, China has always adhered to the principle that reform and opening up complement and reinforce each other, seeking vitality from reform and seeking space from opening up, and has successfully created the two miracles of rapid economic development and long-term social stability. General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized that we should promote deeper reform through expanded opening up, and promote expanded opening up through deeper reform, injecting new impetus, adding new vitality, and expanding new space for economic development. At present, the world is undergoing accelerated transformation unseen in a century, geopolitical and geo-economic conflicts are frequent, protectionism and unilateralism are prominent, the global governance system is facing severe challenges, and the uncertain and unpredictable factors facing reform and opening up are increasing. The "15th Five-Year Plan" outline emphasizes promoting the efficient coordination of high-level opening up and deep-level reform. In keeping with the trend of globalization and coordinating both domestic and international situations, we must expand high-level opening up to the outside world, promote comprehensive deepening of reform, continue to shape new advantages in international cooperation and competition, and provide a steady and powerful source of support for the steady and long-term progress of Chinese-style modernization.
The efficient coordination of high-level opening up and deep-level reform is an inevitable requirement for the stable and healthy development of China's economy.
By opening up to the outside world, China has integrated into globalization, proactively aligned with international rules, introduced external competition, and promoted the mutual influence of different domestic and international rules and standards, which objectively requires reforms to various institutions and mechanisms that affect international cooperation. Along with the steady advancement of reform, the business environment has continuously improved, the vitality of micro-entities has been continuously released, and the institutional advantages of deepening international cooperation have become increasingly evident, objectively forming important support for expanding opening up. The efficient coordination of high-level opening up and deep-level reform promotes the sustained, stable, and healthy development of China's economy, and has deep historical logic, theoretical logic, and practical logic.
From the perspective of historical logic, opening up and reform have always advanced in tandem and mutual reinforcement. In the early exploration and practice of reform and opening up, China established special economic zones and opened coastal cities; actively undertook global industrial transfers such as processing trade, which objectively required the continuous concentration of factors and resources such as labor toward industrial enterprises, and the institutional and mechanism obstacles restricting the efficiency of market resource allocation urgently needed to be broken. Against this background, China implemented reforms such as the household contract responsibility system, state-owned enterprise reform, and price reform, stimulating the vitality and enthusiasm of micro-entities and laying a solid foundation for opening up. After joining the World Trade Organization, China's opening up expanded comprehensively, actively fulfilling opening-up commitments, promoting reforms such as tariff reduction, simplification of administrative approval, and promotion of international investment, and deepening cooperation with major world economies. Since the new era, China has promoted the implementation of the pilot free trade zone and free trade port strategies, continuously deepened reform and expanded independent opening up, practiced the global governance concept of extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits, and promoted global opening-up cooperation to go deeper and more substantive. China's opening up and reform have never been strategic measures that are separated from each other or implemented independently, but rather an organic whole that complements and reinforces each other, promoting China's deep integration into global industrial chains, supply chains, and value chains, making China the world's second-largest economy and the world's largest trader in goods.
From the perspective of theoretical logic, the efficient coordination of high-level opening up and deep-level reform continuously releases enormous momentum for economic development. Countries have different factor resource endowments and comparative advantages, which constitute the driving force and foundation for opening-up cooperation. Opening up to the outside world follows the theory of international division of labor, breaks down barriers between domestic and foreign markets, promotes cooperation in energy resources, industrial capital, advanced technology, and other areas, solves bottlenecks restricting countries' development, expands enterprises' market boundaries, and achieves smooth domestic and international economic circulation. However, the international economic cycle faces constraints from factors such as tariffs and non-tariff barriers, which objectively requires reform to break through the blockages and stagnation points hindering economic circulation, especially to consolidate global consensus on rules and standards for opening-up cooperation, promote the formation of a global economic governance system through reform, reduce the institutional costs of opening up, promote the global circulation of factors such as labor, capital, technology, management, and data, and enhance the efficiency and level of global factor resource allocation. Reform is the endogenous driving force, opening up is the external empowerment, and the efficient coordination of high-level opening up and deep-level reform continuously releases institutional dividends and opening-up dividends, becoming the source of momentum for sustained economic growth and transformation and upgrading.
From the perspective of practical logic, the efficient coordination of high-level opening up and deep-level reform is a scientific choice for China to adapt to the changes unseen in a century. At present, economic globalization is encountering countercurrents, international economic and trade cooperation is shifting from emphasizing efficiency to balancing efficiency and fairness, from emphasizing development to coordinating development and security, and from multilateralism to placing equal emphasis on regional and multilateral approaches. Global industrial and supply chains are undergoing accelerated restructuring, with obvious trends toward regionalization, nearshoring, and localization. The opening up China faces is no longer limited to product cooperation and cost competition, but is shifting toward institutions and rules, toward the digital economy and intelligent economy. It is necessary to align with high-standard international economic and trade rules, implement high-level opening up, lead the reform of the global economic governance system, and strengthen the initiative and leadership of international economic and trade cooperation. However, high-level opening up touches upon high-standard economic and trade rules such as environmental protection, labor standards, digital economy, and intellectual property rights. It is necessary to attach importance to accelerating deep-level reforms in ecological and environmental protection, intellectual property rights, and competition systems to meet the requirements of high-level opening up. In addition, reform involves adjustments to the pattern of interests and innovation and improvement of domestic and foreign cooperation mechanisms, with both resistance and pressure coexisting. It is necessary to adhere to the efficient coordination of high-level opening up and deep-level reform, promote deep-level reform through high-level opening up, and support high-level opening up through deep-level reform.
The overall effectiveness of the efficient coordination of high-level opening up and deep-level reform urgently needs to be improved.
Along with the deepening of reform and opening up, the new system of an open economy has been continuously improved, the linkage effectiveness of opening up and reform has been continuously released, China's connection with the world has continued to deepen, China has injected confidence and momentum into global economic growth through its own economic development, and China's opening up has entered a new stage of high-level opening up. In the new era, China's deepening of external cooperation requires high-level opening up, and globalization requires the leadership of high-level opening up. It is necessary to deeply analyze the problems and challenges facing the efficient coordination of high-level opening up and deep-level reform and improve overall effectiveness.
The systematic nature of the efficient coordination of high-level opening up and deep-level reform urgently needs to be strengthened. From a regional perspective, starting with the establishment of the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone in 2013, 23 pilot free trade zones have now been established, and Hainan is building a free trade port. The practice of pilot free trade zones in the eastern region has achieved significant results, with relatively rapid development of institutional innovation, but the development of pilot free trade zones in the central and western regions is relatively lagging behind, and the strength of replicating and promoting the institutional innovation of the eastern region to the central and western regions needs to be further enhanced. From the perspective of domestic and international circulation, the shortcomings and weaknesses in the development of domestic circulation are relatively prominent, the livelihood security system urgently needs improvement, reform measures to release domestic demand potential and promote the upgrading of the supply system urgently need innovation, and the development of domestic circulation is slow, making it difficult to form a strong pull for international cooperation. From the perspective of policy coordination, some regions and departments have the problem of emphasizing opening up while neglecting reform, one-sidedly pursuing trade scale and the quantity of foreign investment rather than effectively deepening reform to enhance new advantages in international economic and trade competition, and the linkage efficiency of opening up and reform is difficult to effectively release.
The scope of the efficient coordination of high-level opening up and deep-level reform urgently needs to be expanded. At present, technological changes such as artificial intelligence are accelerating, quantum technology, robotics, 6G, and the low-altitude economy are attracting much attention, and cutting-edge technological innovation is reshaping the new pattern of international economic and trade cooperation, with the limitations of traditional models of reform and opening up becoming increasingly prominent. It is necessary to actively explore new models of opening-up cooperation for factors such as data and computing power, accelerate the introduction of reform measures to cultivate and strengthen emerging industries and future industries, promote the concentration of global factor resources in relevant fields, consolidate global consensus on increasing opening-up cooperation in emerging fields, and explore new mechanisms and new paradigms for the efficient coordination of high-level opening up and deep-level reform. At the same time, the problem of uncoordinated and unsynchronized opening up and reform remains prominent, especially the current situation where China's commodity opening-up level is relatively high but the lag in opening up the services sector attracts much attention, with education, finance, medical care, and telecommunications becoming key areas. Expanding the opening up of the services sector lies not only in aligning with external markets, but also in the steady advancement of deep-level reforms in the domestic services sector.
The linkage mechanism of opening up and reform for preventing and defusing systemic risks urgently needs to be improved. Along with the continuous deepening of opening up, the lack of effective coordination of macroeconomic policies among major countries and the significant divergence of macroeconomic policies such as monetary policy have led to large inflows and outflows of cross-border capital, increasing uncertainty risks in financial markets such as exchange rates and stock markets. Cross-border capital chains have become more hidden and complex, making regulatory penetration significantly more difficult, and external shocks can easily evolve into cross-market, cross-field chain reactions, breeding systemic risks. In this regard, it is necessary to strengthen the linkage between opening up and reform and build institutional mechanisms for preventing and defusing systemic risks. However, reform measures such as supervision of cross-border capital flows and coordination of macroeconomic policies are still being explored, and in some fields, policies have become conservative due to rising risks, resulting in problems such as reform not being able to deepen continuously and opening up not daring to make breakthroughs. The increase in external risk challenges objectively restricts the depth and breadth of the linkage between opening up and reform, affecting the improvement of overall coordination effectiveness.
Promoting the efficient coordination of high-level opening up and deep-level reform with practical measures.
On the new journey, improving the linkage efficiency of opening up and reform must focus on the new requirements of high-quality economic development, must also be based on the era background of the accelerated reshaping of the world economic pattern, deeply analyze shortcomings and weaknesses, strengthen the systematic nature of the coordination of opening up and reform, implement new reform and opening-up measures adapted to the scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, fill the shortcomings and weaknesses in linkage coordination and risk prevention and control, and fully release the superimposed multiplier effect of the efficient coordination of high-level opening up and deep-level reform.
Strengthen systematic thinking and overall perspective, and build an efficient coordination mechanism for high-level opening up and deep-level reform. Strengthen top-level planning and solve prominent problems such as the imbalance and lack of coordination between opening up and reform. Closely focusing on the theme of high-quality development and the strategic goal of accelerating the construction of a new development pattern, relying on the important measures for reform and opening up proposed in the "15th Five-Year Plan" outline, clarify the key areas, phased goals, and time nodes for the efficient coordination of high-level opening up and deep-level reform, and promote the simultaneous deployment and simultaneous implementation of domestic reform measures and opening-up policies. Focus on solving the problem of how to make reform measures and opening-up policies more closely connected, promote the simultaneous发力 of domestic reform and opening up to the outside world, promote cross-departmental, cross-field, full-cycle coordination and linkage, regularly evaluate the linkage effectiveness of opening up and reform, and build a new system of an open economy compatible with high-level opening up.
Drive deep-level reform with institutional opening up as the traction. High-level opening up transcends the traditional opening up of commodity and factor markets, focuses on promoting institutional opening up, promotes the compatibility and compatibility of rules, regulations, management, and standards, and continuously creates a market-oriented, law-based, and internationalized business environment. In recent years, China has continuously promoted institutional opening up, formally joined and fully implemented the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), applied to join high-standard international economic and trade agreements such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA), and currently and in the future urgently needs to promote reforms in high-standard fields such as intellectual property rights, green environmental protection, government procurement, and the digital economy. Intellectual property rights reform focuses on strengthening whole-chain intellectual property protection, improving the scientific and technological innovation environment, and gathering global innovation resources such as talent and capital. Green environmental protection focuses on promoting the comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development, aligning with global green governance standards, promoting reforms in ecological and environmental protection supervision and carbon emission control, and cultivating green development competitiveness. Government procurement focuses on improving an open and transparent government procurement mechanism, focusing on reforming and breaking down various barriers, and creating an institutional environment for equal participation and fair competition among various business entities. The digital economy focuses on reforms in areas such as cross-border data flows, international tax coordination, and digital credit systems, and promotes the construction of a global digital economy governance system.
Build new platforms for the efficient coordination of high-level opening up and deep-level reform. Pilot free trade zones and the free trade port have broken the one-sided promotion model of opening up or reform, achieved deep coupling of the two, and have become new platforms for the efficient coordination of high-level opening up and deep-level reform. At the level of deep-level reform, focusing on the institutional and mechanism problems that restrict high-level opening up, promote the reform of the negative list system, achieve the clearing of the manufacturing negative list, steadily advance reforms such as customs inspection and quarantine adapted to trade facilitation, actively explore financial capital account reform, and the integrated innovation of related institutions has abandoned the fragmented reform model and effectively supports the improvement of the level of opening up. At the level of high-level opening up, actively align with high-standard international economic and trade agreements, introduce important measures to expand independent opening up, significantly relax market access, break down barriers, and increase the intensity of opening up in education, medical care, telecommunications, and other fields. Relying on the unique advantage of island-wide customs clearance operation, the Hainan Free Trade Port leads institutional opening up and builds a highland for the efficient coordination of high-level opening up and deep-level reform.
Improve the risk prevention and control system and build a solid safety bottom line for the efficient coordination of high-level opening up and deep-level reform. To build an all-round risk prevention and control mechanism, it is necessary not only to prevent systemic risks caused by cross-border flows of financial capital, but also to attach great importance to the construction of a data security governance system against the background of the rapid development of the digital economy, and to pay attention to open-security challenges such as the stability of industrial and supply chains caused by trade frictions. It is necessary to strengthen the risk identification, early warning, and assessment systems, actively plan response strategies, and enrich the toolbox for preventing and defusing systemic risks. At the same time, development is the most powerful security, and non-development is the greatest insecurity. While adhering to the safety bottom line, it is necessary to attach great importance to promoting the implementation of reform and opening-up policies, encourage bold exploration and active innovation, break the conservative mentality of not daring to reform, not being willing to reform, and not daring to open up, let business entities share the dividends of the linkage between opening up and reform, stimulate the enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity of the whole society in supporting and promoting reform and opening up, promote high-quality development through high-level opening up, and defuse systemic risks in the process of deepening reform and opening up.
[The author is Vice President of the Institute of International Strategic Studies of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance)]
Return to TopBy: 马庆林
The construction sector is one of the major areas of energy consumption and carbon emissions. Accelerating energy conservation and carbon reduction in the construction sector is an important measure to actively promote the upgrading of the construction industry and realize the green and low-carbon transformation of urban development. The "15th Five-Year Plan" for Urban Renewal clearly proposes to vigorously develop green buildings and promote the large-scale development of ultra-low-energy buildings and low-carbon buildings. Persisting in continuously meeting the people's needs for a better life, the people-centered development philosophy is increasingly evident, providing strong support for further achieving the carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals and promoting the green, low-carbon, and high-quality development of urban-rural housing construction.
The Important Significance of Accelerating Energy Conservation and Carbon Reduction in the Construction Sector
From a macro-trend perspective, promoting energy conservation and carbon reduction in the construction sector is a firm choice to serve the national strategy. During the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, China's urbanization is transitioning from a period of rapid growth to a period of stable development, and urban development is shifting from a stage of large-scale incremental expansion to a stage focused on improving the quality and efficiency of the existing stock. On the new journey of the new era, it is necessary to deeply grasp this historical juncture, proactively adapt to this major change in circumstances, accelerate the green transformation of urban construction with new responsibilities and new actions, promote urban renewal with high quality, and provide a solid foundation for building modern people's cities.
From the perspective of economic development, promoting energy conservation and carbon reduction in the construction sector is a focal point for cultivating new quality productive forces. Green development is the foundation of high-quality development, and new quality productive forces are themselves green productive forces. It is necessary to accelerate the green transformation of the development model and focus on innovating the development model. The new quality productive forces of the construction industry are an advanced form of productive forces formed with scientific and technological innovation as the lead, data elements as the driver, industrial synergy as the support, and green and low-carbon as the orientation. Energy conservation and carbon reduction in the construction sector provide broad application prospects for new quality productive forces, forcing the orderly exit of backward production capacity, strengthening the control of high-energy-consumption and high-emission projects, and promoting the transformation of the industry towards green, low-carbon, and high-value-added directions. This transformation contains enormous economic potential and market space, will give rise to technological and model innovations in all links of building design, production, construction, and operation and maintenance, accelerate the upgrading of the construction industry, cultivate a modern construction industry chain, and accelerate the cultivation of new growth points for green buildings. At the same time, improved building energy efficiency will effectively reduce total energy consumption, decrease dependence on traditional energy, enhance national energy security assurance capabilities, boost the innovation vitality of urban industries, and inject lasting momentum into high-quality economic development.
From the perspective of people's livelihood needs, promoting energy conservation and carbon reduction in the construction sector is an inevitable requirement to conform to the people's expectations. With economic and social development and the improvement of living standards, the people's requirements for building functional quality, health and comfort, and energy conservation and environmental protection are increasing day by day. Building safe, comfortable, green, and smart "good houses" has become an urgent expectation of the people for a better life. It is necessary to vigorously develop green buildings, accelerate the research, development, and application of new building materials, promote the large-scale development of ultra-low-energy buildings and low-carbon buildings, and increase the intensity of energy-saving renovation of existing buildings. Within the entire life cycle of buildings, through the principles and concepts of energy conservation, water conservation, land conservation, material conservation, and environmental protection, energy consumption and carbon emissions are minimized, while providing people with better and more convenient public services, healthier and more efficient living spaces, and more complete and comprehensive building functions, effectively enhancing the people's sense of gain, happiness, and security. Different from the extensive construction and operation and maintenance model of traditional buildings, promoting energy conservation and carbon reduction in the construction sector can effectively reduce the people's energy expenditure over the long term, achieve a win-win situation of improved living quality and reduced living costs, and is a concrete embodiment of the people-centered development philosophy.
Progress and Challenges in Energy Conservation and Carbon Reduction in China's Construction Sector
During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization, the level of energy conservation and carbon reduction in China's construction sector continued to improve, laying a solid foundation for high-quality development during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period. First, the policy system was continuously improved. The "1+N" policy system for carbon peak and carbon neutrality was gradually established. The Central Urban Work Conference, the Central Economic Work Conference, and others made important arrangements for energy conservation and carbon reduction in the construction sector. Documents such as the "Opinions on Promoting Green Development in Urban-Rural Construction," the "Implementation Plan for Carbon Peak in the Urban-Rural Construction Sector," and the "Work Plan for Accelerating Energy Conservation and Carbon Reduction in the Construction Sector" clarified the development goals for energy conservation and carbon reduction in the construction sector. Second, green technology continued to innovate. By the end of the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, the proportion of newly started prefabricated building area to new construction area exceeded 30%, the number of certified green building materials products exceeded 10,000, and new construction methods and green building materials were steadily promoted. Around fields such as green buildings, ultra-low-energy buildings, and low-carbon buildings, research, development, and promotion of technologies such as high-performance doors and windows, new insulation materials, high-efficiency heat pumps, building-integrated photovoltaics, high-efficiency water-saving fixtures, and smart homes continued to accelerate. The application level of clean energy such as biomass energy, geothermal energy, and solar energy, and the level of building terminal electrification continued to rise, and the building energy structure and building energy efficiency levels were continuously optimized. Third, energy conservation and carbon reduction achieved remarkable results. The proportion of newly built green building area to newly built urban building area reached 100%, and newly built urban buildings have fully implemented the basic level standard for green buildings, with Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and other places fully implementing the one-star and above standards. According to preliminary statistics, as of the end of 2025, the cumulative construction of green buildings nationwide exceeded 13.5 billion square meters. The construction of ultra-low-energy buildings and low-carbon buildings was actively promoted, with a cumulative construction scale exceeding 50 million square meters. The cumulative area of energy-saving renovation of existing buildings completed exceeded 800 million square meters.
During the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, China's construction sector faces new problems and new challenges in energy conservation and carbon reduction. First, the development of green buildings is unbalanced and insufficient. Green buildings are mainly at the basic level, with a relatively small proportion of star-rated green buildings, especially high-star-rated green buildings, and development is unbalanced among regions. A long-term mechanism for promoting green building development driven by the market needs to be improved. Second, energy conservation and carbon reduction in new buildings need to be further strengthened. The people's aspiration for a better life places higher demands on urban renewal and the construction of "good houses," which will inevitably put pressure on building energy consumption and carbon emissions. Third, the overall energy efficiency of existing buildings needs further improvement. The total stock of existing buildings in China is large, and more than 30% of buildings are not energy-saving buildings and lack energy-saving measures. These buildings will continue to operate for a considerable period, and it is urgent to accelerate energy-saving and carbon-reduction renovations to effectively improve the level of building energy conservation and carbon reduction.
Paths for Accelerating Energy Conservation and Carbon Reduction in the Construction Sector
First, actively cultivate new growth points for green buildings. Adhere to the people-centered approach, aim to improve building quality, practice the concept of green development, continue to make efforts in safety and durability, health and comfort, living convenience, resource conservation, and environmental livability, adopt effective measures, create a good atmosphere of joint contribution and shared benefits, promote the high-quality development of green buildings, and build "good houses," "good neighborhoods," "good communities," and "good urban areas" that satisfy the people. Cultivate and strengthen the green building industry, and promote the high-quality development of the entire industry chain of building design, production, construction, and operation and maintenance. Adhere to the direction of intelligence, greening, and integration, optimize the layout of the green building industry, promote the integrated development of upstream and downstream industries, expand market demand and industrial scale, promote the creation of distinctive green building industry clusters in different regions, and make green buildings a new driving force for development that takes into account the economy, society, environment, and people's hearts.
Second, improve the level of energy conservation and carbon reduction in new buildings. Guided by improving the living environment, saving living costs, and improving the quality of life, for newly built buildings in cities and towns, it is necessary to uphold the design concept of energy conservation and carbon reduction, promote energy-saving construction equipment, promote the use of green building materials, adopt high-efficiency energy-saving and low-carbon equipment, and strengthen the configuration and use of energy management systems. For newly built buildings in rural areas, adhere to the principles of farmers' voluntariness, adaptation to local conditions, and one policy per household, and pay more attention to improving the living experience by enhancing the insulation performance of the building envelope and optimizing moisture-proof, heat-insulating, and ventilation performance. Continuously reduce the energy consumption of new buildings, and continuously promote the improvement of quality and efficiency in energy conservation and carbon reduction of new buildings. Optimize the building energy structure and promote the low-carbon transformation of building energy use. Raise the level of building electrification, promote the overall participation of building clusters in power demand response and peak shaving, further tap into building energy storage and flexible energy use resources, and promote the transformation of buildings from pure electricity consumers to electricity prosumers with the functions of "production, consumption, storage, and regulation."
Third, promote the energy-saving and carbon-reduction renovation of existing buildings. The energy-saving and carbon-reduction renovation of existing buildings is a livelihood project and a popular project that concerns the vital interests of the people and enhances the happiness index. Regarding existing buildings in cities and towns, in view of problems such as low energy efficiency and high carbon emissions of existing buildings, combined with urban renewal, renovation of old residential areas, and clean heating work, continue to promote energy-saving and carbon-reduction renovations, strengthen the management of energy conservation and carbon reduction in building operation, promote the transformation of "old houses" into "good houses," and achieve reduced energy costs, improved building quality, and increased housing value. Regarding the renovation of existing rural houses, on the premise of farmers' voluntariness and economic applicability, promote menu-style micro-renovations of walls, doors and windows, roofs, and floors to effectively improve the living quality of rural residents. Let the people truly benefit and share in the fruits of reform and development. At the same time, explore market-based long-term mechanisms, promote contract energy management models such as energy cost trusteeship, innovate investment, financing, and operation management methods, and fully mobilize the enthusiasm of all parties to participate.
(The author is the Director of the Policy Research Center of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development)
Return to TopBy: 王林伶
China is one of the countries in the world with the largest area of desertification, the largest affected population, and the most severe wind and sand hazards. Winning the battle of the "Three-North" Project is a major national strategy personally planned and deployed by General Secretary Xi Jinping, and is a great ecological governance practice carried out in ecologically sensitive and fragile zones. The Outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan proposes winning the battle of the "Three-North" Project and achieving decisive victory in the three landmark campaigns. As the battle of the "Three-North" Project is fully launched, this ecological campaign spanning 4.486 million square kilometers of national territory, with desertification prevention and control as its main direction, is gradually transforming the concept that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" into governance outcomes, continuously creating new miracles in China's desertification prevention and control in the new era.
Remarkable ecological governance results
Top-level planning has drawn a new blueprint. In the new era, the "Three-North" Project has broken out of the single framework of traditional shelterbelt construction and risen to become a strategic project for the integrated protection and systematic governance of mountains, waters, forests, farmlands, grasslands, and deserts. In September 2025, the State Council General Office officially issued the revised Master Plan for the "Three-North" Project, established a dedicated coordination mechanism, coordinated cross-departmental and cross-regional policy synergy and joint action, and formed a closed-loop working system of "national coordination, provincial responsibility, and city-county implementation," drawing a master blueprint and formulating a roadmap for long-term construction.
Governance efficiency has achieved new improvements. Since the full launch of the battle of the "Three-North" Project in 2023, financial support has been continuously strengthened. Over the three years, the central government has cumulatively allocated 88.9 billion yuan in investment and implemented 544 key projects. The leverage effect and guiding role of fiscal funds have continued to expand, laying a solid institutional and material foundation for the in-depth advancement of the project.
Governance models have reached a new level. The battle of the "Three-North" Project insists on seeking answers from science and efficiency from innovation. In desertification control areas, advanced technologies such as straw checkerboard sand fixation, biological soil crusts, photovoltaic desertification control, and water-saving afforestation have been promoted. Scientific and technological innovation has been used to solve a series of problems such as "high desertification control costs, low survival rates, and weak benefits," promoting the transformation of desertification prevention and control from "human-wave tactics" to "technology empowerment."
Diversified participation has opened new pathways. The battle of the "Three-North" Project has broken the government's single-dominant model and built a diversified co-governance system of "government + enterprises + farmers and herders + technology," promoting the coordinated advancement of desertification control and wealth creation, greening and income increase, and deeply integrating desertification prevention and control with the photovoltaic industry, specialty economic forests, desert tourism, and understory economy. The "work-relief" mechanism has been widely implemented, cumulatively mobilizing more than 1.5 million farmers and herders to participate in project construction, making the ecological governance process simultaneously a process of improving people's livelihoods.
Practice has shown that the battle of the "Three-North" Project has achieved a transformation from "rampant wind and sand, desert advance and human retreat" to "greenery advance and desert retreat, improving ecology," and from "ecological shortcomings" to "ecological barriers." It demonstrates China's governance advantages of long-term planning and multi-party coordination, providing a referable and replicable paradigm for ecological governance of ultra-large-scale arid regions globally.
The task of completing the goals is arduous
Despite the remarkable results achieved, winning the battle of the "Three-North" Project still faces shortcomings and weaknesses such as fragile ecological foundations, tightening water resource constraints, and poor value transformation, requiring continued arduous efforts.
First, the ecological foundation is fragile and system resilience is insufficient. The battle area of the "Three-North" Project is located in arid and semi-arid regions with scarce precipitation, strong evaporation, thin soils, simple vegetation structure, and weak self-repair capacity. The ecosystem is in a critical state of low stability, high sensitivity, and susceptibility to degradation. Disturbances such as extreme drought and severe wind and sand can easily trigger vegetation degradation, desertification rebound, and wind erosion recurrence. Ecological fragility coexists with the long-term, arduous, complex, and recurrent nature of governance.
Second, rainfall constraints are extremely rigid and ecological water security is insufficient. Extreme water scarcity is an important constraint on winning the battle. The regional water resources development and utilization rate far exceeds the ecological security warning line. Agricultural, industrial, and domestic water use frequently squeezes ecological space, and ecological water use lacks a rigid guarantee mechanism.
Third, industry and ecology do not sufficiently promote each other, with short industrial chains and low added value. Some regions have a heavy industrial structure, coal-dominated energy structure, obvious resource-dependent development paths, and slow industrial transformation, with greater pressure to reduce carbon, reduce pollution, and expand greening. Desert specialty industries are small in scale, short in chain, and low in added value, and the level of ecological industrialization and industrial ecologization is not high.
Fourth, the realization of ecological product value is insufficient and green incentive effects are weak. Ecological compensation methods are singular, standards are low, and coverage is insufficient. Currently, government compensation dominates while market compensation is insufficient and social participation is inadequate. Green finance, carbon sink trading, and the realization of ecological product value are still in the exploratory stage. The endogenous driving force for governance is insufficient, leading to insufficient sustainability of governance investment and weak willingness of social capital to participate, constraining the durability of ecological governance.
Maintaining strategic resolve and persevering over the long term
First, adapt measures to local conditions and determine greening by water, holding the bottom line of water resource carrying capacity. Treat water resources as the greatest rigid constraint, improve the intensive and safe utilization level of water resources, optimize the allocation of domestic, production, and ecological water use, and guarantee basic ecological water use. Strengthen agricultural water-saving and efficiency enhancement, industrial water-saving and emission reduction, and urban water-saving and loss reduction. Promote drip irrigation, sprinkler irrigation, rainwater harvesting and water conservation, and drought-resistant afforestation. Appropriately utilize non-conventional water sources such as slightly saline water and reclaimed water. Improve mechanisms for water rights trading, ecological water replenishment, and dispatch coordination, and determine greening by water. Plant forests where suitable for forests, grass where suitable for grass, shrubs where suitable for shrubs, leave wasteland where suitable for wasteland, and leave desert where suitable for desert, giving equal weight to protection and restoration.
Second, improve diversified ecological compensation and expand mechanisms for realizing ecological product value. Improve the diversified ecological compensation mechanism, increase transfer payments to key ecological function zones, and deeply carry out horizontal compensation, market-based compensation, carbon sink compensation, and comprehensive ecological compensation. Enrich green financial products and services, improve the green financial support system, and strengthen environmental credit, green credit, ecological credit, and differentiated management and control, so that protectors benefit, polluters pay, and investors receive returns, further stimulating the endogenous motivation of the whole society for ecological protection. Expand channels for realizing ecological product value according to local conditions, accelerate the establishment of a full-chain system of "ecological product catalog—value accounting—trading and monetization—financial empowerment," and incorporate desertification prevention and control, soil and water conservation, water source conservation, and carbon sequestration and sink enhancement into unified accounting. Carry out assessments of ecological protection and restoration effectiveness, and promote the integration of ecological product value accounting results into planning, assessment, projects, and finance. Build regional ecological product trading platforms and promote the coordinated linkage of carbon sinks, water rights, pollutant discharge rights, and energy use rights. Innovate ecological funds and carbon pledge financing, so that ecology has value, protection has benefits, and transformation is effective, using value realization to stimulate lasting governance motivation.
Third, promote ecological industrialization and industrial ecologization to achieve green and sustainable development. Adhere to ecological priority and green development, vigorously develop photovoltaic desertification control, ecotourism, desert wellness, forestry carbon sinks, and green industries such as sea buckthorn, goji berries, Cistanche deserticola, and yellowhorn, and build a new model of mutual promotion between ecology and industry. Promote the transformation of the energy structure, develop integrated wind, solar, hydrogen, and storage, advance the green transformation of high-water-consumption and high-emission industries, and achieve the synergistic enhancement of multiple goals including desertification control, carbon sequestration, pollution reduction, income increase, and benefiting the people.
Fourth, adhere to "prosperity through greening," both preventing the harm of sand and utilizing the benefits of sand. Establish the concept that "sand disasters can be controlled, sand resources can be used, and sand industries can be developed," adhere to the development thinking of turning disadvantages into advantages and burdens into wealth, and promote the transformation of governance concepts from passive sand prevention to active sand utilization. Coordinate wind and sand prevention and resource utilization, vigorously develop photovoltaic desertification control, modern desert agriculture, psammophytic medicinal materials, desert cultural tourism, and other specialty industries, promote diversified composite models such as "power generation above the panels, grass planting below the panels, and breeding between the panels" and "desertification control—planting—breeding—processing—tourism," transform desert solar and thermal resources, land resources, and ecological resources into green production capacity, wealth-generating industries, and ecological capital, achieve the integrated advancement of wind prevention and sand fixation, intensive water use, low-carbon power generation, increased income for the masses, and "prosperity through greening," and truly turn yellow sand into gold and deserts into oases.
(The author is Director of the Institute of Comprehensive Economics, Ningxia Academy of Social Sciences)
Return to TopBy: 王胜
The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China proposed "accelerating the planning and construction of a new energy system." The "15th Five-Year Plan for the Construction of a New Energy System" further clarified the overall goal of "initially building a clean, low-carbon, safe, and efficient new energy system by 2030," pointing out the strategic direction and practical path for high-quality energy development during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period. So, in what exactly is the new energy system "new"?
New in supply security. From the conceptual level, it means coordinating development and security, adhering to the framework of a holistic approach to national security, transforming from simply ensuring supply to balancing green development and efficiency, and achieving the unity of price flexibility, environmental friendliness, system resilience, and self-controllability. From the perspective of supporting guarantees, it means increasing reserves and boosting production through scientific and technological innovation, while ensuring that annual crude oil production remains stable at around 200 million tons, natural gas production grows steadily, and the role of coal as a fallback guarantee is stabilized, while unswervingly advancing the diversification of overseas oil and gas procurement, seizing favorable opportunities to invest in and build up the overseas port cluster, and strengthening discourse power and control over important straits. From the perspective of adjustment methods, it means actively and orderly developing renewable energy, accelerating the pace of replacing fossil energy, while speeding up the construction of the "National Energy Brain" and multi-level energy platforms, and establishing more precise monitoring and early warning systems and adjustment mechanisms where both supply and demand sides work together.
New in production-consumption structure. From the consumption end, the proportion of non-fossil energy consumption, the proportion of household energy use, and the proportion of electricity consumption in China have risen rapidly. According to calculations, they increased from 7.4%, 10.6%, and 11.4% in 2005 to 21.7%, 12.6%, and 30% in 2025, respectively. In the future, electricity consumption will become the "lion's share" of terminal energy consumption, with its proportion expected to reach 60% to 80% by 2060. From the production end, during the same period, the share of renewable energy in installed power generation capacity and in electricity generation rose from 24.3% and 18% to 60.1% and 38%, respectively, historically surpassing thermal power. It is expected that by 2060, the share of fossil energy in primary energy production will be less than 20%. From the perspective of production-consumption distribution, the pattern of reverse distribution between energy supply and demand will be alleviated. With the development of offshore wind and solar power, nuclear power, and distributed new energy, the energy self-sufficiency rate of eastern coastal provinces will increase, and the national energy production-consumption pattern will become more balanced.
New in presentation forms. First, energy categories are becoming more abundant. Over the past decade or so, wind and solar power have grown from supplementary energy into an important energy force. Today, the paths for developing and utilizing fourth-generation nuclear energy, hydrogen energy, high-altitude wind energy, and geothermal energy are becoming broader and broader, and the development prospects for fusion energy, tidal energy, deep-sea energy, and space energy are promising. Second, the "new-energy content" and "green content" are continuously rising. From production, transportation, storage, sales, and dispatch to generation, transmission, transformation, distribution, and consumption, the full life-cycle activities of energy have not only become an extremely important field for nurturing new quality productive forces, but also an important front for achieving the "dual carbon" goals and promoting the building of a community of life between humanity and nature. Third, organic integration is becoming more prominent. With the interconnection of new and old infrastructure such as the "National Energy Brain," computing power centers, ultra-high-voltage transmission lines, and oil and gas pipeline networks, the capacity for cross-regional energy complementarity and mutual support is continuously improving, and the wholeness, systematicity, and synergy of the energy system have been significantly enhanced.
New in operation methods. The complexity of the energy system continues to increase, and the trends of differentiated demand, networked supply, and diversified actors determine that its operation methods will also undergo profound changes. First, the market will play a decisive role in the allocation of energy resources. With the deepening of energy system reform, a unified, open, competitive, and orderly national unified energy market system will be established in the future. The commodity attributes of energy will be fully demonstrated, and energy price signals will more truthfully reflect supply-demand relationships and the degree of resource scarcity. Second, the digital and intelligent characteristics of energy will become more prominent. New-generation information technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, and digital twins empower the digital and intelligent upgrading of the energy industry, improve the operational resilience and efficiency of all links in energy production, supply, storage, sales, and dispatch, and promote the transformation of energy operation from the traditional "source follows load" model to "source-grid-load-storage coordinated interaction." Third, the networked and platform-based trends in energy operation are increasingly emerging. Within the energy system, various categories and links are deeply coupled; externally, relying on the new power grid to promote multi-network integration, energy big data platforms have become important hubs connecting energy flows, information flows, and data flows, promoting real-time interaction of supply-demand information and dynamic optimal allocation of resources.
New in industrial connotation. Along with continuous breakthroughs in energy technology and the deepening of energy management system reform, the boundaries of the energy industry continue to expand, and the industrial connotation becomes increasingly rich. First, new tracks are constantly emerging. Following the "new three items" of new energy vehicles, lithium batteries, and photovoltaic products, new industries such as hydrogen energy, nuclear energy, new-type energy storage, and green fuels are developing vigorously, with the potential to form hundred-billion-yuan and trillion-yuan industrial clusters. Second, new actors are continuously growing. A large number of new-type entities such as distributed new energy, adjustable loads, and load aggregators participate in market transactions, fully stimulating and releasing user-side flexible adjustment capacity, making competition more complete. Third, new business forms are becoming more diversified. New business forms such as computing-power-electricity coordination, virtual power plants, vehicle-grid interaction, new-type energy storage, and carbon trading continue to develop, and new space for value growth is constantly being created. Fourth, new models are continuously enriched. New business models such as direct green electricity supply, shared energy storage, and energy performance contracting are being promoted at an accelerated pace, and new models such as token trading and integrated photovoltaic-storage-charging are being gradually explored. Industrial development will transform from "selling products" to "selling services" and "selling solutions."
New in governance methods. The profound changes taking place in the energy field inevitably require corresponding changes in energy governance methods. From the perspective of governance concepts, more emphasis is placed on participatory governance, allowing the government, enterprises, industry associations, and the general public to jointly participate in energy governance, forming a pluralistic co-governance pattern of "government guidance, market leadership, and social participation." From the perspective of governance tasks, scenario-based governance will become an important direction. The complexity and dynamism of the energy system, combined with regional differences, greatly increase the difficulty of energy governance. Starting from typical scenarios of energy activities, and by resolving various contradictions and conflicts to accumulate experience, it is possible to effectively 以点带面 (yǐ diǎn dài miàn - "use points to drive the whole area," to promote overall progress through pilot demonstrations) to advance the building of a strong energy nation. From the perspective of governance means, relying on digital platforms and artificial intelligence (AI) large models, efficient coordination among policy release, information sharing, market transactions, and social supervision can be achieved, promoting the deep integration of online governance space and real-world governance space, and forming a more open, transparent, and efficient modern energy governance architecture.
Return to Top