Creating a new situation for high-quality development in our country ※

Xi Jinping

One

　　China's economy has shifted from a high-speed growth stage to a high-quality development stage. It is in a critical period of transforming its development mode, optimizing its economic structure, and shifting its growth drivers. Building a modern economic system is an urgent requirement for overcoming this critical juncture and a strategic goal for China's development. We must adhere to the principle of prioritizing quality and efficiency, taking supply-side structural reform as the main line, promoting quality, efficiency, and dynamism changes in economic development, improving total factor productivity, and focusing on accelerating the construction of an industrial system that promotes the coordinated development of the real economy, technological innovation, modern finance, and human resources. We must also focus on building an economic system with effective market mechanisms, vibrant micro-entities, and appropriate macro-regulation, continuously enhancing China's economic innovation and competitiveness.

(Report to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, October 18, 2017)

Two

　　Socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era, and China's economic development has also entered a new era. The characteristic of China's economic development in this new era, as I emphasized in the report to the 19th National Congress of the CPC, is that China's economy has shifted from a high-speed growth stage to a high-quality development stage. This is a significant judgment, and we must deeply understand its significant practical significance and far-reaching historical significance.

　　First, this is a necessary requirement for maintaining sustained and healthy economic development. China is in a critical stage of transforming its development mode, with rising labor costs, increasing resource and environmental constraints, and unsustainable extensive development methods. Problems with inefficient economic cycles are very prominent. At the same time, a new round of global technological revolution and industrial transformation is emerging, with breakthroughs occurring in multiple areas. We must promote high-quality development to adapt to new technological changes and the new needs of the people, forming a high-quality, efficient, and diversified supply system to provide more high-quality products and services. In this way, supply and demand can achieve equilibrium at a new level, and China's economy can achieve sustained and healthy development.

　　Second, this is a necessary requirement for adapting to the changes in China's major social contradictions and for comprehensively building a moderately prosperous society and comprehensively building a socialist modern country. Major changes have taken place in China's major social contradictions, and China's economic development stage is also undergoing historical changes. Imbalanced and inadequate development is a manifestation of low-quality development. Solving China's major social contradictions requires promoting high-quality development. We must attach importance to quantitative development, but we must also attach more importance to solving qualitative problems, achieving effective quantitative growth through significant qualitative improvements.

　　Third, this is a necessary requirement for following the laws of economic development. Since the 1960s, only a dozen of the more than 100 middle-income economies worldwide have successfully entered the ranks of high-income economies. Those countries that have succeeded have achieved a shift from quantitative expansion to qualitative improvement in their economic development after experiencing a period of high-speed growth. Those countries that have stagnated or even regressed have failed to achieve this fundamental transformation. Economic development is a spiral upward process; the ascent is not linear. When quantity accumulates to a certain stage, it must shift to qualitative improvement. China's economic development must also follow this law.

(Speech at the Central Economic Work Conference, December 18, 2017)

Three

　　High-quality development is development that can well meet the people's ever-growing needs for a better life; it is development that embodies the new development philosophy; it is development where innovation becomes the primary driving force, coordination becomes an inherent characteristic, green development becomes a universal form, opening up becomes the only way, and sharing becomes the fundamental goal. From the perspective of supply, high-quality development should achieve a relatively complete industrial system, networked and intelligent production organization methods, strong innovation capabilities, demand-capturing capabilities, brand influence, and core competitiveness, and high-quality products and services. From the perspective of demand, high-quality development should continuously meet the personalized, diversified, and constantly upgrading needs of the people, and these needs in turn lead to changes in the supply system and structure, and supply-side reforms continuously give rise to new demands. From the perspective of input and output, high-quality development should continuously improve labor efficiency, capital efficiency, land efficiency, resource efficiency, and environmental efficiency, continuously improve the contribution rate of technological progress, and continuously improve total factor productivity. From the perspective of distribution, high-quality development should ensure that investment yields returns, enterprises make profits, employees receive income, and the government collects taxes, and fully reflect the contributions of each according to market evaluation. From the perspective of macroeconomic circulation, high-quality development should ensure smooth circulation of production, distribution, allocation, and consumption, relatively reasonable proportions and spatial layout of the national economy, and relatively stable economic development without major fluctuations. More clearly, high-quality development is a shift from "whether it exists" to "how good it is".

(Speech at the Central Economic Work Conference, December 18, 2017)

Four

　　Promoting high-quality development is the fundamental requirement for determining our development thinking, formulating economic policies, and implementing macroeconomic regulation in the current period and for some time to come. We must accelerate the formation of an indicator system, policy system, standard system, statistical system, performance evaluation system, and performance appraisal system for promoting high-quality development, create and improve the institutional environment, and promote continuous progress in China's economic development in achieving high-quality development.

(Speech at the Central Economic Work Conference, December 18, 2017)

Five

　　Practice has proved that China's economic development over the past 40 years has been achieved under open conditions, and the future high-quality development of the Chinese economy must also be carried out under more open conditions. This is a strategic choice made by China based on its development needs, and it is also promoting economic globalization to benefit the people of all countries in the world with practical actions.

(Keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2018, April 10, 2018)

Six

　　China has entered a stage of high-quality development. The principal contradiction in Chinese society has transformed into that between the ever-growing needs of the people for a better life and unbalanced and inadequate development. Per capita GDP has reached US$10,000, the urbanization rate has exceeded 60%, the middle-income group has exceeded 400 million people, and the people's demands for a better life are constantly increasing. China has significant institutional advantages, improved governance effectiveness, a long-term positive economic outlook, a strong material foundation, abundant human resources, a vast market, strong development resilience, and social stability. It has many advantages and conditions for continued development. At the same time, the problems of unbalanced and inadequate development in China remain prominent. Innovation capabilities do not meet the requirements of high-quality development, the agricultural foundation is not yet solid, there are large disparities in urban-rural and regional development and income distribution, there is still much work to be done in ecological and environmental protection, there are shortcomings in livelihood security, and there are still weaknesses in social governance.

　　In short, entering a new stage of development, the profound changes in the domestic and international environment bring both a series of new opportunities and a series of new challenges; it is a coexistence of crisis and opportunity, with opportunities within crises, and crises that can be turned into opportunities. We must dialectically understand and grasp the domestic and international situation, coordinate the overall strategy of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the major changes unseen in a century in the world, deeply understand the new characteristics and requirements brought about by the changes in China's major social contradictions, deeply understand the new contradictions and challenges brought about by the complex international environment, enhance our awareness of opportunities and risks, accurately identify changes, respond scientifically, proactively seek change, dare to sail against the wind, be good at turning crises into opportunities, and strive to achieve higher-quality, more efficient, fairer, more sustainable, and safer development.

(Speech at the symposium with experts in the economic and social fields, August 24, 2020)

Seven

　　China's development has reached a new historical starting point. Based on the new requirements of the new development stage, we must maintain a problem-oriented approach, implement the new development philosophy more precisely, effectively address the imbalances and inadequacies in development, and promote high-quality development. For example, technological self-reliance and self-strengthening have become fundamental capabilities determining China's survival and development, and there are many "bottleneck" problems. For example, there is a significant gap in development between urban and rural areas in China, and how to solve this problem presents many new issues that require in-depth research, especially issues such as regional restructuring, accelerated inter-regional population migration, and declining willingness of farmers to settle in cities, which require urgent research and clear strategies. For example, accelerating the comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development has reached a high degree of consensus, but China's energy system is highly dependent on fossil fuels such as coal, and the pressure to transform production and living systems to green and low-carbon is enormous. Achieving the goals of peaking carbon emissions before 2030 and carbon neutrality before 2060 is extremely challenging. For example, with the rise of countercurrents in economic globalization, the external environment is becoming increasingly complex and volatile. It is recognized that we must properly handle the relationship between self-reliance and self-strengthening and open cooperation, the relationship between actively participating in international division of labor and safeguarding national security, and the relationship between utilizing foreign investment and security reviews, expanding openness while ensuring security. In short, entering a new stage of development requires a continuous deepening of understanding of the new development philosophy, more precise and pragmatic measures, and the true realization of high-quality development.

(Remarks at a study session for provincial and ministerial-level leading cadres on studying and implementing the spirit of the Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the CPC, January 11, 2021)
(Remarks at a study session for provincial and ministerial-level leading cadres on studying and implementing the spirit of the Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the CPC, January 11, 2021)

Eight

　　High-quality development is the theme of China's economic and social development during the 14th Five-Year Plan period and beyond, and it relates to the overall situation of China's socialist modernization drive. High-quality development is not merely an economic requirement, but a general requirement for all aspects of economic and social development; it is not only a requirement for economically developed regions, but a requirement that must be implemented in the development of all regions; it is not a requirement for a moment or a single event, but a requirement that must be adhered to for a long time. All regions should combine their actual situations, adapt measures to local conditions, and make up for their shortcomings to find a path of high-quality development suitable for their own realities. We must always put the fundamental interests of the overwhelming majority of the people at heart, unswervingly promote people's well-being, closely link high-quality development with meeting the people's needs for a better life, and promote the organic combination and mutual enhancement of prioritizing ecology, promoting high-quality development, and creating a high-quality life.

(Remarks at the deliberation of the Qinghai delegation at the Fourth Session of the 13th National People's Congress, March 7, 2021)

Nine

　　High-quality development is the primary task in comprehensively building a modern socialist country. Development is the Party's top priority for governing and rejuvenating the country. Without a solid material and technological foundation, it is impossible to comprehensively build a strong socialist modern country. We must fully, accurately, and comprehensively implement the new development philosophy, adhere to the reform direction of the socialist market economy, adhere to high-level opening up, and accelerate the construction of a new development pattern with domestic circulation as the mainstay and domestic and international circulations mutually promoting each other.

　　We must adhere to high-quality development as the theme, organically combine the implementation of the strategy of expanding domestic demand with deepening supply-side structural reforms, enhance the endogenous driving force and reliability of domestic circulation, improve the quality and level of international circulation, accelerate the construction of a modern economic system, focus on improving total factor productivity, focus on improving the resilience and security of industrial chains and supply chains, focus on promoting urban-rural integration and regional coordinated development, and promote the qualitative and effective improvement and reasonable growth of the economy.

(Report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, October 16, 2022)

Ten

　　Achieving high-quality development also depends on agricultural development. Only when agriculture is strong, agricultural product supply is guaranteed, prices are stable, and people's hearts are at ease, can the overall economic situation be stabilized. Expanding the space for modernization, agriculture and rural areas are vast and promising areas. Hundreds of millions of farmers entering modernization as a whole will release enormous creative energy and consumption potential, injecting strong impetus into economic and social development. Smoothing the circulation between industry, agriculture, urban and rural areas is an important aspect of smoothing domestic economic circulation and enhancing China's economic resilience and strategic depth. In expanding domestic demand, stabilizing growth, and promoting development, the construction of a strong agricultural country is an important point of effort and breakthrough.

(Remarks at the Central Rural Work Conference, December 23, 2022)

Eleven

　　While promoting high-quality development and making the "cake" bigger and better, we should further share the "cake" more fairly, focusing on solving people's livelihood issues such as employment, distribution, education, medical care, housing, pensions, and childcare; building a coordinated institutional system for the three distributions; regulating the order of income distribution; regulating the mechanism of wealth accumulation; guiding and regulating the healthy development of capital according to law; gradually expanding the middle-income group; narrowing the income gap; allowing the fruits of modernization to benefit all people more and more equitably; and resolutely preventing polarization.

(Remarks at a study session for newly-elected members and alternate members of the Central Committee and provincial and ministerial-level leading cadres on studying and implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the CPC, February 7, 2023)
(Remarks at a study session for newly-elected members and alternate members of the Central Committee and provincial and ministerial-level leading cadres on studying and implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the CPC, February 7, 2023)

Twelve

　　High-quality development is the primary task in comprehensively building a modern socialist country. We must fully, accurately, and comprehensively implement the new development philosophy, always grasping, measuring, and promoting development with the inherent unity of innovation, coordination, green development, openness, and sharing; we must better coordinate the qualitative improvement and reasonable growth of quantity, always adhering to the priority of quality and efficiency, greatly enhancing quality awareness, regarding quality as life, and pursuing high quality; we must unswervingly deepen reform and opening up, and profoundly transform the development mode, using efficiency transformation and power transformation to promote quality transformation, and accelerate the formation of a sustainable high-quality development system and mechanism; we must take meeting the people's ever-growing needs for a better life as the starting point and the ultimate goal, continuously transforming development achievements into the quality of life, and continuously enhancing the people's sense of gain, happiness, and security.

(Remarks at the deliberation of the Jiangsu delegation at the First Session of the 14th National People's Congress, March 5, 2023)

Thirteen

　　Accelerating the realization of high-level technological self-reliance and self-strengthening is the only way to promote high-quality development. In the face of fierce international competition, we must open up new fields and tracks for development and shape new driving forces and advantages for development. Fundamentally speaking, we must rely on technological innovation. Whether we can comprehensively build a strong socialist modern country as scheduled depends on technological self-reliance and self-strengthening.

(Remarks at the deliberation of the Jiangsu delegation at the First Session of the 14th National People's Congress, March 5, 2023)

Fourteen

　　Accelerating the construction of a new development pattern is the strategic fulcrum for promoting high-quality development. We must organically combine the implementation of the strategy of expanding domestic demand with deepening supply-side structural reforms and accelerate the construction of a modern industrial system. We must adhere to placing the focus of developing the economy on the real economy, deeply promote new industrialization, strengthen the rebuilding of industrial foundations and the tackling of key technological equipment, promote the high-end, intelligent, and green development of manufacturing, accelerate the construction of a strong manufacturing province, vigorously develop strategic emerging industries, and accelerate the development of the digital economy. In accordance with the requirements of building a high-level socialist market economic system and promoting high-level opening up, we must deeply advance reforms in key areas, comprehensively promote the construction of a modernized infrastructure system and a high-standard market system, and steadily expand institutional opening up.

(Remarks at the deliberation of the Jiangsu delegation at the First Session of the 14th National People's Congress, March 5, 2023)

Fifteen

　　On the new journey of building a strong nation and achieving national rejuvenation, we must unswervingly promote high-quality development. We must comprehensively, accurately, and fully implement the new development philosophy, accelerate the construction of a new development pattern, and deeply implement the strategies of rejuvenating the country through science and education, strengthening the country through talent, and driving development through innovation. We should focus on enhancing our capacity for independent and self-reliant technological innovation, promoting industrial transformation and upgrading, promoting coordinated urban-rural and regional development, promoting the green and low-carbon development of economic and social development, promoting the achievement of effective improvement in the quality of the economy and reasonable growth in quantity, and continuously strengthening China's economic strength, scientific and technological strength, and comprehensive national strength.

(Speech at the First Session of the Fourteenth National People's Congress on March 13, 2023)

Sixteen

　　To fully study and implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, we must firmly grasp the central task of the Party in the new era and on the new journey, firmly grasp the scientific connotation and essential requirements of Chinese-style modernization, and firmly grasp the primary task of high-quality development. We must integrate the implementation of the new development philosophy, the construction of a new development pattern, and the promotion of common prosperity into all aspects and the entire process of economic and social development, and deeply advance the transformation of development methods, driving forces, fields, and quality, creating a new situation for high-quality development in our country.

(Speech during an inspection tour in Sichuan from July 25 to 27, 2023)

Seventeen

　　We must comprehensively, accurately, and fully implement the new development philosophy, coordinate development and security, deeply grasp the basic laws of promoting new-type industrialization in the new era and on the new journey, actively adapt to and lead the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, integrate the requirements of high-quality development into the entire process of new-type industrialization, and organically combine the construction of a strong manufacturing country with the development of the digital economy and industrial informatization, laying a strong material and technological foundation for Chinese-style modernization.

(Instructions on promoting new-type industrialization in September 2023)

Eighteen

　　Leading cadres must establish a performance appraisal that benefits the people. We communists work and create achievements for the benefit of the people, not for personal promotion or loss. Comrades of the Central Political Bureau must take the lead in adhering to the people-centered development philosophy, adhering to high-quality development, opposing blindly pursuing large-scale and foreign projects, and blindly acting; adhering to practical measures and seeking practical results, opposing superficiality and data fabrication; adhering to laying a foundation for long-term benefits, opposing overexploitation and wasting manpower and resources. High-quality development is the primary task of comprehensively building a socialist modern country, and adhering to high-quality development should become an important content of the performance appraisal of leading cadres. We must improve the methods of performance appraisal and evaluation for promoting high-quality development, play a good guiding role, and promote leading groups at all levels to earnestly practice the correct performance appraisal, and effectively form the correct work orientation.

(Speech at the thematic democratic life meeting on studying and implementing Xi Jinping's Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era held by the Central Political Bureau on December 21 and 22, 2023)
Nineteen

We must keep in mind that high-quality development is the hard truth of the new era, comprehensively, accurately, and fully implement the new development philosophy, and implement the strategic tasks of accelerating the construction of a modernized economic system, promoting high-level self-reliance in science and technology, accelerating the construction of a new development pattern, coordinating the promotion of deep-level reforms and high-level opening up, and coordinating high-quality development and high-level security. We must improve the assessment and evaluation system for promoting high-quality development to lay a solid foundation for promoting high-quality development.

　　(Speech at the 11th Collective Study of the 20th Central Political Bureau on January 31, 2024)

Developing high-quality productivity is an inherent requirement and an important focus for promoting high-quality development. Here, I would like to focus on some of my understanding.

　　Since last July, during my inspection and research tours in Sichuan, Heilongjiang, Zhejiang, and Guangxi, I have proposed integrating scientific and technological innovation resources, leading the development of strategic emerging industries and future industries, and accelerating the formation of high-quality productivity. In mid-December, at the Central Economic Work Conference, I again proposed using technological innovation to drive industrial innovation, especially using disruptive and cutting-edge technologies to create new industries, new models, and new driving forces, and developing high-quality productivity. My proposal of the concept of high-quality productivity and this major task of developing high-quality productivity is mainly based on the following considerations: Productivity is the fundamental driving force for the development of human society, and it is also the ultimate cause of all social changes and political transformations. High-quality development requires a new theory of productivity to guide it, and high-quality productivity has already taken shape in practice and demonstrated a strong driving force and support for high-quality development. We need to summarize and generalize it theoretically to guide new development practices.