By Professor Huang Shouhong, People’s Daily

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Scientific Understanding of the New Historical Position of China's Development

By Professor Huang Shouhong, People’s Daily

Comrade Xi Jinping points out in the Report to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC or the Party) that after a long period of efforts, socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era., which is a new historical position for China to develop. Scientific understanding of China's new historical position of its development is of great theoretical and practical significance for the correct formulation of an overall, strategic and forward-looking program of action and for better adherence to and development of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Taking Xi Jinping Thought on socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era as the guidance to understand the new historical position of China's development

Historical position refers to the orientation and position of an objective matter in the progressing process of history. Ancient scholars said that distinguishing ones azimuth helps steer ones orientation. It is a fundamental issue to have a clear understanding of the historical position of development, but it is not easy to have clear understanding of it. Since the founding of new China, China has experienced periods of smooth progress and successful development, as well as periods of setbacks and detours. One of the important reasons lies in whether the understanding of the historical position for development is correct or not.

Scientific understanding of new historical position of China's development is the key to ensure the development direction, development path, development measures and various tasks suited to the actual conditions and stages of development, and is also the cognitive basis and practice basis for adhering to and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics. In order to achieve this point, there must be scientific theoretical guidance. Xi Jinping Thought on socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era is the latest achievement of Marxism in China, is an important part of the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, is scientific truth proved by practice, and also a crucial guideline to a correct understanding of the new historical position for China's development. Adhering to Xi Jinping Thought on socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era as a guide, insisting on the methodology of dialectical materialism and historical materialism, and from history and reality, theory and practice, the domestic and international multi-dimensions, we should make in-depth analysis of the real situation, changing trend, external conditions, etc. of China's social development, accurately grasp the new historical position of China’s development, to ensure the thinking and action to be unified with spirit of the Party's 19th National Congress, and more consciously and actively carry out the work of the Party and State.

Understanding the new historical position of China's development from the perspective of the phase characteristics of China's social development

A historical position is determined by the development stage. Since the Party’s 18 National Congress, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core, with great political courage and strong sense of responsibility, has put forward a series of new ideas, new concepts and new strategies, has adopted a series of major policies, launched a series of major initiatives, promoted a series of major work, solved many problems having lingered for a long and awaited for solution, and succeeded in addressing some issues that were eagerly worked on but remained unsolved in the past, promoted the cause of the Party and State to record historic achievements and historical changes. The socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era, and the development of our country presents many new stage characteristics.

The level of social productivity is obviously improved, and the comprehensive national strength has jumped to the forefront of the world. In the past 40 years, China's economy has been developing rapidly and sustainably, and has entered the ranks of medium- and upper medium-high income countries from low-income countries, and is moving towards a high-income country. The total economic volume ranks second from the eleventh in the world, and has become the world's largest manufacturing country, the largest exporter of goods and an important investment country globally. In the year 2016, China's GDP accounted for 14.8% of the world's total, which is 13 percentage points higher than that in the year 1978. In recent years, China's contribution to world economic growth is more than 30%.

The economic development has entered a new normal situation, and the development pattern has changed greatly. After the record setting of the longest period of rapid economic growth of a country after World War II, China's economic development has entered a new normal. In the face of severe and complicated international environment and domestically economic downtown pressures, China adheres to deepening reform and expanding opening up, strengthening innovation-driven growth, its economy has stabilized for the better and achieved steady progress. From the years 2013 to 2016, the annual GDP growth was 7.2% year-on-year, and the growth rate was leading in the forefront of the world's major countries. Structural adjustments have achieved notable results. The added value of service industry has accounted for more than half of its GDP. Consumption has become the main driving force of economic growth, and the development gap between urban and rural areas and between different regions has narrowed. Development of comprehensive innovation with scientific and technological innovation at the core is advancing in-depth, the new kinetic energy for development has been accelerated. China's economic development pattern is shifting from main dependence on investment- and export-led to main reliance on the coordinated combination of consumption-, investment- and exports-led growth, from mainly depending on the second industry-led to mainly relying on the coordinated tertiary industries-led growth, and from main dependence on extension and expansion to main reliance on raising quality and efficiency of growth, and provides a solid support for the economy to maintain a medium-high growth for a long time, and industries to move towards the high-end level.

The people's livelihood has been greatly improved, and the social undertakings’ developments have been accelerated. Employment has increased steadily, and in recent 4 years, more than 13 million people are employed in cities and towns annually, and the unemployment rate is kept at a low level. The income level of urban and rural residents has increased constantly, especially in recent years, the growth rate of residents' income is faster than that of the economic growth, among which the income of rural residents grows faster than that of urban residents, and the number of poverty-stricken people continues to decrease. A social security network covering more than 1.3 billion population across the country is set up. The people's life is moving towards a better level on the basis of the historic leap from poverty to enough food and clothing still to the comprehensive moderately prosperous society.

China’s international status and influence have been greatly improved, and it is increasingly moving closer to the center of the world stage. Since the Party’s 18th National Congress, China has played a more important role on the international stage. China advocates the construction of a community with a shared future for humankind, resolutely safeguards the international order centered on the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, adheres to economic globalization and multilateralism, and actively advocates the concept of mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, which has been widely recognized and supported by the international community. China has put forward the Belt and Road Initiative, launched new multilateral financial institutions such as Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and others, successfully hosted a series of major diplomatic events such as the G20 summit in Hangzhou and others, having highlighted the strength and ability to deeply participate in and lead the shaping of global governance. Today, China is no longer a spectator at the edge of the world system, nor a passive receiver of the international order, but an active participant, builder and guide, and is constantly contributing China's wisdom and China’s program to solving humankind problems.

Understanding the new historical position of China's development from the transformation perspective of the main social contradiction

The main social contradiction determines the central task of the Party and the State. To correctly command the main social contradictions in different historical periods is the basis for understanding of the historical position of the development. After the socialist transformation is basically completed, the Report to 8th National Congress of the CPC pointed out that the main contradiction in our country is the contradiction between the rapid growing economic and cultural needs of the people and the development of economy and culture unable to meet the needs of the people. But due to a variety of reasons, this formulation did not persist since then. After the Third Plenary Session of the 11th CPC Central Committee, the CPC after straightening out the mistakes, returned to the judgment made by its 8th National Congress regarding the principal social contradiction. The Resolution on the Party's historical issues since the founding of the People's Republic of China adopted by the Sixth Plenary Session of the 11th CPC Central Committee points out: the main contradiction China must solve is the contradiction between the growing material and cultural needs of the people and backwardness of social productivity. From the Party 12th National Congress to its 18th National Congress, the CPC has always adhered to this judgment and has always been committed to promoting the development of social productivity.

After nearly 40-year reform and opening-up, the nature and characteristics of China’s major social contradictions have changed tremendously. Social productivity has achieved historic leap and reached the world's advanced level in many fields; has not only produced varied colorful commodities to basically meet people's material and cultural needs, but also seen export of large quantities of products and "made in China" enjoys a world-wide reputation. This shows that current improved social productivity cannot be matched by that in the past in China, "backward social productivity" statement is no longer in conformity with the reality. Meanwhile, as people livelihood reaches the overall level of moderate prosperity, they yearn for a better life even more strongly, which is not only limited to the general material and cultural needs, but also shows still higher and more extensive needs, presenting diversified, multi-level and multi-faceted characteristics. People look forward to a better education, more stable jobs, more decent income, more reliable social security, higher levels of health care services, more comfortable living conditions and more beautiful environment, and more enriched spiritual and cultural life, but also the growing requirements for democracy, rule of law, fairness, justice, safety and environment and others. In contrast, the problem of imbalanced and inadequate development in China is becoming more and more prominent. Some middle- and low-end products are in surplus while some medium- and high-end products are in short supply, there are many shortcomings in public service, there is still large gap between urban and rural development and income distribution, and the ecological environment problems are outstanding, etc. Based on comprehensive analysis of all aspects, the Report to the 19th National Congress of the CPC comes up to a major political judgment that socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era, and the major social contradiction has been transformed into the contradiction between the people’s growing needs for better life and the unbalanced and inadequate development. This judgment has both great changes and continuity in comparison with the past statements, reflects the phased requirement of China's development and also reflects the key requirements of developing undertakings of the Party and the State.

The changes of China’s major social contradiction are historical changes regarding the overall work and have raised many new demands on the work of the Party and the State. On the basis of continuously promoting development, we should work hard to solve the problems of uneven and inadequate development. In accordance with the "five in one" overall layout and the "four comprehensives" strategic layout, implement the new concept of development, correctly handle the major relationships of development, focus on promoting regional coordinated development between urban and rural areas, and promote coordinated economic and social development, push ahead new-type industrialization, informatization, urbanization, agricultural modernization development simultaneously, improve national hard power while paying attention to promoting the national soft power, and continuously enhance the development balance. We should focus on economic development as the centre, further liberate and develop productive force, build a modern economic system, and take the supply-side structural reform as the main line so as to promote transformation of economic development quality, efficiency and driving power. We must constantly enhance the adequacy of development, better meet people's growing needs in economic, political, cultural, social and ecological aspects, etc. and further promote the all-round human development and the overall progress of society.

Understanding the new historical position of China's development from the perspective of primary stage of socialism and its changing characteristics

The changes of China’s major social contradiction have not changed our judgment on the historical stage of socialism in China. Scientific understanding of the new historical position of China's development must proceed from examining such a large historical span for the primary stage of socialism. We must firmly command the basic national conditions of the primary stage of socialism and firmly base on the profound reality of the primary stage of socialism, and grasp the changing characteristics of the primary stage of socialism in a more accurate way.

The primary stage of socialism is a historical stage that shall last for a hundred years. Since the reform and opening-up, China has made remarkable achievements in development in the world, but the basic characteristics and basic tasks of the primary stage of socialism have not changed. Now, China's total economy is more than $11 trillion, but the per capita GDP is only about 80% of the world's average level; by the time the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects is completed, the per capita GDP level is only close to the average level of the world, and there is still a considerable gap with the developed countries in innovation capacity, industrial levels, public services and other aspects. To achieve the goal of building a prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious and beautiful socialist modern country, there is still a long way to go, and needs a hard and a long-term struggle.

The primary stage of socialism is a historical stage of continuous developments and changes. We emphasize the long-term nature of the primary stage of socialism, which by no way means that the primary stage of socialism is monolithic and unchangeable. With the improvement of social productive force and the accompanied profound transformation of production relations and superstructures, the primary stage of socialism is developing constantly with new progress, new upgration at high levels and new connotation in practice. At present, the foundation, level and stage characteristics of the primary stage of socialism are quite different from those at the beginning of reform and opening-up, and are also quite different from the beginning of this century when the goal of building a moderate prosperous society in an all-respects was proposed. We should, according to the changing and developing requirements and characteristics of the primary stage of socialism, take countermeasures in line with the times, promote leap developments from low level to high level, and from quantity to quality, finally cross over the primary stage, and entre into a higher stage development of socialism.

The basic line of the Party for the primary stage of socialism is the lifeline of the Party and the State and the happiness line of the people, and must be adhered to for a long time. To plan our development and formulate policies, we must base on the basic national conditions and the profound realities of the primary stage of socialism, and must never be divorced from reality and surpass the stage. Meantime, we should accurately command the changing characteristics of the primary stage of socialism so as to better reflect the new development requirements and the new expectations of the people. In the light of the party's basic theory, basic line and basic strategy, while continuously promoting economic development, we shall solve better various problems emerging in our society, realize better all-round development of various undertakings, and develop better the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era.

Ninety-six years ago, Li Dazhao, the pioneer of the CPC, said, the golden age is not behind us, but is in front of us; is not in the past, but in the future. Today, we are closer to, more confident in and more capable to achieve the goal of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation than any other time in history. We must unite more closely around the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core, scientifically study the new historical position of China’s development, and strive to achieve the goal of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation – the Chinese dream.

(Excerpts of the article in People's Daily November 24, 2017, p7 )