Explanation of the Resolution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Further Deepening Reform Comprehensively to Advance Chinese Modernization

Xi Jinping

Comrades,

On behalf of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee, I will now brief you on the drafting of the Resolution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Further Deepening Reform Comprehensively to Advance Chinese Modernization.

I. Considerations on the Agenda of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC)

Making reform plans and arrangements with a focus on our central task has constituted a successful experience for our Party in leading reform and opening up. In light of both practical experience and actual needs, the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee decided that the third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee would study the issue of further deepening reform comprehensively to advance Chinese modernization. There is a pressing need for this, given the following considerations:

First, we need to rally support and pool strength to complete the Party’s central task on the new journey in the new era.

The evidence conclusively proves that in the new period of reform, opening up, and socialist modernization, it was reform and opening up that enabled China to catch up with the times in great strides. Since the Party’s 18th National Congress, it has also been reform and opening up that has ensured historic achievements and changes in the cause of the Party and the country. Therefore, if we are to break new ground in advancing Chinese modernization on the new journey in the new era, we must continue to rely on reform and opening up.

The Party’s 20th National Congress established that the Party’s central task is to realize the Second Centenary Goal of building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects and to advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through Chinese modernization. At the Congress, we elaborated on the distinctive features, essential requirements, and major principles of Chinese modernization and made strategic plans for advancing Chinese modernization. At the fundamental level, to translate these strategic plans into action and turn the vision of Chinese modernization into reality, we must further deepen reform comprehensively and keep working to improve the systems and mechanisms across all sectors, so as to provide institutional support for advancing Chinese modernization.

Second, we need to improve and develop the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics and modernize China’s system and capacity for governance.

Following the Party’s 18th National Congress, we improved systems in various sectors by comprehensively deepening reforms, with a focus on institution building. As a result, the socialist system with Chinese characteristics was made more mature and better-defined, and China’s system and capacity for governance were further modernized. This provided strong institutional support for building a moderately prosperous society in all respects.

Yet, we must be keenly aware that improving the socialist system with Chinese characteristics is a dynamic process, which will inevitably evolve with advances in practice. During this process, we need to constantly improve existing institutions and work on promoting institutional innovations and filling institutional gaps in new areas and for new practices. In the face of new developments and tasks, we must further deepen reform comprehensively to continue refining institutions and mechanisms in various sectors, so as to help consolidate foundations, leverage strengths, and shore up areas of weakness. This will enable us to better translate our country’s institutional strengths into effective governance.

Third, we need to promote high-quality development and better respond to the evolution of the principal contradiction in Chinese society.

At present, unbalanced and inadequate development remains a pronounced problem in promoting China’s high-quality development. For example, the market system still needs improvement; the market itself is not adequately developed; the relationship between the government and the market needs to be further straightened out; our innovation capacity falls short of the requirements for high-quality development; the industrial system, while large in size and extensive in scope, is not yet strong or sophist