Writing a new chapter in Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s political economy with the new development concept

　　As the main content of Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s economic thought in the new era of the supreme leader, the new development concept has deepened and expanded our party’s understanding of the law of economic development in Socialism with Chinese characteristics and enriched and developed Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s political economy. It is of great significance to deeply understand the latest achievements of Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s political economy by profoundly grasping the background of the times, the rich connotations contained in the new development concept, and how to implement the new development concept and build a modern economic system.

　　New era and new changes in economic and social development

　　Marxist political economy reveals the basic principle that productive forces determine production relations and production relations must adapt to the development requirements of productive forces. Whether it is the division of the basic form of human history or the division of different periods under the basic form, we should first start from the changes of the objective conditions of social existence and development, that is, the contradictory movement characteristics of productivity and production relations, economic base and superstructure, and then understand the changes of social basic contradictions and main contradictions in a certain social historical form and era, grasp the basic characteristics and central issues of the historical era, and then determine our own development path and formulate our own strategies.

　　The report of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China made a new scientific explanation of Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s historical process by insisting on Marxist dialectical historical materialism and methods, pointing out: "After long-term efforts, Socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era, which is a new historical orientation for China’s development." This judgment is based on the historical changes in various aspects that have become increasingly clear since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China after 40 years of reform and opening up. The profound changes in relations of production have brought about the liberation and development of productive forces, which are manifested in the fact that the total economic output has reached a new scale, the per capita GDP level has reached a new stage, and the economic structure has undergone profound changes while the economy is growing. This profound historical change is also reflected in the fact that "the main contradiction in our society has been transformed into the contradiction between the people’s growing need for a better life and the unbalanced development". The change of the main contradiction in our society is a historical change that has a bearing on the overall situation, which puts forward new requirements for the work of the party and the state, and accordingly needs to formulate a series of new strategies.

　　It is precisely because Socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era, and it is precisely because of the transformation of the main social contradictions in our country in the new era that the level, stages and conditions of the corresponding economic and social development have undergone systematic changes, which has brought new challenges and opportunities to China’s economic and social development, and therefore requires changing the development mode and adhering to and implementing the new development concept.

　　Entering a new era and adhering to the new development concept

　　The development concept is strategic, programmatic and leading, which is the concentrated expression of development ideas, development direction and development focus. The new historical changes require the establishment of new development concepts. As General Secretary of the Supreme Leader said, "In the face of new trends, new opportunities, new contradictions and new challenges in economic and social development", "we must establish new development concepts and lead development actions with new development concepts".

　　Adhering to the new development concept, we must have a clear understanding of the position and role of "development" in the new era. General Secretary of the Supreme Leader once emphasized that "taking economic construction as the center is the key to rejuvenating the country, and development is still the key to solving all our problems". The report of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China pointed out: "We must unswervingly regard development as the top priority of the Party in governing and rejuvenating the country, persist in liberating and developing social productive forces, adhere to the direction of socialist market economy reform, and promote sustained and healthy economic development." This is determined by China’s specific national conditions. China is still in the primary stage of socialism and its international status as the largest developing country in the world has not changed. Therefore, the report of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China further emphasized that "the whole party should firmly grasp the basic national conditions of the primary stage of socialism, firmly base itself on the greatest reality of the primary stage of socialism, firmly adhere to the party’s basic line, the lifeline of the party and the country, and the happiness line of the people, lead and unite the people of all ethnic groups throughout the country, focus on economic construction, adhere to the four cardinal principles, and persist in reform and opening up". At the same time, to establish a new development concept, we must first solve the fundamental problem of why people and who enjoy it. The people-centered development thought has established the basic principles that the new development concept must always adhere to. The new development concept focuses on the outstanding problems and obvious shortcomings in the current development of China, and responds to people’s expectations and demands.Taking the realization of people’s happiness as the purpose and destination of development, promoting people’s well-being, promoting people’s all-round development and making steady progress towards common prosperity as the starting point and foothold of economic development fully embodies the fundamental position of Marxist political economy of "development for the people".

　　The new development concept is an organic whole. In the new era of Socialism with Chinese characteristics, we must better implement the new development concept. The General Secretary of the Supreme Leader pointed out, "These five development concepts were not obtained out of thin air, but were formed on the basis of profoundly summing up the development experience and lessons at home and abroad, and also on the basis of deeply analyzing the development trend at home and abroad, which reflected the deepening of our party’s understanding of the law of economic and social development and also aimed at the outstanding contradictions and problems in China’s development." The change of development concept is a historical process with the change of development practice. Innovative development focuses on solving the problem of development motivation, coordinated development focuses on solving the problem of unbalanced development, green development focuses on solving the problem of harmony between man and nature, open development focuses on solving the problem of internal and external linkage of development, and shared development focuses on solving social fairness and justice. These five development concepts are interconnected and mutually promoted, and they are a collection with internal relations. They should be implemented in a unified way, and they cannot be neglected or replaced by each other. The report of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China regards "adhering to the new development concept" as an important part of the basic strategy of adhering to and developing Socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, and further emphasizes that "we must adhere to and improve China’s socialist basic economic system and distribution system, unswervingly consolidate and develop the public sector of the economy, unswervingly encourage, support and guide the development of the non-public sector of the economy, make the market play a decisive role in resource allocation, and better play the role of the government.Promote the simultaneous development of new industrialization, informationization, urbanization and agricultural modernization, actively participate in and promote the process of economic globalization, develop a higher-level open economy, and continuously expand China’s economic strength and comprehensive national strength. " Obviously, the new development concept emphasizes scientific development, and unifies development with system and mechanism reform and opening to the outside world, which greatly enriches the connotation of "development" according to the changes of environment and development conditions in Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s development practice in the new era.

　　Implementing the new development concept and building a modern economic system

　　The report of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China made important arrangements for "implementing the new development concept and building a modern economic system", and emphasized that "China’s economy has shifted from a high-speed growth stage to a high-quality development stage, and it is in the key period of transforming the development mode, optimizing the economic structure and transforming the growth momentum. Building a modern economic system is an urgent requirement for crossing the barrier and a strategic goal for China’s development".

　　To build a modern economic system, we must firmly grasp the requirements of high-quality development, adhere to quality first and benefit first, take supply-side structural reform as the main line, promote quality change, efficiency change and power change of economic development, improve total factor productivity, accelerate the construction of an industrial system with coordinated development of real economy, scientific and technological innovation, modern finance and human resources, and strive to build an economic system with effective market mechanism, dynamic micro-subjects and moderate macro-control, so as to continuously enhance China’s economic innovation and

　　General Secretary of the Supreme Leader emphasized that the modern economic system is an organic whole composed of the interrelations and internal relations of all links, levels and fields of social and economic activities. It mainly includes: building an innovation-led and coordinated industrial system, building a unified, open and competitive market system, building an income distribution system that reflects efficiency and promotes fairness, building an urban and rural regional development system that highlights advantages and is coordinated, building a resource-saving and environment-friendly green development system, building a multi-balanced, safe and efficient all-round open system, and building an economic system that gives full play to the role of the market and better plays the role of the government. The above aspects are a unified whole, which should be built and promoted as a whole.

　　Only by forming a modern economic system that conforms to China’s national conditions and has China characteristics can we better conform to the trend of modernization and win the initiative of international competition, provide strong support for modernization in other fields, and lay a more solid and powerful material foundation for adhering to the people-centered development thought and realizing people’s yearning for a better life.

　　(The author is Liu Wei, President of China Renmin University)