•China aims to foster a balanced ecosystem where public and non-public sectors can thrive equally.
•Cultural confidence is seen as a cornerstone of Chinese modernisation.
Image: Xinhua
The recently concluded third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has underscored a pivotal phase in China’s journey towards deepening reforms and advancing the country’s modernisation.
Known as the plenum, the meeting is held after every five years. It brings together the country’s top policy makers to discuss and agree on critical social and economic development matters.
The session’s communique, detailing the resolutions and discussions held, highlights an ambitious and comprehensive blueprint for China’s socio-economic development and governance. This strategy is not just about economic growth but encompasses a holistic approach to modernisation, addressing various facets from cultural advancement to national security.
The session began with General Secretary Xi Jinping presenting a report on the Political Bureau’s work, which was met with unanimous approval from the Central Committee. This endorsement is significant as it underscores the confidence within the party leadership in their current path amidst a challenging global environment.
The CPC's steadfast commitment to Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, and Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, reflects a continuity in ideological foundation while adapting to contemporary challenges.
A key takeaway from the session is the emphasis on further deepening reform. The resolution on deepening reform comprehensively is a clarion call to address both domestic and international complexities.
By focusing on economic structural reform and greater social fairness, the CPC aims to navigate the intricacies of global technological revolutions and industrial transformations. This holistic approach aims to unleash productive forces and boost societal vitality, ensuring reforms are not just broad but effective and focused.
High-quality development remains at the heart of China’s modernisation agenda. The session highlighted the necessity of steering reforms using new development philosophies, emphasising supply-side structural reforms, and fostering new growth drivers. The vision of building a high-standard socialist market economy is ambitious but crucial. By ensuring a fair and dynamic market environment and lifting unnecessary restrictions while maintaining effective regulation, China aims to create a balanced ecosystem where public and non-public sectors can thrive equally.
The strategy also places significant emphasis on integrated urban and rural development. This approach aims to bridge the disparity between urban and rural areas, promoting common prosperity and development. By coordinating efforts in industrialisation, urbanisation, and rural revitalisation, China seeks to ensure equitable development, enhancing the quality of life across all regions.
Acknowledging education, science, and technology as the underpinnings of modernisation, the CPC’s strategy includes a robust plan to invigorate these sectors. The coordinated reform of institutions and mechanisms in education, science, and human resources aims to enhance China's innovation capabilities. This comprehensive approach is expected to boost the overall performance of China’s innovation system, driving forward the modernisation agenda.
The session’s communique also highlighted the critical role of governance and the rule of law in modernisation. By improving macro regulation systems and ensuring effective government governance, the CPC aims to harness the strengths of the socialist market economy fully. The emphasis on legal reforms, ensuring all are equal before the law, and promoting socialist rule of law are integral to safeguarding social fairness and justice.
Image: XINHUA
Cultural confidence is seen as a cornerstone of Chinese modernisation. The CPC’s strategy includes developing advanced socialist culture, promoting revolutionary culture, and preserving traditional Chinese culture. This cultural development is expected to go hand in hand with material advancement, fostering a society that is both prosperous and culturally rich.
National security is pivotal for steady progress in modernisation. The session emphasised the need to improve institutions and mechanisms for safeguarding national security. This holistic approach ensures that development and security reinforce each other, providing a stable environment for continued progress. Modernising national defense and the armed forces is also crucial, with reforms aimed at strengthening the military to support China’s modernisation goals.
The CPC’s leadership is seen as the fundamental guarantee for the success of these reforms. Upholding Xi’s core position and the authority of the Central Committee is stressed as essential for maintaining the party’s strong leadership core. The focus on party self-reform, combating corruption, and improving conduct highlights the CPC’s commitment to leading by example, and ensuring that the party remains a robust pillar of support for China’s modernisation.
China’s commitment to peaceful development and promoting a human community with a shared future was reaffirmed. The session highlighted the importance of an independent foreign policy and active participation in global governance reforms. This approach not only safeguards China’s interests but also contributes to a more inclusive and orderly global environment.
The session concluded with a call to rally around the CPC Central Committee to strive towards building a modern socialist country. The comprehensive reform strategy laid out in the communique is ambitious and multifaceted, addressing the complex challenges of the modern world. The communique noted that CPC’s leadership, grounded in its ideological roots and adaptive to contemporary challenges, is poised to steer China towards achieving its ambitious modernisation goals.
Stephen Ndegwa is the Executive Director of South-South Dialogues, a Nairobi-based communications development think tank, and a PhD student at the United States International University-Africa