Pursuit of Progress

By Xia Yipu

The 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China （CPC） declared in October 2017 that socialism with Chinese characteristics had entered a new era， charting a new historical direction for Chinas development.

In this new era， the Chinese nation is experiencing a tremendous transformation： it has stood up， grown rich， and is now becoming strong. In recent times， the Chinese nation has become independent and more prosperous. The key to this is the CPC and the Chinese peoples correct understanding of the characteristics of the times， as well as the guidance of the theory of socialism with Chinese characteristics and the opportunities availed during 40 years of reform and opening up.

Peace and development remain the call of our time. China is still in the primary stage of socialism and this basic national condition has not changed. Chinas international status as the worlds largest developing country also remains unchanged. This determines that China must adhere to and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics and strengthen its confidence in the path， theory， system， and culture that it offers.

The countrys determination and confidence in realizing the great dream of national rejuvenation and carrying out the great struggle of responding to major challenges， withstanding major risks， overcoming major obstacles and addressing major confl icts， the great project of Party building and the great cause of building socialism with Chinese characteristics have not changed.

Four decades ago， Deng Xiaoping， the initial architect of reform and opening up， raised the question of where China was going， what socialism is and how it could be achieved. The second generation of the CPC leadership， with Deng at its core， pointed out that poverty is not in keeping with socialism. The essence of socialism is to unleash and develop productive forces and ultimately achieve common prosperity. These thoughts and answers to the major problems of Chinas future and destiny constitute the essence of the theory of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Profound changes have taken place in the world today. The contemporary international community has become more multipolar， more globalized and more diversifi ed， while technology has become the basis of modern society.

Just as they were 40 years ago， the Chinese people are now facing new questions. On April 10， Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the opening ceremony of the 2018 annual conference of the Boao Forum for Asia and delivered a keynote speech. Xi said that for a country and a nation to rejuvenate， it must progress along the tide of history.

The trend of history is moving toward a future in which human society will gradually become a community with a shared future， where the common well-being of all mankind will be pursued， and where development will be achieved through peaceful cooperation， openness， harmony， reform and innovation.

Therefore， China should open its mind， adhere to peace， cooperation and openness， and consciously integrate its own development with that of the world.

China will be a responsible， modern， socialist country， and will work together with people in the rest of the world to strive for the establishment of a peaceful， stable， prosperous， open and beautiful global community.

Embracing the world

At the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum， Xi described economic globalization as an irreversible historical trend. Chinas door to the world will not be closed， he said， but will instead open wider still.

Only by opening its door wider will China have the opportunity to communicate with the international community， integrate into world development， offer wisdom to the progress of human civilization， realize the common advancement of more countries and regions， and contribute to the global economy.

In this way China can also show its philosophy to the world， contribute to building a community with a shared future for man-kind， and safeguard world peace.

Opening wider is incumbent on China in its role as a responsible major country. Through the Belt and Road Initiative， it can promote peaceful cooperation， openness， inclusiveness， and consultation based on mutual respect and benefi t.

Opening is the prerequisite for integration， and integration is the purpose and result of openness. On January 28， 2013， Xi said that China should have a global vision， better integrate domestic development with opening up to the outside world， and combine the interests of the Chinese people with those of all people.

Chinas reform and opening up represents a voluntary embrace of economic globalization and active integration into the prosperous future of human society.

Economic globalization is a trend which facilitates trade， investment， personnel fl ow and technological development.

If China wants to develop， it must not shut its door. The country must continue to integrate into the world and contribute to the building of an open and reasonable international order. China must seize global strategic opportunities， cope with challenges properly， handle international and domestic situations coordinately， promote more equitable and reasonable global governance， and create favorable conditions for its development and world peace.

“An integrated world is there. Whoever refuses the world will be refused by it，” Xi said at a meeting commemorating the 200th anniversary of Karl Marxs birth.

Reform and innovation

Unlike the 1950s and 1960s， when China gave priority to developing heavy industry， at the beginning of reform and opening up the gov- ernment encouraged and developed relatively small labor-intensive industries， making good use of the countrys comparative advantage in cheap and abundant labor. Such industries seized a share of the domestic and international market， greatly promoting Chinas economic and social development.

With the continuous expansion of the global market and profound changes in the world order， China is moving closer to the center of the international stage. Chinas development model has faced many problems in areas such as human resources， exchange rates and natural resources. Moreover， it should not be satisfied with its role as a world factory. The key to changing this is the development of core technology and the ownership of proprietary intellectual property rights.

Innovation is the primary driving force for development and the bedrock for building a modern economic system. Only through continuous reform and innovation can China continue to generate sustained economic growth.

However， it must be acknowledged that a lack of innovation is still an issue inhibiting Chinas development. Without mastery of core technologies， technical barriers will appear sooner or later.

Yet through reform and opening up， China continues to develop and create. It is no longer simply an imitator or follower， but steadily becoming an innovator and trailblazer.

Common well-being

Economic globalization is both a trend and a means. Its fundamental goal is to let the people of every country share the fruit of social development. China promotes globalization and global governance following the principle of achieving shared growth through discussion and collaboration， so as to make new and greater contributions to humankind， establish and improve the multilateral trading system and promote more open， inclusive， balanced and mutually benefi cial global economic growth.

In the modern world， countries are more interdependent， which inevitably brings greater uncertainty and instability. As a representative of emerging economies and developing countries， China is increasingly involved in improving global governance， taking on more important international responsibilities， effectively increasing its overall impact on the development of the world economy， and providing the international community with timely， effective and diversifi ed public goods.

In August 2014， during a visit to Mongolia， President Xi said that all countries are welcome to board the train of Chinas development. The idea that “to go fast， go alone， but to go far， go together” reflects Chinas willingness to promote the common progress and well-being of humankind. At the core of Chinas development is the desire to share opportunities and interests， achieve mutually beneficial results， and to make these outcomes bigger and more evenly distributed.

A harmonious world is an ideal envisioned in traditional Chinese culture. The concept of a community with a shared future for mankind is a response to historic changes. The shared aspect of these visions is that they focus on human liberation， hap- piness and development.

In this interconnected world， people should seize the opportunity presented by globalization to set up a community with a shared future. People should trust each other， jointly cope with the crises and challenges facing humanity， and achieve shared growth through discussion and collaboration.

The process of reform and opening up that started 40 years ago is the key to determining the destiny of contemporary China. It is indispensable for the liberation and development of social productivity， and is the only way to adapt to the new scientifi c and technological revolution of our times.

The successful experience of socialism with Chinese characteristics has injected new vitality into the international socialist movement， accelerated the multipolarization of the world， and provided a new choice for nations that hope to fast-track their development and maintain their independence.

Chinas reform and opening up is the result of the Chinese peoples conscious exploration of scientific socialism in China and their efforts in sinicizing and popular- izing Marxist doctrine. It is a path that the Chinese people have chosen to make the country strong. It could be said that reform and opening up is the inevitable result of the combination of scientific theories of socialism with Chinas own development practices. It is in this sense that President Xi emphasizes that socialism with Chinese characteristics is essentially the application of the scientifi c socialism founded by Marx and Engels to Chinas contemporary reality.

China has entered a new era. The best way to commemorate reform and opening up is to continue on the path toward development that it has created， by devoting greater effort to innovation， linking Chinas national interests with the well-being of all human beings， and pursuing the freedom， liberation and happiness of humankind.