China is Still in the Primary Stage of Socialism

As the socialism with Chinese characteristics enters a new era, the Chinese nation has achieved a tremendous transformation – it has stood up, grown rich, and become strong. In this exciting and inspiring historical background, the 19th National Congress of the CPC solemnly reaffirmed that the basic dimension of the Chinese context—that our country is still and will long remain in the primary stage of socialism—has not changed. This fully embodies the sober consciousness, calmness, confident political vision, strategic concentration and mission undertaking of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, and has important political significance, theoretical significance and practical significance.  

We should firmly grasp the basic national condition of the primary stage of socialism 

The primary stage of socialism refers to the specific period that we must go through to build socialism under conditions of backward productive forces and underdeveloped commodity economy. The level of productive force is the fundamental criterion for judging the primary stage of socialism. If the level of productive force is not high enough and has not been raised to the level of modernization, it will remain in the primary stage of socialism. Therefore, it was pointed out in the report at the 13th National Congress of the CPC that, “It will be at least 100 years from the 1950s, when the socialist transformation of private ownership of the means of production was basically completed, to the time when socialist modernization will have been in the main accomplished, and all these years belong to the primary stage of socialism.” This in fact stated two features of the primary stage of socialism: the socialist modernization has in the main not been accomplished; and it will need about 100 years.  

Through the rapid development during reform and opening up, especially with the historic achievements obtained and the historic changes taking place since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the socialism with Chinese characteristics mounted onto a new big step, realizing the decisive leap-forward, and the most outstanding characteristic is that the principal contradiction in society has been evolved as that between the people’s ever-growing needs for a better life and unbalanced and inadequate development. The principal contradiction in society is the objective reflection of the social productive force developing level and characteristics of the social development stage, and the change of the principal contradiction means that a kind of a leap-forward has realized in the development level of the productive force, and that the development phase has moved a step forward. But the current level of productive force has not yet leapt to reach the level of modernization, and the characteristics of the development stage demonstrated in this period are still the new features in the big background of primary stage of socialism, instead of the characteristic after transcending the primary stage of socialism, therefore they cannot change the judgment on the development stage of socialism in China.  

It is pointed out in the report at the 19th National Congress of the CPC that China’s overall productive forces have significantly improved. This is mainly in terms of longitudinal comparison. Indeed, China’s overall productive forces today have significantly improved and in many areas our production capacity leads the world. It is not only a world of difference as compared with that of 40 or 30 years ago, and is also no comparison with that 20 or 10 years ago, and even 5 years ago. However, from the perspective of the whole world development process, and compared with other countries, China's development level of productive force is still at a moderate level on the whole and still at the level of the primary stage of socialism.  

As we look further, the unbalanced and inadequate development is fundamentally attributable to the inadequate level of productive force. This unbalanced and inadequate development is not only reflected in the backward regions and some rural areas, and can even found in some developed areas in the east, including some big cities. For example, high-quality medical institutions and education institutions are still scarce resources. The construction of high-level urban underground pipe network has just started, and has not yet started in some cities, and there are villages in some of the cities.  

The primary stage of socialism is also reflected in the immaturity of the system construction and the need for continuous improvement and development of it. It will need quite a long time to form a complete set of more mature and more determined system in all aspects, and to give full play to the advantages of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and it will not happen overnight.  

The reiteration that the basic dimension of the Chinese contest that our country is still and will long remain in the primary stage of socialism has not changed is not contradictory to the judgment that the socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era. The new era is one of the primary stages of socialism, and the characteristics of the long historical process of primary stage of socialism demonstrated in the present period. In the background of primary stage of socialism, the great success of the socialism with Chinese characteristics has demonstrated to the world the great vitality of socialism, making China a banner for the development of scientific socialism in the 21st century, and the mainstay for the revitalization of the world socialism. This more clearly indicates the correct and strong leadership of the Communist Party of China and the hard work of the Chinese people in unity.  

Keep a firm foothold on the biggest reality of the primary stage of socialism 

Comrade Xi Jinping pointed out, it is important not only to keep foothold on the primary stage in economic construction, but also bear in mind the primary stage in political construction, cultural construction, social construction and ecological civilization development; not only to keep foothold on the primary stage when our economic aggregate is low, but also bear in mind the primary stage when our economic aggregate has increased; not only to keep foothold on the primary stage when we plan for long-term development, but also bear in mind the primary stage in our daily work. The reason why we emphasize the development orientation of the primary stage of socialism is that the formulation of the correct line, principles and policies comes from the correct judgment of the development stage. We will suffer in practice if we get rid of the biggest reality of the primary stage of socialism.  

The biggest reality of primary stage of socialism reminds us that, upholding and developing the socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, we should have enough strategic awareness and concentration in formulating policies, and do our best to avoid any tendency of rush for quick results by going beyond reality and beyond development stage. More than that, we must also increase our awareness of unexpected difficulties, be prepared for dangers in times of calm and prevent declination in times of prosperity, and we would rather estimate more sufficiently the long-term complexity of the primary stage of socialism.  

China’s economy has shifted from a high speed growth phase to a high quality development phase, and is now in a critical period in changing the development pattern, optimizing the economic structure and changing the drive force of growth. This shows that the level of social productivity still cannot meet the demand for further development, and not yet in line with the expectations of the people. We should have a dialectical understanding of the stage of high-quality development and accelerate the pace of economic transformation and upgrading. Needless to say, our past miracle in economic development was achieved by relying on hard work at high cost when the productive force level was relatively low, and the labor productivity in our country is still far lower than that of many countries in the world. China's economic aggregate now steadily ranks at the second place in the world, but there is still a long way to go from big to strong, and this economic giant still has the “Achilles heel”, mainly reflected in the fact that the development quality and efficiency is not high, the innovation ability is not strong, and the real economy level needs to be raised, so we need to continue to catch up with great efforts.  

Only by keeping a firm foothold on the biggest reality of primary stage of socialism can we firmly adhere to the basic line of our Party, which is the lifeline of our Party and country, and the people’s happiness line.  

We must take economic development as the central task to rejuvenate our country. Although China has entered the stage “after we have developed” from that “before development”, this does not mean we need not to develop further, instead, we should still take development as the primary task, and this only requires development at higher level and with higher quality and efficiency, also more balanced and adequate development. The comprehensive development we advocate will still have main points, economic development will remain the locomotive of development, and at the same time, we will realize coordinated development in politics, culture, society and ecological civilization.  

We must adhere to the four cardinal principles as the foundation for building our country. We should reflect the confidence in the path, theory, system and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics in all aspects of socialist modernization, there should be no ambiguity in our political position, political direction, political principles and political path, and we must take a clear-cut stand in the political consciousness, the overall situation consciousness, the core consciousness and the consciousness of alignment. In particular, we must uphold the Party's leadership in all our work and give full play to the most essential features of socialism with Chinese characteristics and the greatest advantages of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics.  

We will continue to make reform and opening up the way to empower our country. We will further emancipate our mind, further emancipate and develop social productive forces, further emancipate and enhance the vitality of society, set out further at the new historical starting point, comprehensively deepen the reform, eliminate the stubborn and pernicious diseases and remove barriers of fixed interests, so that our people will have more sense of gain. We will promote all-round opening up to the outside world, actively participate in global economic governance and international supply of public goods, and increase China's institutional right of speech in global economic governance.  

Work hard to compose a new chapter of socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era 

Comrade Xi Jinping pointed out that, we should not only see that the basic dimension that China is still in the primary stage of socialism has not changed, but also see the new features demonstrated in each stage of economic and social development in China. We must accurately grasp the new changes and characteristics of different stages of development in our country, change and keep pace with the times, to push forward socialism with Chinese characteristics for the new era with new ideas, new actions and a new mental state. While stressing that we should not do things beyond the stage of development, we should not stick to the set rules without doing anything. Instead, we should do what we can on the basis of the existing conditions, and seize the opportunities of the times to make the best within our abilities. We must resolutely correct all ideas and practices that fall behind the reality and ignore the objective facts of profound change, to follow the beaten track only.  

We should arm our minds, guide our practice and promote our work More consciously with Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. It is an unprecedented great practice to realize the “two centenary goals” and the Chinese Dream of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation in the basic background of primary stage of socialism. It is also an unprecedented great practice for China, as a developing country, to actively participate in global governance and use the values of community with a shared future for mankind to shape a new type of international relations featuring greater equity, justice and pursuing for win-win cooperation, in the background that the western developed countries are still in an advantageous position in overall strength, although beset with difficulties. It is an even greater practice in the way of righteousness of the Communist Party of China and Chinese society in the contemporary times to provide a Chinese solution with practices in China for the exploration of better social systems for the mankind and to make greater new contributions to the progress of human civilization with the great rejuvenation of Chinese civilization. Great practice should be guided by great theories and led by great thought. This is Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.  

We should be more determined to destroy the old and establish the new, reform and innovate, and meet new challenges and undertake new missions with new actions. We must unswervingly adhere to the basic line of our Party, but in the new era, something new must be done if we want to really and better adhere to the basic line of our Party. We should implement the concept of new development, accelerate the transformation of the economic development pattern, optimize the economic structure, improve the quality and efficiency of development, and blaze a new path of development. To push ahead reform in real earnest, we should not only reform the inappropriate institutional mechanism, concepts and practices, but also reform again aspects having been done wrongly or having not properly done in the process of previous reform, as well as behavior patterns once working in reform but already becoming inappropriate now. In this aspect, we should not only be bold to “change”, but also “change it greatly”, and “in all dimensions”.  

We should be more gallant in our march along the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. It is the firm belief and historical mission of the Chinese communists to go ahead from the primary stage to the advanced stage and then to the higher stage of communism. In the “two-step” strategic arrangement made at the 19th National Congress of the CPC, a key step forward was taken on the basis of basically realizing modernization to complete the building of a great socialist modernized country by the middle of the century, and this is a declaration of the pursuit and aspiration of the communists of China.