Xi stresses solid efforts to write a new chapter in reform and opening up

President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, chairman of the Central Military Commission and director of the Central Commission for Comprehensively Deepening Reform, delivered an important speech while presiding over the first meeting of the commission under the 20th CPC Central Committee on Friday afternoon.

Xi stressed that this year is the first year for the implementation of the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress. It also marks the 45th anniversary of China’s reform and opening up and the 10th anniversary of the third plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee. To achieve the goals and targets on the new journey of the new era, we need to harness comprehensively deepening reform as the key source of momentum in our endeavor to advance Chinese modernization and the key focus of our efforts to secure overall stability, cope with changes, and open up new vistas. Steering toward the right direction, upholding fundamental principles and breaking new ground, and with solid efforts, we will write a new chapter in China’s reform and opening up on the new journey.

Li Qiang, Wang Huning and Cai Qi, both members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and deputy directors of the Central Commission for Comprehensively Deepening Reform, attended the meeting.

Seven documents were examined and approved at the meeting. They include Opinions on Reinforcing the Principal Role of Enterprises in Innovation, Opinions on Strengthening and Improving the Management of the State-Owned Sector to Support Chinese Modernization, Opinions on Promoting the Development of Private Economy, Work Regulations for the Central Commission for Comprehensively Deepening Reform, Work Regulations for the Specialized Groups of the Central Commission for Comprehensively Deepening Reform, Detailed Regulations for the Office of the Central Commission for Comprehensively Deepening Reform, and Work Plan for the Central Commission for Comprehensively Deepening Reform in 2023.

It was pointed out at the meeting that strengthening the principal role of enterprises in innovation is a major move taken to deepen the reform of scientific and technological system, and to realize higher level self-reliance and self-strengthening in science and technology. It is important to apply systems thinking, focus on “for whom we should innovate, who should innovate, what and how we should innovate.” Institution building should be the pivot to make holistic arrangements for decision-making on technological innovation, R&D investment, organizing scientific research, and the industrial application of scientific and technological advances. Systematic arrangements should be made for the distribution of such key resources for innovation as policies, fund, projects, platforms and professional personnel. Innovations in terms of science and technology, industries, and institutions and mechanisms should be promoted in a coordinated way, so as to promote the establishment of an innovation system with enterprises playing a principal role and closer collaboration between industries, universities, and research institutes. Meeting the major needs of the country's strategic and industrial development should be the focus in order to beef up support for enterprises in innovation, actively encourage and effectively guide private enterprises to participate in major national innovations, and promote enterprises to play their role in making innovations in core technologies in key fields and achieving breakthroughs in major original technologies.

It was stressed at the meeting that the missions the state-owned economy shoulders and its functions as well as its role on the new journey of the new era should be the pivot for strengthening and improving the management of this sector. Strategic importance must be attached to forging a new development pattern, advancing high-quality development, promoting common prosperity and safeguarding national security when efforts are made to optimize the sector’s safety responsibilities, quality, structure, property and management of enterprises. Efforts should be done to deepen reform of state-owned enterprises, and focus on addressing inadequacies, strengthening weak areas, consolidating fundamentals and giving full play to strengths, so as to build a management system of the state-owned sector that has top-level coordination, clear rights and responsibilities, efficient operation and powerful supervision.

It was noted at the meeting that supporting the development of the private sector is a long-term principle of the CPC Central Committee. To support the growth and expansion of the private sector, work must be done to improve the environment for its development, remove the institutional obstacles that prevent private enterprises from fairly participating in market competition, and guide them to accurately identify their role in the process of high-quality development, so that private enterprises will be able to constantly improve the quality of their development by reforming themselves, complying with law and regulations and upgrading themselves. We should fully consider the characteristics of the private economy, improve the way policies are implemented and coordinated to provide private enterprises with precise and direct access to preferential policies and thereby effectively solve the practical difficulties of enterprises. We should put into practice the building of a cordial and clean relationship between government and business to guide and promote the healthy growth of personages in the private sector.

It was emphasized at the meeting that since the 18th CPC National Congress, we have deepened the reform in an all-round way with great political courage, adhered to our goals as guide, highlighted problem-oriented approach, dared to break into uncharted waters, tackle tough issues, wade through dangerous rapids and face new issues and challenges, resolutely eliminated the drawbacks of various institutional mechanisms, and opened up a new situation with unprecedented strength. In the 10 years of the new era, the reform we have promoted is comprehensive, in-depth and fundamental, and the achievements we have made are historic, revolutionary and pioneering. There is no country or political party in the whole world that has the political courage and historical responsibility to carry out such a bold and inward-looking self-reform. There is either no country or political party that can promote reform in such a wide range of areas, at such a large scale, with such a powerful strength and in such a short period of time. This is a distinctive feature and significant advantage of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics.

To continue comprehensively deepening reform on the new journey, we must uphold and strengthen Party leadership, find the right path, clarify goals and tasks, and implement to the letter each task with scientific planning and the courage to innovate. We must overcome difficulties in major reform tasks, coordinate the overall situation while grasping the key points, plan and promote reform with a focus on the major issues of comprehensively building a modern socialist country. We must also make good use of the favorable conditions created by institutional reform, and strive to break through some difficulties in removing institutional obstacles in all areas and adjusting the distribution of interests. We should strengthen investigation into and research on reform, make more visits to regions and departments where issues and problems accumulate, go down to the grassroots and keep close contact with the people, so as to learn about and analyze real problems. In-depth study should be conducted on specific problems, while taking into consideration all aspects of work. We should use our brain and make more efforts as far as the scheme of things and overall situation are concerned. It is necessary to intensify reform and focus on implementation, to foster a more targeted and effective mechanism, under which higher and lower level institutions are well coordinated, vertical and horizontal management soundly integrated. Greater efforts should be made in supervision over reform to make sure that reform measures are implemented to the letter. All departments must be motivated and the incentive mechanisms on reform and innovation must be perfected. Advanced experience on reform should be shared and promoted, public opinions should be well guided and timely responses should be made to concerns of all parties.

Members of the Central Commission for Comprehensively Deepening Reform were present, and so were leading officials in charge of relevant central Party and government departments.