On January 5, 2015, People’s Daily published a signed article of Minister of Commerce Gao Hucheng entitled “Deepening Opening up and Promoting the Great Rejuvenation—Learning from Collections of Key Speeches of General Secretary Xi Jinping”. Following is the full text.
Deepening Opening up and Promoting the Great Rejuvenation—Learning from Collections of Key Speeches of General Secretary Xi Jinping
The Collections of Key Speeches of General Secretary Xi Jinping comprehensively explains the important thought of Comrade Xi Jinping on governing a country, and systematically interprets a series of important speeches of Comrade Xi Jinping on comprehensively deepening reform, expanding opening up and economic and diplomatic work since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. It is of great guiding significance for us to deeply implement the spirit of the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the Third and the Fourth Plenary Sessions of the 18th CPC Central Committee, scientifically grasp international and domestic development trend, promote reform and opening up at the new historic start point, create a favorable external environment, and make efforts to realize the goal of “two centenaries” and the Chinese dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
The socialist road with Chinese characteristics is the road of opening up and development
Reform and opening up is a distinct symbol and source of vitality of contemporary China, and the only way to follow and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics. Comrade Xi Jinping pointed out that the main achievement of reform and opening up is having created and developed socialism with Chinese characteristics, providing strong power and guarantee to the socialist modernization drive. Reform and opening up will never end, and in the course of socialist modernization, we should hold high the flag of reform and opening up without any hesitation.
Throughout history, reform and opening up has been the only road to a powerful nation. In modern times, the common reason of the flourishing of the Netherlands, Britain, France, Germany, the United States and Japan is making use of international market and resources to realize their self-development. The flourishing age of the Han and Tang dynasties in our history owes to many reasons, among which openness, inclusiveness and integration of Chinese and foreign cultures are undoubtedly important factors. And the sluggish of domestic reform and seclusion from the outside world are the important reasons for the declining from the middle of the Qing Dynasty.
Summarizing the experience and lessons since the establishment of the People’s Republic of China and following the time trend and people’s anticipation, the Third Plenary Session of the 11th CPC Central Committee made the historic decision of reform and opening up in 1978, which started China’s course of opening up, with remarkable accomplishments.
The history of reform and opening up is the great history of the Party leading hundreds of millions of Chinese people to build socialism with Chinese characteristics jointly. In the development course of the open economy, the Party, leading the people, started from the fundamental realities of the country, freed the mind, practiced boldly, and broke the traditional mode of developing countries to seek development from trade protectionism, and expanded the development vision to the whole world, successfully realizing the great historical turns from the highly centralized planned economy system to the energetic socialist market economic system, and from seclusion and semi-seclusion to comprehensive opening up, writing a splendid poem of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
History is the best textbook. On the basis of comparison and deep thinking about modern history both at home and abroad repeatedly, comrade Xi Jinping pointed out that the reform and opening up is a key step to decide the destiny of contemporary China, and also a key step to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. We wouldn’t have today without the reform and opening up, neither could we expect tomorrow if we give up the reform and opening up. The socialist road with Chinese characteristics has resulted from the great practice of the reform and opening up, and is the only way leading to China’s socialist modernization and better life for its people, and also a road of opening and development leading to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
Response to the overall requirements of comprehensively deepening reforms and accelerate the reforms by opening up
The reform and opening up have been complementary to each other and should not be separated. The reform affords a system basis and internal conditions for opening up while opening up provides the reform with experience and vigor.
At the beginning of the reform and opening up, China broke out of the planned economy by setting up special economic zones, serving as an example for economic reform. After Deng Xiaoping’s South Talks in 1992, we broke out of confusions on planned economy or market economy, set up the reform orientation targeting at socialist market economy and began to participate in international division of labor in an all-round way. With the collaborative efforts of reform and opening up, China’s social and economic development has risen to a new step. In 2001, China joined the World Trade Organization, representing a new round of all-dimensional opening up and a comprehensive and deepening reform as well.
At present, China is at a hard time and has entered a deep water section of reform. As pointed out by Comrade Xi Jinping that “over more than three decades’ reforms, China has entered the deep water section where easy and happy reforms have been done. When the meat is eaten up, what’s left is the bones hard to chew.” Since universally beneficial reforms have been finished, it will be more difficult to promote reforms internally. Therefore, a greater, wider and higher level of opening up is required to help us “chew the hard bones” and advance the reforms accordingly.
Since the international financial crisis, the external environment for China’s development has had profound changes. No new engine for world economic growth has come into being while international competition for market and resources has been increasingly fierce. The developed countries rendered great support to advancing high-standard FTA construction marketed by “the new topics in the 21th century”, and global trade and economic rules need to be restructured. It’s the competition of rules and voice, and more importantly, it’s the competition of development initiative. The situation is serious, and not to advance is to go back. If we simply avoid it, postpone opening up or are pleased with low-level opening up, it’s probable for us to miss the bonus brought by a new round of global trade and investment liberalization, and see the external environment of development squeezed, delaying the steps of domestic reforms.
Comrade Xi Jinping pointed out that “the reform and opening up has come to a new key momentum. We will never shake the resolution of reform and opening up, the banner of reform and opening up must be raised highly, and the orientation of the socialist road with Chinese characteristics must be firmly adhered to.” Standing on the new starting point, we will gather consensus on opening up, increase confidence in opening up, clarify our thoughts on opening up, raise our ability of opening up, firmly take the initiative of opening up, and dare to chew the hard bones and break the barriers, and constantly inject strong impetus into China’s reform and opening up.
Plan and Manage Economic Diplomacy Strategy and Establish New International Relations
Establishing new international relations centering on cooperation and mutual benefits is a strategic choice made by the Chinese Communist Party in keeping with the trend of the time and China’s fundamental interests and reflects common wishes of the Chinese people and the people of the whole world. Comrade Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized that the Chinese dream is a dream in pursuit of peace, development, cooperation and win-win results and connects with beautiful dreams of the peoples of various countries in the world.
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Party Central Committee with Xi Jinping as general secretary has coordinated both domestic and international situations, kept a foothold in China’s comparative advantages, stuck to the correct idea of moral and profit, strengthened the top-level design and strategic planning of economic diplomacy, proposed many significant foreign strategic thoughts, coordinated and promoted the work of great powers, neighboring countries, developing countries and multilateral relationships, pushed forward comprehensive development of relations between China and all parties and created a new situation of China’s economic diplomacy. In order to do a good job in economic diplomacy in the new period and set up new international relations, efforts should be made to implement and carry out the economic diplomacy thoughts of Comrade Xi Jinping, closely combine foreign trade and economic cooperation with the strategic goals of national development, forge good Chinese products, cultivate excellent Chinese enterprises, tell wonderful Chinese stories and enable the Chinese dream to benefit the whole world.
Lead trade and economic cooperation with neighboring countries by “the Belt and Road Initiatives”. Efforts should be made to stick to going ahead with trade and economy and following the road of practical cooperation, expand mutual opening up and gather trade flow, logistics and talents flow in close combination with the industrial characteristics of the countries along “the Belt and Road”, develop trade in featured products, production and procession and cooperation in infrastructure according to the countries’ own policies, enhance the emissive power of China’s development to neighboring countries and create a harmonious and stable surrounding environment.
Optimize foreign trade and economic relations layout. Top priority should be given to continuing to stabilize trade and economic relations with major developed countries, make use of their complementary advantages with creativity and stabilize and deepen the converged interest pattern. Efforts should be made to establish the key points of bilateral cooperation with new emerging economies, develop complementary-type industrial chain cooperation, cultivate common development basis, insist on trade and investment dual-wheel driving, implement all aid measures, encourage competent enterprises to go abroad and further strengthen mutual beneficial cooperation with developing countries.
Promote the reconstruction of the global trade and economic rule system. Efforts should be made to actively participate in global governance, put forward new propositions, new initiatives and new action plans, enhance China’s ability of providing public products for the whole world and performing the responsibility of major powers, continue to regard the multilateral trade system as the main channel to promote the opening of global trade and investment, take part in the negotiations on the “new topics in the 21th century” with a more open mind and gradually form a high-standard free trade area network facing the whole world.
Improve the soft power of economic diplomacy. Efforts should be made to promote cultural industry to go abroad, endeavor to spread the values of contemporary China, enhance the emotional appeal and credibility of China’s foreign discourse, give full play to the positive role of foreign assistance and enable it to be the important carrier of serving China’s foreign strategy and promoting win-win results, supervise and urge enterprises that go abroad to operate in a creditable and law abiding way, pay attention to making contributions to local areas and create Chinese foreign enterprises with real strength and good reputation.
Dream carries hope and makes the future. The series of important speeches by Comrade Xi Jinping are extensive and profound with rich connotation and deep thoughts, and shine with the brilliance of the truth of Marxism. We must deeply study and implement the spirits of the important speeches by Comrade Xi Jinping, unswervingly pursue the win-win and opening up strategy, constantly promote reform and development by opening up and make necessary contributions to the Chinese dream of realizing the Chinese nation’s great rejuvenation and the world dream with lasting peace and common prosperity.
