The 2023 Central Economic Work Conference will focus on the in-depth implementation of the reform of state-owned enterprises, deepening and upgrading actions, and promoting the development and growth of private enterprises. Upholding the common development of the economy under various forms of ownership with public ownership as the mainstay is the cornerstone of the mainland's socialist basic economic system, and adhering to the "two unswerving" principles is the inevitable requirement and concrete embodiment of upholding and perfecting the socialist basic economic system. To promote Chinese-style modernization, both state-owned enterprises and private enterprises must achieve high-quality development. Promoting and promoting the common development of private enterprises is an important responsibility of Chinese state-owned enterprises in the new era and new journey.
The importance and necessity of state-owned enterprises to drive and promote the development of private enterprises
The natural nature of state-owned enterprises to drive and promote the development of private enterprises. Marx pointed out: "In all forms of society there is a certain kind of production that determines the status and influence of all other productions, and therefore its relations also determine the status and influence of all other relations." It is a pervasive light that obscures all other colors and changes their character. According to this thinking, in the "totality" of socialist economic relations, the public ownership of the means of production, which occupies the dominant position in the socialist ownership structure, is the "universal light" in the "whole", that is, the "economic power" that dominates everything in the socialist economic relations, that is, the basis and conditions stipulated for the integration of the socialist market economic system into and the generation of the socialist basic economic system. The public ownership of the means of production is the "universal light" in the socialist relations of production, which profoundly affects the non-public economic component of the socialist market economic system and plays an important role in regulating and guiding the development of non-public capital. As the "universal light" of public ownership, state-owned enterprises should and will be able to influence and promote the development of private enterprises.
The inevitability of state-owned enterprises to drive and promote the development of private enterprises. As an important carrier and realization form of the state-owned economy and the public-owned economy, state-owned enterprises play a leading role in the national economy. In the new era and new journey, state-owned enterprises (SOEs) are a strategic supporting force for the high-quality development of China's economy and the modernization of China. At present, the core functions of state-owned enterprises can also be specifically decomposed into boosters, pillars, and ballast stones for economic growth and smooth operation, and the vanguard and main force for implementing the new development concept and realizing innovation-driven development. The core function of state-owned enterprises determines that state-owned enterprises must assume the roles of strategic security, industrial leadership, national economy and people's livelihood and public services, and it is determined that state-owned enterprises should not only achieve high-quality development for themselves, but also drive enterprises of other ownership systems to jointly achieve high-quality development, not only to become stronger, better and bigger, but also to drive enterprises of other ownership systems to become stronger, better and bigger. The common development of economies under various forms of ownership is an intrinsic requirement of the socialist market economy, and the leading role and strategic supporting role of state-owned enterprises is embodied in influencing, promoting, driving and leading enterprises under other forms of ownership to achieve common development.
The necessity of state-owned enterprises to drive and promote the development of private enterprises. State-owned enterprises must give full play to the important role of scientific and technological innovation, industrial leadership and security support in the process of building a modern socialist country and promoting Chinese-style modernization, which determines that state-owned enterprises must drive and promote the common development of private enterprises, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, and realize the common progress of the "people". Against the backdrop of the acceleration of major changes unseen in a century and the continuous rise of various forms of unilateralism and protectionism, it is difficult for the mainland, which is still in the initial stage of socialism, to rapidly develop new productive forces and realize Chinese-style modernization by relying on only one type of ownership economy. Enterprises under different forms of ownership should make contributions to speeding up the development of new productive forces, guarding against and responding to various risks and challenges, and forming new momentum for economic development. In the process of accelerating the development of strategic emerging industries and future industries, promoting the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries, and building a modern industrial system, state-owned enterprises and private enterprises play a unique role and assume an indispensable and irreplaceable important role in the process of realizing common prosperity for all people, coordinated development of material civilization and spiritual civilization, and harmonious coexistence between man and nature. To this end, state-owned enterprises and private enterprises should learn from each other's strong points and make up for their weaknesses in terms of mechanism, compete and cooperate in the market, and jointly tackle key problems in innovation. In order to promote economic development and ensure full employment, state-owned enterprises have the responsibility, necessity and obligation to lend a helping hand to private enterprises and jointly respond to the uncertainty of the external environment with the certainty of high-quality development.
Continuously improve the ability and level of state-owned enterprises to drive and promote the development of private enterprises
Viewed from both theoretical logic and practical needs, it is reasonable and necessary for state-owned enterprises to promote and promote the development of private enterprises. On the new journey, we must continue to build modern new state-owned enterprises through reform and innovation, and improve the ability and level of state-owned enterprises to drive and promote the development of private enterprises.
First, we should continue to deepen the reform of state-owned enterprises. The "reform" of state-owned enterprises is not a simple marketization, let alone privatization, but a reform based on the functional orientation and mission of state-owned enterprises in the new era with the goal of enhancing the core competitiveness and core functions of state-owned enterprises. The key to reform is to stimulate the vitality of enterprises and improve their efficiency. The first is to build a modern new state-owned enterprise as the direction of state-owned enterprise reform and innovation. The overall mission, goals and tasks of the reform and innovation of state-owned enterprises in the new era and new journey are to accelerate the realization of high-quality development, and then to strengthen and optimize state-owned enterprises and state-owned capital, and contribute the due strength of state-owned assets and state-owned enterprises to Chinese-style modernization. To this end, it is necessary to build a new modern state-owned enterprise with a new development mode, a new corporate governance, a new operating mechanism, and a new layout and structure through the reform of state-owned enterprises, and accelerate the formation and development of new quality productive forces. The second is to adhere to the reform of hierarchical, categorical, and sub-regional. The classification reform must pay attention to the functional role of different types of enterprises, and improve the energy efficiency of the reform in a targeted manner. The hierarchical reform should focus on the reform of different levels of group companies and subsidiaries, and the local government should promote the reform of state-owned assets and state-owned enterprises at the prefectural and municipal levels. The reform of sub-regions should be carried out in accordance with the actual conditions and resource endowments of various localities. For example, many localities in the eastern region have a good economic foundation, and state-owned assets and state-owned enterprises have great advantages and space in developing industrial clusters and industrial chain circulation; state-owned assets and state-owned enterprises in the western region should make achievements in giving full play to the advantages of local resources. The third is to improve the modern enterprise system with Chinese characteristics. Continuously improve the modernization level of corporate governance of state-owned enterprises, promote different levels and types of state-owned enterprises to continue to strengthen the party's leadership in improving corporate governance, continue to improve the operating mechanism of the board of directors, and deepen and implement the three system reforms. Fourth, it is necessary to maintain a fair and competitive market environment and stimulate and protect the entrepreneurial spirit. To build a high-level socialist market economy, it is necessary to create a first-class business environment that is market-oriented, law-based, and internationalized, so that the market can play a decisive role in the allocation of resources, and at the same time, it is necessary to give better play to the role of the government. Fair competition and rational allocation of resources by state-owned enterprises and other enterprises of various forms of ownership are the proper meaning of building a high-level socialist market economy. State-owned enterprises and private enterprises are all state enterprises, and national enterprises must receive due property rights protection and policy support.
Second, we should continuously improve the innovation capacity of state-owned enterprises. To make state-owned enterprises stronger, better and bigger, and to promote and drive the development of the private economy, we must take scientific and technological innovation as the "number one task" of state-owned enterprises, concentrate resources and forces, and build some qualified state-owned enterprises, especially central enterprises, into national strategic scientific and technological forces, and build them into important places for tackling key scientific and technological problems. Give full play to the advantages of the new national system, give full play to the advantages of integrated innovation and organizational platforms of state-owned enterprises, explore the construction of a number of proof-of-concept and pilot test platforms, take the initiative to open up application scenarios, clarify independent and controllable goals in the planning stage of major projects and key projects, continuously promote the improvement and iterative upgrading of technical products in the application process, and accelerate the transformation of scientific and technological achievements into real productivity. State-owned enterprises should rely on the construction of original technology sources to build a scientific and technological innovation system with enterprises as the main body, market-oriented, and deep integration of production, education and research, so as to promote the organic connection of the innovation chain and greatly improve the efficiency of innovation. Solve the problem of "bottlenecks" in key industries and cutting-edge technologies as soon as possible, and steadily enhance the voice and influence of Chinese enterprises in the global emerging industry pattern. The regulatory departments of state-owned enterprises must create a policy environment conducive to scientific and technological innovation and independent innovation of enterprises in an all-round way, actively guide state-owned enterprises to open up innovation resources such as R&D capabilities, scientific research instruments and equipment, test sites, and application scenarios to private enterprises, give full play to the advantages of concentrating on major events, and gather the strength of the whole society to jointly promote international standards, national standards, industry standards, etc., and strengthen cooperation in the field of intellectual property.
Finally, it is necessary to speed up the formation and development of new quality productive forces. The new quality productivity is a new type of productivity initiated and led by scientific and technological innovation, with the digital economy and intelligent economy as the main business forms, and the strategic emerging industries and future industries as the main carriers. The development of new quality productive forces requires new production relations to match and adapt to them. At present, the primary goal of the reform and innovation of state-owned enterprises is to accelerate the formation and development of new quality productive forces by building modern new state-owned enterprises, strengthening mutually beneficial cooperation with private enterprises and other enterprises of various types of ownership in new fields and new tracks, and then improving the ability and level of scientific and technological innovation, and constantly forming new industries and new business forms.
(Authors: Li Zheng and Zhou Xizhen, dean of the School of Economics of Liaoning University, researcher of the Research Center for the Theoretical System of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics of Liaoning University, and researcher of Hunan Xiangjiang Research Institute, respectively)
Source: Guangming Daily