Text丨Xin Ming
Abstract: The development of new quality productive forces is not only a major theoretical innovation in Marxist political economy, but also a major strategic innovation in contemporary China to achieve high-quality development. A deep understanding of the new era implication of new quality productivity is of great significance for us to adapt to the scientific and technological progress of the new era, lead the great changes in the world, implement the new development concept, and promote Chinese-style modernization.
The core meaning of the new quality productivity lies not only in "newness", but also in "quality". It is a new form of productive forces that has undergone qualitative changes and is even completely different from the traditional productive forces. Such a new form of productive forces will make Chinese modernization more active and more confident.
Fundamentally speaking, the new quality of productive forces is built on the basis of scientific and technological progress, and scientific and technological innovation is the core element of the development of new quality of productive forces. The picture shows Haiyuntian Industrial Park, Dapeng New District. Photo by Shenzhen Special Zone Daily reporter Cheng Haikun
When General Secretary Xi Jinping participated in the deliberations of the Jiangsu delegation at the second session of the 14th National People's Congress, he gave further instructions on the development of new quality productivity, emphasizing that "we must firmly grasp the primary task of high-quality development and develop new quality productivity according to local conditions" "All localities should adhere to the principle of proceeding from reality, establish first and then break, and new quality productivity is a new concept and new thesis put forward by General Secretary Xi Jinping during his inspection and investigation in Heilongjiang Province in September 2023." Once proposed, it quickly aroused strong repercussions in Chinese society and became an important requirement and policy direction for China's economic and social development. The development of new quality productive forces is not only a major theoretical innovation in Marxist political economy, but also a major strategic innovation in achieving high-quality development in contemporary China. A deep understanding of the new era implication of new quality productivity is of great significance for us to adapt to the scientific and technological progress of the new era, lead the great changes in the world, implement the new development concept, and promote Chinese-style modernization.
Profound insights into the scientific and technological revolution of the 21st century
A new round of scientific and technological revolution in the world is poised to start, original breakthroughs in some major scientific issues such as material structure, cosmic evolution, origin of life, and the nature of consciousness are opening up new frontiers and new directions, and some major disruptive technological innovations are creating new industries and new formats. The pace of integration of a new generation of information technology such as mobile Internet and robotics and intelligent manufacturing technology is accelerating, the chain of scientific and technological innovation is more dexterous, the technological update and transformation of achievements are faster, and the upgrading of industries is accelerating, so that social production and consumption are transforming from industrialization to automation and intelligence.
With the development and progress of science and technology, the form of human social productive forces has constantly taken on a new form. Fundamentally speaking, the new quality of productive forces is built on the basis of scientific and technological progress, with new industries, new models, and new kinetic energy as the basic form of productive forces, and scientific and technological innovation is the core element of the development of new quality of productive forces. Original and disruptive scientific and technological innovation has greatly improved social productivity and made a greater leap in labor productivity. Therefore, it is an objective requirement for the development of new productive forces to be guided by forward-looking and strategic needs, grasp the trend of scientific and technological development and national strategic needs, adhere to the goal-oriented and free exploration of the "two-legged walk", persistently strengthen basic research, and strive to create more original achievements "from 0 to 1", so that original and subversive scientific and technological innovation achievements can emerge one after another.
The new quality productivity is guaranteed by self-reliance and self-improvement. The economic model and ideal state of scientific and technological innovation is extensive and deep, smooth and convenient global cooperation, but in the real economic and social development environment, such exchanges and cooperation are often limited, unstable or even impossible. In recent years, some developed countries in the West have been "stuck" in the field of chips and other high-tech fields. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that even if the scale is large and the market value is high, if the core components are heavily dependent on foreign countries, and the "lifeline" of the supply chain is in the hands of others, it is like building a house on the foundation of someone else's wall. Core technology is the country's important weapon, the market can not exchange for core technology, money can not buy core technology, we must rely on their own research and development, self-development, based on independent innovation, self-reliance and self-reliance. The development of new quality productive forces should take key common technologies, cutting-edge leading technologies, modern engineering technologies, and disruptive technological innovations as breakthroughs, deploy ahead of time, concentrate on tackling key problems, and develop "killer" technologies, so as to realize the independent and controllable key core technologies, and realize the transformation of the level of science and technology from following and running to running and leading. Of course, independent innovation is not to engage in research and development behind closed doors, but to adhere to open innovation, and cooperate with the world for win-win and common progress with an open mind.
The new quality productivity takes innovation as the soul. Innovation is a complex social system engineering, involving all fields of economy and society, and will face many difficulties and challenges. To develop new quality productive forces, it is necessary to formulate a strategic outline for the development of scientific and technological innovation, formulate a roadmap, timetable, and task book, clarify short-term, medium-term, and long-term goals, follow the laws of technology, and advance in stages, categories, and stages. We should continue to make efforts in the main body of innovation, innovation foundation, innovation resources, innovation environment, etc., optimize and strengthen the top-level design of the technological innovation system, clarify the functional positioning of the innovation subjects of enterprises, universities and scientific research institutes in different links of the innovation chain, stimulate the innovation passion and vitality of all kinds of subjects, strengthen the national strategic scientific and technological strength, improve the overall efficiency of the national innovation system, and lay a solid foundation for the development of new quality productivity.
Leading the sober research and judgment of the great changes in the world unseen in a century
At present, the world is undergoing major changes unseen in a century, and the characteristics of changes in the world, the times, and history are becoming more obvious. The most striking feature of the great changes in the world is that fundamental changes are taking place in the international pattern and the international balance of power. Since the 20 th century, the basic pattern of the world has been dominated by the "center-periphery" hegemonic pattern dominated by the United States and its allies, which has formed an absolute monopoly and overwhelming advantage on the whole, so that hundreds of other countries are often in a passive or even dependent state on the world political and economic stage. However, since the beginning of the 21st century, emerging market countries and a large number of developing countries have risen rapidly, their comprehensive national strength and international influence have been continuously enhanced, and the position of Western developed countries in dominating the world has begun to weaken. Although the absolute balance of power is still stronger than that of developed countries, the marginal growth rate of the power of emerging countries is far greater than that of many established countries, and the development pattern of world power is no longer one-sided, but has begun to show a relatively balanced trend, and even the trend of rising in the east and falling in the west is becoming more and more obvious. The growing deficits in peace, development, governance, and trust fully demonstrate that the existing world order and world pattern are becoming more and more unsustainable.
The force behind the change in the world is the transformation of the productive forces. The change of the productive forces will inevitably lead to the change of the mode of production, and the change of the mode of production will inevitably bring about a change in the social form. The hand-pushed mill creates a social form dominated by agriculture, and the steam mill produces a social form dominated by industry. The mastery and application of the form of productive forces will reshape the world economic structure, economic pattern and even political map, and profoundly affect the rise and fall of the power of various countries. The world before the 21st century was dominated by Western countries by taking advantage of their mastery of traditional industrial productivity. So which country in the 21st century will take the lead in terms of new quality productivity characterized by digitalization and artificial intelligence will directly establish its dominant position in the world's century-old changes.
After more than 70 years of sustained development since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the mainland has basically formed a population structure and development trend of developing new productive forces, and has built the world's largest vocational education system. Among them, secondary vocational and higher vocational schools train about 10 million high-quality technical and skilled talents for the country every year, with a total of more than 200 million skilled workers and more than 60 million high-skilled talents. In 2020, the total number of scientific and technological workers in mainland China reached 91 million, and the total number of full-time R&D personnel was 3.8 million, ranking first in the world, and the number of engineers accounted for 1/4 of the world. According to the "2023 Statistical Communiqué on National Economic and Social Development", the average number of years of education of the mainland's working-age population has increased to 11.05 years, and the total number of human resources, scientific and technological human resources, and R&D personnel rank first in the world. In 2023, the mainland's total expenditure on research and experimental development (R&D) will be 3.3 trillion yuan, or 2.64% of GDP, of which basic research expenditure will increase by 9.3%. This indicator is firmly among the highest in the world. All this has laid a solid foundation for the development of new quality productive forces and winning the initiative in competition among major countries.
Strategic consciousness to implement the new development concept
The development of human society cannot be taken for granted, and must follow the laws of development, such as economic, natural, and social laws. The development of new quality productive forces fully embodies the scientific observance of the law of development in contemporary Chinese society from the stage of "before development" to "after development" and from a big country to a strong country; it fully embodies the conscious application of the law of development in the context of China's economic development entering a new stage of development and the sluggish world economy.
The new quality productivity is a productivity that gets rid of the traditional economic growth mode and the development path of the productive forces, has the characteristics of high technology, high efficiency and high quality, and takes new industries, new models and new kinetic energy as the basic form. Adhere to the new development concept, take the transformation of the development mode as the starting point, effectively promote the transformation of scientific and technological innovation from research and development to industry and enterprises, and use new industries, new models and new kinetic energy to provide a broad stage for new quality productivity, and the new quality productivity will be transformed from theoretical productivity to real productivity.
As the mainland enters a new stage of development, the long-term mode of relying mainly on the input of resources, capital, labor, and other factors to support economic growth and scale expansion is no longer sustainable, and the tasks of changing power, mode, and structural adjustment brook no delay. At present, the driving force of the mainland's low-cost resources and factor input has been significantly weakened, and it is necessary to inject new impetus into economic development with new quality productive forces; social development is facing many challenges such as population aging and ensuring people's health, and it is necessary to rely on new quality productive forces to achieve coordinated economic and social development; the development of ecological civilization is facing increasingly severe environmental pollution, and it is necessary to rely on new quality productive forces to build a beautiful China with blue sky, green ground and clear water; energy security, food security, network security, ecological security, biological security, The pressure of national defense and security risks is increasing, and it is necessary to rely on new quality productivity to ensure national security.
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Development is the first priority, talent is the first resource, and innovation is the first driving force. If China does not follow the path of innovation-driven development, and the old and new drivers can be smoothly transformed, it will not be able to become truly strong. "After the number and cost advantages of labor force are gradually weakened, we should adapt to the needs of the construction of a high-quality and high-efficiency modern economic system, and accelerate the transformation of labor quantity dividend to quality dividend. Instead of relying mainly on the growth of factor inputs, as in the past, we must rely more on the improvement of total factor productivity. Through the innovative allocation of production factors and the in-depth transformation and upgrading of industries, the leap of laborers, labor materials, labor objects and their optimal combinations has opened up the way for the development of new quality productivity. Among them, strategic emerging industries are the new pillars and new tracks leading the future development. We must continue to optimize the industrial structure, product structure and market main body structure, vigorously develop high-tech industries, strategic emerging industries and modern service industries, accelerate the construction of a modern industrial system with intelligent, green, and integrated characteristics and meet the requirements of integrity, advancement, and safety, and strive to form a new development pattern that is innovation-driven, expands domestic demand, and focuses on modern industries.
Changing the mode of development inevitably requires a complete break with the traditional mode of development, and the traditional mode of development must not be allowed to continue to consume development resources and crowd out the space for development. But don't simply equate traditional development methods with traditional industries. The new mode of development must be centered on new industries and take them as the fulcrum, but cultivating new industries does not completely negate traditional industries, nor can it completely negate traditional industries, but should pay attention to comprehensively transforming and upgrading traditional industries with new technologies and new business forms, accelerate the high-end, intelligent and green upgrading of traditional industries, enhance the ability to create value, and then enhance the status and competitiveness of traditional industries in the global industrial division of labor. Therefore, whether it is a new industry or a traditional industry, it is necessary to lay out the industrial chain around the development of new quality productivity, improve the resilience and safety level of the industrial chain and supply chain, and ensure that the industrial system is independent, controllable, safe and reliable.
The historical initiative to promote Chinese-style modernization
Chinese modernization is not only economic and social modernization, but also the modernization of the development of human civilization. Chinese modernization has not only blazed a new trail, but also created a new civilization. The new road and the new civilization also need the support, guarantee and promotion of the new form of productive forces. The core meaning of the new quality productivity lies not only in "newness", but also in "quality". It is a new form of productive forces that has undergone qualitative changes and is even completely different from the traditional productive forces. Such a new form of productive forces will make Chinese modernization more active and more confident.
The new quality of productive forces guarantees the fairness and justice of the right to development. Chinese modernization takes common prosperity as an intrinsic requirement and is committed to the common realization of modernization by all people, and takes joint construction, sharing and win-win results as the basic concept, and is committed to enabling all countries in the world to take the "free ride" of Chinese-style modernization. This is not only due to the superiority of the social system, but also the new space, new resources, and new kinetic energy of the new quality of productive forces provide a powerful driving force.
The new quality productivity promotes the harmonious coexistence of man and nature. Behind the level of modernization, which measures the level of modernization by the degree of conquest of nature, is also the constraint of traditional productive forces, which places the object of labor on the opposite side of the main body of development. The development of new quality productive forces enables Chinese modernization to get out of the dilemma of Western civilization in which the duality of subject and object is opposed, and realize the harmonious coexistence of man and nature on the basis of fully developed productive forces.
The new quality of productive forces promotes the practical emancipation of the main body of development. Man, as a laborer, is the active element of the productive forces. The level of new quality productivity depends on the improvement of the quality of laborers, which in turn promotes the emancipation of laborers in the essential sense. Modernization in the context of traditional productive forces has alienated means into ends, what is the most precious human being, what is the meaning of life, what is self-realization, and so on, which are extremely vivid and rich connotations, are solidified under the narrow logic of capital and "the heart is a servitude". Chinese-style modernization, which is built on the basis of new quality productive forces, persists in taking the all-round development of man as the purpose of modernization, and creates abundant and realistic material conditions for the true realization of man's emancipation.
[The author is a professor at the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (National Academy of Administration)]
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