Session ushers in new era of governance

Editor's Note: The Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th Communist Party of China Central Committee, which concluded last week, called for upholding and improving the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, as well as modernizing the national governance system and governance capability. Two experts share their views on the issue with China Daily’s Liu Jianna. Excerpts follow:

Qin Yicheng, an assistant research fellow at the World Socialism Research Center, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

The Fourth Plenary Session’s decision has three outstanding characteristics.

First, it made clear that upholding the centralized and unified leadership of the Party is the biggest advantage of the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

The system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, which covers the Party leadership, and the economic, political, cultural, ecological, military and diplomatic systems, is a scientific system established by the Party and the people after long-term explorations. It has 13 notable advantages, among which adhering to the Party’s centralized and unified leadership and scientific theories, maintaining political stability and ensuring the country marches forward on the path of socialism is the primary one.

Therefore, the plenary session decided to improve the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics and promote the modernization of the national governance system and governance capability in 13 aspects. It also gave priority to improving the Party leadership system and enhancing the Party’s capability of promoting scientific, democratic and law-based governance.

Emphasizing the leading role of the Party’s leadership in the national governance system, the session reflected on the necessity of adhering to the Party’s leadership by following its guiding theories and specific measures. The plenary session’s decision is also an important step toward implementing the spirit of the Constitution, which stipulates that the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics is the fundamental system of the People’s Republic of China, and the Party leadership is the most essential characteristic of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Second, the decision shows the strategic focus and governance capability of the CPC Central Committee with General Secretary Xi Jinping as the core. The plenary session and its decisions are designed to implement the development goals proposed in the 19th National Congress of the CPC report, which says that by the 100th anniversary of the founding of New China (that is, 2049), the modernization of the national governance system and governance capability would be complete, the socialist system consolidated and its advantages fully demonstrated.

Such strategic focus, systemic advantage and capability to implement have been rarely seen across the world. And that is exactly where the secret of China’s and the Party’s success lies.

And third, remaining true to its original goal and keeping its mission firmly in mind are part of the Party’s self-reform. That the Party’s self-reform drives the Chinese people forward is an important characteristic of the new era. A comparative study of the development path of other countries would help the Party and China see clearly the path ahead and ensure the Party always stays ahead of the curve.

Zheng Zhifa, a professor at the School of Marxism of Nanchang University

The plenary session’s decision summarizes China’s experiences over the past 70 years in building a socialist system, and establishes the theoretical and discourse systems to promote socialism with Chinese characteristics, providing strong theoretical support for enhancing confidence in the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics and opening a new chapter in national governance modernization.

Since leading the Chinese people to establish New China, the Party has been taking measures to improve the national governance system and governance capability, and has thus laid the basic political and systemic foundation for modern China’s progress. Yet thanks to some left-leaning mistakes in its guiding theory, the Party, in the past, struggled to build a national governance system that conforms to China’s real condition.

After the launch of reform and opening-up, however, it reflected on the national governance system from a new perspective and gradually recognized that the leadership system and organizational issues are of fundamental and overall importance and long-term relevance to the progress of the Party and the country.

The practice and achievements of four decades of reform and opening-up have proved the potential, advantage and vitality of socialism with Chinese characteristics, as well as exposed certain deficiencies in the construction of the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Since the 18th Party Congress, the CPC Central Committee has been vigorously promoting the modernization of the national governance system and governance capability. The Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee focused on comprehensively deepening reform, the Third Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee drew up the blueprint for deepening Party and State organ reform, and the Fourth Plenary Session has made strategic arrangements for upholding and improving the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics and modernizing the national governance system.

This progressive approach shows the Party’s understanding of national governance and capability has reached a new high. The major political question of “what is to be adhered to and consolidated and what is to be improved and developed” has been answered. Which is essential for building a moderately prosperous society in all respects by 2020, and a modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, and harmonious by the middle of this century, by adhering to the Party’s leadership.

The decision also shows the world that socialism with Chinese characteristics and China’s national governance system enjoy not only the advantages of having Marxism as a guiding force, being rooted in China’s rich culture and supported by the Chinese people, but also stronger vitality and — unlike capitalism — continuous self-improvement and a strong, efficient governance system.

The views don’t necessarily represent those of China Daily.