The Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee put forward that "persisting in reform and innovation, keeping pace with the times, being good at self-improvement and self-development, and making the society full of vitality" is one of the remarkable advantages of China’s national system and national governance system in 13 aspects. At the same time, it also established persisting in reform and innovation as the basic principle of adhering to and improving the Socialism with Chinese characteristics system and promoting the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity. We must unswervingly deepen reform in an all-round way, continuously strengthen innovation in all aspects, promote the maturity and stereotypes of all aspects of China’s systems with the endogenous motivation of reform and innovation, and promote the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity.
To promote the modernization of state governance, we must persist in reform and innovation.
Persisting in reform and innovation is the basic principle and important method that runs through the whole process of the formation and development of Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s system and national governance system.
Persisting in reform and innovation is the only way to modernize the governance of socialist countries.Looking at the historical process of socialism from its birth to the present, there is no successful experience to be expected and no ready-made model to learn about how to govern socialist society. The Communist Party of China (CPC) people combined the basic principles of Marxism with China’s concrete reality, and through continuous exploration and practice, continuous reform and innovation, established and improved the socialist system and strengthened and improved national governance. Today, the development of the world is undergoing a great change that has never happened in a hundred years. "Only reformers advance, only innovators are strong, and only those who reform and innovate win." Only by unswervingly persisting in reform and innovation is the only correct way to promote the self-improvement and self-development of Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s national governance.
Persisting in reform and innovation is an inevitable requirement for the party to lead the people to effectively govern the country in the new era.The General Secretary of the Supreme Leader pointed out: "Compared with the past, the reform and opening up in the new era has many new connotations and characteristics. One of the most important points is that the system construction is heavier, and the reform is more faced with deep-seated institutional mechanisms. The requirements for the top-level design of reform are higher, and the requirements for the system, integrity and synergy of reform are stronger. The task of establishing rules and regulations and building systems accordingly is heavier." To continue to ensure that the party leads the people to effectively govern the country, we must conform to the requirements of the development and changes of the times, constantly persist in reform and innovation, put forward new ideas, formulate new strategies, and come up with new measures. It is necessary to use reform and innovation to resolve the general contradictions and problems that hinder state governance, and also to adjust the focus and methods of reform and innovation according to the fundamental changes of some deep-seated contradictions and problems.
Persisting in reform and innovation is the key to transform Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s institutional advantages into governance efficiency.After more than six years of efforts to comprehensively deepen reform, the overall governance efficiency of China’s national system and national governance system has been significantly improved, and the vitality of social development has been enhanced. But at the same time, we should also see that some of our reform measures have not been completed, the linkage and coupling of reform need to be strengthened, and the overall effect and overall effect of reform have not been fully demonstrated. Therefore, Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s institutional advantages must be transformed into governance efficiency through further reform and innovation. What we have to do now is to push all reforms closer to a more mature and stereotyped system, so that all reforms can complement each other and have a "chemical reaction" and turn institutional advantages into governance efficiency.
Carry out the deployment of various tasks through reform and innovation
To carry out various tasks well, we need to continue to "hold the banner of reform and play the innovative card", highlight and improve the fundamental system, basic system and important system of Socialism with Chinese characteristics system, focus on consolidating the foundation, promoting advantages, supplementing shortcomings and strong and weak items, and build a systematic, scientific, standardized and effective system.
Carry out the tasks of adhering to and improving the fundamental system through reform and innovation.The system of leadership of the Party, the system of people’s congresses, the fundamental system of the guiding position of Marxism in the ideological field and the absolute leadership of the Party over the people’s army are the fundamental systems of Socialism with Chinese characteristics. The fundamental system is the foundation and pillar that supports the whole system of Socialism with Chinese characteristics, and it needs to be unswervingly adhered to and consolidated. However, adhering to and consolidating does not mean that it will remain unchanged once and for all. On the contrary, in order to adhere to and consolidate the fundamental system for a longer and more sustainable period, it is necessary to improve and perfect some specific system components, operating systems and leading organizations’ working systems of the fundamental system according to the development and changes of the times and the development requirements of practice. First of all, do a good job in supporting the new research and deployment system with reform and innovation to ensure the standardized and effective operation of the system. For example, the system of Do not forget your initiative mind and keeping the mission in mind has been added to the party’s leadership system. How to establish a long-term mechanism of Do not forget your initiative mind and keeping the mission in mind needs reform and innovation. Secondly, according to the requirements of the development of the times and practice, advancing with the times and perfecting the specific system require reform and innovation. For example, innovate the mass work mechanism in the Internet age, improve the organizational system, electoral system and rules of procedure of the National People’s Congress, establish an all-staff, all-round and all-round education system and deepen the reform of the professionalization system of military officers, the civilian personnel system and the military service system. Finally, optimize the working system and mechanism through reform and innovation, and enhance institutional coordination. For example, to improve the leadership system of the CPC Central Committee for major work, it is necessary to improve the specific system of unified leadership, overall coordination, supervision and inspection of the party, and to reform and innovate through the working system and mechanism.Form a scientific synergy mechanism.
Carry out the tasks of adhering to and improving the basic system through reform and innovation.Focusing on upholding and improving the basic political system and basic economic system, the Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee put forward clear requirements for reform and innovation. First of all, highlight the main line of the system, enhance the consciousness of reform, and continue to deepen the reform and innovation of specific systems. For example, in the basic economic system, we should take the supply-side structural reform as the main line, deepen the reform of rural collective property rights system, reform the production license system, and establish a punitive compensation system for intellectual property infringement. Secondly, through the reform and innovation of institutional mechanisms, the unique advantages of the basic system are strengthened and demonstrated. For example, improve the implementation mechanism of consultation before and during decision-making, and improve the redistribution adjustment mechanism with taxation, social security and transfer payment as the main means. Finally, enrich and improve the specific form and system practice of system landing with reform and innovation. For example, we should enrich the institutionalized practice of having something to discuss and everyone’s affairs to be discussed by everyone, and explore effective ways for enterprise employees to participate in management.
Carry out the tasks of adhering to and improving the important system through reform and innovation.Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s important system covers all aspects of internal affairs, foreign affairs, national defense, governing the party, the country and the army, and provides an important institutional basis and basis for our party to lead the people in promoting the overall layout of the "five in one" and the coordinated promotion of the "four comprehensive" strategic layout in the new era. First of all, strengthen institutional innovation, especially the system urgently needed for national governance and the system necessary for people’s new expectations for a better life. For example, establish a system of efficient utilization of resources, and establish a housing system with multi-subject supply, multi-channel guarantee and simultaneous rent and purchase. Secondly, deepening the reform and innovation of major institutional mechanisms will not only get rid of all stubborn diseases that hinder scientific development, but also provide institutional guarantee for the major strategic tasks of the party and the country. For example, deepen the reform of cultural system, strengthen and innovate social governance, build a new national system for tackling key core technologies under the conditions of socialist market economy, and establish a lifelong accountability system for ecological environmental damage. Finally, it is necessary to sum up the good experiences and practices in practice in time and upgrade the mature experiences and practices into systems. For example, adhere to and develop the "Maple Bridge Experience" in the new era and improve the effective mechanism for correctly handling contradictions among the people under the new situation.
Firmly grasp the correct direction of reform and innovation
General Secretary of the Supreme Leader has repeatedly stressed: "China is a big country and must not make subversive mistakes on fundamental issues." In the new journey of promoting the modernization of state governance, we need to keep a clear head, unswervingly adhere to the party’s centralized and unified leadership over reform and innovation, always adhere to the people-centered planning of reform and innovation, and always adhere to the rule of law for reform and innovation through comprehensive rule of law. Ensure that our reform has a direction, a position and principles, and that we will never take the old road of being closed and rigid, nor take the evil road of changing our flag, and always keep moving forward in the correct direction of socialism.
Adhere to the centralized and unified leadership of the party.The Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee pointed out, "It is a major strategic task of the whole party to uphold and improve the Socialism with Chinese characteristics system and promote the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity. It must be carried out under the unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee, scientifically planned, meticulously organized, combined far and near, and promoted as a whole. " To strengthen the Party’s leadership in upholding and improving the Socialism with Chinese characteristics system and promoting the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity, we must first strengthen the "four consciousnesses", strengthen the "four self-confidences" and achieve the "two maintenances", form a tight organizational system and leadership system with strong implementation, and ensure that major decision-making arrangements and work arrangements around the reform and innovation of national governance can be implemented. Secondly, give play to the party’s core role of commanding the overall situation and coordinating all parties, unite the strength of all parties, mobilize the enthusiasm of all parties, and form a joint force of reform and innovation. Finally, give full play to the Party’s ability and role in guiding the direction, seeking the overall situation, formulating policies, and promoting reform, strengthen institutional self-confidence and constantly innovate, and ensure that all reforms and innovations around the modernization of state governance always advance along the fundamental political direction of Socialism with Chinese characteristics.
Adhere to the people as the center.The General Secretary of the Supreme Leader pointed out: "No matter what we change or what step we take, we must adhere to the party’s centralized and unified leadership over reform, the overall goal of improving and developing the Socialism with Chinese characteristics system, promoting the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity, and the people-centered reform value orientation." People are the main body of reform and innovation, and also the main body of modernization of state governance. Adhering to the people-centered principle and relying closely on the people to promote reform, innovation and modernization of state governance is not only our successful experience, but also our source of strength. First of all, we should respect the people’s dominant position in reform and innovation, stimulate the spirit and vitality of reform and innovation of all the people, and fully demonstrate the institutional superiority of socialism. Secondly, we should respect the people’s initiative, encourage local, grassroots and masses to explore boldly, sum up experience in time, create a good social environment for the reform and innovation of state governance, and provide inexhaustible internal motivation. Finally, we should take satisfying people’s yearning for a better life as the value orientation, and constantly serve the people better through institutional mechanism reform and institutional innovation, so that the fruits of modernization of state governance can be shared by the people and benefit all the people more fairly.
Adhere to the comprehensive rule of law.Governing the country according to law in an all-round way, as an important strategy to comprehensively deepen reform, is not only the internal component of promoting the modernization of state governance, but also the basic way and path to promote the modernization of state governance through reform and innovation, which plays an irreplaceable role in regulating and safeguarding the correct direction of reform and innovation. To promote reform and innovation by the rule of law, first of all, we should uphold and improve the rule of law system in Socialism with Chinese characteristics, incorporate legislation into the overall process of modernization of state governance, ensure that "all major reforms must be based on the law", and provide a strong guarantee for reform and innovation by the rule of law. Secondly, we should rely on the rule of law, use the rule of law thinking and means to promote reform and innovation, and ensure that the modernization of state governance through reform and innovation always follows the rule of law. Finally, it is necessary to improve the ability and ability to use the rule of law thinking and the rule of law to plan reform and innovation. Leading cadres at all levels should take the lead in respecting and fearing the rule of law, improve their thinking on the rule of law and their ability to handle affairs according to law, and always plan reform and innovation within the framework of the rule of law and promote the modernization of state governance.
(Author: Former Party Secretary of Southeast University, Director of Theoretical System Research Center of Socialism with Chinese characteristics, Jiangsu Province, Dean and Professor of Socialism with Chinese characteristics Research Institute of Southeast University)