Scientific Outlook on Development

The scientific outlook on development is a major strategic thought on developing socialism with Chinese characteristics that was gradually formed in the central leadership collective with Hu Jintao as General Secretary after the 16th CPC National Congress. It was formed and developed on the basis of China’s fresh experience accumulated after the Reform and Opening-up, especially after the 16th CPC National Congress, and on the basis of profoundly analyzing the international situation, conforming to the world development trend and drawing lessons from the foreign development experience. It was put forward according to China’s basic national conditions, an in-depth analysis of the stage characteristics of China’s development, a solid summary of China’s development practice, and the adaptation to new development requirements. The outbreak of the infectious atypical pneumonia at the turn of spring and summer in 2003 exposed some uncoordinated, incomplete and unsustainable problems in the development process of our country to a certain extent. At the National Conference on SARS Prevention and Control held in July of the same year, Hu Jintao put forward for the first time: “We should better adhere to the concept of realizing a coordinated, all-round and sustainable development.”

At the end of August, he called it the “Scientific Outlook on Development”. “Decision of the CPC Central Committee on Several Issues Concerning the Improvement of the Socialist Market Economy System”, which was deliberated and adopted at the Third Plenary Session of the 16th CPC Central Committee in October, clearly stated: “We should adhere to the people-oriented principle, build a comprehensive, coordinated and sustainable development concept, and promote the all-round development of economy, society and people”, which formed the basic connotation of the scientific outlook on development. The new stage characteristics of the primary stage of socialism in China are the realistic basis for the formation of the scientific outlook on development since the 21st century, China has entered a critical period of development and reform when a lot of contradictions also become prominent. China’s socialist construction and Reform and Opening-up experience is the practical basis for the formation of the scientific outlook on development. China has been deepening Reform and Opening-up, accelerating the development pace and determined to push forward the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects by taking its accession to the World Trade Organization, which provides fresh experience for the formation of the scientific outlook on development. The first essence of the scientific outlook on development is development. It emphasizes that our work should be revolved around the center of economic construction. So we should grasp development laws, innovate development concepts, solve development problems, thoroughly implement the strategies of rejuvenating the country through science and education, strengthening the country with talents, and sustainable development, accelerate the formation of development modes and institutional mechanisms that meet the requirements of scientific development, constantly emancipate and develop social productive forces and then gradually realize a scientific, harmonious and peaceful development.

The core of the scientific outlook on development is people-oriented. It highlights the realization, maintenance and development of the fundamental interests of the overwhelming majority of the people as the starting point and foothold of all work, respects the people’s dominant position, gives full play to the people’s pioneering spirit, safeguards people’s various rights and interests, promotes the sharing of development achievements by the people and boosts people’s all-round development. The basic requirement of the scientific outlook on development that the development should be comprehensive, coordinated and sustainable. It thus follows that we should fully implement the five-sphere integrated plan of economic construction, political construction, cultural construction, social construction and ecological civilization construction, promote the coordination of all aspects of modernization, of production relations and productivity, and of superstructure and economic foundation, and build a resource-saving and environment-friendly society so as to realize the unification of speed, structure, quality and efficiency, and the coordination of economic development with population, resources and environment. We should open up the civilized development path featured with production development, affluent life and favorable ecology. The fundamental method of the scientific outlook on development is to make overall plans and considerations. It requires us to correctly understand and properly handle the major relations in the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, to make overall plans for reform, development and stability, internal affairs, foreign affairs and national defense, and administering the Party, the country and the army, to coordinate urban and rural development, regional development, economic and social development, harmonious development between man and nature, domestic development and opening up to the outside world, and the interests of all parties, and to fully mobilize the enthusiasm of all parties, so that the situation in which all people are well-positioned, do their best and live in harmony.

The scientific outlook on development includes a series of new theoretical generalizations and practical requirements around the basic questions of “what kind of development we should achieve and how we achieve them”, such as comprehensively deepening Reform and Opening-up, accelerating the transformation of economic development mode, building a new socialist countryside, building an innovative country, developing socialist democratic politics, building a socialist core value system, promoting the construction of a cultural power, ensuring and improving people’s livelihood, building a socialist harmonious society and accelerating the construction of ecological civilization, enriching the practice of “one country, two systems”, adhering to the path of peaceful development, promoting the building of a harmonious world of lasting peace and common prosperity, and strengthening the building of the Party’s ruling ability, advanced nature and purity, and so on.

The scientific outlook on development is the product of combining Marxism with the reality of contemporary China and the characteristics of the times, and the concentrated embodiment of Marxist world outlook and methodology on development. It has made new scientific answers to such major issues as what kind of development we should achieve and how we achieve it under the new situation. It elevates the understanding of the socialist laws with Chinese characteristics to a new level. It is the crystallization of the Party’s collective wisdom, another major theoretical achievement of the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and another time for the CPC’s guiding ideology to keep pace with the times again. Its historical position, background of the times, scientific connotations, spiritual essence, and fundamental requirements are elaborated across the board in the 17th CPC National Congress in 2007. It was written into the Party Constitute as the “action guide” along with the Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, and the Three Represents that the Party has to adhere to in a steadfast way in the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012.