Changes of the Important Period of Strategic Opportunities and Our Response

By Zhang Boli

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Changes of the Important Period of Strategic Opportunities and Our Response

By Zhang Boli

Center for Theoretical Studies, Party School of the CCCPC

Currently, the fundamental judgment that China remains in an important period of strategic opportunities for its development has not changed, however new changes have taken place in the nature and the conditions of this period. On a higher starting point of development, China is faced with unprecedented opportunities for development as well as challenges unknown before.

The key to seize and make good use of the important period of strategic opportunities before completing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects by 2020 is to pursue scientific development internally and peaceful development externally.

The important period of strategic opportunities is a scientific judgment by the CPC on China’s development environment and development stage in the beginning of the new century, which has been further elaborated by the Eighteenth National Congress of the CPC and the late Economic Conference of the CPC based on the development and change of domestic and external conditions. The Sixteenth National Congress of the CPC points out that an overview of the situation shows that for our country, the first two decades of the 21stcentury are an important period of strategic opportunities, which we must seize tightly and that offers bright prospects. The Eighteenth National Congress of the CPC emphasizes that China remains in an important period of strategic opportunities for its development, a period in which much can be achieved, and to have a correct understanding of the changing nature and conditions of this period is required. The Economic Conference of the CPC has made new analysis and elaboration on international environment and put forward new requirements on seizing and making good use of this important period of strategic opportunities.

Correctly Understand and Command the Changing Nature and Conditions of This Important Period of Strategic Opportunities

The situation is developing and conditions are changing. Comparing the important period of strategic opportunities emphasized in 2012 to that proposed in 2002, there are elements remaining intact in the new changing process. An examination of both the current international and domestic environments shows that China remains in an important period of strategic opportunities for its development, which remains intact and in which much can be achieved. The changed conditions mainly include that China is faced with unprecedented opportunities for development as well as risks and challenges unknown before on a higher starting point of development.

China is seeking new development based on a new starting point of stronger material foundation and more comprehensive advantages. Over the past ten years, we have seized and made the best use of the important period of strategic opportunities for China’s development, successfully responded to major challenges and brought socialism with Chinese characteristics to a new stage of development. China’s productive forces and economic, scientific and technological strength have increased considerably, the people’s living standards, individual income and social security have improved significantly, and its overall national strength and international competitiveness and international influence have been enhanced substantially. Over the past ten years, we have achieved new historic successes, China’s strength is more powerful, its foundation is more solid and its starting point is higher. All this has created favorable conditions to seize opportunities, meet challenges, turn crisis into opportunities and maintain sustainable development and has laid a more solid foundation for completing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects.

Facing with unprecedented opportunities of development. Opportunities do not necessary mean favorable conditions and some conditions can not be clearly identified. Many opportunities are potential possibilities and even are hidden inside contradictions, shortcomings, difficulties, challenges and risks. What’s important is that we should have a clear understanding of opportunities, and seize them and make good use of them.

From the perspective of opportunities in international environment, firstly, peace and development remain the underlying theme of our times, which is the most important opportunity. For a long period of time to come, the world as whole and China will maintain an overall environment for peaceful development. Development, especially economic development, is the priority of every country in the world including China, the United States and the European countries. Secondly, economic globalization is deepening, which has created opportunities for every country to develop in the world. The economic globalization featuring cross-border flow and allocation of resources will enhance effectiveness and efficiency, promote economic growth and bring about opportunities of win-win cooperation and expand multi-tiered and all-dimensional global cooperation. Thirdly, world multipolarity continues developing and the global architecture is undergoing in-depth changes, which will bring about new opportunities favorable for development. The emerging market economies and developing countries are gaining in overall strength, tipping the balance of international forces in favor of maintaining world peace and changing the excessive unbalanced development orientation. All this has created more favorable conditions for ensuring general stability in the international environment. Fourthly, new breakthroughs are in the making in the scientific and technological revolution, which offer new opportunities for economic development. For the time being and the coming period, any new breakthrough in the world scientific and technological revolution or new developments of China’s scientific and technological innovation will create new conditions driving economic development.

From the perspective of domestic development opportunities, the features of the current development stage in China constitute the intrinsic driving force, potential, space and opportunities for China’s development. Firstly, reform is in the period of tackling thorny problems, full of difficulties and challenges. At the same time, reform will do away with all institutions that hinder development, release potential and vitality for development and infuse powerful energy into development. Secondly, accelerating the shift of the economic growth model has entered the critical period. Either ensuring development to be based on improved quality and performance, or making economic development more dependent on the domestic demand, especially consumer demand, has immense development potential. Thirdly, industrial structure is in the strategic adjustment of reconfiguration and upgrading period. Promoting the growth of modern service industries, emerging strategic industries and advanced manufacturing industries, speeding up the transformation and upgrading of the traditional industries will form new advantages for development. Fourthly, to promote the integration, interaction and synchronous development of Chinese-style new industrialization, IT application, urbanization and agricultural modernization will enable China to sustain long-term development. Fifthly, the overall strategy for regional development has been implemented continuously and the unbalanced regional economic development will become coordinated development, which will open up a big space for sustainable economic development.

From the perspective of international risks and challenges, the world today is undergoing profound and complex changes and the unstable factors that affect the peace and development are growing. Firstly, the world is still far from tranquility, international and local turmoil keeps cropping up, there are signs of increasing hegemonism, power politics and neo-interventionism. Secondly, the global financial crisis is producing a far-reaching impact on the world. World economic growth is overshadowed by growing factors of instability and uncertainty, the international competition becomes unprecedentedly fierce and all kinds of protectionisms are gaining ground. Thirdly, pressure produced by advantages of developed countries in such fields as economy, science and technology will exist for a long period of time to come. As the global technological and industrial revolution brings about opportunities, it also produces challenges. Fourthly, as China’s comprehensive national strength is continuously enhanced and its international influence gradually expanded, “China Threat” has been very much talked about and some countries have become more suspicious about China. The external environment, especially the peripheral environment for China’s development has become more stern and complex and some new problems disturbing China’s peaceful development have cropped up.

From the perspective of domestic risks and challenges, to carry out modern construction in a large developing country like China with more than 1.3 billion people faces some prominent contradictions, difficulties and problems demanding prompt solutions. Firstly, unbalanced, uncoordinated and unsustainable development remains a big problem. The capacity for scientific and technological innovation is weak. The industrial structure is unbalanced. Agricultural infrastructure remains weak. Resources and environmental constraints have become more serious. Domestic demand and external demand is uncoordinated. Many structural and institutional barriers stand in the way of promoting development. The quality and efficiency of economic growth is not high. Secondly, the development gap between urban areas and rural areas and between regions is still large, and so are income disparities among the people. Social problems have increased markedly. There are many problems affecting people’s immediate interests. The pressure to coordinate the interests of all sectors, safeguard social fairness and justice and maintain social harmony and stability increases. Thirdly, it becomes more dynamic and complex in the ideological and cultural fields. To lead the social trend of thinking and crystallize the social consensus becomes more difficult. The task to resist ideological and cultural infiltration by external hostile forces becomes more onerous. Fourthly, the task to build the Party’s governance capacity, maintain the Party’s advanced nature and purity becomes formidable. A small number of Party members and officials waver in the Party’s ideal and conviction, are divorced themselves from the masses, have lost moral integrity. And formalities and bureaucratism are serious problems. Especially some government officials are not clean and some sectors are prone to misconduct and corruption. The fight against corruption remains a serious challenge.

We are faced with unprecedented risks and challenges for development. Opportunities and challenges coexist. Challenges and risks contain each other. Only soberly understanding risks and challenges, can we effectively meet challenges and avoid risks.

The Key To Seize and Make Good Use of the Important Period of Strategic Opportunities is To Pursue Scientific Development and Peaceful Development.

Before completing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects by 2020, the key to seize and make good use of the important period of strategic opportunities is to pursue scientific development domestically and peaceful development globally. This is the intrinsic requirement for making an overall coordination of domestic and international conditions. Scientific development is the foundation of peaceful development and peaceful development is the guarantee of scientific development.

To pursue scientific development. China is in a key phase with per capita GDP growing from US$ 5,000 to US$ 10,000. In this period, all kinds of difficulties, contradictions and potential risks are ever more prominent. The Scientific Outlook on Development provides new scientific answers to the major questions of what kind of development China should achieve and how the country should achieve it under the new circumstances, and represents a new level of understanding of the laws for socialism with Chinese characteristics. On the basis of overall elaboration of the Scientific Outlook on Development by the Seventeenth National Congress of the CPC, its Eighteenth National Congress has further incisively summarized the practice requirements by the Scientific Outlook on Development. Only thoroughly applying the Scientific Outlook on Development and promoting economic and social development scientifically, can we firmly have the initiative in overcoming all kinds of risks and challenges so as to lay a foundation with decisive significance for completing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects as planed.

For the time being and the coming period, the key to seize and make good use of the important period of strategic opportunities and thoroughly apply the Scientific Outlook on Development is to completely integrate its practice requirements with economic and social development. Firstly, more consciously make promoting economic and social development the top priority in applying the Scientific Outlook on Development. In contemporary China, the essential requirement of pursuing economic development as the central task is to adhere to the Scientific Outlook on Development. Scientific development is the key to seize opportunities, meet challenges and solve all problems inside our country. Only by promoting sustainable and sound economic development can we pave a solid material foundation for a prosperous and powerful country, for people to live happily and peacefully, and for a harmonious and stable society. Secondly, more purposefully take putting people first as the core requirement for thoroughly applying the Scientific Outlook on Development. To solve the current problems, contradictions, risks and challenges in economic and social fields depends on making new progress on respecting the people’s initiative, on protecting their rights and interests and making continued progress in enabling the people to share the fruits of development and in promoting all-rounded development of the person. Thirdly, more purposefully make pursuing comprehensive, balanced and sustainable development the basic requirement for applying the Scientific Outlook on Development. The contradictions, risks and challenges brought by unbalanced, uncoordinated and unsustainable problems in our country in the current stage can only be effectively solved by more purposefully applying the basic requirements of comprehensive, balanced and sustainable development. Fourthly, more purposefully take the considerate approach as the fundamental way of thoroughly applying the Scientific Outlook on Development. The considerate approach is the major strategic guideline for us to deal with all kinds of contradictions and problems, to which we must adhere, and is also the fundamental way in making good use of opportunities, meeting challenges and realizing scientific development.

To pursue peaceful development. Peaceful development is the prominent characteristics and inherent requirement of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Externally, socialism with Chinese characteristics pursues peaceful development. Therefore, the report of the Eighteenth National Congress of the CPC takes pursuing peaceful development as one of the basic requirements, of which we must have a firm grasp, and strives to achieve new victory for socialism with Chinese characteristics under new historical conditions. To unswervingly pursue peaceful development is based on the inevitable choice for China’s intrinsic needs and national conditions. With a large population, weak economic foundation and unbalanced regional development, China is still in the primary stage of socialism and will long remain so. This basic condition of China has not changed, nor has the principal problem in its society, that is, how to meet the ever-growing material and cultural needs of the people with backward social productivity, nor has China’s international position as the largest developing country in the world. This determines that China must concentrate on promoting modernizations and on intensifying its efforts to promote development and improve people’s wellbeing.

To unswervingly pursue peaceful development is not only the solemn commitment of China to the outside world as a responsible country, but also a strong confidence in realizing its strategic goal of development inside China. The road of peaceful development is the strategic road having been tested by more than 30-year practice, therefore, we should unswervingly take the road to the future without being misled, vacillated and puzzled by anything. Especially in the current stage, the external economic and political environment for China’s development is very complicated and we are faced with unprecedented development opportunities, risks and challenges. Only by unswervingly pursuing peaceful development, can we seize and make good use of the important period of strategic opportunities.