A Development Concept that Puts People First

At its fifth plenary session held in October 2015, the 18th CPC Central Committee reaffirmed its commitment to the development concept that puts people first, with the ultimate goals of ensuring a better life for the Chinese people, empowering them for their full potential, and making steady progress towards common prosperity. It has been the fundamental political position of the CPC to always bear in mind the interests of the people, which is also an important distinction that sets the CPC, a party guided by Marxism, apart from other political parties. To make sure that the Chinese people all live a better life has been the goal of the CPC from the very beginning. This notion of development has been embodied in every aspect of economic and social development.

In order to achieve this goal, we must respect the importance of the people and their aspirations for a better life. Development must take place in the best interests of the people and with their full support, and it must be able to bring benefits to the people. It is a process in which the fundamental interests of the Chinese people are protected, promoted and satisfied. As we pursue economic development, we must work to improve its quality and efficiency through further reform and innovation, so that more and better material and cultural products will be made available to meet the growing needs of the people. We must make sure that space and environment are created where people from all walks of life, including workers, entrepreneurs, innovators, and government officials, with their initiative and creativity, become an active part of the development process and make their own contributions to achieving its goals. We must also make sure that the basic socialist economic system and its distribution system are maintained, with refined and improved systems for income distribution and redistribution through taxation, social security and social transfer payments, as the necessary means to promote social justice and address income disparity so that the benefits of development can be shared universally and fairly by all people.

This people-centered development idea embodies the fundamental purpose that the CPC has set for itself – to serve the people wholeheartedly. It embodies a materialistic conception of history that the people are the fundamental forces driving development. It also embodies the goal of common prosperity, which shows the value that the CPC attaches to the people.

以人民為中心的發展思想

2015年10月，中共十八屆五中全會則明確提出，要堅持以人民為中心的發展思想，把增進人民福祉、促進人的全面發展、朝著共同富裕方向穩步前進作為經濟發展的出發點和落腳點。人民立場是中國共產黨的根本政治立場，是馬克思主義政黨區別于其他政黨的顯著標志。帶領人民創造幸福生活，是黨始終不渝的奮斗目標。以人民為中心的發展思想體現在經濟社會發展各個環節。踐行以人民為中心的發展思想，要堅持人民主體地位，順應人民群眾對美好生活的向往，不斷實現好、維護好、發展好最廣大人民根本利益，做到發展為了人民、發展依靠人民、發展成果由人民共享。要通過深化改革、創新驅動，提高經濟發展質量和效益，生產出更多更好的物質精神產品，不斷滿足人民日益增長的物質文化需要。要全面調動人的積極性、主動性、創造性，為各行業各方面的勞動者、企業家、創新人才、各級干部創造發揮作用的舞臺和環境。要堅持社會主義基本經濟制度和分配制度，調整收入分配格局，完善以稅收、社會保障、轉移支付等為主要手段的再分配調節機制，維護社會公平正義，解決好收入差距問題，使發展成果更多更公平惠及全體人民。以人民為中心的發展思想，體現了黨全心全意為人民服務的根本宗旨，體現了人民是推動發展的根本力量的唯物史觀，體現了逐步實現共同富裕的目標要求，彰顯了黨人民至上的價值取向。