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.
以人民为中心的发展思想
2015年10月，中共十八届五中全会则明确提出，要坚持以人民为中心的发展思想，把增进人民福祉、促进人的全面发展、朝着共同富裕方向稳步前进作为经济发展的出发点和落脚点。人民立场是中国共产党的根本政治立场，是马克思主义政党区别于其他政党的显著标志。带领人民创造幸福生活，是党始终不渝的奋斗目标。以人民为中心的发展思想体现在经济社会发展各个环节。践行以人民为中心的发展思想，要坚持人民主体地位，顺应人民群众对美好生活的向往，不断实现好、维护好、发展好最广大人民根本利益，做到发展为了人民、发展依靠人民、发展成果由人民共享。要通过深化改革、创新驱动，提高经济发展质量和效益，生产出更多更好的物质精神产品，不断满足人民日益增长的物质文化需要。要全面调动人的积极性、主动性、创造性，为各行业各方面的劳动者、企业家、创新人才、各级干部创造发挥作用的舞台和环境。要坚持社会主义基本经济制度和分配制度，调整收入分配格局，完善以税收、社会保障、转移支付等为主要手段的再分配调节机制，维护社会公平正义，解决好收入差距问题，使发展成果更多更公平惠及全体人民。以人民为中心的发展思想，体现了党全心全意为人民服务的根本宗旨，体现了人民是推动发展的根本力量的唯物史观，体现了逐步实现共同富裕的目标要求，彰显了党人民至上的价值取向。