China News Agency, Beijing, August 11th, title:

(East-West question) Yang Mingwei: Why does common prosperity become the "central issue" after China's comprehensive well-off society?

　　China News Agency reporter An Yingzhao

On June 27th, the press center of the event celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China held its first press conference in Beijing to introduce party history and documentary work in the new era.

The picture shows Yang Mingwei, director of the Foreign Cooperation and Exchange Bureau of the Central Party History and Documentation Research Institute, answering reporters' questions.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Han Haidan

　　At the celebration of the centenary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, President of the State, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission solemnly declared to the world that China has achieved its first centenary goal and built a well-off society in all aspects of China.

　　"Solid advancement of common prosperity is a distinctive feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics entering a new era." Yang Mingwei, director and researcher of the Foreign Cooperation and Exchange Bureau of the Central Party History and Documentation Research Institute, pointed out in an exclusive interview with China News Agency "Dongxi Questions" a few days ago, Xi Jinping The important historical node in the centuries of the founding of the party emphasized "promoting the all-round development of people and achieving more obvious and substantive progress in the common prosperity of all people", which proves that the CCP has put the issue of solidly advancing common prosperity into a prominent position, and this will be a well-off in an all-round way. A "central issue" after society.

The summary of the interview record is as follows:

China News Service: When did the idea of ​​"common prosperity" first appear in Chinese history?

Does a similar concept exist in the West?

　　Yang Mingwei: It is the original creation of the Marxist party to put forward the concept of "shared prosperity" and scientifically reveal its realization path.

This also conforms to the human society's beautiful yearning for a prosperous and happy life since ancient times.

In China, the Confucian classic "Book of Rites·Ritual Fortune" has the idea of ​​"Great Harmony" that "travels on the great road, the world is for the public".

The ideas of "enriching the people" and "people-oriented" abound in the discourses of Chinese philosophers.

Confucius believed that the prosperity of the common people is the prerequisite for the implementation of ritual and music education, and "the wealth of the country" is based on "the wealth of the people."

He said to Lu Ai, who wanted to add to the people under the pretext of "year hunger, insufficient use", "The people are full, who is the ruler or the insufficiency? The people are insufficient, who is the ruler and the sufficient?" Mencius asked when he saw King Liang Hui. A series of thoughts on enriching the people, such as "the one who has no permanent property has no perseverance", "the seventy people eat meat in clothes and silk, the people of Li people are neither hungry nor cold".

The legalist classic "Guan Zi" also puts forward that "any way to govern the country must first enrich the people." Sima Qian also has a record of "the way to govern the country starts with enriching the people" in the "Historical Records · Pingjin Houzhu Fu Yan Biography".

However, from Confucius to Sun Yat-sen, the "Great Harmony" society they described, because there is no basis in reality and no scientific practice path, can only be shelved as an illusion.

As Mao Zedong said: "Kang Youwei wrote the "Book of Datong". He did not and could not find a way to Datong."

　　There have also been sporadic records similar to "common prosperity" in the history of Western thought, but direct discussions on the idea of ​​common prosperity are rare.

From Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, to Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, more are discussing justice, contract, private ownership and other issues.

It was not until the middle and late nineteenth century that Marx and Engels began to define common prosperity as a basis for socialism and communism based on their objective understanding of capitalist society, deep analysis of the capitalist system, and the historical mission of the proletariat. It is assumed as a basic goal of the proletarian party to build a new society.

This society can maximize the total amount of productivity, and social production will also aim at the prosperity of everyone. Production and development can meet the needs of everyone, and everyone can enjoy the benefits created by everyone; in the economy of all members of society With gradual abundance and material life becoming more abundant day by day, their physical and intellectual abilities are also fully developed and used freely, and their free time at their disposal will also increase, eventually realizing a "community of free men."

Data map: Scenery of Shangzheng Township, Huangyan, Taizhou, Zhejiang.

Photo by Fan Yubin

China News Agency reporter: When did the CCP propose the goal of achieving common prosperity?

How has this goal changed before and after the founding of New China?

　　Yang Mingwei: The Chinese Communists are the faithful successors of Marxism, and the CCP is a proletarian party whose mission is to realize the common prosperity of all the people.

As early as its founding, the CCP clearly proposed the implementation of social revolution, the establishment of the proletariat and ordinary labor power, the abolition of private ownership, and the transfer of material wealth to the public.

The "First Program of the Communist Party of China" clearly stated that "the private ownership of capitalists should be eliminated, and the means of production such as machinery, land, workshops and semi-finished products should be confiscated and put into public ownership."

Therefore, building a new China where the people are the masters of the country and where ordinary workers can live a happy life is the goal of the CCP during the democratic revolution.

　　After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Communist Party of China became the ruling party in the country, and had favorable conditions to promote the realization of common prosperity, and made a more in-depth exploration of the issue of common prosperity.

Mao Zedong has repeatedly raised the issue of common prosperity.

On July 31, 1955, he made it clear that only by taking the socialist road can "all rural people get rich together"; on October 11 of the same year, he again proposed that "to get rich together" is the reason for the masses to believe in the Communist Party.

On October 27th, Mao Zedong said in a conversation with people in the industrial and commercial circles, "We must be prosperous together with everyone." On the 29th, he pointed out at the symposium on the socialist transformation of capitalist industry and commerce, "This kind of common prosperity is certain. Yes, it’s not something that you don’t know about tomorrow. The situation of not being able to control your own destiny should be gradually ended within a few five-year plans."

　　It should be said that since the founding of New China, in the process of exploring the laws of socialist construction and development path, although there have been twists and turns, especially the overall mistakes of the "Cultural Revolution", the leadership of the Communist Party of China represented by Mao Zedong People's understanding of guiding all people to achieve the goal of common prosperity is basically the same, and the direction of practice is consistent.

Data map: There are abundant tourism resources along the Jing-Wu-Huang Expressway.

Photo by Zhuge Baiming

China News Agency reporter: After the opening of reform and opening up, Deng Xiaoping put forward the famous thesis that "let some people in some areas get rich first".

How to understand the relationship between getting rich first and getting rich together?

How did the CCP’s pursuit of common prosperity manifest in this period?

　　Yang Mingwei: The fundamental goal of socialism is undoubtedly common prosperity, but in the early days of socialist development, it was once caught in the quagmire of eating "big pot of rice" and practicing egalitarianism. It is impossible to move towards common prosperity.

Deng Xiaoping clearly pointed out: Poverty is not socialism.

To engage in socialism, we must develop productive forces. We must first break egalitarianism and break the "big pot of rice". This is an important breakthrough for Deng Xiaoping to explore the path of reform.

　　Since the early 1980s, when emphasizing that some people and some regions "get rich first", Deng Xiaoping has also constantly emphasized the relationship between getting rich first and getting rich together, reminding people that "we stick to the road of socialism, and the fundamental goal is to achieve common prosperity." ".

　　In the 1992 Southern Talks, Deng Xiaoping specifically explained: "The concept of common prosperity was put forward in this way: Some regions have the conditions to develop first, some regions develop slowly, and the regions that develop first will lead to the development of the regions later. Common prosperity. If the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, polarization will occur, and the socialist system should and can avoid polarization."

　　There have been some misunderstandings in society about the policy concept of letting some people and some regions get rich first.

In this regard, Deng Xiaoping also made a clear explanation: "My consistent position is to let some people and some regions get rich first, and the general principle is common prosperity. Some regions develop faster and drive most regions. This is to accelerate development, The shortcut to achieve common prosperity." He also constantly emphasized that encouraging some regions and some people to get rich first. The direction and purpose is to drive more and more people to become rich and ultimately achieve common prosperity.

　　Recognizing that socialist prosperity is the common prosperity of all people, and achieving common prosperity is a difficult and complicated historical process. Therefore, in leading the various stages of building socialism with Chinese characteristics, successive leaders of the Communist Party of China have always emphasized the importance of attaching great importance to common prosperity. The whole party is constantly required to clarify the problem of the problem, and to clarify it to all the people.

　　When Jiang Zemin elaborated on the correct handling of a number of major issues in the socialist modernization drive, he pointed out that "achieving common prosperity is the fundamental principle and essential feature of socialism and must not be shaken." He also emphasized that the gradual realization of common prosperity for all people is "yes." The essence of historical materialism".

One of the important considerations in the implementation of the western development strategy was to narrow the gap between the east and the west, and it was also an important step in the implementation of "common prosperity."

　　When Hu Jintao talked about enhancing the vitality of economic development, he also specifically pointed out, "Guiding and helping farmers to take the path of common prosperity." He emphasized that "the Chinese people will achieve common prosperity on the basis of modernization" and "the Chinese nation will achieve great rejuvenation." "With synchronization.

In his speech at the celebration of the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, Hu Jintao clearly pointed out that it is necessary to “unswervingly follow the path of common prosperity”.

　　It can be seen that the CCP’s answer to the problem of common prosperity is deepening step by step, especially in the theoretical thinking and practical exploration of how to build socialism with Chinese characteristics in the 21st century.

Data map: Xia Jing, Lintan County, Gannan Prefecture, Gansu Province.

Photo by Ai Qinglong

China News Service reporter: The report of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China pointed out that a distinctive feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics entering a new era is "gradual realization of common prosperity for all people." How to understand this judgment?

Why does common prosperity become the "central issue" at this time?

　　Yang Mingwei: It is not accidental that General Secretary Xi Jinping directly used the concept of "common prosperity" at least six times in his report to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

He reminded people that when "the contradiction between the people's growing needs for a better life and unbalanced and inadequate development" has become a major social contradiction, "it is necessary to adhere to the people-centered development idea, and continue to promote the all-round development of people. All people are prosperous together".

Whether viewed from the perspective of the "new era" or "characteristic socialism", it contains the main development goals and significant advantages of "common prosperity". This is precisely the fact that the Chinese Communists always put the interests of the people in the supreme position and always Take the people's yearning for a better life as the result of work goals.

　　Another positioning of the new era is to "decisively win the era of building a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way, and then building a modern and powerful socialist country in an all-round way."

Common prosperity has therefore become a "central issue" that China must earnestly address in the process of building a socialist modern country in an all-round way, and then building a socialist modern power in an all-round way.

　　At present, China has built a well-off society in an all-round way, and the time is ripe to prominently and substantively solve the problem of common prosperity.

It is against this historical background that the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China firmly assumed the historical task of "prominently raising and solving" the "central issue", and proactively assumed the historical responsibility of "solidly advancing common prosperity."

　　Of course, for a country with more than one billion people and unbalanced and inadequate development, achieving common prosperity for all people is an extremely difficult task and a long and complicated historical process.

China’s 14th Five-Year Plan and the 2035 long-term goal clearly stated that “it is necessary to put the promotion of common prosperity for all people in a more important position, be down-to-earth, and work harder for a long time to achieve this goal.” Xi Jinping said. The celebration of the centenary of the founding of the Communist Party of China also emphasized that “strive to solve the problem of unbalanced and inadequate development and the problems of the people’s desperation and despair, and promote the all-round development of people and the common prosperity of all people to achieve more obvious substantive progress.”

　　Facing the future, common prosperity, the basic goal envisaged by Marxism for all proletarians, and the basic ideals tirelessly pursued by the Chinese nation, will also be gradually brought into reality under the leadership of the Communist Party of China and the unremitting efforts and continuous struggle of all the Chinese people. . (Finish)