Today, the 11th collective study of the Political Bureau of the 20th Central Committee was held, focusing on steadily advancing high-quality development. The purpose was to combine the study and implementation of the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the Central Economic Work Conference, summarize the achievements of high-quality development in the new era, analyze the prominent contradictions and problems, explore improvement measures, and promote new progress and breakthroughs in high-quality development.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, we have comprehensively implemented the new development philosophy, continuously deepened our understanding of the characteristics and laws of the stage of China's economic development, and placed greater emphasis on the high quality of development. The report of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China declared that "China's economy has shifted from a stage of high-speed growth to a stage of high-quality development," and the report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China emphasized that "high-quality development is the primary task of comprehensively building a socialist modern country." Since the new era, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China has made a series of major decisions and deployments, promoting high-quality development to become the consensus and conscious action of the entire Party and society, with high-quality development becoming the main theme. In recent years, China has achieved fruitful results in scientific and technological innovation, and the effects of innovation-driven development have become increasingly apparent; the coordination and balance of urban and rural regional development have significantly improved; reform and opening up have been comprehensively deepened, and development momentum and vitality have been unleashed; the transformation to green and low-carbon development has yielded significant results, and the pace of transformation of the development model has accelerated, achieving remarkable results in high-quality development.

At the same time, factors restricting high-quality development still exist in large numbers. From the perspective of the external environment, the profound changes unseen in a century are accelerating in an all-round and in-depth manner. From the perspective of internal conditions, the situation in which China's key core technologies in some fields are subject to others has not been fundamentally changed, the gap in urban-rural regional development and income distribution remains large, hindering high-quality economic and social development. From the perspective of work progress, some leading cadres lack awareness, and when encountering contradictions and difficulties in their actual work, they habitually revert to the old path of pursuing extensive expansion and inefficient development; some leading cadres have outdated ideas, claiming to promote high-quality development but actually using "old wine in new bottles"; some leading cadres lack the ability to promote high-quality development in the face of new domestic and international environments and challenges, and so on. These problems must be given high attention and effectively addressed. We must keep in mind that high-quality development is the hard truth of the new era, comprehensively, accurately, and fully implement the new development philosophy, implement the strategic tasks of accelerating the construction of a modernized economic system, promoting high-level self-reliance and self-improvement in science and technology, accelerating the construction of a new development pattern, coordinating the promotion of deep-level reforms and high-level opening up, and coordinating high-quality development and high-level security, improve the assessment and evaluation system for promoting high-quality development, and lay a solid foundation for promoting high-quality development.

Developing new-quality productivity is an inherent requirement and an important focus for promoting high-quality development. Here, I would like to share some of my insights on this point.

Since July last year, during my inspections and investigations in Sichuan, Heilongjiang, Zhejiang, and Guangxi, I have proposed integrating scientific and technological innovation resources to lead the development of strategic emerging industries and future industries, and to accelerate the formation of new-quality productivity. In mid-December, at the Central Economic Work Conference, I again proposed using technological innovation to drive industrial innovation, especially using disruptive and cutting-edge technologies to create new industries, new models, and new momentum, and to develop new-quality productivity. My proposal of the concept of new-quality productivity and this major task of developing new-quality productivity is mainly based on the following considerations: productivity is the fundamental driving force for the development of human society, and it is also the ultimate cause of all social changes and political transformations. High-quality development requires a new theory of productivity as guidance, and new-quality productivity has already taken shape in practice and demonstrated its strong driving force and support for high-quality development. We need to summarize and generalize it theoretically to guide new development practices.

What is new-quality productivity, and how do we develop it? I have been thinking about this, and I have also noticed some research results from the academic community. In short, new-quality productivity is advanced productivity characterized by innovation playing a leading role, breaking away from traditional economic growth models and productivity development paths, and possessing high technology, high efficiency, and high quality, in line with the new development philosophy. It is generated by revolutionary breakthroughs in technology, innovative allocation of production factors, and deep transformation and upgrading of industries. Its basic connotation is the leapfrog development of labor, means of labor, and objects of labor and their optimized combination, and its core indicator is a significant increase in total factor productivity. Its characteristic is innovation, the key is high quality, and its essence is advanced productivity.

The significant characteristic of new-quality productivity is innovation, including innovation at the level of technology and business models, as well as innovation at the level of management and institutions. We must continue to do a good job in innovation, promoting the accelerated development of new-quality productivity.

First, vigorously promote scientific and technological innovation. New-quality productivity is mainly generated by revolutionary breakthroughs in technology. Scientific and technological innovation can create new industries, new models, and new momentum, and is a core element in developing new-quality productivity. This requires us to strengthen scientific and technological innovation, especially original and disruptive scientific and technological innovation, and to accelerate the achievement of high-level self-reliance and self-improvement in science and technology. We should deeply implement the strategy of rejuvenating the country through science and education, the strategy of strengthening the country through talent, and the strategy of innovation-driven development, adhere to the "four orientations," strengthen national strategic scientific and technological forces, and organize and promote strategically oriented original and basic research. Focusing on national strategies and the actual needs of economic and social development, we should use breakthroughs in key generic technologies, leading-edge technologies, modern engineering technologies, and disruptive technologies as a breakthrough point, give full play to the advantages of the new national system, win the battle to overcome key core technologies, and enable original and disruptive scientific and technological innovation achievements to emerge in large numbers, fostering new momentum for the development of new-quality productivity.

Second, use scientific and technological innovation to drive industrial innovation. The transformation of scientific and technological achievements into real productive forces is manifested in the creation of new industries and the promotion of deep transformation and upgrading of industries. Therefore, we must promptly apply the achievements of scientific and technological innovation to specific industries and industrial chains, transform and upgrade traditional industries, cultivate and expand emerging industries, plan and construct future industries, and improve the modern industrial system. We should focus on the layout of industrial chains around the development of new-quality productivity, promote the supplementation of short-board industries, the extension of advantageous industries, the upgrading of traditional industries, and the construction of new emerging industries, enhance the resilience and security of industrial chains and supply chains, and ensure that the industrial system is independent and controllable, safe and reliable. Focusing on the strategic tasks of promoting new industrialization and accelerating the construction of a strong manufacturing country, a strong quality country, a strong network country, and a digital China, we should scientifically plan scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation. We should vigorously develop the digital economy, promote the deep integration of the digital economy and the real economy, and create digital industrial clusters with international competitiveness. Focusing on the goal of building a strong agricultural country, we should increase scientific and technological innovation in seed industry and agricultural machinery and the application of innovation achievements, using innovative technologies to promote the development of modern agriculture and ensure national food security.

Third, focus on promoting innovation in the development model. Green development is the underlying color of high-quality development, and new-quality productivity itself is green productivity. We must accelerate the green transformation of the development model to contribute to carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. We must firmly establish and practice the concept that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets, and unswervingly follow the path of prioritizing ecology and green development. Accelerate green technological innovation and the promotion and application of advanced green technologies, strengthen the green manufacturing industry, develop the green service industry, expand the green energy industry, develop green and low-carbon industries and supply chains, and build a green, low-carbon, and circular economic system. Continuously optimize the economic policy toolkit to support green and low-carbon development, give play to the leading role of green finance, and create highly efficient ecological and green industrial clusters. At the same time, vigorously advocate a green and healthy lifestyle throughout society.

Fourth, solidly advance institutional and mechanism innovation. Production relations must adapt to the requirements of productivity development. To develop new-quality productivity, we must further comprehensively deepen reforms to form new production relations that are adapted to it. New-quality productivity requires not only proactive government planning and guidance, and scientific policy support, but also market mechanism regulation and continuous innovation by micro-entities such as enterprises. It is jointly cultivated and driven by the government's "visible hand" and the market's "invisible hand." Therefore, we should deepen reforms in the economic system and the scientific and technological system, focus on breaking through bottlenecks hindering the development of new-quality productivity, establish a high-standard market system, innovate the allocation of production factors, and allow various types of advanced and high-quality production factors to flow smoothly to the development of new-quality productivity. At the same time, we should expand high-level opening up to create a good international environment for the development of new-quality productivity.

Fifth, deepen the innovation of talent work mechanisms. We must follow the requirements for developing new-quality productivity, ensure the smooth circulation of education, science and technology, and talent, and improve the working mechanisms for talent cultivation, introduction, use, and reasonable flow. We must optimize the subject setting and talent cultivation models of higher education institutions based on new trends in scientific and technological development, to cultivate urgently needed talent for developing new-quality productivity and promoting high-quality development. We must focus on cultivating and building strategic scientists, leading scientists and technological innovation teams, cultivating outstanding engineers and skilled workers, strengthening the skills training of workers, and continuously improving the quality of all types of talent. We must improve the mechanism for factors to participate in income distribution, stimulate the vitality of production factors such as labor, knowledge, technology, management, capital, and data, better reflect the market value of knowledge, technology, and talent, and create a good atmosphere that encourages innovation and tolerates failure.

This is a speech given by General Secretary Xi Jinping on January 31, 2024, at the 11th Collective Study of the 20th Central Political Bureau.