Keywords to Understand China

Keywords are one of the best ways to understand a country. In China， with the rapid development in different areas， the keywords keep changing. ChinAfrica brings a selection of prevailing keywords to help readers understand China better.

“The government and the market”

After more than 30 years， China continues to open up and proceed with reform. It constantly refines its socialist market economy to allow the market to play a bigger role. To further improve the economic structure， China has to properly handle the relationship between government and market， a major challenge under the new conditions.

In its report to the 18th National Congress in November 2012， the Communist Party of China （CPC） stated，“The underlying issue we face in economic structural reform is how to strike a balance between the role of the government and that of the market， and we should follow more closely the rules of the market and better exercise the role of government.”

To manage this relationship properly， the market should play a decisive role in resource allocation， while excessive government intervention in the operations of individual enterprises must be avoided； at the same time the government should improve its own performance by transforming its functions， optimizing its organizational structures， and introducing a better macro-adjustment system.

The development of a socialist market economy necessitates contributions from both the market and the government， which should forge a synergy to propel the sound and sustainable development of the economy and society.

“Promoting fairness and justice”

fairness and justice ought to be a defining feature of Chinese socialism， and promoting fairness and justice has been one of the CPCs overarching goals. China is stepping up efforts to develop institutions vital to ensuring social fairness and justice. A step-by-step process has been ongoing to create an environment that protects equal rights and opportunities， promotes fair play， and ensures peoples equal rights to participation and development.

The Party and state leaders have made repeated references to this initiative. In November 2013 in his explanatory note to the CPC Central Committees decision on further reforms， Xi Jinping discussed the importance of further promoting fair competition and social fairness and justice as an essential part of Chinas ongoing efforts to pursue all-round reform.

At a central conference on the administration of justice in January 2014， he underscored social fairness and justice as a core value of the judicial system， and the organs of that system as the last bastion of social justice and fairness.

“A structure of social governance by the people and for the people”

the initiative to build a structure of social governance by the people and for the people is highlighted in the Outline of the 13th Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development（2016–20）， released in March 2016. Social governance is seen as a process that entails participation by all， rather than one characterized by a division between the governing elite and those being governed. The outline provides guidance for implementing such an initiative.

Central to governance by the people and for the people is full participation in processes that bear on the wellbeing of society as a whole and full enjoyment of benefits therefrom by all members of society. As an innovative initiative， it serves to integrate government functions with contributions from society and public engagement， balance the pursuit of material interests with consensus on moral responsibilities， and underscore the need for joint efforts and benefit sharing.

“Striking a balance between reform， development and stability”

A balance between reform， development and stability has proved crucial to achieving tremendous economic and social progress since the launch of reform and opening up in the late 1970s. The three are interrelated： reform is the driving force behind development and the foundation for long-term stability； development is the goal of reform and provides a reliable guarantee of stability； and stability is a prerequisite for reform and development. The key to striking the right balance between reform， development and stability lies in ensuring that reform and development initiatives are pursued in a context of social stability in a way that they do not exceed the level of tolerance for change.

“Yangtze River economic belt”

A development plan for the Yangtze River economic belt was adopted on March 25， 2016 by the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and issued in September to the 11 municipalities and provinces （Anhui， Chongqing， Guizhou， Hubei， Hunan， Jiangsu， Jiangxi， Shanghai， Sichuan， Yunnan and Zhejiang） crossed or bordered by the Yangtze River， the longest river in China for implementation. The strategic decision by the central leadership to boost the development of this area represents a new move as part of its overall strategic planning in response to Chinas new normal of economic growth. It takes into account not only immediate imperatives but also long-term needs.

The plan aims to achieve by 2020：

– significant enhancement of ecological protection along the waterway， and effective protection and rational use of water resources；

– effective removal of barriers， obstacles， and bottlenecks that hamper the flow of traffic on the Yangtze River， thereby upgrading the rivers carrying capacity；

– substantive progress in implementing innovation initiatives， leading to the emergence of a number of world-class enterprises and business clusters and a greatly improved competitiveness on the world stage；

– further opening up of coastal and inland areas in tandem with moves to go global by land and by sea， as an integral part of the Belt and Road Initiative；

– increased integration and coordination that better ensure sustainability of development efforts；

– substantial headway in key fields of reform， to build a well-coordinated and efficient Yangtze basin management system， and a modern， integrated open market ； and

– higher levels of overall economic development， with a special focus on quality and efficiency， thus providing strategic support for economic and social development nationwide.

The objectives that the development plan is expected to achieve by 2030 include marked improvement in the overall aquatic environment and ecosystems， and ecological functions， improved traffic flow on the Yangtze River， the creation of an innovative modern interface for business activities along the Yangtze River， and better economic integration in the upper， middle and lower reaches of the river. The plan is also designed to create a cleaner environment， more economic dynamism and greater prosperity. The Yangtze River Basin can thus be in a better position to serve as a leading role in and provide strategic support for national economic and social development.