Scientific Outlook on Development

After its 16th National Congress held in November 2002, the CPC, with Hu Jintao (b. 1942) as the chief representative, developed the Scientific Outlook on Development, which is people-oriented and calls for comprehensive, balanced and sustainable development.

The Scientific Outlook on Development defines development as the primary task. Development is very important to the Party in governing and rejuvenating the country. It must stay committed to the central task of economic development and focus on building the economy and driving growth in order to unleash and develop the productive forces.

It is a people-centered outlook. This means that the aim and outcome of all work of the Party and the state is to serve, safeguard and promote the fundamental interests of all the people, and that the Party must respect the people's status as the principal actors of the country, give play to their creativity, protect their rights and interests, pursue prosperity for all, and promote their well-rounded development.

Comprehensive, balanced and sustainable development is the basic requirement. This means that in line with the overall plan for advancing socialism with Chinese characteristics, the Party should promote all-round economic, political, cultural and social progress, coordinate all aspects of the modernization drive, and strike a balance between the relations of production and productive forces and between the superstructure and the economic base. It must pursue sound development that promotes production, prosperity and a healthy ecosystem, build a resource-conserving and environment-friendly society, and ensure that the economy is well structured and delivers quality and efficient growth and that the economy grows in harmony with the population, resources and the environment, so that the Chinese people will live and work in a healthy environment and China's economy and society will develop in a sustainable way.

Conducting unified planning and taking all factors into consideration is the basic approach. This means that the Party should gain a full appreciation of the major relationships involved in building socialism with Chinese characteristics and handle them accordingly, balance urban and rural development, balance cross-regional development, balance economic and social development, ensure harmony between humanity and nature, and balance domestic development with opening to the outside world, while also taking all factors into account when handling the relationships between the central authorities and the local governments, between personal and collective interests, between interests of the part and those of the whole, and between immediate and long-term interests, so as to keep all parties motivated.

At the 17th CPC National Congress held in October 2007, the Scientific Outlook on Development was written into the Constitution of the CPC. At the 18th CPC National Congress in November 2012, the Scientific Outlook on Development, together with Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory and the Theory of Three Represents, was designated as a long-term guiding thought of the Party. At the First Session of the 13th NPC in March 2018, it was written into the Chinese Constitution and reconfirmed as the guideline in the political and social life in China.

The Scientific Outlook on Development is an important component of the system of theory on Chinese socialism. It offers in-depth answers to major questions of development. It is a systematic scientific theory that covers reform, development and stability, domestic and foreign affairs and national defense, Party matters, and running the country and the military. It is another timely update of the CPC's guiding thought and a new development of Marxism in contemporary China.

科學發展觀

2002年中共十六大以后，面對新世紀新階段世情、國情、黨情的深刻變化，以胡錦濤為主要代表的中國共產黨人，堅持解放思想、實事求是、與時俱進、求真務實，勇于推進實踐基礎上的理論創新，集中全黨智慧，堅持和豐富鄧小平理論、“三個代表”重要思想，形成了以人為本、全面協調可持續發展的科學發展觀。

科學發展觀的第一要義是發展，即堅持把發展作為黨執政興國的第一要務，牢牢扭住經濟建設這個中心，堅持聚精會神搞建設、一心一意謀發展，不斷解放和發展社會生產力。科學發展觀的核心是以人為本，即始終把實現好、維護好、發展好最廣大人民的根本利益作為黨和國家一切工作的出發點和落腳點，尊重人民主體地位，發揮人民首創精神，保障人民各項權益，走共同富裕道路，促進人的全面發展，做到發展為了人民、發展依靠人民、發展成果由人民共享。科學發展觀的基本要求是全面協調可持續發展，即按照中國特色社會主義事業總體布局，全面推進經濟建設、政治建設、文化建設、社會建設，促進現代化建設各個環節、各個方面相協調，促進生產關系與生產力、上層建筑與經濟基礎相協調；堅持生產發展、生活富裕、生態良好的文明發展道路，建設資源節約型、環境友好型社會，實現速度和結構質量效益相統一、經濟發展與人口資源環境相協調，使人民在良好生態環境中生產生活，實現經濟社會永續發展。科學發展觀的根本方法是統籌兼顧，即正確認識和妥善處理中國特色社會主義事業中的重大關系，統籌城鄉發展、區域發展、經濟社會發展、人與自然和諧發展、國內發展和對外開放，統籌中央和地方關系，統籌個人利益和集體利益、局部利益和整體利益、當前利益和長遠利益，充分調動各方面積極性。

2007年10月，中共十七大把科學發展觀寫入黨章。2012年11月，中共十八大把科學發展觀同馬克思列寧主義、毛澤東思想、鄧小平理論、“三個代表”重要思想一道，確立為中國共產黨必須長期堅持的指導思想。2018年3月，十三屆全國人大一次會議將科學發展觀載入中國憲法，確立了科學發展觀在國家政治和社會生活中的指導地位。

科學發展觀是中國特色社會主義理論體系的重要組成部分。這一重要思想深刻認識和回答了新形勢下實現什么樣的發展、怎樣發展等重大問題，形成了涵蓋改革發展穩定、內政外交國防、治黨治國治軍各方面的系統科學理論，實現了中國共產黨在指導思想上的又一次與時俱進，開辟了當代中國馬克思主義發展新境界。