General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that what kind of governance system a country chooses is determined by the country’s historical heritage, cultural traditions, and level of economic and social development, as well as the people of the country. China’s national governance system today is the result of long-term development, gradual improvement, and endogenetic evolution based on our country’s history, cultural traditions, and economic and social development levels.Footnote 1

For more than 70 years since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the Communist Party of China has led the people in creating a miracle of rapid economic development and long-term social stability rarely seen in the world.Footnote 2 Calculated at constant prices, from 1952 to 2020, the GDP has increased by 189 times, with an average annual growth rate of 8.0%, and the GDP per capita has increased by 76.2 times, with an average annual growth rate of 6.6%. Among them, the industrial added value has increased by 1028 times, with an average annual growth rate of 10.7%.Footnote 3 Aside from the ten-year civil strife of the “Cultural Revolution”, China has maintained the longest social stability, which is the public welfare product of the “great order throughout the land”, as the fresh air that every Chinese person constantly needs. At the same time, China has also created the world’s largest poverty alleviation miracle. According to the current standards for rural areas in 2010, 770 million rural poor people have been lifted from poverty.Footnote 4 Calculated by the international poverty line of more than 1.90 international dollars (in 2011), 880 million people in absolute poverty have been lifted out of poverty.Footnote 5 The institutional basis for creating the above-mentioned miracles lies in realizing the modernization of socialist country governance and transforming the advantages of China’s social system into national governance achievements. Not only has it created a miracle of economic development, but it has also created an unprecedented miracle of social stability and an unprecedented miracle of world poverty reduction.

Socialist modernization with Chinese characteristics has not only built the “Six-sphere Integrated Plan” of the economic modernization, social modernization, cultural modernization, ecological modernization, and modernization of national defense and armed forces, but also innovated the modernization of national governance, which has become the institutional foundation and guarantee for China’s realization of the socialist modernization. It allows China to prove to the whole world that the Chinese people are not only good at dismantling the old, but also excel at building the new. Not only is China capable of changing its former situation of “poverty and blankness”, but also it can do a good job in building a powerful modern socialist country.

The institutional advantage is China’s greatest political advantage. China has comparative advantage, a late-mover advantage, a catching-up advantage, and advantages as a major country. Among all these advantages, the most important advantage lies in its institution, namely the thirteen major advantages, which I call the “Chinese Institutional Collection” or the “Collection of Chinese Institutional Advantages”, of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics and the national governance system that are systematically organized, comprehensively summarized, and highly generalized by the “Decision” of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. This not only reveals the fundamental reasons of the institutional advantages for the development miracle in the more than 70 years of the People’s Republic of China, but also provides the fundamental basis for the overall institutional advantages and long-term institutional advantages for the realization of the “Two Centenary Goals”.Footnote 6

The “Decision” of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China clearly stated that by 2035, the system in all aspects will be further perfected, and the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity will be basically realized. By the 2049, the basic realization of the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity will make the socialist system with Chinese characteristics more consolidated and increasingly reveal its advantages.Footnote 7

Specifically, by 2035, the goal of modernizing the national governance system and governance capacity will be basically realized, including the followingFootnote 8:

First, the Communist Party of China’s leadership system will be more complete. General Secretary Xi Jinping clearly pointed out, “The leadership of the Communist Party of China is the most essential feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics.”Footnote 9 This is China’s most fundamental political condition, which is not only different from other major countries, but also is China’s biggest political advantage. This advantage dominates and runs through other significant advantages. People must adhere to the leadership of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in all aspects, resolutely safeguard the authority of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, so as to improve the CPC’s leadership system that directs the overall situation and coordinates the efforts of all quarters. The CPC’s system of exercising power in the interests of the people and relying on the people to exercise power will be more complete, the CPC’s system of enhancing governing ability and leadership will more complete, and the system of full and strict governance over the CPC will also be more complete.

Second, the system wherein the people are the masters of the country will be more complete. This framework is the basic approach to state governance, the political party’s governance, social governance, and people’s participation in state affairs and social affairs in accordance with the law. The fundamental political system — the system of people’s congress will be more complete, the system of multiparty cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the Communist Party of China will be more complete, the system of regional ethnic autonomy, and the system of community-level self-governance will also be more complete.

Third, the system of socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics will be increasingly perfected. This is the basic strategy of governing the country by law. The integration of a country under the rule of law, a government under the rule of law, and a society under the rule of law will be basically completed. A climate of scientific legislation, strict law enforcement, impartial justice and law-abiding by the whole people will have basically taken shape. Coordinated progress will be made in law-based governance; law-based exercise of state power; and law-based government administration. The judicial protection system for human rights will be improved to ensure that the people have access to both fairness and justice.

Fourth, the national administrative system will be more complete and more efficient. This is the fundamental purpose of the people’s government: to serve the people wholeheartedly. The government’s responsibility system and organizational structure will be further optimized, the quality of personnel will be continuously improved, the efficiency of service and administration will be more efficient, a service-oriented government that is satisfactory to the people will be basically established, and the ability to manage public and social affairs will be leapt to the forefront of the world, especially the business environment will be greatly improved.Footnote 10

Fifth, the basic socialist economic system will be improved. The socialist market economic system will be more perfect. The basic economic system in which public ownership is the mainstay of the economy and economic entities of diverse ownership develop together will be more perfect. The distribution system whereby distribution according to work is dominant and multiple forms of distribution exist side by side will coexist in the long-term. The scientific and technological innovation system will be more perfect, and the scientific and technological innovation capability will have leapt to the forefront of the world. The state macro-control mechanism will be more mature, the strategic orientation of the state development plan will be more precise, and the coordination mechanisms for economic policies such as finance, currency, industries, and regions will be more effective. The modern fiscal system built upon clearly defined powers and responsibilities, appropriate financial resource allocation, and greater balance between regions will be more complete. A transparent budget system that uses well-conceived standards and imposes effective constraints will be basically established. The central and local initiatives will be fully leveraged, and the system and mechanism will be improved. We shall scientifically define financial authorities and expenditure responsibilities at all levels, establish a fiscal relationship between the central and local governments built upon clearly defined powers and responsibilities, appropriate financial resource allocation, and greater balance between regions, and improve the system of local taxation. The world’s high-level open and relatively-developed new economic system will be basically established.Footnote 11 China will enable the market to play a decisive role in the allocation of resources, allow the government to play its role better, and the synergy between the visible hand of the government and the invisible hand of the market will also be more prominent. China has leapt to the top of the world in terms of the ranking of its Fortune 500,Footnote 12 The World’s 500 Most Influential Brands,Footnote 13 international competitiveness,Footnote 14 innovation capabilities,Footnote 15 and global unicorn companies.Footnote 16

Sixth, the advanced socialist cultural system will be perfected. China will adhere to the fundamental system of insisting on the guiding position of Marxism in the ideological field, guide the system of cultural construction by the core values of socialism, lead the social trend of thought, and build a social consensus. The people’s cultural rights guarantee system will be improved, and a public cultural service system covering all people will be established. There will be significant improvement to the civilized quality of citizens and the level of social civilization; improvement in the production system and mechanism of cultural creation. Cultural tourism industry will be an important pillar industry of the national economy, and increasingly meet the growing spiritual and cultural needs of the people. Chinese cultural products will go out to the world, and Chinese cultural soft power and international influence will be significantly enhanced.

Seventh, the livelihood security system covering both urban and rural populations will be improved. The national basic public service system will be basically completed, and people’s basic life will be guaranteed by comprehensive, basic, inclusive livelihood construction. The system will meet the people’s multi-level, diversified, and individual needs, and benefit all the people more fairly. There will be improvements in higher-quality employment promotion mechanisms, and there will be an education system that serves the lifelong learning of the whole people. There will be a more complete social security system covering the whole people and a national health security system that is basically complete. There will be a long-term mechanism to solve relative poverty and help low-income people.

Eighth, the social governance system of co-construction, co-governance and mutual-sharing will be more perfect. The social governance system with leadership of the Party committees, administration of the government, coordination of the society, participation of the public, protection of laws, and support of science and technology will be more perfect, and a social governance community will be built. The level of socialization, legalization, intelligence, and specialization will continue to be improved, ensuring that the people can live and work in peace and contentment and the society is stable and in order. The crime prevention and control system will be more complete, the public security system and mechanism will be more complete, and the new landscape of grass-roots social governance will be basically formed. The national security system will be more complete and more powerful. A safe society as well as a safe country will be built.

Ninth, the ecological civilization system will be increasingly perfected. China will implement the world’s most stringent ecological and environmental protection system, comprehensively establish a system for efficient utilization of resources, perfect its ecological protection and restoration systems, and apply more stringent ecological and environmental protection responsibility systems. The environmental production space will be safe and efficient, the living space will be comfortable and livable, and the ecological space will be clear and eco-friendly. The quality and stability of natural ecosystems such as forests, rivers and lakes, wetlands, grasslands, and oceans will be significantly improved.

Tenth, China will actively participate in the reform and construction of the global governance system. China will actively advocate for the building of the community with a shared future for mankind, put forward the joint construction of the “Belt and Road” initiative, carry out pragmatic cooperation with countries around the world, especially developing countries, solve world development problems, take the lead in implementing the “United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda”, and achieve absolute poverty eradication ten years ahead of schedule. China will achieve its population goals, adhere to the global governance concept of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, support the United Nations in playing an active global role, support the expansion of the representation and status of developing countries in international affairs, and increase foreign aid to southern countries.Footnote 17 China will actively play the role as a responsible major country, actively participate in and promote the process of economic globalization, and actively guide international cooperation in addressing climate change, become an important participant, contributor, and leader in the construction of a global ecological civilization, and contribute to global ecological security.

By 2035, when China has basically achieved the socialist modernization, the socialist system with Chinese characteristics will be more complete, the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity will be basically achieved, and institutional and mechanism guarantees will be provided for the basic realization of socialist modernization. The thirteen significant advantages will be more prominent, obtaining basic advantages, comprehensive advantages, powerful advantages and long-term advantages for realizing socialist modernization, and basically building a socialist modernized political power.Footnote 18