“The immutable goal of our modernization drive is to meet the people’s aspirations for a better life. We will endeavour to maintain and promote social fairness and justice, bring prosperity to all, and prevent polarization.” The 20th CPC National Congress report further clarified that achieving common prosperity is a defining feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Currently, China has entered the historical phase of achieving solid progress in promoting common prosperity.

Chinese path to modernization

Under the leadership of the CPC, China has experienced a historic transition from inadequate food and clothing to a moderately prosperous society in all respects. The root of this success lies in exploring a unique Chinese path to modernization. The Chinese path, which is characterized by the modernization of common prosperity for all, has effectively addressed a series of issues arising from the process of global modernization and has fully demonstrated its unique advantages.

Chinese modernization is a socialist modernization led by the CPC. Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, the CPC Central Committee has focused on continuously meeting the people’s growing needs for a better life, made achieving common prosperity for all an important goal of national development and social construction, implemented a series of policies and measures to effectively safeguard and improve people’s livelihoods, and solved a series of problems in employment, education, medical care, housing, elderly care, and other fields that are of general concern to the people. In doing so, China has laid a solid foundation for the modernization of common prosperity for all.

Chinese modernization has changed the inevitability that wealth is concentrated in the hands of relatively few, common in Western modernization, and it is committed to truly realizing common prosperity for all. The promoters, participants and beneficiaries of common prosperity are the people. At present, China is still in the primary stage of socialism, and problems related to imbalanced and insufficient development in urban and rural areas, regional development and other aspects still exist. Safeguarding and promoting social fairness and justice—and resolutely preventing polarization—have become the key measures to achieve solid progress in promoting common prosperity. Meanwhile, common prosperity does not simply mean an abundance of material resources, but also refers to the enrichment of cultural and ethical life. While material living standards are constantly improving, the enrichment of cultural and ethical life has also become a key area of great concern for the Party and the people.

Going forward

Firstly, to realize the modernization of common prosperity for all, we must continue to promote high-quality development. High-quality development is required for both the middle-income group expansion and bridging the development gap between urban and rural areas, which means high-quality development is required to consolidate the economic foundation of common prosperity.

Secondly, to realize the modernization of common prosperity for all, we must comprehensively deepen reform and provide institutional guarantees for common prosperity. To achieve common prosperity, the size and quality of the “pie” should not only be increased, but the portions should be divided and distributed well. Social fairness and justice should be promoted continuously through rational and scientific institutional design, so that all can share the fruits of reform and development.

Finally, to realize the modernization of common prosperity for all, focus should be placed on realizing the people’s aspiration for a better life in a tangible, and pragmatic manner. In short, solid progress must be achieved in promoting common prosperity so that all people may truly enjoy the new changes brought about by development.

Xiang Jiuyu is a professor from the School of Marxism at Wuhan University.