Revolution means carrying out class struggle, but it does not merely mean that. The development of the productive forces is also a kind of revolution — a very important one. It is the most fundamental revolution from the viewpoint of historical development. (Deng Xiaoping, "To Build Socialism We Must First Develop the Productive Forces" (Talk with some leading comrades of the Central Committee, April 1, 1980)).
It is always nice when a political collective developing important elements of its ideology shares that development with others. It is nicer still when the outreach is in English. One of the core areas of development of Chinese Leninism, as it moves from the Era of Reform and Opening Up to its New Era has been the evolution of the concept of productive forces (生产力). In the Era of Reform and Opening Up and in the reforms undertaken in the situation left by the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, the focus was on economic development.
We should research earnestly how to carry out socialist development. At this time, we are reviewing the experience gained in the past three decades since the founding of the People’s Republic. To sum up, it is as follows. First, we should not adopt “Leftist” policies by divorcing ourselves from reality or skipping over necessary stages. Otherwise, the task of building socialism will not be accomplished. We have suffered losses from “Leftist” policies. Second, whatever we do must contribute to developing the productive forces. In our effort to do this, we should stress economic results. Unless we develop the productive forces, we cannot gradually increase people’s incomes. We have suffered a great deal in this respect, especially during the ten years of the “cultural revolution”. We should research why so many African countries which have been developing socialism have become poorer and poorer. We should not consider it to be glorious merely to call our nation socialist, nor should we be content with this. (Deng Xiaoping, "To Build Socialism We Must First Develop the Productive Forces" (Talk with the delegation from the Party of the National Liberation Front of the Democratic People’s Republic of Algeria, April 21, 1980).
Nor just productive forces in its narrowest sense of state assets (however broadly defined), but productive forces as an integral part of the transformation of production and productivity from one centered on economic productivity (China as the factory of the world measured by output) to one in which economic activity is deeply embedded withing a comprehensive state policy to advance a complex of integrated policies to advance social welfare as a function of the core premises of the political economic (Marxist-Leninist) order now grounded in innovation, ecological civilization and core Socialist values which create a self-referencing cultural circle within which it is assumed possible to discern abetter and ore successful approach to productivity, and with it a means of overcoming the contemporary principal contradiction of unequal distribution that marks the New Era. The Chinese Consulate-General in Los Angeles has been helpful in explaining this to the masses of its principal competitor:
“New quality productive forces” is a major concept put forward by President Xi Jinping. Marked by innovation, new quality productive forces are advanced productivity in essence, with high quality as the key and substantial increase in total factor productivity as its core hallmark. As a new form of productivity, what is “new” about “new quality productive forces”? It is “new” because it aims at high-quality development driven by innovation. . . It is “new” because it aims at green development with a vision of harmonious coexistence of human and nature. . . It is “new” because it aims at a high-level opening-up with mutually beneficial results. New quality productive forces will not only invigorate China’s high-quality growth but also provide impetus for global sustainable development. . . (Understand Top Chinese Buzzword: New Quality Productive Forces (17 April 2024)
This has been made clearer by the Chinese Communist Party General Secretary and popularized through well placed short essays. Consider in this respect 王波习近平总书记强调的“新质量生产力” [Wang Bo, "New High Quality Productive Forces" emphasized by General Secretary Xi Jinping ] (which follows below in the original and in a crude English translation; see also here). The essay notes:
生产力是指人类在生产实践中形成的改造和影响自然的能力。 生产力作为马克思主义政治经济学和唯物史观的最基本范畴，不仅是人类历史的物质基础，也是推动社会进步的最积极、最革命的因素。 没有生产力的发展，就没有社会的进步。[Productivity refers to the ability of human beings to transform and influence nature formed in production practices. As the most basic category of Marxist political economy and historical materialism, productivity is not only the material basis of human history, but also the most active and revolutionary factor in promoting social progress. Without the development of productive forces, there will be no social progress.] (see also 陈凯华 郭锐 面向数字化绿色化转型发展新质生产力 [Chen Kaihua Guo Rui: "Facing digital and green transformation to develop new productive forces"], Drones, and the Russo-Ukraine War).And thus the focus on explaining this, in a quite specific and directed way to target English speaking audiences.
习近平词典丨新质生产力
2024-04-22 17:30:55 来源: 新华社
新质生产力正成为中国经济大海中
强劲涌动的新潮
习近平总书记提出的新质生产力
究竟是什么？
中国为什么要发展新质生产力？
让我们翻开《习近平词典》第三章
和新华社美籍记者李柯
一起感受新质生产力的脉动吧！
总策划：任卫东
策划：孙承斌 王进业 李忠发
监制：张正富
统筹：商洋
文案/脚本：潘丽君 任垚媞
编导：郭沛然
记者：李柯 郭沛然 任垚媞 潘丽君
图片：王建华 唐京伟 郑立新
编辑：陆烨
新华社对外部
新马可波罗工作室制作
责任编辑： 陈可轩
Xi Jinping Dictionary丨New Quality Productive Forces
2024-04-22 17:30:55 Source: Xinhua News Agency
New productive forces are becoming an integral part of China’s economic sea
Strong new trend
The new quality productivity proposed by General Secretary Xi Jinping
What exactly is it?
Why does China need to develop new productive forces?
Let's open Chapter 3 of "Xi Jinping Dictionary"
and Li Ke, an American reporter from Xinhua News Agency
Let’s feel the pulse of new productivity together!
Chief planner: Ren Weidong
Planning: Sun Chengbin Wang Jinye Li Zhongfa
Producer: Zhang Zhengfu
Coordinator: Shang Yang
Copywriter/Script: Pan Lijun and Ren Yaoti
Director: Guo Peiran
Reporters: Li Ke, Guo Peiran, Ren Yaoti, Pan Lijun
Picture: Wang Jianhua Tang Jingwei Zheng Lixin
Editor: Lu Ye
Xinhua News Agency external
Produced by New Marco Polo Studio
Editor in charge: Chen Kexuan
The link to the video is embedded in the website of the credits HERE. It is worth a listen with the sensibilities of the premises of New Era Leninism firmly in mind (see its mapping here).
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