The just-concluded Central Economic Work Conference has stressed that taking economic construction as the central task is a requirement of the Party’s basic line, and all Party members must concentrate on implementing this policy to ensure steady qualitative improvement and reasonable quantitative growth of the economy. What is the new meaning and significance of emphasizing the need to take economic construction as the central task to achieve high-quality development in the new stage of development?

At first, keeping a development that is economy-centered is the core and key to high-quality development. High-quality development refers to people-centered development. Meeting people’s needs for a better life requires us to have a rich material foundation, a higher level of productivity and economic development to support. This determines that in the new era, China will continue to take economic construction as the central task. On the basis of continuing to promote development, it requires us to address the problem of unbalanced and inadequate development, advance supply-side structural reform, speed up the adjustment, transformation and upgrading of economic structure so as to achieve high-quality economic development and strive to ensure that the fruits of economic development can benefit the broadest number of people, and better promote well-rounded human development and all-round social progress.

Secondly, keeping a development that is economy-centered is a strategic choice in line with China’s national conditions. In his speech at the celebration of the 40th anniversary of reform and opening-up, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that “over the past 40 years, we have always taken economic construction as the central task, constantly unleashed and developed the productive forces”, which scored remarkable achievements, and “The Chinese people have taken decisive steps on the journey of becoming prosperous and strong.” Taking economic construction as the central task is a scientific theory and a correct strategy derived from a summary of the great practice of China since the founding of new China, especially the 40-plus years of reform and opening up. It is essential to rejuvenate our Country and a fundamental requirement for the Party and our Country to achieve lasting peace, prosperity and stability. Changes in the principal contradiction facing Chinese society in the new era have neither changed the basic reality that China is still and will long remain in the primary stage of socialism, nor has it changed China’s international status as the world’s largest developing country. In the new stage of development, we must keep a firm grasp of the basic realities of unbalanced and inadequate development. In pursuing development and economic development, based on the reality that China is in the primary stage of socialism, we should earnestly implement the five new development concepts, build a new development pattern, accelerate the realization of the three key issues such as “changing the mode of economic development, adjusting the economic structure and improving the quality and efficiency of the economy”, thus promoting high-quality development.

Thirdly, keeping a development that is economy-centered is the only way to advance a common prosperity. The essential requirement of socialism is to liberate and develop productive forces, eliminate polarization and finally achieve common prosperity. The strategic thought centered on economic development is based on Marxism’s historical materialism and the theory of scientific socialism. It embodies the basic spirit of Marxism and the essential requirements of socialism, as well as the basic features of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Fourthly, keeping a development that is economy-centered is the key, foundation and main lever for promoting the overall layout of “five-in-one”. Some people believe that taking economic construction as the central task is the idea of “material-based”, ignoring the importance of social construction and improvement of people’s livelihood. This understanding is one-sided and wrong. The fundamental purpose of taking economic construction as the central task is to continuously improve people’s livelihood and meet their needs for a better life. As we all know, employment is the biggest issue concerning people’s livelihood. To solve this problem, we must take economic construction as the central task. The statistics have shown that in China, each percentage point of GDP growth can lead to 800,000 to 1,000,000 new jobs. To create 13,000,000 new jobs annually during the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, China must maintain steady and faster economic growth.

Some people believe that taking economic construction as the central task means losing sight of other important tasks such as political construction, cultural construction, social construction, ecological civilization construction, etc. This understanding is also one-sided and wrong. As Deng Xiaoping said, “If we don’t take economic construction as the central task, we shall take the risk of losing our material foundation. All other tasks must be subordinate to and revolve around this central task, and must absolutely not interfere with or upset it.” Taking economic construction as the central task is to better coordinate overall development in building China into a great modern socialist country. This strategic thought captures the focus and key of the fundamentality and essentiality in determining the overall significance of building a great modern country. Therefore, it is scientific, valid and completely correct.

Fifthly, keeping a development that is economy-centered is an important strategic measure to achieve the “two centenary goals”. Economic construction is the eternal theme of human beings, and a strong country must have a strong economy. To build China into a great modern socialist country in the new era and realize the Chinese dream of great national rejuvenation, it must be built on a strong material foundation, and above all, build China into an economic powerhouse. Only by taking economic construction as the central task, maintaining development as the absolute principle to carry out the top priority in governing and rejuvenating our country, implementing the new development philosophy, and striving to achieve higher-quality, more efficient, fairer and more sustainable development, so can China’s economic strength, scientific and technological strength, national defense strength, overall national strength and core competitiveness be comprehensively enhanced, and so can we lay a solid material foundation for upholding and developing the great cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.