Calibrating the Direction of China's Reform and Opening-Up in the New Era

ABSTRACT

Xi Jinping's report of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) announced that the socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era. This involves a new era for reform and opening-up as well. As with the constant reference to the originally charted course for recalibrating direction when piloting a huge ship, China's reform and opening-up also requires constant comparison with its original target destination to recalibrate its direction moving forward. This article combines Xi Jinping thought on socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era with the new practice of comprehensively deepening the reform since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, and presents a systematic analysis and elaboration for the direction calibration of the reform and opening-up with their conditions in the new era from six aspects, i.e., the reform and opening-up and its direction and methodology, its starting and ending points, its core issues, its foothold, its independence, Party conduct and social atmosphere. This article not only points out that this calibration amounts to the rectification and remedy of past deficiencies, but also notes further measures to be taken in response to changes of the actual situation and new developments.

KEYWORDS:

• Socialism with Chinese characteristics
• Xi Jinping thought
• new era
• reform and opening-up

Acknowledgements

This article is translated by Professor Hong Xiang at the School of Marxism, Jimei University, Xiamen, China.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on Contributor

Jiamu Zhu is President of the Society of National History of the People's Republic of China, and former Director of the Institute of Contemporary China Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, whose research mainly focuses on the history of the People's Republic of China. He is the author of China's Industrialization and Contemporary History of China (2009) and On Chen Yun (2010).