From 15 to 18 July 2024, the 3rd Plenum of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China was held in Beijing. The plenum reviewed and adopted the "Decision of the CPC Central Committee on Further Comprehensively Deepening Reforms to Advance China's Modernization". The Decision adopted by the plenum, which outlined the importance and necessity of further comprehensively deepening reform and advancing Chinese modernization, and worked out important reform steps for the next five years, demonstrated China's ambitious plan for comprehensive reform and the promising outlook for Chinese modernization.

Keyword 1: Overall goal

It is necessary to further improve and develop the socialist system with Chinese characteristics, and push forward the modernisation of the system and capacity of state administration. By 2035, the high-level socialist market economy system will be fully formed, the socialist system with Chinese characteristics will become more perfect, the modernisation of the system and capacity of state administration will be generally carried out, and socialist modernisation will be basically completed, laying a solid foundation for the complete construction of a modernised socialist power by the middle of this century.

-Focusing on the formation of a high-level socialist market economy system, fully ensure the decisive role of the market in the allocation of resources, and play the role of the government more effectively. To uphold and improve the basic economic system of socialism, promote the achievement of a high level of scientific and technological self-sufficiency and self-reinforcement, expand openness to the outside world at a high level, build a modern economic system, accelerate the formation of a new development architectonics, and promote high-quality development.

-Focusing on the development of people's democracy in the whole process, maintaining the organic unity of the Party leadership, the position of the people as masters of the country and the rule of law in state administration. Intensify work on building an even more perfect system to ensure the position of the people as the master of the country, promote the broad, multi-level development and institutionalization of consultative democracy, and further improve the socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics, to reach a higher level of construction of the socialist rule of law.

-Putting the construction of a socialist cultural power at the center, uphold the root institution that ensures the guiding position of Marxism in the field of ideology. Improve the systems and mechanisms for the development of the cultural sphere and cultural industry, promote cultural prosperity, enrich the spiritual and cultural life of the people, build up the country's cultural "soft power" and strengthen the influence of Chinese culture.

-Placing special emphasis on improving the people's quality of life, optimize the income distribution and employment systems, strengthen the social security system, enhance the balance and accessibility of basic public services, and foster more visible and significant progress in the comprehensive development of human beings and the realization of universal prosperity of the people.

-Focusing on building a "Beautiful China", accelerate the green transformation of all areas of economic and social development, strengthen the ecological improvement system, promote frugal and intensive, green and low-carbon development, prioritize ecological protection, and promote the harmonious coexistence of man and nature. -Prioritizing the construction of a "Tranquil China" at a higher level, elevate the national security system, fortify the integrated state strategic system, build national security capacity, upgrade social governance systems, mechanisms and methodologies, and ultimately establish a new security architecture.

-Focusing on raising the level of Party leadership and building its long-term governance capacity, modernize and improve the methods of Party leadership and state governance approaches, deepen the reform of the Party building system, and improve the system of comprehensive strict internal Party discipline. All reform initiatives set out in this Decision are scheduled to be completed by 2029, coinciding with the People's Republic of China's 80th anniversary.

Keyword 2: Important Principles

By summarizing and applying the valuable experience gained during the years of reform and opening up, especially in comprehensively deepening reform in the new era, the following principles should be put into practice.

It is necessary to uphold the comprehensive leadership of the CPC, vigorously defend the authority and unified centralized leadership of the Party Central Committee, identify the role of the Party as the guiding core governing the whole situation and coordinating the activities of all parties, adhere to the Party leadership in all aspects and in the whole reform process, and ensure that reform is constantly pushed forward in the right political direction.

We must always put the people at the center, respect the people's status as subjects and their creative initiative, ensure that reforms are in line with the people's needs, ensure that reforms are carried out for the benefit of and with the support of the people, and guarantee that the people share in the fruits of reform.

It is necessary to uphold the fundamental principles and innovate, preserve socialism with Chinese characteristics with unwavering firmness, keep abreast of the times, adapt to the development of practice, emphasize problem-solving orientation, and promote theoretical, practical, institutional and cultural innovation as well as innovation in other fields from a new starting point.

It is necessary to take institution building as the main line of work, strengthen top-level design and unified planning, pay equal attention to abolishing the old and creating the new, while introducing the new first and breaking down the old, strengthening the indigenous, improving the basic and renewing the essential institutions.

It is necessary to stand firmly on the position of comprehensively enforcing the rule of law in state governance, deepening reform and advancing China's modernisation in the legal direction, ensuring the unity of reform and legal governance, legally justifying the need for major reforms, and timely translating the results of reforms into legal acts.

It is necessary to always take a systematic approach, properly regulate the important relationships between economy and society, government and market, efficiency and fairness, vitality and order, development and security, etc., and enhance the systematicity, integrity and coherence of reform.

Keyword 3: Systematic Planning

-Form a high-level socialist market economy system. The high-level socialist market economy system is an important guarantee for the implementation of China's modernization. It is necessary to make better use of the role of market mechanisms, create a fairer and more lively market environment, striving to achieve the greatest efficiency and effectiveness in resource allocation. Under "expedient liberalization", exercise necessary supervision, guard market order more effectively, correct market malfunctions, and ensure the smooth circulation of the national economy, so as to awaken the internal driving force and innovation activity of society.

-Improve systems and mechanisms to promote high-quality economic development. High-quality development is the primary task of comprehensively building a modernized socialist state. It is necessary to push forward reforms in line with the new development concept, base everything on the conditions of the new development stage, deepen supply-side structural reforms, improve incentive and restriction mechanisms to promote high-quality development, and create new drivers and new development advantages.

-Establish systems and mechanisms to support the comprehensive implementation of innovation. Education, science and technology and professionals are the fundamental and strategic pillars of China's modernisation. Therefore, it is necessary to intensively implement the strategy of uplifting the country through science and education, the strategy of building national strength through human resources and the strategy of promoting development through innovation, promote the comprehensive reform of education, science, technology and human resources development systems and mechanisms on the basis of unified planning, optimize the new-type national mobilization system, and improve the overall efficiency of the national innovation system.

-Improve the macroeconomic management system. Scientifically sound macroeconomic regulation and effective government management is an internal need to identify the advantages of the socialist market economy system. It is necessary to improve the institutional system of macro-regulation, promote reforms in fiscal, financial and other key areas in a unified manner, and enhance the consistency of macroeconomic policy directions.

-Improve the systems and mechanisms of integrated urban-rural development. The integrated development of urban and rural areas is an indispensable requirement of China's modernization. It is necessary to unifiedly plan the work of promoting new-type industrialization and new-type urbanization and comprehensive rural uplift, comprehensively improve the level of integration of urban and rural planning, construction and management, promote the equal exchange and movement in both directions of factors of production between urban and rural areas, narrow the gap between them and promote their common prosperity and development.

-Improve systems and mechanisms to expand openness to the outside world at a high level. Openness is a striking feature of Chinese modernization. It is necessary to steadfastly adhere to the State's basic policy of opening up to the outside world, continue to promote reform by expanding openness, drawing on the advantages of China's super-sized domestic market, improve the capacity to implement openness in the process of expanding international cooperation, and build a new economic system with a higher level of openness.

-Improve the institutional system of people's democracy in the whole process. Developing people's democracy in the whole process is the essential requirement of Chinese modernization. It is necessary to invariably follow the path of developing the political system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, to preserve and improve the indigenous political institution, the basic and most important political institutions of China, to diversify the forms of democracy at all levels, and to achieve the practical concretisation of the people's position as the master of the country in all aspects of the political and social life of the state.

-Improve the socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics. The rule of law is an important guarantee for the implementation of Chinese modernization. It is necessary to fully implement the Constitution, protect its authority, make concerted efforts to reform all aspects of lawmaking, law enforcement, justice and law enforcement, improve the mechanism for ensuring equality of all before the law, develop the spirit of socialist legality, protect social equality and justice, and comprehensively promote the implementation of the rule of law in all aspects of the work of the state.

-Deepen the reform of cultural systems and mechanisms. Chinese modernization is modernization characterized by the concerted development of material and spiritual culture. It is necessary to strengthen confidence in our own culture, develop advanced socialist culture, glorify revolutionary culture, inherit and propagate outstanding traditional Chinese culture, adapt to the new conditions of rapid development of information technology at an accelerated pace, and cultivate a vast contingent of outstanding cultural figures, and awaken the cultural innovation and creativity of the whole nation.

-To revitalize the institutional system for ensuring and improving the people's welfare. Ensuring and improving people's welfare in the process of development is the key task of Chinese modernization. Adhering to the principle of "acting with full dedication but in proportion to one's ability", it is necessary to improve the institutional system of basic public services, strengthen the basic work of improving people's lives and the work of consolidating the minimum social security and making the results more accessible to all. To properly address the issues that directly affect the people's most pressing interests and concerns, and to steadily satisfy the people's aspirations for a wonderful life.

-Deepen the reform of the ecological civilization system. China's modernization is modernization based on the principle of harmonious coexistence between human and nature. It is necessary to improve the institutional system of ecological civilization, concertedly promote the work of reducing carbon emissions, reducing pollution, expanding green areas and ensuring economic growth, actively respond to climate change, and accelerate the improvement of systems and mechanisms aimed at realizing the concept of "green mountains and emerald waters are priceless treasures".

-Promote the modernization of the national security system and capacity. National security is an important foundation for ensuring the smooth and steady progress of China's modernization. It is necessary to systematically implement the comprehensive concept of national security, improve institutions and mechanisms for strengthening national security, and strive for a positive interaction between high-quality development and high-level security, thereby effectively safeguarding the country's long-term order and stability.

-Continuously deepen the reform of national defense and armed forces. The modernization of national defenze and the armed forces is an important component of China's modernization. It is necessary to uphold the absolute leadership of the People's Army by the CPC, intensively implement the strategy of building up military strength through reforms, thus providing solid guarantees for realizing the PLA's 100th anniversary target within the appointed time frame and basically implementing the modernization of national defense and the armed forces.

-Elevate the Party leadership in further comprehensively deepening reform to advance China's modernization. The leadership of the CPC is fundamental for further comprehensively deepening reform to advance China's modernization. We must deeply realize the crucial importance of affirming Comrade Xi Jinping's status as the leading core of the CPC Central Committee and the Party as a whole, as well as the guiding position of Xi Jinping's ideas on socialism with Chinese characteristics for the new era, and strengthen political consciousness, the consciousness of the interests of the whole, the consciousness of the core, and the consciousness of equality, strengthen our confidence in the path, theory, structure and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics, resolutely uphold the status of General Secretary Xi Jinping as the guiding core of the CPC Central Committee and the Party as a whole, strictly defend the authority of the CPC Central Committee and uphold its unified centralized leadership.

It is necessary to maintain a high level of consciousness towards social transformations through revolutionary self-transformation of the Party. Always adhere to the spirit of reform and apply strict criteria when carrying out Party self-control and internal Party management. Improve the system of rules and norms in the area of the Party's revolutionary self-transformation, continuously contributing to the Party's self-purification, self-improvement, self-renewal, and self-growth, thereby creating reliable guarantees for the Party to always serve as a strong leadership core in the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Syan Naychen, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Turkmenistan