1. We must understand the fundamental aim of the new development philosophy.

As an old saying goes, "As vast as heaven and earth may be, the people must always come first." The people represent the deepest foundation and the greatest source of confidence for our Party in governing the country. Working for the wellbeing of the people and the rejuvenation of the nation is the immutable aim of our Party in leading the modernization drive, and the root and essence of the new development philosophy. We will only have the right view of development and modernization if we follow a people-centered approach, insisting that development is for the people, reliant on the people, and that its fruits should be shared by the people. The Soviet Union was the world's first socialist country and once enjoyed spectacular success. Ultimately however, it collapsed, mainly because the Communist Party of the Soviet Union became detached from the people and turned into a group of privileged bureaucrats concerned only with protecting their own interests. Even in a modernized country, if a governing party turns its back on the people, it will imperil the fruits of modernization.

Realizing common prosperity is more than an economic goal. It is a major political issue that bears on our Party's governance foundation. We cannot allow the gap between the rich and the poor to continue growing – for the poor to keep getting poorer while the rich continue growing richer. We cannot permit the wealth gap to become an unbridgeable gulf. Of course, common prosperity should be realized in a gradual way that gives full consideration to what is necessary and what is possible and adheres to the laws governing social and economic development. At the same time, however, we cannot afford to just sit around and wait. We must be proactive about narrowing the gaps between regions, between urban and rural areas, and between rich and poor people. We should promote all-around social progress and well-rounded personal development, and advocate social fairness and justice, so that our people enjoy the fruits of development in a fairer way. We should see that people have a stronger sense of fulfillment, happiness, and security and make them feel that common prosperity is not an empty slogan but a concrete fact that they can see and feel for themselves.

2. We need to stay problem-oriented.

The China of today stands at a new historical starting point in development. In light of development requirements in the new stage, we need to stick to a problem-oriented approach so that we can implement the new development philosophy with even greater precision. We need to effectively address the issues relating to unbalanced and insufficient development in order to make our development high-quality. For example, greater self-reliance in science and technology, which is essential for us to sustain and develop ourselves, has been hampered by many bottlenecks. The development gap between urban and rural areas and between regions is still too large, and the question of how exactly we should solve this problem involves extensive research into many new issues. In particular, we need to present clear approaches in response to regional divergence and reorganization, accelerated population migration across regions, and the decreasing willingness among rural residents to settle in cities. There is broad consensus about promoting a green transformation in every aspect of economic and social development. But our energy system is still heavily reliant on fossil fuels such as coal, which puts a great strain on the efforts to realize a green and low-carbon transformation in our production modes and ways of life. The targets of reaching peak carbon emissions before 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality before 2060 are extremely formidable. Given the backlash against economic globalization and the complex and changeable external environment, we need to strike a good balance between greater self-reliance and openness and cooperation, between participation in the international division of labor and the safeguarding of national security, and between utilized foreign investment and security reviews, so that China can open wider to the outside world while guaranteeing its national security. In short, as we enter a new stage of development, we need to deepen our understanding of the new development philosophy, so that we can take more targeted and more concrete measures that will truly deliver high-quality development.

3. We must be mindful of the difficulties ahead.

Good planning and preparation are the keys to avoiding difficulties and hardships. As the principal contradiction in Chinese society has changed and the global balance of power is steadily shifting, China will have to contend with more internal and external risks in development than before. We must be more aware of potential dangers, keep in mind worst-case scenarios, and be prepared for more complex and graver situations. The Central Committee prioritized issues of security in its Recommendations for Formulating the 14th Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development and Long-Range Objectives through the Year 2035. It emphasized that we should ensure security in all areas and throughout the entire process of China's development. If our underlying security foundations are not solid, the entire edifice of our development will come under threat. We must uphold the unity between political security, the safety of the people, and the interests of the nation, be ready to stand up for ourselves and be adept at doing so, and work to increase our overall strengths, especially the strength of our deterrence.

We should prevent major fluctuations in the macro economy and avoid large inflows and withdrawals of foreign investment in the capital market. We must ensure the security of food, energy, and major resource supplies, as well as the stability and security of industrial and supply chains. We need to prevent the disorderly expansion and unchecked growth of capital, and ensure environmental and workplace safety. We should guard against the risk of large-scale job losses, strengthen public health security, and effectively prevent and handle public disturbances. In strengthening the systems for safeguarding national security, we should draw on experiences from other countries, work out how to set necessary security barriers and locks at different stages, and identify effective solutions for various national security issues.