Xi's Article on 15th FYP - 17th Straits Forum - Chen Wenqing on Tibet 'Anti-terrorism Struggle' - 2030 Metrology Goals - What Progress has Zhejiang Made in Common Prosperity Goals?
Here are the key reports and articles that I found noteworthy from the People’s Daily’s edition on Monday, June 16, 2025.
Page 1: The lead report on the page is about Xi Jinping’s latest article in Qiushi. The article is a collection of quotes from Xi, from 2015 to 2025, on the theme of guiding economic and social development with medium and long-term planning. The PD report says:
The article emphasises that scientific formulation and continuous implementation of five-year plans is an important experience of our Party in governing the country and an important political advantage of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Shortly after the founding of New China, our Party put forward the goal of building a socialist modernised country. From the first five-year plan to the 14th five-year plan, the consistent theme has been to build our country into a socialist modernised country. In this process, our Party has continuously deepened its understanding of building a socialist modernised country, matured its strategy, and enriched its practice, which has accelerated the process of modernisation in our country. 文章强调，科学制定和接续实施五年规划，是我们党治国理政一条重要经验，也是中国特色社会主义一个重要政治优势。新中国成立不久，我们党就提出建设社会主义现代化国家的目标。从第一个五年计划到第十四个五年规划，一以贯之的主题是把我国建设成为社会主义现代化国家。在这个过程中，我们党对建设社会主义现代化国家在认识上不断深入、在战略上不断成熟、在实践上不断丰富，加速了我国现代化发展进程.
The article points out that the report of the 20th Party Congress profoundly expounded the Chinese characteristics, essential requirements, and major principles of Chinese-style modernisation, and is the highest top-level design for advancing Chinese-style modernisation. Chinese-style modernisation is advanced in stages and by fields. Achieving the development goals of each stage and implementing the development strategies of each field also requires top-level design. We must deeply grasp the major trends of world development, accurately grasp the common aspirations of the people, thoroughly explore the laws of economic and social development, so that the formulated plans and policy systems embody the characteristics of the times, grasp regularity, and are rich in creativity, achieving a combination of long-term and short-term, vertical and horizontal coherence, and internal coordination. 文章指出，党的二十大报告深刻阐述了中国式现代化的中国特色、本质要求和重大原则，是对推进中国式现代化的最高顶层设计。中国式现代化是分阶段、分领域推进的，实现各个阶段发展目标、落实各个领域发展战略同样需要进行顶层设计。要深刻洞察世界发展大势，准确把握人民群众的共同愿望，深入探索经济社会发展规律，使制定的规划和政策体系体现时代性、把握规律性、富于创造性，做到远近结合、上下贯通、内容协调.
The second part of this quote is not in the paper, but it is in the Qiushi piece, and it is useful to read with this.
“Advancing the cause of Chinese-style modernisation is an exploratory undertaking, and there are still many unknown fields, which requires us to explore boldly in practice and promote the development of the cause through reform and innovation, and one must never mark the boat to find one’s sword (刻舟求剑) or guard a tree-stump and wait for rabbit (守株待兔) (the two idioms that broadly warn against being dogmatic or not adapting to changing circumstances and adopting a wait and watch approach.) All localities and departments should explore and innovate according to their own specific conditions, especially when it comes to cutting-edge work and unchartered domains, encourage bold exploration and pioneering efforts and methods to effectively solve new contradictions and new problems, and strive to create fresh experiences that can be replicated and promoted.” 同时，推进中国式现代化是一个探索性事业，还有许多未知领域，需要我们在实践中去大胆探索，通过改革创新来推动事业发展，决不能刻舟求剑、守株待兔。各地区各部门要结合各自具体实际开拓创新，特别是在前沿实践、未知领域，鼓励大胆探索、敢为人先，寻求有效解决新矛盾新问题的思路和办法，努力创造可复制、可推广的新鲜经验.
The article points out that the people’s yearning for a beautiful life is the goal of our struggle, and the people’s confidence and support are the driving force of China’s progress. Good policies and development plans should all conform to the people’s will and align with what the people think and hope for, coming from the masses and going to the masses. The compilation of five-year plans involves all aspects of economic and social development and is closely related to the production and life of the people. It is necessary to unite the strengthening top-level design with persisting in seeking advice from the people, fully absorbing social expectations, public wisdom, expert opinions, and grassroots experience into plan compilation. 文章指出，人民对美好生活的向往就是我们的奋斗目标，人民的信心和支持就是我们国家奋进的力量。好的方针政策和发展规划都应该顺应人民意愿、符合人民所思所盼，从群众中来、到群众中去。五年规划编制涉及经济社会发展方方面面，同人民群众生产生活息息相关，需要把加强顶层设计和坚持问计于民统一起来，把社会期盼、群众智慧、专家意见、基层经验充分吸收到规划编制中来.
The article emphasises that planning economic and social development for the 15th FYP period must accurately grasp the phased requirements of the 15th FYP period, focus on the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation, closely revolve around the goal of basically realising socialist modernisation, and reasonably determine objectives and tasks field-by-field, putting forward ideas and measures. For the objectives and tasks in all aspects, we must conduct in-depth analysis and demonstration to ensure they are scientific, precise, and can be achieved on schedule. We must make overall plans, grasp key and decisive factors, handle the rhythm and pace well, focus on consolidating and expanding advantages, breaking through bottlenecks and blockages, strengthening weak links and shortcomings, improving quality and efficiency, maintaining consistency in orientation with overall objectives. When formulating their own plans, all regions must take actual conditions into consideration, seek truth from facts, and improve the execution and implementation capabilities of plans. 文章强调，谋划“十五五”时期经济社会发展，必须准确把握“十五五”时期的阶段性要求，着眼强国建设、民族复兴伟业，紧紧围绕基本实现社会主义现代化目标，一个领域一个领域合理确定目标任务、提出思路举措。对各方面的目标任务，要深入分析论证，确保科学精准、能够如期实现。要统筹谋划，抓住关键性、决定性因素，把握好节奏和进度，注重巩固拓展优势、突破瓶颈堵点、补强短板弱项、提高质量效益，与整体目标保持取向一致性。各地区编制本地区规划要结合实际，实事求是，提高规划执行力和落实力.
Next, there’s a report on Wang Huning’s remarks at the 17th Straits Forum, which was held in Xiamen, Fujian. The report says:
“Wang Huning said that General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasised that compatriots on both sides of the strait are one family, and no one can sever our blood ties and no one can stop the historical trend of the reunification of the motherland. When the nation prospers and the country is strong, compatriots on both sides will be better off. We must grasp the great historical trend of national reunification and national rejuvenation, firmly forge a sense of community for the Chinese nation, resolutely serve as guardians of Chinese culture, fellow travellers in national rejuvenation, and defenders of cross-strait peace, jointly planning the great cause of national reunification and jointly creating the great undertaking of national rejuvenation.” 王沪宁表示，习近平总书记强调，两岸同胞一家亲，谁也无法割断我们的血脉亲情，谁也不能阻挡祖国统一的历史大势。民族兴，国家强，两岸同胞会更好。我们要把握国家统一、民族复兴的历史大势，铸牢中华民族共同体意识，坚定做中华文化的守护者、民族复兴的同行者、两岸和平的捍卫者，共谋祖国统一大业，共创民族复兴伟业.
Wang Huning said that the Chinese nation has cultivated a great national spirit with patriotism as its core in the long river of history, and patriotism has been flowing in the blood of the Chinese nation since ancient times. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, as well as the 80th anniversary of the recovery of Taiwan. The recovery of Taiwan is the national memory and common glory of the Chinese people. History must be remembered and the results of victory must be maintained. The two sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one China. We must adhere to the one-China principle and the ‘1992 Consensus’, resolutely oppose ‘Taiwan independence’ secession and external interference, jointly maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, protect the common home of the Chinese nation, and unswervingly promote the great cause of national reunification. 王沪宁表示，中华民族在历史长河中培育了以爱国主义为核心的伟大民族精神，爱国主义自古以来就流淌在中华民族血脉之中。今年是中国人民抗日战争暨世界反法西斯战争胜利80周年，也是台湾光复80周年。台湾光复，是中华儿女的民族记忆和共同荣光，历史必须铭记，胜利成果必须维护。两岸同属一个中国，我们要坚持一个中国原则和“九二共识”，坚决反对“台独”分裂和外部干涉，共同维护台海和平稳定，守护好中华民族共同家园，坚定不移推进祖国统一大业.
Wang Huning said that realising the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is a cause with a supremely glorious mission and extremely bright prospects. We always grasp the overall situation of cross-strait relations from the perspective of the overall interests and long-term development of the Chinese nation, resolutely serve as a strong backing and support for Taiwan compatriots, joining hands with Taiwan compatriots to jointly plan lasting welfare and jointly create a beautiful future. We resolutely conform to the yearning of compatriots on both sides for a beautiful life, always respect, care for, and benefit Taiwan compatriots, are committed to deepening cross-strait integrated development, and let Taiwan compatriots have more sense of gain, happiness, and belonging. Young people on both sides of the strait should strengthen their ambition, backbone and confidence in being Chinese, and jointly continue writing new glories in the history of the Chinese nation. 王沪宁表示，实现中华民族伟大复兴，是使命无上光荣、前景无比光明的事业。我们始终从中华民族整体利益和长远发展来把握两岸关系大局，坚定做台湾同胞的坚强后盾和依靠，携手台湾同胞共谋绵长福祉、共创美好未来。我们坚定顺应两岸同胞对美好生活的向往，始终尊重、关爱、造福台湾同胞，致力于深化两岸融合发展，让台湾同胞有更多获得感、幸福感、归属感。两岸青年要增强做中国人的志气、骨气、底气，共同续写中华民族历史新辉煌.
Former KMT chief Ma Ying-jeou also delivered a speech at the forum. PD’s report has just one small paragraph on this. But the Pekingnology newsletter has his full speech. One key paragraph says:
“Currently, although the development of cross-strait relations faces many difficult challenges, I firmly believe that the emotional and cultural connections and exchanges between the people on both sides cannot be severed. No political force can suppress or obstruct the sincere interactions between the people of the two sides, nor can they sever the natural affection that the Chinese people on both sides share as they come from the same root. I am deeply convinced that only through uninterrupted exchanges and understanding can we reduce misunderstandings, avoid misjudgments, build trust and consensus, and jointly find opportunities for cooperation and development. Only by adhering to the peaceful development of cross-strait relations, based on the ‘1992 Consensus and opposition to Taiwan independence’, deepening cooperation, and working together for the future, can we create a peaceful and win-win situation for both sides. This is the direction we must continue to work towards in the future.”
Moving on, there’s a report on China-Central Asia trade. The report says that in the first five months of 2025:
China’s trade with the five Central Asian countries reached 286.42 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 10.4%, a record high for the same period in history. Exports were 188.18 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 5.6%; imports were 98.24 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 21%.
China imported 4.36 billion yuan of agricultural products from the five Central Asian countries, a year-on-year increase of 26.9%.
Page 2: There’s a report on Chen Wenqing’s visit to Qinghai. The report says:
“Chen Wenqing conducted a video dispatch at the provincial public security department on patrol and prevention control of important locations and key areas; conducted on-site research in Xining City on stability maintenance and security work at Qinghai Nationalities University and relevant religious sites, and in detail understood the situation of the Chengbei District’s comprehensive governance center in resolving conflicts and disputes; went deep into grassroots public security organs in Haidong City to inspect mass prevention and mass governance situations, and visited the People’s Procuratorate of Ping’an District to research public interest litigation and protection of minors’ rights and interests work.
He pointed out that Qinghai is a strategic location for stabilising Xinjiang and securing Tibet, and maintaining Qinghai’s security and stability is extremely important. It is necessary to fully implement the Party’s strategy for governing Tibet in the new era, manage ethnic and religious affairs according to the law, strengthen emergency response preparedness, and do a good job in ensuring security and stability during major events, important periods, and sensitive nodes, resolutely winning the anti-separatist struggle involving Tibet. We must always keep taut the string of anti-terrorism struggle, punish religious extremism according to law, strengthen prevention in key regions and key areas, and firmly hold the bottom line of not allowing violent terrorist cases and incidents to occur. We must promote the implementation of the responsibility system for maintaining social stability, consolidate the responsibilities of local governments, competent supervisory department responsibility, and political-legal organs responsibility, and effectively prevent major stability-related risks. We must coordinate development and security, accelerate the standardized construction of comprehensive governance centers, and effectively resolve contradictions and disputes. We must fully and accurately implement the judicial responsibility system, comprehensively and accurately implement the criminal policy of combining leniency with severity, sit squarely on the side of the people, and strive to make the people feel fairness and justice in every judicial case. 陈文清在省公安厅视频调度重要场所、重点部位巡逻防控情况；在西宁市实地调研青海民族大学和有关宗教场所维稳安保工作，详细了解城北区综治中心化解矛盾纠纷情况；在海东市深入基层公安机关查看群防群治情况，走进平安区人民检察院调研公益诉讼和未成年人权益保护等工作。他指出，青海是稳疆固藏的战略要地，维护青海安全稳定十分重要。要全面贯彻新时代党的治藏方略，依法管理民族宗教事务，强化应急处突准备，做好重大活动、重要时段、敏感节点安全稳定工作，坚决打赢涉藏反分裂斗争。要时刻绷紧反恐怖斗争这根弦，依法惩治宗教极端主义，强化重点地区、重点部位防范，牢牢守住不发生暴恐案事件底线。要推动落实维护社会稳定责任制，压实属地责任、主管监管部门责任、政法机关责任，有效防范重大涉稳风险。要统筹发展和安全，加快推进综治中心规范化建设，有效化解矛盾纠纷。要完整准确落实司法责任制，全面准确贯彻宽严相济刑事政策，把屁股端端地坐在老百姓的这一边，努力让人民群众在每一个司法案件中感受到公平正义.
“During the visit, in Xining, Chen attended a symposium on counter-separatism and stability maintenance work involving Tibet in certain provinces and regions and municipalities, and made arrangements for safeguarding security and stability in Tibet and in the Tibetan-inhabited prefectures and counties of four provinces. 调研期间，陈文清在西宁出席部分省区市涉藏反分维稳工作座谈会，就维护西藏和四省涉藏州县安全稳定工作作出部署.
Page 4: There’s a report informing that the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has issued China’s first policy document in the manufacturing metrology field. This is the ‘Guidelines on the Innovative Development of Manufacturing Metrology’. It proposes that by 2027, China will:
achieve breakthroughs in more than 100 key metrology calibration technologies
formulate and revise more than 300 industry metrology calibration specifications
develop more than 100 sets of measuring instruments and reference materials
cultivate more than 50 high-quality instrumentation enterprises
promote the construction of more than 10 high-level manufacturing metrology calibration technical service institutions, with the technical service network basically improved and service capabilities basically covering important industrial fields.
By 2030, the innovation level of manufacturing metrology will continue to improve, the technical service network will be more complete, comprehensive strength in metrology in important fields will be greatly enhanced, powerfully supporting the high-quality development of China’s manufacturing industry.
近日，工业和信息化部印发我国制造业计量领域首个政策性文件《关于制造业计量创新发展的意见》，提出到2027年，突破100项以上关键计量校准技术，制修订300项以上行业计量校准规范，研制100台套以上计量器具和标准物质，培育50家以上仪器仪表优质企业，推动建设10家以上制造业高水平计量校准技术服务机构，技术服务网络基本完善，服务能力基本覆盖重要产业领域。到2030年，制造业计量创新水平持续提升，技术服务网络更加完善，重要领域计量综合实力大幅增强，有力支撑我国制造业高质量发展.
Earlier in the month, SCMP had reported that the SAMR had issued an action plan for “disruptive technological innovation” in metrology for the next five years. The report said:
The 2030 action plan, released by the State Administration for Market Regulation, focuses on breakthroughs in chip technology and quantum-scale measurement, both critical to a wide range of industries. According to a report by ministry newspaper Science and Technology Daily last week, the plan targets tackling several “pain points” or shortcomings in China’s metrological capabilities, including measurement capabilities that are missing or need to be improved…‘By 2030, basic metrology capabilities will be comprehensively improved, with key breakthroughs in more than 50 key core technologies of metrology,’ the Chinese action plan released on May 16 says. Aimed at helping to implement China’s 2021-2035 metrological development goals, the plan envisages building more than 20 world-class metrology benchmarks and developing at least 100 innovative devices and standardised materials. This will benefit a range of fields such as trade settlement, healthcare, environmental monitoring, climate change, disaster prevention, food safety, criminal justice and maritime activities, according to the plan. Metrology research will be carried out in fields including artificial intelligence, miniaturised sensing technology, robotics, material and additive preparation, measurement procedures and comparison technology, as well as the reproduction and quantum reform of the metric system. One area prominently featured in the plan is strengthening and developing precision measurement and sensing equipment that leverages quantum physics phenomena, such as quantum gyroscopes for navigation. China will develop quantum metrology devices and ‘distributable quantum measurement standard reference devices and instruments that break through the precision limits of traditional metrology’, the plan says. Research on chip-scale metrology will also be expanded, including technology for nanoscale integrated circuits, neural network chip metrology, and on-chip frequency combs, which measure exact frequencies of light.”
“The 2030 action plan also aims to develop metrology technology for rare earth magnets, which are powerful magnets made of alloys of a group of 17 elements that are predominantly mined and processed by China…Beyond chips and magnets, the action plan calls for strengthening research in high-precision measurement technologies such as image detection, precise positioning, and metrology in complex environments like nuclear facilities and space. To achieve these goals, China aims to establish a metrology science and technology platform and a collaborative innovation platform among its institutions and enterprises. It also plans to cultivate metrology projects and comparison centres while boosting industry and manufacturing capabilities.”
Page 8: There’s an interesting report on a case of copyright infringement that was before the Yangpu District People’s Court of Shanghai. The case pertained to an online user disseminating clips of a TV show titled: Qing Ping Le 清平乐. I am doing a brief summary below rather than full translations.
The plaintiffs, a computer systems company, technology company and a digital media company, argued that they hold the legal rights to distribute the show online. But a dude named Xiao Li had uploaded clips of the show online on a platform. Xiao uploaded 150 short clips, ranging from a few seconds to a minute.
The plaintiffs argued that these uploads were unauthorised, caused audience loss from official platforms and could have led to unlawful gains through attention and engagement. They sought cessation of infringement and compensation for economic losses and legal expenses. Xiao Li argued that he wasn’t posting for profit but for views and to gain attention.
Ni Xianfeng, a judge of the Intellectual Property Tribunal of Yangpu District Court, ruled that Xiao Li's actions violated the information network dissemination rights under the copyright law. It argued that even posting of short video clips without profit motive can still count as an infringement of copyright. The court considered the show's popularity, along with the number of videos that were posted and the short gap from official release to Xiao Li's uploads. It ordered Xiao to pay RMB 20,000 for damages and legal costs. The videos were also deleted. I find it interesting that there was no liability for the platform at all.
Page 13: There’s a long article by Wang Chengguo, member of the Standing Committee of the Zhejiang Provincial Committee and Secretary of the local Political and Legal Affairs Commission. Wang basically provides an update on Zhejiang’s progress in building a common prosperity demonstration zone. This is in the context of the goal that was set to ensure that “by 2025, Zhejiang Province will make significant and substantial progress in promoting high-quality development and building a common prosperity demonstration zone.”
My take:
This is an important article for anyone who is interested in understanding the common prosperity agenda. It has little, if anything, to do with expanding the social security net. Instead, the focus is on social mobility through high-quality development, investments in public utilities and expanding their access, managing urbanisation better, strengthening local-level governance, etc. In other words, this is not about wealth redistribution. A useful example of this is that Wang does not discuss any social safety net investments or welfare schemes by local governments. But he does highlight how enterprises from Zhejiang are ranked at the top in key Chinese enterprises lists. In addition, there’s nothing that he highlights around changes in taxation policies or pressure on the private sector to engage in greater tertiary distribution/charitable efforts. Two other excerpts from the article capture this sentiment really well:
First: “Material abundance is the primary prerequisite for achieving common prosperity. Promoting high-quality development and promoting the effective improvement of economic quality and reasonable growth in quantity requires that the ‘cake’ be divided well while the ‘cake’ is constantly expanding, so that residents’ income and economic growth are synchronised, providing solid industrial support for narrowing the income gap and achieving employment and income growth, and building a solid material foundation for improving people’s livelihood and well-being”.
Second: “Realising common prosperity for all people entails the organic unity of high-quality development, high-quality life and high-efficiency governance.”
Anyway, let’s look at the article now. Wang writes:
“General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasised: ‘There is neither a fixed modernisation model nor a universal modernisation standard in the world.’ Achieving common prosperity for all people is a new development approach based on China’s national conditions, with distinct characteristics of the times and Chinese characteristics. It is a practical innovation in the modernisation process of human society, which can effectively resolve the global problem of unbalanced and inadequate development, thereby realising the organic unity of efficiency and fairness, development and sharing, and promoting the all-round development of people and the comprehensive progress of society. 习近平总书记强调：“世界上既不存在定于一尊的现代化模式，也不存在放之四海而皆准的现代化标准。”实现全体人民共同富裕是基于中国国情、具有鲜明时代特征和中国特色的新的发展方式，是对人类社会现代化进程的实践创新，能够有效破解发展不平衡不充分这一世界性难题，从而实现效率与公平、发展与共享的有机统一，促进人的全面发展和社会全面进步.
Guided by the new development concept. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: ‘Entering a new development stage, we must pay greater attention to the issue of common prosperity in order to fully, accurately and comprehensively implement the new development concept.’ The common prosperity we pursue is prosperity for all people and comprehensive prosperity. It is a brand-new development approach guided by the new development concept, which is fundamentally different from the Western model of wealth creation, which is capital-centered and profit-driven. To this end, we must grasp the new development concept from the height of adhering to the fundamental purpose of the Party, firmly adhere to the ‘root’ and ‘soul’ of the new development concept of seeking happiness for the people and rejuvenation for the nation, promote social fairness and justice, allow the fruits of development to benefit all the people more and more equitably, continuously enhance the sense of gain, happiness, and security of the people, and let the masses truly and tangibly feel that common prosperity is a visible, touchable, and genuinely perceptible reality. 以新发展理念为指引。习近平总书记指出：“进入新发展阶段，完整、准确、全面贯彻新发展理念，必须更加注重共同富裕问题。”我们所追求的共同富裕是全民富裕、全面富裕，是在新发展理念指引下的全新发展方式，与西方国家以资本为中心和以利润为驱动进行财富生产有着根本不同。为此，必须从坚持党的根本宗旨的高度把握新发展理念，牢牢坚持为人民谋幸福、为民族谋复兴这个新发展理念的“根”和“魂”，促进社会公平正义，让发展成果更多更公平惠及全体人民，不断增强人民群众获得感、幸福感、安全感，让人民群众真真切切感受到共同富裕是看得见、摸得着、真实可感的事实.
Wang then offers an update on Zhejiang’s progress. He writes that in recent years, Zhejiang has “firmly grasped the core task of building a demonstration zone of common prosperity through high-quality development, and clarified the overall deployment of ‘one primary task, three main directions, and two fundamentals’.” This means having high-quality development as the primary task, narrowing the ‘three major gaps’ as the main direction, and reform and innovation as the fundamental driving force and meeting the needs of the people for a better life as the fundamental purpose.
Wang adds:
“In 2024, the entire province of Zhejiang achieved a GDP of 9.01 trillion yuan, an increase of 2.55 trillion yuan compared to 2020, and the per capita GDP of the whole province reached 135,600 yuan. Zhejiang’s exploration shows that implementing the new development concept is an inevitable requirement for realising common prosperity for every individual and every region, and for answering the unavoidable question of ‘wealthy but unequal’ (a situation where wealth has grown but there is inequality).” 2024年，浙江全省实现地区生产总值9.01万亿元，较2020年增加2.55万亿元，全省人均地区生产总值达到13.56万元。浙江的探索表明，贯彻新发展理念是实现每一个个体、每一个区域共同富裕，破解“富而不平”必答题的必然要求.
Wang then argues that Zhejiang has focused on new quality productive forces. He quotes Xi as having said that “Developing new quality productive forces is an inherent requirement and important focus of promoting high-quality development”. Wang adds: “The solid promotion of common prosperity in the new era and on the new journey inevitably requires the promotion of high-quality development. The development of new quality productive forces has spawned new industries, new formats and new models, changed the traditional social production model, and injected new vitality into helping to achieve common prosperity.” 以发展新质生产力为动力。习近平总书记指出：“新质生产力是创新起主导作用，摆脱传统经济增长方式、生产力发展路径，具有高科技、高效能、高质量特征，符合新发展理念的先进生产力质态”“发展新质生产力是推动高质量发展的内在要求和重要着力点”。这些重要论述深刻揭示了新质生产力的基本内涵、实践特征及其对于推动高质量发展的重要促进作用。新时代新征程扎实推动共同富裕，必然要求推动高质量发展。发展新质生产力催生出新产业新业态新模式，改变了传统社会生产模式，为助力实现共同富裕注入全新活力.
He then adds that Zhejiang has strived to be at the forefront of shaping new development advantages with scientific and technological innovation. In this, he mentions the example of the Six Little Dragons of Hangzhou. If you didn’t know, these are: “DeepSeek, the Black Myth developer Game Science, robotics firms Unitree and DeepRobotics, Neuralink challenger BrainCo, and spatial intelligence firm ManyCore.” Wang says:
“From 2020 to 2024, the added value of Zhejiang Province’s digital economy core industries increased from 702 billion yuan to 1.106 trillion yuan, with the proportion of the province's GDP rising from 10.9% to 12.3%. The industrial digitalisation development index and comprehensive digitalisation development level have continuously ranked among the nation's forefront. Zhejiang’s exploration shows that achieving common prosperity and developing new quality productive forces are mutually dependent and interactive. The process of building a common prosperity demonstration zone is also a process of continuous bursting of innovation elements and continuous development of new quality productive forces.” 2020—2024年，浙江全省数字经济核心产业增加值从7020亿元增加至11060亿元，占全省生产总值的比重从10.9%提高到12.3%，产业数字化发展指数和数字化综合发展水平连续居全国前列。浙江的探索表明，实现共同富裕与发展新质生产力相互依存、相互作用，共同富裕示范区建设的过程，也是创新要素持续迸发、新质生产力不断发展的过程.
Then Wang says that Zhejiang has worked to serve and integrate into the new development pattern, or dual circulation.
“General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: ‘Building a new development pattern with the domestic major circulation as the mainstay and the domestic and international dual circulation mutually promoting each other is an inevitable choice to meet the requirements of China’s new development stage and to shape new advantages in international cooperation and competition’. Enhancing the endogenous driving force and reliability of the domestic major circulation, improving a strong and resilient national economic circulation system, and implementing broader, wider, and deeper opening-up to the outside world are beneficial for enhancing the dynamic balance capability of the macroeconomy, calmly responding to external shocks and challenges, and laying a more solid developmental foundation for promoting common prosperity.” 以服务和融入新发展格局为前提。习近平总书记指出：“构建以国内大循环为主体、国内国际双循环相互促进的新发展格局，是适应我国发展新阶段要求、塑造国际合作和竞争新优势的必然选择。”增强国内大循环内生动力和可靠性，健全强大而有韧性的国民经济循环体系，并实施更大范围、更宽领域、更深层次的对外开放，有利于提升宏观经济动态平衡能力，从容应对外部冲击挑战，为推动共同富裕奠定更加坚实的发展基础.
He then discusses Xi’s “sweet potato theory” and adds that “it has been sublimated into an important part of the new development concept in the practice of the new era, promoting Zhejiang to address the problem of internal and external linkage in open development, becoming a provincial model for China’s firm promotion of opening up. For 26 years, Zhejiang has ranked first in the number of its companies listed in the ‘Top 500 Chinese Private Enterprises’. Zhejiang’s private enterprises ranked first in the country in the list of China’s top 500 private enterprises in 2024, China's top 500 manufacturing private enterprises in 2024, China’s top 100 service private enterprises in 2024, top 500 private enterprises with R&D investment in 2024, and top 500 private enterprises with invention patents in 2024. Zhejiang’s exploration shows that proactively serving and integrating into the new development pattern, jumping out of Zhejiang to develop Zhejiang, and actively exploring a development model that combines endogenous driving forces, outward expansion, and internal-external linkage, is an essential part of building a demonstration zone for common prosperity, and even more so an important support for that construction.” “地瓜的藤蔓向四面八方延伸，为的是汲取更多的阳光、雨露和养分，但它的块茎始终是在根基部，藤蔓的延伸扩张最终为的是块茎能长得更加粗壮硕大。”20多年前，时任浙江省委书记的习近平同志科学阐释“地瓜理论”，指引浙江不断突破发展瓶颈，部署推进高水平对外开放、建设高能级开放强省，实现“省域的浙江”“中国的浙江”“全球的浙江”持续壮大，更在新时代实践中升华为新发展理念的重要内容，推动浙江在开放发展中解决内外联动问题，成为我国坚定推进对外开放的省域样本。浙江上榜“中国民营企业500强”的企业数量连续26年位居全国第一。2024中国民营企业500强、2024中国制造业民营企业500强、2024中国服务业民营企业100强、2024民营企业研发投入500家、2024民营企业发明专利500家5张榜单，浙江民营企业上榜数均居全国第一。浙江的探索表明，主动服务和融入新发展格局，跳出浙江发展浙江，积极探索内源驱动、外向拓展、内外联动的发展模式，是共同富裕示范区建设的题中应有之义，更是共同富裕示范区建设的重要支撑.
In the second part of the article Wang argues that “realising common prosperity for all people presents a new form of human civilisation”. This is because China’s goal is to ensure the “coordinated development of material civilisation, political civilisation, spiritual civilisation, social civilisation, and ecological civilisation.” This creates a “new path of Chinese modernization and a new form of human civilization”. The “coordinated development of the ‘five civilisations’ is an important part of Chinese-style modernisation, and further enriches the connotation of common prosperity for all people. From a global perspective, industrialisation in developed capitalist countries has a history of 200-300 years, creating tremendous material wealth, but generally resulting in a serious crisis of polarisation and social division. The common prosperity we pursue is a new form of human civilisation that is based on the comprehensive development of individuals and comprehensive progress of society, and the realisation of material affluence and spiritual richness, based on highly developed productive forces and the entire people sharing the fruits of development.” 习近平总书记指出：“我们坚持和发展中国特色社会主义，推动物质文明、政治文明、精神文明、社会文明、生态文明协调发展，创造了中国式现代化新道路，创造了人类文明新形态。”这一重要论述，继承和发展马克思主义社会形态理论，深刻揭示了推动“五大文明”协调发展是中国式现代化的重要内容，也进一步丰富了全体人民共同富裕的内涵。从全球范围看，资本主义发达国家的工业化已经有两三百年历史，创造了巨大的物质财富，但是普遍面临两极分化、社会撕裂的严重危机。我们所追求的共同富裕，是在生产力高度发达、全体人民共享发展成果基础上，实现人的全面发展和社会全面进步、实现物质富裕和精神富足所呈现出的一种人类文明的新形态.
He adds: “Achieving common prosperity for all people is established on the foundation of the socialist system, emphasises coordinated development of material civilisation and spiritual civilisation, eliminates polarisation by narrowing urban-rural and regional development gaps, realises comprehensive improvement of all people’s material life and spiritual life, and transcends the Western capital-centered development logic. This both follows the laws of human social development and conforms to the people’s yearning for a better life. At the social development level, striving to achieve material prosperity, political clarity, spiritual abundance, social stability, and ecological liveability conforms to the people’s desire for civilisational progress. Making modernisation better respond to the people’s demands in all aspects and multi-level needs can both enhance the welfare of contemporary people and safeguard the rights and interests of future generations, promoting sustainable development of human society. At the social life level, persisting that development is for the people, development relies on the people, and development achievements are shared by the people, truly realises people-centeredness.” 实现全体人民共同富裕建立在社会主义制度基础上，强调物质文明与精神文明协调发展，通过消除两极分化缩小城乡区域发展差距，实现全体人民物质生活与精神生活的全面提升，超越了西方以资本为中心的发展逻辑。这既遵循了人类社会发展规律，也顺应了人民群众对美好生活的向往。在社会发展层面，努力实现物质富裕、政治清明、精神富足、社会安定、生态宜人，顺应了人民对文明进步的渴望。让现代化更好回应人民各方面诉求和多层次需要，就能既增进当代人福祉，又保障子孙后代权益，促进人类社会可持续发展。在社会生活层面，坚持发展为了人民、发展依靠人民、发展成果由人民共享，真正实现以人民为中心.
Finally, we get some data points after this:
From 2020 to 2024, the urban-rural income gap in Zhejiang continued to narrow, and the income ratio of urban and rural residents dropped from 1.96 to 1.83. The income levels of urban and rural residents ranked first among all provinces and regions in the country for the 24th and 40th consecutive years, respectively. 2020—2024年，浙江城乡收入差距持续缩小，城乡居民收入之比从1.96下降至1.83，城镇和农村居民收入水平分别连续第二十四年和第四十年居全国各省区第一.
Wang then says:
As social productive forces continuously develop, it requires profound changes in the relations of production in areas such as the property rights system, distribution mechanisms, and labor relations, so as to ensure that all people to achieve a prosperous life, self-confidence and self-reliance, an environment suitable for living and working, a harmonious society, and universal and inclusive public services through hard work and mutual assistance, thereby better satisfying individuals’ growing needs in economic, political, cultural, social, ecological and other aspects, ultimately realising people’s free and comprehensive development. 社会生产力不断发展，要求生产关系在产权制度、分配机制、劳动关系等方面发生深刻变革，推动全体人民通过辛勤劳动和相互帮助，普遍达到生活富裕富足、精神自信自强、环境宜居宜业、社会和谐和睦、公共服务普及普惠，更好满足个体对经济、政治、文化、社会、生态等方面日益增长的需求，最终实现人自由而全面的发展.
“In recent years, Zhejiang has persisted in promoting the organic unity of high-quality economic development and meeting the broader needs of the people, actively exploring effective paths to promote high-quality sharing of public services throughout people’s entire life cycles. In terms of spatial mobility, it has promoted free and flexible employment of labor across regions, deepened the reform of urbanizing agricultural migrants, improved the system of providing basic public services based on the place of permanent residence registration, facilitated orderly and rational population flows, and focused on achieving equalization of investment in human capital, using multiple measures to promote the shift from demographic dividend to talent dividend. In terms of factor mobility, it has deepened the integration reform of basic public services, advanced to high standards the ‘7 premium benefits’ project for basic public services, further optimised the supply system for such services, and each year has deployed and advanced a batch of major livelihood-related projects, forging a developmental path from ‘quantitative accumulation’ to ‘qualitative improvement’ and then to ‘supply-demand adaptation’, promoting balanced accessibility and high-quality sharing of basic public services. Zhejiang’s exploration shows that the construction of a common prosperity demonstration zone is an inevitable requirement for realizing comprehensive human development and comprehensive social progress, and is a profound social transformation to accelerate the formation of regional urban-rural integration patterns, "olive-shaped" social structures, and a new mechanism of ‘those who are rich helping the not-yet-rich to become rich’ 先富带后富.”
近年来，浙江坚持推动经济高质量发展与满足人民群众更广泛需求有机统一，积极探索推动人的全生命周期公共服务优质共享有效路径。在空间流动上，推动劳动力在不同区域间自由择业、灵活就业，深化农业转移人口市民化改革，健全由常住地登记户口提供基本公共服务制度，促进人口有序合理流动，聚力实现人力资本投资均等化，多措并举推动人口红利向人才红利转变。在要素流动上，深化基本公共服务一体化改革，高标准推进基本公共服务“七优享”工程，进一步优化基本公共服务供给体系，每年部署推进一批民生领域重大项目，走出了从“量的积累”到“质的提升”再到“供需的适配”的发展路径，促进基本公共服务均衡可及、优质共享。浙江的探索表明，共同富裕示范区建设是实现人的全面发展和社会全面进步的必然要求，是加快形成区域城乡一体化格局、“橄榄型”社会结构和“先富带后富”新机制的一场深刻社会变革.
The 七优享 Seven Premium Benefits cover:
High-quality childhood education and nurturing
Excellent educational resources
Meaningful employment with adequate income
Access to high-level medical services
Quality elderly care and wellness support
Livable, comfortable, and resilient housing
Comprehensive support for vulnerable populations
Wang then argues that Zhejiang has demonstrated a “balance between efficiency and fairness, development and sharing, vitality and order.”
To achieve common prosperity for all people, it is necessary to establish a social fairness protection system that encompasses elements such as fairness in rights, fairness in opportunities, fairness in rules, and fairness in distribution, with efforts focused on resolving institutional and systemic obstacles that hinder social fairness, so that urban and rural residents in different regions can enjoy basically equal living standards and quality, and so that the achievements of reform and development can benefit the people more adequately and more equitably. By giving full play to the decisive role of the market in resource allocation, while better leveraging the role of the government, the goals are to achieve effective incentives through property rights, free flow of production factors, flexible price responses, and survival of the fittest among enterprises, thereby fully mobilizing and unleashing the enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity of all the people, and truly transforming the institutional advantages of the socialist market economy into governance effectiveness. 实现全体人民共同富裕，要求建立涵盖权利公平、机会公平、规则公平、分配公平等要素的社会公平保障体系，着力破解妨碍社会公平的体制机制障碍，让不同区域的城乡居民享有基本同等的生活水平和质量，让改革发展成果更多更公平惠及人民群众。通过发挥市场在资源配置中的决定性作用，更好发挥政府作用，实现产权有效激励、要素自由流动、价格反应灵活、企业优胜劣汰，充分调动和发挥全体人民的积极性主动性创造性，切实把社会主义市场经济的制度优势转化为治理效能.
In recent years, Zhejiang has been committed to building a pilot zone for high-quality development and high-quality living, a leading zone for coordinated urban-rural regional development, a pilot zone for income distribution system reform, and a demonstration zone for civilised, harmonious and beautiful homes. It has fully implemented the ‘expanding the middle and raising the low’ action, promoted the pilot reform of fair competition policies across the province, and solidly promoted the modernisation of the grassroots governance system and governance capabilities, striving to find the optimal solution in the balance of multiple goals such as efficiency and fairness, development and sharing, vitality and order. Zhejiang’s exploration shows that the construction of a common prosperity demonstration zone is a process of mutual promotion and spiralling upward progress between high-quality development, modernisation, and common prosperity for all people. It is also a process of practical innovation involving the overall advancement of all operational elements of society, including the political system, social culture, social governance, and social policy, in contemporary China. It is a powerful measure for creating a new form of human civilisation.” 近年来，浙江立足打造高质量发展高品质生活先行区、城乡区域协调发展引领区、收入分配制度改革试验区、文明和谐美丽家园展示区，全面实施“扩中提低”行动，全省域推进公平竞争政策先行先试改革，扎实推进基层治理体系和治理能力现代化，努力在效率和公平、发展和共享、活力和秩序等多重目标平衡中寻求最优解。浙江的探索表明，共同富裕示范区建设是高质量发展、现代化建设与全体人民共同富裕相互促进、螺旋式上升的过程，是当代中国政治制度、社会文化、社会治理、社会政策等全部社会运行要素统筹推进的实践创造过程，是创造人类文明新形态的有力举措.
In the final section, Wang tells us that “realising common prosperity for all people entails the organic unity of high-quality development, high-quality life and high-efficiency governance.”
He explains:
“Material abundance is the primary prerequisite for achieving common prosperity. Promoting high-quality development and promoting the effective improvement of economic quality and reasonable growth in quantity requires that the ‘cake’ be divided well while the ‘cake’ is constantly expanding, so that residents’ income and economic growth are synchronised, providing solid industrial support for narrowing the income gap and achieving employment and income growth, and building a solid material foundation for improving people’s livelihood and well-being.” 物质生活富足是实现共同富裕的首要前提。推动高质量发展，推动经济实现质的有效提升和量的合理增长，要求在不断做大“蛋糕”的同时分好“蛋糕”，实现居民收入与经济增长同步，为缩小收入差距和实现就业增收提供坚实产业支撑，为改善民生福祉筑牢物质基础.
He stresses that high-quality development is essential to “solve the problems of unbalanced, uncoordinated and unsustainable development”. He adds that “a high-quality life is the goal pursued in realising common prosperity…To achieve common prosperity for all people, we must take the realisation of free and all-round development of human beings as an internal requirement and core value, and advance in an integrated manner both the comprehensive abundance of material things and the comprehensive development of people. As a concrete expression of the people’s need for a better life, a high-quality life is an inevitable requirement in moving toward common prosperity. It not only includes high quality at the material level, but also high aspiration at the spiritual level.” 实现全体人民共同富裕，要把实现人自由而全面的发展作为内在要求和核心价值，整体推进物的全面丰富和人的全面发展。作为人民美好生活需要的具体表达，高品质生活是迈向共同富裕的必然要求，不仅包含物质层面的高品质，更包括精神层面的高追求.
Wang then explains that “high-efficiency governance is an important support for achieving common prosperity.” So what is high-efficiency governance?
“Promoting better adaptation between national governance and social development is the inherent logic of socialist modernisation. High-efficiency governance is based on the institutionalisation, standardisation, scientificisation and modernisation of governance, and aims at people’s peaceful and happy life, social stability and order, and long-term peace and stability of the country. It is a positive state in which the governance subject, governance object and governance environment are mutually linked and continuously optimised.” 推动国家治理和社会发展更好相适应，是社会主义现代化建设的内在逻辑。高效能治理是以治理的制度化、规范化、科学化、现代化为标准，以人民安居乐业、社会安定有序、国家长治久安为目标，是治理主体、治理客体和治理环境相互耦合、不断优化的积极状态.
The examples of this that Wang cites are:
Implementation of the Fengqiao Experience.
Grassroots governance via grid management, improved services, and information support.
Working with the masses to build a social governance pattern of co-construction, co-governance and sharing.
“Persisting in and improving the good traditions, good practices, and good mechanisms of Peaceful Construction, solidifying and elevating the ‘intelligent, imperceptible, dynamic, and harmonious’ security model of the Hangzhou Asian Games, and striving to build a higher-level Peaceful Zhejiang and Law-based Zhejiang.”