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With history advancing into 2024, "further comprehensively deepening reform" and "advancing Chinese modernization" have emerged as defining calls of the new era in China. While the third plenary session of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 2013 focused on "comprehensively deepening reform" and "the modernization of the national governance system and ability," this year's plenum will primarily examine the need to "further" comprehensively deepen reform and the task of "advancing Chinese modernization."

On January 31, while presiding over a group study session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, noted that "we should further deepen reform in an all-round way and form a new type of relationship of production appropriate to the development of new productive forces."

Xi stressed efforts to deepen reforms of the economic system and the science and technology management system, work hard to remove bottlenecks that hinder the development of new productive forces, and establish a high-standard market system.

He also underlined efforts to smooth the virtuous cycle of education, science and technology as well as talents in accordance with the requirement of developing new productive forces. Additionally, Xi noted that China's pursuit of high-level opening-up will create a favorable business environment for the development of new productive forces.

On March 21, Xi, during his inspection tour to central China's Hunan Province, stressed that a problem-oriented approach should be adopted when further deepening reform in all respects, and efforts should focus on overcoming the bottlenecks and obstacles constraining the creation of a new development paradigm and the promotion of high-quality development, responding to the challenges and difficulties regarding the environment for development and people's well-being, and addressing the central and hot issues that go against social fairness and justice. Major risks must be effectively prevented and mitigated. As a result, we will keep providing impetus and vitality for economic and social development, Xi said.

On March 27, in a meeting with representatives of the U.S. business, strategic and academic communities in Beijing, Xi pledged that "China's reform will not pause, and its opening up will not stop," adding that China is planning and implementing a series of major steps for comprehensively deepening reform, and steadily fostering a market-oriented, law-based and world-class business environment. This will create broader development space for U.S. and other foreign businesses.

From April 22 to 24, during Xi's inspection tour to southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, Xinhua News Agency published an article titled "Xi calls on Chongqing to write its chapter in Chinese modernization." In the article, President Xi highlighted that "the modernization of a governance system and capacity is an integral part of Chinese modernization."

These remarks signal an impending historic reform in China. On April 30, 2024, the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee announced that the CPC would convene the third plenary session of its 20th Central Committee in July. Since 1978, each third plenary session of the CPC Central Committee has been pivotal in deciding and implementing reforms. According to media reports, the plenum this year would primarily address issues related to further comprehensively deepening reform and advancing Chinese modernization.

Following the April meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, Xi visited east China's Shangdong Province. According to Xinhua News Agency, while presiding over a symposium attended by representatives from businesses and academia in Jinan, capital city of Shandong Province, the general secretary emphasized that at its 20th National Congress, the CPC made a grand blueprint for building a modern socialist country in all respects, and made arrangements for fulfilling the task of promoting the building of a strong country through a Chinese path to modernization on all fronts, and realizing national rejuvenation.

He urged the need for deepening reform across the board, with efforts centering on advancing Chinese modernization. In doing this, prominence should be given to the most important aspects of reform, orientation for values should be upheld, and particular attention be paid to the way in which reform is carried out so that impetus will be given to the fulfilling of core tasks and the achievement of strategic goals.

In other words, the upcoming reform in the new era is expected to "further comprehensively deepen reform," with "advancing Chinese modernization" as its focus.

But why now?

As the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee noted in April, deepening reform is the natural requirement for upholding and improving the socialist system with Chinese characteristics and modernizing China's governance system and capacity; for implementing the new development philosophy and better adapting to the evolution of the principal contradiction facing Chinese society; for adhering to the people-centered approach to ensure that all the people share the benefits of modernization more fully and fairly; for coping with major risks and challenges and achieving steady progress in pursuing the Party and the country's cause; for promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind and winning the strategic initiative in increasingly fierce international competition; and for solving the problems unique to a large Party such as the CPC and building a stronger Marxist party.

The requirements are in line with the overall goal of comprehensively deepening reforms set by the third plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee and the strategic decisions made since the 19th National Congress. They also reflect the historic necessity of further pushing forward the reforms against the backdrop of the complex geopolitical landscape, the new round of scientific and technological transformation, and the expectations of the people in the new era since the 20th National Congress.

On June 28, China's major media reported in their front-page headlines: On June 27, the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee clarified that a draft decision on further comprehensively deepening reform and advancing Chinese modernization would be submitted to this year's plenum for deliberation. Such transparency and openness itself reflects the characteristics of further comprehensively deepening reform at this plenum.

On June 28, major Chinese media outlets prominently reported: The Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee convened a meeting on June 27 to discuss the issue of further comprehensively deepening reform and advancing Chinese modernization. General Secretary Xi Jinping presided over the meeting.

This news is highly informative and valuable, warranting close attention from anyone concerned with China's reform and opening-up. Notably, the news explicitly states that the document to be reviewed at the third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee is The CPC Central Committee's Decision on Further Comprehensively Deepening Reform and Advancing Chinese Modernization. The level of political transparency and openness underscores the "further comprehensively deepening reform" character of this plenary session.

In its 46-year history of reform since 1978, the openness of major events itself is a demonstration of China's commitment to freeing the minds and opening up. Since the 18th National Congress, every single important meeting of the CPC has been elaborately reported. As the CPC convenes the third plenary session of its 20th Central Committee in July, there have already been reports before the plenum of the issues to be discussed. This is exactly how China is dedicated to "further" comprehensively deepening reform.

The overarching goal of further comprehensively deepening reform is to continue improving and developing the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and modernize China's system and capacity for governance. As the session convenes, a new chapter in the grand journey of Chinese modernization and comprehensively deepening reform is about to unfold.

The author Li Junru is former vice president of the Party School of the CPC Central Committee.

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