Deng Xiaoping Theory

Deng Xiaoping Theory was formulated by the "Architect of Reform" Deng Xiaoping to better account for the socioeconomic conditions of China during the time period of him being party chairman.

The 4 Cardinal Principles

The Four Cardinal Principles (simplified Chinese: 四项基本原则; traditional Chinese: 四項基本原則; pinyin: Sì-xiàng Jīběn Yuánzé) were stated by Deng Xiaoping in March 1979, during the early phase of Reform and Opening-up, and are the four issues for which debate was not allowed within the People's Republic of China. The Four Cardinal Principles were one of Deng's Two Basic Points, the other of which was Reform and Opening.

The principles include:

1. The principle of upholding the communist path.
2. The principle of upholding the people's democratic dictatorship.
3. The principle of upholding the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC).
4. The principle of upholding Mao Zedong Thought and Marxism–Leninism.

The purpose of stating the Four Cardinal Principles was to ensure ideological drift would not occur within the Party. Using the Four Cardinal Principles to uphold the Four Modernizations. Setting forth the Four Cardinal Principles would prevent the Ultra-Leftist errors that was set forth through the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution under the Gang of Four and ensuring the Vanguard status of the Communist Party of China. This is necessary for any socialist project, that building up the productive forces was necessary for the liberation of humanity:

"[I]t is only possible to achieve real liberation in the real world and by employing real means, that slavery cannot be abolished without the steam-engine and the mule and spinning-jenny, serfdom cannot be abolished without improved agriculture, and that, in general, people cannot be liberated as long as they are unable to obtain food and drink, housing and clothing in adequate quality and quantity. “Liberation” is an historical and not a mental act, and it is brought about by historical conditions, the development of industry, commerce, agriculture, the conditions of intercourse..."

The 4 Modernizations

The Four Modernizations (simplified Chinese: 四个现代化; traditional Chinese: 四個現代化) namely the modernization of agriculture, science and technology, defense and industry, are the national strategic goals proposed by the Communist Party of China and the People's Republic of China from the 1950s to the 1960s. Zhou Enlai first put forward the concept of "four modernizations" in the "Government Work Report " made at the First Session of the Third National People's Congress in September 1954.  At the beginning of reform and opening up , Deng Xiaoping allowed the "four modernizations" to become the focus of the work of the party and the government. This caused him to further propose "Xiaokang" or "Moderately Prosperous Society" in 1979.

Moderately Prosperous Society

Moderately prosperous society or Xiaokang society (Chinese: 小康社会; pinyin: Xiǎokāng Shèhuì), is a Chinese term, originally from Confucianism, used to describe a society composed of a functional middle-class. In December 1979, Deng Xiaoping, then paramount leader of China, first proposed the idea of "Xiaokang" based on the "Four Modernizations".

A well-off society is not a general and vague statement. He Keng, deputy director of the National Bureau of Statistics, said in an interview  that in 1991, the National Bureau of Statistics and researchers from 12 departments including planning, finance, health, and education were formed. In accordance with the connotation of a well-off society proposed by the Party Central Committee and the State Council, 16 basic monitoring indicators and the critical value of a well-off society were established.

(1) The per capita GDP is 2,500 RMB (At 1980 prices and exchange rates, 2,500 yuan is equivalent to $900)

(2) Urban per capita disposable income of 2,400 RMB

(3) The per capita net income of farmers is 1,200 RMB

(4) The per capita usable area of ​​urban housing is 12 square meters

(5) The per capita usable area of ​​rural steel-wood structure housing is 15 square meters;

(6) The per capita daily protein intake is 75 grams;

(7) Each person in the city has a paving area of ​​8 square meters;

(8) 85% of rural administrative villages are connected to roads;

(9) An Engel coefficient of 50%;

(10) The adult literacy rate is 85%;

(11) The average life expectancy is 70 years old

(12) Infant mortality rate is at 3.1%

(13) The proportion of education and entertainment expenditure is 11%

(14) TV penetration rate is 100%;

(15) The forest coverage rate is 15%;

(16) 100% of rural primary health care counties are qualified

At the meeting celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China , Xi Jinping declared, “We have achieved the first century-old goal and built a moderately prosperous society in all respects on the land of China”. Thus the goal of a Moderately Prosperous Society has been met.

Reform and Opening Up

Reform and opening-up (Chinese: 改革开放; pinyin: Gǎigé kāifàng) was proposed and founded by Deng Xiaoping , the second-generation paramount leader of the People's Republic of China . It was a series of economic-oriented reform measures that were implemented after the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on December 18, 1978. It can be summarized as "Reform internally and open externally".

It was proposed in order to deal with the main problems the country faced at the time: namely a very poor population, the lack of an industrial base, and the lack of a large urban population (80% of the population lived in rural areas at the time). Deng Xiaoping saw that the country was still too underdeveloped to build Socialism where premature collectivization has brought antagonistic contradictions between the relations of production and the social character of the productive forces. The idea was proposed of implementing market policies in order to build the productive forces in order to eventually be able to build Socialism. In this regard, the Reform and Opening Up policy can be compared to the soviet New Economic Policy implemented by Lenin. Deng Xiaoping explained his policies in the following manner:

"It is wrong to maintain that a market economy exists only in capitalist society and that there is only “capitalist” market economy. Why can’t we develop a market economy under socialism? Developing a market economy does not mean practicing capitalism. While maintaining a planned economy as the mainstay of our economic system, we are also introducing a market economy. But it is a socialist market economy. Although a socialist market economy is similar to a capitalist one in method, there are also differences between them. The socialist market economy mainly regulates interrelations between state-owned enterprises, between collectively owned enterprises and even between foreign capitalist enterprises. But in the final analysis, this is all done under socialism in a socialist society. We cannot say that market economy exists only under capitalism. Market economy was in its embryonic stages as early as feudalist society. We can surely develop it under socialism. Similarly, taking advantage of the useful aspects of capitalist countries, including their methods of operation and management, does not mean that we will adopt capitalism. Instead, we use those methods in order to develop the productive forces under socialism. As long as learning from capitalism is regarded as no more than a means to an end, it will not change the structure of socialism or bring China back to capitalism."

From 1978 to the present, the People's Republic of China has transformed from an isolated country with 200 million people living below the poverty line into a prosperous economy and the second largest economy in the world with an active market. China is also advancing rapidly on the road to industrialization, becoming the "world's factory", an important manufacturing nation, and the largest consumer market in the world. After 40 years of reform and opening up, China's national power has been greatly enhanced. China's median growth between 1980 and 2020 was 9.2%. The value exceeds 17.7 trillion U.S. dollars, with a population of 1.4 billion. The per capita GDP increased from US$115 in 1978 to US$12,551 in 2021, reaching the income level of an upper-middle-level country . The per capita GDP of some eastern provinces and cities has exceeded US$20,000.

See also

• Socialism with Chinese Characteristics
• Mao Zedong Thought
• Xi Jinping Thought

Further Reading

• Deng Xiaoping Theory
• On Deng Xiao Ping Thought by Wu Jie