Establish and implement the scientific outlook on development﹡

(October 14, 2003)

Hu Jintao

Establishing and implementing the scientific development concept of comprehensive development, coordinated development and sustainable development is of great significance for us to better adhere to the strategic thinking that development is the last word. Establishing and implementing the Scientific Outlook on Development is a summary of the experience of more than 20 years of reform and opening up. It is an important inspiration from the victory over the SARS epidemic and an urgent requirement to promote the comprehensive construction of a moderately prosperous society. To achieve the grand goal of building a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way, we must make the economy more developed, democracy more complete, science and education more advanced, culture more prosperous, society more harmonious, and people's lives more prosperous. To fully realize this goal, we must promote the coordinated development of socialist material civilization, political civilization and spiritual civilization, persist in promoting comprehensive social progress and comprehensive human development on the basis of economic development, persist in realizing the harmonious coexistence between man and nature in the development and utilization of nature, and achieve sustainable economic and social development. This view of development is in line with the objective laws of social development. The development of productive forces is the ultimate decisive force in the development of human society. Only by adhering to economic construction as the center and continuously liberating and developing productive forces can we lay a solid material foundation for all-round social progress and all-round human development. At the same time, economic development is closely linked to political development and cultural development. Fundamentally speaking, economic development determines political development and cultural development, but political development and cultural development will also have an impact on economic development in turn, and under certain conditions can also play a decisive role. A very important part of establishing and implementing the Scientific Outlook on Development is to correctly handle the relationship between quantity and quality, speed and efficiency of growth. Growth is the basis of development. Without quantitative economic growth and accumulation of material wealth, there can be no development. But growth is not simply the same as development. If we simply expand quantity and pursue speed without paying attention to quality and efficiency, the coordinated development of economy, politics and culture, and the harmony between man and nature, growth will be out of balance, which will ultimately restrict development. If we ignore the construction of socialist democracy and the legal system, neglect the construction of socialist spiritual civilization, neglect the development of various social undertakings, and neglect the protection of resources and the environment, it will be difficult to carry out economic construction. Even if we do it temporarily, we may have to pay a heavy price in the end. Party committees and governments at all levels must adhere to the scientific outlook on development, constantly explore new ideas and new ways to promote comprehensive development, coordinated development and sustainable development, further improve the quality of development, and achieve faster and better development. (End)

﹡This is part of Comrade Hu Jintao’s speech at the second plenary session of the Third Plenary Session of the 16th CPC Central Committee.