The Guideline and Program for the Primary Stage of Socialism
At its 13th National Congress held in October 1987, the CPC established a guideline for the primary stage of socialism: leading and uniting with the people of all ethnic groups, focusing on economic development, upholding the Four Cardinal Principles, pushing forward reform and opening up, adhering to self-reliance and hard work, and building China into a prosperous, strong, democratic and culturally advanced modern socialist country. This guideline was better known as the "one central task and two basic points"– taking economic development as the central task and the Four Cardinal Principles and reform and opening up as the two basic points.
At its 15th National Congress in September 1997, the CPC unveiled its basic program during the primary stage of socialism, and defined the targets and policies for building a socialist economy, politics and culture, all with Chinese characteristics.
Building a socialist economy with Chinese characteristics meant developing a market economy under socialism and constantly unlocking and developing the productive forces. To do this, the CPC needs to uphold and improve the basic economic system whereby public ownership is dominant and develops side by side with economic entities under diverse forms of ownership; to uphold and improve the socialist market economy so that the market plays a fundamental role in allocating resources under state macro-control; to uphold and improve a diversity of distribution models, with distribution according to work done as the main model, allowing some people and regions to prosper first so that they could assist others to progress and gradually achieve common prosperity; and to uphold and improve the opening up of the Chinese economy and take an active part in international economic cooperation and competition. This would ensure that the economy developed in a sustained, rapid and sound way, and that the people shared the fruits of economic prosperity.
Building socialist politics with Chinese characteristics meant establishing the rule of law and developing socialist democratic politics under the leadership of the CPC, with the people as masters of the country. To do this, the CPC needs to uphold and improve the people's democratic dictatorship led by the working class and based on the worker-farmer alliance; to uphold and improve the system of people's congresses, the system of multiparty cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the Communist Party, and the system of regional ethnic autonomy; and to promote democracy, improve the legal system and build a socialist country under the rule of law. This would create a political situation featuring social stability, an honest and efficient government, and unity, harmony and vigor among the people of all ethnic groups.
Building a socialist culture with Chinese characteristics meant following Marxism as the guide, with the goal of encouraging citizens to have high ideals, moral integrity, a good education and a strong sense of discipline. It meant developing a socialist culture for our nation, a culture that is sound and people-oriented, and that embraces modernization, the world and the future. To do this, the CPC needs to continue the education of its members and the people with Deng Xiaoping Theory; to raise the ideological, ethical, educational, scientific and cultural levels of the whole nation; to adhere to the orientation of serving the people and socialism and to the principle of "letting a hundred flowers bloom and a hundred schools of thought contend," while emphasizing progress and promoting academic and cultural prosperity. This would promote socialist cultural and ethical progress in accordance with China's actual conditions, carrying on the fine cultural traditions handed down from history and drawing on the achievements of foreign cultures.
From its 16th National Congress on, the CPC has continued to expand its basic targets and policies. At its 19th National Congress in 2017, the CPC reaffirmed the Five-sphere Integrated Plan that encompasses economic, political, cultural, social and eco-environmental development, and set the goal of building China into a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious and beautiful.
社会主义初级阶段的基本路线和基本纲领
1987年10月，中共十三大提出党在社会主义初级阶段的基本路线，即领导和团结全国各族人民，以经济建设为中心，坚持四项基本原则，坚持改革开放，自力更生，艰苦创业，为把中国建设成为富强、民主、文明的社会主义现代化国家而奋斗。
1997年9月，中共十五大围绕建设富强民主文明的社会主义现代化国家的目标，明确提出了党在社会主义初级阶段的基本纲领，规定了建设有中国特色社会主义的经济、政治和文化的基本目标和基本政策。
建设有中国特色社会主义的经济，就是在社会主义条件下发展市场经济，不断解放和发展生产力。这就要坚持和完善社会主义公有制为主体、多种所有制经济共同发展的基本经济制度；坚持和完善社会主义市场经济体制，使市场在国家宏观调控下对资源配置起基础性作用；坚持和完善按劳分配为主体的多种分配方式，允许一部分地区一部分人先富起来，带动和帮助后富，逐步走向共同富裕；坚持和完善对外开放，积极参与国际经济合作和竞争；保证国民经济持续快速健康发展，人民共享经济繁荣成果。
建设有中国特色社会主义的政治，就是在中国共产党领导下，在人民当家作主的基础上，依法治国，发展社会主义民主政治。这就要坚持和完善工人阶级领导的、以工农联盟为基础的人民民主专政；坚持和完善人民代表大会制度、中国共产党领导的多党合作和政治协商制度、民族区域自治制度；发展民主，健全法制，建设社会主义法治国家。实现社会安定，政府廉洁高效，全国各族人民团结和睦、生动活泼的政治局面。
建设有中国特色社会主义的文化，就是以马克思主义为指导，以培育有理想、有道德、有文化、有纪律的公民为目标，发展面向现代化、面向世界、面向未来的，民族的科学的大众的社会主义文化。这就要坚持用邓小平理论武装全党，教育人民；努力提高全民族的思想道德素质和教育科学文化水平；坚持为人民服务、为社会主义服务的方向和“百花齐放，百家争鸣”的方针，重在建设，繁荣学术和文艺。建设立足中国现实、继承历史文化优秀传统、吸取外国文化有益成果的社会主义精神文明。
中共十六大后，社会主义初级阶段的基本目标和基本政策不断丰富发展，到了中共十九大，明确将经济建设、政治建设、文化建设、社会建设和生态文明建设“五位一体”作为中国特色社会主义事业总体布局，提出了建成富强民主文明和谐美丽的社会主义现代化强国的奋斗目标。
