Scientific Outlook on Development
After its 16th National Congress held in November 2002, the CPC, with Hu Jintao (b. 1942) as the chief representative, developed the Scientific Outlook on Development, which is people-oriented and calls for comprehensive, balanced and sustainable development.
The Scientific Outlook on Development defines development as the primary task. Development is very important to the Party in governing and rejuvenating the country. It must stay committed to the central task of economic development and focus on building the economy and driving growth in order to unleash and develop the productive forces.
It is a people-centered outlook. This means that the aim and outcome of all work of the Party and the state is to serve, safeguard and promote the fundamental interests of all the people, and that the Party must respect the people's status as the principal actors of the country, give play to their creativity, protect their rights and interests, pursue prosperity for all, and promote their well-rounded development.
Comprehensive, balanced and sustainable development is the basic requirement. This means that in line with the overall plan for advancing socialism with Chinese characteristics, the Party should promote all-round economic, political, cultural and social progress, coordinate all aspects of the modernization drive, and strike a balance between the relations of production and productive forces and between the superstructure and the economic base. It must pursue sound development that promotes production, prosperity and a healthy ecosystem, build a resource-conserving and environment-friendly society, and ensure that the economy is well structured and delivers quality and efficient growth and that the economy grows in harmony with the population, resources and the environment, so that the Chinese people will live and work in a healthy environment and China's economy and society will develop in a sustainable way.
Conducting unified planning and taking all factors into consideration is the basic approach. This means that the Party should gain a full appreciation of the major relationships involved in building socialism with Chinese characteristics and handle them accordingly, balance urban and rural development, balance cross-regional development, balance economic and social development, ensure harmony between humanity and nature, and balance domestic development with opening to the outside world, while also taking all factors into account when handling the relationships between the central authorities and the local governments, between personal and collective interests, between interests of the part and those of the whole, and between immediate and long-term interests, so as to keep all parties motivated.
At the 17th CPC National Congress held in October 2007, the Scientific Outlook on Development was written into the Constitution of the CPC. At the 18th CPC National Congress in November 2012, the Scientific Outlook on Development, together with Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory and the Theory of Three Represents, was designated as a long-term guiding thought of the Party. At the First Session of the 13th NPC in March 2018, it was written into the Chinese Constitution and reconfirmed as the guideline in the political and social life in China.
The Scientific Outlook on Development is an important component of the system of theory on Chinese socialism. It offers in-depth answers to major questions of development. It is a systematic scientific theory that covers reform, development and stability, domestic and foreign affairs and national defense, Party matters, and running the country and the military. It is another timely update of the CPC's guiding thought and a new development of Marxism in contemporary China.
科学发展观
2002年中共十六大以后，面对新世纪新阶段世情、国情、党情的深刻变化，以胡锦涛为主要代表的中国共产党人，坚持解放思想、实事求是、与时俱进、求真务实，勇于推进实践基础上的理论创新，集中全党智慧，坚持和丰富邓小平理论、“三个代表”重要思想，形成了以人为本、全面协调可持续发展的科学发展观。
科学发展观的第一要义是发展，即坚持把发展作为党执政兴国的第一要务，牢牢扭住经济建设这个中心，坚持聚精会神搞建设、一心一意谋发展，不断解放和发展社会生产力。科学发展观的核心是以人为本，即始终把实现好、维护好、发展好最广大人民的根本利益作为党和国家一切工作的出发点和落脚点，尊重人民主体地位，发挥人民首创精神，保障人民各项权益，走共同富裕道路，促进人的全面发展，做到发展为了人民、发展依靠人民、发展成果由人民共享。科学发展观的基本要求是全面协调可持续发展，即按照中国特色社会主义事业总体布局，全面推进经济建设、政治建设、文化建设、社会建设，促进现代化建设各个环节、各个方面相协调，促进生产关系与生产力、上层建筑与经济基础相协调；坚持生产发展、生活富裕、生态良好的文明发展道路，建设资源节约型、环境友好型社会，实现速度和结构质量效益相统一、经济发展与人口资源环境相协调，使人民在良好生态环境中生产生活，实现经济社会永续发展。科学发展观的根本方法是统筹兼顾，即正确认识和妥善处理中国特色社会主义事业中的重大关系，统筹城乡发展、区域发展、经济社会发展、人与自然和谐发展、国内发展和对外开放，统筹中央和地方关系，统筹个人利益和集体利益、局部利益和整体利益、当前利益和长远利益，充分调动各方面积极性。
2007年10月，中共十七大把科学发展观写入党章。2012年11月，中共十八大把科学发展观同马克思列宁主义、毛泽东思想、邓小平理论、“三个代表”重要思想一道，确立为中国共产党必须长期坚持的指导思想。2018年3月，十三届全国人大一次会议将科学发展观载入中国宪法，确立了科学发展观在国家政治和社会生活中的指导地位。
科学发展观是中国特色社会主义理论体系的重要组成部分。这一重要思想深刻认识和回答了新形势下实现什么样的发展、怎样发展等重大问题，形成了涵盖改革发展稳定、内政外交国防、治党治国治军各方面的系统科学理论，实现了中国共产党在指导思想上的又一次与时俱进，开辟了当代中国马克思主义发展新境界。
