The Yangtze River and the Yellow River are the mother rivers of the Chinese nation, which have nurtured a long history of Chinese civilization. General Secretary of the Supreme Leader emphasized that "the Yangtze River and Yellow River basins are the main battlefields of ecological civilization construction". Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, through a series of important measures, remarkable achievements have been made in the ecological protection and management of the Yangtze River and the Yellow River, and the mother river has regained its vitality.

The main stream of the Yangtze River has maintained Grade II water quality for five consecutive years.

On the banks of Liangzi Lake in Ezhou, Hubei Province in the Yangtze River Basin, as night falls, millions of fireflies attract an endless stream of tourists.

The team led by Fu Xinhua has been monitoring the migration and survival of fireflies for 20 consecutive years.

Fu Xinhua, a professor at Huazhong Agricultural University: In the past five years, the population size of rare aquatic fireflies has been expanding at a rate of 15% to 20% every year. Because these aquatic fireflies can only live in Class I water, it can also directly reflect that our water environment is getting better.

The research team’s high-sensitivity monitor and AI tracking and identification technology recorded the "footprints" of more than ten aquatic fireflies in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River: since 2016, the population size of the aquatic fireflies, which is the most sensitive to the water environment, has continued to expand. In ten years, the number has increased by more than 10 times.

In the air of 10,000 meters high, remote sensing satellites also perceive the ten-year changes in the water quality of the Yangtze River around fireflies.

This is a remote sensing satellite image taken in April 2015 in a tributary of the Changjiang River in Xianning, Hubei Province. The darker the yellow color, the higher the concentration of total phosphorus in the main pollutant.

This is the image of the same river section in April this year, and the color has changed from yellow to green, indicating that the total phosphorus concentration has dropped significantly.

In the past ten years, nearly 10,000 chemical enterprises in the Yangtze River Basin have been shut down and moved. While the pollution sources are decreasing, the "Skynet" that supervises the sewage outlets is becoming more and more dense.

By the end of 2024, the Yangtze River Economic Belt had surveyed 140,000 kilometers of river and lake shoreline, and found more than 180,000 sewage outlets into the river, with a remediation completion rate of about 90%.

According to the latest data, the water quality of the main stream of the Yangtze River has maintained Class II for five consecutive years.

The sediment discharge of the Yellow River in 2024 is more than the previous years’ average.

Reduce by over 80%

From the Yangtze River basin with dense water system to the north, the Yellow River, which is symbiotic with the Yangtze River, has also experienced ecological transformation in the past ten years.

This summer, Wanjiazhai, Sanmenxia and Xiaolangdi water control projects in the middle reaches of the Yellow River jointly carried out the 30th water and sediment transfer operation.

At Tongguan Hydrological Station in the upper reaches of Xiaolangdi Reservoir, the on-line photoelectric sediment detector penetrates the Yellow River water with light and senses the change of sediment content. We found that the sediment content in every cubic meter of Yellow River water flowing here decreased from the average of 27.5 kg (1952-2020) to 5.76 kg in 2024.

The key to the decrease of sediment in the Yellow River year by year lies in the Loess Plateau.

Overlooking the gullies on the Loess Plateau from high altitude, we saw a warping dam built to intercept floods and sediments. Today, there are 58,300 silt dams in the Yellow River Basin, with a cumulative sand retention of 7.4 billion tons. In 2024, the sediment discharge of the Yellow River decreased by over 80% compared with the previous years’ average.

When the satellite images of the Yangtze River estuary fade away from the turbidity of the past; When the Yellow River Delta is transformed into an ecological paradise where birds flock together, the rejuvenation of the Mother River not only allows the residents in the basin to share the ecological well-being, but also creates a "green backbone" for the sustainable development of the Chinese nation!

　　China, a country with a large population, has entered the middle-income stage from the low-income stage in a relatively short period of time, which shows the superiority of Socialism with Chinese characteristics. After entering the middle-income stage, we are facing new development problems. To solve these problems, we need to innovate Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s theory of economic development, and then enrich and develop Marxist political economy. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the CPC Central Committee with the Supreme Leader as the core has put forward the development concept of innovation, coordination, green, openness and sharing. The new development concept is not only the theoretical soul to guide China’s economic development practice, but also the ideological soul to innovate Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s economic development theory, which opens up a new realm of Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s economic development theory.

　　Promoting theoretical innovation of economic development under the guidance of major development issues

　　Comrade Supreme Leader pointed out that adhering to problem orientation is a distinctive feature of Marxism. Problems are the starting point and power source of innovation. Only by listening to the voice of the times, responding to the call of the times and seriously studying and solving major and urgent problems can we truly grasp the historical context, find the law of development and promote theoretical innovation. The most important thing is to grasp the major development problems in our development stage and make a positive response by persisting in problem-oriented and promoting theoretical innovation of Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s economic development.

　　China is still in the primary stage of socialism for a long time, but now it has bid farewell to the low-income development stage and entered the middle-income development stage, facing a series of new major development problems, which can be summarized as follows: First, the growth rate has changed from high-speed to medium-high-speed, which raises the issue of the sustainability of medium-high-speed growth. Second, after entering the middle-income stage, some countries in the world did not change their economic development mode in time, resulting in serious problems such as excessive income gap and stagnant development. We are faced with the severe challenge of avoiding repeating the mistakes of others and crossing the "middle income trap". Third, development faces some deep-seated problems, including the decline of traditional development power, the carrying capacity of ecological environment has reached or approached the upper limit, the unreasonable economic structure, the low level and quality of development, and being at the low end of the global value chain. Solving these major development problems calls for theoretical innovation of economic development. The important exposition made by the Supreme Leader has pointed out the direction for solving these major development problems and innovating the theory of socialist economic development.

　　The new normal theory of economic development. Comrade Supreme Leader pointed out: "China’s development is still in an important period of strategic opportunities. We should enhance our confidence, proceed from the current stage characteristics of China’s economic development, adapt to the new normal, and maintain a strategic normal mentality." Observing the new normal from the perspective of strategic opportunity period, we should not only understand the new normal as the slowdown of economic growth, but also thoroughly study the important exposition of the Supreme Leader on the new normal of economic development, master its scientific connotation and spiritual essence, and seize and make good use of new opportunities for development. It should be recognized that the change of economic growth from high-speed to medium-high speed is accompanied by the change of economic development mode from scale speed to quality efficiency, so the new normal is not only speed change, but also two important manifestations: first, structural optimization, economic structural adjustment should shift from incremental capacity expansion to adjusting stock and doing optimization and increment simultaneously; The second is the power conversion, and the driving force for development should shift from relying mainly on resources and low-cost labor to innovation. It can be seen that the new normal theory of economic development further clarifies the characteristics, opportunities and tasks of China’s new stage of development.

　　Innovative, coordinated, green, open and shared development concept. The new development concept is put forward in view of the outstanding problems and challenges faced by China’s development, and it is a strategic guide for China’s current and future economic and social development. Innovation focuses on solving the problem of development motivation; Coordination focuses on solving the problem of unbalanced development; Green focuses on solving the problem of harmony between man and nature; Opening up focuses on solving the problem of internal and external linkage in development; Sharing focuses on solving social fairness and justice problems. The new development concept is a scientific summary of the practical experience of China’s economic development, a pioneering achievement of Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s political economy and a scientific guide to the construction of Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s economic development theory.

　　Consolidate the theoretical foundation of economic development around the people-centered development thought

　　Who to develop for is the basic problem to be solved in the theory and practice of economic development. Comrade Supreme Leader pointed out that the core of adhering to Marxism is to solve the problem of "why people". Our party is a party that serves the people wholeheartedly, and our country is a country where the people are the masters of the country. The starting point and end result of all the work of the party and the state is to realize, safeguard and develop the fundamental interests of the overwhelming majority of the people. The people-centered development thought put forward by the Supreme Leader has consolidated the foundation of Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s economic development theory and is the inheritance and development of Marxist political economy.

　　The people-centered development thought embodies the socialist production purpose of constantly meeting the growing material and cultural needs of the people. According to this requirement, Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s economic development theory needs to define three development goals: to develop productive forces and enhance people’s well-being, to gradually realize common prosperity, and to aim at people’s all-round development. The concept of shared development put forward by the Supreme Leader fully embodies the people-centered development thought, embodies the essential requirements of Socialism with Chinese characteristics, and grasps the goal of Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s economic development theory. Since the reform and opening up, the vitality of China’s economic and social development has been continuously enhanced, and people’s living standards have generally improved, but there has also been a problem of widening income gap. Putting forward the concept of shared development in the new stage of development is to share and develop in the process of development, and strive to realize the sharing, comprehensive sharing and joint construction and sharing of the fruits of reform and development. According to the concept of shared development, economic development does not serve a few people or some people, and the theory of economic development cannot serve a few people or some people, but seeks benefits for all people. In the process of shared development, the people share the fruits of reform and development, constantly get tangible benefits, have more sense of gain in the improvement of people’s livelihood, and gradually realize common prosperity. The people-centered development thought has further stimulated the enthusiasm, initiative and creativity of the broad masses of people and provided an inexhaustible source of power for reform and development.

　　Deepen the understanding of the regularity of scientific development in combination with the new characteristics and trends of development

　　After entering the middle-income stage, the fundamental way to improve the quality and efficiency of economic development and cross the "middle-income trap" is to change the mode of economic development and realize scientific development. Comrade Supreme Leader pointed out at the Politburo meeting of the Chinese Communist Party on July 29th, 2014 that "development must be scientific development following economic laws, sustainable development following natural laws, and inclusive development following social laws." This in-depth exposition is a theoretical sublimation of the understanding of the regularity of economic development, a scientific grasp of the new characteristics and trends of China’s economic development under the new economic normal, and a high generalization of new ideas and paths to promote sustained and healthy economic development.

　　After China entered the middle-income stage, two major development problems have become increasingly prominent: one is unbalanced development, and the other is unbearable ecological environment. The new development concept points out the way to solve these two problems and realize scientific development.

　　Fill in the shortcomings through coordinated development. Finding out the shortcomings, exerting efforts to fill in the shortcomings, tapping the development potential and enhancing the development stamina through filling in the shortcomings are the proper meanings in the topic of coordinated development. The first is to fill the shortcomings of agricultural modernization and urbanization. China’s socialist modernization road is to simultaneously promote new industrialization, informationization, urbanization and agricultural modernization. In December 2013, Comrade Supreme Leader pointed out in his speech at the Central Rural Work Conference, "Agriculture is still ‘ Synchronization of the four modernizations ’ Short legs, the countryside is still a short board for building a well-off society in an all-round way. " Coordinated development requires efforts to fill the shortcomings of agriculture and rural areas, deepen the structural reform of agricultural supply side, accelerate the cultivation of new kinetic energy for agricultural and rural development, and create a new situation in agricultural modernization. In this process, we will actively promote new urbanization and form a new pattern of urban-rural development integration. The second is to fill the short board of poverty alleviation for the rural poor. Comrade Supreme Leader pointed out that we can’t declare that a well-off society has been built in an all-round way, and on the other hand, the living standard of tens of millions of people is below the poverty alleviation standard line, which not only affects the people’s satisfaction with building a well-off society in an all-round way, but also affects the international community’s recognition of building a well-off society in an all-round way in China. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, China has launched a tough battle against poverty. With clearer goals, more powerful measures and more effective actions, we have carried out precision poverty alleviation and precision poverty alleviation in depth, ensuring that all poverty-stricken areas and poor people will enter an all-round well-off society together by 2020.

　　Promote the construction of ecological civilization through green development. For a long time, the traditional industrialization relying on fossil energy has caused serious ecological environment damage. In order to cope with the severe ecological environment challenges, realize the harmonious development between man and nature and the sustainable development of economy and society, the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China put the construction of ecological civilization into the "five in one" overall layout of Socialism with Chinese characteristics. Comrade Supreme Leader pointed out: "The construction of ecological civilization is related to the sustainable development of the Chinese nation and ‘ Two hundred years ’ To achieve the goal, protecting the ecological environment means protecting productive forces, and improving the ecological environment means developing productive forces. " "Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets". This regards clean water, fresh air, diverse creatures and green environment as valuable ecological wealth, and further clarifies three levels of productivity research: liberating productivity, developing productivity and protecting productivity. For economic development, these three levels are indispensable. Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s economic development theory studies economic development, and it is necessary to establish a systematic economic theory of liberating, developing and protecting productive forces.

　　Based on China’s national conditions and practice, promoting theoretical innovation of economic development motivation

　　Comrade Supreme Leader pointed out: "For such a large economy in China, if the power problem is not solved well, it is necessary to achieve sustained and healthy economic development and ‘ Two doubles ’ It is difficult to do. " The important function of economic development theory is to seek the motive force of development. At the level of production relations, it is to seek development momentum through comprehensive deepening reform. At the level of productivity, it is to seek development momentum on both sides of supply and demand. Since the reform and opening up, China has actively promoted market-oriented reforms, and market demand has become the basic driving force for economic growth. Consumption, investment and export have become the troika for demand-side economic growth. In the new stage of economic development, the problem that the supply structure can’t adapt to the change of demand stands out and becomes the main aspect of contradiction. Faced with the new situation and new tasks, the CPC Central Committee with the Supreme Leader as the core proposed to further promote the structural reform of the supply side and strive to achieve economic structure optimization and power transformation.

　　After more than 30 years of rapid growth, it is inevitable that the driving force of traditional economic factors will decline. However, it should be noted that the factors affecting economic growth include technology, structure and efficiency in addition to material resources and labor. At this stage, although the supply-side impetus such as material resources and low-cost labor is weakening, the impetus of technology, structure and efficiency has not been fully stimulated, and there is still great potential for scientific and technological innovation, structural adjustment and efficiency improvement, and it is a more sustainable driving force for economic growth. Among them, the most important driving force is the driving force of innovation. As the supreme leader comrade pointed out, innovation is the first driving force to lead development. Other driving forces on the supply side, such as structural adjustment and improving total factor productivity, also need to rely on innovation to be fully stimulated. Now, the position of China’s industrial development and scientific and technological innovation in the world has been upgraded from running with each other to running with each other to take the lead and seize the strategic commanding heights. The task of realizing innovation-driven development is even more urgent. Under the new situation, Chinese enterprises must implement the concept of innovation and development, strive to cultivate new advantages with technology, brand, quality and service as the core competitiveness, strive to climb to the middle and high end of the global value chain and strive to occupy a leading position in the value chain.

　　(The author is Hong Yinxing, a professor at Nanjing University)