The Decision on Major Issues Concerning Comprehensively Deepening Reforms adopted at the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee declared that the overall goal of deepening the reform comprehensively is to “improve and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics, and to promote the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity”. This declaration profoundly summarizes Chinese difficult exploration process for Centennial revival, specifically determines the national and social development strategy, and clearly defines the great responsibility each member of Chinese nation must shoulder.
Because of the historical mission, realistic responsibility and future pursuit, in December 21st, 2013, Peking University, with Fudan University, Jilin University jointly launched the establishment of the "Co-Innovation Center for State Governance". Subsequently, Sun Yat-Sen University and Financial Science Research Institute of Ministry of Finance (latterly named the "Chinese Academy of Fiscal Science”) joined and the co-innovation unit based on four universities and an institute was formed.
In 2016, with the close cooperation between Co-Innovation Center for State Governance and Key Research Base of Humanities and Social Sciences of Ministry of Education, Institute of State Governance Studies, Peking University was established after restructuring and upgrading from the original Politics Research Base—Institute of Political Development and Governance, Peking University. Approved by the Ministry of Education P. R. China, Politics Research Base of Ministry of Education—Institute of Political Development and Governance, Peking University was renamed as Institute of State Governance Studies, Peking University.
The Institute attaches great importance to the overall goal of the comprehensively deepening reform and the urgent need for state governance modernization. It leverages its research strength and cooperates with research institutions, state organs, local governments, enterprises and social organizations. Thus, the following core missions have been formulated
-to promote interdisciplinary integration of political science, public administration, law, economics, finance and other related disciplines
-to carry out scientific researches on state governance, government administration, market regulation, social governance and even global governance as well as many other major issues
-to undertake the important task of talent training for state governance, discipline construction and public service
-to build new think-tank institutions with Chinese characteristics featuring as “national urgently needed, world-class, advanced system, outstanding contribution” with Peking University political science, public management and other related disciplines as its important traction units
-to contribute to state governance modernization and “double first-rate” construction.
We base our core missions on the following understanding of state governance:
1. Deepening reform and promoting the modernization of state governance is a key choice to determine the fate of the contemporary China. It also represents the only way to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and a major proposition of the historical process of world’s and China’s modernization. In the long process of human society development, exploring the rules of state governance modernization and the basic features of China’s state governance modernization is the theoretical commission and historical requirement to push socialism with Chinese characteristics forward and realize state governance modernization. To achieve this, we have to combine the basic characteristics of China's governance modernization, the basic rules of socialist society and human development.
2. Deepening reform and promoting the modernization of state governance requires us to adhere to the fundamental direction of socialist modernization. It means that the modernization of state governance must be carried out in the context of perfecting and developing the socialist system with Chinese characteristics. At the same time, state governance reform must go along with modernization in the same direction. In a word, we should optimize and innovate the main body of the state governance, institutional mechanisms and process links under the leadership of the Communist Party of China. In doing so, we can enhance the state governance ability, fully release and realize the value of the content, great power and potential vitality of our fundamental system and the basic system contains.
3. Deepening reform and promoting the modernization of state governance involves the following aspects:
-the five-in-one overall strategy in the economic, political, social, cultural, ecological fields and the four comprehensives strategic pattern;
-the organic combination of CPC’s leadership with the position that people are the masters of the country;
-multiple factors such as profits, power, rights, systems, laws, organization, mechanisms and values;
-multiple relations in the socialist market economy context such as the relation between the government and market, the government and the society, the central government and local governments, the administration system and capability as well as the efficiency and justice;
Here we can see that the problems that need to be studied and solved are complex, comprehensive and difficult. Reform requires systematic, holistic and collaborative innovation in terms of thinking, systems, mechanisms, policies and paths. Therefore, scientific collaborative innovation, which is multi-participated, multi-disciplinary, multi-leveled, multi-angled and multi-method, is an important way to deepen the reform of ideological awareness and formulate reasonable, practical and feasible theoretical results and countermeasures.
4. Deepening reform and promoting the modernization of state governance must practically help to solve major issues China faces. Therefore, “Deepening reform depends heavily on new plans and initiatives. We should have a strong sense of awareness, try to be major issues-oriented, eye on the major issues and key issues to do further study and find out the solutions so as to promote ways to tackle prominent contradictions and problems that hinder China’s development.” In doing so, we should first combine the top-level design with grass-roots practice, the overall advance with particular focus. Then, we should understand the key problems and contradictions in the practice of deepening reform and turn them into research subjects. Focusing on these research subjects, we should carry out specialized research and make out results by integrating theories and practice, norms and evidence, systems and mechanisms, strategies and policies, rules and values, systems and abilities. Step by step, we will finally finish the long March of state governance modernization.
5. Deepening reform and promoting the modernization of state governance requires us to base ourselves on our unique cultural traditions, historical destiny and basic national conditions, especially the most obvious one that China is in the primary stage of socialism. We must pay attention to the Chinese reality to study China. At the same time, we must also study China by learning from history and the world. We should draw from the outstanding achievements of human culture and civilization, and learn the positive experience and practice of other countries and regions. Under the guidance of Marxism, through the exchange of various civilizations from ancient times to the present, we will be able to expand our horizons, identify choices, and learn from lessons to form new ideas and solutions.
Based on these understandings, the Institute of State Governance Studies is fully aware of its academic, practical, historical and practical mission. Thus, all the researchers from the Institute are willing and hoping to cooperate with colleagues from China and the world to shoulder common responsibilities and make every effort to achieve state governance modernization and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation!
Wang Puqu,
Director of Institute of State Governance Studies, Peking University
July 1, 2017
