Four Comprehensives Explained

The Four Comprehensives, fully as the Four-pronged Comprehensive Strategy[1], is a list of political goals for China, put forward by Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 2014. They are:[2]

  1. Comprehensively build a moderately prosperous society → Comprehensively build a modern socialist country
  2. Comprehensively deepen reform
  3. Comprehensively govern the nation according to law
  4. Comprehensively strictly govern the Party.

Background

Some scholars argue that there are the same or very similar statements of the "four comprehensives" in Deng Xiaoping Theory.[3]

The term "moderately prosperous society" dated back to 1979, when Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping said to visiting Japanese Prime Minister Masayoshi Ōhira that "Xiaokang society was the goal of Chinese modernization".[4]

In 1997, the term "building a moderately prosperous society" was officially adopted in General Secretary Jiang Zemin's report to the 15th CCP National Congress.

In 2002, the term was changed to "comprehensively building a moderately prosperous society" in the report to the 16th CCP National Congress.[5]

In 2012, "Completing the Building of a Moderately Prosperous Society in All Respects" was first introduced in Hu Jintao's report to the 18th CCP National Congress.

Timeline

Xi describes the Four Comprehensives as the communist party's overall guidance strategy and long-term development strategy.[6] The Four Comprehensives have been developed incrementally during the early years of Xi's tenure:[7]

Reactions

The “Four Comprehensives” were met with mixed reactions among citizens in China. Many voices associated with the Communist Party praised Xi's new vision for China, some calling the “Four Comprehensives” “profound strategic thinking” and a “visionary guide for China's future”. The ambiguity of the goals laid out by Xi allows him and other ranking party officials to act under some level of secrecy. While Chinese citizens may not be aware of specific policies being passed, they may be supportive of Xi's goals for China, regardless of whether the policies being passed align with these goals or not. Some of the disdain for Xi's “Four Comprehensives” may also spawn from the ambiguity in the goals. Some citizens were concerned with the actions the party would take to achieve these goals because this was never really made clear.[8]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 今年首批中央文献重要术语"外语版"出炉 共30个. www.guancha.cn. 2016-04-08.
  2. News: China's Xi Jinping unveils new 'four comprehensives' slogans - BBC News. BBC News. February 25, 2015. en-GB. 2016-04-08.
  3. Web site: February 26, 2015 . 党媒造势"四个全面" 中共举新理论大旗_中国-多维新闻网 . 2018-10-11 . news.dwnews.com.
  4. Web site: 1979年12月6号 邓小平谈"小康"--资料中心--中国共产党新闻网. cpc.people.com.cn. 2018-10-11.
  5. Web site: 江泽民提出全面建设小康社会的奋斗目标. www.people.com.cn. 2018-10-11. January 18, 2005. https://web.archive.org/web/20050118235415/http://www.people.com.cn/GB/shizheng/16/20021108/862193.html. dead.
  6. Book: Tsang, Steve . Steve Chang . The Political Thought of Xi Jinping . Cheung . Olivia . . 2024 . 9780197689363.
  7. Web site: 港媒："四个全面"凸显治国总体方略顶层设计. China News Service. 2016-10-28.
  8. https://archive.nytimes.com/sinosphere.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/03/01/the-evolution-of-xi-jinpings-four-comprehensives/

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