Interview with Zamir Awan, Founding Chairman of the Global Silk Road Research Alliance, a Pakistan-based think tank.
作为党和人民事业大踏步赶上时代的重要法宝，改革开放深刻改变了中国的面貌，成为当代中国最显著的特征、最壮丽的气象。回首来时路，1978年党的十一届三中全会，开启了第一次划时代的改革；2013年党的十八届三中全会，推动了又一次划时代的改革。如今，党的二十届三中全会的胜利召开，将以继往开来的历史性意义，再次开启中国改革的划时代篇章。从冲破思想观念束缚，突破利益固化藩篱，到敢于突进深水区，敢于啃硬骨头，敢于涉险滩，一份份沉甸甸的改革答卷，在中华大地留下了深刻的改革印记。同时，中国改革以永葆“赶考”的清醒和坚定，继续向世界传递出“改革味要浓、成色要足”的郑重承诺。为解读二十届三中全会作出的一系列部署与决策的深远意义，本报记者采访了巴基斯坦智库全球丝绸之路研究联盟创始主席泽米尔·阿万（Zamir Awan)。
As an important magic weapon for the cause of the Party and the people to catch up with The Times in great strides, reform and opening up have profoundly changed the face of China and become the most prominent feature and magnificent atmosphere of contemporary China. Looking back, the Third Plenary Session of the 11th CPC Central Committee in 1978 ushered in the first epoch-making reform. The Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee in 2013 promoted another epoch-making reform. Now, the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China has been successfully held, which will once again open an epoch-making chapter of China’s reform with historic significance. From breaking through the shackles of ideas, breaking through the barriers of solidified interests, to daring to break out into the deep water area, daring to gnash hard bones, daring to wade into dangerous shoals, a heavy reform answer has left a profound mark on the land of China. At the same time, China’s reform, in order to maintain the sobriety and firmness of “catching up with the exam”, continues to convey to the world the solemn commitment of “the flavor of reform should be strong and the result should be sufficient”. In order to interpret the far-reaching significance of a series of deployments and decisions made at the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee, our reporter interviewed Zamir Awan, founding chairman of the Global Silk Road Research Alliance, a Pakistani think tank.
■泽米尔·阿万（Zamir Awan）受访者/供图
设定清晰可见且易于落实的目标 Set goals that are clearly visible and easy to implement
《中国社会科学报》：中国共产党二十届三中全会的召开举世瞩目。您认为此次全会向世界释放了哪些积极信号？您如何评价全会设定的有关国家未来改革道路的愿景与目标？
阿万：自1978年中国共产党十一届三中全会以来，国际人士一直对中国历届三中全会上公布的重大改革政策充满期待，二十届三中全会因而被认为是近年来中国政治日程表上的重大事件。全会让世界倾听中国对于国家前进道路的设想与愿景，向世界传递出中国进一步全面深化改革、推进中国式现代化的坚定声音。应当说，中国在此次全会上向外界释放的积极信号是多方面的。作为历届三中全会的关键词，“改革”二字贯穿《中共中央关于进一步全面深化改革、推进中国式现代化的决定》（以下简称《决定》)的始终，“体制机制”成为高频词，“完善”“健全”等字眼也反复出现。《决定》涵盖300多项重要改革举措，其中对于“进一步全面深化改革”的明确承诺，表明了中国持续进行改革、并在未来加强改革力度的意愿。“进一步”意味着在过去成功的基础上进行新一轮推进，而“全面”则反映了涵盖社会各层面和各部门的综合改革策略。这种整体性的长远方法体现出一种中国国家治理的系统性思维。
二十届三中全会尤其强调了经济体制改革、科技创新和绿色低碳发展等主题，也涉及党风廉政建设和反腐败斗争、防风险、强监管以及保障和改善民生。对于这些领域的高度重视，表明中国将目光投向当下和未来社会发展的重点事项，以应对新形势下国内外不断涌现的新挑战。世界上很少有哪个国家的政党如同中国共产党那样，以定期召开全会的方式反思过去的政策，并展望未来的发展方向。二十届三中全会的召开，表明中国专注于为国家发展作出长远规划的优秀能力，以及“中国之治”的稳定性和延续性。
《决定》既涵盖了中国的长期改革目标，也通过细致的条例划分，将这些长期发展目标分解为一个个清晰可见且易于落实的中短期目标，字里行间透露出周密的部署。全会将目光投向了本世纪中叶，部署了2035年之前尤其是未来5年内的改革任务。《决定》提出，到2029年中华人民共和国成立80周年时，完成本决定提出的改革任务。到2035年，基本实现社会主义现代化。有目共睹的是，过去几十年来，中国在实现国家重大发展的历程中，获得了一个个里程碑式的成就。未来，我对于中国在2035年前实现其设定的目标充满信心，这些目标将为到本世纪中叶全面建成社会主义现代化强国打下坚实基础。
《决定》的说明中提到，“固根基、扬优势、补短板、强弱项”。一直以来，中国的做法始终是先发现问题，然后解决问题。中国充分认识到，目前的改革举措虽取得了骄人的成绩，但仍有一些问题亟待解决。这种不满足于现状、居安思危的意识十分难能可贵。
紧紧牵住经济体制改革“牛鼻子”
《中国社会科学报》：紧紧牵住经济体制改革这一“牛鼻子”，仍是未来中国改革的关键。外界认为，《决定》对经济体制改革的部署力度大、举措实、含金量高。您对此如何解读？
阿万：我认为，此次全会宣布的经济体制改革决策，将显著影响中国与其他国家在经贸领域的合作。随着中国继续优化其经济模式并接纳更高水平的开放标准，新的经济改革目标有望使中国成为其他国家更具吸引力的合作伙伴，并进一步增强中国作为全球经济重要引擎的角色。中国包容性的经济开放愿景深深植根于其国际性政策之中，而共建“一带一路”倡议则是这一愿景的典范。通过打造一个广阔的贸易路线网络、基础设施项目和经济伙伴关系，共建“一带一路”倡议将亚洲、非洲、欧洲以及更远的地区紧密连接。
中国近年来的经济改革举措覆盖范围广且影响深远，涵盖了税收改革、财政改革、金融改革、提升公共服务水平等。中国的经济体制改革举措以自上而下、中央—地方协调和长期规划等为特征，并强调渐进式、分阶段的方式。相比之下，西方的改革措施常常依赖市场驱动机制和分权治理方式。受选举周期等因素影响，表面上看，西方的经济改革方式更为迅速，但事实上却不彻底，存在许多顽疾。中国的经济体制改革方案在凸显国家发展事业需求的同时，也融入了符合国际社会期待的整体愿景。
中国的经济体制改革举措为包括巴基斯坦在内的发展中国家提供了宝贵经验，其中包括对于国家战略和长期规划的重视，以及对于均衡性的关注。中国成功使数亿人口摆脱贫困，为其他寻求实现快速发展的国家提供了优秀典范。如今，不少国际学者对中国脱贫制度表现出了浓厚兴趣。同时，中国独特的社会主义市场经济体制，被证明在实现社会公平和经济增长方面是有效的。
构建支持全面创新体制机制
《中国社会科学报》：二十届三中全会将构建支持全面创新体制机制作为中国未来改革的重点方向。《决定》强调，教育、科技、人才是中国式现代化的基础性、战略性支撑。《决定》也提到，健全因地制宜发展新质生产力体制机制。您对此有何评价？
阿万：二十届三中全会对于全面创新体制机制的高度关注，凸显出中国意识到创新在中国式现代化中的基础性作用。通过将教育、科技和人才优先列为国家发展的战略性支柱，中国正在努力营造一个强大的创新生态系统，以逐步从制造业为主导的经济增长模式转向知识驱动型、创新驱动型经济增长模式。
在改革初期，中国侧重于向发达国家学习，为随后几十年里的快速工业化奠定了基础。过去十几年，中国在科技改革领域的专注度尤其令人印象深刻，采取了多项重要举措，这将确保中国经济发展的韧性，并进一步将中国置于全球技术进步的前沿。经过几十年的积淀，中国已经从技术模仿者转变为自主创新者，这一转变主要得益于两大因素。
一是中国政府大幅增加了研发投入。如今，中国一跃成为全球第二大研发支出国，仅次于美国。许多国际学术机构的研究表明，中国的研发支出占其国内生产总值的比例相当可观，主要用于改善基础设施建设，包括在全国范围内建立先进的实验室和研究中心。例如，中国科学院等机构一直在人工智能、量子计算和生物技术等领域的前沿研究中处于全球领先地位。在如今的中国，大量研发投入带来的效益已经充分显现。在科技指标方面，中国成为全球专利申请的领先者，仅2021年一年就申请了超过140万项专利，超过其他任何国家。此外，中国已成为全球科研论文的重要贡献者，中国研究人员在知名期刊上发表了大量高影响力论文。研发成果的商业化转化也在加速进行，技术、医药和工程等领域的创新越来越多地转化为市场产品和服务。
二是中国政府对人力资本发展的强调，与创造一个创新蓬勃发展的知识型经济目标相一致。中国强调为创业营造良好环境，推出了大量激励措施，并提供各种优惠以鼓励创新，包括针对高科技企业的税收优惠、初创企业的补助和资助。中国政府在5G、人工智能和可再生能源等关键技术领域提供资金支持的积极态度，大大加速了创新的步伐。源于政府切实有效的激励政策，中国的知识分子和科学家在国家科技进步中发挥了领军带头作用，为各领域的开拓性研究作出了贡献。尤其是近十年来，中国对高技术产业的人才队伍支持和战略措施聚焦，使中国迅速成为全球电信、电子和生物技术等领域的引领者。
“新质生产力”这一概念中强调了更优生产的重要性——即利用技术提升产出的质量和效率，标志着中国经济发展思维与科技创新思维的重大演进，高科技行业自主创新将进一步成为推动国家经济增长的关键引擎。可以预见的是，以二十届三中全会为契机，未来中国将更加重视改革与新质生产力有关的体制和机制，以确保原创性技术转化为切实的经济效益。
在世界百年未有之大变局中积蓄发展势头
《中国社会科学报》：在全球性问题不断加剧，各种“黑天鹅”“灰犀牛”事件随时可能发生，西方单边主义、霸权主义肆虐的形势下，您如何评价中国改革面临的国际环境？
阿万：二十届三中全会的召开，彰显了中国适应不断演变的国际格局的新努力。当前，全球动荡不安的环境中充斥着“黑天鹅”（不可预测的、高影响力的事件）和“灰犀牛”事件（显而易见但易被忽视的威胁），这要求中国具备高度的适应能力和韧性。地缘政治紧张局势和国际冲突频发的现实，为中国的改革议程增添了复杂性。然而，中国始终能够自如地航行在这些波涛汹涌的水域上。通过倡导多极化世界秩序，中国力求实现不仅有利于其自身，也有利于世界的改革目标。
面对纷繁复杂的国际国内形势，中国的表现无疑是值得赞扬的。过去，中国政府通过推出诸多战略性改革，成功地化解了一个个风险，处理了一个个问题。困扰许多西方国家的经济不平等、环境可持续性和技术伦理等问题，在中国得到了有效应对。这归功于强大的中央领导、周密的长期规划以及灵活的政策执行方式。在面对障碍与阻力时，依然坚守改革的初衷并保持足够的细致与耐心，这彰显了中国领导人的远见卓识和战略眼光。
我注意到，中国式现代化尤为强调“自信自立”，这是出于对当前全球背景的综合考量。“自信自立”意味着沿着一条符合中国独特文化、历史背景、社会状况的发展道路走下去，而非遵循西方模式。通过专注于自力更生与独立自主，中国正在尽其所能地减少民粹主义、逆全球化、气候危机、国际冲突等外部冲击带来的脆弱性。面对西方大国发起的一系列贸易与经济制裁措施，以及强加于中国的种种压力，中国在坚持独立自主的中国式现代化道路方面不曾动摇或退缩。这将使得中国更为从容地应对日趋激烈的国际竞争，在充满不确定性的世界百年未有之大变局中积蓄发展力量。
The Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China attracted worldwide attention. What positive signals do you think this plenary session has sent to the world? How do you evaluate the vision and goals set by the Plenum regarding the country’s future reform path?
Awan: Since the Third Plenum of the 11th CPC Central Committee in 1978, the international community has been full of expectations for the major reform policies announced at the Third Plenum of the 11th CPC Central Committee, so the Third Plenum of the 20th CPC Central Committee is considered a major event on the Chinese political calendar in recent years. The plenum allowed the world to listen to China’s ideas and vision for the way forward for the country, and conveyed to the world China’s firm voice of further comprehensively deepening reform and promoting Chinese-style modernization. It should be said that the positive signals China sent to the outside world at this plenum are multifaceted. As the key word of successive Third plenary sessions, the word “reform” runs through the “Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Further Comprehensively Deepening reform and Promoting Chinese-style modernization” (hereinafter referred to as the “Decision”), “system and mechanism” has become a high-frequency word, and “perfect” and “sound” and other words have repeatedly appeared. The decision covers more than 300 important reform measures, including a clear commitment to “further comprehensively deepen reform”, indicating China’s willingness to continue reform and strengthen reform efforts in the future. “Further” means a new round of progress on the basis of past successes, while “comprehensive” reflects a comprehensive reform strategy covering all levels and sectors of society. This holistic, long-term approach reflects a systematic thinking about China’s governance.
In particular, the Third Plenum of the 20th CPC Central Committee highlighted the themes of economic restructuring, scientific and technological innovation, green and low-carbon development, as well as the building of Party conduct and clean government, the fight against corruption, preventing risks, strengthening supervision, and ensuring and improving people’s livelihood. The high importance attached to these areas shows that China will set its sights on the priorities of current and future social development in order to cope with new challenges emerging at home and abroad under the new situation. The convening of the Third Plenum of the 20th CPC Central Committee demonstrated China’s excellent ability to focus on long-term planning for the country’s development, as well as the stability and continuity of the “governance of China.”
The “Decision” not only covers China’s long-term reform goals, but also breaks down these long-term development goals into short – and medium-term goals that are clearly visible and easy to implement through detailed regulations, revealing careful deployment between the lines. The plenum set its sights on the middle of the century, deploying reform tasks until 2035, especially in the next five years. The “Decision” proposes to complete the reform tasks proposed in this decision by 2029, the 80th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Socialist modernization will be basically realized by 2035. It is obvious to all that in the past few decades, China has achieved milestones in the course of its major national development. Going forward, I am confident that China will achieve the goals it has set by 2035, which will lay a solid foundation for building China into a great modern socialist country by the middle of this century.
China’s approach has always been to identify problems first and then solve them. China is fully aware that while its current reform initiatives have achieved impressive results, there are still some problems that need to be addressed. This sense of not being satisfied with the status quo and being prepared for danger is very valuable.
Hold fast to economic restructuring by the nose
“Chinese Social Science Journal” : Closely holding the reform of the economic system, the “nose of the ox”, is still the key to China’s future reform. The outside world believes that the “Decision” has a strong deployment of economic structural reform, practical measures and high gold content. How do you interpret this?
Awan: I believe that the economic restructuring decisions announced at this plenary session will significantly affect China’s economic and trade cooperation with other countries. As China continues to optimize its economic model and embrace higher standards of openness, the new economic reform targets are expected to make China a more attractive partner for other countries and further enhance China’s role as an important engine of the global economy. China’s inclusive vision of economic openness is deeply rooted in its international policies, and the Belt and Road Initiative is a model of this vision. By forging a vast network of trade routes, infrastructure projects and economic partnerships, the Belt and Road Initiative will connect Asia, Africa, Europe and beyond.
China’s economic reform measures in recent years have been wide-ranging and far-reaching, covering tax reform, fiscal reform, financial reform, and improving the level of public services. China’s economic restructuring initiatives are characterized by top-down, central-local coordination and long-term planning, with an emphasis on a gradual, phased approach. In contrast, Western reform efforts often rely on market-driven mechanisms and decentralized governance. Due to the electoral cycle and other factors, on the surface, the Western way of economic reform is faster, but in fact, it is not thorough, there are many problems. China’s economic reform plan not only highlights the needs of the country’s development cause, but also integrates an overall vision that meets the expectations of the international community.
China’s economic restructuring initiatives offer valuable lessons for developing countries, including Pakistan, including an emphasis on national strategy and long-term planning, as well as a focus on balance. China’s success in lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty provides an excellent model for other countries seeking to achieve rapid development. Nowadays, many international scholars have shown great interest in China’s poverty alleviation system. At the same time, China’s unique socialist market economy system has proved effective in achieving social equity and economic growth.
We will build institutions and mechanisms to support comprehensive innovation
Chinese Social Science Journal: The Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China will build a system to support comprehensive innovation as the focus of China’s future reform. The Decision emphasizes that education, science and technology, and human resources are the basic and strategic support for Chinese-style modernization. The Decision also mentioned improving the system and mechanism for developing new quality productive forces in accordance with local conditions. What is your comment on this?
Awan: The strong focus of the Third Plenum of the 20th Central Committee on comprehensive innovation institutions and mechanisms highlights China’s recognition of the fundamental role of innovation in Chinese-style modernization. By prioritizing education, science and technology, and talent as strategic pillars of national development, China is striving to create a strong innovation ecosystem to gradually shift from a manufacturing-led economic growth model to a knowledge-driven, innovation-driven economic growth model.
In the early days of reform, China focused on learning from developed countries, laying the foundation for rapid industrialization in the decades that followed. China’s focus on science and technology reform over the past decade has been particularly impressive, with several important initiatives that will ensure the resilience of China’s economic development and further place the country at the forefront of global technological progress. After decades of accumulation, China has transformed itself from a technology imitator to an indigenous innovator, thanks to two major factors.
First, the Chinese government has significantly increased its spending on research and development. China is now the world’s second-largest spender on research and development, after the United States. Studies by many international academic institutions have shown that China spends a considerable proportion of its GDP on research and development, mainly to improve infrastructure, including the establishment of advanced laboratories and research centers across the country. For example, institutions such as the Chinese Academy of Sciences have been leading the world in cutting-edge research in fields such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing and biotechnology. In today’s China, the benefits of heavy research and development investment have been fully demonstrated. In terms of technology indicators, China became the global leader in patent applications, filing more than 1.4 million patents in 2021 alone, more than any other country. In addition, China has become an important contributor to global scientific research papers, with Chinese researchers publishing a large number of high-impact papers in prestigious journals. The commercialization of research and development results is also accelerating, with innovations in technology, medicine and engineering increasingly being translated into market products and services.
Second, the Chinese government’s emphasis on human capital development is consistent with the goal of creating a knowledge-based economy in which innovation thrives. China has emphasized creating a favorable environment for entrepreneurship, rolling out a large number of incentives and offering various incentives to encourage innovation, including tax breaks for high-tech enterprises, grants and grants for start-ups. The Chinese government’s aggressive approach to providing financial support in key technology areas such as 5G, artificial intelligence and renewable energy has greatly accelerated the pace of innovation. Thanks to effective government incentive policies, Chinese intellectuals and scientists have played a leading role in the country’s scientific and technological progress and contributed to pioneering research in various fields. Especially in the past decade, China’s focus on talent support and strategic measures for high-tech industries has made China quickly become a global leader in telecommunications, electronics and biotechnology.
It emphasizes the importance of better production – that is, the use of technology to improve the quality and efficiency of output, marking a major evolution of China’s economic development thinking and scientific and technological innovation thinking, and independent innovation in high-tech industries will further become a key engine to promote national economic growth. It is foreseeable that, with the Third Plenum of the 20th Central Committee as an opportunity, China will pay more attention to reforming the institutions and mechanisms related to new quality productivity in the future to ensure that original technologies are translated into tangible economic benefits.
The world is experiencing profound changes unseen in a century
Chinese Journal of Social Sciences: With global problems intensifying, various “black swan” and “gray rhino” incidents occurring at any time, and Western unilateralism and hegemonism raging, how do you evaluate the international environment facing China’s reform?
Awan: The Third Plenum of the 20th CPC Central Committee highlights China’s new efforts to adapt to the evolving international landscape. The current global volatile environment, which is rife with “black swans” (unpredictable, high-impact events) and “gray rhinos” (obvious but easily ignored threats), requires a high degree of adaptability and resilience in China. The reality of geopolitical tensions and international conflicts complicates China’s reform agenda. Yet China has always navigated these choppy waters with ease. By advocating a multipolar world order, China seeks to achieve reform goals that benefit not only itself, but also the world.
In the face of complex international and domestic situations, China’s performance is undoubtedly commendable. In the past, the Chinese government successfully addressed risks and problems one by one by introducing a number of strategic reforms. The issues of economic inequality, environmental sustainability and technological ethics that plague many Western countries are effectively addressed in China. This is due to strong central leadership, careful long-term planning and flexible policy implementation. In the face of obstacles and obstacles, the Chinese leadership has adhered to the original intention of reform and maintained sufficient meticulousness and patience, which demonstrates the foresight and strategic vision of the Chinese leadership.
I have noticed that the emphasis on Chinese modernization is particularly “confident and self-reliant”, which is a comprehensive consideration of the current global context. “Confidence and self-reliance” means following a development path that suits China’s unique culture, historical background and social conditions, rather than following the Western model. By focusing on self-reliance and independence, China is doing what it can to reduce its vulnerability to external shocks such as populism, anti-globalization, the climate crisis, and international conflicts. In the face of a series of trade and economic sanctions initiated by Western powers, as well as various pressures imposed on China, China has not wavered or flinched in adhering to the independent Chinese way of modernization. This will enable China to cope with increasingly fierce international competition more calmly, and accumulate development strength in a world full of uncertainty and great changes in a century.
( 注意： 本文是用AI翻译的，或有误差。请以原版中文准。谢谢。)
—————
责编：韩好
编发：地球村民网生态中国在线
