A market economy based on central planning

A decision on economic restructuring adopted unanimously by the 12th CPC Central Committee at its third plenary session in October 1984 defined China’s socialist economy as a market economy based on central planning and public ownership. Such an economy differs from a full market economy in that it is a socialist economic system based on public ownership of the means of production and relies on planning, as well as market mechanisms, to regulate the production and exchange of goods. The decision pointed out that full development of a market-oriented economy was an inevitable step in China’s social and economic development and a prerequisite for economic modernization. It added that central planning and a focus on market mechanisms and development of a market economy were not mutually exclusive, but could be mutually complementary, and that it was wrong to pit one against the other. This new understanding replaced a previous formula that assigned central planning a leading role and market mechanisms a supporting role. The change represented a clear departure from the traditional dichotomy of planned economy versus market economy and a breakthrough in socialist economic theory. It significantly enriched socialist economics and scientific socialism, expanded the realms of these theories, and provided a solid theoretical foundation and an overarching guiding framework for China’s economic restructuring. It mapped the future direction for economic restructuring, marked an important step towards building a market economy, and paved the way for developing a theory of socialist market economy.

The 13th CPC National Congress defined the new socialist market economy system based on central planning as one that integrates the role of planning and that of the market, with the government regulating the market and businesses responding to market signals. Guided by this new approach, restructuring gathered new momentum.

有計(jì)劃的商品經(jīng)濟(jì)

1984年10月，黨的十二屆三中全會(huì)一致通過《中共中央關(guān)于經(jīng)濟(jì)體制改革的決定》，明確提出“社會(huì)主義經(jīng)濟(jì)是在公有制基礎(chǔ)上的有計(jì)劃的商品經(jīng)濟(jì)”。有計(jì)劃的商品經(jīng)濟(jì)相對(duì)于完全由市場(chǎng)調(diào)節(jié)的經(jīng)濟(jì)而言，即在生產(chǎn)資料公有制基礎(chǔ)上，自覺運(yùn)用和依據(jù)價(jià)值規(guī)律，對(duì)商品生產(chǎn)和交換進(jìn)行計(jì)劃調(diào)節(jié)的社會(huì)主義經(jīng)濟(jì)體制。決定還指出，“商品經(jīng)濟(jì)的充分發(fā)展，是社會(huì)經(jīng)濟(jì)發(fā)展的不可逾越的階段，是實(shí)現(xiàn)我國經(jīng)濟(jì)現(xiàn)代化的必要條件”，“實(shí)行計(jì)劃經(jīng)濟(jì)同運(yùn)用價(jià)值規(guī)律、發(fā)展商品經(jīng)濟(jì)，不是互相排斥的，而是統(tǒng)一的，把二者對(duì)立起來是錯(cuò)誤的”。這一提法改變了以往“計(jì)劃經(jīng)濟(jì)為主，市場(chǎng)調(diào)節(jié)為輔”的表述，表明中國共產(chǎn)黨改變了以往在經(jīng)濟(jì)建設(shè)中將計(jì)劃經(jīng)濟(jì)同商品經(jīng)濟(jì)對(duì)立起來的傳統(tǒng)認(rèn)識(shí)，是對(duì)傳統(tǒng)社會(huì)主義經(jīng)濟(jì)理論的重大突破，極大地豐富和發(fā)展了社會(huì)主義政治經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)和科學(xué)社會(huì)主義，為中國的經(jīng)濟(jì)體制改革提供了科學(xué)的理論依據(jù)和總的指導(dǎo)思想，構(gòu)成經(jīng)濟(jì)體制改革綱領(lǐng)的理論支柱。這一論斷指明了中國當(dāng)時(shí)階段經(jīng)濟(jì)體制改革的方向，是國家經(jīng)濟(jì)建設(shè)從以往的計(jì)劃經(jīng)濟(jì)向市場(chǎng)經(jīng)濟(jì)邁出的關(guān)鍵一步，為日后社會(huì)主義市場(chǎng)經(jīng)濟(jì)理論的提出做了鋪墊。

此后，黨的十三大把社會(huì)主義有計(jì)劃商品經(jīng)濟(jì)的新體制界定為計(jì)劃和市場(chǎng)內(nèi)在統(tǒng)一的體制，并提出“國家調(diào)節(jié)市場(chǎng)，市場(chǎng)引導(dǎo)企業(yè)”的經(jīng)濟(jì)運(yùn)行模式，中國經(jīng)濟(jì)體制改革進(jìn)一步走向深入。