To the question of what can be expected of the third plenary session of the 20th Communist Party of China Central Committee, there is no doubt that plans for further comprehensively deepening reform will be the answer.

Reform has proved to be always necessary for China to make progress in its economic and social development since it was first initiated in the late 1970s.

Without reform, China would not have achieved what it has. From rural reform to unleash the potential of rural villagers for agricultural production to the reform for upgrading of industries, the country has undergone an unprecedented transformation in almost every aspect of its economic and social life.

The exploration for the most appropriate approach to economic and social development knows no bounds, nor does the emancipation of mind for reform. That explains why comprehensively deepening reform has become a key endeavor for the Party since it was first proposed at the third plenary session of the 18th CPC National Congress in 2013. Given its political system with the CPC as the ruling party and its upholding of socialism with Chinese characteristics, China has been blazing a path of its own for economic and social development.

The country has lifted all of its poverty-stricken people out of extreme poverty, made a great achievement in improving its people’s lives, and raised its international standing as the second-largest economy. The reform of the household registration system in the recent couple of years has made it possible for 140 million rural residents to become urban residents. The reform of income tax has brought benefits to 250 million residents. The policy for local governments to purchase houses and then rent them to residents for rents much lower than the market rate has also solved housing problems for many low-income residents.

The Chinese people have also benefited considerably from what the country has achieved in environmental protection and ecological conservation with the number of parks, wetlands and nature reserves witnessing rapid increase in recent years.

All these achievements would have been impossible without reform.

Despite all these achievements, the leadership is not content and does not want to rest on its laurels. It has a long-term vision for China’s rejuvenation, transforming it into a strong country through a Chinese path to modernization. New quality productive forces, a concept proposed by the CPC Central Committee, have placed emphasis on the development of new industries, future industries and renewal and upgrading of traditional industries, which will hopefully lay a solid foundation for advancing Chinese modernization. The fact that China has become a manufacturing power in the world has vindicated the decision to implement reform in the past several decades. Deepening reform in this regard will further boost the strength of the country’s manufacturing industry and the level of its science and technology at large.

In its efforts to deepen reform in various sectors, the CPC Central Committee has reiterated the importance of innovation, not just innovation in science and technology, but also innovation in governing institutions and governance. Comprehensively deepening reform will also help the Party and government to constantly discover shortfalls and problems concerning both the governing institutions and practical work, and then addressing them. It is therefore sagacious of its leadership to realize that there is much to be desired as far as its system is concerned and its governance of a nation of 1.4 billion people.

President Xi Jinping has said that whether the people get their share of the fruit of economic and social development is the benchmark for the success of reform. That will be the yardstick for the outcomes of this important plenary session.