Ahead of the Communist Party's much awaited plenum that begins on Nov 9, expectations are high that the meeting will provide the future reform agenda for China and clear the decks for sustainable, balanced development. As the 200 members and 170 alternate members of the Party's Central Committee get ready to meet in Beijing to discuss among other things China's economic blueprint, experts agree that reforms will undoubtedly be the main point of discussions. Historically, third plenums have been the springboard for key reforms in China, particularly on economic matters. While some experts feel the meeting may call for more bold, drastic reforms, others feel it will be a case of gradual, incremental changes. Yu Zhengsheng, China's top political adviser, in a recent interview with Xinhua News Agency, indicated that the meeting will "principally explore the issue of deep and comprehensive reforms". The reforms this time "will be broad and will be unprecedented", he said, adding: "They will strongly push forward profound transformation in the economy, society and other spheres." The Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee said in a statement on Oct 29 that the realization of the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation, a concept that has been promoted by the new Party leadership, requires deepening reforms comprehensively. The Party will speed up development of the socialist market economy, democracy, cultural development, social harmony and environmental protection, it said. Reforms aside, the meeting is also expected to concentrate on the fact that despite the uncertain external environment, China needs to assume more global responsibilities and champion world economic revival with swift and timely measures. Experts feel international attention on the meeting is sharper this time, because the development agenda will have a profound impact on the rest of the world. New model "One of the key reform objectives for China is to move toward a new model of sustainable and equitable development, one in which there is more balance between ecological sustainability and growth and provides better sustenance opportunities for all," says Gregory Chin, associate professor of political science at York University in Toronto. It is logical to expect that more measures in this regard will be announced at the political gathering because the Party has already pursued "ecological civilization" as one of the five pillars of its vision, although much still needs to be done on environmental aspects, he says. In this regard, Chin says, policymakers need to take more steps to ensure ecological sustainability, pay more attention to the biosphere (and human life within it), rethink how much economic growth is needed and how it can be achieved in more efficient and sustainable ways. At the same time, growing disparities in wealth and opportunities need to be reduced, while measures are needed to ensure clean, ethical and fair governance. Glyn Ford, a former member of the European Parliament, says China should opt for an incremental, rather than radical, reform agenda. He says continuation of balanced development in urban and rural areas and coastal and inland regions is needed while the country tackles other pressing issues such as corruption, rule of law and the need to stabilize population movements. "I think the imbalance between the rural and urban, coastal and inland regions and rule of law are the biggest challenges that China faces," Ford says. Fresh challenges Chin of York University says the two main domestic challenges for China are ensuring further advances in clean, ethical and fair governance and in environmental management and sustainable development, with social tensions appearing to have been on the rise in these two areas. Measures are needed to strengthen and improve corruption prevention to achieve the first goal, he says. For sustainable development, a fundamental shift in the mindset and priorities of all stakeholders and within society are necessary. Chin says breakthroughs must be made in the way problems are viewed and tackled, such as rethinking GDP in terms of "green GDP" and changes in the performance assessment and promotion/demotion criteria for leaders at all levels. Alex Kirby, a retired BBC journalist who has tracked China's development for several years, lists ending corruption as the greatest challenge. He feels that it is important to tackle corruption with a "one stone kills several birds" approach. "Once corruption stops, China will be able to maintain the growth it needs to end poverty and to protect the environment (its own and the world's)," Kirby says. Martin Schoenhals, a professor at Columbia University in New York, expects the meeting to provide breakthroughs in achieving social equality in China. "What is worrisome is the growing inequality," he says. Schoenhals says farmers are the key to the growth puzzle. "They account for more than 70 percent of the population, even though some of them no longer hold any land. Historically also, China had a revolution that sought to provide land to farmers. If farmers lose land, or access to land, it will result in mass migration to cities and urban poverty. "What worries me is whether these hundreds of millions of farmers can move to the cities and all find and keep jobs." China's new leadership has already provided enough indications that it plans to chart a roadmap for urbanization. While this has long been in the works, experts feel that the plenum will provide the much-needed impetus by including it in the reform agenda. However, Schoenhals feels the reform agenda should have steps to limit urbanization and outline steps to help farmers remain in the countryside if they so wish. Pragmatic approach For some observers, the plenum is important as the new leadership comprising economists, lawyers and humanists provides a more pragmatic approach toward reforms. Michal Krol, research associate at the European Center for the International Political Economy in Brussels, says the present leaders are mostly individuals who have spent most of their working life with government organizations. "They have an appetite for reforms, not least to meet the ongoing social, economic and environmental challenges," he says. Krol adds that while there is no doubt China has set stiff targets, its eventual success depends on how much leeway policymakers allow - and how they plan to streamline market liberalization. "State-owned and State-controlled enterprises dominate the sectors with the highest potential for service productivity and employment growth. Liberalization of transport, finance, telecommunication, healthcare and business sectors by allowing more firms is the most effective way to foster reforms," Krol says. Echoing Krol's views is David Fouquet, director of the Europe-Asia Research Network in Brussels. "This implies a reconciling of the roles of large State-owned enterprises and what might be termed the true fundamental economy, as well as the provision of social and life services to the majority of the population." Many observers feel China's reform should be gradual as it has been in the past decades. Duncan Freeman, senior researcher at the Brussels International Institute of Contemporary China Studies, says President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang have been part of China's leadership for years and says they subscribe to the basic policy consensus that has long existed. "In this sense, any new policy initiatives will be based on the same principles of gradualism that have been the basis of reform for the last 30 years," Freeman says. "However, they have spoken of the need for greater political courage in tackling reform, so I would hope to see a package of reforms that take significant steps toward addressing fundamental issues faced by China today." The basic reform goal for China should be to continue to push ahead with the welfare of the Chinese people, which would involve not just GDP and income growth but also issues such as healthcare, education, welfare, the environment and social and political development, Freeman says. The domestic challenges are many. They are a complex of interrelated problems that cannot be solved individually. The risks in areas such as the financial sector, investment, the environment and others are many and threaten the sustainability of what has been achieved so far. Freeman says: "A key area is investment, and how it is allocated, because this has an impact not only directly on issues like overcapacity, but also to other areas such as risk in the financial system, the environment and energy and the economic welfare of the ordinary Chinese people because they are losers in a system where overinvestment is prevalent." Another key area is institutional reform and capacity building, because this is central to reform. Maria Jesus Herrerias, senior research fellow of contemporary Chinese Studies at the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom, says China needs to promote further economic reforms to avoid the middle-income trap, which can be addressed at domestic and international levels. At home, China needs to improve the efficiency of banks. Small and medium-sized enterprises need to get access to credit to finance their investment projects and convertibility of the yuan to facilitate international transactions. Meanwhile, China also needs to generate more incentives to boost domestic consumption, at the expense of traditional savings, to offset the predominance of foreign demand as a source of economic growth. "The continuous dependence on external demand exposes China to international shocks such as the current economic crisis," Herrerias says. Opening up China's reforms at home and opening-up outward have mostly gone in tandem, with external opening-up providing the much-needed impetus for domestic reform. China's entry to the World Trade Organization a decade ago paved the way for more reforms and the country's economic achievements, experts say. Recent reform efforts have come amid major shifts in the global economic balance and international power. Chin of York University says most of the changes the world is dealing with today, including global governance, were not foreseen 20 years ago, let alone 35 years ago, when China first set out on the road of reform and opening-up. "The world today is less safe than 35 years ago, in that we are dealing with a number of fissures that threaten global security, including the rise of religious extremism and ethnic or even civilization conflicts, rather than focusing on one major line of geopolitical tension," Chin says. Ford, a former European Parliament member, says China is now a global economic power even if some factors still have to come to terms with this new world order. "Yet in a sense it is more isolated - and perceives itself threatened - than two generations ago." At the same time, Chin says the world is now seeing the re-emergence of many regions and economies of the South - and the rise of a group of major emerging or re-emerging economies. "China is now at the heart of many of these global shifts," Chin says. "It will be essential for China to play a constructive role and a more robust role, in helping to ensure that the world evolves toward a more sustainable, fair, stable and safe global environment." Chin hopes China will continue to pursue necessary reforms to the international monetary, financial, and trade systems and promote reforms of the Bretton Woods system (that is the IMF, World Bank and WTO reforms). "The 2008 global financial crisis showed that such reforms are much needed. The ongoing challenges of European sovereign debt and of the European banks and the fragile recovery of the US economy suggest that more changes are needed," Chin says. China should help strengthen the role and capabilities of the UN system, especially by giving greater support to the UN in championing global development and ecological sustainability, he says. Ford says that China should open up more economically, especially in sectors such as telecoms, banking and finance, make the yuan one of the three global reserve currencies, exert its rightful weight in the international forums and build bilateral trading relations with key global players. Chin says China should host the G20 summit in 2016 and encourage G20 leaders to focus on strengthening financial stability arrangements and provide global leadership on ensuring delivery of the Bretton Woods reforms. The new leadership has taken measures in the bilateral and multilateral spheres. It has decided to develop a new type of foreign relations, especially with the US. It has advocated launching a new Silk Road in central Asia and a coastal Silk Road with southern neighbors. It has started to engage in bilateral trade and investment pacts while pursuing multilateral efforts. Former BBC journalist Kirby says China has a huge contribution to make to global systems. On climate change, it is already providing an example by doing what is in its own interest (decarbonizing its economy). "This makes it harder for other countries to resist adopting similar policies - and that benefits the whole planet," Kirby says. He goes one step further and adds that since China is such a large and important country, doing what is in its own interests is certain to be of interest to others also. China should also open up to some of the global economic and trade regulatory systems, he says. However, Schoenhals feels that China should not follow the path trod by other powers such as the US because it would lead to aging infrastructure and lack of sufficient social services for people, because most of the money ends up being used for military purposes. "I know China is proud of being a peaceful nation ... I hope China will not follow America's lead and will instead find a way to disarm, rather than arm." |
在中共十八屆三中全會即將召開前夕,中國日報海外各版和商業周刊刊登了我駐歐盟分社首席記者付敬撰寫的封面故事,深入剖析海外對三中全會的期待,以下是該文的中文譯文: 在三中全會召開前夕,海外專家和學者猜測此次閉門會議將制定中國未來的改革議程,為公平、可持續平衡發展掃清道路。 近200名中央委員和170名候補中央委員已經做好準備參加11月9日到12日在北京舉行的會議,討論包括中國未來經濟藍圖在內的豐富話題和議程。專家們認為改革路徑無疑是該閉門討論的核心內容。 歷史上,三中全會一直是討論中國關鍵改革方案的場合,尤其側重經濟問題。雖然一些專家認為這次會議可能推行雄心勃勃、大刀闊斧的改革,但也有人認為改革將以循序漸進的方式進行。 近日,全國政協主席俞正聲說這次會議將主要探討“深入和全面改革的問題”。這會是一次廣泛、力度強、前所未有的改革,他補充道:“這將強有力地推進經濟、社會和其他領域的深刻變革。” 中共中央政治局在10月29號的公報中指出,實現以新一屆黨中央領導提倡的民族復興為支撐的“中國夢”,需要全方位深化改革。公報指出,中共將加快發展社會主義市場經濟,并推進民主政治、文化發展、社會和諧和環境保護。 除改革外,預計會議將指出中國在外部環境不明朗的情況下,需要承擔更多全球責任,以迅速及時的措施引領世界經濟復蘇。專家認為這次會議將吸引更多國際關注,因為會議的發展議程將對世界其他地區產生深遠影響,改變世界格局的游戲規則。 發展新模式 “中國改革的重點目標之一是走可持續和公平發展的新模式,在生態可持續性和經濟增長之間保持更多平衡,為所有人的生存和發展提供更多機會。”加拿大約克大學的政治學副教授格雷戈里·秦說。 盡管中國在環境和生態保護方面急待改善,但中共已把“生態文明”作為其五大執政基礎之一,因此有理由期待在這次高規格政治集會上宣布更多這方面的措施,他說。 秦說,在這方面決策者需要起草更多措施以確保生態的可持續發展,更加重視生態圈(以及生態圈中的人類生活),重新考慮所需經濟增長的速率、以及如何用更有效和更持續的方式實現。同時需要減少富有和貧困人口之間不斷擴大的財富和機會差距,做出更多改進以確保透明、道德和公平的治理。 歐洲議會前議員格林·福特說,中國需要一個循序漸進而不是激進的改革議程。他認為,中國城市和農村、沿海和內陸地區間的平衡發展需要延續性。然而中國需要同時解決其他緊迫問題,像腐敗、法制、民工。 “我認為城市和農村、沿海和內陸間的不平衡,以及法制問題是中國面臨的最大挑戰。”福特說。 BBC退休記者亞歷克斯·科比多年關注中國的發展,他認為改革開放是具有挑戰性的、環環相扣的一系列難題的組合,但幾乎在任何情況下答案都是一樣的, 那就是民意的支持和共識是改革成功的關鍵。“政治家和官員需要讓普通民眾感受到他們對大眾的信任,他們只有在大眾同意的基礎上才能治理。” “數年以來,中國就不存在‘同意’這一說。但現在許多中國人已經意識到他們手中握有的力量。明智的決策者必須認識到這一點,并制定政策以獲取信任。”科比說。 改革面臨新挑戰 約克大學的秦教授說,確保在透明、道德和公平治理以及環境管理和可持續發展方面取得更多進展是中國國內的兩個主要挑戰,這兩個領域的社會緊張局勢一直在上升。他說為了達成第一個目標,需要進一步預防腐敗和反腐敗。至于可持續發展,所有利益攸關方和社會內部需要根本性地轉變心態,優先重視可持續發展。 秦認為,必須在指導原則框架中做出突破,例如反思GDP的概念,引入“綠色GDP”,改變各職級領導及相關工作人員的績效考核和晉升/降級標準。 科比也把杜絕腐敗作為最大的挑戰并列出了不打擊腐敗的風險。他甚至認為“一石數鳥”的方法對于解決腐敗十分重要。“一旦解決了腐敗問題,中國將能保持所需的經濟增長以消除貧困和保護(中國自身以及世界的)環境。” 紐約哥倫比亞大學的馬丁·舍恩哈爾斯認為這次全會將為中國實現社會公平提供突破點。“就我長時間研究中國的經驗來看,令人擔憂的是日益加劇的不平等。” 舍恩哈爾斯認為,農民是整個增長之謎的關鍵。“他們(農民)占整個人口的70%以上,即使一些人不再持有土地。歷史上,中國也有為了把土地分給農民爆發的革命。如果農民失去了土地或者獲得土地的權利,這將導致人口大規模遷移到城市、并誘發城市貧困。”“令我擔心的是,這些數以百萬計的農民能否遷移到城市,全部找到并保住工作。” 更多的跡象表明,中國新一屆領導層已經在制定城市化進程的路線圖。雖然一直在籌劃,專家認為這次全會將通過把它寫進改革議程以直面挑戰并提供經濟發展急需的推動力。 不過,舍恩哈爾斯同時認為,這次改革議程應該包括限制過度城市化的措施,幫助農民像城市居民一樣在農村幸福生活。 現實、可操作改革 一些觀察家認為此次全會十分重要,必將推進實質改革,這是因為新一屆領導集體包括了經濟學家、律師和人人學者,將為改革提供現實、可操作路徑。 米哈爾·克洛爾是總部設在布魯塞爾的歐洲國際政治經濟中心的副研究員,他認為現任中共領導人的從政生涯大都有很長時間的基層和在政府機構的經歷。“他們愛好改革,不僅僅是為了應對目前的社會、經濟和環境挑戰。” 在克洛爾看來,中國毫無疑問已經設定了目標,最終的成功取決于決策者允許多少回旋余地,以及如何實現市場自由化取向的改革。“在國有及國有控股企業占主導地位的產業中,生產率和就業增長最有潛力。促進改革最有效的方式是通過引進更多外資和私營資本實現交通、金融、電信、醫療和商業部門的市場化。” 布魯塞爾的歐洲亞洲研究所主任大衛·富凱贊同克洛爾的看法。富凱說這次全會將討論中國未來的改革議程。“這意味著大型國有企業和其他經濟成分之間的關系,以及如何為大多數人提供公共服務都將被討論到。”富凱說。 許多觀察家認為,中國的改革應該和它過去幾十年的改革一樣循序漸進。布魯塞爾當代中國研究所的高級研究員鄧肯·弗里曼說,中國國家主席習近平和總理李克強多年來已經是中國領導層的一部分,他們達成的基本政策共識已經存在了很長一段時間。 “從這個意義上說,任何新的政策措施都將基于同樣漸進的原則,這也是過去35年改革的基礎和共識。”弗里曼說,“然而,他們已經提到了處理改革需要更大政治勇氣,因此我希望看到一系列改革措施,采取重大步驟來解決今天中國面臨的最根本問題。” 弗里曼認為,中國的基本改革目標應該是持續提高中國人民的福祉。這將不僅僅涉及GDP和收入增長,還將包括健康、教育、福利、環境、社會和政治發展等問題。中國的國內挑戰是多方面的,復雜又相互關聯,不能單獨解決。金融、投資、環境以及其他領域存在的風險是主要問題,也是對目前所取得成就能否持續下去的威脅。 “投資及其如何分配這是一個關鍵領域。因為這不僅直接影響產能過剩等問題,也影響金融系統的風險,環境和能源,以及中國普通民眾的經濟福利,因為在這樣一個普遍過度投資的系統中所有人都是失敗者。” 弗里曼補充說,另一個關鍵領域是機構改革和能力建設,因為這是改革進程的中心。 英國諾丁漢大學當代中國研究中心的高級研究員瑪利亞·耶穌·艾雷里亞斯說,中國需要進一步促進經濟改革,以避免陷入中等收入陷阱。國內而言,中國需要提高銀行以及那些需要獲得信貸資助投資項目的中小型企業的效率,改善人民幣的匯率形成機制以促進國際交易。同時,中國需要制定更多激勵措施,改變傳統儲蓄觀念以刺激國內消費,以此來彌補外需作為經濟增長源泉優勢減弱的的不利。 “外部震蕩已經將中國對于外需的持續需求的不平衡經濟格局暴露無遺。”艾雷里亞斯說。 開放倒逼改革 中國的對內改革和對外開放同步進行,外部的開放給國內改革提供了急需的動力。專家說,十年前中國加入世界貿易組織,為取得更多改革和國家的經濟成就鋪平了道路。 在全球經濟再平衡和國際格局轉變的背景中,中國最近為改革做出了努力。約克大學的秦教授說,當今世界需要應對的包括全球治理在內的大多數挑戰,在20年前都不可測,更別說35年前或是中國首次踏上改革開放道路之時了。 “現在的世界沒有35年前安全。我們不僅僅專注于一個地區的緊張局勢,我們要處理眾多威脅全球安全的問題,像宗教極端主義的抬頭,民族沖突甚至‘文明’沖突。”秦說。 前歐洲議會成員福特說,中國現在是全球經濟大國,即使某些部分還沒有適應新的世界秩序。“然而在某種意義上說,現在的中國相比前兩代更加孤立,感覺身處威脅之中。” 秦認為,與此同時,世界正在見證發展中國家和許多地區和經濟體的復蘇,以及新經濟體的再現。“中國現在是許多全球性轉變的中心,中國必須發揮更強大的建設性作用,以確保全球局勢沿著更加公平、可持續、穩定和安全的方向發展。” 秦希望中國能在國際貨幣、金融和貿易體系以及整個布雷頓森林體系(國際貨幣基金組織、世界銀行、世界貿易組織)方面繼續推進必要的改革。“2008年全球金融危機表明我們迫切需要這種改革。歐洲主權債務危機和歐洲銀行現在面臨的挑戰,以及美國脆弱的經濟復蘇表明我們需要更多改變。” 秦還說,中國應該幫助加強聯合國系統的作用和能力,尤其對聯合國倡導全球發展和生態可持續性方面給予更大支持。 福特認為,中國在經濟方面尤其是在電信、銀行和金融部門應該不斷開放,把人民幣作為全球三大儲備貨幣之一,在國際場合上發揮其應有的作用,與全球主要政治力量建立投資和貿易協定關系。 秦說,中國應該在2016年舉辦G20峰會,并鼓勵20國集團領導人把重心放在加強金融穩定性上,提供全球領導力確保布雷頓森林體系的改革。 新的領導層已經在雙邊和多邊層面采取積極措施,決定發展同各國尤其是美國的新型大國外交關系。并主張在中亞推出新型絲綢之路,與南方鄰國共建海上絲綢之路。在致力于多邊努力的同時已經開始著手雙邊貿易和投資協定。 前BBC記者科比說,所有大國都誤以為只有自己對世界的看法是唯一可行的。“中國和其他大國一樣,如果能接受其他意見,即使政治上有不同見解也能和諧共處,那它將從中獲益良多。” 科比說,中國對于全球治理體系做出了巨大貢獻。在氣候變化方面,中國已經向世界提供了一個符合自身利益的例子(經濟發展的低碳路徑)。“這讓其他國家很難反對類似的政策,這有利于整個地球。” 科比進一步補充說,中國是一個重要的大國,做哪種符合自身利益的事也是其他國家感興趣的。中國應該做出更多的努力,為全球經濟和貿易監管治理體系做貢獻。 舍恩哈爾斯認為,中國不應該照搬其他國家比如美國的老路,因為大部分錢被用于軍事,導致了基礎設施老化和社會服務缺乏。“我知道中國為自己是一個愛好和平的國家感到自豪......我希望中國不會步美國的后塵,不走軍事擴張之路。”舍恩哈爾斯說。 弗里曼認為,20世紀70年代后期以來,全球形勢和中國的地位已經改變,中國和世界其他地區間的相互依存越來越多。“中國逐漸融入全球決策中,但相互依存的日益加深意味著外部世界對中國的期望和要求也在增加。”弗里曼說,“中國再也不能孤立采取行動,這些變化這大大增加了改革路徑和藍圖的復雜性,即使重心仍在國內發展上。” 富凱說,國際治理體系就像一個非常有趣、具有挑戰性的星群。“雖然我不是一個危言聳聽者,但我相信亞洲迫切需要發展更好的合作關系,而不是目前狀態,中國有責任改變這種情況。” 科比也認為中國應該做出更多努力與鄰國和平共處。“一個實現邊境和平的中國可以進一步改變那些遠不完美的國際和區域治理機制,讓各國互相尊重和平相處。”科比說。 (中國日報歐盟分社首席記者付敬撰寫,駐倫敦首席記者張春燕對此文有貢獻;駐歐盟分社實習生李曉菲翻譯) |