刘奇葆：我们走在正确的道路上（中英对照）

我们走在正确的道路上

We Are Advancing on the Correct Path

——关于中国特色社会主义道路的几点认识

– Several Points of View Concerning the Path of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics

刘奇葆

Liu Qibao

核心要点：

Key Points

·我们说中国道路走得对、行得通，不是哪个人的主观判断，而是实践作出的有力回答，是历史和国际对比得出的深刻结论。我们没有走封闭僵化的老路，也没有走改旗易帜的邪路，而是走出了中国特色社会主义的新路。

The statement that the Chinese path is both correct and viable is not a matter of personal opinion. Rather, it is the powerful answer that has been received through practice, and the profound conclusion that has been reached through historical and international comparisons. China, instead of going down the rigid, “closed-door” path of the past or embarking upon the erroneous path of changing its political system, has pioneered the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

·道路和制度紧密相连，道路的成功离不开制度的保障。中国选择自己独具特色的制度，是大浪淘沙的结果。近代以来，中国试穿了各种各样的“鞋子”，甚至想照搬西方制度的“飞来峰”，但最终都没有成功。

– The path a country takes and the system it employs are closely linked to one another. Without the right system to support it, the success of a path would be impossible. China’s unique system was derived from a process of “washing away the sand to reveal the gold.” Since the advent of modern times, China has tried on “shoes” of all shapes and sizes. At one point, it even sought to copy the system of the West. None of these, however, resulted in success.

·价值理念是发展道路的内核。解读中国道路不能忽略价值维度。对于一个民族、一个国家来说，最持久、最深层的力量是全社会共同认可的核心价值观。

– Values constitute the core element of a development path. For this reason, no interpretation of the Chinese path would be complete without affording consideration to values. The deepest and most enduring strength that a nation and country can have lies in the core values commonly recognized in its society.

·中国道路是人民的选择、人民的创造，是党领导人民干出来、走出来的。

– The Chinese path is the choice and the creation of the people. It has been pioneered by the people through their actions under the leadership of the CPC.

·道路好不好，走在这条路上的人最有发言权。中国人民从衣食住行的持续改善中、从国家面貌的巨大变化中、从充满希望的憧憬中，切身感受到中国道路的正确性，也发自内心地拥护这条道路。

– No one is more qualified to comment on the merits of a path than those who are following it. The Chinese people are able to directly appreciate the correctness of the Chinese path – a feeling which comes from the constant improvements in their standard of living, the huge changes that have taken place to the face of the country, and their strong optimism for the future. Moreover, they genuinely support this path from the bottom of their hearts.

世界上没有两片完全相同的树叶。同样，国家的发展也没有完全相同的道路。正如习近平总书记指出的，一个民族、一个国家，必须知道自己是谁，是从哪里来的，要到哪里去，想明白了、想对了，就要坚定不移朝着目标前进。当代中国，正阔步走在中国特色社会主义道路上。这条道路，是在改革开放30多年的伟大实践中走出来的，是在新中国成立60多年的持续探索中走出来的，是在对近代以来170多年中华民族发展历程的深刻总结中走出来的，是在对中华民族5000多年悠久文明的传承中走出来的，具有深厚历史渊源和广泛现实基础。这条道路，适合中国国情、符合中国特点、顺应时代发展要求，是创造人民美好生活、实现中华民族伟大复兴中国梦的必由之路。

No two leaves in the world are identical. Similarly, the development paths that different countries follow are not exactly the same. As General Secretary Xi Jinping has noted, a nation and country must know who they are, where they come from, and where they are going; once they are clear on these issues, they must advance towards their goals with unyielding determination. Today, China is marching forwards on the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Being deeply rooted in history and broadly based on China’s present realities, this path has emerged from our great endeavors in reform and opening up over more than 30 years; from our constant explorations since the founding of the People’s Republic of China more than 60 years ago; from our profound summary of the Chinese nation’s experiences during more than 170 years of modern history; and from our inheritance of more than 5,000 years of Chinese cultural heritage. This path conforms to China’s realities, is suited to its features and responds to the needs of contemporary development. It is the path that we must follow if we are to create better lives for the people and achieve the Chinese Dream – the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

走上中国道路

Embarking on the Chinese path

我们在“国际竞赛”中脱颖而出、跑在前列

We have pulled away from the crowd and come to the front position in the “international contest”.

我们说中国道路走得对、行得通，不是哪个人的主观判断，而是实践作出的有力回答，是历史和国际对比得出的深刻结论。回首鸦片战争之后的积贫积弱、新中国成立时的一穷二白，再看当今中国的崭新面貌和勃勃生机，历史以超出人们想象的大跨越和大进步，对中国共产党领导人民走出的中国道路作出了最生动的诠释。

The statement that the Chinese path is both correct and viable is not a matter of personal opinion. Rather, it is the powerful answer that has been received through practice, and the profound conclusion that has been reached through historical and international comparisons. If we compare how poor and weak China was at the end of the Opium War, and how poor and backward it was when the People’s Republic of China was founded in 1949, to how reinvigorated and vibrant it is today, it can be said that history has made a giant leap forward and great advances that few could have imagined, serving as a testament to the Chinese path – the path that the Chinese people have pioneered under the leadership of the Communist Party of China – in the most vivid possible way.

实践是最好的裁判，比较最有说服力。二战结束以后尤其是最近30多年，世界各国无形中展开了一场发展道路和发展模式的竞赛。在这场竞赛中，许多国家起点比中国高、资源比中国丰富、外部环境比中国好，但经过这些年的角逐，比赛结果已初见分晓。有的国家改旗易帜，结果步入歧途、陷入困境；有的国家照搬他国制度，结果水土不服、“南橘北枳”。与之形成鲜明对比的是，我们没有走封闭僵化的老路，也没有走改旗易帜的邪路，而是走出了中国特色社会主义的新路。在这条道路上，我们用几十年的时间走完了发达国家几百年走过的发展历程，实现了从贫困到温饱再到总体小康的历史性跨越，中华民族大踏步赶上时代进步潮流、迎来伟大复兴的光明前景。以经济发展为例，1979年到2012年，我国国内生产总值年均增长9.8%，远高于同期世界经济年均2.8%的增速；经济总量跃居世界第2位，占世界经济总量的份额由不到2%提高到近12%，从昔日的物质匮乏、产品短缺变成如今的“世界工厂”，走近“世界舞台的中心”。当然，这条道路并不平坦，一路走来，我们也经历了很多曲折和坎坷，战胜了一系列风险和挑战。远的不说，就说应对国际金融危机这场大考，中国交出了出色答卷，在全球率先实现经济企稳向好，成为推动世界经济走出低谷的重要引擎，近几年中国对世界经济增长的贡献率超过20%，现在更是高达30%。对于中国的巨变，国外一些政要和学者称之为“当今时代最为重大的事件”，认为中国的成就“无可比拟”，美国前国务卿基辛格更是感慨“难以想象”、“超越想象”。

There is no judge better than practice, and nothing more convincing than a comparison. Since the end of World War II, and especially over the last three decades, a discreet contest between the developmental paths and models of different countries has been playing out around the world. In this contest, many countries have made a head start on China, had more abundant resources and enjoyed a more favorable external environment than China. However, after many years of tussling, the outcome of this contest is now becoming evident. Some countries opted to change their banner, only to lead themselves astray and land themselves in a tough predicament; some others opted to copy the systems of other countries, only to discover that these systems were incompatible with their local conditions, producing results very different from the ones intended. Coming in sharp contrast is China, which instead of going down the rigid, “closed-door” path of the past or embarking upon the erroneous path of changing its political system, has pioneered the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

By following this path, China has managed to complete, over a period of several decades, a process of development that took place over the course of several centuries in developed countries, realizing a historic leap from poverty to subsistence and further to moderate prosperity in overall terms. Advancing in great strides, the Chinese nation has caught up with the pace of contemporary development to come in touch with the prospects for its great rejuvenation. Looking at China’s economic development, for example, during the period from 1979 to 2012, China’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew at an average rate of 9.8% per year – considerably faster than the world average of 2.8% for the same period; China’s economy grew to become the second largest in the world – raising its share of the global economy from less than 2% to almost 12%; and China went from a state of material deprivation in which commodities were extremely scarce to being the “world’s factory,” moving towards the “center of the world stage.”

Of course, this path has not been an easy one; on the way we have suffered many setbacks, endured many tests, and overcome many risks and challenges. A more recent case is that we have responded to a formidable challenge in the form of the global financial crisis. China’s response to the crisis was nothing short of exceptional: as the first country to mount a successful recovery, China became an important engine driving the global economy out of the slump. Several years ago China’s contribution to world economic growth exceeded 20%; now it is as high as 30%. Some leading politicians and scholars in the world have used “the most important event of our time” to describe the huge changes China has undergone, and have called China’s achievements “unparalleled.” Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger went even further by describing China’s achievements “hard to imagine” and “beyond imagination.”

党的十八大以来，以习近平同志为总书记的党中央接过历史的接力棒，坚持以马克思主义为指导，坚定不移走中国道路，与时俱进拓展中国道路，续写中国特色社会主义这篇大文章。在追梦圆梦的道路上，党中央统筹国内国际两个大局，全面深化改革，敢于啃硬骨头、敢于涉险滩，坚决破除各方面的体制机制弊端，推进国家治理体系和治理能力现代化；适应经济增长新常态，坚持稳中求进、改革创新，推动经济持续健康发展；立足国情改善和保障民生，织牢民生安全网；坚持从严管党治党，以踏石留印、抓铁有痕的劲头抓作风建设，以零容忍态度惩治腐败；坚持走和平发展道路，着力建立以合作共赢为核心的新型国际关系，赢得了人民群众的衷心拥护和国际社会的广泛认同。党和国家开创了新局面、营造了新风气、取得了新成就，在中国道路的征程上镌刻下新的历史标注。

Since the Eighteenth National Congress of the CPC, the CPC Central Committee with Xi Jinping as General Secretary has taken over the baton of history, upheld the guiding role of Marxism, committed itself to the Chinese path, and engaged in efforts to broaden this path as the times advance, thereby opening up a new chapter in the development of Chinese socialism.

On the path towards realizing our dream, the CPC Central Committee has balanced domestic considerations with international ones, committed itself to comprehensively deepening reform, and demonstrated the courage to grapple with the toughest of problems and brave the most treacherous of waters. It has resolutely eliminated defects present in various systems and mechanisms, and advanced the modernization of our country’s governance system and governance capacity; it has adapted to a new state of economic growth, maintained a commitment to seeking steady progress while engaging in reform and innovation, and promoted sustained and sound economic growth; it has improved and guaranteed public wellbeing on the basis of China’s realities, and weaved a stronger social safety net; it has upheld the principle that the Party should govern itself according to a strict code of discipline, grappled the issue of conduct by taking vigorous action, and combated corruption with a zero-tolerance attitude; and it has persisted in pursuing the path of peaceful development, devoted major efforts to establishing a new model of international relations based on cooperation and mutual benefit, and won both the sincere support of the people and the widespread recognition of the international community. Through these efforts, the Party and state have opened up new horizons, created a new social atmosphere, and made new achievements, thereby laying down a new historical milestone on the Chinese path.