Aspirations for better life lead to nation's rejuvenation

Editor's note: Clean governance, economic prosperity and an equitable society are the aspirations of the Chinese people for a better life and also the fundamental goal of the Chinese nation's development and progress. Pan Wei, an international politics professor with Peking University, comments in Guancha.cn:

The "great rejuvenation" of the Chinese nation means China should first enjoy economic prosperity, but any prosperity without the support of clean governance and an equitable society will be difficult to sustain.

Forty years of reform and opening-up have resulted in a rapid increase in household wealth in China. and its economic growth is the envy of many around the world. However, the country's rapid economic development and progress have come at a huge price, such as an ever-widening gap between the rich and poor and consequently, the accumulation and emergence of various social contradictions. While there are some people that have become much richer, others still face great livelihood pressures, including housing and healthcare, children's education and care for the elderly. The lack of balanced development has also increasingly become a bottleneck to the country's sustainable development. Thus, there have been growing calls for the country to work out a version 3.0 of its socialist theory for the new era to better promote the realization of the country's three major pursuits.