The CPC Central Committee's decision on economic restructuring

A decision on economic restructuring was adopted unanimously by the 12th CPC Central Committee at its third plenary session held in Beijing in October 1984. The decision reviewed the lessons learned through the experience of economic restructuring since the founding of the People's Republic of China, especially since the third plenary session of the 11th CPC Central Committee, and articulated and explained a series of guidelines on the subject. Theoretically, the decision represented a significant breakthrough, dismantling the traditional dichotomy of planned economy versus market economy. It defined for the first time the nature of China's socialist economy as "a market economy based on central planning and public ownership." It argued for appropriate separation of ownership and management, thus dispensing with the old notion of equating public ownership with government institutions directly running companies. Reflecting the Party's new understanding of the role of planning in relation to the market, the decision provided guidance on a number of essential issues, such as how to boost business dynamism, how to develop a socialist market economy, how to respect the fundamental laws of economics and use them to our advantage, how to separate government and business functions, and how to expand economic and technological exchange. It set in motion a process of full-scale urban-focused economic restructuring.

The decision elucidated the principles and the direction of reform, as well as its nature, objectives and tasks. It also contained a reform roadmap. Building on past progress in urban economic restructuring, it emphasized the importance of unleashing business dynamism as the key to economic restructuring, and identified areas of focus. Innovative concepts such as "socialist market economy" and "market economy based on central planning" were introduced, which helped address theoretical issues that had long held back socialist reforms. In order to separate government and business functions, the decision called for transforming government functions, and kick-started this lengthy process. Additionally, in the light of lessons learned in rural reform, it encouraged a departure from pay egalitarianism in favor of performance-related pay. By so doing, it reaffirmed the principle of distribution on the basis of an individual's contribution and identified a pathway to common prosperity. 

《中共中央關于經濟體制改革的決定》

1984年10月，黨的十二屆三中全會在北京舉行。全會一致通過了《中共中央關于經濟體制改革的決定》?！稕Q定》總結中華人民共和國成立以來特別是黨的十一屆三中全會以來經濟體制改革的經驗，初步提出和闡明了經濟體制改革的一系列重大理論和實踐問題，在理論上的重大貢獻是，突破把計劃經濟同商品經濟對立起來的傳統觀念，提出我國社會主義經濟是“公有制基礎上的有計劃的商品經濟”；突破把全民所有同國家機構直接經營企業混為一談的傳統觀念，提出“所有權同經營權可以適當分開”。這是黨在計劃與市場關系問題上的全新認識。《決定》就增強企業活力、發展社會主義商品經濟、重視經濟杠桿作用、實行政企職責分開、擴大經濟技術交流等一系列重大問題做出部署。此后，以城市為重點的經濟體制改革全面鋪開。

《決定》為當時的改革探索指明了原則方向，進一步確定了改革性質、目標、任務和基本藍圖；明確了增強企業活力是經濟體制改革的中心環節，鞏固了之前一系列城市經濟體制改革的成果，并指明了未來的工作重心；創造性地提出了“社會主義商品經濟”“有計劃的商品經濟”等概念，回答了長期困擾推進社會主義改革的理論問題；從政企職能分開的角度，提出了轉變政府職能的改革命題，啟動了這一長期性改革的進程；吸收農村改革經驗，打破平均主義，強調按勞分配原則，指明了實現共同富裕的路徑，等等。