The Guideline and Program for the Primary Stage of Socialism

At its 13th National Congress held in October 1987, the CPC established a guideline for the primary stage of socialism: leading and uniting with the people of all ethnic groups, focusing on economic development, upholding the Four Cardinal Principles, pushing forward reform and opening up, adhering to self-reliance and hard work, and building China into a prosperous, strong, democratic and culturally advanced modern socialist country. This guideline was better known as the "one central task and two basic points"– taking economic development as the central task and the Four Cardinal Principles and reform and opening up as the two basic points.

At its 15th National Congress in September 1997, the CPC unveiled its basic program during the primary stage of socialism, and defined the targets and policies for building a socialist economy, politics and culture, all with Chinese characteristics.

Building a socialist economy with Chinese characteristics meant developing a market economy under socialism and constantly unlocking and developing the productive forces. To do this, the CPC needs to uphold and improve the basic economic system whereby public ownership is dominant and develops side by side with economic entities under diverse forms of ownership; to uphold and improve the socialist market economy so that the market plays a fundamental role in allocating resources under state macro-control; to uphold and improve a diversity of distribution models, with distribution according to work done as the main model, allowing some people and regions to prosper first so that they could assist others to progress and gradually achieve common prosperity; and to uphold and improve the opening up of the Chinese economy and take an active part in international economic cooperation and competition. This would ensure that the economy developed in a sustained, rapid and sound way, and that the people shared the fruits of economic prosperity.

Building socialist politics with Chinese characteristics meant establishing the rule of law and developing socialist democratic politics under the leadership of the CPC, with the people as masters of the country. To do this, the CPC needs to uphold and improve the people's democratic dictatorship led by the working class and based on the worker-farmer alliance; to uphold and improve the system of people's congresses, the system of multiparty cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the Communist Party, and the system of regional ethnic autonomy; and to promote democracy, improve the legal system and build a socialist country under the rule of law. This would create a political situation featuring social stability, an honest and efficient government, and unity, harmony and vigor among the people of all ethnic groups.

Building a socialist culture with Chinese characteristics meant following Marxism as the guide, with the goal of encouraging citizens to have high ideals, moral integrity, a good education and a strong sense of discipline. It meant developing a socialist culture for our nation, a culture that is sound and people-oriented, and that embraces modernization, the world and the future. To do this, the CPC needs to continue the education of its members and the people with Deng Xiaoping Theory; to raise the ideological, ethical, educational, scientific and cultural levels of the whole nation; to adhere to the orientation of serving the people and socialism and to the principle of "letting a hundred flowers bloom and a hundred schools of thought contend," while emphasizing progress and promoting academic and cultural prosperity. This would promote socialist cultural and ethical progress in accordance with China's actual conditions, carrying on the fine cultural traditions handed down from history and drawing on the achievements of foreign cultures.

From its 16th National Congress on, the CPC has continued to expand its basic targets and policies. At its 19th National Congress in 2017, the CPC reaffirmed the Five-sphere Integrated Plan that encompasses economic, political, cultural, social and eco-environmental development, and set the goal of building China into a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious and beautiful.

社會主義初級階段的基本路線和基本綱領

1987年10月，中共十三大提出黨在社會主義初級階段的基本路線，即領導和團結全國各族人民，以經濟建設為中心，堅持四項基本原則，堅持改革開放，自力更生，艱苦創業，為把中國建設成為富強、民主、文明的社會主義現代化國家而奮斗。

1997年9月，中共十五大圍繞建設富強民主文明的社會主義現代化國家的目標，明確提出了黨在社會主義初級階段的基本綱領，規定了建設有中國特色社會主義的經濟、政治和文化的基本目標和基本政策。

建設有中國特色社會主義的經濟，就是在社會主義條件下發展市場經濟，不斷解放和發展生產力。這就要堅持和完善社會主義公有制為主體、多種所有制經濟共同發展的基本經濟制度；堅持和完善社會主義市場經濟體制，使市場在國家宏觀調控下對資源配置起基礎性作用；堅持和完善按勞分配為主體的多種分配方式，允許一部分地區一部分人先富起來，帶動和幫助后富，逐步走向共同富裕；堅持和完善對外開放，積極參與國際經濟合作和競爭；保證國民經濟持續快速健康發展，人民共享經濟繁榮成果。

建設有中國特色社會主義的政治，就是在中國共產黨領導下，在人民當家作主的基礎上，依法治國，發展社會主義民主政治。這就要堅持和完善工人階級領導的、以工農聯盟為基礎的人民民主專政；堅持和完善人民代表大會制度、中國共產黨領導的多黨合作和政治協商制度、民族區域自治制度；發展民主，健全法制，建設社會主義法治國家。實現社會安定，政府廉潔高效，全國各族人民團結和睦、生動活潑的政治局面。

建設有中國特色社會主義的文化，就是以馬克思主義為指導，以培育有理想、有道德、有文化、有紀律的公民為目標，發展面向現代化、面向世界、面向未來的，民族的科學的大眾的社會主義文化。這就要堅持用鄧小平理論武裝全黨，教育人民；努力提高全民族的思想道德素質和教育科學文化水平；堅持為人民服務、為社會主義服務的方向和“百花齊放，百家爭鳴”的方針，重在建設，繁榮學術和文藝。建設立足中國現實、繼承歷史文化優秀傳統、吸取外國文化有益成果的社會主義精神文明。

中共十六大后，社會主義初級階段的基本目標和基本政策不斷豐富發展，到了中共十九大，明確將經濟建設、政治建設、文化建設、社會建設和生態文明建設“五位一體”作為中國特色社會主義事業總體布局，提出了建成富強民主文明和諧美麗的社會主義現代化強國的奮斗目標。