Private Economy: United Front Work: How Can We Ideologically and Politically Lead the Private Economy Operators and the United Front Work in the New Era

Wu Yuenong

June 2022, Journal of Jiangsu Social Sciences 

About the author: Prof. Wu Yuenong has worked in the United Front Work Department of the Jiangsu Provincial Committee of the CPC and in the Jiangsu Federation of Industry and Commerce. Wu Yuenong is currently an expert in the review of major projects of the National Social Science Fund, a distinguished researcher of the Yangtze River Industrial Economics Research Institute of Nanjing University, a first-level researcher of the Jiangsu Federation of Industry and Commerce, Secretary-General of the Jiangsu Private Economy Research Association. He has published hundreds of professional research manuscripts in central and provincial party newspapers and journals. Wu Yuenong is the author of the first special history of private economy development in China, “30-year Development of Jiangsu Private Economy” . He won the first prize of the first “Contribution to Future Generations” essay contest organized by the Central United Front Work Department (1998), the first prize of the global essay contest on the spirit of Jiangsu businessmen (2012), and the first prize of the annual academic conference of the Jiangsu Federation of Social Sciences for many times.Research direction: private economy, history of private economy, Chinese entrepreneurial spirit, spirit of Jiangsu businessmen.

Abstract:

After the reform and opening up, with the rapid development of the private economy (private sector), the private economic sector has gradually become an important aspect of the united front work, and it became urgent to clarify the guiding ideology related to it. With the continuous deepening of the understanding of the laws and characteristics of the united front work, the guiding ideology of the united front work in the private economic sector has undergone an evolution from “one healthy” to “two healthys”. In March 1989, the United Front Work Department of the Central Committee issued “Several Opinions on Carrying out United Front Work in Private Enterprises”, which clearly stated that “the guiding ideology for carrying out united front work in private enterprises is: to encourage and guide the healthy development of private enterprises; to unite and educate private entrepreneurs, thus serve the prosperity of the socialist commodity economy .”

The proposal of “two healthys” policy has made the guiding ideology of united front work in privately owned economy more comprehensive and more perfect, and has far-reaching practical significance for doing a good job in Party’s united front work in privately owned economy, It has helped to consolidate the party’s class base and ruling base, and enlarged the party’s mass base.
On November 1, 2018, Xi Jinping’s speech at a forum on private enterprises included: “For the private economy to develop healthily, the prerequisite is that the personnel working in the private economy must grow healthily.”
On March 6, 2023, Xi Jinping pointed out when visiting advisors from the China National Democratic Construction Association (CNDCA) and the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, who are attending the first session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), said that “private enterprises and private entrepreneurs should be guided to correctly understand the CPC Central Committee’s guidelines and policies on our ’two healthy” principles and policies. Our Party has always considered private enterprises and private entrepreneurs as being in our ranks. We should boost their confidence and unburden them of their worries, so that they can ambitiously pursue development, and therefore the healthy, high-quality development of the private sector can be achieved”.

The healthy growth of private economy personnel is the most important change in China’s social structure. It has changed the production ownership relations of my China’s social and economic structure, private entrepreneurs created and developed social organizations such as business associations, and private economic personnel (entrepreneurs) is the social group with the greatest ability to create wealth, who has become rich first and continues to make wealth at a high speed.  Private economy personnel (entrepreneurs) play an important role in the rapid economic development and social stability and have made important contributions to the cause of building socialism with Chinese characteristics. They are contributors to our people’s “common prosperity for all”. Private economy personnel are an important result and motivation of the “three more diverse” and “three changes” in China’s social structure and our Party’s united front work in the new era. Private economy personnel (entrepreneurs) have distinct social group characteristics, are most concerned about real and vital interests, and have their own problems that need to be solved urgently. Private economy personnel are the most important members of the united front with the largest number of people and the personnel which shows fastest expansion in numbers. They have the integration of the upper and lower levels of society, and at home and abroad. They are the actors and one of the targets of united front work with dual identities.  

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