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(guān)于經(jīng)濟(jì)體制改革的決定》

1984年10月，黨的十二屆三中全會(huì)在北京舉行。全會(huì)一致通過(guò)了《中共中央關(guān)于經(jīng)濟(jì)體制改革的決定》?！稕Q定》總結(jié)中華人民共和國(guó)成立以來(lái)特別是黨的十一屆三中全會(huì)以來(lái)經(jīng)濟(jì)體制改革的經(jīng)驗(yàn)，初步提出和闡明了經(jīng)濟(jì)體制改革的一系列重大理論和實(shí)踐問(wèn)題，在理論上的重大貢獻(xiàn)是，突破把計(jì)劃經(jīng)濟(jì)同商品經(jīng)濟(jì)對(duì)立起來(lái)的傳統(tǒng)觀念，提出我國(guó)社會(huì)主義經(jīng)濟(jì)是“公有制基礎(chǔ)上的有計(jì)劃的商品經(jīng)濟(jì)”；突破把全民所有同國(guó)家機(jī)構(gòu)直接經(jīng)營(yíng)企業(yè)混為一談的傳統(tǒng)觀念，提出“所有權(quán)同經(jīng)營(yíng)權(quán)可以適當(dāng)分開(kāi)”。這是黨在計(jì)劃與市場(chǎng)關(guān)系問(wèn)題上的全新認(rèn)識(shí)。《決定》就增強(qiáng)企業(yè)活力、發(fā)展社會(huì)主義商品經(jīng)濟(jì)、重視經(jīng)濟(jì)杠桿作用、實(shí)行政企職責(zé)分開(kāi)、擴(kuò)大經(jīng)濟(jì)技術(shù)交流等一系列重大問(wèn)題做出部署。此后，以城市為重點(diǎn)的經(jīng)濟(jì)體制改革全面鋪開(kāi)。

《決定》為當(dāng)時(shí)的改革探索指明了原則方向，進(jìn)一步確定了改革性質(zhì)、目標(biāo)、任務(wù)和基本藍(lán)圖；明確了增強(qiáng)企業(yè)活力是經(jīng)濟(jì)體制改革的中心環(huán)節(jié)，鞏固了之前一系列城市經(jīng)濟(jì)體制改革的成果，并指明了未來(lái)的工作重心；創(chuàng)造性地提出了“社會(huì)主義商品經(jīng)濟(jì)”“有計(jì)劃的商品經(jīng)濟(jì)”等概念，回答了長(zhǎng)期困擾推進(jìn)社會(huì)主義改革的理論問(wèn)題；從政企職能分開(kāi)的角度，提出了轉(zhuǎn)變政府職能的改革命題，啟動(dòng)了這一長(zhǎng)期性改革的進(jìn)程；吸收農(nóng)村改革經(jīng)驗(yàn)，打破平均主義，強(qiáng)調(diào)按勞分配原則，指明了實(shí)現(xiàn)共同富裕的路徑，等等。