消除貧困是社會主義本質要求
在2014年10月國務院召開的全國社會扶貧工作電視電話會議上，習近平指出，消除貧困，改善民生，逐步實現全體人民共同富裕，是社會主義的本質要求。2017年10月18日，習近平在中共十九大報告中指出，必須堅定不移把發展作為黨執政興國的第一要務，堅持解放和發展社會生產力，堅持社會主義市場經濟改革方向，推動經濟持續健康發展。
以鄧小平同志為核心的中國共產黨第二代中央領導集體探索并初步回答了"什么是社會主義、怎樣建設社會主義"的問題。1992年初，鄧小平在南方談話中提出，"社會主義的本質，是解放生產力，發展生產力，消滅剝削，消除兩極分化，最終達到共同富裕"。
社會主義本質論對實踐具有重大的指導意義：（1）繼承了科學社會主義的基本原則，是探索建設中國特色社會主義道路的最重大理論成果之一，是對馬克思主義的重大發展。（2）為我們既堅持公有制又完善和發展公有制指明了方向。（3）突破了把計劃經濟等一些原本不屬于社會主義固有的東西當作社會主義本質特征的傳統觀念。（4）反映了人民的利益和時代的要求，澄清了不合乎時代進步和社會發展規律的模糊觀念，擺脫了長期以來拘泥于具體模式而忽視社會主義本質的錯誤傾向，深化了對社會主義本質的認識。其內在要求是各級黨政領導干部和廣大人民群眾樹立科學的公平觀和正義觀，根本要求是解放和發展生產力。
Eliminating Poverty: a Fundamental Task for Socialism
Speaking to a national teleconference on poverty alleviation in October 2014, Xi Jinping said that eliminating poverty, improving living standards, and achieving common prosperity among all Chinese people is a fundamental task for socialism. In his report to the 19th CPC National Congress, he vowed to continue to pursue development as the Party's top priority in governance, unleash and develop the country's productive forces, continue reform to develop the socialist market economy, and promote sustained and sound economic growth.
The CPC's second generation of collective leadership with Deng Xiaoping at its core asked itself what socialism is and how to build socialism. During his tour to southern China in early 1992, Deng said, "The essence of socialism is liberation and development of the productive forces, elimination of exploitation and polarization, and the ultimate achievement of prosperity for all."
This vision guides China in four ways:
(1)It inherits the basic tenets of scientific socialism, and represents important theoretical progress in building Chinese socialism and a major development of Marxism;
(2)It charts the course for China in upholding and developing public ownership;
(3)It shatters the previous belief that mistakenly considered the planned economy as an inherent component of socialism; and
(4)It represents the people's interests and the requirement of the times, clarifies ambiguous thoughts that do not conform to the advance of the times and social development, abandons the long-existing erroneous tendency toward overemphasizing the stereotyped models and neglecting the nature of socialism, and improves people's perception of the nature of socialism.
It thereby guides Party and government officials and the general public with a correct view of equity and justice, and encourages the release and development of productive forces.
