Modernizing the National Governance System and Capacity
At its third plenary session held in November 2013, the 18th CPC Central Committee stated that the overarching goal of comprehensively expanding in-depth reform is to refine and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics, and to modernize the national governance system and capacity.
The governance system and capacity of a country are embodied in its institutions and its ability to execute the institutions.
China's national governance system is a system of institutions for managing the country under the CPC's leadership. These include economic, political, cultural, social, eco-environmental, and Party development mechanisms and institutions, as well as laws, regulations and plans. These are a complete set of tightly linked and coordinated national institutions.
China's national governance capacity is defined by its ability to use these institutions to manage various aspects of society, including reform, development and stability; internal affairs, foreign relations and national defense; and governance of the Party, the nation and the armed forces.
At its fourth plenary session held in October 2019, the 19th CPC Central Committee adopted a decision on upholding and improving China's socialist system and modernizing the national governance system and capacity. The document set the following goals: rendering systems in all areas better-defined and more mature by the time of the CPC's centenary; further improving systems in all fields and achieving basic modernization of the national governance system and capacity by 2035; and realizing full modernization of the national governance system and capacity by the time of the PRC's centenary, with China's socialist system further consolidated and its strengths fully deployed.
The governance systems that a country adopts are determined by its history and culture, the nature of its society, and the stage of economic development it has reached. China's socialist system and governance system did not appear from nowhere, but emerged from Chinese soil through a long process of revolution, economic development, and reform. They result from the application of the tenets of Marxism to China's conditions and are the outcome of a range of innovations in theory, practice and systems. They crystalize the wisdom of the Party and the people, and are in alignment with the Party's history, theory and practice.
The fundamental reason that the Chinese nation has risen up, become prosperous, and grown in strength over the seven decades since the founding of the People's Republic in 1949 is that the CPC has led the people in establishing and improving the Chinese socialist system, in forming and developing systems for the Party's leadership, the economy, politics, culture, society, eco-environmental conservation, the military, and foreign affairs, and in enhancing national governance.
國家治理體系和治理能力現代化
2013年11月召開的中共十八屆三中全會提出，全面深化改革的總目標是完善和發展中國特色社會主義制度，推進國家治理體系和治理能力現代化。
國家治理體系和治理能力是一個國家的制度和制度執行能力的集中體現。國家治理體系是在黨領導下管理國家的制度體系，包括經濟、政治、文化、社會、生態文明和黨的建設等各領域體制機制、法律法規安排，也就是一整套緊密相連、相互協調的國家制度。國家治理能力是運用國家制度管理社會各方面事務的能力，包括改革發展穩定、內政外交國防、治黨治國治軍等各個方面。
2019年10月，中共十九屆四中全會審議通過了《中共中央關于堅持和完善中國特色社會主義制度、推進國家治理體系和治理能力現代化若干重大問題的決定》，明確提出堅持和完善中國特色社會主義制度，推進國家治理體系和治理能力現代化的總體目標：到中國共產黨成立100年時，在各方面制度更加成熟更加定型上取得明顯成效；到2035年，各方面制度更加完善，基本實現國家治理體系和治理能力現代化；到新中國成立100年時，全面實現國家治理體系和治理能力現代化，使中國特色社會主義制度更加鞏固、優越性充分展現。
一個國家選擇什么樣的國家制度和國家治理體系，是由這個國家的歷史文化、社會性質、經濟發展水平決定的。中國特色社會主義制度和國家治理體系不是從天上掉下來的，而是在中國的社會土壤中生長起來的，是經過革命、建設、改革長期實踐形成的，是馬克思主義基本原理同中國具體實際相結合的產物，是理論創新、實踐創新、制度創新相統一的成果，凝結著中國共產黨和中國人民的智慧，具有深刻的歷史邏輯、理論邏輯、實踐邏輯。新中國成立70多年來，中華民族之所以能迎來從站起來、富起來到強起來的偉大飛躍，最根本的是因為中國共產黨領導人民建立和完善了中國特色社會主義制度，形成和發展了中國共產黨的領導和經濟、政治、文化、社會、生態文明、軍事、外事等各方面制度，不斷加強和完善國家治理。
