The Third Plenum Roadmap promises better governance and openness: Will Chinese Leadership Deliver?

CCP Central Committee Decision concerning ‘Some Major Issues in Comprehensively Deepening Reform’ undoubtedly is the most comprehensive reform agenda since the 3rd Plenum of the 11th Party Congress held in 1978. It also conforms to the various developmental goals enshrined in the 3^rd Plenary Session of the 12^th Central Committee in 1984 and more importantly a three-stage modernization path (sanbuzou) paved for the next 62 years during the 13^th national Congress of the CPC held in 1987. That is  to say by the mid of this Century, the resolve to build a moderately prosperous society, which is synonymous to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Chinese Dream  has been reiterated, and yet another comprehensive roadmap has been drawn for its realization. 

 

The roadmap for deepening the reforms is bold and comprehensive that touches upon major issues concerning Chinese politics, military, economy, ecology society and culture. These initiatives are not the outcomes of the crisis, as it was the case with the roadmap of the 1978 3^rd plenum, rather result of the accumulated experience over the last three decades, and the earthshaking changes that have taken place since the initiation of the reforms.  The roadmap will not only transform the Chinese society in terms of governance and its structure and capacity further, but will also have far reaching ramifications on the global economic and political system.  Many western critics have argued that there are inherent contradictions in deepening of the reforms and political systems. However, the post 1978 experience has demonstrated that the governance has become more transparent with China adopting market economy and becoming a more open society. For example the abolition of the agricultural taxes and levies did come heavily on corruption and local officialdom. The governance should also be measured in terms of system’s ability to provide public goods and services at one hand and maintain social law and order on the other, and I believe, the post Mao China has delivered it all, and it is in this connection that the comprehensive roadmap for further deepening of reforms would make the existing governance much more better.

 

There are 15 odd major areas which the plenum has set for reforms and have attracted worldwide attention. Some of these are the abolition of "reeducation through labor", loosening of the family planning system, reform of State-owned enterprises (SOEs), property tax reform, reforming China's household registration system, balanced rural-urban development, reform of the petition system, private banking, educational reforms, legal reforms, setting of national Security Council etc.  Some of these, for example minimizing the rural-urban divide may be the most challenging; however, some of the initiative such as peasant cooperatives and rural companies managing the rural lands may be the game changers and realize the long cherished vision of the scale farming in rural sector.  In the same vein, the reforms in the household registration may also prove difficult given the current scenario, but we may see gradual relaxation in second and third tier cities. The reform of the ‘education through labor’ the reminiscent of the old communist thinking demonstrates the confidence of the new leadership as well as a promise to improve human rights in the judicial system. A core leading group, directing and monitoring the roadmap could set aside various bureaucratic hurdles one hand and give the Party ultimate control of the processes. 

 

Another issue that has been added to the existing material and spiritual civilization is the issue of ecological civilization, thus demonstrating the sensitivities of the leaders towards environment and ecology.  Similarly the new leadership has resolved to strengthen the national cultural soft power, which is extremely important if the rebalancing of the civilizations has to be realized. This in other words would be a befitting reply to the US rebalancing to Asia Pacific. If China takes the high moral ground in the direction of civilization state away from the Westphalia  nation state, its policies and actions would be endorsed by the world community instantly and also take the discourse away from the western centric geopolitical model that has divided nations, families through various wars of aggressions and left the world more insecure.