Deputies to the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) leave the Great Hall of the People after the closing meeting of the fourth session of the 13th NPC in Beijing, capital of China, March 11, 2021. /Xinhua
Editor's note: This is an article of the "2021 Year in Review" series on "New Crises, New Orders and New Paradigms." Ian Goodrum is a member of the Edgar Snow Newsroom and the international department of the Communist Party of the United States. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.
编者按：本文是《2021年：新危机，新秩序，新格局》年终系列评论之一。作者伊谷然（Ian Goodrum）是“新时代斯诺工作室”成员和美国共产党国际部成员。本文仅为作者本人观点，不代表CGTN立场。
The end of the year is, frequently, a time for senseless clichés. I won't bore you by repeating them.年总结常常充斥着各种毫无意义的陈词滥调。对此我不再赘述，以免招人厌烦。What I will say, in lieu of the Auld Lang Synes and so forth, is that in 2021, China has managed both to take stock of its achievements and look confidently into the future.我也不会高唱《友谊地久天长》之类的歌曲。我要说的是，在2021年里，中国既对自身成就进行了评估，又充满自信地展望着未来。This was exemplified by two documents released this year. In November, the sixth plenary session of the Communist Party of China's 19th Central Committee published a resolution surveying the 100 years of the Party's history, comprehensively contextualizing the journey it has been on since its founding in 1921. But in the spring, another mammoth volume was published, one which set definitive, tangible goals for the years ahead.今年发布的两份文件正说明了这一点。11月，中国共产党第十九届中央委员会第六次全体会议审议通过《中共中央关于党的百年奋斗重大成就和历史经验的决议》，全面总结了中国共产党自1921年成立以来所走过的百年奋斗历程。今年春天发布的另一份文件则为中国未来几年的发展设立了明确具体的目标。I'm talking about the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) for National Economic and Social Development, which was released along with Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035. In it, China presents a set of targets in key economic, social, and developmental indicators for the coming half-decade, as well as more qualitative statements for the distant horizon. It's highly detailed and worth a close look, if for nothing else than to disabuse oneself of the notion that China's ambitions are opaque.我所提到的这第二份文件就是《中华人民共和国国民经济和社会发展第十四个五年规划和2035年远景目标纲要》。《纲要》设定了中国在未来五年中将要实现的重要经济、社会和发展目标，并对2035年远景目标做出了建议性表述。该文件内容详实，值得仔细研读，同时也对中国野心不公开透明的说法做出了有力反驳。One of the more striking conclusions that can be drawn from the new five-year plan is that growth is no longer the sole metric by which the Chinese economy will be measured. As the country moves into a new stage of development, a new set of numbers takes on greater significance: employment, disposable income, labor productivity, environmental protection, years of education, doctors per 1,000 people, and several other figures are being used to track China's progress in the 14th Five-Year Plan period. In many ways, these are even more important, as they directly reflect how conditions for people are improving and what areas still need attention. All the GDP growth in the world won't matter that much, after all, if people aren't living happier, healthier, longer and more dignified lives.“十四五”规划透露出诸多引人关注的信息，其中之一是不再将国内生产总值（GDP）增长作为衡量经济发展的唯一标准。随着中国步入新的发展阶段，一组新的数据变得更为重要，这其中包括有就业、可支配收入、劳动生产率、环保、受教育年限、每千人医师数等等。其他方面的数据也会被用来评估“十四五”规划的实施进展。从某种意义上来说，这些数据甚至比经济增速更为重要，因为它们直接反映了人民生活水平的改善以及仍需关注的领域。事实上，对于世界上任何一个国家来说，如果GDP增长无法带给人们更加幸福、健康、有尊严的生活和更长的寿命，那么它就无足轻重。"High-quality development," "dual circulation" and "new development paradigm" are phrases that are often dismissed as empty rhetoric in the West, but they represent an outlook that is forward-thinking, adaptable, and most critically puts people first. A country that had no interest in its people would make GDP growth the perpetual, sole benchmark for economic health, with little attention paid to the quality of life for the average person.“高质量发展”、“双循环”、“新发展格局”……虽然西方常常视这些说法为空谈，但它们所代表的却是一种具有前瞻性和适应性的以民为本的理念。漠视人民的国家会将GDP增长作为衡量经济状况的永久性、唯一性指标，毫不关心普通民众的生活质量。An art performance titled "The Great Journey" is held in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC) at the National Stadium in Beijing, capital of China, June 28, 2021. /Xinhua
We see the outcome of this philosophy every day in many countries — stagnant incomes, rising inequality, and an inability to deal with even small-scale financial emergencies without taking on new debt. These are places where wealth is growing, as reflected in GDP, but that growth is wildly disproportionate, enriching a tiny sliver of the population at the expense of everyone else. That's not the future China wants, and a rational allocation of resources through planning is the only way to prevent it. Each year, China sets goals and meets them, proving to the world that it is possible to enjoy a stable, sustainable development that benefits all.这种做法所带来的恶果在许多国家中屡见不鲜——收入停滞不前；不平等现象日益恶化；人们无力应对任何紧急财务危机，只得不断借贷。从GDP来看，这些国家的财富的确在不断增加，但分配却严重失衡。只有极少数人口从中获益，绝大多数人的利益则成为了牺牲品。中国不希望走向这样的未来，唯一的方法是通过规划实现资源合理分配。每一年，中国都会制定目标并如期实现。这向世界表明，实现稳定的、可持续的、惠及全体人民的发展并非天方夜谭。Coming from a country where major political decisions seem to happen on a whim, the very notion of a long-term plan can seem like a novelty. Saying China "thinks in decades" while other countries only think until the next election has become a well-worn chestnut among the Western commentariat; it has a measure of truth, but not because of some intractable cultural difference or the peccadilloes of parliamentary democracy. Rather, it comes from the orientation of communist parties in general and China's in particular - its historic stance and organizing principles maintained over a century. 在我的国家（美国），重大政治决策似乎都是政客心血来潮的产物，长期规划这一概念本身就十分新奇。中国的规划跨越数十年，其他国家的规划则止步于下届选举——这种说法已经是西方评论人士中的老生常谈。说法本身不无道理，但其根源既不在于难以调和的文化差异，也不在于议会民主制的缺陷，而是在于共产党的总体方向，特别是中国共产党的历史观和沿用了一个多世纪的组织原则。As the most advanced elements of the working class and the political organ which holds a decisive leadership role, a communist party must act in the interests of that class rather than that of the bourgeoisie. Since the working class represents the vast majority of people in any given country, with all the contradictions and complications that implies, seeing to their needs without a concrete plan in place would be an impossible task.作为由无产阶级中最先进的分子组成的政党和发挥着关键领导作用的政治团体，共产党必须代表无产阶级而非资产阶级的利益。在任何一个国家中，无产阶级都占人口比例的大多数，这背后隐藏着各种矛盾性和复杂性问题，因此在没有切实方案的情况下满足该阶级的需求是不可能完成的任务。But what would happen without it? We don't need to look far, or work in hypotheticals. It is an indisputable fact that bourgeois "democracy," with its partisan bickering and laser focus on the short-term, carries with it a degree of chaos, a seemingly detrimental level of uncertainty and tension. To many, this is its biggest shortcoming. But this is, at most, a symptom, and not necessarily a problem at all for those who stand to gain from government inaction. 那么如果没有切实方案，会发生什么？答案就在身边，我们也无需做任何假设。资产阶级“民主”下的党派之争和对短期利益的关注使得制度本身具有某种不安定属性，某种有损自身的不确定性和冲突倾向，这是不争的事实。在许多人看来，这是资产阶级民主的最大缺点。但对于那些能够从政府的不作为中获益的人来说，这充其量只是种现象，未必是个问题。Electoral chaos is one of many outward expressions of turmoil from a system where, broadly speaking, dysfunction serves a larger purpose. The ritualistic fracas of parliamentary politics reflects a deeper phenomenon, namely the anarchy of capitalist production; an environment where every economic actor is looking to maximize immediate gains without thought to the consequences. In that sense, a political system incapable of long-term planning or prioritizing social benefit works entirely to the advantage of the class that holds monopoly power. Keeping the working majority fighting itself through the theater of elections aligns perfectly with the interests of that class, which fears rational, equitable distribution of resources above all else. It is, as they say, a feature, not a bug.从广义上来说，如果某一制度自身运转不良是服务于某种目的，那么其不安定属性就会显现出很多外在表征，选举混乱就是其中之一。议会政治中例行公事般的喧嚣反映出一种更深层次的现象，即资本主义的无政府状态。在这种环境下，所有经济部门都不顾后果地追求眼前利益的最大化。从这种意义上来说，一个无法制定长期规划、无法将社会利益置于首位的政治体系是纯粹为垄断阶级谋取利益的体制。通过选举使占人口比例大多数的无产阶级自相争斗正好与垄断阶级的利益完美契合，因为该阶级最害怕的是对资源进行合理、公平的分配。正如他们所言，运转不灵是制度特性，而非问题。But China presents an alternative to this sad state of affairs. With its latest five-year plan, the country has laid out a road map for real action in a trying era. Attempts to contain and encircle China have intensified in recent years, and continuing on the path of progress has become a more demanding proposition. Armed with this document, released as it was in a year of great milestones as well as challenges, the Chinese government and people have a blueprint for the next five years, and indeed the next half-generation.中国则为这种可悲的现实提出了可替代方案。在“十四五”规划所制定的路线指引下，中国将以切实行动应对这一充满挑战的时代。近些年来，随着某些国家遏制和围剿中国的举动愈发频繁，持续保持发展变得愈加困难。在今年这一既具有里程碑意义又充满挑战的年份里, “十四五”规划的出台为中国政府和人民勾画出未来五年乃至几十年的发展蓝图。It's something the rest of the world could learn from - that is, if parts of it weren't so busy demonizing everything China does.这是值得其他国家学习的，当然，前提是某些国家不再忙着妖魔化中国所做的一切。