Exploring the Pathways for Constructing China's New Mode of Production Relations from the Perspective of Historical Materialism

Abstract

The principle of the dialectical relationship between productive forces and relations of production, viewed from the perspective of historical materialism, provides solid theoretical guidance for understanding new forms of relations of production. These new relations represent an institutional model adapted to the development requirements of high-quality productive forces characterized by digitalization, intelligence, and green transformation. They constitute a systematic innovation in ownership systems, production organization, and distribution mechanisms. Key features of these new relations include the co-development of multiple forms of ownership with shared rights over new factors of production, flattened and networked collaboration, and the participation of knowledge, technology, and data in distribution. Currently, building such new relations faces challenges including "identity barriers" and "functional mismatches" among market entities, restricted circulation of new factors due to unclear property rights and lack of rules, misalignment between contributions and returns, and insufficient coordination between government and market. To address these issues, it is essential to uphold and improve the fundamental economic system, strengthen the foundation for coordinated development across multiple ownership forms; deepen institutional and mechanistic reforms to break down barriers to factor mobility; advance innovation in distribution systems by improving mechanisms that combine labor-based distribution with distribution according to factor contributions, and enhance redistribution regulation; and maintain a balanced coordination between an "efficient market" and an "active government.".