We are pleased to publish the English translation of an important article by Chinese scholars Wang Chen and Gong Wanting on the inter-relationship between the promotion of new quality productive forces and the realising of common prosperity in areas inhabited by ethnic minorities.
The authors note that ethnic regions must fully leverage the role of New Quality Productive Forces, making them a crucial engine for achieving Common Prosperity.
The concept of “New Quality Productive Forces” was first proposed in September 2023. In July 2024, the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee pointed out that to further comprehensively deepen reform, it is necessary to persist in further liberating and developing productive forces, promote the gathering of various advanced production factors toward developing New Quality Productive Forces, and form a “multiplier effect” of high-quality development driven by New Quality Productive Forces. The proposal of New Quality Productive Forces not only extends and deepens Marxist theories on productive forces but also endows them with Chinese and contemporary significance, becoming a key driving force for addressing economic development challenges in China’s ethnic regions and promoting Common Prosperity in these areas in the new era. The National Conference on Commending Notable Efforts in Ethnic Unity and Progress held on September 27, 2024, clearly stated the need to “accelerate high-quality development in ethnic regions and steadily advance Common Prosperity for all ethnic groups”.
By leveraging the development of New Quality Productive Forces, ethnic regions can deeply integrate traditional production factors with emerging technological elements, driving both the transformation of traditional industries and the rise of emerging industries. For instance, Pu’er in Yunnan has established a traceability system for the coffee industry using blockchain technology, increasing coffee farmers’ incomes by over 30% and reshaping the traditional agricultural value chain. Guizhou, capitalising on its natural endowment advantages, has achieved leapfrog development in the digital economy through the construction of big data centres, actively participating in and advancing the national “East Data, West Computing” strategy to vigorously promote the growth of the digital economy. These efforts have created innovative models and practical solutions with local characteristics.
With strong geographical penetration and reach, new quality productive forces can break through regional physical boundaries, effectively advancing the progress of livelihood initiatives and improving the public service system in ethnic regions, thereby alleviating issues of unbalanced and inadequate development. For example, Karamay City in Xinjiang has promoted the development of a digital government, achieving “one-stop service” for 2,490 administrative items, with 91.7% of government services available online. Additionally, through an AI-powered “dual-teacher classroom” system, rural schools in Kashgar, Xinjiang, have implemented shared courses with key secondary schools in Beijing, enabling students in border regions to access national-level educational resources simultaneously.
Moreover, the ecological perspective inherent in New Quality Productive Forces is a scientific outlook that aims to deeply integrate ecological protection with economic development, promoting the advancement of ecological civilisation through coordinated progress.
The article does not shy away from the problems on the road ahead, noting, for example, that most ethnic regions have not yet formulated specialised development plans for New Quality Productive Forces. Relevant policies are fragmented across documents covering the digital economy, rural revitalisation, and other areas, lacking overall coordination and integration. Among the eight provinces and autonomous regions with larger ethnic minority populations, only a few have introduced specific policy measures.
It also insists that green is the defining feature of high-quality development. As key areas for ecological and environmental protection, ethnic regions, due to their relatively lagging economic development, often remain overly reliant on traditional resource-intensive industries in many localities, exhibiting a characteristic of singular industrial structure. This has led to excessive exploitation of natural resources to drive economic growth in ethnic regions, resulting in further deterioration of the ecological environment and intensifying the contradiction between economic development and ecological conservation.
It further proposes a series of practical measures, namely:
- Expand the Economic Scale. Ethnic regions should focus on constructing a “Digital+” characteristic industry transformation matrix to create a new digital-driven industrial ecosystem.
- Strengthen the Technological Foundation. Ethnic regions should increase research investment, build digital research infrastructure, and use digital technologies to enhance regional scientific and technological innovation capabilities.
- Pooling Talent Resources and Improving Mechanisms for Talent “Recruitment, Cultivation, and Retention”.
- Optimise the Talent Cultivation System.
- Improve Talent Recruitment Mechanisms.
- Establish Talent Retention Mechanisms.
- Strengthen Technological Support for Ecological Governance in Ethnic Regions and Innovate Ecological Governance Models.
- Rely on and Utilise Ecological Resource Endowments to Accelerate the Construction of a Green, Low-Carbon Industrial System.
Wang Cheng is an Associate Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at the School of Marxism, Guangxi Normal University. He also serves as a researcher at the University’s Research Centre for Marxist Theory and Regional Practice and at the Institute of Party History and Party Building of the Communist Party of China.
Gong Wanting is a Doctoral Candidate at the School of Marxism, Guangxi Normal University.
The article was first published in issue 5 (2025) of Heilongjiang Ethnic Series, a core journal of Peking University and an extended China Social Sciences Citation Index (CSSCI) journal. It was translated to English for publication by Friends of Socialist China.
Abstract: Common Prosperity is the essential requirement of socialism and a key feature of Chinese modernization. Ethnic regions, as important arenas for steadily advancing Common Prosperity, must fully leverage the role of New Quality Productive Forces, making them a crucial engine for achieving Common Prosperity. Currently, due to issues such as inadequate institutional support for developing New Quality Productive Forces, relatively small economic scale and weak technological foundations, flaws in the cultivation and recruitment mechanisms for new-quality talent, and fragile ecosystems and industrial development, the path of New Quality Productive Forces empowering Common Prosperity in ethnic regions is hindered. To promote Common Prosperity in ethnic regions through New Quality Productive Forces as the driving force, it is necessary to rationally plan top-level design, leverage the advantages of regional ethnic autonomy, and improve institutional support for New Quality Productive Forces; clarify the core direction of development, vigorously develop the digital economy, enhance economic scale, and strengthen technological foundations; pool talent resources and refine mechanisms for talent “recruitment, cultivation, and retention”; and adhere to the principle of green development, constructing a diversified industrial development pattern. These measures will promote high-quality economic development in ethnic regions, gradually narrow the economic gap with other regions, and ultimately achieve Common Prosperity.
Key words: New Quality Productive Forces; ethnic regions; Common Prosperity; high-quality development
The concept of “New Quality Productive Forces” was first proposed in September 2023. During the 11th Collective Study Session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, it was further emphasized that “high-quality development relies on the guidance of new theories on productive forces, and currently, New Quality Productive Forces have demonstrated strong driving and supportive power for high-quality development” [1]. In July 2024, the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee pointed out that to further comprehensively deepen reform, it is necessary to persist in further liberating and developing productive forces, promote the gathering of various advanced production factors toward developing New Quality Productive Forces, and form a “multiplier effect” of high-quality development driven by New Quality Productive Forces [2]. The proposal of New Quality Productive Forces not only extends and deepens Marxist theories on productive forces but also endows them with Chinese and contemporary significance, becoming a key driving force for addressing economic development challenges in China’s ethnic regions and promoting Common Prosperity in these areas in the new era.
The National Conference on Commending Notable Efforts in Ethnic Unity and Progress held on September 27, 2024, clearly stated the need to “accelerate high-quality development in ethnic regions and steadily advance Common Prosperity for all ethnic groups” [3]. It particularly emphasized that ethnic regions should fully implement the new development philosophy of innovation, coordination, green development, openness, and sharing, and “vigorously develop distinctive and advantageous industries, fostering New Quality Productive Forces according to local conditions” [3]. This speech profoundly underscores the importance of New Quality Productive Forces for the high-quality economic development of ethnic regions. Currently, academia has accumulated a wealth of research achievements in the field of New Quality Productive Forces. However, there remains a scarcity of in-depth analyses examining their role and mechanisms in promoting the process of Common Prosperity in ethnic regions from the perspective of New Quality Productive Forces. At present, both national and local governments are continuously increasing support for the cultivation and development of New Quality Productive Forces. Leveraging the development of New Quality Productive Forces to assist ethnic regions in achieving Common Prosperity is gradually becoming an indispensable strategic choice for advancing socialist modernization. In light of this, to promote Common Prosperity in ethnic regions, it is essential to be guided by the development of New Quality Productive Forces. This involves relying on the systematic optimization and significant upgrading of the three major production factors—”labor materials, labor objects, and laborers” [4]—to create new momentum, catalyze new industries, cultivate new models, upgrade traditional productive forces, transform production methods, and comprehensively enhance the new quality and state of regional economic development [5], thereby laying a solid foundation for the modernization process of ethnic regions.
1 The Significant Importance of New Quality Productive Forces in Empowering Common Prosperity in Ethnic Regions
New Quality Productive Forces represent an advanced qualitative state of productive forces led by innovation, embodying the organic and seamless integration of innovation-driven development and high-quality development. By breaking away from traditional economic growth models and transforming production methods, New Quality Productive Forces can reduce low-end excess capacity caused by past extensive development and inject new vitality into sustained economic progress [6]. To accelerate high-quality development in ethnic regions and steadily advance Common Prosperity among all ethnic groups, it is urgent to harness the economic growth effects of New Quality Productive Forces through their dual dimensions of “innovativeness” and “qualitative-transformative nature.” This approach will effectively address issues of unbalanced and inadequate development, enhance the sustainable development capacity of ethnic regions, and provide robust support for achieving Common Prosperity in these areas.
1.1 Unleashing Economic Growth Effects and Strengthening the Foundation for High-Quality Economic Development in Ethnic Regions
Driven by innovative production factors, New Quality Productive Forces demonstrate significant potential in advancing high-quality economic development in ethnic regions. By leveraging the development of New Quality Productive Forces, ethnic regions deeply integrate traditional production factors with emerging technological elements, driving the transformation of traditional industries and the rise of emerging industries. This effectively helps ethnic regions break away from inefficient development models and provides a new internal engine for achieving Common Prosperity.
On one hand, New Quality Productive Forces, with their unique technological advantages, promote the sustained and healthy economic development of ethnic regions [7]. For instance, Pu’er in Yunnan has established a traceability system for the coffee industry using blockchain technology, increasing coffee farmers’ incomes by over 30% and reshaping the traditional agricultural value chain. Guizhou, capitalizing on its natural endowment advantages, has achieved leapfrog development in the digital economy through the construction of big data centers, actively participating in and advancing the national “East Data, West Computing” strategy to vigorously promote the growth of the digital economy. These efforts have contributed innovative models and solutions with local characteristics in practice.
On the other hand, in the process of developing New Quality Productive Forces, ethnic regions are actively opening up “new tracks” and constructing regional industrial “upgrading” models, thereby forming new competitive advantages. For example, Yunnan has successfully cultivated the green energy industry as a leading sector in its industrial domain, surpassing traditional tobacco manufacturing to become the largest pillar of the province’s industrial economy. Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan has promoted the creative transformation and innovative development of the traditional Torch Festival, developing cultural tourism projects. By integrating investment promotion in industries such as manufacturing and agriculture into these initiatives, it has powerfully driven high-quality economic and social development in the region.
1.2 Unleashing Inclusive and Shared Benefits, Promoting Long-term Social Stability and Livelihood Improvement in Ethnic Regions
It is essential to “adhere to the people-centered development philosophy and promote Common Prosperity through high-quality development” [8]. As an advanced productive force that aligns with the requirements of development in the new era, New Quality Productive Forces can, through multi-dimensional support such as innovative technology application, industrial structure upgrading, digital infrastructure construction, and the cultivation of new-quality talent, comprehensively enhance the efficiency and fairness of social resource utilization. This meets the needs of social groups, achieves the goal of both enlarging the “pie” and distributing it fairly, and establishes a reasonable distribution pattern characterized by fairness, justice, and universal access.
In essence, New Quality Productive Forces promote fairness and justice in ethnic regions by reconfiguring the allocation of production factors through technological innovation, unleashing inclusive and shared benefits, and achieving a dynamic balance between efficiency and fairness in the modernization process. Specifically, New Quality Productive Forces can leverage the role of “digital and intelligent transformation” to provide “digital technologies” and cultivate “digital talent” for ethnic regions. With strong geographical penetration and reach, they can break through regional physical boundaries, effectively advancing the progress of livelihood initiatives and improving the public service system in ethnic regions [9], thereby alleviating issues of unbalanced and inadequate development. For example, Karamay City in Xinjiang has promoted the development of a digital government, achieving “one-stop service” for 2,490 administrative items, with 91.7% of government services available online. Additionally, through an AI-powered “dual-teacher classroom” system, rural schools in Kashgar, Xinjiang, have implemented shared courses with key secondary schools in Beijing, enabling students in border regions to access national-level educational resources simultaneously. These practices demonstrate that the integration of digital technology fulfills the Common Prosperity requirement of benefiting the public and enhancing the quality of digital services.
1.3 Leading the Green Ecological Economy and Building a Sustainable Development Model for Common Prosperity in Ethnic Regions
The ecological perspective inherent in New Quality Productive Forces is a scientific outlook that aims to deeply integrate ecological protection with economic development, promoting the advancement of ecological civilization through their coordinated progress [10]. This aligns inherently with the unity of developmental and sustainability emphasized by Common Prosperity, asserting that “New Quality Productive Forces themselves represent green productive forces” [1]. By accelerating the innovation process of green technologies and widely implementing cutting-edge green technologies, New Quality Productive Forces increase the “green content” of economic development, reduce dependence on resources and environmental damage, and catalyze the formation of a green, low-carbon, and circular economic system. This effectively drives the green transformation and upgrading of development in ethnic regions.
Among China’s ethnic autonomous areas, 328 counties (banners) are located within 22 national key ecological function zones, accounting for 48.5% of the total area of these regions. The greatest value and the greatest responsibility of these areas lie in their ecology. Driven by New Quality Productive Forces, ethnic regions have promoted the optimization and reshaping of production methods through the greening of labor materials, labor objects, and energy structures, steadily enhancing and sustaining the level of Common Prosperity in these areas. Based on the greening of the energy structure, Bijie City in Guizhou has been steadily advancing the construction of new integrated energy projects. By 2023, the city’s power generation reached 58.043 billion kilowatt-hours, generating an output value of 27.957 billion yuan [11]. Based on the greening of labor objects, Wuxi She Ethnic Township in Yunhe, Zhejiang, has adopted a model of “ecological village-strengthening companies + farmers” to develop ecological agricultural products such as “free-range chickens” and “cold-water snails” under the brand “Wuxi Nine Premium Products.” The use of blockchain traceability has increased their premium rate, raising farmers’ incomes. Based on the greening of labor materials, Huayuan Group in Xinjiang has vigorously promoted energy-saving measures and the utilization of renewable energy in the construction of residential and industrial buildings, making significant contributions to energy conservation, emission reduction, and ecological environmental protection.
2 Real-World Challenges in Empowering Common Prosperity in Ethnic Regions through New Quality Productive Forces
Historically, ethnic regions have faced constraints such as low resource concentration, limited capital investment, uneven population distribution, and insufficient technological innovation capacity. These factors have hindered the construction and upgrading of traditional productive force systems, making it difficult to meet the developmental requirements of New Quality Productive Forces. Consequently, a significant economic development gap persists between these regions and more developed areas [12]. By conducting a comprehensive review and summary of the actual conditions and challenges in ethnic regions, and by deeply analyzing the bottlenecks and shortcomings of New Quality Productive Forces in advancing Common Prosperity, targeted solutions can be developed. This approach lays a solid foundation for achieving Common Prosperity in ethnic regions.
2.1 Policy Dimension: Institutional Support for Developing New Quality Productive Forces Needs Improvement
Currently, while the state strongly supports the development of New Quality Productive Forces and has introduced numerous relevant policies, and ethnic regions are gradually recognizing their strategic value, their potential remains underutilized [13] due to issues such as lagging policy planning and insufficient supporting measures. Consequently, their role in bolstering Common Prosperity remains limited.
Most ethnic regions have not yet formulated specialized development plans for New Quality Productive Forces. Relevant policies are fragmented across documents covering the digital economy, rural revitalization, and other areas, lacking overall coordination and integration. Among the eight provinces and autonomous regions with larger ethnic minority populations, only a few have introduced specific policy measures. For example, the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region launched the “Strategic Emerging Industries Special Project” in August 2024, aiming to promote the clustered development of strategic emerging industries and cultivate New Quality Productive Forces. Although Inner Mongolia has not directly issued a “Special Plan for New Quality Productive Forces,” it was included in the National Development and Reform Commission’s 2024 compendium of typical cases for “developing New Quality Productive Forces according to local conditions,” with a focus on green energy transition. Xinjiang is positioning New Quality Productive Forces in sectors like the “low-altitude economy” and “green energy,” such as by participating in the national initiative to build “Large-Scale Wind and Solar Power Bases in Deserts, Gobi, and Arid Regions” to extend the new energy industry chain. Apart from these regions explicitly advancing the development of New Quality Productive Forces through special projects or national pilot policies, other provinces and regions primarily promote related fields indirectly through local industrial policies or by integrating into national strategies like “East Data, West Computing” and “Green Energy Transition.”
From the perspective of technological innovation, ethnic regions lack a well-developed scientific and technological service system. There is a shortage of sci-tech intermediary agencies, and their service capabilities are limited, making it difficult to establish effective communication bridges between research institutions and enterprises. This results in significant information asymmetry between the supply and demand for scientific research outcomes. Simultaneously, the management system for scientific research projects is relatively rigid. Cumbersome approval processes consume considerable time and effort, creating numerous obstacles for researchers during project applications and execution, thereby reducing their efficiency and motivation.
Regarding industrial chain support, the development of industrial clusters in ethnic regions is relatively underdeveloped, and collaboration between upstream and downstream enterprises is not sufficiently close. Many key components and raw materials must be procured from other regions, which not only increases procurement costs but also introduces risks of supply instability. Furthermore, supporting services such as logistics and distribution, technical testing, and equipment maintenance are underdeveloped and unable to provide comprehensive support to enterprises, weakening the overall competitiveness of industries in these regions.
In terms of infrastructure, incomplete transportation facilities lead to difficulties in transporting raw materials and finished products, making it challenging to ensure timeliness. Inadequate communication network coverage and quality issues also hinder enterprises’ access to market information and the adoption of new technologies, constraining the promotion of digitalized and intelligent production methods.
2.2 Economic Dimension: Relatively Small Economic Scale and Weak Technological Foundation
In the development of ethnic regions, the limitations of economic scale and the weakness of the technological foundation jointly create the predicament of “regional development disparities” [14]. Such persistent challenges of economic and technological gaps have become key bottlenecks hindering the development of New Quality Productive Forces and the promotion of Common Prosperity.
A sound economic base can provide solid material support for the high-quality development of ethnic regions, thereby enhancing their endogenous growth momentum. The economic scale of China’s ethnic regions is relatively small. Compared to central and eastern regions, the eight provinces and autonomous regions have a relatively weak economic foundation and, constrained by multiple factors, their economic development remains at a preliminary stage [15]. In terms of gross domestic product (GDP), the combined GDP of these eight provinces and autonomous regions in 2023 accounted for only about 10.6% of the national total (see Table 1). Regarding GDP growth rates, the economic development of these provinces and autonomous regions generally shows a positive growth trend. The Tibet Autonomous Region had the highest growth rate at 9.5% in 2023, followed by the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region with a growth of 7.3% compared to the previous year. The growth rates of the other provinces and regions ranged between 4.1% and 6.8% (see Table 1). Although the growth rates of some provinces and autonomous regions are notable, it is essential to recognize clearly the significant gap between the economic development level of these eight provinces and autonomous regions and the national average. Their growth models still require rational examination.
Table 1: Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Growth Rates of Ethnic Regions in 2023
| Region | Gross Domestic Product (Unit: 100 million yuan) | GDP Growth Rate (Year-on-Year Increase) |
| National Average | 1,260,582 | 5.2% |
| Tibet Autonomous Region | 2,392.67 | 9.5% |
| Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region | 24,627 | 7.3% |
| Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region | 19,125.91 | 6.8% |
| Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region | 5,314.95 | 6.6% |
| Qinghai Province | 3,799.06 | 5.3% |
| Guizhou Province | 20,913.25 | 4.9% |
| Yunnan Province | 30,021 | 4.4% |
| Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region | 27,202.39 | 4.1% |
Source: Compiled based on relevant data from the 2023 National and Provincial/Autonomous Region/Municipality Statistical Communiqués on National Economic and Social Development.
In regional economic development, the level of science and technology directly influences the economic growth model, industrial competitiveness, and regional development potential. The technological foundation is often regarded as one of the indicators of economic competitiveness. The relatively weak technological foundation in China’s ethnic regions has increasingly widened the economic gap between these areas and more developed regions, thereby affecting the process of achieving Common Prosperity in ethnic regions.
Firstly, there is insufficient investment in technological innovation. Taking research and development (R&D) expenditure as an example, the national total R&D expenditure in 2023 reached 3,335.71 billion yuan [16]. In contrast, the combined R&D expenditure of ethnic regions amounted to only 125.28 billion yuan, accounting for just 3.8% of the national total (see Table 2). In terms of R&D intensity, five provinces and autonomous regions—Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Tibet Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province, and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region—all have an intensity below or significantly below 1 (see Table 2). This stands in stark contrast to the often hundreds of billions of yuan invested in developed regions. As a key resource for promoting technological innovation, R&D investment plays a crucial role in enhancing regional competitiveness.
Secondly, compared to central and eastern regions, ethnic regions have a relatively small number of high-level scientific research institutions in cutting-edge fields. This results in a noticeable gap in academic achievements and innovative outputs between these regions and their central and eastern counterparts. According to the Ministry of Education’s second-round list of “Double First-Class” initiative universities and disciplines, only 9 of the 147 selected universities are located in the eight provinces and autonomous regions. Compared to the overall development of higher education nationwide, the development in ethnic regions remains relatively lagging, making it difficult for them to unleash their full potential in driving technological innovation activities.
Table 2: Research and Experimental Development Funding for Ethnic Minority Areas in 2023
| Region | Research and Experimental Development (R&D) Expenditure (100 million yuan) | R&D Expenditure Intensity (%) |
| National Total | 33,357.1 | 2.65 |
| Yunnan Province | 346.7 | 1.15 |
| Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region | 228.1 | 0.93 |
| Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region | 228.1 | 0.84 |
| Guizhou Province | 211.4 | 1.01 |
| Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region | 115.5 | 0.60 |
| Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region | 85.5 | 1.61 |
| Qinghai Province | 30.3 | 0.80 |
| Tibet Autonomous Region | 7.2 | 0.30 |
Source: According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics of China in 2023.
2.3 Talent Dimension: Deficiencies in the Cultivation and Recruitment Mechanisms for New-Quality Talent
Talent is the primary resource, and achieving Common Prosperity in ethnic regions fundamentally relies on talent [17]. Currently, due to the unique geographical and social contexts of ethnic regions, the distribution of human resources presents a significant disadvantage compared to other parts of the country. This is particularly evident in the severe shortage of high-level talent supply, which fails to meet the demands of New Quality Productive Forces. Consequently, the crucial driving role of new-quality talent in promoting Common Prosperity in ethnic regions is difficult to realize [18].
Regarding talent cultivation, factors such as geographic location, economic level, and educational concepts have resulted in relatively backward educational conditions in ethnic regions. This primarily manifests in incomplete infrastructure and generally low educational standards, making it difficult to cultivate a high-tech talent pool locally. At present, the quality of existing universities and research institutions in ethnic regions is uneven, with a scarcity of top-tier universities and research institutes and weak scientific research capabilities. According to the Ministry of Education’s second-round list for the “Double First-Class” initiative, ethnic regions account for less than 7% of the designated “Double First-Class” universities, indicating their limited capacity to shoulder the major responsibility of cultivating high-end and cutting-edge talent. Simultaneously, a common issue in universities within ethnic regions is the disconnect between their disciplinary structure and regional development needs. For instance, universities in Tibet and Qinghai primarily focus on traditional liberal arts, while the development of science, engineering, and frontier interdisciplinary disciplines lags. This makes it difficult to support the needs of characteristic industries such as biomedicine and the development of plateau seed resources, resulting in cultivated talent often failing to meet the demands of local economic and social development.
Regarding talent recruitment, compared to eastern regions, ethnic regions show clear disadvantages in the level of scientific research infrastructure, the effectiveness of talent development ecosystems, and financial incentive mechanisms. This makes it difficult for local universities and research institutes to attract top scholars, creating a vicious cycle of “weak platforms — talent shortage — few achievements.” To some extent, this leads to talent agglomeration toward eastern regions, forming a “Matthew Effect” [19] in interregional talent distribution. Data from the “Notice on Publishing the Reorganization Results and Expert Consultation Review Opinions for National Key Laboratories in 2024,” released by the National Science and Technology Management Information System Public Service Platform, shows that laboratories from only 9 universities in the eight provinces and autonomous regions were included in the reorganization list, accounting for only about 3.6% of the announced laboratories (250 total)—a relatively low overall proportion. Some laboratories have developed well by leveraging regional characteristics (e.g., civil engineering in Guangxi), but laboratories in frontier technology fields such as artificial intelligence and integrated circuits remain scarce.
2.4 Ecological Dimension: Prominent Vulnerability of Ecosystems and Industrial Development
Green is the defining feature of high-quality development. As key areas for ecological and environmental protection, ethnic regions, due to their relatively lagging economic development, often remain overly reliant on traditional resource-intensive industries in many localities, exhibiting a characteristic of singular industrial structure. This has led to excessive exploitation of natural resources to drive economic growth in ethnic regions, resulting in further deterioration of the ecological environment and intensifying the contradiction between economic development and ecological conservation.
From the perspective of ecosystem vulnerability, China’s ethnic regions are predominantly distributed in ecological barrier zones such as the Tibetan Plateau, the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, and the arid northwestern regions. These areas are characterized by significant altitude gradients, high climate sensitivity, and low stability of biological communities. Taking the Three-River-Source Region as an example, between 2019 and 2020, the area of the Geladandong Glacier and the Anyemaqen Glacier in this region decreased by 5.51% and 4.96%, respectively [20], directly impacting the ecological security of 250 million people in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers. This geographical particularity endows the ecosystem service functions with cross-regional spillover effects, yet the costs of restoration are fully internalized, creating a paradox where the “ecological contributors bear the costs.” This is extremely detrimental to achieving Common Prosperity in ethnic regions. In these ecologically fragile ethnic regions, the phenomenon of excessive reliance on resource-based industries for economic development is particularly pronounced. For instance, according to a 2021 notification from the Central Ecological and Environmental Protection Inspection Team, the granite production base in Cenxi City, Guangxi, had long relied on resource extraction to drive economic growth. Among the city’s 31 granite mines, 20 were not conducting standardized stepwise mining, with approximately 80% of the material becoming waste soil and rock. This caused severe damage to mountain structures, making reclamation extremely difficult [21].
From the perspective of industrial development vulnerability, the resource-dependent economic model in ethnic regions has fallen into a state of path dependency. The long-term over-exploitation and primary processing of natural resources have resulted in a singular industrial structure locally, characterized by low technological content and low value-added. Furthermore, there is “insufficient penetration of digitalization and intelligence, with significant disparities in the level of digital equipment across industries” [22]. Simultaneously, this path dependence has not only damaged ecosystem stability but also led to issues such as land degradation and water resource shortages, further constraining the cultivation and development of emerging industries. Overall, the industrial structure in ethnic regions is relatively backward, with the proportion of value-added from the primary industry significantly higher than the national average. In 2023, the proportion of value-added from the primary industry to China’s GDP was 6.9%, while the average for ethnic regions was approximately 12.1% (This figure was compiled by the author based on relevant data from the 2023 National Economic and Social Development Statistical Communiqué and the statistical communiqués on national economic and social development of the respective provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the central government.). This high dependency leads to a significant “resource curse” effect within the dominant single-industry pattern. For example, resource-based industries once accounted for over 50% of the GDP of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, while its R&D intensity was less than 1%, causing the region to experience “rollercoaster” economic fluctuations amid energy price volatility [23].
3 Pathways for Advancing Common Prosperity in Ethnic Regions through New Quality Productive Forces
Common Prosperity is a fundamental goal of Marxism and a long-held aspiration of the Chinese people throughout history. Currently, to promote the realization of Common Prosperity in ethnic regions, it is essential to fully leverage their unique institutional advantages, policy support, and geographical strengths. This involves driving a fundamental transformation of the productive forces system through the optimal combination of new laborers, new means of labor, and new objects of labor, and developing New Quality Productive Forces according to local conditions, thereby achieving leapfrog economic growth.
3.1 Top-Level Design: Leveraging the Advantages of Regional Ethnic Autonomy and Improving Institutional Support for New Quality Productive Forces
Improving the institutional framework for developing New Quality Productive Forces in ethnic regions is crucial for creating a favorable environment for their formation and growth. In the process of advancing Common Prosperity, ethnic regions should fully leverage their regional autonomy advantages, continuously and innovatively break through institutional barriers, adjust and refine systems to foster new production relations. This will unlock the potential of New Quality Productive Forces, promote the optimization of socio-economic structures, and contribute to achieving Common Prosperity.
3.1.1 Utilize Autonomous Legislative Power to Overcome Policy Lag and Formulate Regulations for Promoting New Quality Productive Forces According to Local Conditions
On one hand, it is essential to clarify priority development areas. Ethnic regions should, based on local resource endowments, create a “Resource-Technology Compatibility Map.” This involves conducting technology compatibility assessments for resources unique to ethnic regions, screening industrializable technological pathways, and designating key directions for New Quality Productive Forces in autonomous regulations. Development plans must clearly outline goals, key areas, implementation steps, safeguard measures, and be supported by dedicated policies such as R&D subsidies and preferential land use quotas. On the other hand, establish a “Dynamic Policy Adaptation Mechanism.” Grassroots governments, enterprises, and representatives of farmers and herders should jointly report policy constraints urgently needing breakthroughs to the autonomous region’s people’s congress for prioritized review and revision. A regular policy evaluation mechanism should be established to assess the implementation effectiveness of New Quality Productive Forces-related policies every six months. Based on evaluation feedback, policies should be timely adjusted and optimized to ensure their effectiveness aligns with societal needs.
3.1.2 Address the “Inadequate Supporting Measures” Situation and Build an Endogenous Support System
At the scientific and technological support level, first, promote the upgrading of science and technology innovation services. Governments in ethnic regions should increase support for sci-tech intermediary agencies, encouraging social capital to establish such agencies through government subsidies and tax incentives. Second, reform the scientific research management system. This involves simplifying the approval process for research projects and establishing a one-stop approval service platform that integrates approval procedures from multiple departments, enabling online application and centralized approval.
At the industrial support level, first, formulate a cluster cultivation plan. Establish special funds for industrial cluster development to support technological upgrades, equipment procurement, and talent recruitment for enterprises within the clusters. Encourage increased collaboration among cluster enterprises, establishing cooperative alliances between upstream and downstream companies to enhance the overall competitiveness of the industrial cluster through order sharing and technological cooperation. Second, improve industrial support services. Increase investment in supporting services such as logistics and distribution, technical testing, and equipment maintenance.
At the infrastructure support level, first, formulate a transportation facility construction plan, prioritizing the construction of main transportation lines connecting industrial parks, key resource production areas, and markets to improve the accessibility and transport capacity of roads and railways. Second, increase investment in communication network construction, planning and deploying network communication facilities according to local conditions to improve the coverage and quality of communication networks in ethnic regions.
3.2 Core Direction: Vigorously Developing the Digital Economy to Expand Economic Scale and Strengthen the Technological Foundation
As a concrete manifestation of New Quality Productive Forces, the digital economy not only innovates traditional production mechanisms and enhances the efficiency of resource allocation but also catalyzes innovative forms of products and services, constituting a new growth pole for economic development. Facing the significant historical opportunity of building a Digital China by 2025, ethnic regions must fully leverage their geographical advantages. They should promote the deep integration of the digital economy with characteristic industries to expand their economic scale and utilize digital technologies to enhance scientific and technological innovation capabilities. Strengthening digital infrastructure construction will solidify the foundation for technological innovation, accelerating the realization of Common Prosperity.
3.2.1 Expand the Economic Scale. Ethnic regions should focus on constructing a “Digital+” characteristic industry transformation matrix to create a new digital-driven industrial ecosystem
On one hand, they can vigorously develop diversified integration models empowered by New Quality Productive Forces, such as “Digital+Characteristic Agriculture” and “Digital+Cultural Tourism.” In the agricultural sector, IoT technology can be applied in the production phase to build intelligent planting and breeding systems for precise production. Big data can guide cultivation and breeding practices to avoid speculative or uninformed production. Introducing digital equipment for quality control, optimizing supply chains with digital technologies, and establishing e-commerce platforms to broaden sales channels can promote the scalable expansion of characteristic agriculture, thereby increasing farmers’ incomes. In the cultural tourism sector, VR and AR technologies can be used to create immersive cultural tourism experiences, restoring the cultural landscape of ethnic regions and offering AR guided tours for visitors. Leveraging big data platforms for targeted marketing allows for the customization of personalized travel itineraries and products. Simultaneously, online promotion via social media and short video platforms can drive the coordinated development of related industries like catering and accommodation, contributing to economic scale expansion.
3.2.2 Strengthen the Technological Foundation. Ethnic regions should increase research investment, build digital research infrastructure, and use digital technologies to enhance regional scientific and technological innovation capabilities
Firstly, governments in ethnic regions should increase financial support, establishing special research funds directed towards characteristic and advantageous industries. They should introduce tax incentives and subsidy policies to encourage enterprises to increase R&D investment. Concurrently, strengthening financial support by encouraging financial institutions to innovate and provide services like low-interest loans and intellectual property pledge loans will broaden financing channels for research.
Secondly, they should construct digital research infrastructure to create innovation support platforms. This involves advancing the construction of high-speed communication networks to achieve comprehensive 5G and high-speed broadband coverage in research institutions, universities, and industrial parks within ethnic regions. Building big data centers to integrate data resources from fields like ecology, characteristic industries, and cultural heritage will provide rich data support for scientific research.
Finally, utilizing digital technologies to enhance regional scientific and technological innovation capabilities will stimulate innovation vitality. Strengthening the application of digital technologies in industry-university-research cooperation promotes information sharing and collaborative innovation among universities, research institutions, and enterprises. Encouraging joint industry-university-research projects based on market demand and conducting joint research on key technologies in the digital economy sector will accelerate the transformation and application of scientific and technological achievements, improving their practicality and economic benefits.
3.3 Reliant Force: Pooling Talent Resources and Improving Mechanisms for Talent “Recruitment, Cultivation, and Retention”
Talent is the key resource for New Quality Productive Forces. “In accordance with the requirements for developing New Quality Productive Forces, it is necessary to unblock the virtuous cycle of education, science and technology, and talent, and improve the working mechanisms for talent cultivation, introduction, utilization, and reasonable flow” [1]. Ethnic regions should fully recognize the important position of talent in developing New Quality Productive Forces and promoting Common Prosperity. By continuously cultivating and attracting more high-quality new-type laborers with knowledgeable and specialized innovative capabilities, they can achieve a leap in human capital, aiding the realization of Common Prosperity in ethnic regions.
3.3.1 Optimize the Talent Cultivation System
Firstly, government departments should increase investment in education, improving the infrastructure of schools in ethnic regions and introducing modern teaching equipment to provide a material foundation for cultivating high-quality talent.
Secondly, they should adjust the disciplinary structure of universities and research institutions in ethnic regions, closely aligning majors with local characteristic industries and development needs. Promoting deep integration of industry and education ensures that talent cultivation matches the demands of regional economic development.
Finally, they should consolidate the foundation for local innovation and entrepreneurship. Establishing “New Quality Productive Forces Incubation Bases” in ethnic regions can provide returning entrepreneurs with services like tax reductions, low-interest loans, and industrial chain connections. Simultaneously, increasing investment to improve conditions in housing, healthcare, and education is crucial.
3.3.2 Improve Talent Recruitment Mechanisms
The first is to strengthen the construction of scientific research platforms in ethnic regions, creating regional characteristic innovation carriers [24]. Focusing on the strategic needs of ethnic regions, they should plan for national laboratory branch centers or regional key laboratories, striving to host major national research projects. Supporting the establishment of new R&D institutions in frontier fields like artificial intelligence and integrated circuits in regions like Xinjiang and Guangxi, conducting joint research with eastern teams through a “flying ground” model, and co-building industrial parks can attract technical talent through industrial projects, forming a virtuous cycle of “attracting talent through industry and revitalizing industry through talent.”
The second is to formulate differentiated talent recruitment policies and improve the talent development environment. For high-level talent, introduce “flexible recruitment” plans, allowing scholars from eastern regions to participate in research in ethnic regions through part-time positions or project collaborations, establishing “migratory bird” workstations. For outstanding young talent, establish a “Frontier Young Scholars Program,” continuously strengthening paired support work for cadres and talent in Tibet, Xinjiang, and Qinghai, and deepening East-West collaboration and targeted assistance.
The third is to build a regional collaborative talent recruitment network, jointly establishing talent corridors with western provinces, integrating regional recruitment policies, and sharing talent databases.
3.3.3 Establish Talent Retention Mechanisms
On one hand, it is necessary to provide talent with broad career development space and establish promotion mechanisms. Government departments in ethnic regions can, based on regional characteristic industries, set up scientific and reasonable talent promotion channels and incentive mechanisms, offering advancement opportunities according to ability and performance.
On the other hand, it is essential to strengthen talent service guarantees and foster a social atmosphere that respects talent and encourages innovation. By introducing a series of preferential policies providing comprehensive support in housing, children’s education, and healthcare, talent can truly feel the care and importance placed on them by ethnic regions, continuously increasing their sense of gain and happiness.
3.4 Key Pillar: Adhering to the Green Development Principle and Constructing a Diversified Industrial Development Pattern
Given the dual vulnerability of ecosystems and industrial structures, ethnic regions must effectively protect natural ecosystems while promoting the green transformation and upgrading of local industries. Exploring mechanisms to realize the value of ecological products is beneficial for achieving Common Prosperity in these regions.
3.4.1 Strengthen the Technological Support for Ecological Governance in Ethnic Regions and Innovate Ecological Governance Models
The first is to increase investment in scientific and technological innovation in the ecological and environmental field, especially in key technologies like intelligent monitoring and ecological restoration, providing more effective tools and means for ecological governance. Governments in ethnic regions need to establish special research funds, encouraging collaboration between research institutions, universities, and enterprises to develop key technologies like intelligent monitoring and ecological restoration tailored to the ecological characteristics of ethnic regions, enhancing ecosystem stability.
The second is to utilize cutting-edge technologies such as big data and the Internet of Things (IoT) to enhance the precision and scientific rigor of ecological governance. Leveraging IoT, low-power sensor nodes adapted to complex terrains like plateaus and mountains can be developed for the real-time collection of over 20 ecological parameters like temperature, humidity, and biomass. Simultaneously, using big data analysis allows for a deeper understanding of the evolution patterns and influencing factors of ecosystems, predicting ecological change trends and formulating targeted governance strategies.
3.4.2 Rely on and Utilize Ecological Resource Endowments to Accelerate the Construction of a Green, Low-Carbon Industrial System
The first is to promote the green transformation of traditional industries. In traditional agriculture, green planting and breeding technologies should be actively integrated. For example, introducing precision irrigation systems and biological pest control techniques ensures agricultural product safety and reduces pollution. In traditional industry, especially resource-based sectors, the application of green technologies should be increased. In the coal industry, for instance, promoting clean coal combustion technologies and adopting advanced desulfurization, denitrification, and dust removal equipment can reduce pollutant emissions during coal burning. Simultaneously, guiding traditional industries towards deep processing and developing high value-added products is advisable.
The second is to actively cultivate and develop green industries. Firstly, fully utilizing the abundant clean energy resources (solar, wind, hydro) in ethnic regions to construct large-scale solar power stations, wind farms, and hydropower plants. Integrating the new energy industry with traditional energy industries achieves diversified energy supply, constructing a green, low-carbon energy industrial system. Secondly, leveraging ecological, landscape, and cultural advantages to promote the development of integrated industries; seizing opportunities from new infrastructure initiatives to promote integration models like “Digital +”; increasing investment in science and technology; introducing interdisciplinary talent; and promoting the innovative application of high-tech in this field will achieve harmonious development between ecology and the economy.
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Author Introduction:
WANG Cheng (born 1982), male, a native of Dingyuan, Anhui Province, is an Associate Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at the School of Marxism, Guangxi Normal University. He also serves as a researcher at the University’s Research Center for Marxist Theory and Regional Practice and at the Institute of Party History and Party Building of the Communist Party of China. His main research focuses on the Communist Party of China and Chinese modernization.
GONG Wanting (born 2000), female, a native of Liangping, Chongqing, is a Doctoral Candidate at the School of Marxism, Guangxi Normal University. Her main research focuses on ethnic economics.
This article is a phased achievement of the following three research projects:
The National Social Science Foundation Western Project “Research on the Theory and Practice of the Communist Party of China’s Firm Historical Confidence in the New Era” (Project No.: 22XDJ004);
The Guangxi Universities Key Research Base Project for Humanities and Social Sciences “Research on the Communist Party of China’s Exploration of Breaking Out of the Historical Cycle and Its Main Experiences” (Project No.: 2024MKSJDC03);
The Guangxi Graduate Education Innovation Plan Project “Research on the Integrated Development of ‘Artificial Intelligence + Manufacturing’ in Guangxi from the Perspective of New Quality Productive Forces” (Project No.: YCSW2025194).
