Gu Shengzu, vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), attended the opening ceremony of a forum on the development of China's non-public sector held in Tianjin municipality on Sept 15 and gave a keynote speech.

The forum was jointly organized by the Central Committee of the China National Democratic Construction Association, the Ministry of Information and Technology, and the Tianjin Municipal Government with the theme "innovation-driven growth, empowerment through cooperation, and high-quality development."

Gu, also executive vice-chairman of the central committee, hailed the critical role of reform and opening-up in changing the trajectory of the development of the Chinese nation and reshaping the country's economic and social development on three fronts. They include the shift from a planned economy to a market economy, the change from a pure public ownership system to one that retains the dominant position of public ownership while allowing diverse forms of ownership to develop side by side, and the diversion from egalitarianism and distribution according to work to a diversified system in which distribution according to work remains dominant with the coexistence of multiple distribution modes.

Gu also said a booming private economy is key to the success of the new development paradigm. China's prosperity and national strength have proven clearly that private economy as a part of China's economic system can only be bolstered rather than weakened. In China's pursuit of common prosperity, private enterprises function as beneficiaries, participants, practitioners and enablers, he added.

In his speech, Gu also called on private enterprises to be committed to healthy growth, product differentiation, professionalism, long-term vision, and scientific decision-making.