Abstract: The theory of better adaptation between national governance and social development is a significant ideological and theoretical contribution of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. This significant ideological and theoretical contribution is of a principled nature, not only in terms of the major theoretical concerns of modern society and the calls from practice that it responds to, but also in terms of the major theoretical innovations in the evolution of Marxist historical materialism and the theory of nation. It is the sublimation of the experience gained by the Communist Party of China in promoting the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity since the new era. This significant ideological and theoretical contribution has raised our understanding of the laws governing the movement of basic contradictions in productivity and production relations, economic foundation, and superstructure to a new level, and further extended and expanded the new field of the basic contradictions in society. “Better adaptation between national governance and social development” represents a new expansion of the theory of the basic social contradictions, an effective way to resolve the basic social contradictions, and a new perspective for innovating the basic social contradictions. This significant ideological and theoretical contribution is of great methodological significance for further deepening reforms in an allround way and promoting Chinesestyle modernization at the new starting point of the new journey.

Key words: national governance; social development; the third plenary session of the 20th central committee of the CPC; fundamental contradiction of society; principled contribution