人民至上:新时代中国边疆治理的制度基础与实践逻辑

The People First:The Institutional Foundation and Practical Logic of Frontier Administration in China in the New Era

近代中国面对的是一个陌生而残酷的“霍布斯式”的民族国家丛林,在西方外来文明的侵蚀下,传统央地关系与边疆治理机制被迫走上了一条艰难曲折的重构之路。系统性秩序与社会性秩序是对边疆治理过程中维持和解构边疆社会多样性的两种力量机制的一种概括性解释,通过这两种秩序的力量消长以及“人民至上”话语的历史切入,勾画传统中国在向现代中国转型过程中,边疆治理逻辑切换和路径演化的内在矛盾和一般性图景。在“人民至上”话语下分析中国边疆治理相关问题,除具体的治理策略外,也为理解以下两个层面的宏观内容提供了一个现实的视阈和微小的切入口,即中国现代民族国家“国民(人口)”与“国土(疆域)”的形而上联系,以及多民族国家建构治理的历史与现代的接续问题。

Upholding the principle of“the people first”is not only the logical context and implementation of the core values of the CPC’s governance in the new era;it also reflects the CPC’s deep sense of responsibility and historical commitment to the buildup of the community for the Chinese nation and realizing its great rejuvenation.Regarding frontier administration in the new era,standing by the principle of“the people first”not only means to restore the universality of frontier administration with respect to standpoint,interest,and authority to deal with the specific disputes arising from a“perceived incompatibility”of system and society.In addition,it is necessary to give a holistic description of the mindset and folk wisdom of the ethnic groups in the frontier areas and to show the continuity between historical tradition and current frontier administration.If we choose to govern the border while adhering to the principle of“the people first”,sooner or later we need to address the question of how to make it happen in practice.As the psychological and material worlds are equally important and interconnected as well,we also need to analyze the concrete path of frontier governance in the new era at these two levels of people’s minds and capabilities.As for the people’s psyche,it is necessary to effectively enhance national identity,forge a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation,and promote the integration and unity of the interests of all Chinese people.Regarding the capabilities,it is necessary to put in order the relationship between system and society,guarantee the full support of governance resources,and steadily improve collaborative governance role in the border areas.In addition to a specific governance strategy,the Chinese frontier governance style that emphasizes“the people first”principle also enables us to understand two big issues,first,the metaphysical relationship between the“population”and“territory”of the modern nationstate of China,and,second,the connection between ancient and contemporary governance in multiethnic China.Of course,the interconnectedness of many factors in the frontier society,the extensive and profound Chinese history and culture,and the rich and diverse political and philosophical life in a unified multiethnic country all lead to concerns about the issue of frontier governance;in fact,a satisfactory solution still is a long way off.All these topics need to be further investigated and fostered in the specific contexts of China’s frontier governance,Western development strategy,even the forging of a sense of community for the Chinese nation in the new era,along with an effective remedy for a series of practical problems,a careful solution of multidimensional complex relations,and a detailed and holistic description of the system and people at a more detailed level.