消除贫困是社会主义本质要求
在2014年10月国务院召开的全国社会扶贫工作电视电话会议上，习近平指出，消除贫困，改善民生，逐步实现全体人民共同富裕，是社会主义的本质要求。2017年10月18日，习近平在中共十九大报告中指出，必须坚定不移把发展作为党执政兴国的第一要务，坚持解放和发展社会生产力，坚持社会主义市场经济改革方向，推动经济持续健康发展。
以邓小平同志为核心的中国共产党第二代中央领导集体探索并初步回答了"什么是社会主义、怎样建设社会主义"的问题。1992年初，邓小平在南方谈话中提出，"社会主义的本质，是解放生产力，发展生产力，消灭剥削，消除两极分化，最终达到共同富裕"。
社会主义本质论对实践具有重大的指导意义：（1）继承了科学社会主义的基本原则，是探索建设中国特色社会主义道路的最重大理论成果之一，是对马克思主义的重大发展。（2）为我们既坚持公有制又完善和发展公有制指明了方向。（3）突破了把计划经济等一些原本不属于社会主义固有的东西当作社会主义本质特征的传统观念。（4）反映了人民的利益和时代的要求，澄清了不合乎时代进步和社会发展规律的模糊观念，摆脱了长期以来拘泥于具体模式而忽视社会主义本质的错误倾向，深化了对社会主义本质的认识。其内在要求是各级党政领导干部和广大人民群众树立科学的公平观和正义观，根本要求是解放和发展生产力。
Eliminating Poverty: a Fundamental Task for Socialism
Speaking to a national teleconference on poverty alleviation in October 2014, Xi Jinping said that eliminating poverty, improving living standards, and achieving common prosperity among all Chinese people is a fundamental task for socialism. In his report to the 19th CPC National Congress, he vowed to continue to pursue development as the Party's top priority in governance, unleash and develop the country's productive forces, continue reform to develop the socialist market economy, and promote sustained and sound economic growth.
The CPC's second generation of collective leadership with Deng Xiaoping at its core asked itself what socialism is and how to build socialism. During his tour to southern China in early 1992, Deng said, "The essence of socialism is liberation and development of the productive forces, elimination of exploitation and polarization, and the ultimate achievement of prosperity for all."
This vision guides China in four ways:
(1)It inherits the basic tenets of scientific socialism, and represents important theoretical progress in building Chinese socialism and a major development of Marxism;
(2)It charts the course for China in upholding and developing public ownership;
(3)It shatters the previous belief that mistakenly considered the planned economy as an inherent component of socialism; and
(4)It represents the people's interests and the requirement of the times, clarifies ambiguous thoughts that do not conform to the advance of the times and social development, abandons the long-existing erroneous tendency toward overemphasizing the stereotyped models and neglecting the nature of socialism, and improves people's perception of the nature of socialism.
It thereby guides Party and government officials and the general public with a correct view of equity and justice, and encourages the release and development of productive forces.