Abstract: Cooperatives are an important organizational carrier for the economic and social development of China’s rural areas. Since its establishment, the Communist Party of China has attached great importance to the exploration and practical application of the cooperative theory. The cooperative theory of the Communist Party of China is based on the Marxist cooperative theory; while criticizing and surpassing the Western capitalist cooperative economic theory, it has realized the splendid evolution of localization and modernization. The cooperative theory of the Communist Party of China has experienced a century of development of preliminary exploration, gradual deepening, and theoretical sublimation, thus presenting the theoretical characteristics and evolutionary path from focusing on ideas to returning to reality, from relatively closed to open and inclusive, from single concentration to multiple coexistence. To scientifically grasp and implement the theory of cooperatives of the Communist Party of China at the new development stage, we must adhere to the people-centered development concept, insist on the practical method of combining the subjectivity and creativity of the masses, and stick to the practical demands of productivity standards and market orientation.

Key words: Communist Party of China, the Cooperative Theory, communism, cooperative economy, common prosperity