Li Junjie: The Consciousness of the Community of the Chinese Nation [1] Guiding High-Quality Development in Ethnic Minority Regions
By Li Junjie
The consciousness of the community for the Chinese nation is the foundation of national unity, the root of ethnic solidarity, and the soul of spiritual strength. High-quality development is the primary task in building a modern socialist country in all respects. Promoting and achieving high-quality development in ethnic areas is both the necessary path for building a modern socialist country and an important mission for the construction of the community for the Chinese nation. This requires us to take the forging of the consciousness of the community for the Chinese nation as our guide, the enhancement of commonality as our direction, and new quality productive forces as our momentum to comprehensively advance high-quality development in ethnic areas.
Profoundly Grasping the Main Thread of Ethnic Work
Forging the consciousness of the community for the Chinese nation is a significant achievement of the Sinicization and modernization of Marxist ethnic theory in the New Era. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping, standing at the strategic height of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, has proposed a series of new ideas, viewpoints, and assertions centered on forging the consciousness of the community for the Chinese nation, forming General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions on this subject. This important body of thought integrates Marxist ethnic theory with China’s specific realities and traditional Chinese culture [1], particularly the deep integration of the Marxist "community" (Gemeinschaft) idea with the Chinese concept of "Great Unity" (da yitong) [2]. It creatively refines the Party’s theory of ethnic development for the New Era, reflects the historical essence, developmental laws, and value pursuits of the Chinese nation, and stands as the latest achievement in the Sinicization and modernization of Marxist ethnic theory. It is the distinct main thread of ethnic work in the New Era and a major matter of state for contemporary China.
Forging the consciousness of the community for the Chinese nation is the "soul" of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important thought on strengthening and improving ethnic work. This thought scientifically answers major questions such as which banner to hold and which path to take for ethnic work in the New Era. It centrally embodies the new explorations, achievements, and experiences of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core in promoting the high-quality development of the Party’s ethnic work. It is an important component of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. The essence of this thought lies in the "Twelve Musts" [3], among which the expositions on forging the consciousness of the community for the Chinese nation break through the discourse system of Western ethnology. It posits a more open and inclusive community with a shared future, systematically reshaping our country’s ethnic theoretical system. To study, comprehend, and accurately understand this thought, the most critical element is to profoundly grasp this "soul."
Forging the consciousness of the community for the Chinese nation is the main thread for the Party’s ethnic work and all tasks in ethnic areas in the New Era. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Forging the consciousness of the community for the Chinese nation is the main thread of the Party's ethnic work in the New Era, and also the main thread of all work in ethnic areas." "We must persist in taking the promotion of the construction of the community for the Chinese nation as the main thread of work in border and ethnic areas." General Secretary Xi Jinping’s "Main Thread Theory" is a significant deepening of the Party Central Committee’s understanding of the laws governing ethnic work, a profound insight into the situation of maintaining harmony and stability in ethnic areas, and an earnest expectation for ethnic areas to better play their role in the overall national situation. It fully validates the "Four Necessary Requirements" [4] of forging the consciousness of the community for the Chinese nation. This necessarily requires that economic, political, cultural, social, ecological, and Party building in ethnic areas must revolve closely around this main thread without deviation. This will solidify the ideological foundation for safeguarding the fundamental interests of all ethnic groups, draw the largest concentric circle [5] for achieving national rejuvenation, tie the spiritual bond for consolidating and developing new-type socialist ethnic relations, and gather a powerful synergy to open new vistas in ethnic work, guiding people of all ethnic groups to firmly establish the "Four Togethers" [6] concept of community.
Profoundly Grasping the Intrinsic Requirements of High-Quality Development in Ethnic Areas
Developing new quality productive forces is an important theoretical innovation of Xi Jinping Economic Thought. The theory of productive forces and relations of production is the theoretical basis of Marxist political economy. General Secretary Xi Jinping has accurately grasped the "Two Overalls" [7], persisting in combining Marxist productive force theory with the practice of economic development in the New Era. He creatively proposed the concept of new quality productive forces and major assertions for their development, scientifically answering theoretical and practical questions such as "what are new quality productive forces, why develop them, and how to develop them." This body of thought has a broad contemporary background, deep theoretical origins, and a solid practical foundation. It deepens our Party’s understanding of the laws of productive force development and provides a fundamental follow-standing for further liberating and developing social productive forces.
Developing new quality productive forces is an inevitable requirement for achieving high-quality development in ethnic areas. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that productive forces are the fundamental driving force of human social development and the ultimate cause of all social and political change. Development of new quality productive forces is an intrinsic requirement and an important focus for promoting high-quality development. From a realistic perspective, due to geographic environment, resource endowments, and historical culture, development in ethnic areas still faces prominent issues such as a single traditional industrial structure, insufficient innovation capacity, imbalanced development, and weaknesses in rural revitalization. The essence of new quality productive forces is advanced productivity, marked by a significant increase in total factor productivity. It will inevitably become the new engine for high-quality development in ethnic areas. We must utilize innovation-driven technological models such as digital transformation and intelligent substitution to develop new quality productive forces according to local conditions (yin di zhi yi), promote the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries, and enhance regional collaborative development.
Developing new quality productive forces is the intrinsic momentum for forging the consciousness of the community for the Chinese nation. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that we must endow all reform and development with the significance of manifesting the consciousness of the community for the Chinese nation. New quality productive forces represent new industries, models, and momentum. Developing them is conducive to the comprehensive progress of ethnic areas. By fostering new quality productive forces that embody "commonality" while conforming to "new development concepts," we lay a solid foundation for the community. Through technological and industrial innovation, we will continuously enhance the self-development capabilities of ethnic areas, narrow regional development gaps, and effectively enhance the sense of identity and belonging among all ethnic groups.
Profoundly Grasping the Logical Relationship between Innovative Theory and Development
Forging the consciousness of the community for the Chinese nation and developing new quality productive forces are both original, major theoretical innovations proposed by General Secretary Xi Jinping. Both possess common theoretical advancement. The former emphasizes the vision of all ethnic groups uniting and prospering together, embodying a historical view of the Chinese nation based on the "Five Commons" [8]. The latter is based on cutting-edge concepts like green development and digital transformation, aiming to improve efficiency and promote sustainable development. Both serve national rejuvenation and the building of a strong nation from different dimensions.
There is a relationship of matter and consciousness, or economic base and superstructure, between new quality productive forces and the consciousness of the community for the Chinese nation; the two are highly complementary. The development of new quality productive forces focuses on social needs at the material level, while forging the community consciousness focuses on social needs at the spiritual level. Material development provides the support, while the community consciousness provides the spiritual momentum and value orientation. Chinese-path modernization drives these two toward integration, where new-type relations of production provide a platform for mutual support, forming a virtuous cycle that promotes social progress.
There is an internal consistency between these two concepts in the historical evolution of the Chinese nation and the common goal of achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The ultimate goal of both is to seek happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation. Forging the community consciousness emphasizes the historical reality of "diversity within unity" (duoyuan yiti) [9] and ensures that ethnic areas achieve Chinese-path modernization in sync with the rest of the country.
The Path to Promoting High-Quality Development in Ethnic Areas
Upholding the leadership of the Party is the fundamental guarantee. "Party, government, military, society, and academia; east, west, south, north, and center—the Party leads everything." The leadership of the Communist Party of China is the most defining feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics. This requires us to make forging the community consciousness an internal requirement of Party building in ethnic areas and to build Party organizations at all levels into strong fortresses for development.
Achieving common prosperity is the objective requirement. From its founding, the CPC has taken common prosperity as its original aspiration and founding mission. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Common prosperity is an essential requirement of socialism... in the process of achieving common prosperity, not a single ethnic group can be left behind." This requires us to prioritize the "Three Significances" [10] in all reform and development, vigorously implement rural revitalization, strengthen infrastructure, and optimize fiscal transfer payments to ethnic minority areas. We must implement the "Three Plans" [11] and various actions for border prosperity to ensure all ethnic groups share the fruits of development.
Extensively promoting the "Three Exchanges" is the necessary path. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that the Chinese nation was forged through the "three exchanges" (intermingling, exchange, and integration; jiao-wang, jiao-liu, jiao-rong). We must build an "inter-embedded" (hu-qian-shi) social structure and community environment, creating social conditions where people of all ethnic groups live, learn, work, and enjoy themselves together. We must consolidate the pattern of diversity within unity where "I am in you, and you are in me, and no one can live without the other."
Chinese-path modernization is the central task. The Party’s central task is to advance the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through Chinese-path modernization. We must make the improvement of people’s livelihoods and the coalescing of public support the starting and ending points of economic and social development. We must leverage the unique advantage of modernization involving a huge population, harmonize material and spiritual civilizations, and promote modernization characterized by harmony between humanity and nature, contributing a Chinese solution for a path of peaceful development.
(The author is the Party Secretary and President of North Ningxia University) Source: Guangming Daily, February 26, 2025