Su Cheng: The Historical Orientation, Rich Connotations, and Epochal Value of the Party's Strategy for Governing Xinjiang in the New Era
On September 24, while receiving a work report from the Party Committee and Government of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Xinjiang must implement the Party's strategy for governing Xinjiang in the New Era [1] completely, accurately, and comprehensively. It must adhere to the general principle of seeking progress while maintaining stability, coordinate development and security, and remain firmly committed to the overarching goals of social stability and long-term peace and stability. Efforts must center on forging a sense of community for the Chinese nation [2] and advancing the construction of the Chinese national community. Xinjiang should anchor itself to the 'Five Strategic Orientations' [3] assigned by the Central Committee, pool its strengths, persist over the long term, and strive to build a socialist modern Xinjiang that is united, harmonious, prosperous, culturally advanced, secure, and ecologically sound." The Party's strategy for governing Xinjiang in the New Era is the concentrated expression of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as applied to Xinjiang work. It scientifically answers a series of fundamental, directional, and strategic questions regarding Xinjiang in the New Era, pointing the way forward and providing the fundamental baseline for conducting Xinjiang-related work under new circumstances. On the New Journey [4], to implement the Party’s strategy for governing Xinjiang in the New Era completely, accurately, and comprehensively, we must scientifically grasp its historical position, rich connotations, and contemporary value.
1. The Historical Position of the Party’s Strategy for Governing Xinjiang in the New Era
From the moment of its birth, the Communist Party of China (CPC) established seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation as its original aspiration and founding mission. Throughout the various historical periods of revolution, construction, and reform, the CPC has continuously explored and innovated its concepts for governing Xinjiang, endowing Xinjiang work with new contemporary connotations, missions, and tasks.
Since the 18th CPC National Congress, socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a New Era, which serves as the temporal coordinate for the formation and development of the Party’s strategy for governing Xinjiang in the New Era. The CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has drawn lessons from the historical experiences of successive central regimes in governing Xinjiang while inheriting and developing the CPC's own valuable experience. By systematically planning and holistically advancing fundamental, foundational, and long-term work concerning permanent stability, the Central Committee established the Party’s strategy for governing Xinjiang in the New Era, opening a new realm and reaching a new height in the governance, stabilization, and development of Xinjiang.
General Secretary Xi Jinping has noted: "Xinjiang work occupies a position of special importance in the overall work of the Party and the state; it bears upon the grand cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation." To scientifically grasp the historical position of this strategy, one must fully recognize Xinjiang’s important status within the strategic overall situation of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the world's once-in-a-century longitudinal changes [5]. On one hand, situated in the hinterland of the Eurasian continent, Xinjiang is a vital security barrier in China's northwest and a major gateway for the country's westward opening-up. Ensuring Xinjiang’s social stability and long-term peace and stability is of paramount importance. Xinjiang is rich in resources, serving as a strategic guarantee base for national energy and resources and a supply base for high-quality agricultural and livestock products, providing critical support for national economic and social development. As a multi-ethnic region where diverse cultures intersect, Xinjiang is an essential part of the cultural treasure house of the Chinese nation. The realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is inseparable from the stability and development of Xinjiang; conversely, Xinjiang’s prosperity and progress will surely inject powerful momentum into national rejuvenation.
On the other hand, against the backdrop of the world's once-in-a-century longitudinal changes, the international situation is complex and volatile. Forces of terrorism, separatism, and religious extremism [6] attempt to undermine our social stability and ethnic unity. Certain Western forces, driven by political motives, have spread rumors and smeared China on Xinjiang-related issues, concocting the so-called "Xinjiang issue" to level groundless accusations and sanctions against our country. These attempts to interfere in China’s internal affairs and contain China’s development further highlight Xinjiang’s role as a crucial strategic barrier in the field of national security. Meanwhile, Xinjiang possesses the unique geographical advantage of "connecting eight countries through five ports and linking Europe and Asia via one road." As the core area of the Silk Road Economic Belt, Xinjiang’s cooperation with neighboring countries in economy, culture, science, and technology is becoming increasingly close. It is destined to make greater contributions to enhancing the international communication and influence of Chinese culture and promoting the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative.
2. The Rich Connotations of the Party’s Strategy for Governing Xinjiang in the New Era
The Party’s strategy for governing Xinjiang in the New Era contains the profound insight and deep reflection of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core regarding the situation in Xinjiang. It is a rigorous, logical, rich, and profound theoretical system, serving as the "guiding principle" and "soul" for Xinjiang work in the New Era.
The core essence of the strategy consists of the "Eight Adherences": namely, adhering to examining and planning Xinjiang work from a strategic perspective; adhering to taking social stability and long-term peace and stability as the overarching goals; adhering to winning over people's hearts as the foundation; adhering to forging a sense of community for the Chinese nation; adhering to the direction of the Sinicization of religions in China; adhering to promoting and cultivating Core Socialist Values; adhering to promoting high-quality development in close connection with people's livelihoods; and adhering to strengthening the Party’s leadership over Xinjiang work. The "Eight Adherences" form an organic whole that profoundly reveals the inherent laws of Xinjiang work and provides scientific answers to a series of fundamental, directional, and strategic questions. Covering all aspects of Xinjiang work, they address both the present and the long term, encompassing both general goals and specific tasks. They grasp the root of the Xinjiang issue, reveal the patterns of work there, and point the direction for development. They represent the distilled summary and innovative development of the CPC's successful experience in governing, stabilizing, and developing the region.
The guiding principles of the strategy are: governing Xinjiang in accordance with the law, stabilizing Xinjiang through unity, nourishing Xinjiang through culture [7], enriching the people to develop Xinjiang, and building Xinjiang over the long term. Through the operational logic of "governing, stabilizing, nourishing, developing, and building," these principles focus on the overarching goals. They are both self-contained and interrelated, forming a synergistic and integrated policy system. This comprehensively reflects the strategic guidance for Xinjiang work across all fields and dimensions in the New Era, profoundly grasps the trends of the times and the process of Xinjiang’s modernization, and innovatively develops the fundamental path for modernizing the governance system and governance capacity in Xinjiang.
The strategy is an organic unity of the logic of the times, theory, history, and practice. Its rich connotations vividly demonstrate the dialectical thinking and scientific methods of Marxism. It adheres to the unity of the "two-point theory" and the "priority theory" [8]: while taking social stability and long-term peace and stability as the overarching goals, it simultaneously emphasizes the importance of economic development, improvement of livelihoods, and cultural nourishment, achieving a dialectical unity of stability and development. It adheres to the coordination of the "holistic view" and the "local view," planning Xinjiang work within the dual contexts of domestic and international situations while precisely aligning with Xinjiang's reality to propose multi-dimensional measures. It adheres to the combination of "inheritance" and "innovation," inheriting the CPC's historical experience in governing Xinjiang while innovatively proposing measures such as forging a sense of community for the Chinese nation and promoting high-quality development in close connection with livelihoods to address the primary contradictions and prominent problems faced in the New Era, thus ensuring that the practice of governing Xinjiang upholds the fundamentals and breaks new ground while advancing with the times.
3. The Contemporary Value of the Party’s Strategy for Governing Xinjiang in the New Era
Since the 18th CPC National Congress, under the strong leadership of the CPC, work in Xinjiang has upheld the fundamentals and broken new ground amidst complexity, advancing triumphantly through contradictions and risks. Various undertakings have undergone historical transformations and achieved historical accomplishments. Xinjiang has entered a historical period of the best development, the greatest change, and the most tangible benefits for the people of all ethnic groups. The Party's strategy for governing Xinjiang in the New Era has demonstrated powerful contemporary value.
It provides scientific guidance for Xinjiang work. This strategy was formed by the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core by continuously deepening the understanding of the laws of governing Xinjiang in response to the historical position of Xinjiang work and changes in the international and domestic environments. By facing contradictions head-on, having the courage to struggle, and engaging in deep practice and exploration, the Party formed these scientific plans and deployments. It reflects a scientific grasp and strategic blueprint for the laws of governing, stabilizing, and developing Xinjiang, serving as the fundamental baseline. Practice has proven that this strategy conforms to Xinjiang's reality and meets the people's expectations. It has found a correct path that coordinates development, openness, and security, effectively promoting the practice of Chinese-path modernization in Xinjiang and realizing the overarching goals of social stability and long-term peace and stability. It must be adhered to over the long term and implemented continuously in combination with new realities.
It enriches and develops borderland governance theory. In terms of governance philosophy, the strategy emphasizes examining the importance of border regions from a strategic height and integrating border governance with the overall national development strategy. This breaks through the limitations of traditional border governance thinking and establishes the strategic position of border regions in the national overall development. In terms of governance goals, the strategy clearly defines social stability and long-term peace and stability as the overarching goals, which both fits Xinjiang’s reality and reflects the state's core demands for border governance, providing clear directional guidance. In terms of governance measures, the strategy constructs an all-encompassing, multi-level border governance system, enriching the connotations and methods of border governance and focusing on solving deep-seated problems at their root, thereby providing a long-term mechanism. These innovations in concepts, goals, and measures provide a new paradigm for China's border governance theory and practice, promoting the modernization of the border governance system and capacity.
It provides a "China Solution" for multi-ethnic countries to solve ethnic issues and overcome borderland governance challenges. The strategy adheres to the path of solving ethnic issues with Chinese characteristics, emphasizes forging a sense of community for the Chinese nation, and actively promotes extensive contact, exchange, and integration among all ethnic groups, fostering a high degree of identification in terms of ideals, beliefs, emotions, and culture. By implementing the strategy for coordinated regional development and increasing support for Xinjiang, the gap in regional development has narrowed, demonstrating an effective path for achieving balanced regional development in a multi-ethnic country and contributing Chinese wisdom to the resolution of ethnic issues globally. By curbing the breeding of terrorism and extremism at the source while guaranteeing the basic rights and freedoms of citizens, social stability and people's happiness have been organically unified. With its powerful governance effectiveness, it provides new ideas and methods for the international community to solve border governance problems and respond to the threats of terrorism and extremism.
The brilliant achievements of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region over the 70 years since its establishment fully demonstrate the significant advantages of the Party's leadership and the socialist system. They fully showcase the powerful vitality of the correct path for solving ethnic issues with Chinese characteristics and fully prove that the Party's strategy for governing Xinjiang in the New Era is entirely correct.