2018

On March 27, Deng Zhonghua, leader of the Discipline Inspection Group of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection ^[1] stationed at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and member of the CASS Leading Party Members’ Group, visited the Institute of Marxism Studies for investigation and research. Deng Chundong and Jia Chaoning accompanied the visit and reported on their work. On April 9, Xie Fuzhan, President of CASS and Secretary of the Leading Party Members’ Group, visited the Department of Marxist Studies for research and held a symposium with the heads of four research units. Vice President and Deputy Secretary of the Leading Party Members’ Group Wang Jingqing presided over the symposium, while Vice President and member of the Leading Party Members’ Group Li Peilin, along with member of the Leading Party Members’ Group Zhang Yingwei, attended the activities. Before the meeting, Xie Fuzhan, Wang Jingqing, Li Peilin, and Zhang Yingwei toured an exhibition showcasing the achievements of the CASS Project for Marxist Theory Construction and Research ^[2], the Institute of Marxism Studies, and the Department of Marxist Studies. Deng Chundong, Secretary of the Party Committee and Director of the Institute of Marxism Studies, along with Deputy Directors Jia Chaoning and Jin Minqing, participated and reported on their work.

From April to early May, the Institute of Marxism Studies undertook the branch trade union organizational work for CASS in the central "Conference to Commemorate the 200th Anniversary of the Birth of Karl Marx," organizing the attendance of 150 experts and scholars from CASS. Simultaneously, the "Theoretical Seminar Commemorating the 200th Anniversary of the Birth of Karl Marx," led by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee ^[3] and hosted by six ministries and commissions, was held in Beijing from May 4 to 6. CASS served as one of the host units, while the Institute of Marxism Studies, as the specific liaison unit for CASS, completed the communication, paper solicitation, personnel organization, and related conference service work.

On May 4, the International Seminar Commemorating the 200th Anniversary of the Birth of Karl Marx and the Sixth International Forum on Socialism was held in Hanoi, Vietnam. The theme of this forum was "Marx's Intellectual Legacy and Its Contemporary Significance." More than 300 experts and scholars attended the meeting, including representatives from the Central Propaganda and Education Commission of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), the Central Theoretical Council of the CPV, the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS), and other party, government, and research institutions, as well as academic circles from China and Laos. Jin Minqing, Deputy Director of the Institute of Marxism Studies at CASS, spoke on behalf of the Chinese delegation.

On May 7, the "Academic Seminar Commemorating the 200th Anniversary of the Birth of Karl Marx," jointly hosted by the Institute of Marxism Studies and the Department of Marxist Studies of CASS, convened in Beijing. Wang Weiguang—Director of the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Committee of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), former President of CASS, and President of the University of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences—delivered the keynote report. Zhang Yingwei, member of the CASS Leading Party Members’ Group, delivered a speech, and Li Shenming, Director of the CASS World Socialism Research Center and former Vice President of CASS, attended and spoke. Nearly 150 participants attended the seminar, including Deng Chundong, Director and Party Secretary of the Institute of Marxism Studies; Cheng Enfu, Director of the Department of Marxist Studies; Wadi’h Halabi, member of the Economics Commission of the Communist Party USA; Ji Zhengju, member of the Committee of the Institute of Party History and Literature of the CPC Central Committee; and scholars from Peking University, Tsinghua University, Renmin University of China, Fudan University, Nankai University, and other institutions, as well as European and American left-wing scholars.

On June 9, the "Academic Forum on the Study of Xi Jinping Philosphy on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era (2018)," hosted by the CASS Institute of Marxism Studies and the Hunan Academy of Social Sciences, was held in Changsha, Hunan. The theme of the meeting was: "The Historical Status and Great Significance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era." From October 19 to 20, the "11th National Forum for Deans of Marxist Colleges," hosted by the CASS Institute of Marxism Studies and the China University of Petroleum (East China), was held in Qingdao, Shandong, with the theme "The 40th Anniversary of Reform and Opening-up and Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era." On October 30, the "7th Sino-Japanese Socialist Scholars Forum," jointly hosted by the CASS Institute of Marxism Studies, the Japan Socialist Association, and Shandong University of Technology, was held in Zibo, Shandong. More than 90 Chinese and Japanese experts and scholars attended.

On November 1, in implementation of the important arrangements of the "Academic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement between the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences," the international seminar "Reform and Opening-up and 21st Century World Socialism"—hosted by CASS and VASS and organized by the CASS Institute of Marxism Studies—was held in Beijing. Nearly 100 experts and scholars from dozens of universities, research institutions, and media outlets, including CASS, VASS, the Central Party School of the CPV, the Lao National Academy of Social Sciences, the Central Party School of the CPC, the International Liaison Department of the CPC Central Committee, the Institute of Party History and Literature of the CPC Central Committee, Tsinghua University, Renmin University of China, the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, and the People’s Daily, attended the meeting. They engaged in discussions centered on the achievements and experiences of China’s Reform and Opening-up and the "Doi Moi" (Renovation) ^[4] of Vietnam and Laos, together envisioning the future of world socialism in the 21st century and the innovation and development of Marxism.

On November 22, the Institute of Marxism Studies held a plenary staff meeting. Gao Peiyong, Vice President and member of the CASS Leading Party Members’ Group, announced the decision on the appointment and removal of cadres on behalf of the Group: due to his age, Comrade Deng Chundong would no longer serve as the Secretary of the Party Committee and Director of the Institute of Marxism Studies; Comrade Jiang Hui was appointed as the Secretary of the Party Committee and Director of the Institute of Marxism Studies. In November, the management unit for the CASS Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era was changed from the Institute of Bureau of International Cooperation (Information) to the Institute of Marxism Studies.

On December 26, the academic seminar "40 Years of Reform and Opening-up and the Sinicization of Marxism—Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Reform and Opening-up," hosted by the CASS Department of Marxist Studies and organized by the Bureau of Scientific Research Management, the Department of Faculty Circles, the Institute of Contemporary China Studies, and the Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, was held in Beijing.