The 7th Academic Forum on the Sinicization of Marxism was held on November 13th
On November 13, 2016, the "Seventh Academic Forum on the Sinicization of Marxism" was convened in Guangzhou. This forum was co-hosted by the Institute of Marxism Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and South China University of Technology (SCUT). It was organized by the Department of Research on the Sinicization of Marxism at the CASS Institute of Marxism Studies and the School of Marxism at SCUT, with co-sponsorship from the Think Tank for Marxist Theoretical Innovation of CASS, the editorial board of the journal Marxist Studies (Mayikesizhuyi Yanjiu), and the Guangdong Society for Ideological and Political Education in Higher Education.
In the opening ceremony of the Seventh Academic Forum on the Sinicization of Marxism, Jia Chaoning, Vice President of the CASS Institute of Marxism Studies; Ding Jinqing, Director of the Theory Division of the Propaganda Department of the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee [1]; and Yu Qijun, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of SCUT, attended and delivered speeches. Researcher Jin Minqing, Director of the Department of Research on the Sinicization of Marxism at the CASS Institute of Marxism Studies, delivered a keynote report and concluding remarks. Professor Liu Shexin, Dean of the School of Marxism at SCUT, presided over the opening ceremony.
More than 150 experts and scholars from over 110 research institutions and institutes of higher education—including CASS, the Central Compilation and Translation Bureau [2], Peking University, Renmin University of China, Zhejiang University, Nankai University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Wuhan University, and Sun Yat-sen University—gathered to conduct deliberations around the theme of this forum: "Xi Jinping’s Thought on State Governance and the Latest Progress in the Sinicization of Marxism."
Correctly Grasping the Great Significance of Xi Jinping’s Thought on State Governance in Advancing the Process of the Sinicization of Marxism
Participants pointed out that the CPC Central Committee’s new concepts, new thoughts, and new strategies on state governance with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core represent the contemporary development of the Sinicization of Marxism. These not only respond to several important issues within the Sinicization of Marxism but also endow the process with new theoretical implications. Xi Jinping’s thought on state governance has, from a holistic perspective, proposed the concepts and content of 21st-century Sinicized Marxism, and has deepened the essential content of Sinicized Marxism across three dimensions: Marxist philosophy, political economy, and scientific socialism.
Correctly Understanding the Rich Connotations of Xi Jinping’s Thought on State Governance
Participating experts provided expositions from various perspectives and levels, including fairness and justice, the rule of law, the United Front [3], cultural self-confidence, and the labor theory of value.
Professor Guo Jianning of Peking University argued that the new concepts, new thoughts, and new strategies of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core are constituted by several fundamental elements: leading national rejuvenation through the Chinese Dream; taking the adherence to and development of socialism with Chinese characteristics as the theme; employing the Four Comprehensives as the strategic layout; guiding development through the Five Major Development Concepts [4]; centering development on the people; focusing military and national defense construction on the core goal of "a strong military capable of winning battles"; and establishing a foreign policy and international development strategy centered on a community with a shared future for humanity and global governance.
Advancing New Practices of the CPC Central Committee’s New Concepts, New Thoughts, and New Strategies on State Governance within the Sinicization of Marxism
Professor Qin Xuan of Renmin University of China argued that advancing the Sinicization of Marxism requires focusing on the renewal of perspectives and methods. It is necessary to both strengthen research into the foundational theories of Marxism and accurately grasp the Marxist value orientation of upholding the liberation of the people and maintaining the interests of the people. This involves inheriting the critical rationality of Marxism to critique and deconstruct irrational phenomena in the real world, while continuing to carry forward the constructive rationality of Marxism to point the way for the future of humanity. Furthermore, it requires unifying the substantive and instrumental rationality of Marxism within the practical process of understanding and transforming the world.
Studying and Researching the CPC Central Committee’s New Concepts, New Thoughts, and New Strategies on State Governance to Advance the Sinicization of Marxism
Integrating China’s concrete practice, participants conducted discussions on theoretical research and practical exploration.
Researcher Jin Minqing pointed out that one of the fundamental principles for grasping the CPC Central Committee’s new concepts, new thoughts, and new strategies on state governance is to use Marxism as a guide to solve practical problems, and through the resolution of such problems, to continuously uphold and develop Marxism. Associate Researcher Chen Yalian, Director of the Research Office for the Theoretical System of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics in the Department of Research on the Sinicization of Marxism at the CASS Institute of Marxism Studies, summarized the progress of the academic discipline of Sinicized Marxist research over the past year and proposed several issues currently awaiting further resolution in disciplinary construction and research.