The 2025 Second Youth Symposium of the Academy of Marxism, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Successfully Held
On August 20, 2025, the second Youth Thematic Symposium of 2025 of the Institute of Marxism Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) was held in Meeting Room 1237 of the Research Building. This symposium was organized by the Youth Work Group and the Scientific Research Department of the Institute of Marxism Studies. Luo Wendong, Researcher and Secretary of the Party Committee of the Institute of Marxism Studies, and Cui Weihang, Researcher, Director, and Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee, delivered opening remarks. The meeting was presided over by Yang Jing, Researcher, Director of the Department of Marxist Principles, and Head of the Youth Work Group. More than 30 experts and young scholars from institutions including the Central Party School of the CPC (National Academy of Governance), CASS, Peking University, Tsinghua University, and Renmin University of China conducted in-depth academic exchanges and theoretical discussions on the theme "Socialism with Chinese Characteristics in the New Era and Scientific Thinking Methods." Editorial departments of journals and media outlets such as Marxist Studies, World Socialism Studies, Science and Atheism, the Chinese Social Sciences Net, and the Marxist Studies Net were invited to attend.
At the opening ceremony, Luo Wendong pointed out that the series of youth thematic symposia held by the Institute of Marxism Studies aims to implement General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions [1] on youth work and President Gao Xiang’s [2] instructions on the cultivation of young talents. These efforts seek to strengthen "organized research" [3] and continuously promote the development of the youth talent pool within the Institute. He noted that the theme of this symposium carries significant political, theoretical, and practical weight. He expressed hope that young scholars would use this as an opportunity to strengthen academic exchange and continuously improve their scientific research capabilities. Cui Weihang noted that the theme is highly political, theoretical, and focused. He emphasized that for young scholars to mature and succeed, they must master, persist in, and apply Marxist stances, viewpoints, and methods [4]. They must learn to use scientific thinking to understand and decode China, establish a sense of mission, carry forward the spirit of responsibility, and persist in "serving the country through scholarship."
In the morning keynote reports, Chen Zhigang, Researcher, Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Committee, and Deputy Director of the Institute of Marxism Studies, provided a comprehensive and systematic interpretation of the worldview and methodology of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and its innovative development. He pointed out that the Marxist worldview and methodology are powerful ideological weapons for Chinese Communists to transform the world, and that the worldview and methodology of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era constitute the worldview and methodology of Chinese people in the New Era. He argued that one must profoundly grasp the "Six Must-Persists" through the "Two Combinations." [5] The "Six Must-Persists" form "an interconnected and internally unified organic whole," representing a major development of the Marxist worldview and methodology.
Professor Wang Huxue, Deputy Director of the Academic Affairs Department of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance), delivered a report entitled "'The Two Combinations' and the Sinicization and Modernization of Marxism." He explained the significance of the "Two Combinations" from theoretical, historical, and practical dimensions. He emphasized that the "Two Combinations," as a foundational theoretical contribution of our Party in the New Era, is the fundamental path for advancing the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism, the Party’s greatest "magic weapon" [6] for success, and the only way to pioneer and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics. He also noted that the "Two Combinations" themselves must be "combined": on one hand, the "Two Combinations" are "one body with two wings," with the "First Combination" focusing on theory and practice, and the "Second Combination" focusing on the "soul-vein" [7] and the "root-vein" [8]; on the other hand, the "Two Combinations" form a mutually reinforcing organic whole with the function of "adapting to local customs and transforming them." [9]
Researcher Zhou Dan, Deputy Director of the CASS Institute of Philosophy, clarified the rich connotations and rigorous logic of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s system of scientific methods from a philosophical perspective. This system includes "mastering the basic skills" of Marxist philosophy, implementing the Party's ideological line of seeking truth from facts, and the "Six Must-Persists." Its thinking methods include strategic thinking to grasp general trends, historical thinking to learn from the past, dialectical thinking to increase wisdom, systematic thinking to view the overall situation, innovative thinking to add momentum, rule-of-law thinking to promote reform, and bottom-line thinking to control risks. This system is the systematic expression of the methodology of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, providing the philosophical foundation for the theory and ensuring the steady progress of the great cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, while contributing "Chinese wisdom" to solving human problems.
During the morning session of youth scholar presentations, Associate Researcher Pan Xihua of the Institute of Marxism Studies proposed using historical thinking to scientifically grasp the theory and practice of socialism with Chinese characteristics, which helps trace the origins of the system and provides a scientific method and clear value core for strengthening the "Four Confidences." [10] Assistant Professor Li Yang of the Peking University School of Marxism revealed the enlightenment for mastering scientific thinking methods based on a review of research approaches to the young Marx. Associate Researcher Fang Tao of the Institute of Marxism Studies discussed the "systematic thinking" of upholding the Party's leadership in the New Era. Luo Wendong, Chen Zhigang, Wang Huxue, and Zhou Dan provided comments on the three presenters.
In the afternoon keynote reports, Professor Zhang Yunfei of the Renmin University of China School of Marxism explained the main content of the "systematic concept" and its contribution to the basic principles of Marxism from four aspects: systemic ontology, epistemology, methodology, and praxeology. He noted that the systematic concept concentrates the "sum of human knowledge" regarding systems and serves as a foundational ideological and working method. He emphasized that socialism with Chinese characteristics is a socialism of comprehensive development, requiring the concrete and historical unity of theoretical and practical systematicity. Researcher He Xinyuan, Director of the Department of Sinicized Marxism at the Institute of Marxism Studies, proceeded from a strategic thinking perspective, using a "Great View of History" [11] to analyze the strategic significance of the major thesis of "building a community with a shared future for humanity."
In the afternoon youth presentations, Associate Researcher Chen Yongsheng discussed General Secretary Xi Jinping's dialectical thinking and its practical application. Associate Researcher Liu Ying discussed the Marxist strategic outlook from a philosophical perspective. Assistant Professor Lu Zida of the Tsinghua University School of Marxism analyzed the systematic concept contained in General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions on disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief. Assistant Research Fellow Chen Ni discussed the basic connotation and logical path of strengthening "problem consciousness" and persisting in a "problem-oriented approach" in the New Era. Cui Weihang, Zhang Yunfei, and He Xinyuan provided comments.
At the closing ceremony, Director Cui Weihang and Secretary Luo Wendong delivered concluding remarks. Secretary Luo Wendong summarized the symposium using "Three Threes": first, it featured three "combinations" (combining old, middle-aged, and young scholars; combining internal and external experts; and combining reports with commentary); second, it achieved three effects (extensive exchange, mutual inspiration, and collective improvement); third, it required the symposia to continue three tasks (better preparation, improving report quality, and transforming research results into policy or academic outputs). The Youth Work Group was urged to further improve the pertinence and organization of academic activities, encouraging young scholars to "aim high, be self-disciplined, and dare to innovate."