2025 National Annual Conference on Marxist Principles Held at Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications
To deeply study and implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the CPC and the Second and Third Plenary Sessions of the 20th CPC Central Committee, and to deepen research on major theoretical and practical issues regarding Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Chinese-path modernization, the 2025 National Annual Conference on Marxist Principles and Academic Symposium on AI and Chinese-Path Modernization was successfully held on September 20 at Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications (CQUPT). Li Lin, Party Secretary of CQUPT; Luo Wendong, Party Secretary of the Institute of Marxism Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS); and Li Linqi, Director of the Publicity and Education Department of the Chongqing Municipal Education Commission and Municipal Education Work Committee, attended the conference and delivered speeches. The opening ceremony was hosted by Wu Anchun, Deputy Party Secretary of CQUPT.
Li Lin pointed out that the problem-oriented approach to science and technology has always been an important thread and intellectual source in the development of Marxist theory. Leveraging its unique strengths in information science and technology, CQUPT has focused on building "New Liberal Arts" [1] characteristics through the integration of modern information technology and Marxist theory. The university has crystallized specialized research fields such as online social thought, digital ideological and political education, internet culture, and "smart Party building." It has prioritized the construction of research platforms such as the Internet Big Data Public Opinion Research Platform and the Chongqing Municipal Innovation Center for Digital Ideological and Political Education in Universities, developing a faculty team that deeply integrates the traditional advantages of ideological and political education with modern information technology. The university will take this conference as an opportunity to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with fraternal universities, enterprises, and research institutions. By enhancing mutual learning with experts and scholars, the school aims to jointly promote a paradigm shift in philosophy and social science research, advance the deep integration of information science and Marxist theory, and promote innovative development in talent cultivation within the discipline of Marxism, contributing wisdom and strength to uphold the fundamentals and break new ground in Marxist theory in the age of AI.
Luo Wendong noted that the National Annual Conference on Marxist Principles originated from the "National Forum on the Basic Principles of Marxism" hosted by the CASS Institute of Marxism Studies, which was adjusted to the current annual conference format in 2024. Since its inception in 2013, twelve sessions have been successfully held. Over the past decade, with the strong support of colleagues in the academic community, the forum and conference have achieved great results and made significant contributions to the disciplinary development of the Basic Principles of Marxism at the CASS Institute of Marxism Studies. He expressed hope that this annual conference would adhere to the "Two Serves" [2] direction, the "Double Hundred" [3] policy, and the "Two Creations" [4] principle. He called for implementing the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the CPC and the Second and Third Plenary Sessions of the 20th CPC Central Committee by grounding work in the vigorous practice of AI and Chinese-path modernization. He emphasized adhering to the Marxist stance, viewpoint, and method while absorbing lessons from the AI and modernization processes of other countries. The goal is to explore the essential requirements of China's AI development and the developmental laws of Chinese-path modernization, contributing new wisdom and strength to the construction of a socialist modernization theoretical system with Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as its banner and soul, and to comprehensively advance the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation.
Li Linqi noted that in recent years, the Municipal Education Work Committee has attached great importance to philosophy and social sciences in universities. It has adhered to the comprehensive leadership of the Party over philosophy and social sciences, maintaining Marxism as the guide, student cultivation as the center, and research on the Party's innovative theories as the focus. This has promoted high-quality development in philosophy and social sciences, resulting in significant achievements in "soul-casting and person-cultivation" [5], fruitful theoretical research, and a growing contingent of researchers. Currently, AI has become an important force in advancing Chinese-path modernization. He expressed hope that this conference would further deepen ideological understanding, broadly build consensus, and ensure political firmness and conscious action through theoretical clarity, thereby better serving the central task of "comprehensively advancing the Great Rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation through Chinese-path modernization."
The keynote reports in the morning were chaired by Yu Bin, Director of the Department of Foreign Marxism Studies at the CASS Institute of Marxism Studies. Professors and scholars including Hao Lixin (Renmin University of China), Chen Peiyong (Peking University), Liu Tongfang (Zhejiang University), Liu Zhiming (CASS Institute of Philosophy), Xiao Feng (Shanghai University), Li Peng (Central Party School), He Xinyuan (CASS Institute of Marxism Studies), and Xie Jun (CQUPT) delivered reports. Their topics included "Innovation in AI and Research on Basic Marxist Principles," "AI, the Production of Humans or Things, and Two Possibilities for Human Society," "Digital Civilization and Chinese-path Modernization," "Promoting the Coordinated Development of Material and Spiritual Civilizations," "Embodied Intelligence and New Epistemological Issues," "The Internal Mechanism of AI and the Development of New Quality Productive Forces," "Chinese-path Modernization Opening New Realms of Modern Civilization," and "The Logic of Appearance, Basic Characteristics, and Practical Orientation of Digital Civilization."
The morning plenary speeches were chaired by Yang Jing, Director of the Department of Marxist Principles Research at the CASS Institute of Marxism Studies. Scholars such as Tai Lihua (China University of Political Science and Law), Zhang Youkui (Xiamen University), Tang Xiaoyong (Southwestern University of Finance and Economics), Wang Haiwei (Dongbei University of Finance and Economics), and Ren Limei (CASS) spoke on topics such as the contemporary interpretation of the identity of primitive accumulation and capital accumulation, the critique of "technological monopoly culture" from the perspective of Chinese-path modernization, and the dimensions of AI-enabled "Red Culture" [6] education.
The afternoon plenary session was chaired by Zhang Fujun, Director of the Marxist Political Economy Research Office at the CASS Institute of Marxism Studies. Speakers included Jia Lijun (Beijing Institute of Technology), Zhang Xiaoming (China West Normal University), Wang Shuixing (Ningbo University), Tu Liangchuan (South China Normal University), Hu Lifas (Yangzhou University), and Wang Feng (Southwest University). They addressed the theoretical logic and policy practice of AI-enabled manufacturing in Chinese-path modernization, the "view of modernization" within Chinese-path modernization, and the historical materialist examination of AI technology replacement.
The closing ceremony was chaired by Tan Ya, Party Secretary of the School of Marxism at CQUPT. Representatives from various sub-forums, including Guo Jinming, Li Junbin, and Lin Qingchun, delivered exchange speeches. Wang Hongshu, Vice Dean of the School of Marxism at Sichuan University, spoke as the host of next year's forum. Finally, Zhang Jianyun, Director of the Marxist Philosophy Research Office at the CASS Institute of Marxism Studies, provided a concluding summary. She noted that the conference focused on six areas: the importance of AI in driving the development of productive forces; strengthening Marxist theoretical research on AI; cutting-edge issues in AI development; reflections on the positive value and negative effects of AI applications; the socialist application of AI versus its capitalist application; and the characteristics and significance of AI in promoting Chinese-path modernization.
The conference also organized four parallel forums. Forum I focused on "AI and the New Round of Scientific and Technological Revolution"; Forum II on "AI and the Development of New Quality Productive Forces"; Forum III on "Research on Chinese-path Modernization"; and Forum IV on "Contemporary Interpretations of Basic Marxist Principles and Classical Works."
The annual conference was hosted by the CASS Institute of Marxism Studies, Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications, and the China University of Political Science and Law. It was organized by several specialized Marxist departments and research centers, with assistance from the editorial boards of journals such as Marxist Studies, World Socialism Studies, and Research on Basic Tenets of Marxism. More than 60 universities and research institutes were represented, including Peking University, Tsinghua University, Fudan University, and Zhejiang University.