The 10th Forum on the Theory and Practice of Ruling Party Building Successfully Held at East China Normal University
On June 16, the 10th Forum on the Theory and Practice of Governing Party Building, jointly organized by the Institute of Marxism Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), East China Normal University (ECNU), and the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS), was grandly held at ECNU. Centered on the theme of the original contributions of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important thoughts on Party building, experts and scholars from across the country engaged in fervent deliberation.
Mei Bing, Secretary of the ECNU Party Committee, attended the opening ceremony and delivered a speech. On behalf of ECNU, she extended a warm welcome to the leaders, experts, and scholars attending the forum and congratulated the convening of the event. Secretary Mei Bing pointed out that General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important thoughts on Party building provide scientific guidance for Party building in the New Era and serve as the fundamental follow-through [1] for universities to fully implement the Party’s educational policy and fulfill the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education [2]. She emphasized that ECNU was the first socialist teacher-training university established under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) after the founding of New China, possessing a glorious revolutionary tradition and "red genes" [3]. The holding of this forum helps ECNU better develop the disciplines of Marxist theory and CPC History and Party Building, better shoulder the heavy responsibility of talent cultivation, and strengthen and improve the school’s Party building work with higher quality. Gu Hongliang, Deputy Secretary of the ECNU Party Committee and Vice President, presided over the opening ceremony.
Leaders and experts, including Chen Zhigang, Deputy Director of the Institute of Marxism Studies at CASS; Wang Tingda, Director of the Research Center for Party History and Party Building at UCAS; and Li Junru, former Vice President of the Central Party School, delivered speeches and keynote addresses at the opening ceremony.
Chen Zhigang emphasized that General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important thoughts on Party building represent a scientific summation of the theoretical development and practical experience of Party building in the New Era. They are an important component of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and the latest achievement in the Sinicization and modernization of the Marxist theory of party building. The important thought of the Party's self-revolution possesses rich connotations and profound implications. First, one must grasp the historical initiative of the Party's self-revolution from the height of historical materialism. Second, one must grasp the dialectical unity of "change" and "constancy" in the Party's self-revolution within the Party’s nature, purpose, and mission. Finally, one must grasp the reciprocal relationship between the Party's self-revolution and social revolution through the dialectic of subject and object.
Wang Tingda pointed out that to govern the country, one must first govern the Party; only when the Party is strong can the nation be powerful. The Party's self-revolution is absolutely necessary. The proposal of the thought on the Party’s self-revolution marks a new height in our Party's understanding of the laws governing Party building. Comprehensively and strictly governing the Party is the great practice of the Party’s self-revolution in the New Era, and anti-corruption is the most thorough form of self-revolution. He also noted that in the discipline construction of CPC History and Party Building, one must on the one hand focus on specific "points" while maintaining long-term thinking; on the other hand, focus must be placed on the major issue of how the Party maintains its advanced nature and purity, ensuring the Party always remains the firm leadership core of our cause.
Li Junru delivered a keynote speech centered on the Party's self-revolution and the "Second Combination" [4]. He argued that since the 18th National Congress [5], General Secretary Xi Jinping has found a weapon to solve three major contemporary issues: the "Two Combinations." Among these, the "Second Combination" provides a systematic answer to the three major questions of why our Party needs self-revolution, why it can achieve self-revolution, and how to promote self-revolution, thereby forming our Party's scientific understanding of self-revolution.
A total of 13 experts delivered keynote speeches at the forum, conducting in-depth discussions on General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important thoughts on Party building. Gu Zhaoming, former Deputy Secretary-General of the Standing Committee of the Shanxi Provincial People's Congress and Grade II Professor at Shanxi University of Finance and Economics; Tian Kun, Director of the Party Building and Party History Research Office of the Institute of Marxism Studies at CASS; and Huang Yu, Editor-in-Chief of Observation and Reflection, respectively presided over the sessions and provided commentary.
The forum featured four sub-forums where participating experts and scholars engaged in in-depth exchanges on four important topics: "Research on General Secretary Xi Jinping’s Important Thoughts on Party Building," "Research on Leading Great Social Revolution through Great Self-Revolution," "Theoretical and Practical Research on Solving the Unique Challenges of a Large Party" [6], and "Party Affairs Management and Talent Cultivation." They shared their respective research results and experiences from various perspectives, providing important references for further strengthening theoretical and practical research into Party building.
The closing ceremony of the forum was presided over by Zhao Zhengqiao, Secretary of the Party Committee of the School of Marxism at ECNU. Representatives from each sub-forum reported on their discussion results. Researcher Dai Lixing, Deputy Director of the Department of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era at the Institute of Marxism Studies at CASS, delivered the concluding remarks.
Dai Lixing spoke highly of the successful convening of the forum. He believed the forum promoted the study of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important thoughts on Party building, explored its main content, internal logic, original contributions, and great significance, and achieved several theoretical results. The depth of the forum’s themes, the richness of its content, the emphasis on cultivating young Party building talent, and the attention to practical research in Party building were all commendable. He expressed confidence that, by building on consolidated experience, the forum would continue to improve.
The forum was hosted by the Department of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era of the Institute of Marxism Studies at CASS, the School of Marxism at ECNU, the School of Marxism at UCAS, and the Institute of CPC History and Party Building at ECNU. It was co-organized by the editorial departments of Marxism Studies, World Socialism Studies, and Ideological and Political Curriculum Research, as well as the ECNU base of the Shanghai Center for the Study of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.
(Author: Xie Tao)