Deng Chundong: Adhering to Integrity and Innovating to Advance the Localization and Modernization of Marxism in China
Practice knows no bounds, and theoretical innovation knows no bounds. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: "To keep writing new chapters in the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism is the solemn historical responsibility of contemporary Chinese Communists." To continue advancing theoretical innovation based on practice, we must first grasp the worldview and methodology of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and persist in and apply the stances, viewpoints, and methods that permeate it. In the report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC, General Secretary Xi Jinping proposed the "Six Musts," one of which is that "we must uphold the fundamentals and break new ground" (shǒuzhèng chuàngxīn).
I
General Secretary Xi Jinping noted: "In the history of human thought, no other theory has had such a broad and profound impact on humanity as Marxism." Marked by the publication of the Manifesto of the Communist Party, the birth of Marxism greatly advanced the process of human civilization and remains a system of thought and discourse with significant international influence today. Over the past century and more, human society has undergone earth-shaking changes, but the general principles expounded by Marxism remain, as a whole, entirely correct.
The vitality of a theory lies in constant innovation; promoting the continuous development of Marxism is the sacred duty of Communists. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "The history of the development of Marxism is a history of Marx, Engels, and their successors constantly developing [the theory] based on the development of the times, practice, and understanding." Marx's entire worldview is not a doctrine, but a method. It provides not ready-made dogmas, but a starting point for further research and the methods to be used in such research. As the world situation, global landscape, and the face of human society undergo immense changes, Marxism—as a scientific understanding of the laws governing the development of human society—must advance with the times, constantly enriching and developing itself.
From the perspective of the history of world socialism, upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground is the key to the enrichment and development of Marxism. It concerns the vitality and influence of Marxist scientific theory, and the rise or fall of the cause of world socialism. Departing from upholding the fundamentals and betraying Marxism will inevitably cause socialism to suffer setbacks and failure; departing from breaking new ground and allowing Marxism to become dogmatic and ossified will inevitably lead to the stagnation of socialism, a lack of vitality, and the loss of its superiority. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out in the report to the 20th National Congress: "We are engaged in a great undertaking without precedent. Only by upholding the fundamentals can we avoid losing our way or making subversive errors; only by breaking new ground can we grasp the times and lead the times."
From the perspective of the practice of Sinicizing and modernizing Marxism, the persistence in upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground has permeated the century-long struggle of the Communist Party of China. Over the past hundred years since its founding, the CPC—in leading the processes of Chinese revolution, construction, and reform—has firmly adhered to the guiding position of Marxism without wavering, engaged in arduous exploration and courageous creation, and advanced with the times to produce the Party's theoretical innovation achievements. On one hand, throughout its hundred-year struggle, despite encountering difficulties, setbacks, and even failures, the CPC has always adhered to Marxism as its guide for action, writing the most magnificent epic in the several-thousand-year history of the Chinese nation. Since the 18th National Congress, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has unequivocally proposed adhering to the guiding status of Marxism, strengthened the Party’s ideological work, and persisted in arming the whole Party, educating the people, guiding practice, and promoting work with Marxism and its Sinicized and modernized achievements. On the other hand, while persisting in using Marxism to guide practice, the Party has insisted on applying its scientific worldview and methodology to solve China’s problems, rather than merely reciting and repeating specific conclusions and phrases, much less treating Marxism as an immutable dogma to be mechanically applied to practice. The Party persists in using Marxism to observe the times, interpret the times, and lead the times; it uses the vivid and rich practice of contemporary China to promote the development of Marxism, absorbs all the outstanding achievements of human civilization with a broad vision, upholds the fundamentals while bringing forth the new, and constantly transcends and perfects itself by drawing on the strengths of others. By continuously deepening the understanding of the laws of governance by a Communist party, the laws of socialist construction, and the laws of the development of human society, the Party founded Mao Zedong Thought and Deng Xiaoping Theory, formed the Theory of Three Represents and the Scientific Outlook on Development, and created Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, leading the cause of the Party and the people to constantly open up new horizons.
II
Practice has proven that the fate of Marxism has long been closely linked with the fate of the CPC, the Chinese people, and the Chinese nation. Marxism provided a powerful conceptual weapon for China’s revolution, construction, and reform, enabling this ancient Eastern power to create development miracles unprecedented in human history. General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly expounded on the great significance of upholding the fundamentals in the report to the 20th National Congress: "Only by upholding the fundamentals can we avoid losing our way or making subversive errors," and clearly required that we continue to adhere to the "Three Non-Wavering Commitments" on the new journey.
First, do not waver in adhering to the basic principles of Marxism. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "The times are changing and society is developing, but the basic principles of Marxism remain scientific truths. Although the era we live in has undergone huge and profound changes compared to the era of Marx, from the broad perspective of the 500-year history of world socialism, we are still in the historical era indicated by Marxism." Therefore, to promote the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism, we must adhere to and apply the worldview and methodology of dialectical materialism and historical materialism. We must adhere to and apply the Marxist stance, viewpoints, and methods; Marxist principles regarding the materiality of the world and its development laws; the natural and historical character of human social development and its related laws; the laws governing human liberation and free and well-rounded development; and the laws governing the essence and development of cognition. We must adhere to and apply the Marxist views on practice, the masses, class, development, and contradiction, truly mastering, comprehending, and utilizing Marxism as our "mastery of the craft" (kànjiā běnlǐng) [1].
Second, do not waver in adhering to the Party's overall leadership. The Party's leadership is where the fate of the Chinese people and the future of the Chinese nation lie; it is an inevitable requirement for maintaining the guiding status of Marxism. Throughout a century of struggle, the Party has always been the people’s most reliable "mainstay" (zhǔxīngǔ) and the strongest, most powerful core of leadership. On the new journey of striving to advance the great cause of national rejuvenation and building a strong, modern socialist country, the Party has successfully delivered new answers to the "Questions of the People," the "Questions of China," and the "Questions of the Times." Only under the Party’s leadership, by continuously deepening the understanding of the laws of governance by a Communist party, the laws of socialist construction, and the laws of human social development, can the cause of the Party and the people move forward in the right direction. History has fully proven that the root of upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground lies in adhering to the Party's overall leadership—this is the "core code" behind China's past great achievements. History will also prove that adhering to the Party's overall leadership is the fundamental guarantee for achieving the millennia-long cause of the Chinese nation.
Third, do not waver in adhering to socialism with Chinese characteristics. The path determines the fate; the question of the path is a fundamental one. Socialism with Chinese characteristics is a fundamental achievement attained by the Party and the people through untold hardships and at a great price; it is the only path [2] to achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. This path was not easily won and must be firmly held in our own hands. This path is the correct one that conforms to China’s development, reflects the people's will, and adapts to the trend of the times. We must carry forward the spirit of advancing with the times, continuously expanding the breadth and depth of our understanding of this path so that it continues to lead China toward the future and secure new victories. Adhering to and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics is a "great article" (dà wénzhāng) [3]; to continue writing this great article, we must adhere to the Marxist developmental viewpoint, exert historical initiative and creativity, forge ahead with determination, explore boldly, and be brave and adept at analyzing and answering the urgent questions in real life and in the minds of the masses, constantly making discoveries, creations, progress, and innovations.
III
Upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground are dialectically unified and inseparable; only by innovating on the basis of upholding fundamentals can we better preserve those fundamentals through innovation. In the report to the 20th National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly expounded on the significance of innovation, noting that "only by breaking new ground can we grasp the times and lead the times." He explicitly called for keeping pace with the times, responding to the development of practice, treating all new things with great enthusiasm, continuously expanding the breadth and depth of our cognition, daring to say what has never been said before, daring to do what has never been done before, and guiding new practice with new theory.
Treat science with a scientific attitude and pursue truth with the spirit of truth. The essence of both a scientific attitude and the spirit of truth is respect for objective laws. Upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground are, in essence, both about adhering to Marxism—which reveals objective laws—and continuously revealing new laws through innovation. Thus, continuously deepening the understanding of the laws of governance by a Communist party, the laws of socialist construction, and the laws of human social development, and following these laws on the basis of recognizing them, is the fundamental requirement for both upholding fundamentals and breaking new ground. Marxism is science and truth, but it is an open and constantly developing science. It has not exhausted truth; rather, it has opened the correct path for people to continuously attain more truth. To promote the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism, we must follow the laws of scientific development, the laws of discovering and adhering to truth, and the laws of Marxist epistemology. We must persist in continuously seeking the objective laws of the development of things in practice, obtaining new understandings of objective laws, forming new ideas, viewpoints, and concepts, and continuously advancing the Party's theoretical innovation. Over its hundred-year struggle, the Party has accumulated much experience in this regard. For example, we must never regard following old conventions, rigidity, or dogmatism as "upholding the fundamentals." We cannot treat the mechanical copying of specific words spoken by predecessors, the fear of saying what has not been said before, or the fear of doing what has not been done before as "upholding the fundamentals." Even less can we treat persisting in errors made in the past as "upholding the fundamentals." Conversely, we must never treat policy proposals that depart from the Marxist stance, abandon basic Marxist principles, or violate the fundamental socialist system as "innovation." We cannot treat the simple copying or application of the governance methods or socio-economic policies of developed countries—namely Western capitalist countries—as "innovation." We must persist in dialectical thinking, strategic thinking, bottom-line thinking, systemic thinking, historical thinking, and rule-of-law thinking. We must plan reform and construction with scientific thinking, pinpoint the areas where fundamentals must be upheld or ground broken, and design all policies scientifically and precisely so that the content of both upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground accurately reflects the requirements of the laws of all aspects of building socialism with Chinese characteristics, achieving the dialectical unity of the two.
Persist in starting from China's reality and combining [theory] with China's specific reality. To promote the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism, we must clarify China's actual conditions and, based on China's reality, explain that reality and solve China's actual social problems. China's reality includes its historical characteristics and current situation. To advance the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism, we must combine the basic principles of Marxism with China’s specific reality and with fine traditional Chinese culture ("the Two Combinations"). We must focus on what we are currently doing, listen to the voice of the people, respond to real-world needs, and deeply summarize the practical experience of socialism with Chinese characteristics, focusing on solving actual problems in reform, opening up, and socialist modernization in the New Era. We must strengthen confidence in our history and culture, persist in "making the past serve the present" (gǔ wéi jīn yòng) and "weeding through the old to bring forth the new" (tuī chén chū xīn) [4]. We must integrate the essence of Marxist thought with the cream of fine traditional Chinese culture and with the common values that the people "use daily without realizing" (rì yòng ér bù jué) [5]. We must continuously endow scientific theory with distinct Chinese characteristics and solidify the historical and mass foundations for the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism. We must make accurate judgments about erroneous tendencies that jeopardize the execution of the Party's correct line, persist in starting from objective reality, truly aim at the target ("shoot the arrow at the target"), and carry out the struggle against erroneous tendencies in a way that seeks truth from facts. Through active struggle and the removal of interference from erroneous ideas and concepts, we use the Marxist ideological line to promote the Party’s theoretical innovation.
Ground ourselves in the characteristics of the era to answer the "Questions of China," the "Questions of the World," the "Questions of the People," and the "Questions of the Times." To continue advancing the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism, we must accurately grasp the major trends of the times, have the courage to stand at the forefront of human development, listen to the voice of the people, and respond to the needs of reality. We must persist in liberating the mind, seeking truth from facts, and upholding the fundamentals while breaking new ground, better unifying the adherence to Marxism with the development of Marxism, and persisting in the use of Marxism's...
Aim the "arrow" to shoot the "target" [6] of China in the New Era. We must deeply grasp the pulse and trajectory of world history, pay close attention to and research the great changes unseen in a century [7], and strengthen the study of contemporary capitalism. We must analyze and grasp various emerging changes and their essence, deepen our regular understanding of the profound and complex changes in capitalism and international political and economic relations, and accurately grasp the new changes and characteristics of contemporary capitalism. We must broaden our horizons, absorb all beneficial achievements of human civilization, and pay attention to and research new results in foreign Marxist studies. We must approach these with analysis and discernment; we can neither reject them wholesale nor copy them completely. We should use Marxist stances, viewpoints, and methods to analyze and judge, with the aim of facilitating the development of the cause of the Party and the people, and continuously propose new concepts, ideas, and methods that truly solve problems. We must systematically grasp the theoretical system of Chinese-path modernization, deeply comprehend its Chinese characteristics, essential requirements, and major principles, correctly handle the various major relationships involved in advancing Chinese-path modernization, and effectively implement the strategic deployments for building a socialist modern country in all respects.
Guide new practice with the Party’s innovative theories. Why the Communist Party of China is capable and why socialism with Chinese characteristics is good is, in the final analysis, because Marxism works, and particularly because the Sinicized and modernized Marxism works. To continue advancing the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism, we must stand firm in the regular understanding obtained by the Party and the people through wisdom and sweat, and through blood and life; we must follow these laws in practice to continue new explorations, and continuously push forward the development of the Party’s cause and its theoretical innovation. Since the 18th Party Congress [8], General Secretary Xi Jinping has undertaken profound reflection and scientific judgment on a series of major theoretical and practical issues concerning the development of the cause of the Party and the state in the New Era. He has proposed a series of original new concepts, ideas, and strategies for governance regarding major epochal questions, such as: what kind of socialism with Chinese characteristics should be upheld and developed in the New Era and how to uphold and develop it; what kind of great socialist modern power should be built and how to build it; and what kind of long-term governing Marxist party should be built and how to build it. Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is the Marxism of contemporary China and of the twenty-first century; it is the essence of Chinese culture and the Chinese spirit in our era. To uphold the fundamentals and break new ground on the new journey of the New Era, we must unswervingly arm the whole Party, educate the people, and guide practice with this innovative theory. We must be courageous in continuously promoting theoretical innovation in integration with new practices, and be adept at using new theories to guide new practices. Through the "Two Combinations" [9], we will continuously open up new frontiers in the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism and create more new miracles that will make the world look at us with new eyes.