Deng Chundong: Upholding Fundamental Principles and Breaking New Ground to Advance the Adaptation of Marxism to the Chinese Context and the Needs of the Times
Practice has no end, and theoretical innovation has no end either. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Continuously 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 adhere to and apply the standpoints, views, and methods that permeate it. In the report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC, General Secretary Xi Jinping proposed the "Six Must-Adheres," [1] one of which is that "we must uphold the fundamentals and break new ground" (坚持守正创新).
I
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, "In the history of human thought, no single ideological 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 an ideological and discourse system with significant international influence to this day. Over the past century and more, human society has undergone earth-shaking changes, but the general principles expounded by Marxism remain, on the 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 continuously evolving according to 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, patterns, and the face of human society undergo tremendous changes, Marxism—as a scientific understanding of the laws governing the development of human society—advances 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. To depart from upholding the fundamentals and betray Marxism will inevitably cause socialism to suffer setbacks and failure; to depart from innovation and allow Marxism to become dogmatized and rigid will inevitably cause socialism to stagnate, lack vigor and vitality, and lose its superiority. In the report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, "We are engaged in a great undertaking without precedent. Only by upholding the fundamentals can we avoid losing our direction or making subversive errors; only by breaking new ground can we grasp and lead the times."
From the perspective of the practice of the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism, upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground has permeated the century-long struggle of the Communist Party of China. Over the past century since its founding, the CPC, in leading the processes of Chinese revolution, construction, and reform, has unswervingly adhered to the guiding position of Marxism, explored painstakingly, moved forward with courage, and advanced with the times to form the fruits of the Party's theoretical innovation. On the one hand, throughout a century of 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 thousands of years of the Chinese nation's history. Since the 18th National Congress, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has clearly proposed adhering to the guiding position of Marxism, strengthening the Party’s ideological work, and persisting 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 adhering to Marxism to guide practice, the Party has persisted in using 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, interpret, and lead the times, using the fresh and rich practice of contemporary China to promote the development of Marxism, and absorbing all outstanding achievements of human civilization with a broad vision. By upholding the fundamentals and bringing forth the new, the Party constantly surpasses itself; by drawing on the strengths of all and constantly improving itself, it continuously deepens its understanding of the laws of governance by a Communist party, the laws of socialist construction, and the laws of the development of human society. It created 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 Communist Party of China, the Chinese people, and the Chinese nation. Marxism provided a powerful ideological weapon for China's revolution, construction, and reform, enabling this ancient eastern power to create development miracles unprecedented in human history. In the report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC, General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly expounded on the great significance of upholding the fundamentals—noting that "only by upholding the fundamentals can we avoid losing our direction or making subversive errors"—and explicitly required that we continue to adhere to the "Three Unswervings" (三个不动摇) on the new journey.
First, we must unswervingly adhere to the basic principles of Marxism. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, "Times are changing and society is developing, but the basic principles of Marxism remain scientific truths. Although the era we live in has undergone great 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, views, and methods. We must adhere to and apply Marxist principles regarding the materiality of the world and its developmental laws, the natural and historical character of human social development and its related laws, the laws regarding the liberation and free, comprehensive development of human beings, and the laws regarding the nature and development of cognition. We must adhere to and apply the Marxist views on practice, the masses, class, development, and contradictions, truly mastering, comprehending, and utilizing Marxism as our "house-keeping skill" (看家本领) [2].
Second, we must unswervingly adhere to the Party's overall leadership. The leadership of the Party 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 position of Marxism. Throughout a century of struggle, the Party has always been the most reliable "backbone" (主心骨) [3] for the people and the strongest leadership core. On the new journey of striving to promote the great cause of national rejuvenation and building a great 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, and 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, can the cause of the Party and the people advance in the right direction. History has fully proved that the foundation of upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground lies in adhering to the Party's overall leadership; this is the core code for China's past great achievements. History will also prove that adhering to the Party's overall leadership is the fundamental guarantee for achieving the eternal great cause of the Chinese nation.
Third, we must unswervingly adhere to socialism with Chinese characteristics. The path determines the destiny; the question of the path is a fundamental one. Socialism with Chinese characteristics is a fundamental achievement made by the Party and the people through untold hardships and at a great price; it is the only way to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. This path did not come easily and must be held firmly 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 trends of the times. We must carry forward the spirit of advancing with the times, and continuously expand the breadth and depth of our understanding of this path, so that it consistently leads China toward the future and secures new victories. Adhering to and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics is a "great article" (大文章) [4]. To continue writing this great article, we must adhere to the Marxist view of development, give play to 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. We must continuously make new discoveries, creations, progress, and innovations.
III
Upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground are dialectically united and inseparable. Only by achieving innovation on the basis of upholding the fundamentals can we better uphold those fundamentals through innovation. In the report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC, General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly expounded on the great significance of innovation, noting that "only by breaking new ground can we grasp and lead the times." He explicitly required that we keep pace with the times, respond to the development of practice, treat all new things with high enthusiasm, continuously expand the breadth and depth of our understanding, dare to say new things that our predecessors did not say, dare to do things that our predecessors did not do, and guide new practices with new theories.
We must treat science with a scientific attitude and pursue truth with the spirit of truth. The essence of a scientific attitude and the spirit of truth is respect for objective laws. Both upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground are, in essence, an adherence to Marxism—which reveals objective laws—and the continuous revelation of new laws through innovation. Therefore, continuously deepening our understanding of the laws of governance by a Communist party, the laws of socialist construction, and the laws of the development of human society, and following these laws based on scientific understanding, is a fundamental requirement for both upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground. Marxism is a science and a truth, but it is an open and constantly developing science. It has not exhausted truth but has opened the correct path for people to continuously obtain more truths. 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 constantly exploring the objective laws of the development of things in practice, obtain new understandings of objective laws, form new thoughts, views, and concepts, and continuously promote the Party's theoretical innovation. Over its century-long struggle, the Party has accumulated much experience in this regard. For example, we must never mistake following old conventions and rigid dogmatism for "upholding the fundamentals"; we cannot treat mechanically copying the specific words of predecessors, not daring to say new things they did not say, or not daring to do things they did not do as "upholding the fundamentals," much less treat persisting in errors committed in history as "upholding the fundamentals." Conversely, we must never treat policy propositions that depart from the Marxist stance, depart from the basic principles of Marxism, or violate the fundamental socialist system as "innovation." We cannot treat the simple copying and application of the governance methods or social and economic policies of developed countries—namely Western capitalist countries—as "innovation." We must adhere to dialectical thinking, strategic thinking, bottom-line thinking, systematic thinking, historical thinking, and rule-of-law thinking. We must plan reform and construction with scientific thinking, identify the content that needs to uphold fundamentals or break new ground in practice, and design various policies scientifically and accurately. This ensures that the content of both reflects the requirements of the laws of all aspects of socialist construction with Chinese characteristics, achieving the dialectical unity of the two.
We must persist in proceeding from China's reality and integrating with China's specific reality. To promote the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism, we must clarify China's actual conditions, ground ourselves in China's reality, explain China's reality, and solve the actual problems of Chinese society. China's reality includes historical characteristics and the current situation. We must combine the basic principles of Marxism with China's specific reality and with fine traditional Chinese culture. We must focus on what we are currently doing, listen to the voices of the people, respond to real needs, deeply summarize the practical experience of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and focus on solving practical problems in reform, opening up, and socialist modernization in the New Era. We must strengthen historical and cultural confidence, persist in making the past serve the present and "weeding through the old to bring forth the new" (推陈出新) [5]. We must connect the ideological essence of Marxism with the gems of fine traditional Chinese culture and with the common values that the people "use daily without realizing it" (日用而不觉) [6]. This will 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 on erroneous tendencies that jeopardize the implementation of the Party's correct line, persist in proceeding from objective reality, truly "aim the arrow at the target" (有的放矢) [7], and carry out the struggle against erroneous tendencies by seeking truth from facts. Through active struggle, we can eliminate the interference of erroneous ideas and promote the Party's theoretical innovation through the Marxist ideological line.
Based on the characteristics of the era, we must answer the questions posed by China, the world, the people, and the times. To continue advancing the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism, we must accurately grasp the great trends of the times, possess the courage to stand at the forefront of human development, listen to the voices of the people, and respond to practical needs. We must persist in liberating the mind, seeking truth from facts, and upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground; we must better integrate the persistence in Marxism with the development of Marxism, and remain committed to shooting the "arrow" [8] of Marxism at the "target" of China in the New Era. We must profoundly grasp the pulse and trajectory of world history, pay close attention to and study the "great changes unseen in a century" [9], and strengthen our research on contemporary capitalism. We must analyze and grasp the various changes that have emerged along with their essence, deepening our regular understanding [10] of the profound and complex changes in capitalism and international political-economic relations, and accurately grasping 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 study new results of Marxist research abroad—analyzing and discerning them such that we neither reject them outright nor copy them mechanically. Using Marxist positions, viewpoints, and methods for analysis and judgment, and with the goal of facilitating the development of the cause of the Party and the people, we must continuously propose new concepts, new ideas, and new methods that truly solve problems. We must systematically grasp the theoretical system of Chinese-path modernization, profoundly comprehend its Chinese characteristics, essential requirements, and major principles, correctly handle several major relationships in advancing Chinese-path modernization, and effectively implement the strategic deployments for building a modern socialist country in all respects.
We must 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 because the Sinicized and modernized version of Marxism works. To continue advancing the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism, we must steadfastly uphold the regular understanding acquired by the Party and the people through wisdom and sweat, blood and life; we must follow these laws in practice as we continue new explorations, constantly pushing forward the development of the Party’s cause and the Party’s theoretical innovation. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping has engaged in deep reflection and scientific judgment on a series of major theoretical and practical issues concerning the development of the cause of the Party and the country in the New Era. Focusing on major themes of the times—such as what kind of socialism with Chinese characteristics should be maintained and developed in the New Era and how to maintain and develop it; what kind of great modern socialist country 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—he has proposed a series of original new concepts, new thoughts, and new strategies for governance. Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is contemporary Chinese Marxism and 21st-century Marxism; it is the essence of Chinese culture and the Chinese spirit in our times. 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 have the courage to continuously advance theoretical innovation in combination with new practices and be adept at using new theories to guide new practices. Through the "Two Combinations" [11], we will continuously open up new realms in the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism and create more new miracles that will make the world look at us with new eyes [12].
(The author is a member of the Social and Legal Affairs Committee of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and a distinguished professor at the School of Marxism, Shandong Normal University)
Online Editor: Tongxin Source: Red Flag Manuscript (Hongqi Wengao), 2023/4 [13]