Xu Yanling: Deeply Understand and Grasp the Theoretical Essence of "Maintaining a Global Vision"
"Maintaining a global vision" is a breadth of mind and a pattern of thinking that has run through the Chinese Communist Party’s century-plus of exploration and struggle; it fully demonstrates the global perspective, sentiment for the world, and international responsibility of Chinese Communists. The Sixth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee listed "maintaining a global vision" as a valuable historical experience of the Party's important achievements over the past century. The report to the 20th CPC National Congress identified "must maintain a global vision" as an important manifestation of the stance, viewpoint, and method of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. To profoundly understand and grasp the theoretical essence of "maintaining a global vision," we must not only know the words but also their meaning, understanding what it implies; we must not only know the meaning but also the Way [1], clarifying why we maintain it; and we must not only know the Way but also practice it, grasping how to maintain it. This holds significant and far-reaching importance for continuously contributing Chinese wisdom, Chinese solutions, and Chinese strength to the noble cause of human peace and development.
I. Knowing the words and their meaning: What "maintaining a global vision" implies
The report to the 20th CPC National Congress pointed out: "The Communist Party of China is a party that seeks happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation; it is also a party that seeks progress for humanity and the Great Unity [2] for the world." This not only elucidates the expansive horizon of the CPC—which is both rooted in China and keeps the world in view—and its humanistic sentiment of both self-cultivation and seeking the welfare of all under heaven, but it also endows "maintaining a global vision" with new theoretical connotations.
Expanding world horizons and establishing global thinking. In the process of the evolution of civilization, the CPC has gained deep insight into the historical strands and objective requirements of world development. It aligns with the general trends and universal laws of human social progress, striving to promote the external world’s return from turbulence to rationality, demonstrating a grand pattern, sentiment, and responsibility of "caring for all under heaven." Currently, the world's once-in-a-century great changes are intertwined and fluctuating simultaneously with the overall strategy of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation; the trend of the times—peace, development, cooperation, and win-win results—is surging forward. The CPC scientifically discerns the general trend of the era's development, analyzing the mechanisms of evolution and exploring historical laws from the long river of history, the tide of the times, and global currents. It searches for the spatial and temporal coordinates of China's development along the horizontal axis of the global balance of power and the vertical axis of the Chinese nation's progress. The CPC emphasizes both the expansion of world horizons to profoundly perceive the trend of human progress and the establishment of global thinking to lead the correct course of social development. Chinese Communists have always examined issues with a world-class vision, understood them with a world-class mind, and handled them with world-class responsibility. Based on common interests and focused on long-term development, they persist in the historical initiative and conscious action of "maintaining a global vision," continuously leading the tide and direction of human progress.
Persisting in a shared future and promoting common development. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out that "China's development cannot be separated from the world, and the world's prosperity also needs China." This is a law-based understanding reached by the CPC in leading the people through the practice of revolution, construction, and reform over the past century. As the world's largest political party, the CPC upholds the principle that "a large party must behave like a large party," unifying domestic development with opening up to the outside world, linking China’s development with world development, and integrating the interests of the Chinese people with the common interests of all peoples. It insists on taking into account the legitimate concerns of other countries while pursuing its own interests and promoting the common development of all nations while seeking its own. On one hand, the CPC has continuously developed and strengthened itself through integration into global development. The most intuitive economic contribution rates forcefully prove that China is the engine of the world economy. The great achievements of China’s poverty alleviation cause have significantly reduced the map of global poverty. The two miracles of rapid economic development and long-term social stability, along with achievements in various fields, have allowed China to transition from a "follower" to a "parallel runner" and even a "leader." On the other hand, the CPC upholds the responsibility that "China ought to make a greater contribution to humanity," following the principles of equality and mutual benefit. It provides assistance to developing countries in fields such as infrastructure, industrial and agricultural production, medical and health care, and livelihood services, promoting their economic development and social progress. Through extensive intellectual assistance, it trains local talent and technical forces for these countries, thereby enhancing their "blood-making" capacity for development and revitalization. This series of propositions and actions for global development demonstrates that China remains an unswerving promoter of common development, a defender of the multilateral trading system, and a participant in global economic governance, providing reference for world development through its own experience and adding momentum through its own vitality.
Responding to universal concerns and strengthening global governance. Currently, global hotspots are emerging one after another; non-traditional security threats such as climate change, cybersecurity, and refugee crises continue to spread; and trade protectionism and unilateralism are on the rise, impacting the global governance system and multilateral mechanisms. Targeting the malady of a global governance system driven by the logic of capital and power politics, the CPC follows the objective reality that the fates of nations are intertwined. Facing global governance difficulties head-on, it advocates mutual respect, equity, justice, and win-win cooperation. It opposes "New Cold War" tactics, hegemony, and bullying, advocating for a more balanced and inclusive governance model and rules, and pushing the global governance system toward a more just and reasonable direction. On one hand, the CPC has always advocated for solving international disputes through peaceful dialogue, actively promoting the resolution of regional hotspots, and fully demonstrating China's image as a responsible major power upholding international humanitarianism. On the other hand, the CPC actively leads the building of a community with a shared future for humanity. It has proposed the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative, along with initiatives for building communities with a shared future at regional and bilateral levels. It fosters communities with a shared future in healthcare, cyberspace, digital governance, nuclear security, the ocean, and the relationship between man and nature, injecting strong impetus into international cooperation and making unique contributions to solving global problems.
Deepening exchanges and mutual learning to build a better world together. Civilizations become colorful through exchange and rich through mutual learning. This is the only path to flourishing the "global garden of civilizations" and an important driving force for human progress and world peace. The CPC upholds the concept that the world is colorful and civilizations are diverse. It advocates dialogue, learning, and harmonious coexistence among different civilizations, making these exchanges a bridge for friendship, a driver for social progress, and a bond for world peace. It emphasizes "taking ourselves as the core while making foreign things serve China," extensively drawing on all beneficial achievements of civilization and absorbing wisdom from the inclusive treasury of world culture. In particular, the Global Civilization Initiative responds to the common need for dialogue and cultural prosperity, enriches the understanding of the historical laws of human civilization, and presents China's style to the world in a comprehensive and three-dimensional way, providing a new solution for building a better world together.
II. Knowing the meaning and the Way: Why "maintaining a global vision"
"Maintaining a global vision" was nurtured in Marxism, which takes the liberation of all humanity as its mission, and in Chinese culture, which cares for all under heaven [3]. It has run through the glorious historical process of the CPC’s century-long struggle and has been sublimated in the grand practice of resolving the predicament of human civilization in the New Era.
The noble value guidance of Marxist ideals and beliefs. Marxism projects its theoretical tentacles to the whole world and humanity as a whole, observing the future and destiny of all mankind. General Secretary Xi Jinping noted: "Marxism is broad and profound, but in the final analysis, it can be summarized in one sentence: seeking liberation for humanity." The Marxist belief in communism and socialism delineates the vision of an "association of free individuals," providing the direction for the eventual establishment of an ideal society without oppression or exploitation, where everyone is equal and free. Since its birth, the CPC has firmly grasped the fundamental question of "what the Party is and what it aims to do." With a global vision and sentiment, it strives to achieve the "simultaneous resonance" and mutual promotion of the Chinese Dream—national prosperity, national revitalization, and people’s happiness—with the ideals of communism. This vividly demonstrates the contemporary expression of the goals of scientific socialism and reflects adherence to the "soul and marrow" [4] of Marxism.
The rich cultural nourishment from the "Tianxia" (under-heaven) view in Chinese culture. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "The Chinese nation has always sought 'all under heaven as one family,' advocating that all people are my brothers and all things are my kin, harmony among all nations, and the Great Unity, longing for a beautiful world where 'the Great Way prevails and the world is for the public good.'" Traditional Chinese culture contains the worldview of Tianxia (all under heaven), the pursuit of "establishing oneself and then helping others; seeking the welfare of the world," and the peace concept of "valuing harmony and seeking harmony without uniformity." These have nurtured the national temperament and lofty ambitions of the Chinese people to care for and benefit the world. As a faithful inheritor of fine traditional Chinese culture, the CPC examines it through the lenses of modern, historical, and developmental consciousness. It persists in handling relations with the external world with an open mind, engaging in extensive economic and cultural exchanges with an air of confidence and openness. In this process, it has cultivated a unique worldview and noble ideals, accumulating philosophical wisdom to judge the general trend of world history, handle the relationship between justice and interests, and respond to common human challenges. This wisdom has undergone creative transformation and innovative development to provide deep cultural nourishment for the CPC’s global vision.
Deep experiential enlightenment from a century-plus historical process. Persistence in a global vision is both a historical lesson of the CPC’s struggle and a distinct attribute of its character as a major party. As a Marxist party, the CPC established communism as its highest ideal and ultimate goal from its founding, practicing the Marxist sentiment for humanity. While managing its own affairs well, it has continuously contributed to human progress. After the founding of the People's Republic, Comrade Mao Zedong proposed that "China ought to make a greater contribution to humanity." Chinese Communists pioneered the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, proposed the theory of "two intermediate zones," and formed the strategic thinking of the "Three Worlds" division, supporting the liberation of oppressed nations and the construction of newly independent states. During the period of reform, opening up, and socialist modernization, Comrade Deng Xiaoping proposed to "keep an eye on the world, the future, the present, and all aspects." Following the trend toward a multipolar world, the CPC led the Chinese people to unswervingly follow the path of peaceful development, opposing hegemonism and power politics while promoting a new international political and economic order. Since the 18th National Congress, facing the "question of the times"—where is humanity headed?—General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized that the CPC concerns itself with the future of humanity and marches hand-in-hand with all progressive forces. China remains a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, a defender of the international order, and a provider of public goods. This historical scroll reveals the "youth code" of how the century-old Party remains vibrant after many trials: it has always been committed to building a better world alongside all peoples.
This is the correct choice of action for resolving the predicament of human civilization in the New Era. Currently, changes in the world, our times, and history are unfolding in unprecedented ways. The global economic recovery is sluggish, local conflicts and turbulence are frequent, global problems are intensifying, and the world has entered a new period of turbulence and transformation. Under circumstances where multiple challenges and crises are intertwined and superimposed, the ghost of the Cold War mentality lingers, and various cultural trends are surging, we must conform to the developmental trend of world history and the universal desire of humanity for peace and development. We must maintain strategic clarity, coordinate the advancement of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics by focusing on new era characteristics and the international situation, and respond to hegemonism and power politics with calm thinking and a rational, decisive attitude. We must continuously use our own certainty to hedge against the world's uncertainty, injecting stability into the world, and ensuring that we always stand at the forefront of the times during the historical process of profound global change, ensuring we always stand on the right side of history and the side of human progress. It is precisely based on a strong concern for humanity and a grand historical vision that the Communist Party of China (CPC) has successfully advanced and expanded Chinese-path modernization, creating a new form of human civilization to "let the torch of peace be passed from generation to generation, let the engine of development be sustained indefinitely, and let the light of civilization shine brightly." The Party remains committed to marching courageously alongside the people of all countries toward the building of a community with a shared future for humanity. In the bidirectional interaction between theory and practice, the CPC reaffirms its character as a major party with a global vision and its original aspiration and founding mission to seek Great Harmony [5] for the world, manifesting its grand spirit of "occupying the correct position under heaven and walking the Great Road of the world" [6].
III. To Know the Way is to Walk the Way: How to "Maintain a Global Vision"
Rise with the great historical trend and travel far on the right path of the world. Facing the major questions of "what is wrong with the world" and "where is humanity headed," the CPC translates its global vision and concern for humanity into the path choices of "clarifying the Great Principles of the world, creating the Great Harmony of the world, practicing the Great Justice of the world, and walking the Great Road of the world." This is done to broadly coalesce a new vision among the people of all nations for building a better world and to gather the greatest common denominator for global peace, development, and stability.
Clarifying the Great Principles of the world and building a basic consensus on the common values of all humanity. General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized that "peace, development, equity, justice, democracy, and freedom are the common values of all humanity." Peace is the foundation for the survival of human society, and development is its eternal theme; together, they constitute the major concerns for the well-being of the people. We must persist in taking the road of peaceful development, continue to provide new opportunities for the world through China's new development, and guarantee the realization of the noble cause of human peace and development. Equity is an important driver of social development, and justice is the basic condition for social harmony. In international affairs, we must always uphold a correct conception of righteousness and profit [7], insisting that righteousness means shared righteousness and profit means win-win profit. By prioritizing righteousness and balancing it with profit, we can foster a fair and just international order and achieve a state of sharing the same breath, destiny, and development with all countries. Democracy is an effective means of ensuring that all countries consult on international affairs on an equal footing; to promote the democratization of international relations, we must ensure that "the destiny of the world is held in the hands of the people of all nations" and that "when there are issues, they should be discussed; the affairs of the many should be discussed by the many." Freedom and rules complement each other; the formulation of rules must be consistent with their observance, and the enjoyment of rights must correspond to the assumption of responsibilities.
Creating the Great Harmony of the world and anchoring the goals and demands of a community with a shared future for humanity. Living together on this globe, humanity is a community with a shared future where we prosper or decline together. To alleviate the "world's predicament," the CPC has issued a global call and an appeal of the times to build a community with a shared future for humanity. On the one hand, from a theoretical dimension, we must continuously enrich and develop the concept of a community with a shared future for humanity. This concept focuses on the common and fundamental interests concerning human welfare and constitutes an all-dimensional community with different levels of content. Therefore, we must continuously clarify our goals, gradually expand the layers of connotation, deepen our paths and methods, and profoundly explain to the world the action program for "what kind of world to build and how to build it." On the other hand, from a practical dimension, we must promote the translation of building a community with a shared future for humanity into actual action. By "expanding the network of global partnerships and continuously enlarging our 'circle of friends,'" we are committed to building communities of interest, responsibility, and destiny where different countries coexist in harmony. We aim to construct multi-level communities of destiny—bilateral, peripheral, and regional—thereby creating a new paradigm for international interaction, deepening political mutual trust, economic integration, and cultural tolerance, and steering the giant ship of human society toward a bright future of peace, security, prosperity, and progress.
Practicing the Great Justice of the world and providing Chinese solutions for the reform of the global governance system. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that "none of the global problems facing humanity can be solved by any one country acting alone; there must be global action, global response, and global cooperation." To solve the difficult problems of global governance and continuously promote the reform and upgrading of the system, General Secretary Xi Jinping has called on all countries to rely on the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative as important pillars. We must transcend the obsolete "worldview" of the law of the jungle and zero-sum games that previously underpinned changes in the international order. We must actively practice a global governance concept based on extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits, promoting the international order toward a more just and reasonable direction. On the one hand, we implement the Global Security Initiative to promote the construction of a world of lasting peace. This involves observing the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, practicing true multilateralism, and building a new type of international relations that transcends bullying with mutual respect, transcends hegemony with equity and justice, and transcends beggar-thy-neighbor policies with win-win cooperation. This opens new avenues for creating a sound situation of mutual security assistance, a strategic environment of mutual security guarantees, and a governance system of shared security. On the other hand, we implement the Global Development Initiative to promote the construction of a world of common prosperity. By implementing the essence of prioritizing development and following the concept of common development, we adhere to the policy of utilizing both domestic and international markets and resources. We correctly handle the relationship between independence and opening up, and between developing ourselves and benefiting the world. We will promote high-quality development of the "Belt and Road" Initiative, continuously increase the representation and voice of the "Global South," and work with all countries to create an international environment conducive to development and foster new drivers for global development. This will draw a roadmap for narrowing the North-South gap and resolving developmental imbalances, creating a developmental pattern of universal benefit, balance, coordination, inclusiveness, win-win cooperation, and common prosperity.
Walking the Great Road of the world and sketching a beautiful blueprint for the development and progress of human civilization. Human history is a magnificent tapestry of exchange, mutual learning, and integration between different civilizations. We must always treat the diverse civilizations of humanity with an open mind and a broad heart. With respect for the diversity of world civilizations as the primary prerequisite, we must persist in the equality, mutual learning, dialogue, and inclusiveness of civilizations, letting exchange transcend estrangement, mutual learning transcend conflict, and inclusiveness transcend a sense of superiority. We must enhance understanding through communication and gather consensus through mutual understanding, learning from each other's strengths to ensure civilizations maintain vigorous vitality. Taking the emphasis on cultural inheritance and innovation as the source of power, we must deeply tap into the rich connotations of Chinese civilization and actively learn from all beneficial achievements of human civilization. Furthermore, on the basis of "making the past serve the present and weeding through the old to bring forth the fresh" [8], we should construct new elements, symbols, and markers that bridge China and the world, promoting the creative transformation and innovative development of the excellent traditional cultures of all countries during the modernization process. Using the strengthening of international people-to-people exchanges and cooperation as an important channel, we will establish a comprehensive mechanism for Chinese and foreign exchanges. By holding "culture festivals" and "culture years" with various countries and regions, we create platforms and bridges for equal dialogue between different civilizations, activating the majestic power of people-to-people cooperation. This will open a new situation of cultural exchange, integration, and heart-to-heart communication among the people of the world. We will establish a mechanism for practicing the Global Civilization Initiative, taking concrete actions to ensure its implementation on the ground.