Han Donghui: Fully Grasping the Core Essence of the Fifth Volume of "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China"
Since the 20th National Congress of the CPC, Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era has deepened our regular understanding [1] of the Party's innovative theories, opened up a new realm of the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism, and embarked on a new journey of comprehensively advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-path modernization. The publication of the fifth volume of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China is of great significance for our profound grasp of the Party’s innovative theories, our deep understanding of the Party’s historical mission on the new journey, and our thorough implementation of the series of new thoughts, viewpoints, and judgments proposed by General Secretary Xi Jinping. We must integrate the latest theoretical and practical achievements since the 20th National Congress, following up in a timely manner to profoundly comprehend the original theories and foundational principled contributions contained therein.
To study and master the fifth volume of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China, one must more profoundly grasp that advancing the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation through Chinese-path modernization constitutes the "greatest politics of the New Era." The concepts of Sinicized and modernized Marxism, socialism with Chinese characteristics, and Chinese-path modernization—all suffused with the spirit of materialist dialectics—embody the integration and unity between regular understanding and concrete practice, upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground and self-confidence and self-reliance, and seeking truth from facts and liberating the mind [2]. Since the 18th National Congress, our Party has continuously deepened its understanding, established Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and achieved a new leap in the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism, providing the fundamental follow-through for Chinese-path modernization. Therefore, Chinese-path modernization is, fundamentally, socialist modernization led by the Communist Party of China, in which the people are always the subjects. To embark on the broad road [3] of modernization in a developing country with a super-large population—achieving modernization characterized by common prosperity for all, coordination between material and ethical-cultural civilizations, harmony between humanity and nature, and the path of peaceful development—we must profoundly recognize that advancing Chinese-path modernization is a systemic project. It requires overall planning, systemic design, and holistic advancement. We must properly handle multiple complex relationships, such as top-level design and practical exploration, strategy and tactics, upholding fundamentals and innovation, efficiency and fairness, vitality and order, and self-reliance and strength versus opening up to the outside world. We must further comprehensively deepen reform and expand high-level opening up. The theory of Chinese-path modernization contains a series of new thoughts, viewpoints, and judgments—for example, developing new quality productive forces according to local conditions; promoting the integrated development of education, technology, and talent; vigorously developing whole-process people's democracy; consolidating the Party's cultural leadership and elevating the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation; and the concept of community exemplified by promoting the joint construction of a community with a shared future for humanity. All of these demonstrate the theoretical vitality and practical power of original thoughts and contributions.
To study and master the fifth volume of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China, one must more profoundly grasp that reform and opening up is the "most prominent feature of contemporary China," and continue to write a magnificent chapter of further comprehensively deepening reform in the New Era. Reform and opening up is a new great revolution led by our Party for the people under new historical conditions; it is the "crucial move" [4] that determines the fate of contemporary China and the success or failure of Chinese-path modernization. Since the 18th National Congress, the comprehensive deepening of reform in the New Era has written one of the most magnificent chapters in the history of China’s reform and opening up, providing powerful momentum and institutional guarantees for finishing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects and continuing the "two miracles" [5]. It has injected an inexhaustible source of power into Chinese-path modernization and provided a solid foundation and valuable experience for further comprehensively deepening reform on the new journey. The Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee sounded the bugle to further comprehensively deepen reform, closely centering on the theme of Chinese-path modernization, anchoring the goal of basically achieving socialist modernization by 2035, and prioritizing the deployment of major reform measures for the next five years. Emphasis is placed on leveraging the leading role of economic structural reform and constructing systems and mechanisms to support comprehensive innovation; on comprehensive reform by coordinating the deployment of economic reform with reforms in other fields and balancing development and security; and on strengthening the Party's leadership over reform. By promoting deep-level reform and high-quality development through high-level opening up and building a new system for a higher-level open economy, we provide a fundamental guarantee for further comprehensively deepening reform and advancing Chinese-path modernization.
To study and master the fifth volume of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China, one must more profoundly grasp that the "Two Combinations" [6] are the "greatest magic weapon" for our success. The experience of the Communist Party of China's century-long struggle shows that adhering to combining the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific realities and with China’s fine traditional culture is the fundamental way to advance the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism. Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is the latest theoretical achievement of adhering to the "Two Combinations," the essence of the times of Chinese culture and the Chinese spirit, and a new leap in the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism. The establishment, enrichment, and development of this Thought is the most powerful manifestation of the scientific truth of Marxism and our cultural subjectivity. It is under the guidance of the "Two Combinations" that we have successfully opened up and developed socialism with Chinese characteristics and expanded the broad road of Chinese-path modernization. It is under the guidance of the "Two Combinations," especially the "Second Combination," that Xi Jinping Thought on Culture was formed, opening a new realm for the construction of socialist culture with Chinese characteristics. In the great practice of promoting the "Two Combinations," Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era upholds the true spirit of "establishing the roots and casting the soul; upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground" [7], highlighting a new path for the "Two Combinations" to continuously advance the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism. "Establishing the roots and casting the soul" emphasizes that in advancing the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism, we must unswervingly adhere to Marxism as the foundation upon which our Party and country are established and thrive, and never stop developing Marxism by rooting it in the fertile soil of our own country’s and nation’s history and culture. "Upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground" is an important ideological method for our Party’s governance in the New Era. Adhering to this requires both the powerful determination not to change one's path or alter one's will, and the sharp courage to innovate and tackle tough challenges. For ideological building, only by upholding fundamentals can we avoid losing our way or making subversive errors; only by breaking new ground can we grasp and lead the times. "Establishing the roots and casting the soul; upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground" highlights the significance of the "Two Combinations" as a fundamental requirement for promoting the Party’s theoretical and practical innovation.
To study and master the fifth volume of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China, one must further leverage the "greatest advantages": the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and the endorsement and support of the broad masses of the people. CPC leadership is the most essential feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics; the CPC is the highest force for political leadership, always representing the fundamental interests of the widest range of the Chinese people, and is the fundamental guarantee for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Therefore, we must maintain the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee, which is a major principle for the building of a mature Marxist party and the fundamental guarantee for improving the system for comprehensively and strictly governing the Party and pushing the new great project of Party building in the New Era to a deeper level. Institutions are fundamental, overarching, stable, and long-term issues concerning the development of the cause of the Party and the state. The system of socialism with Chinese characteristics is the fundamental institutional guarantee for contemporary China’s development and progress; it is an advanced system with distinct Chinese characteristics, obvious institutional advantages, and a strong capacity for self-improvement. We must continue to improve and develop the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics. By 2035, we will have comprehensively built a high-level socialist market economy system, further improved the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and basically achieved the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity, thereby laying a solid foundation for comprehensively building a great modern socialist country by the middle of this century. Our Party always adheres to the philosophy of putting the people first, emphasizing that the people are the decisive force in comprehensively building a great modern socialist country. Whether we win or lose the people's support is a matter of life and death for the Party and determines the success or failure of the cause of the Party and the people. Our Party deeply promotes its self-revolution, actively develops whole-process people's democracy, and implements the people-centered development philosophy, ensuring that the achievements of modernization benefit all people more extensively and fairly. By making more obvious and substantive progress in promoting common prosperity for all, the Party has won the hearts of the people and gained the endorsement and support of the broad masses. Facts prove that the organic unity of Party leadership, institutional advantages, and people's support is the greatest advantage for building a strong country and achieving national rejuvenation.
To study and master the fifth volume of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China, we must strive to promote the systematic and academic research and interpretation of the Party's innovative theories. The systematization and academization of theory are inherent requirements and important channels for theoretical innovation. The creation and development of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is itself a process of continuous enrichment, advancement with the times, and systematic academization, forming a complete system through this developmental process. In this system, the "Ten Clarifications," "Fourteen Perseverances," and "Thirteen Achievements" summarized in the report of the 20th National Congress constitute the main content; the "Two Combinations" serve as the fundamental path and scientific method for theoretical innovation; and the "Six Must-Adheres" [8] constitute the general requirements and philosophical foundation of the worldview and methodology of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. Systematization and academization are inseparable general requirements. The direction of systematization is toward a "single piece of steel" and an "artistic whole" that is systemically complete, logically rigorous, comprehensive in content, and scientific in method; we must avoid fragmented citations or vulgarized interpretations taken out of context. The direction of academization is toward enriching and developing the scientific theory of Marxism, opening up new realms of Sinicized and modernized Marxism, and continuously functioning as an ideological guide for advancing and directing Chinese-path modernization and achieving the goals of building a strong country and national rejuvenation. Under the guidance of the fundamental requirements of the "Two Combinations," this involves being inclusive, drawing on various strengths, extracting the essence [9], and constructing a theoretical landscape of great breadth and stature. The two support and promote each other, jointly constituting the basic requirements for us to study and implement the fifth volume of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China and to research and interpret Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.