Marxism Research Network
Unofficial English Translation

On January 24, the 2017 Annual Working Meeting of the CASS Project for the Construction and Theoretical Research of Marxist Theory Disciplines was held.

Discipline Development

On the morning of January 24, 2017, the "2017 Annual Work Conference of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) Project for Marxist Theoretical Discipline Development and Theoretical Research" was held at the CASS headquarters. Leadership in attendance included Comrade Wang Weiguang, President and Secretary of the Leading Party Members’ Group; Comrade Li Peilin, Vice President and Member of the Leading Party Members’ Group; Comrade Jing Huimin, Member of the Leading Party Members’ Group and Director of the Institute of Contemporary China; and Comrade Li Shenming, former Vice President and Vice Chairman of the Internal and Judicial Affairs Committee of the 12th National People's Congress. The meeting was presided over by Comrade Zhang Jiang, Vice President and Member of the Leading Party Members’ Group. Over 70 representatives, including heads of various CASS departments and members of several research offices, participated in the session.

The conference began with exchange presentations from three units—the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology, the Institute of Industrial Economics, and the Information Management Office—regarding their 2016 implementation of the Leading Party Members’ Group’s "Opinions on Strengthening the Party’s Ideological Work and Building a Strong Fortress for Marxism."

Subsequently, Comrade Jing Huimin delivered a work report. In the report, Comrade Jing summarized the 2016 progress made across CASS in carrying out the Project for Marxist Theoretical Discipline Development and Theoretical Research (Marxist Project [1]) and implementing the Leading Party Members’ Group’s "Opinions on Strengthening the Party’s Ideological Work and Building a Strong Fortress for Marxism." He also deployed tasks and set forth requirements for the Marxist Project's work in 2017.

Finally, Comrade Wang Weiguang presented three requirements for all units regarding the Academy's Marxist Project and ideological work in 2017:

  1. Adhering to the guiding position of Marxism and strengthening the Party’s ideological work is the primary political task of our Academy and must be given high priority. It is necessary to enhance the "Four Consciousnesses" [2], align with the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, and remain firmly committed to the central tenets of maintaining the guiding position of Marxism and successfully executing the Party’s ideological work.

  2. The Marxist Project must be treated as the "No. 1 Project," the "Soul Project," the "Strategic Project," and the "Foundational Project" for ensuring the guiding position of Marxism within our Academy and across the philosophy and social sciences, as well as for guaranteeing the strengthening of the Party’s ideological work. All units in the Academy must attach great importance to it, participate actively, and strive to advance it. It cannot be treated as a supporting role, as optional, or—worse—as a burden. The "top leaders" [3] must take the lead and focus intensely on implementation.

  3. The implementation of the Marxist Project requires, on one hand, the study of the basic principles of Marxism and, on the other hand, the strengthening of research, dissemination, and innovation regarding the Sinicization of Marxism. Currently, the highest priority must be placed on studying, researching, and publicizing the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s series of important speeches and the new concepts, thoughts, and strategies for governance. Every discipline within our Academy must integrate the Marxist standpoint, viewpoint, and method [4] into its own disciplinary system, academic system, and discourse system, using them to guide scientific research. 2017 marks the third year of our Academy’s construction of these "Three Systems" [5]; we must see actual results and produce substantive achievements. Simultaneously, we must fully implement the responsibility system for ideological work, engage in active ideological struggle, organize forces to criticize erroneous trends of thought, defend the Marxist fortress, and consolidate the guiding position of Marxism in the philosophy and social sciences.

In his concluding remarks, Comrade Zhang Jiang requested that everyone fully recognize the extreme importance of the Marxist Project and ideological work. Following the meeting, the spirit of the conference [6] should be relayed comprehensively and in a timely manner. Implementation must be handled with precision, detail, and rigor to make new and greater contributions to the prosperity and development of CASS and to accelerate the construction of philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics.