Commemorating the 20th National Congress and Strengthening the Party's Theoretical Foundations: The Academic Forum on "The Success of the CPC's Centennial Struggle and the Sinicization of Marxism" Successfully Held

On July 23, 2022, the academic forum “The Successful Experience of the CPC’s Century of Struggle and the Sinicization of Marxism,” organized by the Institute of Marxism Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), was successfully held at the Qingdao University of Technology. This academic forum was jointly hosted by the CASS Institute of Marxism Studies and the Qingdao University of Technology, and organized by the Department of Research on the Sinicization of Marxism of the CASS Institute of Marxism Studies, the School of Marxism of the University of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and the School of Marxism of the Qingdao University of Technology. It was co-organized by the editorial departments of Marxism Studies (Makesizhuyiyanjiu), World Socialism Studies (Shijieshehuizhuyiyanjiu), Frontline (Qianxian), and Shandong Social Sciences (Shandongshehuikexue). The forum took “The Successful Experience of the CPC’s Century of Struggle and the Sinicization of Marxism” as its theme and was conducted via a combined "online + offline" format.

Academic Forum on “The Successful Experience of the CPC’s Century of Struggle and the Sinicization of Marxism” (Offline Venue)

At the opening ceremony of the forum, Gong Yun, Deputy Director of the CASS Institute of Marxism Studies, and Wang Yajun, Secretary of the CPC Committee of the Qingdao University of Technology, delivered speeches on behalf of the host institutions. Wang Wei, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Committee and Director of the Publicity Department of the Qingdao University of Technology, presided over the opening ceremony.

In his speech, Deputy Director Gong Yun pointed out that the “Resolution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on the Major Achievements and Historical Experience of the Party over the Past Century,” adopted at the Sixth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee, comprehensively summarized the four great leaps achieved since the founding of the Communist Party of China ^[1], systematically outlined the ten points of historical experience of the CPC’s century of struggle ^[2], and highlighted the historic achievements and historic changes attained in the New Era. This constitutes a comprehensive, systematic, and profound distillation of the Party’s major achievements and historical experience over the past century, and is a programmatic document shining with the light of Marxist truth. 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 spirit of China in our times, achieving a new leap in the Sinicization of Marxism. This presents numerous research subjects for the broad ranks of workers in philosophy and the social sciences. We must strengthen the holistic, systematic, and theoretical study of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era; dialectically grasp the relationship between holistic and thematic research on this Thought; and conduct in-depth research into its original contributions, actively contributing to the study, research, and interpretation of this scientific theoretical system.

Speech by Gong Yun, Deputy Director of the CASS Institute of Marxism Studies

Secretary Wang Yajun pointed out that—whether in the past, present, or future—the key factor in our Party leading the people to victory is the continuous advancement of the Sinicization of Marxism. Marxist scholars in the New Era should pay attention to the "questions of the times," keep the "greatest concerns of the nation" (guo zhi da zhe) ^[3] in mind, and strive to explore from an academic level the triple logic—theoretical, historical, and practical—of why the Communist Party of China was able to succeed in its century of struggle and how the Party can continue to succeed in the future. They should profoundly grasp the significance of the Two Establishments and demonstrate true ability and achieve high-quality results in researching and solving major issues concerning the overall, fundamental, and key interests of the Party and the state.

Speech by Wang Yajun, Secretary of the CPC Committee of the Qingdao University of Technology

Wang Wei, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Committee and Director of the Publicity Department of the Qingdao University of Technology, presiding over the opening ceremony

During the first session of keynote speeches, Researcher Xin Xiangyang, Secretary of the CPC Committee and Deputy Director of the CASS Institute of Marxism Studies, focused on the “Two Establishments and Strengthening the Party through Theory”; Professor Luo Yuting, former Deputy Secretary of the CPC Committee of Wuhan University, focused on “Persisting in the Supremacy of the People as an Important Historical Experience of the CPC’s Centennial”; Professor Han Xiping, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Committee of Jilin University, focused on the “Analysis of the Internal Logic of Xi Jinping’s Concept of the People”; and Researcher Liu Zhiming, Director of the Department of Research on the Sinicization of Marxism at the CASS Institute of Marxism Studies, delivered a keynote speech on the “Marxist Theoretical Foundations of the ‘Two Establishments.’”

In the second session of keynote speeches, Wang Xinsheng, Vice President of Nankai University and Changjiang Scholar Distinguished Professor of the Ministry of Education, focused on “Opening Up New Realms of 21st-Century Marxism through Inheritance and Development”; Professor Lin Jinping, Dean of the School of Marxism at Sun Yat-sen University, focused on “Chinese-path Modernization and Chinese Culture”; Professor Dong Hui of the School of Marxism at Huazhong University of Science and Technology focused on the “Valuable Significance and Experimental Insights of the CPC’s Exploration of an Independent Path to Modernization”; and Associate Professor Wang Weiguo, Vice Dean of the School of Marxism of the University of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, delivered a keynote speech on the “Centennial Experience and Enlightenment of the Chinese People’s Spiritual Initiative.”

In the third session of keynote speeches, Researcher Luo Wendong, Secretary of the CPC Committee of the CASS Institute of World History, focused on “Continuing to Write New Chapters in the Sinicization of Marxism—Understandings and Insights from Studying Xi Jinping: The Governance of China (Volume IV)”; Professor Zhang Zhanbin, Dean of the School of Marxism of the Central Party School of the CPC, focused on the “Innovative Development of Contemporary Marxist Political Economy”; Professor Tian Pengying, Dean of the School of Marxism at Northeastern University, focused on “Profoundly Understanding the Decisive Significance of the ‘Two Establishments’ from the Perspective of Historical Materialism”; and Associate Professor Zhang Xiao, Director of the Discipline Office of the School of Marxism at Soochow University, delivered a keynote speech on the “Multidimensional Philosophical Methodological Innovations of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.”

In the fourth session of keynote speeches, Shen Yang, Director of the Research Office for the Theoretical System of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics at the CASS Institute of Marxism Studies, focused on “Three Frontier Issues in the Theory of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics”; Professor Tian Xuming, Vice Dean of the School of Marxism at Guangxi Normal University, focused on “Resilience: A Salient Quality of the System of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics”; Yang Binbin, Assistant Researcher at the CASS Institute of Marxism Studies, focused on “The Institutions for Comprehensively and Strictly Governing the Party: Concepts, Logic, and Mechanisms”; and Professor Wang Dezhao of the School of Marxism at Tongren University delivered a keynote speech on “The Historical Connotation of the CPC’s Original Aspirations and Founding Mission and Its Enlightenment for the New Era.”

Guo Yin, Director of the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at the Qingdao University of Technology; Li Longqiang, Vice Dean of the School of Marxism at the Qingdao University of Technology; Pang Fenghui, Dean of the School of Marxism at Shandong University of Science and Technology; and Hua Zhanglin, Vice Dean of the School of Marxism at the Qingdao University of Technology, respectively presided over the four keynote speech sessions.

Professor Chen Guoqing, Dean of the School of Marxism at the Qingdao University of Technology, delivered the concluding remarks for the forum. This forum attracted high attention from experts, scholars, and academic colleagues in the fields of Sinicization of Marxism and the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics from across the country. The forum received more than 600 papers, and after expert review, more than 160 papers were approved. Nearly 80 experts and scholars from universities and research institutes—including the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the Central Party School of the CPC, Wuhan University, Sun Yat-sen University, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Northeastern University, Xiangtan University, Soochow University, Guangxi Normal University, Tongren University, Sichuan Technology and Business University, and Qingdao University of Technology—attended the meeting through both online and offline channels.

Chen Guoqing, Dean of the School of Marxism at the Qingdao University of Technology, making concluding remarks for the forum

The comprehensive summary of the Party’s major achievements and historical experience over the past century and the in-depth study of the latest achievements in the Sinicization of Marxism are of great practical and far-reaching historical significance for promoting the entire Party to further unify its thinking, will, and action, and for uniting and leading the people of all ethnic groups throughout the country to seize new and great victories for socialism with Chinese characteristics in the New Era. The successful convening of this academic forum contributes to the systematic research and profound understanding of the glorious course of the CPC’s century of struggle, deepens the understanding and grasp of the “Two Establishments” and the “Two Combinations,” ^[4] strengthens the systematic research into Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, provides a valuable platform for academic exchange for researchers of the Sinicization of Marxism and socialism with Chinese characteristics nationwide, and gathers more intellectual strength for the comprehensive construction of a modern socialist power.

(Contribution by Yang Binbin, CASS Institute of Marxism Studies)