Gong Yun and Yang Binbin: Great Changes in the New Era Hold Milestone Significance | Marxism Research Network

Great achievements forge a great era, and a great era witnesses great achievements. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has led the whole Party, the entire military, and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups to forge ahead with enterprise and fortitude, to move forward with courage, and to struggle in unity. We have scientifically responded to changes in the world, in our times, and in history. Grounded in new strategic opportunities, tasks, stages, requirements, and environments, we have adopted a series of strategic measures, advanced a series of transformative practices, achieved a series of breakthrough advances, and obtained a series of landmark results. We have overcome many long-standing and difficult problems and accomplished many major tasks of long-term significance. Facing the historic achievements and historic changes of the New Era, General Secretary Xi Jinping clearly pointed out in his important speech at the provincial and ministerial level leading cadres' seminar on "Studying the Spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s Important Speeches to Welcome the 20th Party Congress": "The great changes of the ten years of the New Era possess milestone significance in the history of the Party, the history of New China, the history of reform and opening up, the history of the development of socialism, and the history of the development of the Chinese nation."

The New Era of socialism with Chinese characteristics is a new historical stage in the century-plus history of the Communist Party of China.

The New Era is a temporal continuation of the CPC's journey in leading the Chinese people through revolution, construction, and reform, and a spatial expansion of the Chinese Communists' adherence to their original aspiration and founding mission while creating the great undertakings of the times. The New Era, together with the period of the new-democratic revolution ^[1], the period of socialist revolution and construction, and the new period of reform, opening up, and socialist modernization, constitutes the history of the CPC’s entrepreneurship, struggle, and development. It vividly records the historical picture of the Party’s growth from small to large and from weak to strong, profoundly revealing the historical evolutionary logic of a Party born amidst domestic strife and foreign aggression, growing through hardships, and strengthening by overcoming difficulties.

The CPC in the New Era is not only a century-old party but also a major global party. As of December 31, 2021, the total number of CPC members reached 96.712 million. The CPC is not only the world’s largest Marxist governing party but also the world’s largest governing party. The greatness of a "major party" lies not only in its scale but more in its achievements. The CPC has always stayed alert to potential dangers even in times of peace ^[2], maintaining the same spirit of striving for good governance ^[3] seen during its early entrepreneurial days. After taking power, it has practiced frugality and remained mindful of the end as at the beginning ^[4]. During times of tranquility, it has strictly governed officials to prevent corruption and curb extravagance. At critical junctures of major change, it has followed the trends of the times and the will of the people. This holds landmark significance in the developmental history of world party politics. Fundamentally, this is because the new great project of Party building in the New Era has achieved comprehensive progress through continuous advancement, and the great cause of comprehensively and strictly governing the Party has achieved significant success under the guidance of the spirit of self-revolution.

On the one hand, the Party maintains the consciousness of having the courage to turn the blade inward, to scrape the poison off the bone ^[5], and to cut off one’s own wrist like a brave warrior ^[6]. It continuously eliminates all factors that damage the Party’s advanced nature and purity, and clears all viruses that erode its healthy body. This ensures the Party never changes its nature, its conviction, or its character ^[7], building it into a vibrant Marxist governing party that always stands at the forefront of the times, enjoys the wholehearted support of the people, possesses the courage for self-revolution, and can withstand all kinds of storms. This ensures the Party remains a strong leadership core throughout the historical process of upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics in the New Era. On the other hand, the Party continuously strengthens its political leadership, ideological guidance, mass organization, and social mobilization. It has scientifically answered major questions of the times, such as what kind of socialism with Chinese characteristics should be upheld and developed in the New Era and how to do so; what kind of great modern socialist country should be built and how; and what kind of long-term governing Marxist party should be built and how. This has effectively promoted national prosperity, national rejuvenation, and the people's happiness.

The New Era of socialism with Chinese characteristics marks a new orientation in the 70-plus-year history of New China, signifying that China has entered a new stage of development. The New Era is an era in which China has achieved a massive transformation from falling behind the times and catching up with the times to leading the times. It is an era of transition from "Made in China" to "Created in China," from pursuing high-speed growth to pursuing high-quality development, and from meeting the people’s ever-growing material and cultural needs to meeting their needs for a better life.

In the New Era, China’s comprehensive national strength has achieved a historic leap. Facing an external environment characterized by a sluggish global economic recovery, frequent local conflicts and turbulence, and intensifying global issues, our Party has insisted on nurturing new opportunities amid crises and opening new horizons amid changes. We have remained mindful of our origins while absorbing foreign influences and facing the future. Standing at the forefront of the times, understanding the relationship between the past and the present, and giving voice to new ideas, we treat the relationships between Chinese and global civilizations, past experience and current practice, and past achievements and future goals with an inclusive, open, and developmental attitude. By upholding and improving the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, we have provided a more complete, stable, and effective system for the development of the Party and state, the happiness and safety of the people, social harmony and stability, and long-term peace and order. This has propelled China’s economic, technological, defense, and comprehensive national strength into the front ranks of the world.

In the New Era, China has embarked on a new journey to comprehensively build a modern socialist country. Building on the long-term exploration and practice since the founding of New China, especially since the start of reform and opening up, and through theoretical and practical innovations and breakthroughs since the 18th National Congress, we have achieved the First Centenary Goal ^[8] as scheduled. We have successfully launched the new journey to build a modern socialist country and have advanced and expanded Chinese-path modernization. Chinese-path modernization is the modernization of a huge population, of common prosperity for all, of material and cultural-ethical Chu advancement in coordination, of harmony between humanity and nature, and of peaceful development. In essence, it is socialist modernization led by the CPC. This modernization breaks the myth that the capitalist modernization model is the only one in the world, overcomes the inherent congenital defects of capitalist modernization, expands the pathways for developing countries to achieve modernization, demonstrates the bright prospects of socialist modernization, and creates a brand-new realm for the modernization of human society. It fully validates that "there is no single modernization model in the world, nor is there a universal modernization standard." As General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "We must persist in advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-path modernization, neither taking the old path of closed-off stagnation nor the evil path of changing flags ^[9]; we must keep the base point of national development on our own strength and firmly grasp the destiny of China's progress in our own hands."

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The New Era of socialism with Chinese characteristics signifies that China’s reform and opening up has transitioned from localized exploration and "breaking the ice" ^[10] to systemic integration and comprehensive deepening. This "second revolution" of China is the important magic weapon for the Party and the people to catch up with the times in giant strides. It is the "key move" ^[11] for achieving the Two Centenary Goals and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. It has not only profoundly changed China but also deeply influenced the world. There is no end to practice, no end to liberating the mind, and no end to reform and opening up. Reform is a process that is always "underway" and never "completed"; stagnation and regression offer no way out. In the New Era, we have opened a new realm of reform and opening up through comprehensively deepening reform and continuously expanding opening up.

We have comprehensively deepened reform to modernize the state governance system and capacity. Since the 18th Party Congress, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has had the courage to "gnaw on hard bones" ^[12] and "wade through dangerous shoals." Highlighting institutional building and emphasizing the interconnectedness and coupling of reforms, the Party has pushed forward reforms with "real spears and swords" ^[13], effectively eliminating institutional barriers in various fields and steadily advancing the maturity and formalization of the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Adhering to the correct direction of reform, with the starting and ending point being the promotion of social fairness and justice and the enhancement of the people's well-being, we have focused on further liberating the mind, the productive forces, and social vitality. By strengthening top-level design and overall planning, we have increased the systematic, holistic, and collaborative nature of reform, stimulated the people's pioneering spirit, and deepened reforms in key areas. In the New Era, the comprehensive deepening of reform has moved toward greater breadth and depth. Reform has been applied across the board, achieving breakthroughs at multiple points, moving at a steady but rapid pace, and pushing forward in depth. From laying foundations and "erecting pillars and beams" ^[14] to comprehensive advancement and building momentum, and finally to systemic integration and collaborative efficiency, the basic institutional framework in various fields has been largely established. Historic changes and systemic reconstructions have been realized in many sectors. The system of socialism with Chinese characteristics has become more mature and formalized, the level of modernization of the state governance system and capacity has continuously improved, and the cause of the Party and the state has radiated new vitality.

We have expanded opening up to the outside world, continuously strengthening China's new advantages in international cooperation and competition. Since the 18th Party Congress, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has conformed to economic globalization. Relying on the advantages of our ultra-large market scale, we have implemented a more proactive opening-up strategy. We persist in the principles of extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits, promoting the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative. We ensure that internal and external opening up promote each other and that "bringing in" and "going out" are better integrated. We promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, build a global network of high-standard free trade zones, develop pilot free trade zones and the Hainan Free Trade Port, and promote institutional opening up in terms of rules, regulations, management, and standards. This has formed a pattern of opening up that is broader, wider, and deeper, creating an open economic system characterized by mutual benefit, win-win results, balanced diversity, and high efficiency.

The New Era of socialism with Chinese characteristics has opened a brand-new chapter in the history of the development of world socialism. The innovative development of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the New Era has allowed scientific socialism to radiate strong vitality in 21st-century China. It has held high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the world, effectively changing the passive situation faced by socialism globally since the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the drastic changes in Eastern Europe. It has opened a new chapter in which socialism demonstrates institutional advantages in its competition with capitalism.

Socialism with Chinese characteristics in the New Era has become the mainstay of the world socialist movement. From the perspective of the history of world socialism, the successful practice of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the New Era has caused a major shift in favor of socialism in the historical evolution and competition between the two ideologies and two social systems of socialism and capitalism. The situation of "the West being strong and the East being weak" and "capitalism being strong and socialism being weak" is gradually changing. The world pattern, the international landscape, and the global order are undergoing fundamental, reconstructive, and structural changes. The vigorous development of socialism with Chinese characteristics has declared, through eloquent facts, the end of the "End of History" theory, the failure of the "Socialism has Failed" theory, and the collapse of the "China Collapse" theory. It has forcefully refuted various forms of historical nihilism.

In the New Era, the CPC has upheld and developed socialism with Chinese characteristics, promoting the coordinated development of material, political, cultural-ethical, social, and ecological civilizations. It has created the path of Chinese-path modernization and a new form of human civilianization. With high political consciousness and strategic confidence, the CPC has proven the diversity of socialist development paths and verified the correctness of the Chinese path through the "Chinese miracle." The creation of a new form of human civilization has endowed the development of scientific socialism with distinct Chinese characteristics, opened a new realm for the development of world socialism, and created a new miracle in the development of human society.

The New Era of socialism with Chinese characteristics signifies that the Chinese nation has ushered in a great leap from standing up and becoming prosperous to becoming strong, marking that the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation has entered a stage of comprehensive realization.

The New Era of socialism with Chinese characteristics has left a new mark on China's million-year history of humanity, ten-thousand-year history of culture, and five-thousand-year history of civilization. This is a New Era that welcomes the bright prospects of achieving great rejuvenation, and it is an era in which the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation has entered an irreversible historical process. In the New Era, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, with a great sense of historical initiative, immense political courage, and a strong sense of responsibility, has coordinated the domestic and international situations. It has implemented the Party’s basic theory, line, and strategy, and managed the great struggle, great project, great cause, and great dream ^[15]. We have built a moderately prosperous society in all respects on the land of China, won the battle against poverty, and historically resolved the problem of absolute poverty that plagued the Chinese nation for thousands of years, writing the most magnificent epic in the millennia-long history of the Chinese nation. The historic achievements and changes in the cause of the Party and the state in the New Era have provided more complete institutional guarantees, a more solid material foundation, and more proactive spiritual strength for the realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Facing the new requirements, challenges, and goals of the new journey to comprehensively build a modern socialist country, we must hold high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics. We must heighten our sense of potential danger, adhere to bottom-line thinking, strengthen our will to struggle, and improve our ability to struggle. We must respond to changes, nurture new opportunities, and open new horizons with correct strategies and tactics. By grasping historical initiative, strengthening historical confidence, following the trends of the times, and maintaining strategic resolve, we shall write a brand-new chapter in comprehensively building a modern socialist country.