Jin Hai: Deepening the Holistic Research on Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era
Abstract: The creation of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era has realized a new leap and opened up a new realm in the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism, serving as the great guide for our country in embarking on the new journey of comprehensively building a modern socialist country. Its core essence lies in expounding upon the comprehensive advancement of building a powerful modern socialist country, further clarifying the fundamental direction, strategic goals, primary tasks, fundamental paths, principles and policies, and the basic principles of implementation. It contains a wealth of Marxist worldview and methodology. Keywords: Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era; Sinicization; modernization; totality
The 20th National Congress of the CPC provided a new systematic exposition of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. Building upon the "Ten Clarifications," "Fourteen Persistences," and "Achievements in Thirteen Areas" proposed at the 19th National Congress and the Sixth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee, it further articulated the worldview and methodology of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. This provides the fundamental compliance for us to more systematically study, research, and implement this theoretical system.
To grasp Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era from the perspective of totality, the key is to understand that the creation of this theoretical system has realized a new leap and opened a new realm in the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism. Its "newness" lies in the new era characteristics, the new core questions it answers, the new historical tasks it elucidates, the new theoretical system it has formed, and the new thought methods it contains. Deepening the study of the totality of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era holds significant theoretical and practical importance.
I. The Era Characteristics of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era
Marked by the convening of the 18th National Congress of the CPC, socialism with Chinese characteristics entered a New Era. The general characteristic of this New Era is that our country has entered the stage of building a powerful modern socialist country, facing "two overall situations": the strategic overall situation of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the world's profound changes unseen in a century. This determines the primary tasks of our country's development in the New Era, as well as the connotation and extension of our Party's theoretical innovation in this period.
On the one hand, domestically, the principal contradiction in Chinese society has changed. Great achievements have been made in the modernization of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and the process of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation shows bright prospects. Prior to this, the principal contradiction in our society was the contradiction between the people's ever-growing material and cultural needs and backward social production. Through long-term struggle, especially the high-speed and stable development since the 18th National Congress, our country's productive forces, comprehensive national strength, and the people's living standards have undergone significant changes. The Chinese people have fundamentally bid farewell to the era of poverty, backwardness, and insufficient food and clothing, gradually realizing a moderately prosperous society in all respects and moving toward the stage of common prosperity. Therefore, the report of the 19th National Congress clearly pointed out: "The principal contradiction facing Chinese society has evolved into that between unbalanced and inadequate development and the people's ever-growing needs for a better life" [1]. By conforming to the major trends of China's economic and social development in the New Era and resolving this principal contradiction and the series of problems it triggers, we will be able to smoothly achieve the goal of comprehensively building a powerful modern socialist country and comprehensively advance the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-path modernization.
Entering the New Era, China's economic and social development has entered a "gear-shifting" period. By the middle of this century, our country aims to achieve the goal of comprehensively building a powerful modern socialist country and reaching the level of a moderately developed nation. Our economy and society will undergo a major transitional period. During this time, the forms of economic and social development will be diverse, exhibiting characteristics of both a developing country and a developed country. Consequently, the problem of unbalanced and inadequate development will persist for a long time, requiring us to consciously coordinate and avoid social conflicts. This is a vital characteristic of China's development over the coming decades, manifested in the following specific features: First, China's overall economic strength has risen to a brand-new level. Since 2010, China's total economic volume has remained stable as the world's second largest, and the gap with the United States has narrowed in recent years. By the 2030s, China may become the world's largest economy. Second, China is transforming from a low-income country to a middle-to-high-income country. Since the 18th National Congress, China's per capita national income has far exceeded the xiaokang [1] (moderately prosperous) level of $800 USD per capita GDP envisioned by Deng Xiaoping, entering the ranks of middle-income countries. Third, the people's living standards are transforming from basic xiaokang to comprehensive xiaokang and common prosperity. After the 18th National Congress, the pace of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects was accelerated, particularly through the vigorous advancement of poverty alleviation work. By the end of 2020, the goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects was achieved as scheduled. This was a crucial step toward great rejuvenation and marked the beginning of a new journey to achieve common prosperity and comprehensively build a modern socialist country. Fourth, China is transforming from a production-oriented society to a consumption-oriented society. With the development of recent years, the structures of both production-related and lifestyle-related consumption are changing. Consumption is gradually shifting toward high-quality forms, and the momentum of economic development is increasingly turning toward high-quality consumption. Fifth, China's economic development is transforming from extensive to intensive growth. Since the 18th National Congress, China has vigorously promoted the transformation of the economic development mode and implemented intensive growth methods, putting particular emphasis on combining industrialization and agricultural modernization with informatization, high technology, and urbanization to comprehensively advance the modernization of the economy and society. Through these years of effort, China's economic and industrial structures have undergone and will continue to undergo major changes, with high-tech contributing an increasing share to economic development. Sixth, the institutional system has become more complete and refined, and the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity has achieved remarkable results. Since the 18th National Congress, we have further proposed the goal of modernizing the national governance system and governance capacity, striving to standardize and solidify the mature institutional mechanisms formed during decades of reform. Through unremitting efforts, China's various institutional systems are now basically complete, marked by the legalization of various systems. This has laid a solid foundation for China’s long-term development and modern governance.
From an international perspective, over the past decade, along with China's high-speed economic and social development and the rise of other emerging economies, major new changes have appeared in the global landscape. The basic characteristic is the "ascent of the East and the decline of the West."
First, in the global process of modernization, China is transforming from "running behind" to "running alongside" and now "leading the way." Since the 18th National Congress, China's international status has grown steadily, moving from the periphery of the world stage toward the center. Overall, China is still a developing country, but in many fields, it can already stand shoulder-to-shoulder with developed countries, placing it in the "running alongside stage"; in individual fields, China has reached a leading level and is in the "leading stage." Under such historical conditions, to further promote modernization, China must not only answer the question of how to learn from and introduce advanced achievements of world civilization but also address how to engage in dialogue, exchange, and competition with developed countries, and how to further contribute to and help steer the development of world civilization. Second, in the world’s profound changes unseen in a century, China's role is becoming increasingly significant. The Chinese people, through their own wisdom and strength, have demonstrated powerful positive energy to the world, creating not only a new path of Chinese-path modernization but also a new form of human civilization. China has completed in a few decades the modernization process that took Western developed countries centuries, achieving modernization goals that are recognized globally. The practice of China's development has shattered the myth that the Western path to modernization is the only one, providing a new choice for developing countries to achieve modernization. Simultaneously, China's development has shattered the myth that Western modern civilization is the only path, providing a new choice for the construction of a new form of human civilization in the future. In recent years, China has played an increasingly significant role in the development of economic globalization, political multipolarity, and cultural diversity, earning praise from countries across the world.
Of course, upon entering the New Era, a series of new contradictions and problems have also emerged in the process of China's economic and social development. Because China must complete in decades the modernization process that took Western countries centuries, this compression of time inevitably means that various contradictions are concentrated to an unprecedented degree. For a period around the 18th National Congress, chaos emerged in some fields in China. In the economy, development gaps in many areas were large, including regional gaps, urban-rural gaps, East-West gaps, and income gaps, and the development mode was highly unbalanced. Politically, the problem of corruption was quite serious, and severe social issues appeared, such as "hatred of the wealthy" and "hatred of officials." In social development, issues concerning people's livelihoods were severe—especially regarding employment, housing, education, healthcare, and the environment—on which the masses had strong opinions. Ecologically, the natural environment suffered serious damage, with phenomena such as severe smog and water pollution. Culturally, social thought was in disarray, with liberalism and historical nihilism running rampant; some individuals even openly challenged the country's political bottom line. When reflected in our Party members and cadres, this manifested as the "Four Dangers": the danger of mental slackness, the danger of lack of capacity, the danger of becoming detached from the masses, and the danger of passivity and corruption. These were all major and difficult matters accumulated over a long period that people wanted to solve but had not, reaching a point where they absolutely had to be addressed.
Internationally, as major changes appeared in the global landscape over the last decade, various new contradictions and challenges have followed. The United States and other Western countries, unwilling to see a strong China and adhering to a Cold War mentality, have used various means to contain and suppress China. Ideologically, they have fabricated so-called "China collapse," "China threat," and "China responsibility" theories to attack China. Economically and technologically, they have used their advantages to restrain China's development, launching trade wars or implementing technological monopolies in an attempt to disrupt China's modernization process. Politically, they have wantonly interfered in issues such as Taiwan, Tibet, Xinjiang, and the South China Sea in an attempt to split China. They have also repeatedly challenged China on culture and intellectual property rights. Led by the United States, Western powers, acting out of self-interest and moving against the trend of history, have attempted to interrupt the process of economic globalization, engaging in trade protectionism and unilateralism, promoting hegemonism and power politics everywhere, wantonly violating the sovereignty of other countries, interfering in internal affairs, and frequently instigating regional wars, causing disasters for world peace and security. All of these have seriously impacted China's development and foreign relations.
All the aforementioned problems are "problems that arise after development." In the early 1980s, Deng Xiaoping cautioned us: "The problems that arise after development are no fewer than those during non-development" [2]. At that time, the main domestic problem was backwardness—essentially, the "cake was small." Now the problem is that the "cake is big," yet we must continue to grow it while also "slicing the cake well." This has become the key issue—precisely what Deng Xiaoping referred to as the primary problem after development. Contradictions after development are more complex; issues of interest distribution and coordination—namely, fairness and justice—become more prominent.
General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized during the first collective study session of the Political Bureau of the 18th CPC Central Committee that "fairness and justice are the inherent requirements of socialism with Chinese characteristics" and "common prosperity is the fundamental principle of socialism with Chinese characteristics" [3]. In a 2015 speech, he earnestly warned the whole Party: "'To govern the world, one must prioritize the public interest; for when there is public interest, the world is at peace.' Allowing the broad masses of the people to share the fruits of reform and development is the essential requirement of socialism" [4]. This indicates that the issue of fairness and justice is extremely important. After China has developed, if the problems of fairness and justice are not resolved, things will go wrong no matter how good the economic development is. This is because, in the final analysis, the problem of fairness and justice is a problem of social instability. Internationally, in the early period of reform and opening up, the main problem we faced was how to learn from and introduce the modernization achievements of developed countries—capital, technology, advanced production, and management methods—essentially being a "student" and "running behind." Today, we face the problem of how to uphold "fairness and justice" and lead the development of a new form of human civilization. This is also a significant problem China faces after having developed, as discussed by Deng Xiaoping.
General Secretary Xi Jinping once pointed out that the times are the paper-setter, we are the respondents, and the people are the markers [6]. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the Chinese Communists, with Comrade Xi Jinping as their chief representative, have maintained an overall perspective on the "two overall situations" [7]—domestic and international—kept a close pulse on the times, and successfully answered a series of new contradictions and problems facing us in the New Era. The 20th CPC National Congress explicitly stated: "Since the 18th National Congress, changes in the situation at home and abroad and new requirements in practice have urgently required us to provide deep answers, from the combination of theory and practice, to a series of major questions of the times concerning the development of the cause of the Party and the state and the Party's governance of the country. Our Party telah had the courage to undertake theoretical exploration and innovation, deepening its understanding of the laws of the Communist Party's governance, the laws of socialist construction, and the laws of the development of human society with an entirely new perspective; the significant theoretical innovation results achieved are concentrated in Xi Jinping New Era Chinese-path Socialism Thought" [10]. The founding of Xi Jinping New Era Chinese-path Socialism Thought achieved a new leap and opened a new realm in the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism.
II. The Core Essence and Historical Positioning of Xi Jinping New Era Chinese-path Socialism Thought
Generally speaking, the core essence and historical positioning of a theory are determined by the historical tasks it undertakes and the questions of the times it answers. Marx said: "Mankind thus inevitably sets itself only such tasks as it is able to solve, since closer examination will always show that the problem itself arises only when the material conditions for its solution are already present or at least in the course of formation" [11].
(1) Regarding the New Historical Tasks Facing the Party in the New Era
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" (hereafter referred to as the Resolution) adopted at the Sixth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee provided a clear elaboration: "the Chinese nation has ushered in a great leap from standing up and becoming prosperous to becoming strong." This clearly explains that the historical task of the New Era is to make our country, nation, and people truly strong. The Resolution pointed out: the main task facing our Party in the New Era is "to achieve the First Centenary Goal, embark on the new journey to achieve the Second Centenary Goal, and continue to advance toward the grand goal of achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation" [12].
The 20th CPC National Congress further pointed out: "From this day forward, the central task of the Communist Party of China will be to lead the Chinese people of all ethnic groups in a concerted effort to realize the Second Centenary Goal of building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects and to advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through Chinese-path modernization" [10]. The 20th CPC National Congress also provided comprehensive elaborations and deployments for accelerating the building of a country strong in manufacturing, quality, aerospace, transportation, cyberspace, agriculture, the oceans, trade, education, science and technology, talent, and culture, as well as accelerating the construction of a powerful, world-class military.
This differs significantly from the historical tasks undertaken by our Party in the past. During the period of the New Democratic Revolution, the main task facing the Party was to oppose imperialism, feudalism, and bureaucrat-capitalism, to strive for national independence and people's liberation, and to create the fundamental social conditions for the realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. After the founding of New China, the Party and the state entered the period of socialist revolution and construction. The main tasks faced were to realize the transition from New Democracy to socialism, carry out socialist revolution, and promote socialist construction, so as to lay the fundamental political premise and institutional foundation for the realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. During the new period of reform, opening up, and socialist modernization, the main task facing the Party was to continue exploring the correct path for building socialism in China, to liberate and develop the productive forces, to free the people from poverty and make them prosperous as quickly as possible, and to provide the institutional guarantee full of new vitality and the material conditions for rapid development to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Compared with the two previous historical eras, the most prominent characteristic of our country's development in the New Era is the leap toward "becoming strong."
Therefore, summarized broadly, our main task in the New Era is building a strong country. During the periods of revolution and construction, our main task was to make the Chinese people "stand up"; during the new period of reform and opening up, the main task was to make the Chinese people "become prosperous"; and in the New Era, the main task is to make the Chinese people and the Chinese nation "become strong." The previous two eras were for creating conditions for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation; the New Era has truly begun the new journey of building a great modern socialist country. The overall strategy regarding the goals, tasks, power, and pathways for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation has become increasingly clear, and the pace of practice has increasingly accelerated.
Commensurate with the new tasks of the era, the questions of the times that Xi Jinping New Era Chinese-path Socialism Thought must answer also differ significantly from the past. The Resolution of the Sixth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee pointed out: "Comrade Xi Jinping has conducted profound thinking and scientific judgment on a series of major theoretical and practical issues concerning the development of the cause of the Party and the state in the New Era, and has put forward a series of original new concepts, ideas, and strategies for governance regarding the major questions of the times, such as: what kind of Chinese-path socialism should we uphold and develop in the New Era and how should we uphold and develop it; what kind of great modern socialist country should we build and how should we build it; and what kind of long-term governing Marxist party should we build and how should we build it" [12].
(2) The Core Essence of the New Theory
The questions of the times faced by Xi Jinping New Era Chinese-path Socialism Thought are entirely consistent with the historical tasks undertaken by our Party. Among these, the most prominent new question is "what kind of great modern socialist country should we build and how should we build it." Of course, the questions of how to uphold and develop Chinese-path socialism and how to build a long-term governing Marxist party still require further answers in the New Era; however, these are, after all, questions that have been explored and answered since the beginning of reform and opening up. Building a strong country is the brand-new question of the New Era. Looking at the new historical tasks undertaken by our Party and the questions of the times it answers, the core essence of Xi Jinping New Era Chinese-path Socialism Thought should be the thought of building a great modern socialist country in all respects.
Regarding the core essence of this new theory, the Resolution of the Sixth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee provided a general summary: "Xi Jinping New Era Chinese-path Socialism Thought is contemporary Chinese Marxism and 21st-century Marxism; it is the essence of the era of Chinese culture and the Chinese spirit, and it achieves a new leap in the Sinicization of Marxism" [12]. It should be said that this general summary has already elucidated the nature and positioning of this new theory. This can be understood from two aspects.
On the one hand, Xi Jinping New Era Chinese-path Socialism Thought is contemporary Chinese Marxism and 21st-century Marxism. This means that Xi Jinping New Era Chinese-path Socialism Thought combines the basic principles of Marxism with the reality of contemporary Chinese development, answering the question of where contemporary China—especially China entering the New Era—is going. At the same time, it answers the question of world development, especially where the world is going after entering the 21st century.
Regarding the question of where China is going, this includes the issue of how New Era China can achieve the leap from becoming prosperous to becoming strong, as well as a series of questions from a broader historical perspective on how to comprehensively promote Chinese-path modernization and the realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. These questions, especially concerning "becoming strong," had not yet been placed on the agenda before the 18th CPC National Congress; thereafter, they gradually became prominent, becoming the "must-answer questions" of the New Era. This new theory has answered these questions well, thereby developing contemporary Chinese Marxism to a new stage.
Regarding the question of where the world is going—that is, today, as the world faces "great changes unseen in a century" [8]—it is the question of where Marxism is going, where world socialism is going, and where human civilization is going. This new theory answers these questions well, thereby advancing Marxism, scientific socialism, and even the theory of human civilizational progress based on the materialist conception of history [9] to a new stage; thus, it is 21st-century Marxism. To understand this deeply, one should also make a comparison from the perspective of the development of world history. Compared with the Marxism of the 19th and 20th centuries, this new theory possesses distinct characteristics of the era. 19th-century Marxism was primarily the theoretical expression of the international communist movement led by Marx and Engels. 20th-century Marxism was primarily the theoretical expression of scientific socialism moving from theory to reality, accompanied by the exploratory development of Marxist theories on national-democratic revolutions and socialist construction, which included both successful experiences and lessons from failure. As 21st-century Marxism, Xi Jinping New Era Chinese-path Socialism Thought is the Marxism of an era characterized by economic globalization, political multipolarity, social informatization, and cultural diversity following the end of the Cold War. It is the Marxism of an era when world socialism is gradually emerging from its low ebb and rising again; it is the Marxism of an era when humanity is striving to explore new paths for peaceful development under the conditions of "great changes unseen in a century."
On the other hand, Xi Jinping New Era Chinese-path Socialism Thought is the essence of the era of Chinese culture and the Chinese spirit. This means that Xi Jinping New Era Chinese-path Socialism Thought combines the basic principles of Marxism with China's fine traditional culture, further realizing the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism. It should be noted that this is a theoretical sublimation of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important thought that the development of contemporary Chinese Marxism must persist in the "Two Combinations"—namely, "persisting in combining the basic principles of Marxism with China's specific reality and with China's fine traditional culture" [12]. It is also the theoretical crystallization of his important thought that the inheritance and development of China's fine traditional culture must persist in the "Two Creatives" principle—namely, "persisting in creative transformation and innovative development." Furthermore, it is the practical product of combining the basic principles of Marxism with China's fine traditional culture. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping has attached great importance to extracting valuable ideas from China's fine traditional culture and applying them to the Party's theoretical innovation and the practice of governing the country. This has greatly enriched and developed the theoretical treasure house of Sinicized Marxism and pointed out the direction and opened the path for the innovative development of Chinese culture and its movement toward the world stage. The Party's new theory fully embodies this characteristic. Therefore, we need to deeply study, research, and implement this new theory from the perspective of the "Great View of History"—that is, from the historical height of more than 5,000 years of Chinese civilizational development, from the theoretical height of the formation and development of the genealogy of the Chinese spirit, and from the realistic height of the rejuvenation of Chinese culture and its new contributions to contemporary human civilization.
At the same time, we should also understand the profound ethical implication and significant meaning of this new theory from the height of world historical development and the development of human civilization. For 21st-century Chinese theory to go to the world, it must adapt to the trends of world history and the development of human civilization. The influence of Chinese culture and the Chinese spirit in the world has a long history and once made huge contributions to the development of human civilization, only waning after the start of the modern era [10] under the dual blows of imperialism and feudalism. Today, with the accelerated pace of China's socialist modernization, the influence of Chinese culture and the Chinese spirit in the world is growing, and the degree of recognition by the international community is also increasing. We should ride this momentum and vigorously promote China’s fine traditional culture. This is not only conducive to China's development but also to the progress of world civilization.
(3) The Core Essence of a Theory Determines Its Historical Positioning
The core essence of Xi Jinping New Era Chinese-path Socialism Thought is the elucidation of a series of issues regarding how China, entering the New Era, can build a great modern socialist country. Therefore, this theory is the theory that guides our country in comprehensively building a great modern socialist country and leads the Chinese nation in achieving its great rejuvenation. This should be the primary historical positioning of this theory in the process of the Sinicization of Marxism.
This theory also answers a series of questions about world development in the 21st century. Consequently, it has become the Marxism of an era in which humanity strives to explore new paths for peaceful development and to build "a community with a shared future for humanity" under the conditions of "great changes unseen in a century." This should be the historical positioning of this theory in the process of world history—a global extension of its Chinese historical positioning.
At the same time, this theory is the latest result of the development of Chinese civilization, which has a history of more than 5,000 years, in the 21st century. It is the essence of the era condensed by the development of the Chinese spirit in the New Era. It is the ideological theory that leads the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and strives to contribute Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions to the construction of a new form of human civilization. This is the historical extension of the theory's historical positioning in the history of the development of Chinese civilization and even the history of the development of human civilization.
From the perspective of the history of our Party and the development of the nation, every historical period possesses a specific, concise designation—a keyword—such as "revolution," "construction," or "reform." These designations best reflect the characteristics of their respective periods. Correspondingly, the essential meaning and positioning of our Party's theories in each period are linked to these terms. For instance, Mao Zedong Thought constitutes the correct theoretical principles and summary of experiences regarding the Chinese revolution and construction; Deng Xiaoping Theory, the Important Thought of Three Represents [11], and the Scientific Outlook on Development [12] constitute Sinicized Marxism during the new period of reform and opening up, serving as theories regarding the construction of socialism with Chinese characters. Therefore, the New Era following the 18th CPC National Congress [13] can be called the "Era of the Strong Nation" or the "Era of Rejuvenation." The keywords can be "strong nation" or "rejuvenation," which correspond to the previous keywords of "revolution," "construction," and "reform." Accordingly, Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era should be understood as the theory regarding the comprehensive building of a modern socialist strong nation and the realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Of course, the core essence and historical positioning of this new theory can be further explored from multiple dimensions to deepen our understanding of its nature and significance.
III. The Logical System of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era
Regarding the prolific achievements and scientific system of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, the 19th CPC National Congress and the Sixth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee summarized them as the "Ten Clarifications" [14] and the "Fourteen Commitments." The 20th CPC National Congress further affirmed this structure.
The "Ten Clarifications" represent the refinement and development of the "Eight Clarifications" summarized in the report of the 19th CPC National Congress, further deepening our regular understanding of the construction of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the New Era. These "Ten Clarifications" are essentially consistent with the "Eight Clarifications," yet there are two major distinctions. First, the eighth item of the original "Eight Clarifications" was split into two separate points—one concerning Party leadership and the other concerning the Party's self-construction—placing them as the first and tenth items respectively. Second, a statement regarding the basic socialist economic system was added, thereby including a section on Chinese-path socialist political economy. This transitioned the summary from eight items to ten. The reasons for this new summary were, first, to highlight the status of Party leadership in the developmental cause of our Party and nation; and second, to highlight that the core content of building a strong nation is economic construction. Naturally, each item contains various specific supplements, making the summary of the New Thought more comprehensive. These ten theoretical achievements are closely linked, constituting a rigorous logical system.
First, it is clarified that the most essential characteristic of socialism with Chinese characteristics is the leadership of the Communist Party of China; the greatest advantage of the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics is the leadership of the Communist Party of China; the CPC is the highest force for political leadership; and the whole Party must enhance the "Four Consciousnesses" [15], strengthen the "Four-fold Confidence" [16], and achieve the "Two Upholds." This concerns Party leadership in the New Era, emphasizing the comprehensive strengthening of such leadership, because Party leadership determines the nature and direction of building a modern strong nation, as well as the future and fate of the Party and the country. Our Party is a Marxist party, which dictates that Chinese-path modernization must necessarily be a path of socialist modernization, fundamentally distinct from Western paths of modernization. The Party is the core of leadership for our modernization undertaking. All comrades of the Party should consciously maintain a high degree of consistency with the Party Central Committee in ideology, politics, and action. Only by upholding this core can the Chinese people have a "pillar of support" [17] (zhǔxīngǔ) and our cause remain invincible. Clearly, this item is of utmost importance, providing a resilient political guarantee for the construction of a modern socialist strong nation.
Second, it is clarified that in upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics, the general task is to realize socialist modernization and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. On the basis of having built a moderately prosperous society in all respects, we will take a two-step approach to build China into a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious, and beautiful by the middle of this century, advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-path modernization. This concerns the tasks of building a modern strong nation in the New Era, which includes the further creation of a new path for Chinese-path modernization and a new form of human civilization. It also includes the "New Three-Step" strategy: basically achieving modernization by 2035, building a modern strong nation by the middle of the century, and continuing the struggle from that foundation to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. This item designs the roadmap for building a strong nation in the New Era and posits the general tasks, goals, and strategies.
Third, it is clarified that the principal contradiction facing Chinese society in the New Era is the contradiction between unbalanced and inadequate development and the people’s ever-growing needs for a better life. We must adhere to a people-centered philosophy of development, develop whole-process people’s democracy, and promote well-rounded human development and more substantial progress toward common prosperity for all. This concerns the principal contradiction and primary tasks of our society in the New Era. Simultaneously, it points out that the primary method for resolving this contradiction is to persist in people-centered development, solving the issues of common prosperity, democratic rights, and well-rounded development on the basis of growth. This item concretizes the aforementioned general tasks, highlighting the major contradictions, tasks, and solutions faced in the New Era.
Fourth, it is clarified that the Five-Sphere Integrated Plan is the overall layout for the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and the Four Comprehensives are the strategic layout. The Five-Sphere Integrated Plan primarily addresses the tasks and relationships between various fields of our socio-economic development; the Four Comprehensives strategic layout primarily addresses the overall developmental goals and strategic arrangements of the Party and state's cause. For example, comprehensively and strictly governing the Party penetrates through all fields of the "Five-Sphere" construction and is an overarching, strategic task. One point requires particular attention: the Four Comprehensives strategic layout has a new phrasing here—the original "Comprehensively Building a Moderately Prosperous Society" has been replaced by "Comprehensively Building a Modern Socialist Country," because the task of building a moderately prosperous society has been completed. Thus, this item further concretizes the general tasks mentioned above, emphasizing the overall layout and strategic layout for comprehensively promoting the construction of a modern socialist strong nation.
Fifth, it is clarified that the overall goal of comprehensively deepening reform is to improve and develop the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics and to promote the modernization of the state governance system and capacity. This concerns the issues of reform and institutional improvement, emphasizing the use of comprehensive reform to drive the development of all undertakings while simultaneously standardizing reform and development, institutionalizing the fruits of reform. This includes the institutionalization of Party building and the rule-of-law orientation of national system construction, making our fundamental, basic, and important systems more stable and defined. Simultaneously, we must vigorously promote the modernization of the state governance system and capacity, striving to transform our institutional strengths into governance efficacy. We must also actively participate in global governance, applying our governance experience to promote the democratization and rule of law in international relations. This item provides a scientific guideline for the modernization of our governance system and capacity and provides institutional security for the construction of a modern strong nation.
Sixth, it is clarified that the overall goal of comprehensively advancing the law-based governance of the country is to build a system of socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics and to build a socialist country under the rule of law. This concerns the construction of the rule of law, emphasizing that modernizing the state governance system and capacity must rely on the rule of law. By strengthening the rule of law, we ensure the systematic, standardized, and coordinated nature of the state governance system, maximizing social consensus. To persist in the law-based governance of the country, we must accelerate the formation of a complete system of laws, as well as systems for implementation, supervision, and guarantees, and a perfect system of intra-Party regulations. Simultaneously, we must persist in combining the law-based governance of the country with the virtue-based governance of the country to promote social progress comprehensively. This item is the concentrated expression of Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law, providing scientific theory for our legal construction and a legal guarantee for the construction of a modern strong nation.
Seventh, it is clarified that we must uphold and improve the basic socialist economic system, ensuring that the market plays the decisive role in resource allocation while the government plays its role better. We must grasp the new stage of development, implement the new development philosophy of innovation, coordination, green development, openness, and sharing, and accelerate the construction of a new development pattern with dual circulation as the mainstay, where domestic and international circulations reinforce each other, promoting high-quality development and coordinating development and security. This concerns economic construction, emphasizing that in promoting our economic construction, we must simultaneously utilize the "invisible hand" of the market and the "visible hand" of the government. This is the fundamental characteristic and strength of economic development under socialism with Chinese characteristics. Moreover, we must adapt to the "new normal" [18] of economic development, push forward high-tech industry development, and realize the upgrading of our economic and industrial structures. We must use the "new development philosophy" to guide the comprehensive socio-economic development of China. This item is a concentrated summary of Xi Jinping Thought on Economy and also contains the concept of green development and Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization. Developing according to these thoughts ensures that China's economic modernization and ecological civilization construction will advance steadily, providing a solid material foundation and a good ecological environment for building a modern strong nation.
Eighth, it is clarified that the Party's goal for strengthening the military in the New Era is to build a people's army that follows the Party's command, can fight and win, and has a fine style of work, transforming it into a world-class military. This concerns the construction of a strong military, emphasizing the Party's absolute leadership over the people's army, ensuring the highest leadership and command authority of the people's army belongs to the Party Central Committee and the Central Military Commission (CMC), and fully implementing the system of the Chairman of the CMC assuming overall responsibility. According to the goals and strategic guidelines for strengthening the military in the New Era, we must vigorously carry out reforms of national defense and the armed forces, restructuring the leadership and command system, the modern military force system, and military policies and systems. We must strengthen the strategic functions of the people's army in shaping situations, controlling crises, deterring wars, and winning wars, building a world-class military by the middle of this century. This item is a concentrated summary of Xi Jinping Thought on Strengthening the Military. Constructing the military and national defense according to this thought will provide a reliable security guarantee for national reform, development, and stability.
Ninth, it is clarified that major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics must serve national rejuvenation and promote human progress, driving the construction of a new type of international relations and a community with a shared future for humanity. This concerns diplomatic work, emphasizing that in the face of complex and severe international situations and unprecedented external risks and challenges, we must coordinate the domestic and international spheres. On one hand, diplomatic work must center on serving the rejuvenation of the nation, holding high the banner of peace, development, cooperation, and mutual benefit. We must improve an all-dimensional, multi-tiered, and three-dimensional diplomatic layout, actively developing global partnerships, managing major-country relations, and promoting coordination and cooperation among major powers. On the other hand, we must center on the promotion of human progress, reflecting our Party's philosophy of seeking happiness for the Chinese people while seeking well-being for the people of the world. We must promote the construction of a new type of international relations and a community with a shared future for humanity, advocating the shared human values of peace, development, equity, justice, democracy, and freedom, making new and greater contributions to the construction of a new form of human civilization. This item is a concentrated summary of Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy. Implementing this thought will create a favorable external environment for our country's development.
Tenth, it is clarified that the strategic policy of comprehensively and strictly governing the Party puts forward the general requirements for Party building in the New Era. We must comprehensively promote the Party's political, ideological, organizational, and conduct building, as well as its discipline building, with institutional building running through all these efforts. We must deeply advance the anti-corruption struggle, implement the political responsibility for governing the Party, and lead the great social revolution with the Party’s great self-revolution. This concerns the Party's own construction, emphasizing that "it takes a good blacksmith to forge good tools" [19] (dǎ tiě hái xū zì shēn yìng). As the leading force of our modernization construction, the Party must continuously carry out self-revolution to maintain a healthy political body, excellent political quality, superb leadership ability, and strong spiritual cohesion. Only in this way can the Party maintain its advanced nature and purity as a Marxist party and remain the resilient core of leadership for our modernization construction.
The internal logical connections of the "Ten Clarifications" are very clear. The first four aspects primarily expound on the holistic issues of constructing socialism with Chinese characteristics in the New Era, including its essential characteristics, fundamental tasks, principal contradiction, overall layout, and strategic layout. The latter six aspects primarily expound on a series of original new concepts, new thoughts, and new strategies by General Secretary Xi Jinping regarding the major fields of our country’s modernization construction. These include: legal thought (i.e., thoughts on promoting the modernization of the state governance system and governance capacity, and building a socialist country under the rule of law), economic thought (i.e., thoughts on establishing and improving the socialist economic system with Chinese characteristics, promoting comprehensive economic and social development, and adhering to green development), strengthening the military thought (i.e., thoughts on strengthening military reform and development and building a world-class military), diplomatic thought (i.e., thoughts on creating a favorable international environment and promoting the building of a community with a shared future for humanity), as well as the thought on leading the great social revolution through the Party's great self-revolution. Among these original theoretical achievements, five major achievements can stand as independent chapters; these are the several aspects of important thought proposed by General Secretary Xi Jinping and identified by the Party Central Committee, including economic thought, legal thought, ecological civilization thought, strengthening the military thought, and diplomatic thought.
The "Fourteen Persists" are the practical requirements and working principles for our continued advancement of socialist construction with Chinese characteristics in the New Era, based on a scientific summary of historical experience. In the report to the 19th National Congress of the CPC, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that the whole Party must deeply understand the spiritual essence and rich connotations of the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and implement it comprehensively and accurately in all areas of work. The internal logical connection of the "Fourteen Persists" is also very clear. The first two are general requirements, emphasizing that all our work must persist in the Party's leadership while persisting in being people-centered; these are the leading force and the primary force for the development of our cause, reflecting the nature of our Party and state as well as the purpose of all our work. Articles three through nine are the basic strategies; they are the concrete manifestation of the "Five-Sphere Integrated Plan" overall layout and the "Four Four Comprehensives" strategic layout, reflecting the basic tasks and practical requirements for building a modern socialist powerful country in all respects on the new journey of the New Era. Articles ten through thirteen are guarantee requirements, including the security and stability of the domestic and international environments. Article fourteen is the requirement for the Party’s own building, which is the key to whether our cause can succeed.
The relationship between the "Ten Clarifications" and the "Fourteen Persists" is dialectical; it is a relationship between "substance" and "application" [20]. The former primarily elucidates "what is" socialism with Chinese characteristics for a New Era, while the latter further tells us "how to build" socialism with Chinese characteristics for a New Era. Together, they constitute the grand system and grand logic of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.
A holistic grasp of the logical system of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era cannot remain merely at the level of theoretical understanding; it also needs to be closely integrated with the immense theoretical and practical achievements our Party has attained since the 18th National Congress. Regarding these achievements, the Sixth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee summarized "thirteen aspects of achievements," and the 20th National Congress further summarized "sixteen aspects of achievements." These achievements vividly demonstrate the rich connotations and great power of this theoretical system. Only by closely integrating theory with practice can we deepen our holistic understanding of this theoretical system.
IV. The New Worldview and Methodology Implied in the New Theoretical System
The report of the 20th National Congress of the CPC pointed out: "Continually writing new chapters in the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism is the solemn historical responsibility of contemporary Chinese Communists. To continue promoting theoretical innovation based on practice, we must first grasp the worldview and methodology of the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and adhere to and make good use of the positions, viewpoints, and methods running through it." [21] Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era contains a scientific worldview and methodology. Within it, there are both the basic viewpoints and methods of dialectical materialism and historical materialism, as well as a series of new viewpoints and methods full of the flavor of the times and practical style, which the 20th National Congress summarized into six aspects, namely the "Six Must-Persists."
First is the must-persist in putting the people first. The people-centered nature is the essential attribute of Marxism. Whether one acknowledges the masses of the people as the subjects of history, and whether one observes, thinks about, and solves problems from the standpoint of the masses, is the fundamental hallmark distinguishing Marxism from other theories. Chinese Communists always adhere to the historical materialist view, placing the driving force of social development on the foundation of the strength and demands of hundreds of millions of people; they always persist in doing everything for the people, relying on the people for everything, and respecting the pioneering spirit of the people; on this basis, they continuously promote theoretical and practical innovation. The strength and demands of the masses will continuously develop along with social development; thus, our Party’s theoretical innovation also advances accordingly, becoming a powerful ideological weapon for the masses to continuously promote the development of the cause.
Persisting in putting the people first—that is, the spirit of being people-centered and having the courage to take responsibility for the people—is a manifestation of our Party's fundamental purpose of serving the people whole-heartedly. It is the core and soul of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and the most fundamental worldview and methodology for our Party’s governance in the New Era. In his speech during the meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the 18th CPC Central Committee with Chinese and foreign journalists, General Secretary Xi Jinping spoke a very moving passage: "The great trust of all comrades of the Party and the expectations of the people of all ethnic groups throughout the country are a huge encouragement for us to do our work well, and also a heavy responsibility on our shoulders." [22] On behalf of the new central leadership collective of the Party, he stated: "We must always be of one heart with the people, share weal and woe with the people, and struggle together with them. We will work diligently, day and night [21], striving to deliver a passing grade to history and the people." [22] Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, all the thoughts proposed and all the practical work led by General Secretary Xi Jinping have revolved closely around this core. From the proposal of the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, to the efforts to solve people’s livelihood issues—especially solving the production and living difficulties of the masses and taking the path of common prosperity; from the in-depth implementation of the Party's mass line education and practice, to the vigorous punishment of corruption—all reflect General Secretary Xi Jinping’s respect for the principal status of the people, his protection of the interests of the masses, and his lofty sense of responsibility and spirit of undertaking for the people and for history. On the new journey, we should more consciously adhere to the political concept and practical spirit of being people-centered, uniting hundreds of millions of Chinese people to form a majestic force promoting the construction of our country into a modern powerful nation.
Second is the must-persist in self-confidence and self-reliance. To combine the basic principles of Marxism with China’s reality and with China's fine traditional culture, one must first recognize the social and historical conditions of China since modern times. One must recognize how the Chinese people and the Chinese nation suffered under the oppression of imperialism, feudalism, and bureaucrat-capitalism after the Opium War, and how, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China and through arduous struggle, they welcomed the great leap of the Chinese people and the Chinese nation from standing up and becoming prosperous to becoming strong. This builds a firm faith in Marxism and a firm conviction in socialism with Chinese characteristics, strengthening confidence in our path, theory, system, and culture. Persisting in self-confidence and self-reliance is a summary of the century-long struggle of the Chinese people and the Chinese nation, and it is a powerful spiritual support for further achieving the goal of a modern socialist powerful country and the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
Persisting in self-confidence and self-reliance is a distinctive feature of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. It fully reflects the great achievements of Chinese-path modernization in the New Era, fully demonstrates the uplifting and enterprising spirit of the Chinese people and the Chinese nation in the New Era, and provides a basic method for further enhancing that enterprising spirit. Since the 18th National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized self-confidence and self-reliance many times. At the ceremony marking the 95th anniversary of the founding of the CPC, General Secretary Xi Jinping noted with deep feeling: "In the world today, if one were to say which political party, which country, and which nation has reason to be confident, then the Communist Party of China, the People's Republic of China, and the Chinese nation have the most reason to be confident." [27] He encourages people, especially our nation’s youth, to understand China through the comparison of history and reality, to understand the relationship between China and the world, and to recognize the changes unseen in a century in the world triggered by China’s development. He encourages them to understand the over 5,000-year history of Chinese civilization, the over 100-year history of the Party’s struggle, the over 70-year history of socialist construction, and the over 40-year history of reform and opening up. They should recognize the immense achievements of China's modernization and the characteristics and advantages of the Chinese path, theory, system, and culture, thereby enhancing their ambition, grit, and backbone [22] as Chinese people, so as not to fail the times or their youth, and to strive to make new contributions to the realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The spirit of self-confidence and self-reliance emphasized by General Secretary Xi Jinping has greatly enhanced the national self-confidence and the spirit of self-strengthening of the Chinese people. It has fundamentally changed the deeply rooted psychological state of cultural inferiority formed in some people's minds due to long-term imperialist aggression and the influence of various Western trends of thought since modern times, laying a solid spiritual foundation for China to move toward becoming a modern powerful country and achieving national rejuvenation. On the new journey, we must further enhance the consciousness of self-confidence and self-reliance, and especially strengthen education on self-confidence and self-reliance for the masses, particularly for the youth. Only by becoming strong in spirit can the construction of a Chinese-path modern powerful country have hope.
Third is the must-persist in upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground. Classical Marxist writers have always emphasized that the basic principles of Marxism are correct, but the practical application of these principles must shift according to changing actual conditions. This is the basic method for the correct application of scientific theory. Regarding this method of thought, Comrade Mao Zedong summarized it as "seeking truth from facts" and made it the Party's ideological line. During the new period of reform and opening up, Deng Xiaoping further summarized this ideological line as "emancipating the mind and seeking truth from facts." In the New Era, based on the thoughts of his predecessors, General Secretary Xi Jinping has further summarized this with a very popular yet incisive phrase: "upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground" (shouzheng chuangxin). "Upholding the fundamentals" (shouzheng) means adhering to the basic principles of Marxism; only by upholding the fundamentals can we ensure the correct direction of thought and action and avoid losing our way in a rapidly changing environment. "Breaking new ground" (chuangxin) means that we must continuously explore and innovate according to the changes of the times, be adept at proposing new ideas, new strategies, and new methods, have the courage to speak new words and do new things, and continuously open up new horizons for the development of our cause.
Persisting in upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground is a vivid manifestation of implementing the Party's ideological line in the New Era. It is the "master switch" for promoting the Party's theoretical and practical innovation, and a scientific summary of our Party's historical experience and even the historical experience of world socialism. In recent decades, the domestic and international situations have changed tremendously; General Secretary Xi Jinping has used terms like "high winds and swift waves" and "stormy seas" to describe them, which is not an exaggeration at all. In such a situation, if one cannot maintain a clear head and uphold the fundamentals, one will make mistakes, or even subversive mistakes. There were many reasons for the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the drastic changes in Eastern Europe, but the most fundamental point was losing direction during reform. Some cadres within our Party have turned away from their original aspiration and founding mission, and even ended up in prison as criminals against the people, precisely because they could not uphold the fundamentals in a changing environment and lost the purpose and principles of Communists. The reason the Communist Party of China has been able to withstand trials in such an environment and achieve great success in socialist modernization is that it has always adhered to the correct direction guided by Marxism while continuously innovating and advancing according to changes in the situation. The reason our countless Party members, cadres, and masses have been able to grow continuously in such an environment is also that their original aspirations have not changed, while they have simultaneously continued to forge ahead. On the new journey, only by continuing to persist in upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground can we continue to create a new and even more glorious future.
Upholding a problem-oriented approach is the starting point and ultimate goal of the Marxist party's theoretical and practical innovation; specifically, it is the fundamental method for discovering problems, resolving contradictions, and advancing work. Mao Zedong called this type of theoretical research aimed at solving problems "shooting the arrow at the target" [23]. It was by virtue of this scientific method that Mao Zedong proposed the scientific concept of the "Sinicization of Marxism" and a series of ideas capable of solving the practical problems of the Chinese revolution and construction, achieving the first historic leap in the Sinicization of Marxism. During the new period of reform and opening up, Chinese Communists—represented by Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, and Hu Jintao—clung tightly to the task of the times regarding how to make the Chinese people prosperous. Through unremitting exploration, they provided scientific answers and formed the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Since the New Era began, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has focused closely on the task of the times—building a great modern socialist country. They have resolved many tough problems that had long been on the agenda but remained unsolved, accomplished many great tasks that were desired in the past but never completed, and promoted historic achievements and transformations in the cause of the Party and the country. They founded Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, providing a new guiding ideology for the development of our Party and country on the new journey. On this new journey, we must further strengthen our awareness of problems, enhance investigation and research, and focus closely on the major contradictions existing in China’s economic and social development. Only by proposing new concepts, new ideas, and new methods to solve problems can we open up new horizons for the development of our cause.
Fifth, we must uphold a systemic concept. Dialectical materialism tells us that all things in the world are interconnected and interdependent systems. To transform this worldview into a methodology, one must learn to view, analyze, and handle problems from a perspective of universal connection, comprehensive systems, and evolutionary change. Particularly with the deepening of China’s modernization and the development of economic globalization, world multipolarity, and information networking, the systemic nature of China’s social development has become increasingly evident. The connections between countries have deepened, and China’s relationship with the world has become closer and more complex. This requires us to continuously improve our capacity for systemic thinking, including strategic thinking, historical thinking, dialectical thinking, innovative thinking, rule-of-law thinking, and bottom-line thinking. Only in this way can we provide a scientific ideological method for forward-looking thinking, overall planning, and the holistic advancement of our cause.
Upholding a systemic concept is the concrete manifestation of materialist dialectics in our Party's work in the New Era, fully reflecting the characteristics of comprehensively promoting Chinese-path modernization. At the beginning of reform and opening up, China's reform and development were mainly concentrated in the economic field, only later gradually expanding to the political, cultural, social, and ecological fields. This was a process moving from the shallow to the deep, and from key points to comprehensive development, determined by the practical logic of China's reform, opening up, and modernization. Around the time of the 18th National Congress, China achieved great successes in economic and social development, but problems of unbalanced and incomplete development became increasingly prominent. Facing this, General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out many times that we must "fix the short boards" to prevent the "barrel effect" [24]. Simultaneously, General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized the need to deepen reform, strengthen top-level design, and enhance the systemic, holistic, and coordinated nature of reform. Consequently, he proposed the "Five-Sphere Integrated Plan" and the "Four Comprehensives" strategic layout, aiming not only to coordinate the "five major constructions" of economy, politics, culture, society, and ecology, but also to comprehensively promote the building of a moderately prosperous society and modernization in all fields, alongside the comprehensive advancement of reform, the rule of law, and Party building. Since the 19th National Congress, our Party has further clearly proposed new concepts, ideas, and strategies such as comprehensively building a modern socialist country, coordinating the two overall situations of domestic and international affairs, and promoting the building of a community with a shared future for humanity. On the new journey, we must more consciously take a scientific systemic view as our guide to ensure the road of Chinese-path modernization grows wider and wider.
Sixth, we must maintain a global vision. Since its birth, Marxism has taken the liberation of the global proletariat and working people—and thus the liberation of all humanity—as its mission. The Chinese Communists belong to 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 common good for the world [25]. During the period of the democratic revolution, our Party regarded the Chinese revolution as part of the world revolution. During the period of socialist construction, we actively supported the national liberation struggles of oppressed nations and peoples, contributing to the fight against imperialism and colonialism. In the new period of reform and opening up, we have always maintained the justice of world peace and development, making active efforts to solve global development issues and eliminate the "North-South" and "East-West" gaps. Especially over the last decade, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has expanded its world vision, adapted to global trends, and actively participated in global governance. By promoting world peace, development, cooperation, and win-win outcomes through China's own development, it has contributed Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions to the building of a community with a shared future for humanity and the creation of a new form of human civilization, receiving widespread praise from the people of the world.
Maintaining a global vision is not an expedient measure [26], but the unchanging position, principle, and method of conduct for our Party and country. Since the 18th National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping, keeping in mind the general trends of development in China and the world, has worked to foster a favorable international environment for China's development while striving to promote global economic prosperity and peaceful development. He has successively proposed a series of new concepts, solutions, and measures that benefit all countries. In April 2013, while attending the Boao Forum for Asia in Hainan, President Xi proposed that all countries should firmly establish a sense of a "community of destiny" and act as defenders and promoters of peace. In March 2015, President Xi attended the Boao Forum again and delivered a keynote speech, further proposing the initiative to build a "community with a shared future for humanity." At the General Assembly for the 70th anniversary of the United Nations on September 28 of the same year, President Xi delivered a brilliant speech titled "Working Together to Forge a New Partnership of Win-Win Cooperation and Create a Community of Shared Future for Mankind," sounding the strongest note of the times for this initiative. Today, the proposal to build a "community with a shared future for humanity" has been written into multiple UN documents, becoming one of the important principles leading the future development of the world. China has also vigorously developed the "Belt and Road Initiative," bringing "tangible benefits" to relevant countries and regions. Practice has proven that China is the locomotive of today's world economic development and an important force leading the development of human civilization. On the new journey, we must continue to maintain a global vision, bring more and more benefits to all countries, and promote the building of a better world.
The "Six Must-Upholds" constitute an organically connected whole. They fully embody the scientific worldview and methodology of contemporary Chinese Communists, demonstrate distinct Chinese characteristics, and exude a strong flavor of the times. Upholding the people's supremacy emphasizes the issue of the subject of history; maintaining self-confidence and self-reliance demonstrates the issue of the spiritual pillar; upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground answers the issue of entrepreneurial endeavor; upholding a problem-oriented approach highlights the issue of resolving contradictions; upholding a systemic concept reveals the issue of comprehensive development; and maintaining a global vision responds to the issue of human civilization.
The "Six Must-Upholds" are the philosophical essence of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. They embody the worldview of this ideological system, answering the questions of "what is" and "why" regarding contemporary China and the world, while also containing the methodology of this scientific theory, answering the questions of "how it should be" and "what to do." By deeply understanding the "Six Must-Upholds," one can grasp the logic, academic principles, and philosophy of the Party's innovative theory, moving beyond knowing what is said to knowing what is meant, and from knowing that it is so to knowing why it is so. By striving to practice the "Six Must-Upholds," we can implement the Party's innovative theory in all aspects and throughout the entire process of the work of the Party and the state, thereby upholding the Marxist worldview and methodology.
The report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC pointed out: "Why the Communist Party of China works, and why socialism with Chinese characteristics is good, depends fundamentally on the fact that Marxism works, and specifically, that Marxism Sinicized and modernized works." [27] Both history and reality tell us that to consolidate our Party’s long-term governing status and continue leading the people in advancing the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, we cannot for one moment be without the guidance of Marxism—especially Sinicized and modernized Marxism.
The founding of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era reflects the trends of the times and answers a series of major questions facing contemporary China and the world. This is the latest theoretical achievement of our Party in combining the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific realities and with the best of traditional Chinese culture. It is the great guide for China as it embarks on the new journey of comprehensively building a modern socialist country. By deepening our holistic study of the Party's innovative theory and striving to implement it, we will surely be able to create an "upgraded version" of Chinese-path modernization and write a magnificent chapter in the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.