Li Yi: Theme Education on Studying and Implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era Is a Major Event Affecting the Overall Situation
General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered an important speech at the working conference for the thematic education campaign on studying and implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. From the strategic height of the overall development of the Party and state undertakings in the New Era and on the new journey, he profoundly expounded upon the great significance and objective requirements of carrying out this thematic education, making comprehensive deployments for all aspects of the work. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "This thematic education is a major event concerning the overall situation; the time is tight, the tasks are heavy, and the requirements are high." This thematic education relates to how to better implement the spirit of the 20th CPC National Congress, how to better advance Chinese-path modernization—the central task of the Party in the New Era and on the new journey—and how to better maintain alertness and firmness in resolving the challenges unique to a large party. We must persist in using Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to forge the soul and consolidate the foundation, providing a strong and forceful political guidance and political guarantee for forging ahead on the new journey and making contributions in the New Era. We must consistently ensure the cultivation of the soul through study, the augmentation of wisdom through study, the rectification of conduct through study, and the promotion of action through study.
I. Carrying out thematic education is a strategic arrangement to forge the soul with Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and to consolidate the foundation of unity and struggle
For every step forward in theoretical innovation, theoretical armament [1] must follow suit. During the first collective study session of the Political Bureau of the 20th CPC Central Committee, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that since the beginning of the New Era, the Party's theoretical and practical innovations have been very vivid, and our study should also be vivid. The great transformations since the New Era began are epoch-making; they are the premise and condition for our entry into the irreversible process of achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. They hold 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. For more than a decade, the risks and challenges we have encountered have been tempestuous, sometimes even stormy seas [2]; various risks and challenges have come one after another, with unprecedented complexity and severity. As those who lived through, participated in, and witnessed these events, the scenes and images presented before our eyes allow us to feel this deeply. As Lenin once said: "Especially the history of revolutions is always richer in content, more varied, more multiform, more lively and 'ingenious' than even the best parties, the most class-conscious vanguards of the most advanced classes, imagine." Since the 18th CPC National Congress, an average of more than 10 million people in China have escaped poverty every year, equivalent to the population of a medium-sized country. No country in the world could achieve this in such a short period. In 2022, China's total economic output reached 121 trillion yuan, its share of the global economy rising from 11.4% in 2012 to over 18%. From 2013 to 2022, the concentration of PM2.5 in China’s key cities dropped by 57%, achieving ten consecutive years of decline, while the number of days with heavy pollution decreased by 92%. The historic achievements made and historic transformations that occurred over the decade of the New Era, alongside the creation of a new form of human civilization [3] through the path of Chinese-path modernization, constitute the realistic basis for the Chinese nation to carry forward the cause and forge ahead. They have "provided a more complete institutional guarantee, a more solid material foundation, and a more proactive spiritual force for the realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation."
The great achievements of the magnificent transformations in the New Era lie in the scientific guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. This Thought is contemporary Chinese Marxism, twenty-first-century Marxism, and the essence of the era of Chinese culture and the Chinese spirit. It has achieved a new leap and opened up a new realm in the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism. Engels once said: "A great advantage of our Party is that it has a new, scientific world outlook as its theoretical basis." The worldview and methodology of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era constitute a new development of the Marxist worldview and methodology; it is a complete worldview that "must be mastered unconditionally." This worldview and methodology are both a generalization of practice and a theoretical summation, as well as the result of spiritual sublimation. They are the epistemology for understanding contemporary Chinese Marxism and twenty-first-century Marxism, the ontology based on the developmental practice of the New Era, and even more so, the values of Chinese Communists in the New Era. Carrying out this thematic education is intended to comprehensively study and comprehend Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, to comprehensively and systematically master its basic viewpoints and scientific system, to grasp its worldview and methodology, and to persist in and utilize the positions, viewpoints, and methods that run through it. We must continuously enhance our political, ideological, theoretical, and emotional identification with the Party's innovative theories, truly master the "house-keeping skills" [4] of Marxism, and consciously use Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to arm our minds, guide practice, and promote work.
The development of history proves that scientific ideological guidance is the beacon for us to forge ahead with determination and brave dangerous shallows. Only through unity can we achieve victory; only through struggle can we succeed. Our Party emphasizes "unity and unification," while the Party and the people emphasize "unity and struggle." The core of unity and struggle is to persist in using Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to unify our will and actions. Comrade Mao Zedong emphasized: "Grasping ideological education is the central link in uniting the whole Party for the great political struggle. Unless this task is solved, none of the Party's political tasks can be accomplished." Since the Yan'an Rectification Movement [5], every centralized education activity carried out by our Party has begun with ideological education; this is an important experience for our Party in maintaining and developing its advanced nature. Political firmness and firmness in Party spirit are inseparable from theoretical clarity. To promote the deep and substantive study and implementation of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, we must "go deeper" in study, cognition, and understanding, and "be more substantive" in implementation and problem-solving. To clear the source and consolidate the foundation [6] from an ideological perspective, we must consciously align ourselves with [7] the Party Central Committee, with the Party's theory, line, principles, and policies, and always maintain purity of belief, Party spirit, and thought. We must comprehensively strengthen theoretical armament, continuously improve our capacity for political judgment, political understanding, and political execution, more profoundly comprehend the decisive significance of the "Two Establishments," strengthen the "Four Consciousnesses," firm up the "Four Confidences," and achieve the "Two Upholds." We must always maintain a high degree of consistency with the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core in thought, politics, and action, ensuring we think in the same direction and exert effort toward the same goal, together forging the Party into a piece of hard steel that is invincible and all-conquering.
II. Carrying out thematic education is a major measure to implement the spirit of the 20th CPC National Congress and advance Chinese-path modernization
The 20th CPC National Congress scientifically drew a grand blueprint for comprehensively building a modern socialist country and comprehensively advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-path modernization. It systematically expounded on Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as the latest achievement in the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism, clearly putting forward the missions and tasks of the Communist Party of China on the new journey in the New Era, which is of great significance and far-reaching influence. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that the 20th CPC National Congress achieved a series of major results in politics, theory, and practice, formulating major policies and strategic deployments for the development of the Party and state undertakings on the new journey in the New Era. It is the political declaration and program of action for our Party to unite and lead the people in building a modern socialist country in all respects and advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation in all respects. The whole Party must work hard on comprehensive study, comprehensive grasping, and comprehensive implementation, unswervingly putting the goals and tasks proposed at the 20th CPC National Congress into practice, and striving to win new victories in comprehensively building a modern socialist country. In this opening year of the comprehensive implementation of the spirit of the 20th CPC National Congress, carrying out the thematic education on studying and implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is timely and highly necessary.
The 20th CPC National Congress declared to the world the central task of our Party: to unite and lead the people of all ethnic groups in the country 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 a Chinese path to modernization. Chinese-path modernization has created a new form of human civilization; it is unprecedented in the history of socialist development and even more so in the history of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. At the same time, we must see that the overall entry of more than 1.4 billion people into modernization is unprecedented in human history, which inevitably requires us to put in even more arduous and difficult efforts. The more critical the historical junction, the more we must treat study and education as an urgent priority. We must persist in taking this thematic education as an opportunity, firmly grasping the general requirements of "studying the thought, strengthening Party spirit, emphasizing practice, and establishing new merits." We must comprehensively grasp the Chinese characteristics, essential requirements, two-step strategic arrangement, and important principles of Chinese-path modernization. Focusing closely on high-quality development as the primary task of building a modern socialist country in all respects, we should guide developmental practice by strengthening theoretical study and promote the resolution of developmental difficulties by deepening investigation and research [8]. We must implement study and investigation into the various tasks deployed by the 20th CPC National Congress, testing the results of the thematic education with new achievements in promoting high-quality development.
The value of theory lies in guiding practice; the purpose of study lies entirely in application. This thematic education does not divide stages or segments; it seeks to link theoretical study, investigation and research, the promotion of development, and inspection and rectification, integrating them organically and advancing them as a whole. "No division of stages or segments" does not mean lowering standards, but rather putting forward higher requirements. We should recognize that whether it is the general requirements, the fundamental tasks, or the key measures of this thematic education, they are ultimately intended to solve practical problems concerning the overall development of the Party and the state. In this sense, we must persist in making "study" the priority, "implementation" the essential, and "fulfillment" the weight. In accordance with the Party Central Committee's work plan for vigorously promoting investigation and research throughout the Party, we should foster a culture of investigation and research, going deep into the grassroots and the front lines to "take the pulse and diagnose the illness" and "dissect the sparrow" [9], using the Party's innovative theories to study new situations and solve new problems. We should always go where the problems are, study with problems in mind, and rectify with problems as the target. We must persist in "grasping with both hands" [10] to promote both aspects, effectively preventing "two layers of skin" [11] by combining the thematic education with the implementation of various decision-making deployments of the Party Central Committee, with the central work of one's own region, department, or unit, and with the work currently being done. This will promote the transformation of the enthusiasm for study and work generated in members and cadres into a powerful force for overcoming difficulties and establishing careers.
III. Carrying out thematic education is an inevitable requirement for leading the great social revolution with the great self-revolution and maintaining alertness and firmness in resolving the challenges unique to a large party
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "As the world's largest Marxist ruling party, our Party must always maintain alertness and firmness in resolving the challenges unique to a large party in order to always win the people's support and consolidate its long-term ruling position." This is a major judgment made with an eye on our Party's historical coordinates, the new situations and tasks it faces, and the changes in the international, national, and Party conditions. It fully reflects the strategic alertness, strategic self-awareness, and strategic confidence in governing and managing the Party. Advanced nature and purity are the essential attributes of a Marxist party. The history of the development of the international communist movement proves that whenever a Marxist party loses its advanced nature and purity, it loses its essence and moves toward failure. Lenin once clearly pointed out that a Marxist party is the advanced detachment of the proletariat: "The party is the conscious, advanced layer of the class, its vanguard. The strength of this vanguard is ten times, a hundred times, more than its numbers." However, the advanced nature and purity of Communist Party members do not automatically arise simply because each member is part of the vanguard. Influenced by various factors, hidden dangers that weaken the Party's advanced nature and purity frequently appear, requiring us to continuously purify our Party spirit, cleanse our thoughts, and remove impurities through the spirit of self-revolution. Maintaining alertness and firmness in solving the challenges unique to a large party requires that we must "take the mending of faults as our heart's intent, the seeking of faults as an urgent matter, the ability to correct faults as a virtue, and the hearing of faults as enlightenment" [12]. We must not relax for a moment in solving our own problems, always keeping up with the requirements of the times, practice, and the people. It requires us to firm up our ideals and convictions, strengthen the cultivation of Party spirit, persist in combining regular education with centralized education, normalize inner-Party political life, have the courage to carry out criticism and self-criticism, and continuously purify the Party's thoughts, organization, style, and body. We must struggle against all problems that weaken our advanced nature and damage our purity, curing the sickness to save the patient [13] and dredging the mud to clear the water.
Effectively conducting the thematic education is of both significant practical importance and profound historical significance for our Party to advance self-revolution and to maintain clarity and resolve in solving the unique challenges facing a large party [14]. It is an inevitable requirement for "purifying the heart" by elevating our ideological realm, as well as an inevitable requirement for "supplementing calcium" [15] by strengthening the tempering of Party spirit. "A powerful political party is forged through self-revolution." The reason our Party possesses the courage for self-revolution is that, beyond the interests of the state, the nation, and the people, our Party has no special interests of its own. For a Marxist party, the transformation of the objective world and the transformation of the subjective world are unified. If the Communist Party has the task of transforming the objective world, then it is necessary for Communist Party members to transform their own subjective worlds. Party spirit does not form naturally; just as a strong physique requires extraordinary training, a tenacious Party spirit requires tenacious tempering. "He who plants trees must cultivate the roots; he who plants virtue must nurture the heart" [16]. We must consciously use the Party's innovative theories to transform our subjective worlds, continuously strengthening our ideals and convictions, tempering our Party spirit, and enhancing our ideological consciousness and spiritual realm, so as to always maintain the political character of Communists. As Comrade Mao Zedong stated: "At all times and everywhere [a Communist] should adhere to principle and wage an untiring struggle against all incorrect ideas and actions, so as to consolidate the collective life of the Party and strengthen the ties between the Party and the masses." "Only thus can he be considered a Communist." The political culture within the Party is something we "use daily without realizing it" [17], exerting a subtle influence on the political ecosystem. Only by performing regular ideological purification can we continuously strengthen our "political immunity." In our practical work, we must take the initiative to inspect deficiencies, find gaps, and clarify our direction. We must undergo "political medical checkups," sweep away "political dust," and correct behavioral deviations. We must resolve prominent problems concerning impurity in ideology and organization, and continuously enhance the Party's capacity for self-purification, self-perfection, self-innovation, and self-improvement. This ensures our Party remains full of vigor and vitality, and always remains the firm leadership core for the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics. We must exercise power with integrity and public spirit to foster new trends, strengthening our awareness of discipline and rules. We must continuously rectify the Four Winds, placing the rectification of formalism and bureaucratism in a more prominent position. We must ensure that power is exercised impartially, in accordance with the law, for the people, and with integrity. We should promote the formation of "clean and refreshing" relations between comrades, "rule-abiding" relations between superiors and subordinates, and a "cordial and clean" [18] new type of relationship between government and business. We must act as the leaders, creators, and maintainers of a favorable political ecosystem and social atmosphere.
When the wind is strong, it is the right time to set sail; with vigorous effort, we embark on a new journey. General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized that the grand goals of building a strong country and national rejuvenation are inspiring and motivating; the mission of our generation of Communists is glorious, and our responsibility is heavy. This thematic education is both a "Great Learning" and a "Great Mobilization" for the entire Party. Facing the risks and challenges of the "Four Tests" and "Four Dangers" [19], and even "unimaginable stormy waves," it is all the more necessary for us to strengthen our theoretical armament, adhere to the truth, and use the light of thought to illuminate the path of struggle. The deeper one studies, the clearer one's understanding becomes, the firmer one's belief, and the more resolute one's action. We must firmly grasp the fundamental task of this thematic education, integrating "learning, thinking, and application" into a whole, and achieving a high degree of unity between "knowledge, belief, and action." We must transform Xi Jinping New Era Socialism with Chinese Characteristics into a powerful force for firming up ideals, tempering Party spirit, guiding practice, and promoting work. This will ensure the entire Party maintains unified thought, firm will, consistent action, and strong combat effectiveness, striving to create achievements that can withstand the test of history and the people, and continuously winning new and greater victories for socialism with Chinese characteristics.
(Author: Vice President of the Central Party School of the CPC [National Academy of Governance])