Liu Jianjun: Deeply Grabbing the Worldview and Methodology of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era

The Report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC explicitly proposed and scientifically expounded upon the worldview and methodology of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, as well as the stances, viewpoints, and methods maintained throughout it. This is not only a major political judgment but also a significant theoretical proposition with profound and rich ideological connotations, opening new academic research space for the Chinese philosophy and social sciences. The worldview and methodology of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era represent original achievements of contemporary Chinese Marxism and 21st-century Marxist philosophy; they constitute a tremendous enrichment and development of the Marxist worldview and methodology, as well as the basic principles of Marxist philosophy. For the philosophical and social science communities to deeply study and thoroughly understand Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, they must profoundly grasp the essence of this worldview and methodology, and persist in and well-employ the stances, viewpoints, and methods maintained throughout it. Simultaneously, it is necessary to strengthen academic research and theoretical interpretation to contribute to the further enrichment and development of contemporary Chinese Marxism and the theoretical system of 21st-century Marxist philosophy.

Philosophical Significance and Breakthroughs in Thinking

The Report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC emphasizes the philosophical foundations and philosophical connotations of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. Since the 19th National Congress explicitly proposed and first expounded upon "Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era," a series of important documents from the Party Central Committee, and particularly many important discourses by General Secretary Xi Jinping, have continuously constructed and elaborated upon this new thought—expounding on its historical background, basic content, core tenets, theoretical system, theoretical positioning, and great significance. The Report to the 20th National Congress not only discusses the rich connotations and scientific system of this new thought but also highlights its worldview, methodology, and its stances, viewpoints, and methods. The report explicitly states: "To continue advancing theoretical innovation on the basis of practice, we must first grasp the worldview and methodology of the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and persist in and well-apply the stances, viewpoints, and methods maintained throughout it," and provides specific elaborations across six aspects. This highlights the philosophical connotations of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. It can be said that this represents a further enrichment and development of the Thought, revealing deeper levels of new connotations and reflecting the deepening of the construction and elaboration of the Party’s innovative theories.

As mentioned above, the "worldview and methodology of the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era" and the "stances, viewpoints, and methods maintained throughout it" are new conceptual expressions proposed in the Report to the 20th National Congress. On March 30, 2023, while presiding over the fourth collective study session of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee ^[1], General Secretary Xi Jinping explicitly used the concept of the "stances, viewpoints, and methods of the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era." At this point, the two new concepts were formally established. The proposal of these two concepts represents a breakthrough in traditional thinking. We could not have proposed these two new concepts and expressions from within previous or original modes of thought. We previously assumed that although Marxist theory could take specific forms in China, it remained uniform in terms of "worldview and methodology" and "stances, viewpoints, and methods." That is, it seemed there was only a common "Marxist worldview and methodology" and "stances, viewpoints, and methods," and that no specific "worldview and methodology" or "stances, viewpoints, and methods" existed for a particular Sinicized and modernized Marxist theoretical form. The proposal of the expressions "the worldview and methodology of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era" and its "stances, viewpoints, and methods" clearly breaks through past cognitive limitations and habits of thought, representing an innovation in thinking patterns.

Enrichment and Development of the Marxist Worldview and Methodology

The proposal of the concept "the worldview and methodology of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era" has its own theoretical basis and ideological logic. It implies that within every Marxist theoretical form, there is not only a "common" Marxist worldview and methodology but also its "specific" worldview and methodology. We believe the relationship between the "worldview and methodology of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era" and the "Marxist worldview and methodology" can generally be understood from two aspects.

First is the relationship between the universal and the particular. Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is undoubtedly permeated with the common Marxist worldview and methodology and the common Marxist stances, viewpoints, and methods, yet these common contents possess Chinese-style expressions. Furthermore, beyond the common content, there are specific contents of a worldview and methodology with Chinese characteristics—as well as specific contents regarding stances, viewpoints, and methods—based on Chinese history, culture, and social reality. This relationship between the universal and particular is also a relationship between commonality and individuality. If the former reflects the common characteristics of the Marxist worldview and methodology, the latter reflects the individual characteristics of the Marxist worldview and methodology in different countries.

Second is the relationship between inheritance and development. The worldview, methodology, stances, viewpoints, and methods of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era represent a persistence in and inheritance of the Marxist worldview, methodology, stances, viewpoints, and methods, while simultaneously constituting their further enrichment and development. This enrichment and development are manifested at two levels. On one hand, the worldview, methodology, stances, viewpoints, and methods of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era are the concretization of the general Marxist equivalents and the latest achievements of the Sinicization and modernization of the Marxist worldview, methodology, stances, viewpoints, and methods. They enrich these categories and make them more reflective of a three-dimensional "universal-particular" structure. On the other hand, as the latest achievements of contemporary Chinese Marxism and 21st-century Marxist philosophy, they possess the significance of universal Marxist truth, adding new content to the common and universal treasury of the Marxist worldview, methodology, stances, viewpoints, and methods.

The Rich Connotations of the Worldview and Methodology of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era

When discussing the "worldview and methodology of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era" and the "stances, viewpoints, and methods maintained throughout it," the Report to the 20th National Congress explicitly proposed and expounded upon the "Six Must-Upholds" ^[2]: we must put the people first, must maintain self-confidence and self-reliance, must uphold the fundamentals and break new ground, must adopt a problem-oriented approach, must apply systems thinking, and must maintain a global vision. What, then, is the relationship between these "Six Must-Upholds" and the "worldview and methodology of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era," as well as the "stances, viewpoints, and methods maintained throughout it"?

Currently, some in academic circles believe they are equivalent; they argue that these "Six Must-Upholds" are the content of the worldview and methodology of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and the content of the stances, viewpoints, and methods maintained throughout it—and that there is no need to seek other content or leave space for other content beyond the "Six Must-Upholds." This approach of equating them has its rationality as an initial understanding of the relevant discourses of the 20th National Congress, but from a theoretical perspective, it is insufficient. Whether it is the worldview and methodology of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era or the stances, viewpoints, and methods maintained throughout it, both are larger categories with richer content. The "Six Must-Upholds" are merely their key content or centralized summary, rather than their entirety. The worldview and methodology of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era are, in essence, the philosophical foundation and theoretical support of the Thought, constituting a field richer than the "Six Must-Upholds" alone.

In his important speech while presiding over the fourth collective study session of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee, General Secretary Xi Jinping explicitly pointed out: "These 'Six Must-Upholds' are also important manifestations of the stances, viewpoints, and methods of the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. Only by accurately grasping the stances, viewpoints, and methods of the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, including the 'Six Must-Upholds,' can we better comprehend the essence of the Thought, get our ideological methods right, stand high in our understanding of problems, see deep in our analysis of problems, and be precise in our conduct of work, ensuring an appropriate degree of tension and relaxation ^[3] and the ability to act with ease." It should be said that whether using the term "important manifestations" or "including," both clearly indicate the richness of the content.

Therefore, in our research on the worldview and methodology of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and the stances, viewpoints, and methods maintained throughout it, we must, on one hand, take the "Six Must-Upholds" as the key content and priority task, concentrating efforts on comprehensive, systematic, and in-depth research and interpretation—grasping both the specific connotation of each "Must-Uphold" and the holistic significance formed by the "Six Must-Upholds." On the other hand, based on the in-depth research and interpretation of the "Six Must-Upholds," we must further broaden our theoretical horizons and continuously open new academic spaces. This will not only help us comprehensively grasp the worldview, methodology, stances, viewpoints, and methods of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era but also help deepen our understanding of the core content of the "Six Must-Upholds," thereby allowing us to deeply study and thoroughly understand Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.

(The author is a professor at the School of Marxism, Renmin University of China)