Wang Gonglong: The Intellectual Origins and Innovative Manifestations of Xi Jinping's Important Expositions on the Common Values of All Mankind
Since the 18th CPC National Congress, Xi Jinping has delivered a series of important speeches on upholding and promoting the common values of humanity, systematically and profoundly elucidating major issues such as their ideological connotations, spiritual essence, and practical requirements. Xi Jinping’s important discourse on the common values of humanity was formed on the basis of inheriting the ideological essence of Marxist values. At the same time, based on the profound changes in the trends of the current era, it employs a series of value discourses and propositions rich with the spirit of the times. By focusing on solving the common problems facing human society today, it constructs a brand-new value system that responds to the "questions of the world" and the "questions of the times" of the 21st century. This represents a creative development of Marxist values and constitutes an original contribution to further activating their contemporary vitality.
I. Marxist Values: The Ideological Source of the Common Values of Humanity
Marxist values constitute an open theoretical system; the Marxist values discussed here refer to a series of important assertions put forward by Marx and Engels during the founding of the Marxist value system. In the process of profoundly criticizing bourgeois values and other backward value concepts, Marx and Engels gradually constructed a system of values characterized by noble ideal pursuits and distinct class attributes.
In his speech at the commemorative meeting for the 200th anniversary of Marx's birth, Xi Jinping clearly pointed out: "Marxism is broad and profound, but in the final analysis, it can be summarized in one sentence: seeking liberation for humanity." Realizing the liberation of all humanity is both the theoretical theme of Marxism and its highest value ideal. Centered on promoting and realizing the liberation of all humanity, and based on the fundamental interests of the proletariat and the starting point of human liberation, Marx and Engels proposed a series of values with distinct class attributes, thereby constructing the ideological system of Marxist values.
Regarding the issue of freedom, Marx and Engels believed that the freedom, equality, and fraternity advocated by the bourgeoisie were not eternal, supra-class, or sacred, but were essentially manifestations of bourgeois interests. These value concepts played a role in pushing history forward during the anti-feudal period, but as the ruling position of the bourgeoisie was established, the hypocrisy of these concepts became increasingly exposed. Due to inequalities in property ownership and social status, it is impossible for the proletariat to truly enjoy the "freedom" that the bourgeoisie can enjoy. Only by overthrowing bourgeois rule, promoting social transformation, and establishing a new communist society can the freedom yearned for by the proletariat become a reality.
Regarding the issue of equality, Marx and Engels pointed out that the equality preached by the bourgeoisie, like its freedom, is consistent with the capitalist system and linked to the maintenance of bourgeois interests. Under the capitalist system, the opposition between labor and capital and the inequality of property ownership dictate that there can be no true equality between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie. True equality means that everyone "should have equal political and social status" and that the working class should rightfully "strive for equal rights and obligations."
Regarding the issue of fraternity, Marx and Engels criticized the "fraternity" trumpeted by the bourgeoisie as hypocritical. So-called "fraternity" "continues to exist only as long as the interests of the bourgeoisie remain combined with the interests of the proletariat." Once the interests of the proletariat conflict with their own, the bourgeoisie will "replace the Republic's motto of 'liberty, equality, fraternity' with the unambiguous 'infantry, cavalry, artillery' [1]." While criticizing bourgeois "fraternal" values, Marx and Engels proposed the vision of constructing an ideal society of fairness and justice.
Regarding the issue of peace, Marx and Engels held a critical attitude toward the wars launched by the bourgeoisie and clearly expressed their basic position of opposing war and striving for peace. They believed that the bourgeoisie launched wars "purely for plunder, and war became a regular trade." Engels proposed that "we oppose social war with social peace" and that "peace will be the international principle of the new society."
Regarding the issue of development, Marx and Engels believed that the development of productive forces is the prerequisite for achieving freedom. Without the development of productive forces, "only want is made general, and with destitution the struggle for necessities and all the old filthy business would necessarily be reproduced [2]."
II. The Common Values of Humanity: A Value System Leading Human Development and Progress
In September 2015, during his speech at the General Debate of the 70th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Xi Jinping pointed out: "When the Great Way prevails, the world is shared by all [3]"; "Peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy, and freedom are the common values of all humanity and the noble goals of the United Nations." Since then, he has repeatedly advocated for the promotion of this value system on a series of major international and domestic occasions. The common values of humanity "condense the value consensus of different human civilizations, reflect the greatest common divisor of value concepts generally recognized by people of all countries, and transcend differences in ideology, social systems, and levels of development." They represent the most basic aspirations of the people of all countries in terms of value orientation.
The common values of humanity possess rich theoretical connotations. Peace is the key to social development and progress, and the foundation for realizing individual values and ideals. For today's world, peace is a common peace for all countries and peoples, not a peace for a few. Development is the eternal theme of human society and the key to solving all problems. "Only through development can the root causes of conflict be eliminated. Only through development can the basic rights of the people be guaranteed. Only through development can the people's ardent yearning for a better life be satisfied." Fairness is the guarantee for maintaining social order and the key to achieving social harmony. Fairness implies the orderly distribution of the fruits of labor and development, which allows society to achieve stability and function in an orderly manner. Justice is the manifestation of morality and ethics and an inevitable requirement for promoting human progress. If an individual lacks justice, they lose their moral and ethical compass; if a society lacks justice, it falls into disorder; if a nation ignores justice, it will bring disaster to other nations. The basic essence of democracy is achieving the status of the people as masters of the country; on an international scale, it is reflected in the handling of international affairs between states in a democratic manner. Freedom is the supreme pursuit of the social value of the human person. Freedom is both the manifestation and the guarantee of happiness. The six major elements of the common values of humanity are mutually conditional, interdependent, and progressive, forming a logically rigorous theoretical whole.
Common values arise from the process of human interaction; "commonality" is the distinctive characteristic of the common values of humanity. "Peace and development are our common cause, fairness and justice are our common ideal, and democracy and freedom are our common pursuit."
First, peace and development are the common cause of all humanity. Peaceful development is the prerequisite for human survival and development, as well as the foundation for the progress of human civilization. The vital status of peaceful development dictates that it should be a common cause for which all humanity must strive hand-in-hand, becoming a common value pursuit. Fundamentally different from the "peace under hegemony" (Pax Hegemonica) promoted by Western hegemonic powers, the peace advocated by the common values of humanity is not built on power, control, or the balance of power, but on equality, respect, fairness, and justice. It is a lasting peace, a peace of continuous development, and a peace moving toward democracy and freedom. As a value pursuit, the development advocated by these common values not only refers to making economic and social progress and enhancing people's well-being in every country and nation through global cooperation (i.e., common development), but also implies development that is fair, open, comprehensive, and innovative.
Second, fairness and justice are the common ideal of all humanity. Human efforts to build a better world cannot be separated from the value concepts of fairness and justice. Only when fairness and justice are established as the common value pursuit of all humanity, and used as principles for formulating international norms, mechanisms, and systems, can human society operate in an orderly and harmonious way. Addressing current international social realities, the meaning of fairness and justice is as follows: 1. The equalization of sovereign status. This equality is specifically manifested in the equality of international status between states, equality in participation in international affairs, and equality in the rights and opportunities for national development. 2. The rule of law in international relations. This means "promoting all parties to abide by international law and the universally recognized basic principles of international relations, and using uniformly applicable rules to distinguish right from wrong, promote peace, and seek development"; "the application of law must not have double standards." 3. The rationalization of international relations. This means advocating for "reforming the global governance system to adapt to new changes in the international balance of forces, reflecting the concerns and aspirations of all parties, and better safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of the vast number of developing countries." Currently, an important focus for promoting international fairness and justice is resolutely safeguarding the authority of the United Nations, opposing the practice of unilateralism in the name of multilateralism, and jointly practicing true multilateralism.
Third, democracy and freedom are the common pursuit of all humanity. At the level of international politics, democracy has a dual meaning: 1. The political rights of the people of all countries. "Democracy is likewise a right of the people of all countries, not a patent held by a few nations. There are many ways to achieve democracy, and it is impossible for one pattern to fit all. Whether a country is democratic or not should be judged by its own people, not by a few outsiders!" 2. The democratization of international relations. Namely, "the destiny of the world must be held in the hands of the people of all countries, and world affairs should be handled through consultation by the governments and people of all countries." To achieve the democratization of international relations, we must oppose hegemonism and power politics, and better represent and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the vast number of developing countries. Freedom is intended to persist in and defend the right to independence and autonomy of all actors, especially sovereign states—defending the freedom of nations to independently choose their social systems and development paths, and defending the freedom of nations to reasonably express their interests and aspirations and to fairly share in the fruits of development.
III. The Common Values of Humanity as the Inheritance and Development of Marxist Values
The common values of humanity did not emerge out of thin air; Marxist values are their important ideological source. While fully drawing on the ideological essence of Marxist values, the common values of humanity follow the laws of human historical development and the basic laws of the progress of human civilization. They firmly occupy the high ground of human truth, values, and morality, carrying forward and extending the vitality of Marxist values.
First, the philosophical foundation of the historical materialist perspective. Historical materialism is the philosophical cornerstone of Marxist values. Marxism believes that the mode of production of material life conditions the general process of social, political, and intellectual life. It is the fundamental driving force for the transformation and development of human society and the key to understanding Marxist values. Whether it is the Marxist value ideal of liberating all humanity or the values constructed by Marxist classical authors on the basis of criticizing bourgeois values, all are fundamentally grounded in the development of productive forces and the transformation of the mode of production. They are values condensed from the vivid practice of human society on the basis of following the laws of socio-historical development. Similarly, the common values of humanity are not the personal political preferences or pure subjective will of any politician, nor are they groundless imaginings divorced from reality. Rather, they are conclusions drawn from the actual movement of social modes of production, based on the objective fact of the interdependence and shared destiny of human society under the background of the in-depth development of economic globalization, and based on the increasingly close and deepening universal interactions among countries, nations, and regions worldwide. As Xi Jinping said: "Humanity lives in the same global village, in the same time and space where history and reality meet." The "history" mentioned here refers to the vertical process of human historical development, a diachronic existence; the "reality" refers to the synchronic existence of human interdependence—the actual movement of horizontal expansion and interconnectedness of humanity in fields such as economy, politics, security, and culture. In a word, it is the actual movement of the mode of production of human society that determines the generation of the common values of humanity. These values are simply an objective reflection of people's value orientations in the real world and a keen grasp of the trend of value evolution in human society.
Second, it takes human society as its theoretical premise. In the Theses on Feuerbach, Marx pointed out: "The standpoint of the old materialism is civil society; the standpoint of the new is human society, or social humanity." Human society is a basic category of Marxist philosophy and the theoretical premise of Marxist values. The common values of all humanity take "human society" and "social humanity" as their theoretical basis and are oriented toward constructing a "communal" human society. They strengthen collective consciousness, enhance common interests, and strive to explore a brand-new path that drives the development of world history toward a beautiful future for humanity amid the transformation of economic globalization and the improvement of global governance. Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized the need to strengthen the "global village" [4] consciousness of humanity. He noted: "In today's world, humanity lives in a world composed of different cultures, races, colors, religions, and different social systems; the people of all countries have formed a community with a shared future in which you are in me and I am in you." "With the continuous development of world multipolarity, economic globalization, and social informatization, the interests of all countries are intertwined, their prosperity and decline are linked, and their security is mutual." "Humanity has only one Earth, and all countries share one world." "We live in the same global village and should firmly establish a sense of a community with a shared future, follow the trend of the times, and grasp the correct direction." Constructing a community with a shared future for humanity cannot stop at building a community of interests; it must also move toward a community of values. Without a consensus on values, a community of interests cannot be solid or lasting. If the cultivation and shaping of the common values of all humanity are neglected, humanity will lose its spiritual cohesion, remain unable to escape a state of fragmentation, and fall into endless contradictions and conflicts. It is evident that advocating and promoting the common values of all humanity is no longer an optional proposition but a matter concerning the future destiny of humanity and the construction of a beautiful world. It is precisely in this sense that Xi Jinping emphasized: "Passing the torch of peace from generation to generation, sustaining the momentum of development, and letting the light of civilization shine brightly are the expectations of the people of all countries and the responsibility that politicians of our generation should shoulder."
Third, it takes the liberation of all humanity as its highest value ideal. The liberation of all humanity is the highest realm and ultimate orientation of Marxist values, as well as the most ideal social state and form of civilization. This "most ideal" state is primarily manifested in: an ideal state of existence, namely the resolution of contradictions between man and nature and between man and man; ideal conditions for development, namely the comprehensive development of each individual and all people; ideal interest relations, namely the achievement of an organic unity between individual interests and social interests; and ideal personality development, namely the full realization of free development for the individual and for all. The history of human social development has repeatedly proven that, regardless of the twists and turns encountered, history always develops according to its own laws, and no force can block the wheels of historical progress. However, the laws of social history are not identical to the laws of nature. The realization of the liberation of all humanity and the establishment of an association of free individuals cannot be a natural or automatically realized historical process like the operation of natural laws; rather, it must be advanced through human social practice. As long as humans fully exert their subjective initiative and align their subjective efforts with the laws of historical development, this historical process will be accelerated. The fundamental path to promoting the liberation of all humanity is the promotion of the free and comprehensive development of the person; only in the social practice of continuously promoting this development can humanity approach the ideal realm of complete liberation. Advocating common values of all humanity is not merely an intellectual movement but a practical activity to change the real world, fundamentally directed toward the free and comprehensive development of the person. This practical activity is not the isolated action of single individuals but a collective practice that fully mobilizes the active participation of all humanity. To this end, the common values of all humanity are consistent with the Marxist value pursuit and development concept regarding the "free and comprehensive development of the person." They address the common needs of all humanity from the perspective of the future development of human society as a whole, constructing a value system that reflects the universal aspirations of all humanity to fully activate the endogenous motivations and internal needs of all people in their pursuit of a beautiful future. By promoting universal interaction between different human civilizations, expanding and advancing international cooperation, and facilitating a major transformation of the mode of production on a global scale, we provide sufficient historical, ideological, and value-based momentum for the free and comprehensive development of all humanity, ultimately leading human society into the beautiful realm where "each appreciates their own beauty, appreciates the beauty of others, shares in that beauty, and the whole world reaches great harmony" [5].
Marxist values are undoubtedly the theoretical source of the common values of all humanity. At the same time, however, these common values also confront the shared problems facing humanity today based on the changes of the times, keenly grasping the "greatest common denominator" [6] of value consensus among the people of all countries. They endow Marxist values with a new contemporary connotation and represent a new chapter of the era in the succession of Marxist values. Grounded in the value standpoint of all humanity and focused on constructing a beautiful world of a community with a shared future for humanity, these common values systematically propose value propositions across different logical levels. They construct a value system with distinct contemporary characteristics, clear realistic orientations, and a unique cultural heritage. This system is imbued with the profound reflections, sense of mission, and spiritual pursuits of contemporary Chinese Communists regarding the future and destiny of humanity. It achieves a creative development of Marxist values in terms of the subject of value, the goal of value, the practical path, and the mode of thinking.
First, it explicitly identifies all humanity as the realistic subject of value. Marxism holds that the human being is the subject of value and the subject of values (values systems). Values reflect the basic opinions and attitudes of the human subject toward whether an object with certain attributes has value and the magnitude of that value. The subject of values can be an individual person, a group of people, or even human society. From the perspective of ideal pursuit, the liberation of man is undoubtedly the ultimate liberation of all people, allowing everyone to achieve free and comprehensive development. However, Marx and Engels were well aware that the liberation of man is a long and tortuous historical process. In the stage of capitalist society, where the bourgeoisie rules the proletariat, in order to overthrow bourgeois rule, exploitation, and oppression, the proletariat must first deeply understand the hypocrisy of bourgeois values and the essential difference between proletarian and bourgeois values. They must attach great importance to the realistic interests and value needs of their own class and, to this end, promote political revolution and the transition of social forms. That is to say, to eventually realize the value ideal of the liberation of all humanity in the future, the realistic task of the proletariat is to focus on its own value pursuit, taking the proletariat as the most realistic subject of value and interest. The common values of all humanity are also the ideal value pursuit of today's human society, and their ultimate orientation is undoubtedly the free and comprehensive development of the person. The difference lies in the fact that the common values of all humanity pay more attention to the realistic value needs of today's humanity, focusing on promoting the free and comprehensive development of the person through the resolution of realistic value contradictions and conflicts. To this end, adhering to the basic concepts of being "for all humanity" and "relying on all humanity," these values regard all people living on Earth—including various classes, nations, and ethnicities—as subjects of values. They strive to reflect the collective interest needs and spiritual pursuits of all humanity and are dedicated to promoting the construction of a value community in the sense of all humanity. As Xi Jinping pointed out: "The people of all countries in the world live under the same patch of blue sky and share the same home; they should be one family. The people of all countries should uphold the concept that 'all under heaven are one family' [7], open their arms, understand each other, seek common ground while reserving differences, and work together to build a community with a shared future for humanity." "Building a community with a shared future for humanity requires the universal participation of the people of all countries. We should consolidate the consensus of people of different ethnicities, beliefs, cultures, and regions to join in the great undertaking of building a community with a shared future for humanity."
Second, it takes the construction of a community with a shared future for humanity as the value goal. The association of free individuals is the highest pursuit of Marxist values. This lofty ideal has always inspired socialists worldwide to struggle unremittingly. The classic Marxist writers expected to establish a new social form of communism distinct from capitalist society—a post-capitalist society without states, classes, or private property. However, it must be recognized that communism is a "true community" that transcends the illusory communities of capitalism. Realizing such a community is an extremely long historical process that will inevitably go through many historical stages and requires the creation of necessary historical conditions and social foundations. Advocating and practicing the common values of all humanity is undoubtedly also for the purpose of building a better world, but this better world is positioned as the construction of a community with a shared future for humanity. "A community with a shared future for humanity, as the name implies, means that the future and destiny of every nation and every country are closely linked together; we should pull together through thick and thin, share honor and disgrace, and strive to build this planet where we were born and raised into a harmonious family, turning the aspirations of the people of all countries for a better life into reality." Clearly, the community with a shared future for humanity focuses on constructing a new way of human existence, interaction, and form of civilization. There is no doubt that the common values of all humanity are an indispensable component of building a community with a shared future for humanity; they are the spiritual soul supporting its construction and point out the value path for promoting it. Because of this, from the very beginning of proposing the common values of all humanity, Xi Jinping closely linked them to the lofty pursuit of building a community with a shared future for humanity. Almost every discourse on the common values of all humanity centers on this construction, emphasizing: "Uphold the common values of all humanity of peace, development, equity, justice, democracy, and freedom; promote the construction of a new type of international relations; promote the construction of a community with a shared future for humanity; and jointly create a better future for the world."
Third, it takes the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative as the basic approach to practicing these values. Marxism holds that the foundation of bourgeois values is the theory of abstract human nature, which is an unrealistic and hypocritical set of values and an ideological tool used to numb the proletariat. The proletariat must construct its own values and link the realization of value concepts such as freedom, equality, justice, and human rights with the overthrow of the capitalist system and the transformation of social reality, practicing Marxist value ideals and pursuits through the establishment of a new social system. Without the transformation of the social system, there is no institutional guarantee for the realization of proletarian value ideals; the primary way to drive social system transformation is through proletarian revolution. The common values of all humanity have drawn ideological nourishment from Marxist values, incorporating value categories such as freedom, democracy, and equity into their own system. The difference is that the common values of all humanity are based on new changes in contemporary world trends, focusing on solving the major and urgent global problems facing humanity and resolving the realistic contradictions and conflicts of the international community. They propose a realistic and feasible approach to improving global governance and reforming the current world order. In September 2021, at the 76th session of the UN General Assembly, Xi Jinping proposed the Global Development Initiative, aimed at accelerating the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, promoting stronger, greener, and healthier global development, fostering new drivers for global development, and building a global development community. In April 2022, at the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference, Xi Jinping proposed the Global Security Initiative, aimed at eliminating the root causes of international conflict, improving global governance, and urging the international community to work together to inject more stability and certainty into an era of change and turbulence, achieving lasting world peace and development. In March 2023, at the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-Level Meeting, Xi Jinping proposed the Global Civilization Initiative, stating: "We are willing to work with the international community to strive to create a new situation of people-to-people exchanges, cultural integration, and mutual understanding among the people of all countries, allowing the garden of world civilizations to be colorful and full of vitality." These "Three Initiatives" center on the three key areas that must be addressed to build a better world. They directly confront the serious deficits currently existing in human development, security, and civilization, systematically proposing a Chinese solution for practicing the common values of all humanity.
Fourth, taking the coagulation of value consensus as an important starting point. Marxist values possess a distinct class attribute; that is, they always stand on the position of the proletariat, constructing a value system belonging to the proletariat on the basis of a profound critique of the hypocrisy of bourgeois values. Based on the fundamental position of the proletariat and the basic laws of class struggle, the classic Marxist writers not only proposed the basic scientific socialist viewpoint that "the fall of the bourgeoisie and the victory of the proletariat are equally inevitable," but also openly declared that the goals of the proletariat "can be attained only by the forcible overthrow of all existing social conditions. Let the ruling classes tremble at a Communistic revolution. The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win. Working Men of All Countries, Unite!" Although the basic laws of human social development and the fundamental conclusion of the "Two Inevitabilities" [8] revealed by the classic Marxist writers have not become obsolete, it must be recognized that the capitalist system cannot perish in a short period of time. To respond to the various challenges facing humanity within the temporal environment of the great changes unseen in a century, we must mobilize the strength and wisdom of all humanity—including capitalist countries—to the broadest extent possible, working hand-in-hand to build a beautiful world. Undoubtedly, the realistic goal of advocating for the common values of all humanity does not lie in overthrowing the existing capitalist systems in the world; on the contrary, to promote the building of a community with a shared future for humanity, we cannot limit ourselves to the scope of socialist countries. Instead, we must coagulate the broadest value consensus among countries with different social systems and ideologies, while respecting and accommodating the specific value differences between them. It is precisely because the Communist Party of China clearly recognized this point that it proposed the building of a community with a shared future for humanity and the common values of all humanity.
With a broad intellectual breadth and a distinct character of inclusiveness, the common values of all humanity define all of humanity as the subject of value. Focusing on seeking common ground while reserving differences [9], they emphasize that "promoting the building of a community with a shared future for humanity is not about replacing one system with another, nor replacing one civilization with another. Rather, it is about countries with different social systems, different ideologies, different histories and cultures, and different levels of development sharing symbiotic interests, shared rights, and shared responsibilities in international affairs, forming the greatest common divisor [10] for building a beautiful world together." "We should seek common ground while reserving differences, and gather commonalities while resolving differences [11], to jointly build a new type of international relations characterized by win-win cooperation." The common values of all humanity pursue common prosperity and advocate that all countries in the world uphold the concept of win-win cooperation, seeking results of "double-win," "multi-win," and "common-win." Of course, emphasizing the coagulation of value consensus and the realization of "win-win" between countries of the two systems does not mean ignoring the differences and contradictions between them. We cannot exclude capitalist countries from participating in the construction of a community with a shared future for humanity and the practice of the common values of all humanity because of systemic differences; nor can we ignore the differences and divergences between the two systems because of the need to build a community with a shared future for humanity, thereby blurring the theoretical boundary and essential distinction between the common values of all humanity and "universal values," or forgetting the supreme value pursuit of advancing toward an "association of free individuals."
In summary, the concept of the common values of all humanity inherits and develops Marxist values, writing a new chapter of the times for Marxist values. As Marxist values are the value-soul of the liberation of all humanity, the common values of all humanity are likewise the value-soul of building a community with a shared future for humanity. The common values of all humanity have activated the contemporary vitality of Marxist values, opened up a new realm for the development of Marxist values, and provided a brand-new value system for world peace and development and the progress of human civilization. Because this value system has deep roots in Marxist values, conforms to the trend of the times, stands on the right side of history, and stands on the side of human progress, it will increasingly manifest a powerful vitality in the historical process of resolving common human problems, advancing global governance, and building a beautiful world. It will exert a significant and far-reaching influence on the development of human society and the progress of human civilization in the 21st century.
(The author is currently the Executive Dean and Professor of the School of Marxism at the Party School of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee)