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The 6th International Socialist Forum Held in Hanoi, Vietnam

May 17 Speech Anniversary

On May 4, 2018, the International Symposium Commemorating the 200th Anniversary of the Birth of Karl Marx and the 6th International Forum on Socialism were held at the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics (the Central Party School of the Communist Party of Vietnam) in Hanoi, Vietnam. The theme of this session was "The Intellectual Legacy and Contemporary Significance of Karl Marx."

Nguyen Xuan Thang, member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), Chairman of the Central Theory Council, and President of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, delivered the keynote speech. The conference was attended by dozens of leaders from major Vietnamese Party and government agencies, representatives from the Propoganda and Education Commission of the CPV Central Committee, the Central Theory Council, the CPV Central Party School, the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS), and other research institutions, as well as over 300 experts and scholars from Chinese and Laotian academic circles. Researcher Jin Minqing, Vice President of the Institute of Marxism Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), spoke on behalf of the Chinese delegation. More than 20 scholars from the Chinese side participated in the symposium, with over 10 experts delivering reports during the proceedings.

The Conference Rostrum

Nguyen Xuan Thang delivered an address on behalf of the CPV Central Party School, in which he highly affirmed the theoretical value of Marx’s intellectual legacy. He pointed out that as a genius theorist and revolutionary, Marx left behind a rich and vast intellectual inheritance, making contributions across various fields including philosophy, sociology, history, and economics. As the two great discoveries of Marx, the historical materialist conception of history and the theory of surplus value scientifically revealed the laws of development of human history. Lenin affirmed that Marx’s thought is a scientific and revolutionary doctrine, and by combining it with the practice of revolution and construction in the world's first socialist state established after the victory of the October Revolution, he supplemented and developed Marx’s thought, forming Marxism-Leninism. Marxism-Leninism has already become the theoretical armament of the global working class. In practical application, it must be combined with specific historical conditions, conform to reality, and be applied flexibly, allowing for innovation and development through creative application.

Regarding Vietnam, President Ho Chi Minh absorbed, applied, and developed Marxism-Leninism, giving rise to Ho Chi Minh Thought [1]. Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh Thought have become the ideological foundation and guide to action for the Communist Party of Vietnam.

Nguyen Xuan Thang, Member of the Secretariat of the CPV Central Committee, Chairman of the Central Theory Council, and President of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics

History has proven that Marxism-Leninism is correct both in its evaluation of capitalist society and its beautiful vision for socialism, providing a theoretical basis for practice. To this end, we must first affirm the value of Marx's intellectual legacy. Second, when evaluating and applying Marxism-Leninism, we should avoid dogmatism; of particular note is the need to continue the struggle to oppose and criticize erroneous viewpoints while upholding the premise of Marxism-Leninism. Third, we should continue to supplement and develop Marxism through flexible application, developing Marxism in an innovative manner. Fourth, we must continue to use Marxism to solve new problems.

Jin Minqing, Vice President of the Institute of Marxism Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

Jin Minqing first introduced the background of the 6th International Forum on Socialism. Founded in 2013, the International Forum on Socialism is an annual international academic forum co-hosted on a rotating basis by the Institute of Marxism Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), the Institute of Philosophy at the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS), and the Lao Academy of Social Sciences (LASS). The fact that the Vietnamese side held the theoretical symposium commemorating the 200th anniversary of Marx's birth together with the 6th International Forum on Socialism fully demonstrates the high importance our Vietnamese comrades attach to this forum. Jin Minqing informed the assembly that at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, the CPC Central Committee was solemnly holding a grand gathering to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Karl Marx. Comrade Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, President of the State, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, attended the gathering and delivered an important speech, speaking highly of Marx and Marxism. The reason why all countries commemorate Marx is because he held the most thorough, profound, extensive, and firm position of the people; because he possessed a great power of truth, handing the weapon for understanding the world to the entire world, and especially to the proletariat; because he possessed a great power of practice, providing a guide to action for the working class and the whole world; and because the Marxism he founded possesses great world-historical significance, enduringly guiding the development of human history.

Subsequently, Jin Minqing focused on introducing the connotation and basic characteristics of the Sinicization of Marxism. He argued that the Sinicization of Marxism is a process of independent and creative integration involving the interaction of multiple elements. First, the Sinicization of Marxism is a dynamic process encompassing the interaction of the subject of development, Marxist theory, Chinese reality, the process of integration, and the results of integration. Second, the Sinicization of Marxism is an independent and creative process of combination—a process of learning, absorption, fusion, regeneration, breakthrough, and innovation. Sinicized Marxism is essentially a regenerated form of Marxism. Third, the Sinicization of Marxism is an active integration built upon the foundation of scientific methodology. Through the efforts of the Communist Party of China, the historical process of the Sinicization of Marxism has continued to move forward.

Through this development, socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a New Era. At the dawn of the New Era, contemporary Chinese Communists founded Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, which is the latest theoretical achievement in the Sinicization of Marxism. This thought profoundly answers major questions such as where the Communist Party of China is going, where socialism with Chinese characteristics is going, and where the contemporary world is going. It has added much original new content to Marxism, allowing 21st-century Marxism to radiate an even more brilliant light of truth.

In the concluding remarks of the assembly, Nguyen Xuan Thang pointed out that experts and scholars from China, Laos, and Vietnam gathered to affirm the theoretical value and contemporary significance of Marx's thought across various fields, paying tribute to Marx himself and his great ideas through the form of theoretical discussion. The speeches at the assembly reached a consensus on the following aspects:

  1. Affirming the contributions of Marx himself and his thought to humanity, regarding Marx as a genius theorist and revolutionary, and his thought as a great and comprehensive doctrine that has made great contributions to human progress.
  2. Marx's thinking, methods, and dialectical and historical materialism have provided us with theoretical guidance for solving various class and global issues.
  3. The speeches affirmed from various perspectives that Marx's thought is a legacy of human thought; the practice of each country needs to proceed from its own reality and flexibly apply Marx's thought to solve practical problems of socialism.
  4. Marxism faces new opportunities and challenges.
  5. We will continue to conduct in-depth research on and develop Marxism.

Furthermore, Nguyen Xuan Thang specifically expressed affirmation for the achievements and characteristics of the localization of Marxism in China, noting that China views the Sinicization of Marxism as a process and has proposed perspectives such as "inclusive globalization," which are worth learning from and referencing.

Group Photo of Chinese Scholars

It is reported that this symposium received a total of 100 conference papers from experts and scholars. Among them, nearly 20 Chinese experts and scholars from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Dalian University of Technology, Renmin University of China, Tsinghua University, China Agricultural University, Wuhan University, Zhengzhou University, and Guangxi University provided 16 papers. The scholars' papers affirmed the scientific nature and contemporary value of Marx's intellectual legacy, emphasized that today's various socialist countries must flexibly apply and develop Marxism, and affirmed the theoretical and practical achievements made by China, Vietnam, and Laos in applying and developing Marxism in a spirit of innovation—particularly affirming the new theoretical and practical achievements attained by socialism with Chinese characteristics. The Vietnamese side stated that all other participants' papers will be compiled and translated into English by the conference organizers and published in both English and Vietnamese.

Following preliminary consultations among the Chinese, Vietnamese, and Laotian parties, it was decided that the 7th International Forum on Socialism will be held in Dalian, China, in July 2019. The tentative theme for the conference is "Party Building and Socialist Development in the New Era."

(Contributed by Pan Xihua)