Section 4: Building the world's most powerful party

Comrade Xi Jinping pointed out: “Our party should do a good job in self-construction and truly become the most powerful political party in the world.“3 This exposition clearly expresses the lofty aspiration and lofty pursuit of the Communist Party of China to comprehensively promote the new great project of party building, embodies the firm determination and high self-confidence of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core in managing the party and administering the party, and reflects the broad vision and historical responsibility of a Marxist political party like ours.

Looking at the whole world, no other political party has the courage and self-confidence of the Communist Party of China, and has such a sense of mission and responsibility. The reason for building the Communist Party of China into the most powerful political party in the world is that our Party is a Marxist political party ruling in a large developing country with a population of 1.4 billion, shouldering the historic heavy task of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and promoting the development of human civilization. Pursuing and realizing communist ideals is the strength for our party to become the most powerful political party.

Realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is the most arduous mission entrusted to our Party by history, and opening up a brand-new path of human development of world significance is the unswerving goal of our Party. For the sake of lofty ideals, sacred missions, and great causes, we must build the Party into the most powerful political party in the world.

What are the most powerful political parties in the world, what are the hallmark characteristics of the most powerful political parties, different angles will have different criteria, and different answers will be given to different types of political parties. Obviously, for any political party, innate does not equal strong, big does not equal strong, strong in a certain aspect does not equal strong, only when it is strong in all aspects can it be called the strongest. As a Communist Party of China with lofty aspirations, the most basic thing to achieve the goal of becoming the most powerful political party in the world is to always walk in the forefront of the times, win the heartfelt support of the people, be brave in self-revolution, withstand the tests of various storms, and constantly enhance political leadership, ideological leadership, mass organization and social appeal. When these “four forces” are strong, the Communist Party of China can truly build the most powerful political party in the world.

1. continuously enhance political leadership

Political leadership occupies a primary position in the leadership and governing ability of a political party, and is the basic measure of party leadership. Political leadership is composed of factors such as the nature, purpose, objectives and behavior of a political party, which is mainly reflected in the ability to formulate and implement political programs, political lines, principles and policies, etc., showing the actual state and effect of party building and political capacity operation. The history of political parties in ancient and modern China and abroad shows that if a political party is lost in its political direction and political pursuit, it will not be able to formulate a correct political program and political line, and it will lose its political leadership and inevitably decline. To build the Communist Party of China into the most powerful political party in the world, we must constantly strengthen the party’s political leadership.

Demonstrate political leadership in grasping the direction of social progress. The size and level of political leadership depend to a large extent on whether a political party can establish a program of action that conforms to the general trend of historical development. Marx believed that the formal program of a political party is a banner that is publicly erected, a boundary marker by which people judge the nature and level of the party’s activities.

The highest program of the Communist Party of China is to realize communism, which is the direction of social development that the entire human society strives to pursue. At the same time, in different historical periods, the Party has always put forward inspiring goals in accordance with the state of social development, the will of the people and the needs of cause development, and united and led the people to fight for them. The Communist Party of China adheres to the correct political direction, unifies the maximum program with the realistic program, and ensures that it can always stand at the forefront of the development of the times and lead the masses to constantly open up a way forward in vivid practical practice.

Be good at formulating and implementing correct lines, guidelines and policies. A very important reason why many big and old parties in the world have lost their ruling position or even lost their party and country is that they have failed to keep pace with the times, formulate lines, principles and policies based on the reality of their own parties, and consistently implement them. The Communist Party of China shoulders a major historical mission, paying special attention to the democratization, scientificization and rule of law in the process of formulating lines, principles and policies, so as to ensure that the cause of the Party and the country advances on the right track. Comrade Mao Zedong once pointed out that “without a comprehensive strategic viewpoint and policy viewpoint, the Chinese revolution can never be victorious"1 and that “only when the party’s policies and tactics are all on the right track can the Chinese revolution have the possibility of victory"2.Policies and tactics are the life of the party. This profoundly reveals the importance of policy for a political party. If the policy is right, the life of the political party will continue; if the policy is wrong, the life of the political party will be shortened. In the final analysis, the reason why the party has been able to overcome difficulties and continue to develop and grow is that we persist in proceeding from reality and constantly formulate correct lines, principles, and policies. Since the beginning of reform and opening up, on the basis of summing up lessons and lessons, the party has established the party’s basic line in the initial stage of socialism, and the 19th CPC National Congress has enriched and developed this in accordance with the conditions of the new era and the requirements of practice. It is precisely because it firmly grasps and adheres to this lifeline and happiness line of the Party and the country that the Party has won the heartfelt support of the people in promoting China’s historical progress.

There must be strong political will. To develop and grow, a political party must not only have the most advanced political program that makes people aspire to, but also have the ability to formulate correct policies to implement the political program, and more importantly, it must have strong political determination to “not be afraid of floating clouds to cover its eyes” and “fly through chaotic clouds calmly.” Just as when a group of people and horses move forward, if the leader “retreats”, the team will inevitably scatter. Take the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, for example,

At that time, it was also one of the most “powerful” in world politics, but it collapsed. Although the factors for its downfall are manifold, as a Marxist political party, the most fatal thing is political degeneration and vacillation, either rigid dogma or extreme rashness, which cannot continue, and finally changes the banner of Jiangshan Mountain. Therefore, Comrade Xi Jinping has repeatedly stressed: “In today’s world, the situation is changing, and what is most needed is strategic determination.1 This strategic determination is the determination of political direction and political prospects, that is, the unceasing struggle and perseverance that does not achieve the goal.

2. constantly enhance the power of ideological leadership

The power of thought is enormous. Napoleon once said that there are only two powers in the world, the sword and the mind, and in the long run, the sword always defeats the mind. Correct thinking can lead people forward smoothly, while wrong thinking can cause the development of a political party and a country to encounter twists and turns or even disastrous consequences. History shows that whether or not there is a strong ideological leadership force is directly related to the rise and fall of a political party. The ideological leadership of the Communist Party of China refers to the ability to continuously promote theoretical innovation, arm the mind with the party’s innovative theory, unify thinking, guide practice, advance work, and resist the interference of erroneous ideological trends.

To enhance the leadership of ideas, we must continuously improve the ability of theoretical innovation. The Communist Party of China has a fine tradition and excellent character of theoretical innovation. During the revolutionary years, the Chinese Communists, mainly represented by Comrade Mao Zedong, did not stick to rules, actively opposed dogmatism and empiricism, integrated the basic tenets of Marxism with the reality of the Chinese revolution, founded Mao Zedong Thought, successfully opened up the road of revolution with Chinese characteristics, and seized national power. During the years of construction and reform, the Chinese Communists continued to integrate the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific conditions, formed a theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and opened up a road of socialism with Chinese characteristics. In the new era, the Chinese Communists, mainly represented by Comrade Xi Jinping, inherit the fine tradition of theoretical innovation and deepen their understanding of the three laws with a new perspective

He founded Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and opened up a new realm of Marxism. Practice never ends, and so does theoretical innovation. To promote theoretical innovation in the new era, we must not only base ourselves on the new situations and new problems facing China in the new era, but also focus on the new situations and new problems in the development and change of the international situation; we must not only occupy the commanding heights of theory and morality, but also always pay attention to enhancing the practical character of innovation theory. Only in this way can theoretical innovation have a source of living water, and innovation theory can better play its role in ideological leadership. To enhance ideological leadership, we should also attach great importance to the work of arming ourselves with theory. Scientific theories do not spontaneously go to the masses, and attention must be paid to theoretical indoctrination. During the years of revolution and construction, our Party vigorously promoted the study and propaganda of Mao Zedong Thought, influencing and educating several generations. In the new period and new era of reform and opening up, our party has continuously promoted the study and publicity of Deng Xiaoping Theory, the important thinking of “three represents”, the scientific outlook on development, and Xi Jinping’s thought on socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era, and has given full play to the ideological guide role of the party’s theoretical innovation achievements. To do a good job in arming ourselves with theory, we must make overall plans to promote theoretical research, theoretical education, and theoretical propaganda; on the one hand, we must conduct in-depth study and rational study of the party’s innovative theory, and profoundly explain the background, basis, rich connotation, essence, and basic characteristics of the innovative theory; and on the other hand, we must persist in using the means and methods that the masses like to hear and see to carry out theoretical education and theoretical propaganda in various forms. Focusing on the times, the world, the country, the party, and the people’s feelings, vigorously promote the innovation of the discourse system, discourse expression, and discourse logic, do not follow the book, do not apply rigid routines, do not swallow jujubes, avoid propaganda that does not ask the needs of the masses and does not care about the feelings of the masses, so that theoretical propaganda and education can truly win the masses, and the party’s innovative theories will “fly into the homes of ordinary people.”