Introduction 2

(2) Today, China is in a critical period from becoming rich to strong When the world is in a major change unprecedented in a century, China’s development is in the best period since modern times.

Socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era. After the sustained development since the founding of New China, especially since the reform and opening up, China’s social productive forces, comprehensive national strength, and people’s living standards have achieved a historic leap, and its economic strength, scientific and technological strength, and national defense strength have entered the forefront of the world, and it has become the world’s second largest economy, the largest manufacturing country, the largest country in goods trade, the second largest country in commodity consumption, and the second largest country in the flow of foreign capital, and its foreign exchange reserves have ranked first in the world for many consecutive years.

Today’s China has long bid farewell to the era of poverty and weakness and the era of material shortage; the people’s living standards have achieved a great leap from insufficient food and clothing to moderate prosperity; the country as a whole has advanced to the period of “after development” pointed out by Comrade Deng Xiaoping, and is on the road of building a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way and starting a new journey of building a modern and powerful socialist country in an all-round way.

We are closer, more confident and capable of realizing the goal of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation than at any time in history, and we are more confident and capable of making greater contributions to world peace and human progress than at any time in history. China’s social changes are historic, and China’s development achievements are historic, but the basic national conditions in which China is still in the primary stage of socialism and will remain for a long time remain unchanged, and China’s international status as the world’s largest developing country has not changed.

There is a long way to go to persist in developing the party’s primary task of ruling and rejuvenating the country, persist in taking economic construction as the central task of the party and the country, and comprehensively build a moderately prosperous society, basically realize socialist modernization, and then comprehensively build a modern and powerful socialist country in the course of deepening reform and opening up. It should also be noted that the main contradiction in our society has been transformed into a contradiction between the people’s growing need for a better life and unbalanced and inadequate development. On the one hand, the people’s needs are becoming more and more extensive, not only putting forward new and higher requirements for material and cultural life, but also putting forward more and higher requirements for democracy, rule of law, fairness, justice, security, environment, etc.; on the other hand, unbalanced and insufficient development has become more prominent, which has become the main constraint to meeting the people’s growing needs for a better life. Such characteristics of the times have set new and higher demands on the work of the party and the state in all fields.

Looking further, the boat to the middle wandering is more urgent, and the road to the mid-level is steeper. The new era is also a critical period for China’s development, a period of tackling difficult problems in reform and a period of prominent contradictions. The task of reform, development and stability is unprecedentedly heavy, the number of contradictions, risks and challenges is unprecedented, and the test of governing the country is also unprecedented. Many old problems have not yet been fully solved, new ones are emerging, and other countries have no ready-made experience to draw from. Achieving socialist modernization in a country with a population of 1.4 billion is an unprecedented feat in human history.

Realizing the “two centenary goals” and the Chinese dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation will once again create an earth-shaking development miracle in the history of human development. In the face of such tasks, challenges, and tests, China’s reform needs to “wade into deep waters” and “break through dangerous shoals,” need to overcome the “middle-income trap,” “Tacitus trap,” and “Thucydides trap,” and need to guard against and defuse various major risks such as the “black swan” and “gray rhino” incidents. Standing at the intersection of history, the CCP and the Chinese urgently need scientific theories that keep pace with the times to raise the flag and illuminate the future. Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is precisely the ideological guide and spiritual weapon for us to make new achievements and contributions in the new era.

(3) The CCP Faces a New “Rush Test” in the New Era

“Catching up for the exam” is an important point of Xi Jinping’s thought on socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era. In July 2013, Comrade Xi Jinping went to Xibaipo to investigate, and in a discussion with rural cadres and the masses in the county, he said: “When the Party Central Committee left Xibaipo, Comrade Mao Zedong said that ‘going to Beijing to catch up with the exam’. More than 60 years have passed, we have made great progress, Chinese people have stood up and become rich, but the challenges and problems we face are still severe and complex. "

The CCP is indeed facing a new “rush test” in the new era. As the world’s largest party with more than 90 million members and more than 4.6 million grassroots party organizations, and as a party that has been in power for a long time in a large country with a population of 1.4 billion, whether or not it can always maintain its advanced nature and purity, and whether it can always maintain leadership and ruling ability consistent with the mission of ruling and rejuvenating the country is directly related to the prospects for realizing the “two centenary goals” and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

In the second decade of the 21st century, the CCP has gone through a glorious course of more than 90 years. The scale of Party members has been continuously expanded, the structure has been continuously improved, and the quality has been continuously improved, and the vanguard and exemplary role of Party members and the role of Party organizations as fighting fortresses have been effectively brought into play. At the same time, there were structural changes in the party’s cadre ranks, cadres born before the founding of New China gradually withdrew from leading posts, and cadres born in the 60s and even 70s of the 20th century became the main body of the cadre ranks.

This change of cadres between the old and the new ensures that the cause of the party and the country is passed on from generation to generation and that the party is vigorous and vigorous. However, we should also realize that the vast number of middle-aged and young cadres generally lack the experience of weathering storms and seeing the world in major struggles, and whether they can have the corresponding fighting spirit and ability to fight in the great struggles with many new historical characteristics is a major issue that needs to be solved. In particular, profound changes have taken place in the ruling environment and social conditions facing the party; the tests of ruling, reform and opening up, market economy, and external environment are long-term, complex, and severe; and the dangers of mental slackness, lack of ability, separation from the masses, and negative corruption are more acutely placed before the whole party. How to maintain the party’s advanced nature and purity, and how to ensure that the party always walks in the forefront of the times and can withstand the tests of various storms and waves, is a major issue that the CPC has always faced in winning the “catch up with the exam” in the new era.

Adhering to strict party management and courage in carrying out self-revolution is the secret of the CPC’s evolution from weak to strong and constantly moving from victory to victory. However, for some time now, in some localities and departments, there have been problems of lax and soft management of the party and party management; some party organizations have been weak and lax in discipline; some party-member cadres have found it difficult to be supervised; and there have been many cases of lack or failure to manage the contingent; some party-member leading cadres have serious problems such as unhealthy work style, wavering beliefs, ideological slippage, moral aberrations, and corruption, and even violate discipline and law to seize profits, which the masses of the people deeply loath. If this situation is not changed, it will weaken the party’s ability to govern and shake the party’s ruling foundation. As Comrade Xi Jinping pointed out: “If the management of the party is not effective and strict, and the prominent problems within the party that the people strongly reflect cannot be solved, then sooner or later our party will lose its qualification to govern and will inevitably be eliminated by history.“1 Since the 18th National Congress of the CCP, Comrade Xi Jinping has led the whole party to carry out a new “rush examination” with a strong sense of distress, promoted the comprehensive and strict management of the party with firm determination, tenacious will and unprecedented strength, adopted a series of major measures and made arduous efforts, and promoted the profound transformation of party management from “loose and soft” to “strict and hard”, so that the party has rejuvenated new vitality in the revolutionary forging. Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is a theoretical summary and ideological crystallization of comprehensively administering the party strictly, deepens the understanding of the law of Marxist ruling party building, and demonstrates the high consciousness and superb ability of the Marxist ruling party in the new era of self-purification, self-improvement, self-innovation and self- improvement.

2. Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era has opened up a new realm of Marxism

A history of the development of Marxism is a history of the continuous development of Marx, Engels and their successors in accordance with the development of the times, practice and understanding, and the history of constantly absorbing all the excellent ideological and cultural achievements in human history to enrich themselves.

The CCP persists in taking Marxism as its guide, persists in integrating the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific conditions in the process of leading China’s revolution, construction and reform, constantly promotes the Sinicization of Marxism, and constantly opens up new realms of Marxism in the course of advancing with the times. After the birth of the Communist Party of China, it united and led the people to complete the new democratic revolution and socialist revolution through a long struggle, realizing the great leap of the Chinese nation from being the “sick man of East Asia” to standing up. In the process of realizing this leap, Mao Zedong Thought, the theoretical achievement of the first historical leap in the Sinicization of Marxism, was created. Since the reform and opening up, the Party has united and led the people to carry out the new great practice of building socialism with Chinese characteristics, enabling China to make great strides to catch up with the times and realize the great leap of the Chinese nation from standing up to becoming rich. The theoretical achievement of this great leap is the realization of the second historical leap in the Sinicization of Marxism and the formation of a theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, including Deng Xiaoping Theory, the important thinking of “three represents” and the scientific outlook on development.

In the new era, the CCP has integrated the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific conditions in the new era, united and led the people to carry out great struggles, build great projects, advance great causes, realize great dreams, and promote historic achievements and changes in the cause of the party and the country. The theoretical achievement of this great leap is to realize another new leap in the Sinicization of Marxism and create Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.

Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is the inheritance and development of Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the important thinking of “three represents” and the scientific outlook on development.

It is the latest achievement of the Sinicization of Marxism, the crystallization of the practical experience and collective wisdom of the Party and the people, an important part of the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and a guide to action for the whole Party and the people of all ethnic groups throughout the country to strive for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. This ideology adheres to the world outlook methodology of dialectical materialism and historical materialism, adheres to the people’s stand, adheres to the ideological line of seeking truth from facts, and adheres to the ideals and convictions of communists, and is a model for adhering to Marxism. This idea is also a model of innovative development of Marxism, which understands and grasps a series of major strategic issues facing contemporary China’s development with a broad and long-term perspective, and constantly expands new horizons in theory. He made new generalizations and said many “new words” that had not been said before, and made a major original contribution to the development of Marxism. These original contributions are profound and systematic, running through the three major components of Marxist philosophy, political economy and scientific socialism, covering all aspects of the cause of the party and the country, deepening the understanding of the law of the Communist Party’s ruling power, the law of socialist construction and the law of the development of human society with a new vision, and writing a new chapter in contemporary Chinese Marxism and Marxism in the 21st century.

(1) It has deepened the understanding of the law governing the Communist Party Marx and Engels founded the theory of proletarian parties, but due to the limitations of historical conditions, they did not lead the practice of ruling the Communist Party. The Communist Party of the Soviet Union ushered in a brand-new history of a Marxist party holding national political power and gained a lot of experience in ruling power in practice, but it did not fundamentally solve such major historical issues as what socialism is, how to build socialism, what kind of party to build, and how to build the party, and made many major mistakes, including major historical mistakes, resulting in the loss of power after 74 years in power. Practice has proved that it is not easy for a Marxist party to seize political power, it is even more difficult to consolidate political power, and it is especially difficult to hold power for a long time.

Since the CCP came to power, it has always regarded jumping out of the historical cycle rate of “its prosperity is also vigorous, and its death is also sudden” as a historical topic that must be solved well in the party’s long-term ruling power, and has continuously expanded its understanding of the law governing the Communist Party in the practice of administering the party and the country. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, focusing on achieving the long-term ruling goal, Comrade Xi Jinping, with the political consciousness that “iron must be hard by itself,” has continuously deepened theoretical exploration and practical creation of the CPC’s ruling law, put forward a series of new concepts, new ideas and new strategies for party building, enriched and developed Marx’s theory on political parties, and guided the practice of comprehensively administering the party strictly to achieve great achievements.

This idea creatively puts forward that the most essential feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics is the leadership of the CCP, the greatest advantage of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics is the leadership of the CCP, and the party is the highest political leading force of the country. This fundamentally and highly expounds the party’s historical position and core role in leading the development of the socialist cause, profoundly reveals the most fundamental and important issue in the ruling law of the CCP, and clarifies the ambiguous understanding that has existed inside and outside the party on the issue of party leadership for some time. This ideology creatively puts forward the need to uphold and strengthen the party’s comprehensive leadership, stressing the need to enhance political awareness, awareness of the overall situation, core awareness, and awareness of alignment, and consciously safeguarding the authority of the party Central Committee and centralized and unified leadership; stressing the need to improve the party’s leadership system and mechanism, enhance the party’s ability and determination to set the direction, seek the overall situation, formulate policies, and promote reform, and ensure that the party always controls the overall situation and coordinates all parties. This is not only a profound summary of the historical experience of the CCP, but also a systematic exposition of the fundamental requirements, practical path, and goal orientation of upholding and strengthening the party’s leadership in the connection between history and reality. This idea creatively puts forward that the courage of self-revolution is the most distinctive character of the CCP and is also the greatest advantage of the Party; it emphasizes that all comrades in the Party must maintain the revolutionary spirit and revolutionary fighting spirit, and use the Party’s self-revolution to promote the great social revolution led by the Party to the people. This profoundly expounds the dialectical relationship between the Party’s self-revolution and the social revolution that complement each other and organically unifies, and reveals the internal logic of Marxism’s unity in transforming the objective world and transforming the subjective world. This ideology creatively puts forward the idea of comprehensively administering the party strictly, stressing that the core of comprehensively administering the party strictly lies in strengthening the party’s leadership, the foundation is comprehensive, the key is strict, and the key is in ruling the key points; it emphasizes that comprehensively administering the party strictly is always on the road, and it is necessary to really manage the party strictly, dare to manage the party strictly, and manage the party for a long time. This is not only the historical inheritance of the fine tradition of party building, but also a sober understanding of the problems existing in the party in the new era and a scientific grasp of the party’s ruling mission and ruling methods. This ideology creatively puts forward that the party’s political building is the fundamental building of the party and determines the direction and effect of party building; it emphasizes putting the party’s political building in the first place and using the party’s political construction to guide all aspects of party building in the new era. This further highlights the fundamental political nature of the Marxist ruling party and is the development and innovation of Marxist party building theory.

This ideology creatively puts forward the general requirements for party building in the new era, further clarifies that the main line of party building is to strengthen the party’s long-term ruling capacity building and the building of its advanced nature and purity, the foundation is to strengthen ideals and convictions, the key is to take political construction as the command, and the focus is to mobilize the enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity of the whole party; it further clarifies that the general layout of party building is to comprehensively promote the party’s political, ideological, organizational, and work style building. It further clarifies that the general goal of party building is to continuously improve the quality of party building and to build the party into a Marxist ruling party that is always in the forefront of the times, wholeheartedly supported by the people, brave in self-revolution, and able to withstand the tests of all kinds of storms, and full of vigor. This scientifically answers the fundamental question of what kind of party to build and how to build the party in the new era, and injects the connotation of the new era into the theory of party building. These new concepts, ideas and strategies for managing the party and ruling the party put forward by Comrade Xi Jinping have expanded the vision, layout and pattern of party building, innovated party building methods, paths and measures, and enriched and developed the Marxist theory of ruling party building. These theoretical explorations and innovations have been successfully applied and tested in the great practice of guiding the CPC to comprehensively and strictly administer the party, greatly enhancing the party’s creativity, cohesion and combat effectiveness, and promoting the party’s new strong vitality in the revolutionary forging.