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Chapter Ten ‖ Socialism with Chinese Characteristics Enters a New Era

Editorial Group of This Book

January 1, 2021

第十章 中国特色社会主义进入新时代

本书编写组

Chapter Ten ‖ Socialism with Chinese Characteristics Enters a New Era第十章 中国特色社会主义进入新时代

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Originally Written By
Editorial Group of This Book本书编写组
Publisher
CPC History Press中共党史出版社

Chapter Ten ‖ Socialism with Chinese Characteristics Enters a New Era

第十章 ‖ 中国特色社会主义进入新时代

In November 2012, the Party’s Eighteenth National Congress achieved a generational transition in the central leadership collective. Xi Jinping, the newly elected General Secretary of the Central Committee, noted at the First Plenary Session of the Eighteenth Central Committee that the baton of history had been passed to our hands, and that we must not betray the trust placed in us—remaining loyal to the Party, to the motherland, and to the people, and delivering achievements worthy of history, worthy of the era, and worthy of the people, with our utmost wisdom, strength, and dedication. From that point forward, a series of theoretical and practical innovations unfolded around the overarching task of achieving socialist modernization and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and the curtain on the new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics was gradually raised.

I. The Party’s Eighteenth National Congress and the Chinese Dream of Achieving the Great Rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation

The Party’s Eighteenth National Congress

From November 8 to 14, 2012, the Eighteenth National Congress of the Communist Party of China was held in Beijing. On behalf of the Seventeenth Central Committee, Hu Jintao delivered a report entitled “Unswervingly March Along the Path of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics and Strive to Complete the Building of a Moderately Prosperous Society in All Respects.”

The Party’s Eighteenth National Congress was a congress of great importance, convened at a decisive stage in the building of a Moderately Prosperous Society in all respects. The theme of the congress was: to hold high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics; to take Deng Xiaoping Theory, the important thought of the “Three Represents,” and the Scientific Outlook on Development as guidance; to emancipate the mind, carry out reform and opening up, pool our strengths, and overcome difficulties; and to unswervingly advance along the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics and strive to complete the building of a Moderately Prosperous Society in all respects.

The main thread running throughout the congress was upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics. The congress emphasized that the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics represent the fundamental achievements of more than ninety years of struggle, creation, and accumulation by the Party and the people—achievements that must be cherished, consistently upheld, and unceasingly developed. Building socialism with Chinese characteristics rests on the general basis of the Initial Stage of Socialism; its overall layout is the “five-in-one” integrated approach encompassing socialist economic construction, political construction, cultural construction, social construction, and ecological civilization construction; and its overarching task is to achieve socialist modernization and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The congress proposed that by the centenary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, a Moderately Prosperous Society should be built in all respects, and that by the centenary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, a socialist modernized state that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, and harmonious should be built.

Based on the actual conditions of our state’s economic and social development, the congress set the goals for building a Moderately Prosperous Society in all respects: sustained and healthy economic development; continuous expansion of people’s democracy; a significant increase in cultural soft power; a comprehensive improvement in the people’s standard of living; and major progress in building a resource-conserving and environmentally friendly society. The congress emphasized that to build a Moderately Prosperous Society in all respects, we must, with greater political courage and wisdom, deepen reforms in key areas without delay, resolutely break through all ideological concepts and institutional mechanisms that impede scientific development, and build an institutional system that is comprehensive, scientifically sound, and operationally effective, so that institutions in all areas become more mature and more settled.

In accordance with the “five-in-one” overall layout and the goals for building a Moderately Prosperous Society in all respects, ★ On November 15, 2012, State President Hu Jintao and the newly elected General Secretary of the Central Committee and Chairman of the Central Military Commission Xi Jinping warmly shook hands★ Xi Jinping was elected General Secretary of the Eighteenth Central Committee; it was decided that Xi Jinping would serve as Chairman of the Central Military Commission; and Wang Qishan was approved as Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

the congress made comprehensive arrangements for advancing the building of socialism with Chinese characteristics, emphasizing the need to accelerate the improvement of the socialist market economy system and accelerate the transformation of the economic development model; to uphold the path of socialist political development with Chinese characteristics and advance political system reform; to solidly advance the building of a culturally strong socialist state; to strengthen social construction through improving people’s livelihoods and innovating social management; to vigorously advance ecological civilization construction; to accelerate the modernization of national defense and the armed forces; to enrich the practice of “one country, two systems” and advance the reunification of the motherland; and to continue to promote the noble cause of peace and development for mankind.

The congress emphasized the need to comprehensively advance the new great project of Party building with a spirit of reform and innovation, and to comprehensively raise the level of scientific Party building. It is necessary to firmly grasp

the main thread of strengthening the Party’s capacity to govern and its advancement and purity; to uphold the emancipation of the mind and reform and innovation; to uphold the principle that the Party must govern itself and govern itself strictly; to comprehensively strengthen the Party’s ideological, organizational, work-style, anti-corruption, and institutional construction; to enhance the capacity for self-purification, self-improvement, self-renewal, and self-advancement; to build a Marxist governing party that is learning-oriented, service-oriented, and innovation-oriented; and to ensure that the Party always remains the strong leadership core of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

The congress elected the Eighteenth Central Committee and the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. The First Plenary Session of the Eighteenth Central Committee elected Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Zhang Dejiang, Yu Zhengsheng, Liu Yunshan, Wang Qishan, and Zhang Gaoli as members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee, and elected Xi Jinping as General Secretary of the Central

On November 15, 2012, at a meeting with Chinese and foreign journalists, Xi Jinping made a solemn pledge on behalf of the new central leadership collective: “The people’s aspiration for a better life is our goal to strive for.” “We must always remain in sync with the people, share weal and woe with the people, and unite and strive with the people, working diligently day and night to deliver a satisfactory answer to history and to the people.” “To forge iron, one must be strong oneself. Our responsibility is to work together with all Party comrades to uphold the principle that the Party must govern itself and govern itself strictly, to earnestly address the prominent problems within the Party itself, to earnestly improve our work style, to maintain close ties with the people, and to ensure that our Party always remains the strong leadership core of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics.”

Amendments to the Constitution of the Communist Party of China

The Party’s Eighteenth National Congress deliberated and unanimously adopted the Amendment to the Constitution of the Communist Party of China proposed by the Seventeenth Central Committee.

The main content of the amendments to the Party Constitution was as follows: to define and elaborate on the Scientific Outlook on Development, and to establish it alongside Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, and the important thought of the “Three Represents” as the guide to action for our Party; to enrich the content on the major achievements of socialism with Chinese characteristics, adding the establishment of the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics alongside the opening of the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics and the formation of the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics as the fundamental reasons for all the achievements and progress made since the reform and opening up; to enrich the content on upholding reform and opening up, emphasizing that only through reform and opening up can China develop, socialism develop, and Marxism develop; to improve the content on the overall layout of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, incorporating ecological civilization construction into the overall layout of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics,

enriching the content on economic, political, cultural, and social construction, and adding a paragraph on ecological civilization construction; and to enrich the content on the overall requirements for strengthening Party building, putting forward a number of new requirements for Party members, Party grassroots organizations, and Party cadres respectively.

The amendments to the Party Constitution at the Eighteenth National Congress made its content more scientific and more complete, enabling it to more effectively fulfill its fundamental normative and guiding role in advancing the Party’s cause and strengthening Party building.

Proposing the Chinese Dream of Achieving the Great Rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation

To continue writing the great article of upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics under new historical conditions requires pooling hearts and minds, requires spiritual support, and requires goal-oriented guidance. On November 29, 2012, when visiting the exhibition “The Road to Rejuvenation,” Xi Jinping for the first time proposed and elaborated on the Chinese Dream of achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, stating: “Achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is the greatest dream of the Chinese nation in modern times. This dream embodies the long-cherished wish of several generations of Chinese people, reflects the overall interests of the Chinese nation and the Chinese people, and is the common aspiration of every son and daughter of China.” The proposal of the Chinese Dream connected the yesterday, today, and tomorrow of the Chinese nation, conveying the steadfast resolve and confidence of the new central leadership collective in shouldering the mission of national rejuvenation.

Subsequently, at the First Session of the Twelfth National People’s Congress and other important occasions, Xi Jinping further elaborated on and enriched the basic connotations, practical pathways, and forces to be relied upon for the Chinese Dream. Xi Jinping pointed out that the core connotation of the Chinese Dream is the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and its essence is a prosperous and strong state, national revitalization, and the happiness of the people. Realizing the Chinese Dream requires following the Chinese path—the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics; requires carrying forward the Chinese spirit—the national spirit with patriotism at its core and the spirit of the times with reform and innovation at its core; ★ On November 29, 2012, the Standing Committee of the Eighteenth Political Bureau visited the National Museum of China to view the exhibition “The Road to Rejuvenation” Socialism with Chinese characteristics is the theme of all the Party’s theory and practice since the reform and opening up. After the Party’s Eighteenth National Congress, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, with tremendous political courage and an indomitable pioneering spirit, united and led the entire Party and the people of the whole country to continue upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics. On January 5, 2013, at the opening ceremony of a seminar for newly elected members and alternate members of the Central Committee on studying and implementing the spirit of the Eighteenth National Congress, Xi Jinping steadfastly declared that socialism with Chinese characteristics must be upheld and developed without wavering. Xi Jinping emphasized that socialism with Chinese characteristics is the dialectical unity of the theoretical logic of scientific socialism and the historical logic of China’s social development; it is scientific socialism rooted in Chinese soil, reflecting the will of the Chinese people, and suited to the requirements of China’s and the era’s development and progress; and it is the only path to building a Moderately Prosperous Society in all respects, accelerating socialist modernization, and achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Socialism with Chinese characteristics is socialism, not any other kind of ism; the basic principles of scientific socialism cannot be abandoned—abandoning them means it is no longer socialism. The two historical periods before and after the reform and opening up are two periods that are interconnected yet have significant differences, but in essence both represent the practical exploration of socialist construction led by our Party—the two must never be severed from each other, still less set in fundamental opposition to each other. Xi Jinping also pointed out that upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics is a great article, and the task of our generation of Communists is to continue writing this great article. These important expositions profoundly elucidated the fundamental theoretical and practical questions of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and greatly consolidated the ideological consensus of the entire Party and the people of the whole country in upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics.

requires pooling Chinese strength—the strength of the great unity of all the peoples of China. The Chinese Dream is the dream of the state, the dream of the nation, and also the dream of every son and daughter of China. The Chinese Dream is, at its root, the dream of the people; it must rely closely on the people to be realized, and must unceasingly create benefits for the people. The Chinese Dream is a dream of peace, development, cooperation, and mutual benefit—it benefits not only the Chinese people but also the people of the world.

The Chinese Dream integrates the aspirations of the state, the longings of the nation, and the expectations of the people into one whole. It embodies the overall interests of the Chinese nation and the Chinese people, expresses the common vision of every son and daughter of China, has become a soaring melody resonating in the hearts of the Chinese people, has become the greatest common denominator and the broadest common ground for the united struggle of the Chinese nation, and has become a spiritual banner inspiring the sons and daughters of China to unite, forge ahead, and open up the future.

Strategic Deployment for Upholding and Developing Socialism with Chinese Characteristics

Upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics from a new historical starting point requires being prepared to wage a great struggle with many new historical features. To lead this great struggle well, the Party must first be built well. On December 4, 2012, Xi Jinping presided over a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee, which decided to begin with work-style construction to further strengthen Party building. The meeting deliberated and adopted the Eight-Point Regulation of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee on improving work style and maintaining close ties with the people. The new central leadership collective broke new ground by implementing the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulation, persisting in leading by example from the top down, and driving work-style construction to continually deepen, greatly enhancing the Party’s image and prestige in the eyes of the people.

After the Party’s Eighteenth National Congress, reform and opening up reached a new historical juncture, and reform entered a period of tackling tough challenges and navigating deep waters. Whether the banner of reform and opening up could continue to be held high became a new test for the Party in opening up new horizons in the governance and administration of China and in the building of socialism with Chinese characteristics. From December 7 to 11, 2012, on his first inspection tour after being elected General Secretary, Xi Jinping chose to visit Guangdong—a place that had led the way in our state’s reform and opening up. Confronting the difficulties and deep-seated contradictions in development, he pointed out that China’s reform has now entered a period of tackling tough challenges and navigating deep waters, and we must, with greater political courage and wisdom, deepen reforms in key areas without delay. We must uphold the correct direction of reform and opening up, dare to gnaw on hard bones, dare to wade through dangerous shoals, be bold in breaking through ideological and conceptual obstacles, and be bold in breaking through the barriers of entrenched interests, ensuring that reform does not stop and opening up does not halt.

Eliminating poverty is the bottom-line task for building a Moderately Prosperous Society in all respects, and it was the first problem the new central leadership collective placed at the top of its agenda. From December 29 to 30, 2012, shortly after the close of the Eighteenth National Congress, Xi Jinping trudged through snow to visit and offer condolences to people in difficulty in Fuping County, Hebei Province, to investigate poverty alleviation and development work, listening to local work reports late into the night and having heart-to-heart conversations with officials and the people. After learning the situation in detail, Xi Jinping pointed out: “In building a Moderately Prosperous Society in all respects, the most arduous and onerous tasks lie in the rural areas, especially in impoverished regions. Without a moderately prosperous countryside, especially without a moderately prosperous impoverished region, there can be no Moderately Prosperous Society built in all respects.” Starting from this point, Xi Jinping made the strategic deployment of declaring war on poverty and issued a mobilization order to the entire Party and the whole country for the battle against poverty.

In just over a month after the Party’s Eighteenth National Congress, the new central leadership collective shouldered its responsibilities to the nation, the people, and the Party. With the Chinese Dream of achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation as the overarching goal guiding the new era and the new journey, with work-style construction as the entry point for advancing the new great project of Party building, and with comprehensively deepening reform and opening up as the fundamental driving force for advancing the great cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, the work of the Party and the state quickly opened up new horizons and took on a new look.

As reform continued to deepen and all undertakings developed, reforms and improvements across various fields became increasingly comprehensive and systemic, with interdependencies and interactions growing markedly stronger. Isolated advances, piecemeal adjustments, and fragmented fixes could hardly produce substantive results. Xi Jinping pointed out that we must conduct in-depth research on the top-level design and overall planning for comprehensively deepening institutional reform, strengthen our assessment of the interconnections among various reforms, and organically integrate

★ On December 13, 2014, Xi Jinping shook hands and chatted with villagers during an inspection visit to Yongmaowei Natural Village, Shiye Town, Dantu District, Zhenjiang City, Jiangsu Province institutional reforms in the economic, political, cultural, social, and ecological civilization spheres, and organically connect theoretical innovation, institutional innovation, techno-scientific innovation, cultural innovation, and other forms of innovation. In the five years following the Party’s Eighteenth National Congress, the Party Central Committee convened seven plenary sessions, making decisions and deployments on major issues including reform of government institutions and transformation of functions, comprehensively deepening reform, comprehensively advancing the rule of law, building a Moderately Prosperous Society in all respects, and comprehensively governing the Party with strict discipline. The “five-in-one” overall layout of socialist economic, political, cultural, social, and ecological civilization construction with Chinese characteristics, and the “Four Comprehensives” strategic layout of building a Moderately Prosperous Society in all respects, comprehensively deepening reform, comprehensively advancing the rule of law, and comprehensively governing the Party with strict discipline, were coordinated and mutually reinforcing, powerfully driving the pace of theoretical and practical innovation.

Establishing the Core Status of General Secretary Xi Jinping

After the Party’s Eighteenth National Congress, Xi Jinping led the new central leadership collective and, with tremendous political courage and a strong sense of responsibility, put forward a series of new concepts, new ideas, and new strategies; introduced a series of major guidelines and policies; launched a series of major initiatives; and advanced a series of major undertakings. Many problems that had long been sought but not solved were resolved, and many major tasks that had long been desired but not accomplished were completed. This drove the Party and state undertakings to achieve historic accomplishments and undergo historic transformations, propelling socialism with Chinese characteristics into a new era.

In the new practice of governance and administration of China, Xi Jinping, as the supreme leader of the Party, the state, and the military, demonstrated steadfast faith and conviction, a clear people-centered stance, extraordinary political wisdom, tenacious strength of will, a strong sense of historical responsibility, and superb political artistry, winning the wholehearted support of the entire Party, the entire military, and the people of all ethnic groups across the country, and earning high praise from the international community. Xi Jinping grasped the major trends of the era, responded to new demands from practice, and met the new expectations of the people, putting forward a series of major ideas and viewpoints that further enriched and developed the Party’s scientific theory, providing fundamental guidance for achieving new goals of struggle from a new historical starting point. In the new practice of struggle, Xi Jinping had in fact become the core of the Party Central Committee and the core of the entire Party.

Before the convening of the Sixth Plenary Session of the Eighteenth Central Committee, a broad consensus and a strong call had formed both within and outside the Party: to safeguard the authority of the Party Central Committee and its centralized and unified leadership, it was necessary to clearly establish and safeguard Xi Jinping’s core status within the Party Central Committee and the entire Party. This was the common wish of the entire Party and the people of all ethnic groups across the country; it was an urgent requirement for advancing the comprehensive and strict governance of the Party and enhancing the Party’s creativity, cohesion, and combat effectiveness; and it was a fundamental guarantee for maintaining the correct direction of the Party’s and state’s development. After thorough deliberation, in October 2016, the Sixth Plenary Session of the Eighteenth Central Committee formally established the core status of General Secretary Xi Jinping within the Party Central Committee and the entire Party, and formally put forward the formulation “the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core.” In October 2017, the Nineteenth National Congress wrote the core status of General Secretary Xi Jinping within the Party Central Committee and the entire Party into the Party Constitution. The establishment of Xi Jinping’s core status was the choice of practice, the choice of history, the choice of the entire Party, and the choice of the people. General Secretary Xi Jinping becoming the core of the Party Central Committee and the core of the entire Party was the fulfillment of popular expectations and was well-deserved. Resolutely safeguarding the core status of General Secretary Xi Jinping and resolutely safeguarding the authority of the Party Central Committee and its centralized and unified leadership are major political achievements and valuable experience gained since the Party’s Eighteenth National Congress; they are the common will forged by the entire Party through its revolutionary tempering, and they are of great and far-reaching significance for better pooling the strength of the Party and the people, and for advancing the great cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics and the great cause of national rejuvenation.

II. Comprehensively Advancing the “Five-in-One” Overall Layout

Entering the new era, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core took an integrated approach to the overall landscape, made scientific decisions, and upheld the comprehensive advancement of the “five-in-one” overall layout of socialist economic, political, cultural, social, and ecological civilization construction with Chinese characteristics, driving the all-round development and all-round progress of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics. In the five years following the Party’s Eighteenth National Congress, our state’s reform and opening up and socialist modernization achieved historic accomplishments and underwent historic transformations.

Major Achievements in Economic Construction

After the Party’s Eighteenth National Congress, the domestic and international economic situation was extremely complex, with many circumstances not encountered since the reform and opening up. Facing new situations and new challenges, the Party Central Committee assessed the situation with acuity, accurately grasped the major trends of our state’s economic development, put forward a series of major judgments relating to the overall landscape of our state’s economic development, and successfully steered the overall landscape of our state’s economic development, achieving major accomplishments in economic construction.

Whether sustained and healthy economic and social development can be maintained depends fundamentally on whether the Party’s role as the leadership core in economic and social development is well exercised. In November 2012, Xi Jinping pointed out that we must solidly drive the sustained and healthy development of our state’s economy in accordance with the overall pace of work of seeking progress in stability. In December, the Central Economic Work Conference explicitly stated that the Party’s leadership over economic work must be genuinely strengthened. Subsequently, the Party Central Committee continuously improved the institutional mechanisms for Party leadership over economic work, established systems for regularly analyzing and studying the economic situation and major economic issues, strengthened the analysis and grasp of the major trends of development, and in a timely manner formulated major guidelines, major strategies, made major decisions, and deployed major tasks, ensuring that Party leadership over economic work was put into practice and providing an important guarantee for driving all parties to jointly do economic work well.

In August 2013, the State Council formally approved the establishment of the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone. Subsequently, the pilot free trade zone program was gradually expanded, generating a batch of replicable and scalable policies, expanding the space for reform and opening up, and raising the level of the open economy.

In November 2013, the Third Plenary Session of the Eighteenth Central Committee made comprehensive plans and deployments for comprehensively deepening reform, emphasizing that the core issue of economic system reform is to properly handle the relationship between the government and the market—to let the market play a decisive role in resource allocation while better bringing the role of the government into play—achieving a major theoretical breakthrough and a major practical innovation, and pointing the way for deepening economic system reform. Economic system reform advanced on all fronts, achieving breakthrough progress in a number of key and foundational reforms. Through reform, the market mechanism was further improved, monopolies were broken, the role of the price mechanism was brought into play, the vitality of market entities was enhanced, and the role of the government in various forms of administrative and economic regulation, market supervision, social management, public services, and ecological and environmental protection was brought into play; the vitality, control, influence, and risk-resistance capacity of the state-owned economy were enhanced; and the vitality and creativity of the non-public economy were stimulated, injecting powerful momentum into economic development.

In December 2013, the Central Urbanization Work Conference was convened, clarifying the guiding ideology, main objectives, basic principles, and key tasks for advancing new-type urbanization. In March 2014, the Central Committee and the State Council issued and implemented the National New-Type Urbanization Plan (2014–2020). At the end of 2014, the Opinions on Pilot Work for the Reform of Rural Land Expropriation, the Entry of Collectively Owned Commercial Construction Land into the Market, and the Homestead System were deliberated and adopted. In December 2015, the Central Urban Work Conference was convened, clarifying the overall approach and key tasks for urban work. In October 2016, the General Office of the Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council issued the Opinions on Improving the Method of Separating Rural Land Ownership Rights, Contract Rights, and Management Rights. The “separation of three rights” was another major institutional innovation in rural reform following the household contract responsibility system.

In response to the basic characteristics and work requirements of the “triple overlay” phase in which our state’s economic development found itself—a period of shifting growth speeds, a period of structural adjustment pains, and a period of digesting the effects of earlier stimulus policies—Xi Jinping in 2013 made the major judgment that our state’s economic development had entered a new normal. Under the new normal, the main features of our state’s economic development are: growth speed shifting from high speed to medium-high speed; the development model shifting from scale-and-speed-oriented to quality-and-efficiency-oriented; economic structural adjustment shifting from primarily expanding incremental capacity to simultaneously adjusting existing stock and improving incremental quality; and the driving forces of development shifting from primarily relying on factor inputs such as resources and low-cost labor to innovation-driven development. These changes are a necessary process in the evolution of our state’s economy toward a higher-level form, more optimized division of labor, and more rational structure. Achieving such broad and profound changes is a new and enormous challenge. Recognizing the new normal, adapting to the new normal, and leading the new normal constitute the overarching logic of our state’s economic development during this period.

Adapting to, grasping, and leading the new normal of economic development required further clarifying the main direction of attack, the overall approach, and the work priorities. In October 2015, the Fifth Plenary Session of the Eighteenth Central Committee deliberated and adopted the proposals for the Thirteenth Five-Year Plan, explicitly putting forward the people-centered development philosophy and proposing the New Development Concept of innovation, coordination, green development, opening up, and sharing. The New Development Concept comprehensively embodies our state’s development approach, development direction, and development priorities in the new era; it is a guiding orientation that governs the overall landscape, the fundamentals, and the long term, and it comprehensively reflects the Party’s deepened understanding of the laws governing economic and social development.

In November 2015, Xi Jinping for the first time proposed advancing “supply-side structural reform” at the eleventh meeting of the Central Leading Group for Financial and Economic Affairs. Using supply-side structural reform to adapt to and lead the economic new normal was a major strategic deployment by the Party Central Committee. In December, in his speech at the Central Economic Work Conference, Xi Jinping gave a comprehensive exposition of supply-side structural reform from theory to practice, emphasizing the five major tasks of cutting overcapacity, reducing excess inventory, deleveraging, lowering costs, and shoring up weak links, and clarifying the five major policy pillars: macro policies must be stable, industrial policies must be precise, micro policies must be flexible, reform policies must be substantive, and social policies must provide a safety net.

Using “three reductions, one lowering, and one shoring up” as the handle, the Party Central Committee vigorously advanced supply-side structural reform. Efforts to cut overcapacity were intensified with a focus on industries such as steel and coal, with the central government allocating 100 billion yuan in special incentive funds to support the resettlement of displaced workers; adhering to the principle that housing is for living in, not for speculation, and providing differentiated guidance tailored to each city’s conditions, the destocking of commercial housing in third- and fourth-tier cities achieved notable results, and the surge in housing prices in hot cities was brought under control; deleveraging was advanced in a prudent and steady manner, debt scales were controlled, equity financing was increased, the asset-liability ratio of industrial enterprises declined continuously, and the growth rate of the macro leverage ratio narrowed significantly and generally stabilized; the pilot program replacing business tax with value-added tax was fully rolled out; costs were reduced through multiple measures, government-managed fund items were cut by 30%, enterprise-related fee items established at the central government level were reduced by more than 60%, the contribution rates for the “five insurances and one fund” were temporarily lowered, and efforts were made to reduce costs in energy, logistics, telecommunications, and other areas; key areas were prioritized for shoring up weak links, and supply-side structural reform achieved notable results.

★ In August 2016, Baotou Iron and Steel Group’s ironmaking plant demolished blast furnaces to eliminate outdated production capacity

After the Party’s Eighteenth National Congress, in response to issues of overall and long-term significance, the Party Central Committee proposed and implemented a series of major development strategies, including: the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei coordinated development strategy, with the focus on relieving Beijing of functions non-essential to its role as the capital; the construction of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, guided by the principle of jointly protecting the environment and refraining from large-scale development; the Belt and Road Initiative and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area construction, with the focus on promoting mutually beneficial cooperation; the new-type urbanization strategy, with the core of promoting the urbanization of people and the orientation of improving quality; the strengthened incentive-based implementation of the innovation-driven development strategy; the national food security strategy of basically achieving self-sufficiency in grain and absolute security in staple food; and the new energy security strategy of driving revolutions in energy consumption, energy supply, energy technology, and energy institutions, and strengthening international energy cooperation. A manufacturing power action plan was formulated and implemented; a national emerging industry venture capital guidance fund was established; big data development was promoted; the “Internet Plus” action plan was implemented; the technological upgrading of traditional industries was accelerated; the cultivation and development of emerging industries was accelerated; the development of modern service industries was accelerated; the innovation-driven development strategy was implemented; and efforts were made to cultivate and develop new growth drivers. Dominant backbone enterprises were encouraged to participate in overseas infrastructure construction and capacity cooperation, driving Chinese equipment to go global. These major strategies had a profound impact on the transformation of our state’s economic development.

Under the correct guidance of the New Development Concept, the Party Central Committee upheld the overall pace of work of seeking progress in stability, took advancing supply-side structural reform as the main thread, and proactively adapted to, grasped, and led the new normal of economic development, achieving enormous accomplishments in economic development, with the economy maintaining medium-to-high-speed growth and the quality and efficiency of development continuously improving. From 2013 to 2017, GDP grew at an average annual rate of more than 7%; in 2017, total GDP reached 82.08 trillion yuan, firmly holding second place in the world, accounting for approximately 15% of the world economy, and becoming the main engine and stabilizer of global economic growth. Infrastructure construction advanced rapidly, agricultural modernization progressed steadily, and the level of urbanization rose steadily. The new institutional framework for an open economy was progressively improved, and foreign trade, outbound investment, and foreign exchange reserves remained among the world’s leaders. A batch of major techno-scientific achievements of landmark significance emerged, including crewed spaceflight, lunar exploration, quantum communications, and crewed deep-sea diving. New drivers of growth centered on new industries, new business models, and new modes continued to strengthen, becoming an important force driving the steady growth of our state’s economy and the transformation and upgrading of the economic structure; the inclusiveness of growth and the people’s sense of gain continued to increase; and the trend of steady progress and improvement became more pronounced. Our state’s economic growth shifted from being driven primarily by industry to being driven jointly by industry and the service sector; from being driven primarily by investment to being driven jointly by consumption and investment; and from being a major exporter to being a major country with balanced emphasis on both exports and imports—achieving the major structural transformation that our state had long sought but not achieved. Economic strength, economic structure, economic vitality and resilience, and influence on global economic development all advanced to a new level.

Major Strides in Democratic Political Construction

The approach taken to planning and advancing the building of socialist democracy in China plays a fundamental, overall, and long-term role in the state’s political life. China is a large developing country, and upholding the correct path of political development is a major issue of fundamental and overall significance.

On December 4, 2012, at a gathering of people from all walks of life in the capital to commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of the promulgation and implementation of the current Constitution, Xi Jinping outlined the core connotations of the path of socialist political development with Chinese characteristics, emphasizing that upholding this path requires, above all, upholding the organic unity of Party leadership, the people being the masters of the country, and the rule of law; taking ensuring that the people are the masters of the country as the fundamental principle; and taking enhancing the vitality of the Party and the state and mobilizing the enthusiasm of the people as the goal, in order to expand socialist democracy and develop socialist political civilization. On September 5, 2014, at a gathering to celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of the founding of the National People’s Congress, Xi Jinping further elaborated on the historical logic, theoretical logic, and practical logic of the path of socialist political development with Chinese characteristics, and profoundly summarized the advantages and characteristics of the socialist political system with Chinese characteristics. Xi Jinping explicitly put forward important criteria for evaluating whether a country’s political system is democratic and effective: primarily, whether the state’s leadership can be replaced in an orderly manner in accordance with the law; whether all the people can manage state affairs, social affairs, and economic and cultural undertakings in accordance with the law; whether the people can express their interests and demands through unobstructed channels; whether all sectors of society can effectively participate in the state’s political life; whether state decision-making can be made in a scientific and democratic manner; whether talented people from all walks of life can enter the state’s leadership and management system through fair competition; whether the governing party can exercise leadership over state affairs in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution and laws; and whether the exercise of power can be effectively constrained and supervised.

After the Party’s Eighteenth National Congress, the Party Central Committee, with the key focus on increasing and expanding the advantages and characteristics of our state’s socialist democratic politics, upheld the Party’s role as the leadership core that oversees the overall landscape and coordinates all parties; upheld the principle that all state power belongs to the people; upheld and improved the system of multiparty cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the Communist Party of China; upheld and improved the system of regional ethnic autonomy; upheld and improved the system of grassroots mass self-governance; upheld and improved the institutions and principles of democratic centralism; and continuously advanced the institutionalization, standardization, and proceduralization of socialist democratic politics, better bringing into play the superiority of the socialist political system with Chinese characteristics, and continuously providing more complete institutional guarantees for the prosperity and long-term stability of the Party and the state.

The system of people’s congresses was continuously improved. Closely focused on comprehensively advancing the rule of law and grasping the key of improving the quality of legislation, the levels of scientific, democratic, and law-based legislation continuously improved. In March 2015, the Third Session of the Twelfth National People’s Congress made important amendments to the Legislation Law of the People’s Republic of China, legally granting legislative power to cities divided into districts, clarifying the scope and limits of local legislative power, and further improving our state’s legislative system. The Twelfth National People’s Congress and its Standing Committee strengthened legislation in key areas; as of September 2017, 22 new laws had been enacted, 110 laws had been amended, 37 decisions and resolutions on legal issues and major issues had been adopted, and 9 legal interpretations had been issued, further improving the socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics with the Constitution at its core. Correct and effective oversight was upheld, and the oversight responsibilities of people’s congresses were earnestly fulfilled in accordance with the law. In accordance with the Party Central Committee’s deployment on improving the system for people’s congresses to discuss and decide on major matters and for governments at all levels to report major decisions to the people’s congress at the corresponding level before they are issued, the work of people’s congresses in discussing and deciding on major matters was earnestly carried out, better bringing into play the functions of state power organs. Deputy work was continuously deepened and expanded; the proportion of deputies who are frontline workers, farmers, and professional and technical personnel, as well as the number of migrant worker deputies, increased somewhat; and deputies’ lawful exercise of their duties was fully guaranteed. Deputies’ attendance at Standing Committee meetings as non-voting participants, participation in law enforcement inspections, and involvement in the activities of special committees and working committees became increasingly routine, further opening up channels for the expression and reflection of public opinion.

Socialist consultative democracy developed broadly, at multiple levels, and in an institutionalized manner. Consultative democracy is a unique and distinctive form of democracy in China’s socialist democratic politics, and is an institutional arrangement that genuinely ensures the people are the masters of the country. In early 2015, the Central Committee issued the Opinions on Strengthening the Building of Socialist Consultative Democracy, systematically planning the development path of consultative democracy from the height of top-level design, forming seven forms of consultation including party consultation, people’s congress consultation, government consultation, CPPCC consultation, people’s organizations consultation, grassroots consultation, and social organizations consultation, and driving the broad, multilevel, and institutionalized development of consultative democracy to continuously achieve new results, greatly enriching the forms of democracy, broadening the channels of democracy, and deepening the connotations of democracy. In the five years from the Party’s Eighteenth to Nineteenth National Congresses, the Party Central Committee convened or entrusted relevant departments to convene more than 110 consultation meetings, symposiums, and briefings, of which more than 20 were presided over or attended by Xi Jinping.

The system of multiparty cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the Communist Party of China achieved new development. In May 2015, the Central Committee promulgated the Regulations on United Front Work of the Communist Party of China (Trial), for the first time listing “participating in political consultation under the leadership of the Communist Party of China” as one of the basic functions of democratic parties, and expanding the basic functions of democratic parties to “participating in the administration of state affairs and deliberation of state affairs, exercising democratic oversight, and participating in political consultation under the leadership of the Communist Party of China.” From November 2012 to November 2017, the central committees of the various democratic parties, drawing on their own characteristics and strengths, organized experts and scholars to conduct in-depth research on major issues such as vigorously advancing supply-side structural reform, deepening new-type urbanization, Belt and Road construction, promoting scientific and technological development and independent innovation, and vigorously revitalizing and upgrading the real economy, and submitted a total of 496 opinions and suggestions to the Central Committee and the State Council. Among these, suggestions such as accelerating the development of the Pingtan Comprehensive Experimental Zone and scientifically setting the GDP growth target for the Thirteenth Five-Year Plan period were translated into major decisions of the Party and the state. The CPPCC also persisted in running consultative democracy throughout the entire process of fulfilling its functions, persisting in the mutual integration of promoting democracy and enhancing unity, and the dual-track effort of offering advice and building consensus, and continuously improving the system of specialized consultative bodies. The National Committee of the CPPCC implemented major reform measures for CPPCC consultative democracy construction as directed by the Central Committee, forming and improving a consultative and deliberative landscape with the plenary session as the leading body, thematic deliberative sessions of the Standing Committee and thematic consultation meetings as the focus, and biweekly consultation symposiums, counterpart consultation meetings, and proposal-handling consultation meetings as the regular form, fully mobilizing the enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity of CPPCC members in participating in the administration of state affairs and deliberation of state affairs.

The system of regional ethnic autonomy was earnestly implemented. After the Party’s Eighteenth National Congress, the Party Central Committee attached great importance to economic and social development in ethnic minority areas, improved differentiated regional policies, optimized transfer payment and counterpart assistance mechanisms, implemented plans to promote the development of ethnic minority areas and small-population ethnic groups and to enrich border areas and improve the lives of border residents, and ensured that ethnic minorities and ethnic minority areas achieved overall moderate prosperity and modernization together with the rest of the country. The Party’s ethnic and religious policies were earnestly implemented; the banner of ethnic unity was held high; publicity and education on ethnic unity and progress were conducted in depth; all ethnic groups were encouraged to be as closely united as the seeds of a pomegranate; and people of all ethnic groups were guided to strengthen their sense of identity with the great motherland, with the Chinese nation, with Chinese culture, and with the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, further forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation. The construction of supporting regulations for the Law on Regional Ethnic Autonomy was continuously strengthened, the legal and regulatory system for ethnic work was continuously improved, and the system of regional ethnic autonomy increasingly demonstrated its powerful vitality and superiority, powerfully advancing the modernization of the governance system and governance capacity for ethnic affairs.

The system of grassroots mass self-governance was full of vitality. The people broadly and directly participated in the management of social affairs through villagers’ committees, residents’ committees, workers’ representative congresses, and other bodies. Village compacts or villagers’ self-governance charters were widely formulated in rural areas across the country, and ▶ A Brief History of the Communist Party of China Culture is the soul of a country and a nation; when culture flourishes, the state flourishes; when culture is strong, the nation is strong. Upholding confidence in the path, theory, and system of socialism with Chinese characteristics ultimately requires upholding cultural confidence. On May 17, 2016, at a symposium on philosophy and social sciences work, Xi Jinping pointed out: “Cultural confidence is a more fundamental, deeper, and more enduring force.” On June 28, Xi Jinping proposed upholding the “Four Confidences”—confidence in the path, theory, system, and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics—at the thirty-third collective study session of the Eighteenth Political Bureau, explicitly incorporating cultural confidence into the “Four Confidences.” The Party Central Committee’s emphasis on upholding cultural confidence means upholding the path of socialist cultural development with Chinese characteristics and stimulating the creative vitality of the entire nation in cultural innovation and creation.

★ In March 2015, villagers in Houhuang Village, Licheng District, Putian City, Fujian Province, raised placards to vote at a villagers’ supervision and discussion meeting on the “transfer” of ancient residential buildings

residents’ compacts or residents’ self-governance charters were widely formulated in urban communities. With urban and rural village (residential) self-governance at the core, and democratic election, democratic consultation, democratic decision-making, democratic management, and democratic oversight as the main content, the system of grassroots mass self-governance was basically established and continuously improved; the people participated in political life in an orderly manner at various levels and in various fields; and grassroots democracy in our state was increasingly playing an enormous role.

The patriotic united front was continuously consolidated and developed. The Party Central Committee successively convened the Central United Front Work Conference, the Central Ethnic Work Conference, the National Religious Work Conference, the Second Central Xinjiang Work Symposium, the Sixth Central Tibet Work Symposium, and the National United Front Work Conference for People from New Social Strata; promulgated the first party regulation on united front work—the Regulations on United Front Work of the Communist Party of China (Trial)—and a batch of normative documents; and the united front was continuously innovated, developed, consolidated, and expanded, playing an important role as a magic weapon in the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Major Progress in Ideological and Cultural Construction

The Party’s leadership over ideological work underwent profound transformation. As people’s ideological activities became markedly more independent, selective, changeable, and differentiated, and as the public opinion ecology, media landscape, and modes of communication underwent profound changes, the domestic and international environment facing ideological work became increasingly complex. To strengthen and improve propaganda and ideological work, from 2013 to 2016, the Party Central Committee successively convened the National Conference on Propaganda and Ideological Work, a symposium on literary and artistic work, a symposium on the Party’s news and public opinion work, a symposium on cybersecurity and informatization work, a symposium on philosophy and social sciences work, the National Party School Work Conference, and the National Conference on Ideological and Political Work in Colleges and Universities. Xi Jinping delivered a series of important speeches that profoundly answered major theoretical and practical questions concerning propaganda, ideological, and cultural work under new historical conditions. The Party Central Committee made a series of major work deployments and issued documents including the Guiding Opinions on Promoting the Integrated Development of Traditional Media and Emerging Media, the Opinions on Implementing the Online Content Construction Project, and the Implementation Measures for the Responsibility System for Ideological Work of Party Committees (Party Groups). Through unremitting efforts, the ideological sphere dared to grasp and manage, dared to draw its sword, firmly grasped the leadership, management, and discursive power over work, and an increasingly favorable situation of pooling hearts and minds and uniting in an upward direction was taking shape.

The guiding status of Marxism in our state’s socialist ideology was further consolidated. Party organizations and government departments at all levels earnestly took effective measures, continuously doing well and strengthening Marxist propaganda and education work, making the in-depth study, propagandization, and implementation of the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s series of important speeches and the new concepts, new ideas, and new strategies for the governance and administration of China the top priority, deepening the study, propagandization, and education on socialism with Chinese characteristics and the Chinese Dream, achieving notable results in theoretical arming, with the main melody becoming louder and positive energy becoming stronger, and the ideological unity of the entire Party and society becoming more consolidated.

Cultivating and practicing Core Socialist Values. The Party’s Eighteenth National Congress proposed advocating prosperity, democracy, civility, and harmony; advocating freedom, equality, justice, and the rule of law; advocating patriotism, dedication, integrity, and friendliness; and actively cultivating and practicing Core Socialist Values. In December 2013, the General Office of the Central Committee issued the Opinions on Cultivating and Practicing Core Socialist Values, requiring that the cultivation and practice of Core Socialist Values be integrated into the entire process of national education and implemented in economic development practice and social governance. Patriotic education activities and mass spiritual civilization creation activities were widely carried out throughout society; Core Socialist Values were incorporated into the national education system, driving them into textbooks, into classrooms, and into students’ minds. Some major ceremonial activities were elevated to the national level. Through legal procedures, the state designated September 3 as the Victory Day of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, December 13 as the National Memorial Day for the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre, and September 30 as Martyrs’ Memorial Day, among others. In December 2015, the Central Committee issued the Opinions on Establishing and Improving the System of Commendations and Awards for Meritorious Service to the Party and the State, and the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress deliberated and adopted the Law of the People’s Republic of China on State Medals and State Honorary Titles. By affirming the historic contributions of meritorious models, setting up benchmarks and raising banners, a favorable atmosphere throughout society of emulating the virtuous, revering heroes, and striving to be pioneers was promoted.

The project for inheriting and developing China’s excellent traditional culture was implemented, driving the creative transformation and innovative development of China’s excellent traditional culture; an increasing number of traditional classics, opera, calligraphy, and other content entered classrooms and campuses, becoming integrated into the national education system. Various localities adopted multiple approaches to bring to life the cultural relics housed in museums, the heritage displayed across the land, and the characters written in ancient texts, giving full play to their important role in carrying forward China’s excellent traditional culture.

Cultural undertakings and cultural industries flourished, continuously providing the people with richer spiritual nourishment. Upholding the principle of putting social benefits first and unifying social and economic benefits, a new round of cultural system reform was comprehensively implemented. In March 2017, the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Public Cultural Services came into force, achieving legal protection for the basic cultural rights and interests of the people. The modern cultural industry system and market system were improved; against the backdrop of significant downward economic pressure, the cultural industry maintained a relatively fast growth rate. By the end of 2017, the added value of our state’s cultural industry reached 3.47 trillion yuan, with its share of GDP rising to 4.2%. The integrated approach to external cultural exchanges, cultural communication, and cultural trade was advanced, accelerating the drive for Chinese culture to go global.

Continuous Improvement in People’s Livelihoods

Entering the new era, as the level of economic and social development rose, the people’s aspirations for a better life became stronger, the demands in the livelihood sphere became increasingly complex and diverse, and the task of guaranteeing and improving people’s livelihoods was extremely arduous. The Party Central Committee upheld the people-centered approach, made improving the people’s wellbeing the fundamental purpose of development, focused on making up for shortfalls in people’s livelihoods in the course of development, and achieved a series of pioneering results in ensuring that the young are properly raised, the educated are properly taught, the working are properly compensated, the sick are properly treated, the elderly are properly cared for, the housed are properly sheltered, and the vulnerable are properly supported, so that the fruits of reform and development benefit all the people more extensively and more equitably.

Employment is the greatest livelihood issue, relating to the people’s rice bowls—it is a matter of the utmost importance that must be addressed with great effort. Facing structural employment pressure, the Party Central Committee deeply implemented the employment-first strategy and more proactive employment policies, introduced and improved various entrepreneurship preferential policies, vigorously developed vocational education and vocational training, and intensified efforts to support enterprises and stabilize jobs. From 2013 to 2017, the number of new urban jobs exceeded 13 million per year, and the registered urban unemployment rate remained at a relatively low level. The employment structure was continuously optimized, and the tertiary industry became the sector absorbing the most employment. The proportion of urban employed persons rose from 48.4% in 2012 to 53.4% in 2016. The number of urban employed persons exceeded that of rural areas, marking a historic transformation in the urban-rural employment landscape, with a clear trend of workers in central and western regions finding employment locally and returning home to start businesses. Party committees and governments at all levels continuously improved the mechanisms for coordinating labor relations and resolving disputes, resolutely prevented and corrected employment discrimination, established a long-term mechanism for resolving wage arrears owed to migrant workers, and promoted the joint construction of harmonious labor relations throughout society.

Income is the source of people’s livelihoods. The Party and the government upheld the principle of distribution according to work, strove to broaden channels for residents’ labor income and property income, improved the institutional mechanisms for distribution according to factors of production, and, under the conditions of keeping residents’ income growth in step with economic growth and keeping increases in labor remuneration in step with increases in labor productivity, narrowed the income distribution gap and promoted more rational and orderly income distribution through “expanding the middle, raising the bottom, adjusting the top, and cracking down on illegal income.” Through reforming and improving the income distribution system, synchronized growth of residents’ income and economic development, and synchronized improvement of labor remuneration and labor productivity, were achieved. From 2013 to 2017, the national per capita disposable income of residents grew from 18,311 yuan to 25,974 yuan. In 2017, the ratio of per capita disposable income between urban and rural residents was 2.71, down 0.17 from 2012.

Education is the foundation of a century-long plan. Education embodies the hopes of hundreds of millions of families for a better life, and building a strong educational state is a foundational project for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The Party Central Committee deepened educational reform with a close focus on fulfilling the fundamental task of cultivating virtue and nurturing talent, striving to build an educational system that comprehensively cultivates moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic, and labor qualities, and the main framework of the socialist educational system with Chinese characteristics was basically established. Starting in 2012, state financial expenditure on education as a proportion of GDP for that year was continuously maintained at above 4%. The comprehensive improvement of basic schooling conditions in impoverished areas for compulsory education, the nutrition improvement plan for rural compulsory education students, and the full-stage student financial assistance policy system were deeply implemented, and educational equity was better guaranteed. Governments at all levels continuously expanded the coverage of quality educational resources, striving to address the problems of “school selection fever” and “difficulty in enrolling in kindergarten” that the people strongly reflected. In 2017, the gross enrollment rate for preschool education reached 79.6%; the net enrollment rate for school-age children in primary school reached 99.91%; the gross enrollment rate for junior secondary school reached 103.5%; the consolidation rate for nine-year compulsory education was 93.8%; the gross enrollment rate for senior secondary education reached 88.3%; more than 90% of children with disabilities had access to educational opportunities; and more than 80% of children of migrant workers studied in public schools in their places of residence. The gross enrollment rate for higher education reached 45.7%, on the verge of transitioning from mass to universal higher education. Teacher team building was greatly strengthened, and a comprehensive teacher ethics construction system covering universities, middle schools, and primary schools was accelerated.

Social security is the mainstay of people’s livelihoods. Upholding the guideline of comprehensive coverage, basic protection, multiple levels, and sustainability, the social security system reform was continuously deepened, and the world’s largest social security system was built. A unified basic old-age insurance system for urban and rural residents was fully established; the reform of the old-age insurance system for government agencies and public institutions was advanced; a central adjustment system for the basic old-age insurance fund for enterprise employees was established; the investment and operation of old-age insurance funds was launched; and the fairness and sustainability of the system were significantly enhanced. In 2017, the number of persons participating in basic old-age insurance for urban employees nationwide was 401.99 million; the number participating in basic old-age insurance for urban and rural residents was 512.55 million; and the number participating in basic medical insurance was 1,176.64 million, basically achieving universal participation. The number of participants in unemployment insurance, work-related injury insurance, and maternity insurance each reached approximately 200 million, covering the vast majority of occupational groups. Through sustained efforts, a multi-tiered social security system covering urban and rural residents was gradually established.

The Healthy China strategy was comprehensively and deeply implemented. In August 2016, the National Health and Wellness Conference was convened, at which Xi Jinping emphasized the need to place the people’s health in a priority position in development strategy, accelerate the building of a Healthy China, and strive to protect the people’s health in all respects and throughout the entire life cycle. The conference proposed the health and wellness work guideline of prioritizing grassroots work, taking reform and innovation as the driving force, emphasizing prevention, giving equal weight to traditional Chinese and Western medicine, incorporating health into all policies, and having the people jointly build and share. In October, the Healthy China 2030 Planning Outline issued by the Central Committee and the State Council made comprehensive deployments for building a Healthy China. In accordance with this guideline and these deployments, medical and health system reform upheld the “three-medicine linkage” of medical services, medical insurance, and pharmaceuticals, upheld the combination of prevention and treatment, joint prevention and control, and mass prevention and control, and continuously advanced the transformation from disease treatment to health management.

With institutional innovation as the key, social governance was strengthened and innovated. Steadfastly following the path of socialist social governance with Chinese characteristics, the advantages of Party leadership and the socialist system were transformed into advantages in social governance; the social governance system with Chinese characteristics was continuously improved; a social governance structure with Party committee leadership, government responsibility, social coordination, public participation, and rule-of-law guarantees was basically established; and a social governance landscape of joint construction, joint governance, and shared benefits was initially formed. The center of gravity of social governance shifted downward to the grassroots, with more resources, services, and management delegated to the grassroots. By strengthening grassroots grid-based service management and comprehensively applying advanced technologies such as big data and artificial intelligence, an all-round, three-dimensional social security prevention and control system was built, and the capacity of the whole society for predicting, warning, and preventing public security risks was greatly enhanced. The social organization management system was reformed, the healthy and orderly development of social organizations was promoted, the role of social organizations was better brought into play, and a virtuous interaction between government governance, social regulation, and residents’ self-governance was achieved. Through in-depth special operations to severely crack down on violent terrorist activities, the risk of violent terrorist attacks was effectively prevented and controlled.

Notable Results in Ecological Civilization Construction

After the Party’s Eighteenth National Congress, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core made ecological civilization construction an important component of the “five-in-one” overall layout and the “Four Comprehensives” strategic layout, using the concept that “lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets” as the guiding principle, and driving historic, transformative, and overall changes in our state’s ecological and environmental protection.

A good ecological environment is the most universally beneficial form of public welfare. After more than thirty years of sustained rapid development, environmental problems accumulated over many years entered a phase of high-intensity frequent occurrence in certain areas and certain fields. This was not only a major political issue relating to the Party’s mission and purpose, but also a major social issue relating to people’s livelihoods.

Building ecological civilization requires, above all, establishing rules and systems, and protecting the ecological environment with the strictest institutions and the most rigorous rule of law. In November 2013, the Third Plenary Session of the Eighteenth Central Committee incorporated “ecological civilization system reform” into the target system for comprehensively deepening reform, proposing to deepen ecological civilization system reform closely around the goal of building a Beautiful China, accelerate the establishment of an ecological civilization system, improve the institutional mechanisms for land space development, resource conservation and utilization, and ecological and environmental protection, and drive the formation of a new landscape for modernization construction featuring harmonious development between man and nature. In 2015, the Central Committee and the State Council successively issued the Opinions on Accelerating the Advancement of Ecological Civilization Construction and the Overall Plan for Ecological Civilization System Reform, making comprehensive and systematic deployments and arrangements for ecological civilization construction in terms of overall objectives, basic concepts, main principles, key tasks, and institutional guarantees, requiring that by 2020 an ecological civilization institutional system with clear property rights, diverse participation, balanced incentives and constraints, and systemic completeness be established. Under the guidance of this top-level design, ecological civilization institutional construction was comprehensively launched and continuously advanced in depth, achieving a series of major breakthroughs.

Advancing ecological civilization construction cannot be separated from strong supervision of the ecological environment. After the Party’s Eighteenth National Congress, some serious incidents of ecological and environmental damage were dealt with seriously. The Party Central Committee made clear that ecological and environmental protection implements joint Party and government responsibility and dual accountability for the same post, and strictly implemented the responsibility system for leading cadres in ecological civilization construction. From 2015 to 2020, two rounds of central ecological and environmental protection inspections were conducted, playing a key role in resolving prominent ecological and environmental problems and promoting high-quality economic development. The new Environmental Protection Law, dubbed “the strictest in history,” came into force in 2015, with unprecedented force in combating environmental violations and crimes. From 2015 to 2020, 930,600 administrative penalty cases for ecological and environmental violations were implemented nationwide, with fines totaling 57.864 billion yuan.

From protection to restoration, the concept that protecting the ecological environment means protecting productive forces and improving the ecological environment means developing productive forces was firmly established, with efforts focused on making up for ecological shortfalls. From 2013 to 2017, 460 million mu of new afforestation was added nationwide, 638 million mu of forest tending was completed, and the national forest coverage rate reached 21.66%. By the end of 2017, our state had treated 126 million mu of desertified land; desertification and sandification showed an overall trend of being curbed, with significant improvement in key treatment areas; the annual average reduction in desertified land area was 1,980 square kilometers; and a

★ Yucun Village in Anji County, Zhejiang Province, has forged a green path of “beautiful ecology, thriving industry, and prosperous people” historic transformation from “sand advancing, people retreating” to “people advancing, sand retreating” was achieved. The proportion of Grade I–III water bodies at national control cross-sections of surface water nationwide increased to 67.9%, and the proportion of Grade V inferior water bodies decreased to 8.3%, with water quality in major rivers and their main tributaries steadily improving. Compared with 2013, the average concentration of inhalable particulate matter in prefecture-level and above cities nationwide decreased by 22.7% in 2017, and the average PM2.5 concentration in key regions such as Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, the Yangtze River Delta, and the Pearl River Delta decreased by 39.6%, 34.3%, and 27.7% respectively.

In the practice of deepening ecological civilization construction, the system for the development and protection of national territorial space and the spatial planning system were continuously improved. The major function zone plan was implemented, development was driven strictly in accordance with major function zone positioning, and the pattern of national territorial space development was further optimized. In August 2015, the State Council issued the National Marine Major Function Zone Plan, achieving full coverage of the major function zone strategy over both land and sea territorial space. The Party Central Committee advocated a simple, moderate, green, and low-carbon lifestyle. Green family, green school, green community, green shopping mall, and green building creation campaigns were widely carried out.

Upholding the principle that mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, and grasslands form a community of life, the protection of the ecosystem was comprehensively strengthened. Through a series of important measures—including a comprehensive halt to commercial logging of natural forests, the implementation of pilot programs for the protection of desertified land, intensified efforts in returning farmland to forests and grasslands and returning grazing land to grasslands, a comprehensive halt to new land reclamation from the sea, and the promotion of large-scale greening of national territory—important ecological function zones such as forests, grasslands, and wetlands were given time to recuperate and recover. The river chief system and lake chief system were comprehensively implemented for rivers and lakes across the country. Efforts were made to achieve full coverage of ecological protection compensation for key areas and important regions, with compensation levels adapted to the state of economic and social development; cross-regional and cross-watershed compensation pilots were explored; and an operating mechanism in which those who damage the ecology pay compensation, those who benefit pay fees, and those who protect receive reasonable compensation was taking shape.

Active participation in global environmental and climate governance. Our state took the lead in issuing China’s National Plan on Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and implemented the National Climate Change Response Plan (2014–2020). In December 2015, China actively promoted the conclusion of the Paris Agreement—a historic document—at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris. During the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Hangzhou in 2016, Xi Jinping formally deposited China’s instrument of ratification of the Paris Agreement with the United Nations on behalf of the Chinese government. China actively fulfilled its international obligations on biodiversity conservation, making sustained efforts for global environmental governance. China’s concepts and strategies for ecological civilization construction received broad recognition from the international community.

The ecological and environmental problem is, at its root, a problem of development models and lifestyles. During this period, green development models were accelerating in their formation. A dual-control system for total resource consumption and intensity was implemented; red lines for water resources were strictly observed; the scale of new construction land was strictly controlled; the revolution in energy production and consumption was driven forward; the pace of energy structure adjustment continuously accelerated; and China has become the world’s largest user of new energy and renewable energy. Comprehensive resource conservation was effectively advanced, and the intensity of energy and resource consumption declined significantly. Ecological and environmental standards were greatly raised, forcing the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries; backward and excess production capacity with heavy environmental pollution, high resource consumption, and no prospect of meeting standards was continuously eliminated; and the development of energy-saving and environmental protection industries and the circular economy was accelerated. By developing green financial products such as green credit, green bonds, and green insurance, and conducting pilot programs in carbon emission rights and pollution discharge rights trading, more social capital was guided into green industries; major environmental protection infrastructure construction, ecological protection and restoration projects, and beautiful countryside construction became investment hotspots.

As green development models continued to advance, green lifestyles increasingly became the common consensus and common pursuit of the people. The Party Central Committee advocated a simple, moderate, green, and low-carbon lifestyle, opposed extravagance and waste and irrational consumption, and guided the formation of a civilized and healthy lifestyle. The supply of green products and services continuously increased; new business forms such as the sharing economy, service leasing, and second-hand trading flourished; energy-saving, environmentally friendly, and recycled products were favored by consumers; and initiatives such as the “clean plate campaign” and low-carbon commuting received active responses from the whole of society. In the national education and training system, content on cherishing the ecology, protecting resources, and caring for the environment was greatly strengthened. The consciousness and initiative of the entire Party and the whole country in implementing the green development concept were significantly enhanced, and the situation of neglecting ecological and environmental protection was markedly changed.

III. Coordinating the Advancement of the “Four Comprehensives” Strategic Layout

The Proposal of the “Four Comprehensives” Strategic Layout

In November 2013, the Third Plenary Session of the Eighteenth Central Committee made systematic deployments for comprehensively deepening reform, adopting a decision on several major issues concerning comprehensively deepening reform, and clarifying the direction, objectives, and tasks of reform for the current and future period. In October 2014, the Fourth Plenary Session of the Eighteenth Central Committee specifically studied the issue of rule-of-law construction, adopted a decision on several major issues concerning comprehensively advancing the rule of law, made strategic deployments for building a law-governed China, and clarified the major tasks of comprehensively advancing the rule of law. The two decisions adopted at the Third and Fourth Plenary Sessions of the Eighteenth Central Committee formed companion pieces, making reform and the rule of law like the two wings of a bird or the two wheels of a cart, powerfully driving the cause of building a Moderately Prosperous Society in all respects forward. As practice developed, the Party’s understanding of the laws governing the governance and administration of China also continuously deepened. In December, shortly after the close of the Fourth Plenary Session of the Eighteenth Central Committee, Xi Jinping for the first time proposed, during an inspection visit to Jiangsu, the coordinated advancement of building a Moderately Prosperous Society in all respects, comprehensively deepening reform, comprehensively advancing the rule of law, and comprehensively governing the Party with strict discipline.

In February 2015, in his speech at the opening ceremony of a special seminar for principal leading cadres at the provincial and ministerial level on studying and implementing the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the Eighteenth Central Committee and comprehensively advancing the rule of law, Xi Jinping explicitly defined the “Four Comprehensives” as a “strategic layout.” Each of the “Four Comprehensives” has major strategic significance and is a strategic priority of overall importance. At the same time, the “Four Comprehensives” are mutually complementary, mutually reinforcing,

and mutually enhancing, with close logical connections and intrinsic links, forming an organic whole in which strategic objectives and strategic measures are unified. The “Four Comprehensives” strategic layout grasps the principal contradictions and the principal aspects of contradictions, embodies materialist dialectics, and has become the overall handle for the Party’s governance and administration of China under new circumstances.

Following the Third and Fourth Plenary Sessions of the Eighteenth Central Committee, which specifically studied comprehensively deepening reform and comprehensively advancing the rule of law, the Party Central Committee successively convened the Fifth and Sixth Plenary Sessions of the Eighteenth Central Committee to specifically study building a Moderately Prosperous Society in all respects and comprehensively governing the Party with strict discipline, making important deployments. The Fifth Plenary Session of the Eighteenth Central Committee, convened in October 2015, on the basis of a profound understanding and grasp of the new normal of economic development, explicitly proposed the New Development Concept of innovation, coordination, green development, opening up, and sharing. The Proposals for Formulating the Thirteenth Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development, deliberated and adopted at the plenary session, took the New Development Concept as the guiding principle and clarified our state’s development approach, development direction, and development priorities for the Thirteenth Five-Year Plan period. In October 2016, the Sixth Plenary Session of the Eighteenth Central Committee specifically studied the issue of comprehensively governing the Party with strict discipline, providing fundamental guidance for strictly regulating intra-Party political life, purifying the intra-Party political ecology, and improving the intra-Party oversight system under new circumstances, and providing important institutional guarantees for comprehensively governing the Party with strict discipline.

The “Four Comprehensives” strategic layout is the new strategy for the governance and administration of China formulated by the Party in the new era based on grasping the new features of our state’s development; it grasps the fundamental, overall, and urgent major issues in the development of the Party’s and state’s undertakings; it maps out the top-level design for advancing reform and opening up and modernization construction; and it comprehensively embodies the strategic objectives and measures for the long-term development of the Party’s and state’s undertakings. The formation of the “five-in-one” overall layout and the “Four Comprehensives” strategic layout marks that the Party’s grasp of the laws governing the building of socialism with Chinese characteristics has reached an unprecedented new height.

Fully Advancing the Process of Building a Moderately Prosperous Society in All Respects

Building a Moderately Prosperous Society in all respects occupies a leading position in the “Four Comprehensives” strategic layout. The Party Central Committee led the entire Party and the people of all ethnic groups across the country to continuously advance toward the grand goal of building a Moderately Prosperous Society in all respects by 2020, as determined at the Party’s Eighteenth National Congress. Building a Moderately Prosperous Society in all respects emphasizes not only “moderately prosperous” but, more importantly and more difficultly, “in all respects.” Without universal moderate prosperity, there can be no comprehensive moderate prosperity.

Whether the countryside is moderately prosperous is the key to whether the whole country is moderately prosperous. Rural areas, especially impoverished areas, are the biggest shortfall in comprehensive moderate prosperity. Xi Jinping pointed out: “Poverty is not socialism. If impoverished areas remain impoverished for a long time, if their appearance cannot be changed for a long time, and if the people’s living standards cannot be significantly improved for a long time, then the superiority of our state’s socialist system has not been demonstrated, and that is not socialism either.” “With greater resolve, more precise thinking, and more forceful measures, we must take extraordinary steps, implement poverty alleviation projects, and ensure that the rural poor under our state’s current standards achieve poverty alleviation, that all impoverished counties are removed from the poverty list, and that regional overall poverty is resolved.”

After the Party’s Eighteenth National Congress, the Party Central Committee increased investment in poverty alleviation, innovated poverty alleviation methods, and poverty alleviation and development work took on a new look. The key to winning the battle against poverty lies in precision—precision in approach, precision in implementation, and precision in outcomes. Only by prescribing the right remedy, implementing policies tailored to individuals, localities, causes of poverty, and types of poverty, and achieving targeted treatment can the “root of poverty” be pulled out. In November 2013, during an inspection visit to Hunan, Xi Jinping for the first time creatively proposed the important concept of “targeted poverty alleviation,” emphasizing the need to “seek truth from facts, adapt to local conditions, provide differentiated guidance, and implement targeted poverty alleviation,” marking a major transformation in our state’s approach to poverty alleviation.

As targeted poverty alleviation was implemented, our state’s poverty alleviation cause continuously achieved new breakthroughs. The Proposals for Formulating the Thirteenth Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development, deliberated and adopted at the Fifth Plenary Session of the Eighteenth Central Committee, placed the ▶ A Brief History of the Communist Party of China lifting one batch out of poverty through education, and providing a safety net for one batch through social security) and other specific solutions, sounding the bugle call for the battle against poverty to gnaw on hard bones and storm fortified positions.

★ On November 3, 2013, Xi Jinping held a discussion with villagers of Shibadong Village, Paibei Township, Huayuan County, Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, during an inspection visit to Hunan

alleviation of rural poverty as a basic indicator of building a Moderately Prosperous Society in all respects, emphasizing that the key to building a Moderately Prosperous Society in all respects is to make up for the “shortfalls” in economic and social development as quickly as possible, ensuring that by 2020 the rural poor under our state’s current standards achieve poverty alleviation, all impoverished counties are removed from the poverty list, and regional overall poverty is resolved. Subsequently, the Central Committee and the State Council issued the Decision on Winning the Battle Against Poverty, which, centered on the goal of stably achieving “two assurances and three guarantees” (rural poor people are assured of food and clothing, and are guaranteed compulsory education, basic medical care, and housing safety) by 2020, upheld the “six precisions” of precision in identifying support targets, precision in project arrangements, precision in fund use, precision in measures to households, precision in assigning personnel to villages (first secretary), and precision in poverty alleviation outcomes, and, for the key questions of “who to support,” “who does the supporting,” “how to support,” and “how to exit,” proposed implementing the “five batches” approach (lifting one batch out of poverty through development of production, relocating one batch out of poverty through relocation, lifting one batch out of poverty through ecological compensation, lifting one batch out of poverty through

During this period, through strengthening industrial poverty alleviation, characteristic and advantageous industries in impoverished areas and tourism-based poverty alleviation, photovoltaic poverty alleviation, and e-commerce poverty alleviation developed rapidly, enhancing the endogenous development vitality and momentum of impoverished areas. Through ecological poverty alleviation, relocation-based poverty alleviation, returning farmland to forests and grasslands, and other measures, the ecological environment in impoverished areas improved markedly, achieving a win-win outcome of ecological protection and poverty alleviation on the same battlefield. Through infrastructure and public service construction, the basic conditions in impoverished areas, especially rural areas, improved markedly, changing the overall appearance of impoverished areas. Through organizing poverty identification and poverty exit, and implementing poverty alleviation projects, the grassroots governance capacity and management level in impoverished areas improved markedly, enhancing the cohesion and combat effectiveness of rural grassroots Party organizations. Through dispatching first secretaries and resident work teams, government officials were tempered and rural talent was cultivated. By the end of 2017, a cumulative total of 435,000 first secretaries and 2.78 million person-times of resident cadres had been dispatched to impoverished villages. The rural poor population was reduced by more than 68 million, 8.3 million people were relocated through relocation-based poverty alleviation, and the poverty incidence rate fell from 10.2% to 3.1%.

To ensure the smooth advancement of the battle against poverty, the Party Central Committee upheld the government’s role as the main body and leading force in investment, fully brought into play the roles of both government and social forces, deeply advanced east-west poverty alleviation cooperation, targeted poverty alleviation by Party and government organs, poverty alleviation by the military and armed police forces, and participation by social forces in poverty alleviation, building a grand poverty alleviation landscape in which special poverty alleviation, industry poverty alleviation, and social poverty alleviation complement each other; increased the injection of financial funds into the battle against poverty; brought into play the role of the capital market in supporting the development of impoverished areas; attracted broad participation of social capital in the battle against poverty; and formed a multi-channel, diversified investment pattern for poverty alleviation funds. As of January 2017, 267 developed county-level units in the east had paired up with 390 impoverished counties in the west, promoting the battle against poverty and coordinated regional development in the western region. By the end of 2017, 46,200 private enterprises nationwide were helping 51,200 villages, investing 52.7 billion yuan in industrial poverty alleviation projects, donating 10.9 billion yuan for public welfare assistance, and driving and benefiting more than 6.2 million registered poor people.

Expanding the middle-income group is related to the realization of the goal of building a Moderately Prosperous Society in all respects. When the Party’s Sixteenth National Congress proposed the goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, it also for the first time clarified the goal of “expanding the proportion of middle-income earners.” The Party’s Seventeenth National Congress proposed “a majority of middle-income earners,” and the Party’s Eighteenth National Congress proposed the task of “continuously expanding the middle-income group.” The Third Plenary Session of the Eighteenth Central Committee, which studied comprehensively deepening reform, and the Fifth Plenary Session, which studied the Thirteenth Five-Year Plan, again emphasized this task. Centered on stably expanding the middle-income group, the Party and the government put forward a series of key directions for theoretical and practical innovation, and successively introduced a series of new policies, powerfully driving the expansion of the middle-income group. Through unremitting efforts, our state has formed the world’s largest middle-income group, which has exceeded 400 million people.

Major Breakthroughs in Comprehensively Deepening Reform

Comprehensively deepening reform is the key link with breakthrough and pioneering significance in the “Four Comprehensives” strategic layout. Entering the new era, the Party Central Committee advanced comprehensively deepening reform, with reform presenting a posture of advancing on all fronts, breaking through at multiple points, moving swiftly and steadily, and advancing in depth.

In November 2013, the Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Several Major Issues Concerning Comprehensively Deepening Reform, deliberated and adopted at the Third Plenary Session of the Eighteenth Central Committee, made top-level design and overall planning for comprehensively deepening reform from the strategic height of the overall landscape of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, clarifying the guiding ideology, objectives and tasks, and major principles of comprehensively deepening reform, and scientifically planning the strategic priorities, order of priority, main direction of attack, working mechanisms, methods of advancement, timetable, and roadmap for comprehensively deepening reform. The plenary session clarified that the overall objective of comprehensively deepening reform is to improve and develop the socialist system with Chinese characteristics and to advance the modernization of the state governance system and governance capacity; it required that by 2020, decisive results be achieved in reforms in important areas and key links, forming an institutional system that is comprehensive, scientifically sound, and operationally effective, so that institutions in all areas become more mature and more settled. The plenary session achieved a series of new breakthroughs on major theoretical and policy issues, putting forward new viewpoints and new judgments such as “letting the market play a decisive role in resource allocation and better bringing the role of the government into play” and “advancing the broad, multilevel, and institutionalized development of consultative democracy,” and introducing 336 relatively major reform measures covering the economic, political, cultural, social, ecological civilization, and Party building spheres. The Third Plenary Session of the Eighteenth Central Committee was of epoch-making significance, opening a new era of comprehensively deepening reform and systematically and holistically designing and advancing reform, and creating an entirely new landscape for our state’s reform and opening up.

Comprehensively deepening reform is a complex systems project that requires establishing a higher-level leadership mechanism. In December 2013, the Center established the Central Leading Group for Comprehensively Deepening Reform with Xi Jinping as its head, responsible for the overall design, coordination, integrated advancement, and supervision of implementation of reform. This fully reflected the Party Central Committee’s high degree of attention to reform, fully demonstrated the Party Central Committee’s resolve for reform, was conducive to bringing into play the Party’s role as the leadership core that oversees the overall landscape and coordinates all parties, was conducive to ensuring the systematicness, integrity, and synergy of reform, and was conducive to ensuring that all tasks and all links of comprehensively deepening reform were put into practice. In the five years following the Party’s Eighteenth National Congress, 38 meetings of the Central Leading Group for Comprehensively Deepening Reform were convened, 365 important reform documents were deliberated and adopted, 357 key reform tasks were determined, more than 1,500 reform measures were introduced, and breakthrough progress was achieved in reforms in important areas and key links, with the main framework of reforms in major areas basically established.

In reform practice, the Party Central Committee placed particular emphasis on taking economic system reform as the focus, bringing into play the driving role of economic system reform, focusing on letting the market play a decisive role in resource allocation and better bringing the role of the government into play, and proposing and advancing new concepts and new measures such as supply-side structural reform, the “separation of three rights” in rural land, deepening reform of state-owned assets and state-owned enterprises, developing a mixed-ownership economy, jointly building the Belt and Road, and establishing pilot free trade zones, driving reforms in state-owned enterprises, fiscal and taxation finance, techno-scientific innovation, land systems, opening up, cultural education, judicial justice, environmental protection, old-age employment, pharmaceuticals and health, Party building and discipline inspection, and other fields with a driving role to continuously achieve breakthroughs, markedly changing the situation in which institutional and mechanism deficiencies in all areas impeded the creativity and development vitality of the whole of society.

In the course of advancing comprehensively deepening reform, the Party Central Committee focused on grasping foundational, long-term, and systemic institutional design, making institutional arrangements for improving the state-owned assets management system and strengthening state-owned assets supervision primarily through managing capital; implementing a comprehensive, standardized, and transparent budget system; steadily advancing fiscal, taxation, and financial system reform; improving the institutional mechanisms for integrated urban-rural development; building a new institutional framework for an open economy; advancing the broad, multilevel, and institutionalized development of consultative democracy; ensuring that judicial organs independently exercise adjudicative and procuratorial powers in accordance with the law; improving the leadership system and working mechanisms for combating corruption; establishing the National Security Commission; improving the natural resource asset property rights system; and deepening national defense and military reform. The state governance system and governance capacity were enhanced through the continuous improvement of institutions.

Solid Strides in Comprehensively Advancing the Rule of Law

Comprehensively advancing the rule of law is the fundamental requirement for resolving a series of major problems in development, liberating and enhancing social vitality, promoting social fairness and justice, maintaining social harmony and stability, and ensuring the state’s long-term stability. In January 2014, at the Central Political and Legal Work Conference, Xi Jinping emphasized the need to take maintaining overall social stability as the basic task, take promoting social fairness and justice as the core value pursuit, and take ensuring that the people live and work in peace and contentment as the fundamental goal, with the aim of enabling the people to feel fairness and justice in every judicial case. He called for focusing on breaking through systemic, mechanistic, and guarantee-related obstacles in three areas—ensuring the independent and impartial exercise of adjudicative and procuratorial powers in accordance with the law, improving the operating mechanisms of judicial power, and improving the judicial protection system for human rights—in order to continuously enhance judicial credibility.

In October 2014, the Fourth Plenary Session of the Eighteenth Central Committee adopted the Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Several Major Issues Concerning Comprehensively Advancing the Rule of Law, clarifying that the overall objective of comprehensively advancing the rule of law is to build a socialist rule-of-law system with Chinese characteristics and to build a socialist rule-of-law state. This overall objective both clarifies the nature and direction of comprehensively advancing the rule of law and highlights the work priorities and overall handle, carrying the significance of a key that opens all locks. Centered on this overall objective, the plenary session put forward more than 180 major reform measures, covering all aspects of the rule of law. In April 2015, the eleventh meeting of the Central Leading Group for Comprehensively Deepening Reform deliberated and adopted the Implementation Plan for Important Measures of the Fourth Plenary Session of the Eighteenth Central Committee (2015–2020), providing the overall construction blueprint and overall ledger for advancing the comprehensive rule of law for the subsequent period.

In the practice of comprehensively advancing the rule of law, the Party Central Committee attached great importance to the important status and role of the Constitution in the governance and administration of China, making clear that upholding the rule of law requires first upholding the rule of the Constitution. In November 2014, the Standing Committee of the Twelfth National People’s Congress established December 4 as National Constitution Day through legislation. In July 2015, it was further stipulated that state functionaries publicly take a constitutional oath upon assuming office, solemnly pledging loyalty to the Constitution, to the motherland, and to the people.

Establishing and improving a complete legal normative system, and using good laws to guarantee good governance, is the prerequisite and foundation for comprehensively advancing the rule of law. Legislative bodies, upholding the principle of proceeding from national conditions, accelerated legislation in the national security sphere, introducing a series of laws relating to national security such as the National Security Law, the National Intelligence Law, the Counter-Espionage Law, the Counter-Terrorism Law, the Cybersecurity Law, the Law on the Administration of Activities of Overseas Non-Governmental Organizations within the Territory of China, the National Defense Transportation Law, and the Nuclear Safety Law, providing solid legal guarantees for safeguarding national security, core interests, and other major interests. At the same time, legislative work in key areas such as the economy, society, people’s livelihoods, culture, and the ecological environment was continuously advanced. As of September 2017, our state had 260 currently effective laws. The socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics with the Constitution at its core was continuously improved.

In advancing the comprehensive rule of law, building a law-governed government is the key task, with a demonstration and driving role for building a law-governed state and a law-governed society. Starting from the basic requirement of comprehensively fulfilling functions in accordance with the law, localities comprehensively sorted out, adjusted, reviewed, confirmed, and publicly announced the powers of government departments. In December 2015, the Central Committee and the State Council issued the Implementation Outline for Building a Law-Governed Government (2015–2020), proposing the overall objective and action plan of basically building a law-governed government with “scientifically defined functions, legally defined powers and responsibilities, strictly enforced laws, openness and fairness, clean and efficient operations, and law-abiding and trustworthy conduct” by 2020. In January 2016, the State Council launched a pilot program in seven departments including the National Development and Reform Commission for compiling power and responsibility lists, using “power lists” and “responsibility lists” to clarify the boundaries of government power and drive the “streamlining administration, delegating power, improving regulation, and optimizing services” reform to take effect. By the end of 2017, administrative approval items of State Council departments had been reduced by 44%, and non-administrative licensing approvals had been completely terminated.

Driving judicial system reform with the judicial responsibility system as the focus. The quota system for judges and procurators was implemented, the judicial responsibility system was further comprehensively implemented, and the new judicial power operating mechanism of “let those who adjudicate decide, and let those who decide be responsible” and “whoever decides is responsible” was continuously improved. In accordance with central deployments, starting in 2014, pilot programs for classified management of judicial personnel, improving the judicial responsibility system, improving occupational protections for judicial personnel, and unified management of the finances and personnel of local courts and procuratorates below the provincial level were launched in batches nationwide, and in 2016 the reform pilots were rolled out nationwide. The judicial responsibility system reform was comprehensively implemented, the quota system for judges and procurators was put in place, those who adjudicate decide and those who decide are responsible, the mechanism of “whoever handles the case is responsible” was implemented, judges and procurators bear lifelong responsibility for case quality in accordance with the law, and the judicial power operating mechanism with clear and unified powers and responsibilities was continuously improved. With the aim of enhancing judicial credibility, the reform of the litigation system centered on adjudication was advanced, ensuring that the facts of cases investigated and reviewed for prosecution can withstand legal scrutiny. The reform of the system of leniency for guilty pleas was deepened, the operating mechanism of the summary procedure was improved, the diversion of cases by complexity and urgency was advanced, and a multi-tiered litigation system was built. The six circuit courts of the Supreme People’s Court cover six major regions, achieving a downward shift in the center of gravity of the highest adjudicative body; the people’s assessor system and the people’s supervisor system were improved. To gradually resolve the problem of difficulty in filing lawsuits that the people reflected, the reform of the case filing registration system was comprehensively implemented, changing the case filing review system to a case filing registration system, ensuring that all cases are filed and all complaints are heard, strengthening oversight, and legally sanctioning false litigation to maintain normal litigation order. The comprehensive supporting reform of the judicial responsibility system was deepened, the institutional mechanisms for the mutual coordination and mutual constraint of investigative power, procuratorial power, adjudicative power, and enforcement power were further improved, and the construction of a comprehensive, standardized, and efficient law enforcement and judicial constraint and oversight system was accelerated. After the new round of judicial reform, a new judicial management system and judicial power operating mechanism gradually took shape, and fairness and justice became the bright hallmark of the new era.

As the foundational measure of comprehensively advancing the rule of law, the building of a law-governed society was continuously strengthened. In 2016, four departments including the Organization Department of the Central Committee jointly issued the Opinions on Improving the System for State Functionaries to Study and Apply the Law, firmly grasping the “key minority” of leading cadres and promoting state functionaries to take the lead in respecting, studying, abiding by, and applying the law. In March, the Central Committee and the State Council forwarded the Seventh Five-Year Plan for Conducting Legal Education Among Citizens (2016–2020) issued by the Central Propaganda Department and the Ministry of Justice, and the “Seventh Five-Year” law popularization work was launched. The Opinions on Implementing the Responsibility System for “Whoever Enforces the Law Popularizes the Law” by State Organs, issued in May 2017, for the first time explicitly designated state organs as the responsible subjects for legal education and publicity. Implementing the requirement of “whoever enforces the law popularizes the law” and grasping the “bull’s nose” of the responsibility system for law popularization, a “grand law popularization” landscape of unified Party committee leadership, departmental division of responsibilities, each fulfilling their own duties, and joint management was gradually formed.

Outstanding Results in Comprehensively Governing the Party with Strict Discipline

Comprehensively governing the Party with strict discipline is the fundamental guarantee of the “Four Comprehensives” strategic layout and the distinctive theme of the Party Central Committee’s Party building work since the Party’s Eighteenth National Congress. Xi Jinping pointed out that under new historical conditions, to better wage the great struggle with many new historical features, advance the great cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, we must advance the new great project of Party building with greater force, steadfastly advance the comprehensive and strict governance of the Party, and earnestly build and manage the Party well. Comprehensively governing the Party with strict discipline is always on the road; there can be no thought of catching one’s breath or resting one’s feet. We must always maintain ideological clarity and sobriety, enhance the courage and perseverance of our actions, steadfastly commit to the political consciousness of comprehensively governing the Party with strict discipline, and continuously drive the comprehensive and strict governance of the Party to advance in depth.

In December 2013, at the Central Economic Work Conference, Xi Jinping pointed out that socialism with Chinese characteristics has many characteristics and features, but its most essential feature is the leadership of the Communist Party of China. In July 2016, at the gathering to celebrate the ninety-fifth anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, Xi Jinping emphasized that the most essential feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics is the leadership of the Communist Party of China, and the greatest advantage of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics is the leadership of the Communist Party of China.

Upholding Party leadership means, first and foremost, upholding the authority of the Party Central Committee and its centralized and unified leadership. In January 2014, at the Third Plenary Session of the Eighteenth Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, Xi Jinping pointed out that “the Central Committee, the Political Bureau, and the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau are the core of the Party’s leadership and decision-making.” To embody this requirement, on January 16, 2015, the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau specifically heard work reports from the party groups of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, the State Council, the National Committee of the CPPCC, the Supreme People’s Court, and the Supreme People’s Procuratorate. On January 23, the Political Bureau meeting heard relevant comprehensive situation reports.

In October 2016, the Sixth Plenary Session of the Eighteenth Central Committee deliberated and adopted the Several Guidelines on Intra-Party Political Life Under New Circumstances and the Regulations on Intra-Party Oversight of the Communist Party of China. The Guidelines emphasized that “resolutely safeguarding the authority of the Party Central Committee and ensuring that the entire Party follows orders and prohibitions is what the future and destiny of the Party and the state depend on, and is where the fundamental interests of the people of all ethnic groups across the country lie.” This plenary session clarified the core status of General Secretary Xi Jinping within the Party Central Committee and the entire Party, reflecting the common wish of the entire Party, the entire military, and the people of all ethnic groups across the country, and representing where the fundamental interests of the Party and the state lie and the fundamental guarantee for upholding and strengthening Party leadership. The plenary session called on all Party comrades to closely unite around the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, firmly establish political consciousness, overall landscape consciousness, core consciousness, and alignment consciousness, and steadfastly safeguard the authority of the Party Central Committee and its centralized and unified leadership.

To strengthen the Party’s comprehensive leadership, the Center further improved and perfected relevant institutional mechanisms. In January 2015, the Central Committee issued the Opinions on Strengthening and Improving the Party’s Mass Organization Work, emphasizing that Party leadership is the fundamental guarantee for doing mass organization work well. In June, the Central Committee issued the Regulations on the Work of Party Groups of the Communist Party of China (Trial). This was the first specialized intra-Party regulation on party group work in the history of the Communist Party of China. In December, the Central Committee issued the Regulations on the Work of Local Committees of the Communist Party of China, further improving the institutional foundation for local Party committees to play their role as the leadership core and improving the operating mechanisms of local Party committees. In October 2016, the Center convened the National Conference on Party Building in State-Owned Enterprises, making systematic deployments to address the problems of weakening, diluting, hollowing out, and marginalizing Party leadership and Party building in state-owned enterprises, emphasizing the need to uphold the Party’s leadership over state-owned enterprises without wavering and to open up a new landscape for Party building in state-owned enterprises. In December, the Central Committee and the State Council issued the Opinions on Strengthening and Improving Ideological and Political Work in Colleges and Universities Under New Circumstances, requiring that Party building be run throughout the entire process and that the Party’s leadership over colleges and universities be firmly grasped.

Comprehensively governing the Party with strict discipline begins with addressing work-style problems. In the new era, comprehensively governing the Party with strict discipline began with the Political Bureau setting rules for itself, starting with implementing the spirit of the Central Eight-Point Regulation. The Eight-Point Regulation was the first important intra-Party regulation formulated after the Party’s Eighteenth National Congress, and also an entry point for improving work style. Xi Jinping emphasized that Party members are always ordinary members of the working people; apart from personal interests and work authority within the scope prescribed by law and policy, all Party members must not seek any private interests or privileges, and must oppose the thinking of privilege and the phenomenon of privilege. Our Party persisted in combining the fight against the “four winds,” the fight against corruption, and the fight against the thinking and phenomenon of privilege, introducing a series of rectification measures in areas such as office space for cadres, official vehicles, secretarial staffing, and official consumption, strictly regulating the work and living benefits of leading cadres, and effectively curbing the thinking and phenomenon of privilege that existed in some cadres. Discipline inspection and supervision organs at all levels, starting with the rectification of improper practices such as using public funds for eating and drinking, tourism, and gift-giving, drove an overall transformation of the atmosphere throughout the Party and society through breakthroughs on specific problems, pooling the hearts of the Party and the people for the in-depth advancement of comprehensively governing the Party with strict discipline.

Upholding the principle of putting discipline in the forefront, and strictly enforcing political discipline and political rules. On November 16, 2012, at the first meeting of the Eighteenth Political Bureau, Xi Jinping emphasized that “everyone must take the lead in observing the Party’s organizational principles and the norms of intra-Party political life, understanding the rules and observing discipline.” In January 2013, at the Second Plenary Session of the Eighteenth Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, Xi Jinping further pointed out that in strictly enforcing Party discipline, the foremost requirement is to strictly enforce political discipline, which is the most important, most fundamental, and most critical discipline. The meeting also proposed that discipline inspection organs at all levels of the Party must place the safeguarding of the Party’s political discipline in the first position, strengthen oversight and inspection of the implementation of political discipline, root out interest groups formed by the intertwining of political corruption and economic corruption, and eliminate major political hidden dangers. Discipline inspection commissions at all levels focused on resolving the problem of disregarding political discipline and political rules, and seriously investigated and dealt with the publication of statements that violated the spirit of the Center and acts of failing to follow orders and prohibitions. In the five years following the Party’s Eighteenth National Congress, 15,000 cases of violations of political discipline were filed and investigated, 15,000 people were disciplined, including 112 cadres managed by the Center, effectively safeguarding the Party’s centralized and unified leadership. In October 2015, the revised Code of Clean Conduct for Members of the Communist Party of China and the Regulations on Disciplinary Actions of the Communist Party of China were issued. The Code upholds positive advocacy and focuses on cultivating virtue, reaffirming the Party’s ideals, beliefs, and purposes and its fine traditions and work style, and setting up high standards that are visible and tangible.

The Regulations set out a “negative list” and focus on establishing rules, integrating the Party Constitution’s requirements on discipline into “six disciplines.” To strengthen the enforcement of discipline, the Party Central Committee upheld the principle of learning from past errors to avoid future ones and curing the sickness to save the patient, creatively proposed and applied the “four forms” of oversight and discipline enforcement,[1] strengthened day-to-day oversight and management, and put greater effort into making good use of the first form, with the governance role of discipline construction becoming increasingly evident.

Corruption is the greatest threat facing the Party, and it seriously erodes the Party’s foundation for governance. Confronting the situation of relatively serious corruption problems within the Party over a period of time, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, with the steadfast resolve of “offending thousands rather than failing 1.4 billion,” upheld the principle of no forbidden zones, full coverage, and zero tolerance in combating corruption; steadfastly “swatted tigers” and “slapped flies”; deepened international anti-corruption law enforcement cooperation; wove tight the international fugitive-hunting “Skynet”; and punished corruption with thunderous force and lightning-bolt measures, continuously forming a powerful deterrent. In the five years following the Party’s Eighteenth National Congress, 440 Party member cadres at the provincial and military level and above and other cadres managed by the Center were approved by the Party Central Committee for filing and investigation. Among these were 43 members and alternate members of the Eighteenth Central Committee and 9 members of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. Discipline inspection and supervision organs nationwide handled 2.674 million problem clues, filed 1.545 million cases, disciplined 1.537 million people, including more than 8,900 cadres at the bureau and department level and 63,000 cadres at the county and division level, and 58,000 people suspected of crimes were transferred to judicial organs for handling. In particular, the serious violations of discipline and law by Zhou Yongkang, Bo Xilai, Guo Boxiong, Xu Caihou, Sun Zhengcai, Ling Jihua, and others were resolutely investigated and dealt with. The comprehensive and strict governance of the Party, with the fight against corruption as the key breakthrough, achieved major strategic results; the goal of not daring to be corrupt was initially achieved; the cage of not being able to be corrupt was being woven ever tighter; the dam of not wanting to be corrupt was being built; and the overwhelming posture of the anti-corruption struggle had been formed and was being consolidated and developed.

The Party must govern itself, beginning with governing intra-Party political life; governing the Party strictly must begin with governing intra-Party political life strictly. In October 2016, the Sixth Plenary Session of the Eighteenth Central Committee conducted an in-depth analysis of new situations and new problems facing Party building under new circumstances, put forward clear measures targeting weak links in intra-Party political life and intra-Party oversight, made comprehensive normative provisions for strictly regulating intra-Party political life and purifying the intra-Party political ecology, and emphasized that the entire Party must firmly establish political consciousness, overall landscape consciousness, core consciousness, and alignment consciousness, and consciously maintain a high degree of alignment with the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core in thought, politics, and action.

The Party Central Committee upheld the close integration of ideological Party building and institutional Party governance, focused on resolving ideological problems and tightening the “master switch,” and continuously consolidated the ideological foundation for comprehensively governing the Party with strict discipline. In accordance with the deployments of the Party’s Eighteenth National Congress, from June 2013 to September 2014, the entire Party carried out the mass line educational practice campaign with serving the people, being pragmatic, and being clean and honest as its main content. In 2015, the “Three Stricts and Three Earnests” thematic education was carried out among leading cadres at the county and division level and above; in 2016, the “Two Studies, One Action” study and education campaign was carried out among all Party members; in 2017, arrangements and deployments were made for advancing the normalization and institutionalization of the “Two Studies, One Action” study and education campaign; and the comprehensive and strict governance of the Party was continuously driven to extend from the “key minority” to the broad mass of Party members, and from concentrated education to regular education, with the ideals and convictions of the entire Party becoming more steadfast and party spirit becoming stronger.

Comprehensively tightening the cage of institutions, with the level of institutional Party governance and rule-based Party governance continuously improving. In November 2013, the Central Committee issued the Five-Year Plan Outline for Intra-Party Regulation Formulation Work (2013–2017), proposing “to strive, through five years of effort, to basically form a framework for the intra-Party regulation and institutional system covering the main areas of Party building and Party work and meeting the needs of governing and managing the Party, making intra-Party life more standardized and proceduralized,” and “to fully build an intra-Party regulation and institutional system with scientific content, rigorous procedures, complete supporting elements, and effective operation by the centenary of the Party’s founding.” The Central Committee issued the Opinions on Strengthening the Building of Intra-Party Regulations and Institutions, proposing to improve the intra-Party regulation and institutional system in accordance with the principle of coordinating and harmonizing “regulating subjects, regulating behavior, and regulating oversight.”

The Party Central Committee continuously improved the Party and state oversight system. In the five years following the Party’s Eighteenth National Congress, the Party Central Committee twice revised the Regulations on Inspection Work of the Communist Party of China, formulated a five-year plan for central inspection work, organized 12 rounds of inspections covering 277 Party organizations, and for the first time in the Party’s history achieved full coverage of inspections within a single term. The intra-Party oversight regulations were revised, oversight and inspection of the state of intra-Party political life and the implementation of the Party’s line, guidelines, and policies were strengthened, and the authority of the Party Central Committee and its centralized and unified leadership were resolutely safeguarded. Through implementing a combination of individual dispatch and comprehensive dispatch, full dispatch of discipline inspection institutions to all Party and state organs at the central level was achieved, with unified names and unified management. The state supervision system reform was deepened, a state anti-corruption body under unified Party leadership with authority and efficiency was built, and full coverage of supervision over all public officials exercising public power was achieved, continuously improving the Party and state oversight system.

Governing the Party strictly requires, above all, governing officials strictly, and cultivating and selecting good cadres needed by the Party and the people. What standards to use in selecting people and what kind of people to select is the primary question in cadre work. In June 2013, at the National Organization Work Conference, Xi Jinping for the first time proposed the standard for good cadres of “steadfast in faith, serving the people, diligent and pragmatic, daring to take responsibility, and clean and honest.” To implement the standard for good cadres in the new era, the Central Committee revised and issued the Regulations on the Selection and Appointment of Party and Government Leading Cadres and other regulatory documents, strengthened the leading and gatekeeping role of Party organizations, and effectively broke through prominent problems such as the bias of selecting people based solely on votes, scores, GDP, or age. In response to some longstanding difficult problems in cadre work, the Party Central Committee continuously deepened the reform of the cadre and personnel system. In July 2015, the General Office of the Central Committee issued the Several Provisions on Promoting the Upward and Downward Mobility of Leading Cadres (Trial), clarifying the standards for “moving down,” standardizing the methods for “moving down,” and opening up the channels for “moving down,” playing an important role in driving the formation of a personnel orientation and political environment in which the capable rise, the excellent are rewarded, the mediocre step down, and the inferior are eliminated. In August 2016, the General Office of the Central Committee issued the Opinions on Preventing the “Sick Promotion” of Cadres, explicitly proposing the “four musts before any promotion” requirement, ensuring that candidates are loyal, clean, and responsible. To strengthen the management and oversight of cadres, in February 2017, the Central Committee revised the Regulations on Leading Cadres Reporting Personal Matters and formulated the Measures for Handling the Results of Verification of Leading Cadres’ Reports on Personal Matters, improving and strictly implementing the system with Chinese characteristics for leading cadres to report personal matters.

IV. Comprehensively Advancing the Modernization of National Defense and the Armed Forces

Establishing the Goal of Building a Strong Military in the New Era

The world today is experiencing Great Changes Unseen in a Century; the international strategic landscape is undergoing profound evolution; international military competition is becoming increasingly fierce; and China is at a critical stage of development from a large country to a strong country. A strong state must have a strong military, and only with a strong military can the state be secure. In November 2012, the First Plenary Session of the Eighteenth Central Committee decided that Xi Jinping would serve as Chairman of the Central Military Commission. From the very beginning of his tenure, Xi Jinping, from the strategic height of realizing the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, keenly grasped the development trends of the new military revolution in the world, and made overall plans for a series of major issues in the modernization of national defense and the armed forces in the new era. In December, when meeting with division-level and above leading cadres of troops stationed in Guangzhou, Xi Jinping for the first time proposed the “dream of a strong military,” pointing out that the dream of a strong state is, for the military, also the dream of a strong military. To achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, we must uphold the unity of enriching the state and strengthening the military, and build a consolidated national defense and a powerful military.

Realizing the dream of a strong military requires clearly answering what kind of powerful people’s army to build in the new era and how to build a powerful people’s army. At the end of 2012, Xi Jinping proposed at an enlarged meeting of the Central Military Commission that we strive to build a people’s army that follows the Party’s commands, is capable of winning battles, and has an excellent work style. In March 2013, at the plenary meeting of the People’s Liberation Army delegation to the First Session of the Twelfth National People’s Congress, Xi Jinping explicitly pointed out that building a people’s army that follows the Party’s commands, is capable of winning battles, and has an excellent work style is the goal of building a strong military for the Party under new circumstances. In February 2016, at an enlarged meeting of the Central Military Commission, Xi Jinping further proposed the requirement of realizing the goal of building a strong military and building a world-class military.

Within the goal of building a strong military, following the Party’s commands is the soul, determining the political direction of military construction; being capable of winning battles is the core, reflecting the fundamental function of the military and the fundamental orientation of military construction; and having an excellent work style is the guarantee, relating to the nature, purpose, and character of the military. The goal of building a strong military clarifies the focal point and key emphasis of strengthening military construction, embodies the high degree of unity of upholding the Party’s principles for building the military, the military’s fundamental functions, and its unique political advantages, and is the overall strategy for the Party’s building and governance of the military in the new era—the top-level design and strategic planning made by the Party Central Committee for national defense and military construction from an overall perspective.

A strong state and a strong military require strategy first. In accordance with the state’s security and development strategy and adapting to the requirements of the situation and tasks in the new historical period, the Party Central Committee and the Central Military Commission continuously enriched and improved the connotations of the strategic thinking of active defense, and strengthened military strategic guidance in keeping with the times. In November 2013, the Third Plenary Session of the Eighteenth Central Committee proposed innovating and developing military theory and strengthening military strategic guidance. In 2014, the Central Military Commission formulated the military strategic guideline for the new situation. This guideline upholds active defense, makes overall plans for preparedness for war and deterrence of war, safeguarding rights and maintaining stability, deterrence and actual combat, and military operations and the use of military force in peacetime; places the focal point of military struggle preparedness on winning informatized local wars; takes the maritime direction of military struggle as the strategic focus; and enhances the initiative and proactiveness of strategic guidance. In May 2015, the white paper China’s Military Strategy—the first white paper specifically elaborating on China’s military strategy—was officially published. The white paper focuses on the military strategic guideline of active defense under the new situation, clarifying the adjustment of the focal point of military struggle preparedness, the innovation of basic operational thinking, and the optimization of the military strategic layout, resolutely safeguarding the state’s sovereignty, security, and development interests, and comprehensively embodying the development and practical results of the people’s military’s military strategy.

Implementing the Strategy of Political Strengthening of the Military in the New Era

Implementing the Party’s goal of building a strong military in the new era requires, above all, following the Party’s commands. From October 30 to November 2, 2014, the first all-military political work conference of the new century was convened in Gutian Town, Shanghang County, Fujian Province. Xi Jinping delivered an important speech at the conference, emphasizing that revolutionary political work is the lifeline of a revolutionary military, and explicitly proposing the theme of the times for military political work: closely centered on realizing the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, to provide a strong political guarantee for realizing the Party’s goal of building a strong military under new circumstances.

Xi Jinping emphasized that military political work can only be strengthened, not weakened; that the four things of a fundamental nature—ideals and convictions, party spirit principles, the standard of combat effectiveness, and the prestige of political work—must be established; and that focused efforts must be made on five key areas: forging the military soul, managing high- and mid-level cadres, work-style construction and the anti-corruption struggle, cultivating the fighting spirit, and the innovative development of political work.

Xi Jinping pointed out that military political work is essentially the work of the Party leading and controlling the military. The people’s army, as an armed group executing the Party’s political tasks, must uphold the Party’s absolute leadership, must steadfastly follow the Party’s commands and march with the Party, and must strike wherever the Party points. The speech systematically summarized a complete set of fine traditions formed in the long-term practice of military political work, emphasizing that these fine traditions are the fundamental principles and content of military political work and must be passed down from generation to generation.

The all-military political work conference was an extremely important conference convened at a critical juncture in the development of the Party’s, state’s, and military’s undertakings, opening a new journey of ideological Party building and political strengthening of the military. Xi Jinping’s important speech, from the height of the era’s development and the strategic overall landscape, profoundly elucidated a series of major issues concerning the Party’s building of the military ideologically and politically, established the strategy of political strengthening of the military in the new era, and is a programmatic document guiding the people’s army in the new era to open up new horizons in construction.

In December 2014, the Central Committee forwarded the Decision on Several Issues Concerning Military Political Work Under New Circumstances. Starting from the end of 2014, the entire military launched in-depth “four rectifications”—rectifying thinking, rectifying the use of personnel, rectifying organizations, and rectifying discipline—as well as special clean-up and rectification campaigns including a major inspection of cadre work and a financial inspection and rectification, advancing political rectification with the spirit of rectifying work styles and reviving political discipline and order. In February 2015, the Central Military Commission formulated the Overall Deployment Plan for Implementing the Spirit of the All-Military Political Work Conference, issuing to the entire military the overall plan and task list for implementing the strategy of political strengthening of the military. The people’s army focused on absolute loyalty, turned the blade inward and scraped the bone to cure the poison, especially seriously investigating and dealing with the serious violations of discipline and law by Guo Boxiong, Xu Caihou, and others, comprehensively and thoroughly eliminating their pernicious influence and purifying the political ecology. The people’s army focused on cultivating the military soul, striving to cultivate new-era revolutionary soldiers with soul, ability, fighting spirit, and virtue, and forging iron-strong units with iron-strong faith, iron-strong convictions, iron-strong discipline, and iron-strong responsibility.

The Central Military Commission implements the chairman responsibility system, which is the fundamental institution and fundamental form of realization for upholding the Party’s absolute leadership over the people’s army. To drive the implementation of the CMC chairman responsibility system to be strict and substantive, in November 2012, the Central Military Commission revised the Working Rules of the Central Military Commission, explicitly incorporating the CMC chairman responsibility system. In April 2014, the Central Military Commission issued the Opinions on Implementing the CMC Chairman Responsibility System and Establishing and Improving Relevant Working Mechanisms, establishing three mechanisms for reporting and requesting instructions, supervision and inspection, and information services, driving the mechanized operation of all requirements of the CMC chairman responsibility system. Through reforming and reshaping the military’s leadership and command system and optimizing the scale structure and force composition, a brand-new institutional architecture more conducive to implementing the CMC chairman responsibility system was formed.

With the all-military political work conference as an important starting point, the people’s army of the new era, after ideological tempering, reorganized and set out again, deeply implementing the strategy of political strengthening of the military, restoring and carrying forward glorious traditions and fine work styles, effectively governing the political ecology, and laying a solid political foundation for military construction and reform.

Deepening National Defense and Military Reform

Confronting the systemic obstacles, structural contradictions, and policy-related problems that had long constrained national defense and military construction, the Party Central Committee and the Central Military Commission took reform as the key move, struck at longstanding stubborn ailments, resolutely broke through institutional and mechanism deficiencies in all areas, comprehensively reshaped the people’s army, and formed a powerful momentum for advancing reform and building a strong military. The deepening of national defense and military reform was sweeping and decisive, breaking the old and establishing the new, moving swiftly and steadily, with an unprecedented scope of advancement, depth of interest touched, and breadth of influence.

In November 2013, the Third Plenary Session of the Eighteenth Central Committee listed deepening national defense and military reform as a separate section in the plenary session decision, incorporating it into the overall layout of comprehensively deepening reform and elevating it to the will of the Party and the behavior of the state. In March 2014, the Central Military Commission Leading Group for Deepening National Defense and Military Reform, with Xi Jinping as its head, convened its first plenary meeting; subsequently, relevant working bodies were successively established, and research, deliberation, and drafting work on reform plans was carried out. In July 2015, Xi Jinping successively presided over meetings of the Standing Committee of the Central Military Commission and the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau, deliberating and approving the Overall Plan for Deepening National Defense and Military Reform—a complete set of reform designs that resolve deep-seated contradictory problems, achieve major innovative breakthroughs, and have distinctive characteristics of the people’s army emerged.

In November 2015, the Central Military Commission Reform Work Conference was convened, making overall deployments for deepening national defense and military reform. After the conference, the Central Military Commission issued the Opinions on Deepening National Defense and Military Reform, clarifying the guiding ideology, basic principles, and overall objectives of reform, mapping out the roadmap and timetable for reform, and deploying the main tasks of reform in leadership and management systems, joint operational command systems, military scale and structure, force composition, cultivation of new-type military talent, policy systems, civil-military integration development, the command and management system and force structure of the armed police forces, and the military rule-of-law system, requiring efforts to build a modern military force system with Chinese characteristics capable of winning informatized wars and effectively fulfilling mission tasks, and to further improve the socialist military system with Chinese characteristics.

Starting from the end of 2015, the reform of the leadership and command system took the lead, focusing on breaking through systemic obstacles. In accordance with the general principle of the CMC managing the overall landscape, theater commands focusing on warfighting, and military services focusing on construction, 15 functional departments of the CMC were adjusted and reorganized; the Army leadership body, the Rocket Force, the Strategic Support Force, and the Joint Logistics Support Force were established; and a leadership and management system of “Central Military Commission—military services—troops” was built. The CMC joint operational command body was improved, theater joint operational command bodies were established, the seven military area commands were adjusted and reorganized into five theater commands, the joint logistics support system reform was implemented, and an operational command system of “Central Military Commission—theater commands—troops” was built. This round of “above the neck” reform broke the long-standing general headquarters system, large military area command system, and large army system, achieving a historic transformation in the organizational architecture of the military.

Starting from the end of 2016, the reform of scale structure and force composition was advanced in overlapping stages, focusing on resolving structural contradictions. In accordance with the requirements of adjusting and optimizing the structure, developing new-type forces, rationalizing major proportional relationships, and reducing the quantity and scale, the composition of military strength was optimized; the total active-duty strength of the military was reduced from 2.3 million to 2 million, with organs and non-combat institution personnel streamlined; the force structure layout was adjusted, with efforts focused on reducing the scale of the army, optimizing the internal force structure of each military service and branch, and greatly increasing the proportion of new-quality combat effectiveness; the composition of combat units was reformed, implementing the “army—brigade—battalion” system in major combat units; and the layout of academy forces was optimized. This round of reform built a modern military force system with Chinese characteristics, driving the military’s transformation from a quantity-and-scale type to a quality-and-effectiveness type, and from a labor-intensive type to a technology-intensive type.

By the time of the Party’s Nineteenth National Congress, national defense and military reform had achieved historic breakthroughs, forming a new landscape of the CMC managing the overall landscape, theater commands focusing on warfighting, and military services focusing on construction, with the organizational architecture and force system of the people’s army undergoing revolutionary reshaping.

Science and technology is the core combat effectiveness of modern warfare. The Party Central Committee and the Central Military Commission made strategic plans for national defense techno-scientific innovation. In January 2016, the Science and Technology Commission of the Central Military Commission was established. In July 2017, at the inaugural ceremony of the newly reorganized Academy of Military Sciences, National Defense University, and National University of Defense Technology, and at a symposium for principal leaders of military academies, research institutions, and training institutions, Xi Jinping proposed comprehensively implementing the strategy of invigorating the military through science and technology, and relying on scientific and technological progress and innovation to shift the model of military construction and the model of generating combat effectiveness onto the track of innovation-driven development. In August, at the gathering to celebrate the ninetieth anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, Xi Jinping pointed out that the strategy of invigorating the military through science and technology must be comprehensively implemented, and the contribution rate of techno-scientific innovation to the construction of the people’s army and the development of combat effectiveness must be continuously improved.

Aiming at the frontiers of world military science and technology, the people’s army upheld the principle of seeking combat effectiveness through techno-scientific innovation, upheld the strategic foothold of independent innovation, made a series of strategic deployments centered on developing new-type combat forces and accelerating the research and development of high-tech weapons and equipment, accelerated the advancement of major project construction, accelerated the development of strategic, frontier, and disruptive technologies, and achieved a series of notable accomplishments.

Governing the military according to law and with strict discipline is the foundation of a strong military, and an important component of the People’s Army’s deepening reforms and advancement of modernization. In October 2014, the Fourth Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee incorporated governing the military according to law and with strict discipline into the overall framework of comprehensively governing the state according to law. In December, Xi Jinping emphasized at an enlarged meeting of the Central Military Commission that governing the military according to law and with strict discipline is the Party’s fundamental strategy for building and administering the military, and that the more modernized and informatized the military becomes, the more it must be governed by the rule of law. He called for transforming the mode of military governance in accordance with the requirements of the rule of law, and striving to achieve “three fundamental transformations”: a fundamental transformation from relying purely on administrative orders to governing according to law; a fundamental transformation from relying purely on habit and experience to relying on regulations and institutions; and a fundamental transformation from conducting work in a blitz-style, campaign-style manner to conducting work in accordance with rules and regulations. In February 2015, the Central Military Commission issued the Decision on Deepening the Implementation of Governing the Military According to Law and with Strict Discipline Under New Circumstances, making comprehensive arrangements for strengthening the rule of law in the military, and requiring the construction of a complete system of military rule of law with Chinese characteristics—forming a systemic, comprehensive, rigorous, and efficient system of military laws and regulations, a system for implementing military rule of law, a system for supervising military rule of law, and a system for guaranteeing military rule of law—so as to raise the level of law-based governance in national defense and military development.

In accordance with the requirements of the Party Central Committee and the Central Military Commission, the People’s Army reformed and innovated the two-tiered military legislative system of “Central Military Commission—theater commands, service branches, and the People’s Armed Police,” and standardized legislative authority. In May 2017, the Regulations on Military Legislative Work came into effect, providing a regulatory basis and fundamental guidelines for carrying out military legislative work in the new era. Military laws such as the National Defense Transportation Law were promulgated, and common regulations and the Outline for Grassroots Development of the Military were revised, establishing the regulatory framework and codes of conduct for military development in the new era.

Governing the military with strict discipline began with implementing the requirements of the Central Committee’s Eight-Point Regulation. In December 2012, the Ten Regulations of the Central Military Commission on Strengthening Its Own Conduct were issued, with the Central Military Commission organs and leadership taking the lead in setting an example. After the 18th Party Congress, the Central Military Commission decided to establish an inspection system within the military, set up inspection bodies, and carry out inspection work. By February 2017, the first round of inspections and follow-up inspections covering all Central Military Commission departments and major units had been completed. The legal supervision system was established and improved: a new Central Military Commission Discipline Inspection Commission and a Central Military Commission Political and Legal Affairs Commission were formed; the Central Military Commission Audit Office was reorganized; full resident auditing was implemented across the board; and a system of grassroots conduct inspection liaison points was established. To preserve the nature and character of the People’s Army, the Central Military Commission Reform Work Conference in November 2015 made the decision to completely halt the military’s provision of paid services to external parties. In February 2016, the Central Military Commission issued the Notice on the Complete Cessation of Paid Service Activities by the Military and the People’s Armed Police, specifying a plan to phase out all paid service activities by the military and the People’s Armed Police over approximately three years.

Focusing on the Ability to Fight and Win: Strengthening Military Training and Combat Readiness

In the modernization of national defense and the military in the new era, the Party Central Committee and the Central Military Commission focused on the primary responsibility of preparing for and fighting wars. They treated the ability to fight and win—the “key to a strong military”—as the core of achieving the Party’s goal of building a strong military in the new era. All attention was directed toward fighting, all work was geared toward fighting, and the capacity for combat readiness in the new era was comprehensively raised, ensuring that forces could be summoned at a moment’s notice, could fight upon arrival, and would prevail in battle.

At the end of 2012, Xi Jinping clearly put forward at an enlarged meeting of the Central Military Commission the need to firmly establish combat effectiveness as the sole and fundamental standard, requiring that this standard be applied throughout all aspects and the entire process of military development, thereby pointing the way for combat readiness in the new era. In March 2014, a “Great Discussion on the Combat Effectiveness Standard” was launched across the entire military, with layer-by-layer inspections and universal participation, forging a strong consensus on building elite forces and striving for victory.

Starting from the needs of actual combat, the People’s Army placed great emphasis on realistic combat military training, upholding the principle of letting combat guide training, using training to promote combat readiness, and ensuring consistency between combat and training. In March 2014, the Central Military Commission issued the Opinions on Raising the Level of Realistic Combat Military Training, making systematic arrangements. In the same month, a leading group for military training inspection across the entire military was established to supervise and inspect military training throughout the armed forces. At the end of 2015, training inspection departments were established at the two levels of the Military Commission and theater commands, service branches, and the People’s Armed Police, formally establishing the military training inspection system. In November 2016, the Central Military Commission issued the Interim Provisions on Strengthening Realistic Combat Military Training, putting forward rigid measures and hard requirements for implementing realistic combat military training. Units and individuals found to be lax or perfunctory in military training were held accountable, which promoted the improvement of realistic combat training levels across the forces.

Adapting to the requirements of joint operations, the People’s Army deepened the promotion of joint operations and joint training, accelerating the enhancement of integrated joint operational capabilities. In January 2015, a series of regulatory documents including the Interim Provisions of the People’s Liberation Army on Joint Campaign Training were issued, systematically standardizing the organization and implementation of joint training across all domains and at all levels. In 2016, joint command institutions at the two levels of the Military Commission and theater commands were established, opening a new phase of joint operations and joint training centered on jointness, and continuously improving joint operational capabilities and full-domain operational capabilities based on networked information systems.

In implementing the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee and the Central Military Commission, forces throughout the military widely conducted targeted training on mission topics for each strategic direction, as well as exercises and training across all service branches. The theater commands organized a series of joint live-force exercises in the “Eastern,” “Southern,” “Western,” “Northern,” and “Central” directions; the Army widely conducted major military training competitions; the Navy expanded blue-water training; the Air Force strengthened systematic, scenario-based, full-domain training; the Rocket Force organized adversarial and evaluative training as well as full-regiment and full-brigade scenario-based training; the Strategic Support Force and the Joint Logistic Support Force actively integrated into the joint operational system; the People’s Armed Police conducted a series of exercises including “Guardian”; and joint exercises and training with foreign militaries were expanded, along with international military cooperation. The People’s Army made major progress in military struggle preparedness. During this period, the People’s Army effectively carried out major missions including maritime rights protection, counter-terrorism and stability maintenance, disaster relief, international peacekeeping, escort missions in the Gulf of Aden, and humanitarian assistance, safeguarding state sovereignty, security, and development interests, and boosting the prestige of the state and the military.

V. Upholding “One Country, Two Systems” and Advancing the Reunification of the Motherland

Maintaining Long-Term Prosperity and Stability in Hong Kong and Macao

“One Country, Two Systems” is a great innovation of the Communist Party of China. Entering the new era, the Party Central Committee studied new circumstances and situations, appropriately responded to complex situations, eliminated various forms of interference, comprehensively and accurately implemented the “One Country, Two Systems” guideline, firmly grasped the comprehensive governing authority over Hong Kong and Macao conferred by the Constitution and the Basic Laws, deepened exchanges and cooperation between the mainland and the Hong Kong and Macao regions, and led the practice of “One Country, Two Systems” to new successes amid the winds and waves.

In December 2012, when Xi Jinping received a briefing from the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, he solemnly declared that the central government’s guideline of implementing “One Country, Two Systems” and strictly acting in accordance with the Basic Law would not change; its resolve to support the Chief Executive and the Special Administrative Region government in governing according to law and fulfilling their duties would not change; and its policy of supporting the two Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macao in developing their economies, improving people’s livelihoods, advancing democracy, and promoting harmony would not change. He also emphasized that the key was to comprehensively and accurately understand and implement the “One Country, Two Systems” guideline, and to genuinely respect and uphold the authority of the Basic Law.

With the full support of the central government, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government advanced electoral system reform in accordance with law, pursuant to the decision of the 31st session of the Standing Committee of the 10th National People’s Congress. In June 2014, in response to some people in Hong Kong society who held vague and one-sided understandings of the “One Country, Two Systems” guideline and the Basic Law, the State Council Information Office published the white paper The Practice of the “One Country, Two Systems” Policy in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, systematically expounding the central government’s basic policies toward Hong Kong, prominently emphasizing important points such as the central government’s comprehensive governing authority over Hong Kong, and serving to set the record straight. Based on a report submitted by the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, on August 31st the 10th session of the Standing Committee of the 12th National People’s Congress passed the Decision on Issues Relating to the Selection of the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region by Universal Suffrage and on the Method for Forming the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in the Year 2016, establishing the core elements and institutional framework of the universal suffrage system for the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. At the end of September, the long-planned illegal “Occupy Central” activities erupted among a segment of Hong Kong’s population. Facing Hong Kong’s complex and severe situation—which at times became extremely turbulent—the central government remained steadfast in comprehensively and accurately implementing the “One Country, Two Systems” guideline, held firm to its principled bottom lines without retreat, coordinated all relevant parties, and fully supported the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government in lawfully bringing to an end the illegal “Occupy Central” activities that lasted 79 days, as well as the subsequent “Mong Kok riot,” thereby maintaining overall stability in Hong Kong.

In December 2014, when Xi Jinping attended the celebration of the 15th anniversary of Macao’s return to the motherland and the inauguration ceremony of the fourth-term government of the Macao Special Administrative Region, he pointed out that to continue advancing the cause of “One Country, Two Systems,” it is necessary to firmly grasp the fundamental purpose of “One Country, Two Systems” and jointly safeguard state sovereignty, security, and development interests, maintaining long-term prosperity and stability in Hong Kong and Macao; it is necessary to uphold governing Hong Kong and Macao according to law, and to protect the practice of “One Country, Two Systems” through the rule of law; and it is necessary to organically combine upholding the “One Country” principle with respecting the differences of “Two Systems,” maintaining central authority with guaranteeing the high degree of autonomy of the Special Administrative Regions, and playing the role of the mainland as a strong backing with raising the competitiveness of Hong Kong and Macao themselves—none of these can be neglected at any time. In December 2015, when Xi Jinping received the work report of the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, he further emphasized that the central government’s implementation of the “One Country, Two Systems” guideline adheres to two points: first, it is unwavering and will not change or waver; second, it is comprehensive and accurate, ensuring that the practice of “One Country, Two Systems” in Hong Kong does not deviate or become distorted, and always advances in the correct direction.

In advancing the practice of “One Country, Two Systems,” the central government attached great importance to governing Hong Kong and Macao according to law, lawfully curbing and combating “Hong Kong independence” forces, and resolutely safeguarding the core interests of the state and the fundamental interests of the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions. In November 2016, in response to the illegal words and actions of a small number of incoming legislators who promoted “Hong Kong independence” during the oath-taking process for members of the sixth Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress proactively issued an interpretation of Article 104 of the Hong Kong Basic Law, clarifying the meaning and requirements of lawful oath-taking, and supporting the relevant institutions and judicial organs of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government in prosecuting and adjudicating the relevant legislators, disqualifying them from their seats, and upholding the authority of the Basic Law and the rule of law in Hong Kong. The Macao Special Administrative Region, drawing on the spirit of the relevant NPC Standing Committee interpretation, proactively added “anti-independence” provisions to its Legislative Assembly election law as a preventive measure. The central government also took corresponding measures to improve the system for Chief Executive work reports, to exercise in accordance with law its substantive power of appointment over the Chief Executive and principal officials, and to strengthen publicity and education on the national Constitution and the Basic Laws.

While governing Hong Kong and Macao according to law, the Party and state, from the perspective of overall development strategy and from the requirement of maintaining long-term prosperity and stability in Hong Kong and Macao, actively planned and fully supported the economic and social development and improvement of people’s livelihoods in Hong Kong and Macao, and promoted complementary advantages, win-win cooperation, and common development between Hong Kong and Macao and the mainland. In March 2016, the national “13th Five-Year Plan” outline explicitly proposed enhancing the status and functions of Hong Kong and Macao in the state’s economic development and opening up, supporting Hong Kong and Macao’s participation in the state’s two-way opening up and the Belt and Road Initiative, promoting the upgrading of the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement between the mainland and Hong Kong and Macao, and deepening financial cooperation between the mainland and Hong Kong. During this period, the central government supported Hong Kong in hosting the Belt and Road Summit and joining the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and supported Macao in hosting the 8th APEC Tourism Ministerial Meeting and the 4th and 5th Ministerial Conferences of the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries. The central government also introduced a series of policy measures to support enhanced exchanges and cooperation and common development between the mainland and Hong Kong and Macao. The mainland and Hong Kong implemented a mutual recognition arrangement for funds, and successively implemented financial interconnection policies such as “Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect,” “Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect,” and “Bond Connect,” which not only steadily promoted the opening up of our state’s financial markets to the outside world, but also consolidated and enhanced Hong Kong’s competitiveness as an international financial center. Under the CEPA framework, the mainland signed service trade agreements with Hong Kong and Macao respectively, basically achieving liberalization of service trade. The mainland and Hong Kong signed investment agreements and economic and technological cooperation agreements, promoting cross-border infrastructure construction and the facilitation of the movement of people and goods between the mainland and Hong Kong and Macao.

From June 29 to July 1, 2017, Xi Jinping attended the celebration of the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to the motherland and the inauguration ceremony of the fifth-term government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and inspected the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. During his time in Hong Kong, Xi Jinping put forward important concepts, ideas, and propositions including the “Three Beliefs,”[2] the “Four Leads,”[3] and the “Four Persistences.”[4] Xi Jinping noted that in the 20 years since Hong Kong’s return to the motherland, the practice of “One Country, Two Systems” had achieved universally recognized success. He emphasized that “One Country” is the root—only with deep roots can the leaves flourish; “One Country” is the foundation—only with a solid foundation can the branches thrive. It is necessary to firmly establish the consciousness of “One Country,” uphold the principle of “One Country,” and correctly handle the relationship between the Special Administrative Region and the Center. Any activities that endanger state sovereignty and security, challenge the authority of the Center and the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, or use Hong Kong to infiltrate and undermine the mainland, touch the bottom line and will absolutely not be permitted. Development is the eternal theme, the very basis of Hong Kong’s existence, and the golden key to resolving Hong Kong’s various problems. Hong Kong has the motherland as its backing and faces the world, with many favorable conditions for development and unique competitive advantages. We must build up both the mainland, which practices the socialist system, and Hong Kong, which practices the capitalist system—upholding the foundation of “One Country” and making good use of the advantages of “Two Systems.” These important expositions are of great guiding significance for the steady and long-term practice of “One Country, Two Systems” in Hong Kong, and for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in raising its governance level and planning for long-term development.

From 2012 to 2016, Hong Kong’s GDP grew at an average annual real rate of 2.6%, higher than the average growth rate of developed economies during the same period. Hong Kong’s status as an international financial, shipping, and trade center was continuously consolidated, and its position as a global hub for offshore renminbi business and its function as an international asset management center were continuously strengthened. Macao’s per capita GDP ranked among the highest in the world, and social undertakings reached new heights. The successful practice of “One Country, Two Systems” once again proved that “One Country, Two Systems” is not only the best solution to the historical legacy issues of Hong Kong and Macao, but also the best institutional arrangement for maintaining long-term prosperity and stability in Hong Kong and Macao after their return—it is workable, achievable, and wins the hearts of the people.

Advancing the Peaceful Development of Cross-Strait Relations

Advancing the peaceful development of cross-strait relations and the reunification of the motherland is an inevitable requirement for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Facing the difficulties and challenges of cross-strait relations entering deep waters in their peaceful development, and the complex changes in the situation in Taiwan and our surrounding environment, the Party Central Committee maintained a high degree of strategic confidence and resolve, consistently grasped the correct direction of cross-strait relations development, upheld the major policy guidelines toward Taiwan without wavering, firmly maintained the initiative and dominant position in cross-strait relations, and promoted important progress in cross-strait relations.

In February 2013, when Xi Jinping met with Lien Chan, Honorary Chairman of the Kuomintang, and the Taiwan community members accompanying him, he emphasized that continuing to promote the peaceful development of cross-strait relations and advancing cross-strait peaceful reunification is the responsibility of the new leadership collective of the CPC Central Committee. Xi Jinping pointed out that compatriots on both sides of the strait belong to the Chinese nation, and no force can sever this natural bond of kinship; both sides of the strait belong to one China, and no force can change this basic fact; cross-strait exchanges and cooperation enjoy unique advantages, and no force can suppress this mutual interest; and all sons and daughters of China are determined to stand among the nations of the world through their own unceasing efforts—no force can stop this common aspiration of the entire nation. In June, the 5th Straits Forum, themed “Focusing on Kinship, Sharing the Dream,” was held in Fujian, with nearly 10,000 participants from 22 counties and cities on the Taiwan side, 37 co-organizing units, and representatives from more than 30 sectors and grassroots communities. In October, when Xi Jinping met with Hsiao Wan-chang, Honorary Chairman of the Cross-Strait Common Market Foundation of Taiwan, he emphasized that enhancing political mutual trust across the strait and consolidating the common political foundation is the key to ensuring the peaceful development of cross-strait relations, and that the long-standing political differences between the two sides must ultimately be gradually resolved. For matters that need to be handled in cross-strait relations, the heads of the competent authorities on both sides can also meet to exchange views.

In February 2014, following consultations between both sides of the strait, the State Council’s Taiwan Affairs Office and the Mainland Affairs Council on the Taiwan side established a normalized liaison and communication mechanism on the common political basis of upholding the “1992 Consensus.” The heads of the two departments visited each other on multiple occasions, playing a positive role in safeguarding the peaceful development of cross-strait relations and promoting exchanges and cooperation across all fields. The signing of the Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement and several other agreements played an important role in promoting the peaceful development of cross-strait relations and enhancing the interests and well-being of compatriots on both sides. The two parties—the CPC and the KMT—made good use of their platform for regular communication, worked hard to expand cross-strait economic and cultural exchanges and cooperation, continued to hold the Cross-Strait Economic and Cultural Forum, and formulated a number of joint proposals including “actively promoting the negotiation and implementation of follow-up agreements under the Cross-Strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement,” most of which were translated into specific policy measures jointly or separately by both sides, bringing tangible benefits to compatriots on both sides of the strait. The mainland, upholding the concept of “cross-strait compatriots as one family” and the concept of a cross-strait community of common destiny, continued to host the Straits Forum, the Annual Meeting of the Cross-Strait CEO Summit, the Straits Youth Festival, the “Shanghai-Taipei City Forum,” the Zhongshan Forum, and other platforms for wide-ranging interactive cooperation and the gathering of public opinion, with grassroots exchanges becoming increasingly vibrant.

On November 7, 2015, Xi Jinping met with Ma Ying-jeou, the leader of the Taiwan region, in Singapore, and exchanged views on further promoting the peaceful development of cross-strait relations. Xi Jinping emphasized that Chinese people on both sides of the strait are fully capable and wise enough to resolve their own problems well, and to jointly make a greater contribution to peace, stability, development, and prosperity in the world and the region. Standing at a new starting point in the development of cross-strait relations, both sides should keep the overall interests of the nation in mind, keep pace with the times, work together to consolidate the broader landscape of peaceful development in cross-strait relations, and jointly realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Xi Jinping put forward four points of opinion, emphasizing: upholding the common political foundation of both sides of the strait without wavering; upholding the consolidation and deepening of the peaceful development of cross-strait relations; upholding the pursuit of greater well-being for compatriots on both sides of the strait; and upholding the joint effort to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. This was the first meeting between leaders of the two sides of the strait since 1949, pioneering direct dialogue and communication between cross-strait leaders and opening up new space for the future development of cross-strait relations. Based on the consensus reached at the meeting between the leaders of both sides, the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council and the Mainland Affairs Council on the Taiwan side established and activated a “cross-strait hotline.”

After the Democratic Progressive Party came to power in 2016 and major changes occurred in Taiwan’s political landscape, the momentum of peaceful development in cross-strait relations suffered a serious setback. In March, when Xi Jinping participated in the deliberations of the Shanghai delegation at the Fourth Session of the 12th National People’s Congress, he emphasized that our major policy guidelines toward Taiwan are clear and consistent, and will not change due to changes in Taiwan’s political landscape. In November, Xi Jinping met with Hung Hsiu-chu, then Chairman of the Kuomintang, and emphasized that whatever is beneficial to enhancing the kinship and well-being of compatriots on both sides of the strait, whatever is beneficial to promoting the peaceful development of cross-strait relations, and whatever is beneficial to safeguarding the overall interests of the Chinese nation—the CPC and the KMT should make every effort to do these things, and do them well.

While appropriately responding to changes in the Taiwan situation, the Party Central Committee continued to strengthen exchanges and interactions with parties, groups, counties and cities, and individuals on the island who recognize the “1992 Consensus” and support the peaceful development of cross-strait relations; continued to promote exchanges and cooperation across all fields and the integrated economic and social development of both sides; and steadfastly safeguarded the broader landscape of peaceful development in cross-strait relations. In June 2015, the State Council amended the Measures for the Administration of Travel by Chinese Citizens to and from the Taiwan Region, exempting Taiwan residents from visa endorsement procedures for travel to the mainland and implementing card-style Taiwan Compatriot Permits. During this period, relevant departments introduced more than 20 policy measures to provide greater convenience and better conditions for Taiwan compatriots studying, working, and living on the mainland. To provide convenient conditions for Taiwan youth coming to the mainland for internships, employment, and entrepreneurship, the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council and relevant provinces and cities established 53 cross-strait youth employment and entrepreneurship bases and demonstration sites, attracting more than 1,000 Taiwan-funded enterprises and teams to settle in. New progress was made in cross-strait educational exchanges and cooperation, the forms of cultural exchanges and cooperation became more diverse, and exchanges in various fields and sectors including trade unions, youth, women, sports, health, religion, clan associations, and folk beliefs between the two sides continued to be vibrant, strengthening the emotional bond of Chinese culture between compatriots on both sides of the strait and consolidating the public opinion foundation for cross-strait cooperation.

Resolutely Opposing and Containing “Taiwan Independence” Separatist Forces

The greatest real-world threat to the peaceful development of cross-strait relations is the “Taiwan independence” forces and their separatist activities. After the 18th Party Congress, the Party Central Committee gained a deep understanding of the major changes in the Taiwan situation, consistently kept in mind the overall and long-term interests of the Chinese nation, steadfastly safeguarded state sovereignty and territorial integrity, resolutely opposed and contained any form of “Taiwan independence” separatist activities, and maintained overall stability in the Taiwan Strait.

In March 2014, the “anti-service trade agreement” incident occurred in Taiwan. In essence, this was an “anti-China” incident instigated and supported behind the scenes by “Taiwan independence” and external forces—a premeditated and organized action deliberately obstructing the development of cross-strait relations. The process and pace of peaceful development in cross-strait relations were significantly affected. In May 2016,

after the DPP authorities, who advocate “Taiwan independence,” came to power, they refused to recognize the “1992 Consensus” that embodies the one-China principle, unilaterally undermined the political foundation for the peaceful development of cross-strait relations, condoned and supported various forms of “de-Sinicization” and “gradual Taiwan independence” separatist activities, incited antagonism between public opinion on both sides of the strait, obstructed and sabotaged exchanges and cooperation across all fields between the two sides, and attempted to leverage foreign support for their own ends, posing a severe challenge to the peaceful development of cross-strait relations.

The Party Central Committee remained highly vigilant against all manner of “Taiwan independence” activities, resolutely opposed “legal Taiwan independence” separatist activities, resolutely contained “gradual Taiwan independence” from eroding the foundation for peaceful reunification, and absolutely refused to leave any space for any form of “Taiwan independence” separatist activities. Before and after the changes in the Taiwan situation, Xi Jinping delivered multiple speeches emphasizing that “Taiwan independence” incites hostility and antagonism between compatriots on both sides of the strait, damages state sovereignty and territorial integrity, undermines peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, obstructs the development of cross-strait relations, and will only bring deep harm to compatriots on both sides—compatriots on both sides must stand united and resolutely oppose it. We will resolutely contain any form of “Taiwan independence” separatist activities, safeguard state sovereignty and territorial integrity, and absolutely not allow the historical tragedy of national division to repeat itself. This drew a clear bottom line for the Taiwan authorities and “Taiwan independence” forces, forming a powerful deterrent. The Taiwan question is China’s internal affair. The Chinese government resolutely opposes external forces playing the “Taiwan card” to stir up trouble in the Taiwan Strait, and has waged resolute struggles against the negative Taiwan-related moves of relevant countries, leading an increasing number of countries and peoples to understand and support China’s just cause of safeguarding national unity.

VI. Comprehensively Advancing Major-Country Diplomacy with Chinese Characteristics and Promoting the Building of a Community of Common Destiny for Mankind

The Proposition of Major-Country Diplomacy with Chinese Characteristics

Entering the second decade of the 21st century, the world witnessed deepening development of multipolarity, economic globalization,

social informatization, and cultural diversity. Emerging market countries and developing countries rose rapidly, the balance of international forces became more even, the global governance system underwent profound reshaping, the international landscape accelerated its evolution, and the world was in the midst of great transformation and adjustment. China’s relationship with the world underwent profound changes: our state advanced towards the center of the world stage as never before, our interconnection and interaction with the world became unprecedentedly close, and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation entered a critical period. The development and changes of the world and China were intertwined and mutually reinforcing, and Chinese diplomacy stood at a new historical starting point.

Facing the Great Changes Unseen in a Century, the Party Central Committee carefully planned our state’s diplomatic work and put forward the strategic task of integrating our approach to the two broader landscapes of domestic and international affairs, improving the overall diplomatic layout, comprehensively advancing diplomatic work with major countries, neighboring countries, developing countries, multilateral bodies, and across all fields, and striving for a favorable international environment for the comprehensive building of a Moderately Prosperous Society.

In November 2014, Xi Jinping clearly put forward the strategic thinking of advancing major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics at the Central Conference on Foreign Affairs Work. He pointed out that China must have its own distinctive major-country diplomacy. We must, on the basis of summarizing practical experience, enrich and develop the concepts guiding our external work, so that our state’s external work has a distinctive Chinese character, Chinese style, and Chinese bearing. We must hold high the banner of peace, development, cooperation, and mutual benefit; integrate our approach to the two broader landscapes of domestic and international affairs; integrate development and security; firmly grasp the main thread of upholding peaceful development and promoting national rejuvenation; safeguard state sovereignty, security, and development interests; create a more favorable international environment for peaceful development; safeguard and extend our state’s important Period of Strategic Opportunity for development; and provide strong guarantees for realizing the “Two Centenary” goals and the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

The Party Central Committee comprehensively advanced major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics, and the all-around diplomatic layout was deeply unfolded: advocating the building of a Community of Common Destiny for Mankind; implementing the Belt and Road Initiative; initiating and establishing the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank; setting up the Silk Road Fund; hosting the first Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation and many other multilateral meetings; and promoting reform of the global governance system. Our state’s international influence, appeal, and sculpting power were further enhanced, sculpting a distinctive style for Chinese diplomacy, forging a new path of major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics, creating a favorable external environment for realizing the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and making new and major contributions to world peace and development.

Advocating and Promoting the Building of a Community of Common Destiny for Mankind

In the course of the evolution of the Great Changes Unseen in a Century, mankind faces many common risks and challenges. Hegemonism, power politics, and neo-interventionism have risen to some degree; protectionism and unilateralism have been on the rise; wars, terrorist attacks, famines, and epidemics appear one after another; traditional and non-traditional security issues are complexly intertwined; and the world is full of uncertainty. People are worried about the future of mankind and hope for new wisdom to provide new solutions.

In March 2013, Xi Jinping delivered a speech at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, advocating the building of a Community of Common Destiny for Mankind. Subsequently, at a series of major international occasions, Xi Jinping elaborated in depth on the concept of building a Community of Common Destiny for Mankind, generating wide influence in the international community. In September 2015, Xi Jinping attended the general debate of the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly at UN Headquarters in New York and delivered an important speech, closely linking the building of a new type of international relations with win-win cooperation at its core to the building of a Community of Common Destiny for Mankind, further enriching and developing the thinking on a Community of Common Destiny for Mankind.

On January 17, 2017, Xi Jinping delivered a keynote speech at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, pointing out that economic globalization is an objective requirement of the development of social productive forces and an inevitable result of scientific and technological progress—it was not created artificially by certain people or certain countries. Facing the opportunities and challenges brought by economic globalization, the correct ★ Xi Jinping delivers a speech at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations Xi Jinping put forward the Chinese solution of “building a Community of Common Destiny for Mankind and achieving win-win and shared outcomes,” systematically expounding the theoretical connotations and goal pathways of building a Community of Common Destiny for Mankind, and advocating the building of a world of lasting peace, universal security, common prosperity, openness and inclusiveness, and cleanliness and beauty. This major concept, with its broad international vision and high sense of responsibility, cleared up erroneous understandings, clarified the path of development, and pointed the way forward for a world at a crossroads.

choice is to make full use of all opportunities, cooperate to address all challenges, guide the direction of economic globalization, and build a dynamic growth model, an open and win-win cooperation model, a fair and equitable governance model, and a balanced and inclusive development model. As long as we firmly establish the consciousness of a Community of Common Destiny for Mankind, work together, share responsibilities, and weather difficulties side by side, we will surely be able to make the world a better place and make the people happier.

On January 18, 2017, Xi Jinping delivered a keynote speech at the United Nations Office in Geneva. Facing the question of the times—”What is wrong with the world, and what should we do?”—

Building a Community of Common Destiny for Mankind is China’s contribution of wisdom and solutions to solving the various complex problems facing mankind in the face of the Great Changes Unseen in a Century, and has received wide recognition from the international community. In March 2017, “building a Community of Common Destiny for Mankind” was written into United Nations Security Council Resolution 2344.

This concept concentrates the wisdom of China’s outstanding traditional culture, embodies the common aspirations and pursuits of all mankind, reflects the inevitable trend of the world’s peoples yearning for peace, development, and prosperity, and has become a distinctive banner leading the tide of the times and the progress of human civilization.

Actively Promoting International Cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative

The Belt and Road Initiative is a great practice of major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics. In the autumn of 2013, Xi Jinping put forward the initiative to jointly build the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. In November, “advancing the construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the Maritime Silk Road to form a new pattern of all-around opening up” was written, as a major decision and deployment, into the Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Several Major Issues Concerning Comprehensively Deepening Reform adopted by the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee. In June 2014, Xi Jinping formally used the term “Belt and Road” for the first time at the Sixth Ministerial Conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, and made a systematic exposition of the spirit of the Silk Road and the principles that should be upheld in Belt and Road construction. The Belt and Road construction was formally put forward as a brand-new model of cooperation and a plan for common prosperity and development.

With the putting forward of the Belt and Road Initiative, planning for Belt and Road construction also got underway immediately. In November 2014, the host partner dialogue on “strengthening connectivity partnerships” was held in Beijing. Xi Jinping put forward cooperation proposals focusing on Asian countries as the priority direction, relying on economic corridors, breaking through in transportation infrastructure, using financing platforms as a lever, and using people-to-people exchanges as a bond. He pointed out that connectivity means building a comprehensive, three-dimensional, and networked grand connectivity—an open system full of vitality and collective effort—further pointing the way and path for Belt and Road construction. In March 2015, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Commerce jointly issued the Vision and Actions on Jointly Building the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, covering eight major aspects of Belt and Road construction: the background of the times, principles of joint construction, framework ideas, cooperation priorities, and cooperation mechanisms, upholding the principles of joint consultation, joint construction, and shared benefits, and striving to achieve policy coordination, infrastructure connectivity, unimpeded trade, financial integration, and people-to-people bonds. The international cooperation platform for the Belt and Road was presented to the world with a clearer profile.

Belt and Road construction is a major strategic initiative for our state to expand its opening up and a top-level design for economic diplomacy; it is also a new platform for exploring new models of global governance and promoting the building of a Community of Common Destiny for Mankind, attracting widespread attention and response from the world. In May 2017, the first Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation was held in Beijing. Xi Jinping attended the opening ceremony and delivered a keynote speech, emphasizing that the Belt and Road should be built into a road of peace, prosperity, openness, innovation, and civilization. Heads of state and government from 29 countries attended the forum, with more than 1,600 representatives from over 140 countries and more than 80 international organizations participating. The Leaders’ Roundtable Summit issued a joint communiqué, achieving broad consensus on promoting cooperation among all parties in jointly building the Belt and Road.

As of the end of September 2017, 74 countries and international organizations had signed cooperation documents with China on jointly building the Belt and Road. The countries jointly building the Belt and Road extended from Asia and Europe to Africa, Latin America, the South Pacific, and other regions.

Guided by a clear vision and plan, and through the joint efforts of the peoples of countries along the Belt and Road, Belt and Road construction gradually moved from concept to action, developing into substantive international cooperation. From 2014 to 2016, the total trade volume between China and countries along the Belt and Road exceeded 3 trillion US dollars. China’s cumulative investment in countries along the Belt and Road exceeded 50 billion US dollars. As of October 2017, China had signed more than 130 bilateral and regional transport agreements with countries along the Belt and Road, and had opened 356 international road passenger and freight transport routes with relevant countries; with approximately 4,200 flights per week, China had achieved direct air links with 43 countries along the Belt and Road; more than 50 China-Europe freight train routes had been opened, with a cumulative total of more than 5,000 trains operated, and the “iron camel caravans” departing from China had reached more than 30 cities in 12 European countries.

Building a Global Network of Partnerships

To realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and promote the building of a Community of Common Destiny for Mankind, it is necessary to actively develop global partnerships and expand the convergence of interests with various countries. Building on the various forms of partnerships already established with many countries around the world, the Party Central Committee made comprehensive plans and holistically advanced diplomacy with major countries, neighboring countries, and developing countries, as well as multilateral cooperation, building a more inclusive and constructive global network of partnerships. Through building a network of partnerships covering the entire globe, China’s “circle of friends” has grown ever larger.

Major-country relations bear on global strategic stability. It is of vital importance to promote the building of an overall stable and balanced framework of major-country relations. Sino-Russian relations, as a ballast stone for maintaining world peace and stability, have always been one of the priority directions of Chinese diplomacy. In March 2013, Xi Jinping’s first overseas visit after assuming the office of State President was to Russia, where he met with Putin. Thereafter, high-level exchanges between China and Russia remained frequent, with the two heads of state meeting more than 20 times on various occasions. In July 2017, the two heads of state signed the Joint Statement of the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation on Further Deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership of Coordination, making comprehensive plans for the development of Sino-Russian relations, and the comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination between China and Russia continuously advanced to a higher level. Regarding Sino-American relations, China has always maintained that as the world’s largest developing country and the world’s largest developed country, both sides should, with a sense of responsibility toward mankind, history, and their peoples, take seriously and properly handle relations between the two countries. In June 2013, Xi Jinping visited the United States and met with Obama, and both sides agreed to jointly commit to building a new type of major-country relationship between China and the United States. In April 2017, Xi Jinping visited the United States again and met with Trump; both sides established four high-level dialogue mechanisms covering diplomatic security, comprehensive economic affairs, law enforcement and cybersecurity, and social and people-to-people affairs in Sino-American relations. Sino-European relations continued to deepen and expand. In November 2013, China and the EU jointly formulated and issued the China-EU 2020 Strategic Agenda for Cooperation, with both sides agreeing to commit to further advancing the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership. In March 2014, Xi Jinping visited Europe and paid a visit to EU headquarters. The development of Sino-European relations became richer in dimension, and exchanges and cooperation became more comprehensive, balanced, and in-depth; China’s relations with various European countries showed a positive trend of competitive development and mutual promotion.

China and its neighboring countries are as close as lips and teeth, sharing a common destiny, treating each other with virtue as neighbors—this is the foundation for common development and prosperity. In October 2013, the Party Central Committee convened the first-ever conference on peripheral diplomacy since the founding of New China, emphasizing that the basic guideline of our state’s peripheral diplomacy is to uphold amity and partnership with neighbors, and to uphold the principles of being a good neighbor, keeping the neighborhood secure, and making the neighborhood prosperous, and putting forward the peripheral diplomacy concept of “amity, sincerity, mutual benefit, and inclusiveness.” At the Central Conference on Foreign Affairs Work in November 2014, Xi Jinping emphasized the need to earnestly strengthen peripheral diplomacy work and build a community of common destiny in the periphery. After the 18th Party Congress, Xi Jinping’s overseas visits covered Northeast Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Eurasia, and other regions, basically achieving comprehensive coverage of high-level exchanges with neighboring countries, playing a strategic guiding role in deepening mutual trust and promoting cooperation. At the same time, mutually beneficial cooperation and connectivity with neighboring countries were continuously deepened, Belt and Road construction was advanced, and neighboring countries were better benefited through this construction; the configuration of mutual dependence and interest integration between our state and neighboring countries became more solid. In 2016, the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation mechanism was officially launched, becoming a bond for enhancing friendly exchanges among the peoples of the six Lancang-Mekong countries and making important contributions to the economic and social development of the riparian countries.

The broad developing countries are our state’s natural allies in international affairs. When visiting Africa in March 2013, Xi Jinping first put forward the concept of “sincerity, real results, amity, and good faith” for work with Africa; in October, at the conference on peripheral diplomacy work, Xi Jinping emphasized upholding the correct approach to justice and interests, and providing developing countries with as much help as possible within our means. Upholding the correct approach to justice and interests and the concept of “sincerity, real results, amity, and good faith,” our state’s solidarity and cooperation with developing countries was continuously strengthened, achieving comprehensive coverage of collective dialogue mechanisms with developing countries and comprehensive coverage of cooperation in all directions. In terms of Sino-African relations, at the Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in 2015, China put forward and implemented the “Ten Major Cooperation Plans” for China-Africa cooperation, opening a new era of win-win cooperation and common development between China and Africa. In terms of Sino-Arab relations, by carrying forward the spirit of the Silk Road, strengthening strategic and action alignment, and deepening Belt and Road construction, China-Arab comprehensive cooperation entered a new stage; the China-Arab strategic partnership of comprehensive cooperation, common development, and future orientation was continuously deepened, and the cooperation mechanism became increasingly mature. In terms of Sino-Latin American relations, by jointly establishing the China-CELAC Forum, advocating a new blueprint for jointly building the Belt and Road between China and Latin America, forging a path of cooperation across the Pacific, the China-Latin America comprehensive cooperative partnership of equality, mutual benefit, and common development was continuously deepened, opening a new era in China-Latin America relations. In September 2015, our state and the United Nations jointly hosted a South-South Cooperation Roundtable,

promoting South-South cooperation toward a higher level and deeper dimension, and advancing the development of developing countries.

Party diplomacy, economic diplomacy, people-to-people diplomacy, and civil diplomacy are the social foundations for the development of state relations. After the 18th Party Congress, under the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee, parties, governments, the military, localities, and civil society coordinated and cooperated with each other, forming a grand coordinated landscape for our state’s external work.

Leading the Reform and Building of the Global Governance System

As the balance of international forces shifts and global challenges increase, strengthening global governance and promoting the reform and building of the global governance system is the tendency of the broader situation.

China is a participant, upholder, and reformer of the contemporary international order, striving to contribute Chinese wisdom and strength to global governance. In March 2014, Xi Jinping attended the third Nuclear Security Summit held in The Hague, Netherlands, and for the first time put forward a nuclear security concept of “rationality, coordination, and parallel progress.” In November, the 22nd APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting held in Beijing established the building of an Asia-Pacific partnership oriented toward the future, launched the process of establishing a Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific, approved the APEC Connectivity Blueprint (2015-2025), and achieved more than 100 cooperation outcomes in nearly 30 areas. At the G20 Leaders’ Hangzhou Summit in September 2016, China guided and coordinated all parties in formulating a series of guiding principles and indicator systems on important issues such as innovative growth, structural reform, multilateral investment, climate change, and sustainable development; issued the G20 Leaders’ Hangzhou Summit Communiqué; endorsed 28 core outcome documents; and powerfully promoted the G20’s transformation from crisis response to a long-term governance mechanism. Our state also successfully hosted the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) Shanghai Summit, the BRICS Leaders’ Xiamen Summit, and other home-ground diplomatic events. Xi Jinping put forward the concept of building an innovative, invigorated, interconnected, and inclusive world economy, providing Chinese solutions to the various ★ Group photo at the G20 Leaders’ Hangzhou Summit Our state constructively participated in resolving international and regional hotspot issues, upheld its positioning as a developing country, worked hard to safeguard the common interests of developing countries, initiated a series of international organizations and cooperation mechanisms with developing countries as the main body, and achieved networked comprehensive coverage of multilateral mechanisms in developing countries. Our state earnestly fulfilled its responsibilities, abided by international rules, fulfilled international obligations, and took coordinated action with the international community to jointly address global challenges such as climate change, international counter-terrorism, nuclear security, and international non-proliferation. In addition, our state vigorously supported the economic and social development of the Middle East and Africa, made contributions to resolving the refugee problem, actively participated in the formulation of rules in emerging fields such as cyberspace, the polar regions, the deep sea, outer space, and biosecurity, initiated and hosted the World Internet Conference, and promoted the establishment of a multilateral, democratic, and transparent global internet governance system. As of September 2017, our state had successively conducted in-depth cooperation with more than 70 countries and regions in combating cybercrime, put forward an international drug control cooperation plan of shared responsibility and social co-governance, jointly conducted international fugitive repatriation and asset recovery operations and actions against telecommunications fraud with other countries, comprehensively participated in law enforcement and security cooperation within international and regional cooperation frameworks such as the United Nations, Interpol, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and China-ASEAN, created the Mekong River Basin Law Enforcement Security Cooperation Mechanism, and established the New Eurasian Land Bridge Security Corridor International Law Enforcement Cooperation Forum. Steadfastly supporting and actively participating in UN peacekeeping operations, our state is the country among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council that has contributed the most peacekeeping personnel.

challenges facing human society, providing Chinese solutions.

Our state actively participated in formulating governance rules in multiple emerging fields and promoted the reform of unjust and unreasonable arrangements in the global governance system. In October 2013, Xi Jinping proposed the establishment of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank during his visit to Indonesia; the AIIB opened for business in January 2016, becoming the first multilateral financial institution initiated by China. In December 2014, China established the dedicated Silk Road Fund, which began operations focused on advancing infrastructure, resource development, industrial capacity cooperation, and financial cooperation with relevant countries and regions along the Belt and Road. In July 2015, the New Development Bank initiated by China opened for business, with its headquarters in Shanghai, supporting infrastructure construction and sustainable development in member countries. As China’s international standing rose, an increasing number of Chinese nationals took up leading positions in UN specialized agencies and important international organizations. In 2016, China’s quota share in the International Monetary Fund jumped from sixth place to third place. In the same year, the renminbi was included in the IMF’s Special Drawing Rights currency basket. China’s discursive power and influence in international affairs were significantly enhanced.

Resolutely Safeguarding State Sovereignty, Security, and Development Interests

In his speech at the celebration of the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China on July 1, 2016, Xi Jinping stated: “China does not covet the rights and interests of other countries, nor does it envy the development of other countries, but it will absolutely not relinquish our fair and befitting interests. The Chinese people neither believe in nor fear evil spirits; we do not provoke trouble, nor do we fear trouble. No foreign country should expect us to trade our core interests, and no foreign country should expect us to swallow the bitter fruit of damage to our state’s sovereignty, security, and development interests.” The Party Central Committee continuously enriched and developed the means of safeguarding state interests, resolutely defended state sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity, resolutely contained and combated all forms of separatist activities, actively safeguarded economic and financial security, effectively protected overseas interests, prevented and defused various risks and challenges, and provided strong support for reform, development, and national rejuvenation.

Solid diplomatic work was carried out on Xinjiang- and Tibet-related issues, rebutting groundless accusations and winning the understanding and support of the majority of countries on UN platforms and internationally. State territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests were resolutely defended, and various schemes and actions that harm our state’s territorial security were effectively contained. On the South China Sea issue, a principled, beneficial, and measured rights-protection struggle was upheld; while resolutely responding to interference and intervention by extra-regional forces, communication was strengthened with relevant regional countries, mutual trust was enhanced, differences were properly managed, and cooperation was focused on. The Chinese government successively issued multiple official statements and documents including the Statement of the Government of the People’s Republic of China on China’s Territorial Sovereignty and Maritime Rights and Interests in the South China Sea; our state reiterated China’s position on the South China Sea issue on multiple international occasions, effectively safeguarding China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea; at the same time, our state upheld the resolution of specific disputes through dialogue and negotiation, steadily advanced the consultation process on the “Code of Conduct in the South China Sea,” and stabilized the maritime situation. Our state, overcoming interference, completed on schedule the expansion and construction projects on some garrisoned islands and reefs in the Nansha Islands, achieving historic progress in South China Sea rights protection. The establishment of the Yongxing (Town) Party Working Committee and Management Committee of Sansha City in July 2014 marked the birth of China’s first embryonic grassroots political power city on the Xisha island reefs, further asserting our state’s sovereignty through the organizational form of a political power entity. From 2015 onwards, the Huayang Reef Lighthouse, Chigua Reef Lighthouse, Zhubi Reef Lighthouse, Yongshu Reef Lighthouse, and Meiji Reef Lighthouse were successively completed, lit, and put into service, safeguarding our state’s sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea. On the Diaoyu Islands issue, China upheld its principles, conducted a reasonable and well-founded struggle on the basis of respecting history and international law, published statements or articles asserting “the Diaoyu Islands belong to China” on multiple diplomatic occasions and in important media outlets of some countries, conducted patrol and law enforcement operations in the waters of the Diaoyu Islands, exercised state sovereignty in accordance with law, and fully demonstrated the firm resolve and will of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese government, and the Chinese people to defend the state’s territorial sovereignty.

Active efforts were made to maintain peace and stability in the periphery, upholding the resolution of problems through dialogue and consultation. While upholding principles and continuously improving management and control capabilities, China upheld the maintenance of peace and tranquility in the China-India border region through negotiations and communication via diplomatic and military channels. Our state actively practiced the Chinese approach to resolving hotspot issues, upheld the encouragement of reconciliation and dialogue, and advanced the political resolution process of the Korean Peninsula issue. China also actively mediated on the issue of peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan, called for dialogue between India and Pakistan, and coordinated between Myanmar and Bangladesh—all of these actions made important contributions to achieving stability in the regional situation.

Practical efforts were made to safeguard our state’s overseas interests and security, protect the safety and legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens, organizations, and institutions overseas, and strive to build a strong overseas interests security protection system. In September 2014, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Global Consular Protection and Services Emergency Call Center was launched, capable of providing care and assistance at any time to Chinese citizens encountering difficulties or in need overseas. In the five years after the 18th Party Congress, China also successfully brought back stranded compatriots from multiple countries experiencing sudden outbreaks of war or major natural disasters, successfully organizing 9 overseas citizen evacuation operations. As of September 2017, more than 100 cases of Chinese citizens being kidnapped or attacked abroad had been handled, and 300,000 consular protection and assistance cases of various types had been processed. Within the overall framework of the national security system construction, a unified and efficient overseas enterprise and outbound investment security protection system was established. China also reached multiple agreements or arrangements with other countries to facilitate the movement of people. As of September 2017, Chinese ordinary passport holders could travel visa-free or obtain visas on arrival in 64 countries and regions under various conditions, and China had concluded simplified visa procedure agreements with 41 countries. Travel for our state’s citizens became safer and more convenient.

VII. The 19th Party Congress, the Establishment of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as the Party’s Guiding Thought, and Decisively Completing the Building of a Moderately Prosperous Society

The 19th Party Congress

From October 18 to 24, 2017, the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China was held in Beijing. There were 2,280 official delegates and 74 specially invited delegates, representing more than 89 million party members nationwide.

Xi Jinping delivered a report to the Congress on behalf of the 18th Central Committee, titled Secure a Decisive Victory in Building a Moderately Prosperous Society in All Respects and Strive for the Great Success of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. The theme of the Congress was: remain true to our original aspiration and keep our mission firmly in mind, hold high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics, secure a decisive victory in building a Moderately Prosperous Society in all respects, strive for the great success of socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era, and work tirelessly to realize the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

The Congress gave a high evaluation of the historic achievements and historic transformations in the cause of the Party and the state since the 18th Party Congress. Over the past five years, our Party, with tremendous political courage and a strong sense of responsibility, put forward a series of new concepts, new ideas, and new strategies; introduced a series of major guidelines and policies; launched a series of major initiatives; advanced a series of major tasks; resolved many problems that had long resisted solution; and accomplished many major tasks that had long been on the agenda, driving historic transformations in the cause of the Party and the state. The Party Central Committee with Xi Jinping at its core had the courage to confront the major risks and tests facing the Party and the prominent problems existing within the Party, rectifying conduct and enforcing discipline, fighting corruption and punishing wrongdoing with tenacious will and character, eliminating serious hidden dangers within the Party and the state, ▶ A Brief History of the Communist Party of China realizing the goal of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The last leg of a hundred-mile journey is the hardest. The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation will absolutely not be achieved easily, as if beating gongs and drums. The entire Party must be prepared to make more arduous and strenuous efforts. To realize the great dream, it is necessary to carry out the great struggle, build the great project, and advance the great cause. These “Four Greats” are closely linked, mutually connected, and mutually reinforcing, with the new great project of Party building playing the decisive role.

★ Xi Jinping delivers the report to the Congress on behalf of the 18th Central Committee

the political atmosphere within the Party was renewed, the political ecosystem within the Party improved markedly, the Party’s creativity, cohesion, and combat effectiveness were significantly enhanced, the unity of the Party was further consolidated, the relationship between the Party and the masses improved markedly, the Party became stronger through revolutionary tempering and radiated new and powerful vitality, providing a strong political guarantee for the development of the cause of the Party and the state. The achievements of the past five years are comprehensive and pioneering; the transformations of the past five years are deep-level and fundamental.

The report of the 19th Party Congress clearly stated that the original aspiration and mission of Chinese Communists is to seek happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation. This original aspiration and mission is the fundamental driving force that motivates Chinese Communists to keep moving forward. The report, centered on the greatest dream of the Chinese nation since modern times—the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation—reviewed the nearly one hundred years of struggle since the founding of the Communist Party of China, and emphasized: today, we are closer than at any other time in history to, and more confident and capable of, realizing

Correctly understanding the historical position and stage of development of the cause of the Party and the people is the fundamental basis for our Party to clarify its phased central tasks and formulate its line, guidelines, and policies. The Congress made the major political judgment that socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era. The entry of socialism with Chinese characteristics into a new era means that the Chinese nation, which has endured great hardships since modern times, has ushered in a great leap from standing up and growing prosperous to becoming strong, and has ushered in a bright prospect for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation; it means that scientific socialism has radiated powerful vitality in 21st-century China, holding high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the world; it means that the path, theory, system, and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics have continued to develop, broadening the path for developing countries to achieve modernization, providing a brand-new choice for those countries and nations in the world that wish to accelerate their development while maintaining their independence, and contributing Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions to solving the problems of mankind.

The Congress put forward that the principal contradiction in our society has transformed into the contradiction between the people’s ever-growing needs for a better life and unbalanced and inadequate development—a historic change bearing on the overall landscape, which puts forward many new requirements for the work of the Party and the state. The transformation from the contradiction between the people’s ever-growing material and cultural needs and the backward social productive forces to the contradiction between the people’s ever-growing needs for a better life and unbalanced and inadequate development is an inevitable result of economic and social development.

Charting a new course on a long journey, setting ambitious goals for a new beginning. The Congress, in conjunction with the “Two Centenary” goals, made strategic deployments and arrangements for decisively completing the building of a Moderately Prosperous Society and embarking on a new journey of comprehensively building a modern socialist state. The report pointed out that from the 19th to the 20th Party Congress is the historical convergence period of the “Two Centenary” goals. We must both comprehensively build a Moderately Prosperous Society and realize the first centenary goal, and also seize the momentum to embark on a new journey of comprehensively building a modern socialist state, marching toward the second centenary goal. Based on a comprehensive analysis of the international and domestic situation and our state’s development conditions, the period from 2020 to the middle of this century can be divided into two stages. The first stage, from 2020 to 2035, is to strive for 15 more years on the foundation of comprehensively building a Moderately Prosperous Society, to basically realize socialist modernization. The second stage, from 2035 to the middle of this century, is to strive for another 15 years on the foundation of basically realizing modernization, to build our state into a prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious, and beautiful modern socialist power.

The Congress, in accordance with the “Five-in-One” overall layout of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, made comprehensive deployments for economic development, political development, cultural development, social development, and ecological civilization development. The report pointed out that it is necessary to implement the New Development Concept and build a modernized economic system; to improve the institutional system of the people being the masters of the country and develop socialist democratic politics; to strengthen cultural confidence and promote the flourishing of socialist culture; to improve the level of guaranteeing and improving people’s livelihoods and strengthen and innovate social governance; and to accelerate the reform of the ecological civilization system and build a beautiful China. The Congress also made important deployments on national defense and military development, work on Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, and diplomatic work. The report emphasized the need to uphold the path of building a strong military with Chinese characteristics and comprehensively advance the modernization of national defense and the military; to uphold “One Country, Two Systems” and advance the reunification of the motherland; and to uphold the path of peaceful development and promote the building of a Community of Common Destiny for Mankind.

The Congress clearly put forward the overall requirements for Party building in the new era: uphold and strengthen the Party’s comprehensive leadership; uphold the Party’s self-governance and comprehensive strict governance of the Party; take strengthening the Party’s capacity for long-term governance and building its advanced nature and purity as the main thread; take the Party’s political development as the overarching guide; take steadfast ideals, convictions, and purposes as the foundation; take mobilizing the enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity of the entire Party as the focus; comprehensively advance the Party’s political development, ideological development, organizational development, conduct development, and disciplinary development, running institutional development throughout; and deeply advance the struggle against corruption, continuously improving the quality of Party building, ★ Newly elected members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau meet with Chinese and foreign journalists covering the 19th Party Congress The 19th Party Congress, with an eye to the long-term development of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, solemnly put forward Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, established this thought as the guiding thought that the Party must uphold over the long term, and wrote it into the Party Constitution, achieving another advance with the times in the Party’s guiding thought.

building the Party into a Marxist governing party that always marches at the forefront of the times, enjoys the wholehearted support of the people, has the courage to undertake self-revolution, can withstand the test of all manner of storms and waves, and is full of vigor and vitality.

The Congress adopted the report and the Constitution of the Communist Party of China (Amended), and approved the work report of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. The Congress elected the 19th Central Committee and the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. The First Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee elected Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, and Han Zheng as members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau, and elected Xi Jinping as General Secretary of the Central Committee; decided that Xi Jinping would serve as Chairman of the Central Military Commission; and approved Zhao Leji as Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

Establishing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as the Party’s Guiding Thought

Since the 18th Party Congress, the Party Central Committee with Xi Jinping at its core has, through the combination of theory and practice, systematically answered the major question of the times of what kind of socialism with Chinese characteristics to uphold and develop in the new era and how to uphold and develop it; answered the fundamental questions of the overall goal, overall task, overall layout, strategic layout, and direction of development, mode of development, driving force of development, strategic steps, external conditions, and political guarantees for upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era; and, based on new practice, provided theoretical analysis and policy guidance on all aspects including the economy, politics, the rule of law, science and technology, culture, education, people’s livelihoods, ethnic affairs, religion, society, ecological civilization, national security, national defense and the military, “One Country, Two Systems” and the reunification of the motherland, the united front, diplomacy, and Party building, thereby creating Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.

The Congress report used the “Eight Clarifications” and the “Fourteen Upholds” to comprehensively expound the scientific connotations and practical requirements of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.

The “Eight Clarifications” are: clarifying that the overall task of upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics is to realize socialist modernization and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and that on the basis of comprehensively building a Moderately Prosperous Society, a two-step approach will be taken to build a prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious, and beautiful modern socialist power by the middle of this century; clarifying that the principal contradiction in our society in the new era is the contradiction between the people’s ever-growing needs for a better life and unbalanced and inadequate development, and that it is necessary to uphold the people-centered development philosophy and unceasingly promote the all-around development of the individual and common prosperity for all the people; clarifying that the overall layout of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics is “Five-in-One” and the strategic layout is the “Four Comprehensives,” and emphasizing steadfast confidence in the path, theory, system, and culture; clarifying that the overall goal of comprehensively deepening reform is to improve and develop the socialist system with Chinese characteristics and to advance the modernization of the state governance system and governance capacity; clarifying that the overall goal of comprehensively advancing the rule of law is to build a socialist rule-of-law system with Chinese characteristics and to build a socialist rule-of-law state; clarifying that the Party’s goal of building a strong military in the new era is to build a people’s military that obeys the Party’s command, is capable of fighting and winning, and has an excellent conduct, and to build the people’s military into a world-class military; clarifying that major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics aims to promote the building of a new type of international relations and to promote the building of a Community of Common Destiny for Mankind; and clarifying that the most essential characteristic of socialism with Chinese characteristics is the leadership of the Communist Party of China, that the greatest advantage of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics is the leadership of the Communist Party of China, that the Party is the highest political leadership force, putting forward the overall requirements for Party building in the new era, and highlighting the important position of political development in Party building.

The “Fourteen Upholds” are: uphold the Party’s leadership over all work; uphold the people-centered approach; uphold comprehensive deepening of reform; uphold the New Development Concept; uphold the people as masters of the country; uphold comprehensive rule of law; uphold the Core Socialist Values system; uphold ensuring and improving people’s livelihoods in the course of development; uphold harmony between humanity and nature; uphold the Total National Security Paradigm; uphold the Party’s absolute leadership over the people’s military; uphold “One Country, Two Systems” and advance the reunification of the motherland; uphold promoting the building of a Community of Common Destiny for Mankind; and uphold comprehensive strict governance of the Party. The “Fourteen Upholds” are the basic guidelines for upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era.

The “Eight Clarifications” and the “Fourteen Upholds” are organically integrated and unified, reflecting the deepening of the Party Central Committee with Xi Jinping at its core in its understanding of the laws governing socialism with Chinese characteristics, and embodying the distinctive characteristics of combining theory with practice and unifying epistemology with methodology. In the new era, we must uphold the Party’s basic theory, basic line, and basic guidelines, and drive the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics to continuously advance.

The Congress pointed out that 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 thought of the “Three Represents,” and the Scientific Outlook on Development; it is the latest achievement of the Sinicization of Marxism; it is the crystallization of the practical experience and collective wisdom of the Party and the people; it is an important component of the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics; it is the action guide for the entire Party and the people of the entire country to strive for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation; and it must be upheld over the long term and continuously developed. Following the 19th Party Congress’s establishment of the guiding status of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, in March 2018, the constitutional amendment passed by the First Session of the 13th National People’s Congress incorporated Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era into the Constitution, achieving an advance with the times in the state’s guiding thought, and reflecting the common will of all ethnic groups of the people of the entire country and the common aspirations of the whole of society.

General Secretary Xi Jinping is the principal founder of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. With the extraordinary courage, outstanding political wisdom, and strong sense of mission of a Marxist politician, thinker, and strategist, he put forward a series of new concepts, new ideas, and new strategies of pioneering significance, playing a decisive role and making a decisive contribution to the creation of this thought.

Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era upholds the Marxist standpoint, viewpoint, and methodology; upholds the basic principles of scientific socialism; scientifically summarizes the experience and lessons of the world socialist movement; and, in accordance with the changes of the times and the development of practice, enriches and develops Marxism with brand-new ideological content, forming a systematic and scientific theoretical system. This thought is rigorous in structure, logically tight, rich in connotation, and profound in depth, radiating the brilliance of Marxist truth. This thought runs through Marxist philosophy, political economy, and scientific socialism; runs through history, the present, and the future; and runs through all fields of reform, development, and stability, domestic governance, foreign affairs, and national defense, and governing the Party, the state, and the military—manifesting steadfast ideals and convictions, displaying genuine feelings for the people, running through a high degree of self-awareness and self-confidence, embodying a clear problem-oriented approach, and filled with a fearless spirit of responsibility, raising our Party’s understanding of the laws governing communist party governance, socialist construction, and human social development to a new height.

Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era has made original contributions to the development of Marxism. This thought is an open theory that is continuously developing, a scientific theory that continuously advances with the times on the basis of combining theory with practice; in the historical process of guiding the great social revolution and the great self-revolution of the new era, it continuously develops, is continuously enriched, and becomes increasingly complete as the great practice of socialism with Chinese characteristics deepens. Xi Jinping’s thought on strengthening the military, economic thought, diplomatic thought, thought on ecological civilization, and thought on the rule of law are the unfolding of this theoretical system in their respective fields. Practice is endless, and theoretical innovation is also endless; Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, as contemporary Chinese Marxism and 21st-century Marxism, will inevitably achieve continuous innovative development as the times change and practice develops.

Every step forward in theoretical innovation must be matched by a corresponding step forward in theoretical arming. In order to further arm minds, guide practice, and drive work with Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, after the 19th Party Congress, the Party Central Committee made studying, understanding, and implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era the foremost political task, adopted a series of major measures, and promoted the study and implementation of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to go deeper, more solid, and closer to the heart, earnestly achieving the integration of study, thinking, and application, and the unity of knowledge, conviction, and action.

Revision of the Constitution of the Communist Party of China

Revising the Party Constitution is an objective need to keep the Party’s guiding thought advancing with the times, an inevitable requirement for driving the development of the cause of the Party and the state in the new era, a strategic measure for advancing the new great project of Party building, and a practical need for implementing the spirit of the 19th Party Congress. Establishing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as the Party’s guiding thought and writing it on the Party’s banner is the greatest highlight and most outstanding historic contribution of this revision of the Party Constitution. The Congress unanimously agreed to establish Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era alongside Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the important thought of the “Three Represents,” and the Scientific Outlook on Development as the Party’s action guide in the Party Constitution.

This revision of the Party Constitution fully embodies the achievements of theoretical innovation, practical innovation, and institutional innovation of the Party since the 18th Party Congress, and fully embodies the major theoretical viewpoints and major strategic thinking established in the report of the 19th Party Congress. For example, socialist culture with Chinese characteristics was written into the Party Constitution alongside the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and the socialist system with Chinese characteristics; the grand goals of realizing the “Two Centenary” goals and the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation were clarified in the Party Constitution; corresponding revisions were made to the Party Constitution based on the new formulation of the principal contradiction in our society at the 19th Party Congress; and the following were written into the Party Constitution: allowing the market to play the decisive role in resource allocation and better playing the role of the government; advancing supply-side structural reform; building a socialist rule-of-law system with Chinese characteristics; promoting the broad, multi-tiered, and institutionalized development of consultative democracy; cultivating and practicing Core Socialist Values; promoting the creative transformation and innovative development of China’s outstanding traditional culture; firmly grasping the leadership of ideological work; strengthening and innovating social governance; upholding the Total National Security Paradigm; strengthening the consciousness that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets; upholding political development of the military, reform-driven development of the military, science and technology-driven development of the military, and law-based governance of the military; building a people’s military that obeys the Party’s command, is capable of fighting and winning, and has an excellent conduct; forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation; upholding the correct approach to justice and interests; promoting the building of a Community of Common Destiny for Mankind; and advancing Belt and Road construction; and so on. Making these adjustments and additions is of great importance for the entire Party to more consciously and steadfastly implement the Party’s basic theory, basic line, and basic guidelines, and to better uphold and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics.

This revision of the Party Constitution achieved an advance with the times in the Party’s guiding thought, powerfully drove the development of the cause of the Party and the state in the new era, and greatly advanced the unfolding of the new great project of Party building; the revised Party Constitution fully embodies the latest achievements of the Sinicization of Marxism, fully embodies the series of major strategic thinking put forward by the Party Central Committee since the 18th Party Congress, and fully embodies the fresh experience of the Party’s work and Party building.

VIII. Upholding the Party’s Comprehensive Leadership and Improving the Quality of Party Building

The overall requirements for Party building in the new era put forward in the report of the 19th Party Congress made top-level designs and comprehensive deployments for advancing the new great project of Party building, made clear stipulations on the purpose, guidelines, main thread, overall layout, and goals of Party building in the new era, further answered the historic question of “what kind of Party to build and how to build it” in the new era, pointed the way forward for upholding the Party’s comprehensive leadership and improving the quality of Party building, and provided fundamental guidelines.

Upholding the Party’s Leadership over All Work

The Party, government, military, civilian, and academic spheres; east, west, south, north, and center—the Party leads everything and is the highest political leadership force. Xi Jinping made a vivid and clear exposition of the Party’s core leadership role, emphasizing: “To use a vivid metaphor, it is ‘all stars revolving around the moon,’ and that ‘moon’ is the Communist Party of China.” The Party’s leadership is the fundamental guarantee for doing all the work of the Party and the state well, and is the “stabilizing anchor” for overcoming all difficulties and risks.

The 19th Party Congress established “the most essential characteristic of socialism with Chinese characteristics is the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the greatest advantage of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics is the leadership of the Communist Party of China, and the Party is the highest political leadership force” as an important component of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and simultaneously wrote this major political principle into the Party Constitution, making “upholding the Party’s leadership over all work” the first item of the basic guidelines for upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era. This is the most fundamental summary of experience of the Communist Party of China and the Chinese people in upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics, and is the concentrated embodiment of confidence in the path, theory, system, and culture.

★ The First Session of the 13th National People’s Congress votes on the Draft Constitutional Amendment of the People’s Republic of China

In March 2018, the First Session of the 13th National People’s Congress passed the Constitutional Amendment of the People’s Republic of China, which, building on the Constitution’s preamble establishing the Party’s leadership position, also explicitly stipulated in the general provisions that the leadership of the Communist Party of China is the most essential characteristic of socialism with Chinese characteristics, strengthening the Party’s leadership position of taking charge of the overall situation and coordinating all parties. The Constitution’s establishment of the Party’s leadership position in the form of the fundamental law reflects China’s most fundamental national condition, is conducive to strengthening the consciousness of the Party’s leadership among all the people, effectively implements the Party’s leadership throughout the entire process and all aspects of state work, and ensures that the cause of the Party and the state always advances in the correct direction.

The Party’s comprehensive leadership is concrete, not hollow or abstract; it must be embodied in all aspects of governance and administration of China, embodied in the design, arrangement, and operation of state power institutions, systems, and mechanisms, ensuring comprehensive coverage of the Party’s leadership and ensuring that the Party’s leadership is stronger and more effective. In practice, the system for upholding the Party’s comprehensive leadership was continuously improved; the leading position of party organizations among organizations at the same level was strengthened; party committees (party groups) established in state organs, public institutions, mass organizations, social organizations, enterprises, and other organizations accept the unified leadership of the party committee that approved their establishment, regularly report on their work, and ensure that the Party’s guidelines, policies, and decisions are implemented in organizations at the same level; the establishment and improvement of party organizational structures in new types of economic organizations and social organizations was accelerated, ensuring that wherever the Party’s work advances, the Party’s organizations are there to cover it.

In October 2019, the Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee placed upholding and improving the Party’s leadership institutional system in the foremost position, highlighting the overarching status of the Party’s leadership institutional system and grasping the key and crux of state governance. The decision passed by the plenary session emphasized “improving the Party’s leadership institutional system that takes charge of the overall situation and coordinates all parties, and implementing the Party’s leadership in all fields, aspects, and links of state governance.” This provided a strong institutional guarantee for strengthening the Party’s comprehensive leadership in the new era.

Resolutely Safeguarding the Authority of the Party Central Committee and Its Centralized and Unified Leadership

Affairs lie in all directions, but authority lies at the Center. In the grand chess game of the state governance system, the Party Central Committee is the “commander” presiding over the central command; in the great edifice of socialism with Chinese characteristics, the Party Central Committee is the load-bearing pillar. Upholding the Party’s comprehensive leadership means, first and foremost, upholding the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee. This is the highest principle of the Party’s leadership, the most fundamental political rule, and must never be ambiguous or wavering under any circumstances.

When ten thousand mountains stand together, there must be a main peak. Xi Jinping emphasized that it is necessary to strengthen political consciousness, broader landscape consciousness, core consciousness, and alignment consciousness; to be steadfast in confidence in the path, theory, system, and culture; to ensure the unity and consistency of action of the entire Party; and to ensure that the Party always takes charge of the overall situation and coordinates all parties. After the 19th Party Congress, the Party Central Committee put forward a series of specific requirements for resolutely safeguarding General Secretary Xi Jinping’s position as the core of the Party Central Committee and the core of the entire Party, and for resolutely safeguarding the authority of the Party Central Committee and its centralized and unified leadership.

In October 2017, the Political Bureau of the Central Committee reviewed the Several Provisions of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on Strengthening and Safeguarding the Centralized and Unified Leadership of the Party Central Committee, pointing out that the Political Bureau must take the lead in establishing the “Four Consciousnesses,” strictly abide by the Party Constitution and the norms of intra-party political life, comprehensively implement the various requirements of the 19th Party Congress on strengthening and safeguarding the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee, consciously fulfill duties and carry out work under the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee with Xi Jinping at its core, and resolutely safeguard General Secretary Xi Jinping’s position as the core of the Party Central Committee and the core of the entire Party. In accordance with the provisions, all members of the Political Bureau submit written work reports to the Party Central Committee and General Secretary Xi Jinping once a year. This has become an important institutional arrangement for strengthening and safeguarding the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee.

In August 2018, the CPC Central Committee issued the revised Regulations of the Communist Party of China on Disciplinary Sanctions, adding content such as the “Two Upholds” and the “Four Consciousnesses,” and making specific provisions on the handling of behaviors such as failing to maintain consistency with the Party Central Committee on major matters of principle, engaging in mountain-stronghold factionalism, watering down, distorting, or going through the motions in implementing decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee, and playing a double game or being two-faced, providing a strong disciplinary guarantee for party organizations at all levels and party members and cadres to always maintain a high degree of consistency with the Party Central Committee in political stance, political direction, political principles, and political path, and ensuring that the entire Party obeys orders and prohibitions.

In January 2019, the CPC Central Committee issued the Opinions on Strengthening the Party’s Political Development, a major decision and deployment by the Party Central Committee on strengthening the Party’s political development in the new era. The Opinions further made resolutely achieving the “Two Upholds” the foremost task of strengthening the Party’s political development, emphasizing that to uphold and strengthen the Party’s comprehensive leadership, the most important thing is to resolutely safeguard the authority of the Party Central Committee and its centralized and unified leadership, and the most critical thing is to resolutely safeguard General Secretary Xi Jinping’s position as the core of the Party Central Committee and the core of the entire Party. At the same time, the CPC Central Committee also issued the Regulations of the Communist Party of China on Reporting Major Matters, emphasizing that major guidelines and policies concerning the overall work of the Party and the state, major principles and issues in economic, political, cultural, social, ecological civilization, and Party building, matters under the centralized and unified management of the Party Central Committee such as national security, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, overseas Chinese affairs, diplomacy, national defense, and the military, as well as other major matters that can only be led and decided by the Party Central Committee, must be reported to the Party Central Committee. The Regulations are of great significance for resolutely achieving the “Two Upholds,” ensuring the unity and consistency of action of the entire Party, and driving the work of reporting major matters to fully get on the track of institutionalization, standardization, and scientization.

The Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee explicitly proposed “improving the various systems for steadfastly safeguarding the authority of the Party Central Committee and its centralized and unified leadership,” emphasizing the promotion of the entire Party’s strengthening of the “Four Consciousnesses,” steadfastness in the “Four Confidences,” and achievement of the “Two Upholds,” consciously maintaining a high degree of consistency with the Party Central Committee with Xi Jinping at its core in thought, politics, and action, and resolutely implementing the safeguarding of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s position as the core of the Party Central Committee and the core of the entire Party. The leadership system for the Party Central Committee’s oversight of major work was improved, the functional role of the Party Central Committee’s decision-making and deliberation coordination bodies was strengthened, the mechanism for implementing major decisions of the Party Central Committee was improved, the system of reporting major matters to the Party Central Committee was strictly implemented, and orders and prohibitions were ensured. The organizational system for maintaining the Party’s centralized unity was improved, forming a tight system in which the Party’s central organizations, local organizations, and grassroots organizations are vertically connected and capable of effective execution, achieving comprehensive coverage of party organizations and party work. This institutional arrangement provided a strong guarantee for strengthening the authority of the Party Central Committee and its centralized and unified leadership.

In September 2020, the CPC Central Committee issued the Regulations on the Work of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, making “upholding the Party’s leadership over all work and ensuring the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee” the first principle that the Central Committee must grasp in carrying out its work, and emphasizing that the Central Committee, the Political Bureau, and the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau are the brain and nerve center of the Party’s organizational system, and in advancing the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, they set the direction, plan the broader landscape, formulate policies, and promote reform. On major guidelines and policy issues of an overall and national nature, only the Party Central Committee has the authority to make decisions and interpretations. The Regulations, with an eye to strengthening the work of the Central Committee, made comprehensive provisions on the Party Central Committee’s leadership position, leadership system, leadership authority, leadership methods, decision-making deployments, and self-development, providing fundamental guidelines for ensuring the Party Central Committee’s centralized and unified leadership over the cause of the Party and the state.

Safeguarding General Secretary Xi Jinping’s position as the core of the Party Central Committee and the core of the entire Party, and safeguarding the authority of the Party Central Committee and its centralized and unified leadership, are major political achievements and valuable experience of comprehensive strict governance of the Party. All regions and departments earnestly implemented the requirements of the Center, formulated specific provisions and measures on the “Two Upholds” based on actual conditions, and, in conjunction with various study and education activities, guided the broad masses of party members and cadres to strengthen the “Four Consciousnesses,” be steadfast in the “Four Confidences,” and achieve the “Two Upholds.” Through sustained efforts, the political stance, political awareness, and political capacity of party members and cadres have improved markedly, the unity of the Party has been consolidated, and the authority of the Party Central Committee as the final arbiter and supreme authority has been ensured.

Placing the Party’s Political Development in the Foremost Position

The Party’s political development determines the direction and effectiveness of Party building, and is the “soul” and “foundation” of Party building. In October 2017, the 19th Party Congress put forward the major proposition of the Party’s political development, incorporated the Party’s political development into the overall layout of Party building and placed it in the foremost position, clarified the strategic positioning of the Party’s political development in Party building in the new era, grasped the fundamental issue of comprehensive strict governance of the Party, and emphasized: the Party’s political development is the Party’s fundamental development, determining the direction and effectiveness of Party building. Ensuring that the entire Party obeys the Center, and upholding the authority of the Party Central Committee and its centralized and unified leadership, is the foremost task of the Party’s political development. The entire Party must resolutely implement the Party’s political line, strictly abide by political discipline and political rules, maintain a high degree of consistency with the Party Central Committee in political stance, political direction, political principles, and political path; must promote values such as loyalty and honesty, impartiality and integrity, seeking truth from facts, and clean governance; and must resolutely prevent and oppose individualism, decentralism, liberalism, departmentalism, and the tendency to be a “good person,” as well as resolutely prevent and oppose sectarianism, clique culture, and pier culture, and resolutely oppose playing a double game or being two-faced.

The Opinions of the CPC Central Committee on Strengthening the Party’s Political Development clearly pointed out that the purpose of strengthening the Party’s political development is to steadfastly hold to political convictions, strengthen political leadership, improve political capacity, purify the political ecosystem, and achieve unity and consistency of action of the entire Party. The Opinions throughout implement and embody the “Two Upholds” as the fundamental requirement, making it the foremost task of strengthening the Party’s political development, firmly grasping the overarching role of the Party’s political development over all aspects of Party building, and running political standards and political requirements throughout all aspects of Party building. The Opinions emphasized the need to resolutely achieve the “Two Upholds” with correct understanding and correct action, and to resolutely prevent and correct all erroneous words and deeds that deviate from the “Two Upholds.”

In March 2019, the National Inspection Work Conference and the mobilization and deployment meeting for the third round of inspections of the 19th Central Committee were convened, emphasizing the need to earnestly fulfill the political supervision responsibilities of inspection work in the new era, closely focusing on the fundamental task of supervising the achievement of the “Two Upholds,” strictly enforcing political discipline and political rules, breaking through formalism and bureaucratism, advancing the concretization and normalization of political supervision, and driving the implementation of the major policies and guidelines of the Party Central Committee.

In December 2020, Xi Jinping further emphasized at the democratic life meeting of the Political Bureau that it is necessary to strengthen political consciousness, be good at looking at problems from a political perspective, be good at grasping the political broader landscape, and continuously improve political judgment, political comprehension, and political execution.

To implement these requirements, the Party Central Committee focused sustained efforts on the Party’s political attributes, political mission, political goals, and political pursuits, guiding the entire Party to strengthen the “Four Consciousnesses,” be steadfast in the “Four Confidences,” and achieve the “Two Upholds”; persisted in integrating the Party’s political development into the entire process of formulating and implementing major decisions and deployments of the Party and the state; continuously improved the accountability mechanism for implementing major decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee and important instructions and directives of General Secretary Xi Jinping; seriously investigated and dealt with problems of violating the Party’s political line and undermining the Party’s centralized unity; and used political strengthening to drive comprehensive strict governance of the Party to develop in depth.

Deeply Advancing the Party’s Self-Revolution

The Communist Party of China can lead the people in carrying out the great social revolution, and can also carry out the great self-revolution. The courage to undertake self-revolution is the most distinctive character of our Party, a political gene forged into the bloodline of Chinese Communists. The reason the Communist Party of China has been able to become the backbone of the Chinese people and the Chinese nation is fundamentally because our Party has always maintained the spirit of self-revolution, time and again taking up the scalpel to excise its own ailments, and time and again relying on itself to resolve its own problems.

Deeply advancing the Party’s self-revolution never stops. The report of the 19th Party Congress clarified the overall layout of Party building: “comprehensively advance the Party’s political development, ideological development, organizational development, conduct development, and disciplinary development, running institutional development throughout, and deeply advancing the struggle against corruption.” Xi Jinping pointed out that it is necessary to take the Party Constitution as the fundamental guideline, place the Party’s political development in the foremost position, drive ideological Party building and institutional Party governance in the same direction, coordinate the advancement of all aspects of Party building, and continuously enhance the Party’s capacity for self-purification, self-improvement, self-renewal, and self-elevation.

Ideological development is the Party’s foundational development. One very important reason why the Communist Party of China has been able to continuously develop and grow stronger through all manner of hardships is that our Party has always attached importance to building the Party through ideology and strengthening the Party through theory. The 19th Party Congress emphasized making steadfast ideals and convictions the foremost task of the Party’s ideological development, arming the entire Party with Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, educating and guiding the entire Party to keep the Party’s purpose firmly in mind, and resolving the problem of the “master switch.” Just one week after the close of the 19th Party Congress, Xi Jinping led the Standing Committee members of the Political Bureau to pay their respects at the site of the First Congress of the CPC in Shanghai and the Red Boat on Nanhu Lake in Jiaxing, Zhejiang, reviewing the history of the Party’s founding, revisiting their oaths of Party membership, and declaring the steadfast political convictions of the new Party Central Committee leadership collective. Xi Jinping pointed out that only by remaining true to our original aspiration, keeping our mission firmly in mind, and striving forever can the Communist Party of China remain forever young. The “Remain True to Our Original Aspiration and Keep Our Mission Firmly in Mind” thematic education that began at the end of May 2019 was carried out in two batches from top to bottom throughout the entire Party. This is a vivid practice of deepening the Party’s self-revolution and driving comprehensive strict governance of the Party to develop in depth in the new era. To consolidate the results of the thematic education, the Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee proposed “establishing the system of remaining true to our original aspiration and keeping our mission firmly in mind,”

★ The Liuzhou Iron and Steel Group in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region organizes party members to revisit their oaths of Party membership driving the normalization and long-term effectiveness of education. In September 2020, the General Office of the CPC Central Committee issued the Opinions on Consolidating and Deepening the Results of the “Remain True to Our Original Aspiration and Keep Our Mission Firmly in Mind” Thematic Education, driving the various results of the thematic education to take root and bear fruit.

While conducting concentrated intra-party education, the Party Central Committee persisted in integrating study and education into daily life and making it a regular practice, driving party organizations at all levels to continuously strengthen ideological development and better arm the entire Party with Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. The broad masses of party members and cadres were organized to deeply study Xi Jinping: The Governance of China and a series of important selected expositions, as well as the Study Outline for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and other important study aids. The broad masses of party members and cadres read the original works, studied the original texts, and comprehended the original principles, continuously consolidating the foundation of faith, replenishing the calcium of the spirit, and steadying the helm of thought.

Implementing the organizational line of the Party in the new era. The Party’s strength comes from its organization; a strong organization multiplies strength. In July 2018, Xi Jinping put forward and expounded the organizational line of the Party in the new era at the National Organization Work Conference, pointing the way forward for Party building and organizational work in the new era. The organizational line of the Party in the new era is: comprehensively implement Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era; take the building of the organizational system as the focus; work hard to cultivate high-quality cadres who are loyal, clean, and responsible; work hard to bring together outstanding talents from all walks of life who are patriotic and dedicated; uphold the combination of virtue and ability, with virtue first, and appointing people on the basis of merit; and provide a strong organizational guarantee for upholding and strengthening the Party’s comprehensive leadership and upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics. The putting forward of the organizational line of the Party in the new era provided a scientific guideline for strengthening the Party’s organizational development and an important guarantee for enhancing the Party’s creativity, cohesion, and combat effectiveness. Guided by the organizational line of the Party in the new era, the sustained rectification of weak and lax grassroots party organizations was carried out, driving grassroots party organizations to make comprehensive progress and become comprehensively strong, and the building of the Party’s organizational system was continuously enhanced. Zhang Guimei, Zhong Nanshan, Huang Wenxiu, Zhang Fuqing, Zheng Derong, Zhang Liming… batch after batch of outstanding Communists continued to emerge; the “Hard Bones Sixth Company,” the Party Committee of Beijing Ditan Hospital affiliated with Capital Medical University, the Party General Branch of Qinghe Residential Community in Qingshan District of Wuhan… one after another, national advanced grassroots party organizations actively played their role as fighting fortresses. As of December 31, 2019, the Communist Party of China had 3,202 local party committees, 4.681 million grassroots party organizations, and a total of 91.914 million party members. The Party’s political leadership, ideological guidance, mass organization, and social mobilization capabilities were continuously enhanced.

The Party’s conduct is the Party’s image, and is a barometer for observing the relationship between the Party and the masses, between cadres and the masses, and the direction of popular sentiment. After the 19th Party Congress, the first meeting of the Political Bureau placed conduct development on the agenda, reviewing the Implementation Rules of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee for Implementing the Eight-Point Regulation of the Central Committee, which, based on new circumstances and problems encountered in the implementation of the Central Committee’s Eight-Point Regulation over the past few years, focused on further standardizing, refining, and improving the relevant content, making it more in line with actual work and enhancing its guidance and operability. Resolving the prominent problems of formalism and bureaucratism and reducing the burden on grassroots units are key components of conduct development. In March 2019, the General Office of the CPC Central Committee issued the Notice on Resolving Prominent Problems of Formalism to Reduce the Burden on Grassroots Units, explicitly proposing to designate 2019 as the “Year of Reducing the Burden on Grassroots Units.” In April 2020, the General Office of the CPC Central Committee issued the Notice on Continuously Resolving Formalism Problems That Plague Grassroots Units to Provide a Strong Conduct Guarantee for Decisively Completing the Building of a Moderately Prosperous Society. In October 2020, the Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee explicitly proposed “continuously rectifying formalism and bureaucratism, and earnestly reducing the burden on grassroots units.” The Party’s conduct development started from the details, persisted in the words “regular” and “long-term,” leaving marks on iron and imprints on stone, letting the entire Party and the people feel the change, seeing hope in the actual results of improving conduct, playing the role of establishing credibility through action, and gathering the hearts of the Party and the people for the in-depth advancement of comprehensive strict governance of the Party. According to a public opinion survey by the National Bureau of Statistics, 95.7% of the public believed that the implementation of the Central Committee’s Eight-Point Regulation spirit and the correction of the “Four Winds” in 2020 were highly effective, an increase of 14.4 percentage points compared to 2013; 95.8% of the public believed that comprehensive strict governance of the Party in 2020 was highly effective, an increase of 16.5 percentage points compared to 2012.

Discipline truly became a live high-voltage wire. Strengthening disciplinary development is the fundamental strategy for comprehensive strict governance of the Party. For the Party to govern itself and govern strictly, it must rely on strict discipline and rules, driving party members to draw red lines in their thinking and boundaries in their behavior. All regions and departments deeply carried out disciplinary education, incorporating party internal regulations such as the disciplinary sanctions regulations into the study content of party committee (party group) theory study centers and party school curricula, deeply analyzing typical cases of cadres committing serious disciplinary violations and crimes, playing the role of warning, deterrence, and education, and educating and guiding the broad masses of party members and cadres—especially leading cadres—to strictly require themselves according to the standards of the Party Constitution, so that party members and cadres strengthen their disciplinary consciousness, engrave the Party Constitution, party rules, and party discipline on their hearts, know the boundaries and understand the bottom lines, transform the requirements of external discipline into internal pursuits, and form the good habit of revering the Party Constitution and abiding by party discipline. In July 2018, the Political Bureau of the Central Committee convened a meeting emphasizing the need to consolidate and develop the normalized results of strict enforcement of discipline and investigation of violations, make great efforts to build systems, establish rules, implement them, and emphasize execution, letting systems “grow teeth” and discipline “carry electricity,” giving full play to the role of disciplinary development as a tool for addressing both symptoms and root causes, truly transforming iron discipline into the daily habits and conscious compliance of party members and cadres, and driving comprehensive strict governance of the Party to develop in depth.

Institutions are fundamental and bear on the long term. In February 2018, the CPC Central Committee issued the Second Five-Year Plan for the Formulation of Intra-Party Regulations of the Central Committee (2018-2022), adapting to the needs of upholding and strengthening the Party’s comprehensive leadership in the new era and comprehensively advancing all aspects of Party building with the Party’s political development as the overarching guide, and making top-level designs for the construction of intra-party regulatory systems over the following five years. The Party Central Committee placed greater emphasis on improving the enforcement of intra-party regulations, erecting the rigid ruler of the system, and preventing systems from becoming “scarecrows.” In September 2019, the CPC Central Committee issued the Provisions on the Accountability System for the Enforcement of Intra-Party Regulations of the Communist Party of China (Trial). The Provisions clearly specified the regulatory enforcement responsibilities of party organizations and party member leading cadres at all levels, put forward requirements on supervision, assessment, and accountability, and is an important measure for fundamentally resolving the problem of “difficulty in enforcing” intra-party regulations and driving the comprehensive and in-depth implementation of intra-party regulations. The Provisions, together with the simultaneously revised and issued Regulations of the Communist Party of China on the Formulation of Intra-Party Regulations and the Provisions of the Communist Party of China on the Filing and Review of Intra-Party Regulations and Normative Documents, further made full-chain institutional norms for intra-party regulatory work, becoming the “rules” for the Party to establish and enforce regulations. To continue grasping the accountability system as the “key link” of comprehensive strict governance of the Party, in March 2020, the General Office of the CPC Central Committee issued the Provisions on Party Committees (Party Groups) Fulfilling Their Primary Responsibility for Comprehensive Strict Governance of the Party.

The building of Party conduct and clean governance is always on the road, and the struggle against corruption is always on the road. After the 19th Party Congress, Xi Jinping emphasized that corruption—the greatest risk to the Party’s governance—still exists; the existing stock has not yet been cleared, new cases are still occurring, the situation remains severe and complex, and it is necessary to advance the building of Party conduct and clean governance and the struggle against corruption without pause. The Party Central Committee steadfastly advanced the struggle against corruption, resolutely maintained a high-pressure posture against corruption, upheld zero tolerance with no forbidden zones and full coverage, upheld heavy deterrence, strong pressure, and lasting intimidation, upheld investigating both bribe-takers and bribe-givers, and for those who did not restrain themselves after the 18th Party Congress—especially those who still did not know when to stop and acted recklessly after the 19th Party Congress—investigated and dealt with each case as it was discovered, continuously rectified corruption and conduct problems around the masses, and investigated to the end corruption involving organized crime and its “protective umbrellas” in poverty alleviation and people’s livelihood fields. While strengthening the deterrence of not daring to be corrupt, the rectification of conduct, enforcement of discipline, and anti-corruption work were integrated with deepening reform, improving institutions, and promoting governance, bringing all those who exercise public power within the scope of unified supervision, achieving comprehensive coverage with no blind spots in the supervision of public power and anti-corruption work, and continuously tightening the cage of not being able to be corrupt. Efforts were made to deepen the use of cases to promote reform and serve as a warning, strengthen party spirit education and clean governance education, and continuously enhance the self-awareness of not wanting to be corrupt. Through the unceasing efforts of the entire Party, the struggle against corruption achieved an overwhelming victory and was comprehensively consolidated, and the Party was purified and cleansed in the process of resolving the prominent contradictions and problems existing within the Party.

The Party and state supervision system is an important institutional guarantee for the Party to achieve self-purification, self-improvement, self-renewal, and self-elevation under conditions of long-term governance. After the 19th Party Congress, the reform of the Party’s discipline inspection system, the reform of the state supervision system, and the reform of discipline inspection and supervision institutions were advanced in an integrated manner; the power supervision landscape of comprehensive coverage by disciplinary supervision, supervisory supervision, resident supervision, and inspection supervision was continuously improved. The political guiding role of intra-party supervision was fully played, and supervision was integrated into regional governance, departmental governance, industry governance, grassroots governance, and unit governance. The primary responsibility of party committees (party groups), the first-in-command responsibility of party secretaries, and the supervisory responsibility of discipline inspection and supervision commissions were driven to be connected and implemented in an integrated manner. Upholding intra-party supervision as the dominant force, the power supervision system and the system for enforcing discipline and law were continuously improved, driving the organic connection and mutual coordination of supervision by people’s congresses, democratic supervision, administrative supervision, judicial supervision, audit supervision, financial supervision, statistical supervision, mass supervision, and public opinion supervision, forming a normalized and long-term supervisory synergy. In October 2019, the Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee made major institutional arrangements for “upholding and improving the Party and state supervision system and strengthening the checks and supervision on the exercise of power,” explicitly proposing the need to improve the supervision system under the unified leadership of the Party, with comprehensive coverage and authoritative efficiency, enhance the seriousness, synergy, and effectiveness of supervision, form a power operation mechanism of scientific decision-making, resolute execution, and effective supervision, build an integrated mechanism for advancing the state of not daring to be corrupt, not being able to be corrupt, and not wanting to be corrupt, and ensure that the power entrusted by the Party and the people is always used to seek happiness for the people.

IX. State Institutions and the Governance System: New Steps Forward in Development

Systemic and Holistic Restructuring of the Party and State Organizational Structure and Management System

In order to ensure the upholding and strengthening of the Party’s leadership and the upholding and improvement of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics from the perspective of the functional structure of Party and state institutions, and to advance the modernization of the state governance system and governance capacity, the Party Central Committee placed the deepening of reform of Party and state institutions on the agenda. In February 2018, the Third Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee passed the Decision of the CPC Central Committee on Deepening the Reform of Party and State Institutions and the Plan for Deepening the Reform of Party and State Institutions, making overall deployments for the reform from five aspects: improving the system for the Party’s comprehensive leadership, optimizing the setup and functional configuration of government institutions, coordinating the reform of Party, government, military, and mass organization institutions, rationally setting up local institutions, and advancing the legalization of institutional staffing. On March 17, the First Session of the 13th National People’s Congress approved the State Council’s institutional reform plan. The goal of the reform is to build a systemic, comprehensive, scientifically standardized, and efficiently operating system of Party and state institutional functions, forming a Party leadership system that takes charge of the overall situation and coordinates all parties, a government governance system with clear responsibilities and law-based administration, an armed forces system with Chinese characteristics and world-class standards, a mass organization work system with extensive connections and service to the masses, and driving people’s congresses, governments, political consultative conferences, supervisory organs, adjudicative organs, procuratorial organs, people’s organizations, enterprises and public institutions, and social organizations to take coordinated action and enhance synergy under the unified leadership of the Party, comprehensively improving the state’s governance capacity and level. This goal focused on resolving systemic and institutional problems bearing on the long term, creating favorable conditions for forming a more complete socialist system with Chinese characteristics.

Deepening the reform of Party and state institutions was the first hard battle in implementing the decisions and deployments of the 19th Party Congress, and was a systemic and holistic restructuring of the Party and state organizational structure and management system. After the Third Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee, from the Center to the localities, all worked with one heart and made solid progress, and the various reform deployments were rapidly implemented. In March 2018, the newly established National Supervisory Commission officially began operations, and the reform of Party and state institutions was fully rolled out. In November, the institutional reform plans of all 31 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government) were publicly announced. The Party Central Committee increased the intensity of overall coordination, clarified the methods of reform, did the work of managing people well, and enforced strict discipline; following the roadmap of first the Center, then the provincial level, then below the provincial level, the reform was advanced in overlapping stages, and the reform tasks were substantially completed in just over a year. 25 ministerial-level institutions were newly established or re-established, 31 ministerial-level institutions had their leadership and management systems and responsibilities adjusted and optimized, and notices on the “three-set” provisions and adjusted responsibilities were issued for 39 departments and 25 departments respectively. The staffing quotas of departmental institutions were strictly controlled within the overall ceiling, achieving overall streamlining. Through institutional reform, the organizational structures and management systems of central and local organizations at all levels and of all types were holistically adjusted and optimized; the Party’s leadership system, government governance system, armed forces system, and mass organization work system were restructurally improved; the Party’s leadership capacity, the government’s execution capacity, and the armed forces’ combat effectiveness were systemically enhanced; the institutional setup of people’s congresses and political consultative conferences was further optimized; and major strides were made in driving the system of Party and state institutional functions to become more mature and better defined, and in advancing the modernization of the state governance system and governance capacity.

The effective implementation of strengthening the Party’s comprehensive leadership was achieved, and the institutional and functional system for safeguarding the Party’s centralized and unified leadership became more sound. Implementing the strengthening of the Party’s leadership in all fields, aspects, and links from the perspective of institutional functions is the landmark achievement of this institutional reform. This institutional reform strengthened the Party’s leadership over major work in deepening reform, governing the state according to law, the economy, national security, cyber information, diplomacy, institutional staffing, civil-military integration, auditing, education, and agriculture and rural affairs; enriched the functional configuration of the Party’s organizational, propaganda, united front, political and legal affairs, organ party building, and education and training departments; and strengthened the function of coordinating major work in their respective systems and fields. Through the reform, the Party’s capacity to set the direction, plan the broader landscape, formulate policies, and promote reform was improved, and the Party’s position of taking charge of the overall situation and coordinating all parties was consolidated.

Deepening the reform of the state supervision system and strengthening the Party’s unified leadership over anti-corruption work was an important component of this institutional reform. The 19th Party Congress required deepening the reform of the state supervision system, rolling out the pilot work nationwide, and establishing state, provincial, municipal, and county supervisory commissions. By February 2018, supervisory commissions at the provincial, municipal, and county levels nationwide had all completed their establishment. The Third Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee listed the establishment of the National Supervisory Commission as the first task in deepening the reform of central Party institutions. The First Session of the 13th National People’s Congress passed the constitutional amendment and the Supervision Law, establishing the constitutional status of supervisory commissions as state institutions. The reform of the state supervision system is a major political institutional reform bearing on the overall situation, and is the top-level design of the state supervision system. The establishment of state, provincial, municipal, and county supervisory commissions, strengthening the Party’s unified leadership over anti-corruption work, achieved comprehensive coverage of supervision over all public officials exercising public power, and built a supervision system under the unified command of the Party, with comprehensive coverage and authoritative efficiency.

This deepening of the reform of Party and state institutions also made special deployments for deepening the reform of mass organizations, further improving the system of party committees’ unified leadership over mass organization work, enhancing the political nature, advanced nature, and mass nature of mass organizations, effectively promoting the organic connection between the functions of party and government institutions and mass organizations, and better playing the role of mass organizations as bridges and bonds connecting the Party and the government with the people.

In July 2019, Xi Jinping delivered an important speech at the summary conference on deepening the reform of Party and state institutions, fully affirming the major achievements and valuable experience of deepening the reform of Party and state institutions. The main points were: upholding the Party’s comprehensive leadership over institutional reform; upholding the principle of not breaking down the old before establishing the new, and establishing the new before breaking down the old; upholding the promotion of institutional and functional optimization, synergy, and efficiency; upholding the overall coordination of the Center and the localities; upholding the unity and coordination of reform and the rule of law; and upholding the running of ideological and political work throughout the entire process of reform. Practice has proved that the Party Central Committee’s strategic decision on deepening the reform of Party and state institutions fully demonstrated the political advantages of the Party’s centralized and unified leadership and our state’s socialist system.

Comprehensive Deepening of Reform Advancing in Depth

After the 19th Party Congress, our Party drove the comprehensive deepening of reform to advance in depth, systematically integrating the theoretical achievements, institutional achievements, and practical achievements of comprehensively deepening reform since the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee, drawing a clearer top-level design for comprehensively deepening reform in the new era, moving from the early phase of emphasis on laying the foundation and erecting the framework, through the middle phase of emphasis on comprehensive advancement and accumulating momentum, to placing the focus on strengthening systemic integration and systemic efficiency.

In November 2017, the first meeting of the 19th Central Leading Group for Comprehensively Deepening Reform pointed out that no matter what is reformed or how far the reform goes, the centralized and unified leadership of the Party over reform cannot change, the overall goal of improving and developing the socialist system with Chinese characteristics and advancing the modernization of the state governance system and governance capacity cannot change, and the reform value orientation of upholding the people-centered approach cannot change. In May 2018, the Central Commission for Comprehensively Deepening Reform, newly established after the Third Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee, reviewed and approved the Implementation Plan for Important Reform Measures in the Report of the 19th Party Congress (2018-2022), sorting through the 158 reform measures determined by the 19th Party Congress, specifying the lead units, start and end times of reform, reform goal paths, and forms of outcomes, forming a “grand construction blueprint” for comprehensively deepening reform over the next five years, and issuing a military order to “ensure the complete fulfillment of the goals and tasks put forward by the 19th Party Congress by 2022.”

Comprehensively deepening reform aimed to achieve decisive results in reform in important fields and key links by 2020, continuing to fight hard battles and gnaw on hard bones. Deepening the reform of Party and state institutions and establishing the National Supervisory Commission; establishing and improving the institutional mechanisms and policy systems for integrated urban-rural development, and accelerating the establishment of a macro-control system adapted to the requirements of high-quality development; promoting reform and innovation in pilot free trade zones, supporting Hainan in comprehensively deepening reform and opening up, supporting the Xiong’an New Area in Hebei in pioneering breakthroughs, and supporting Shenzhen in building a pilot demonstration zone for socialism with Chinese characteristics; advancing pilot reforms of state capital investment and operating companies, strengthening supervision of non-financial enterprises investing in financial institutions, establishing a science and technology innovation board on the Shanghai Stock Exchange and piloting a registration system, promoting the integration and sharing of public resource trading platforms, and expanding the autonomy of universities and scientific research institutes; implementing national vocational education reform, carrying out national pilot projects for industry-education integration, and improving the education supervision system; reforming the comprehensive supervision system of the medical and health industry, reforming and improving the vaccine management system, and carrying out pilot projects for the construction of regional medical centers—a series of major reform measures were successively introduced.

2018 marked the 40th anniversary of reform and opening up. In December, the Party Central Committee grandly held a celebration of the 40th anniversary of reform and opening up. Xi Jinping reviewed the glorious course of 40 years of reform and opening up at the meeting, summarized the great achievements and valuable experience of reform and opening up, and declared the confidence and determination to carry reform and opening up through to the end in the new era. He emphasized: “Where we stand now is a time when the boat has reached the middle of the river and the waves are fiercer, and when the person has reached halfway up the mountain and the road is steeper—a time when the further we advance, the harder and more dangerous it becomes, yet we cannot retreat and must press forward. Reform and opening up has traversed thousands of mountains and rivers, but still needs to scale more peaks and ford more rivers. The mission before the entire Party, the entire country, and all the people of all ethnic groups is more glorious, the tasks are more arduous, the challenges are more severe, and the work is greater.” He mobilized the entire Party, the entire country, and all the people of all ethnic groups to continue to advance reform and opening up in the new era, and to strive tirelessly to realize the “Two Centenary” goals and the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

By the end of 2020, the basic institutional frameworks in all fields had been essentially established, and many fields had achieved historic transformations, systemic reshaping, and holistic restructuring, laying a solid foundation for driving the formation of a systemic, comprehensive, scientifically standardized, and effectively operating institutional system, and making the institutions in all aspects more mature and better defined. In December 2020, the 17th meeting of the Central Commission for Comprehensively Deepening Reform reviewed the comprehensive summary and evaluation report on comprehensively deepening reform since the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee, reviewed the vigorous and magnificent reform process of the past few years, and pointed out that this was a profound transformation in theoretical thinking, the organizational mode of reform, the state’s institutional and governance system, and broad popular participation. The meeting emphasized that we have gnawed through many hard bones but there are still many hard bones to gnaw through; we have overcome many difficulties but there are still many difficulties to overcome. It is necessary to combine the continuation of reform with serving the broader landscape of the Party and state work, combine deepening reform and tackling hard problems with promoting institutional integration, combine advancing reform with preventing and defusing major risks, and combine stimulating innovative vitality with gathering the strength to forge ahead, driving reform to open up new horizons in the new development stage.

Upholding and Improving the Socialist System with Chinese Characteristics and Advancing the Modernization of the State Governance System and Governance Capacity

The internal and external environment of our state continues to undergo profound changes, putting forward new requirements for institutional development. Institutional development is more about resolving deep-level systemic and institutional problems, placing higher demands on the systematicness, holism, and synergy of reform; correspondingly, the task of establishing rules and building systems is heavier, requiring greater efforts to uphold and improve the socialist system with Chinese characteristics and advance the modernization of the state governance system and governance capacity.

In October 2019, the Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee reviewed and passed the Decision of the CPC Central Committee on Several Major Issues Concerning Upholding and Improving the Socialist System with Chinese Characteristics and Advancing the Modernization of the State Governance System and Governance Capacity, systematically summarizing the great achievements and significant advantages of our state’s institutional and state governance system, deeply answering the major political question of what should be “upheld and consolidated, improved and developed” in our state’s institutional and state governance system, deeply expounding the fundamental institutions, basic institutions, and important institutions supporting the socialist system with Chinese characteristics, and making top-level designs and comprehensive deployments for upholding and improving the socialist system with Chinese characteristics and advancing the modernization of the state governance system and governance capacity in the new era. This plenary session systematically sorted through and integrated and elevated the institutions in all aspects of the Party and the state, drew a magnificent blueprint for upholding and improving the socialist system with Chinese characteristics, and provided a strong institutional guarantee for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

The plenary session explicitly put forward the overall goal of upholding and improving the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics and advancing the modernization of the state governance system and governance capacity: by the centenary of our Party’s founding, to achieve notable results in making institutions in all respects more mature and more consolidated; by 2035, to make institutions in all respects more complete and to basically achieve the modernization of the state governance system and governance capacity; and by the centenary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, to fully achieve the modernization of the state governance system and governance capacity, making the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics more consolidated and its superiority fully manifest. Around this overall goal, the Decision made new institutional arrangements for upholding and improving the institutional system of Party leadership, the institutional system of the people being masters of the state, the rule-of-law system with Chinese characteristics, the administrative system with Chinese characteristics, the basic socialist economic system, the system of advanced socialist culture, the system of people’s livelihood protection, the system of social governance, the ecological civilization institutional system, the system of the Party’s absolute leadership over the people’s armed forces, the “one country, two systems” institutional system, the independent foreign policy of peace, and the Party and state oversight system. The plenary session stressed that we must give prominence to upholding and improving the fundamental institutions, basic institutions, and important institutions that underpin the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and work hard to consolidate foundations, leverage strengths, fill gaps, and shore up weaknesses, so as to build an institutional system that is complete, scientifically sound, and operationally effective. We must strengthen systemic governance, governance according to law, comprehensive governance, and governance at the source, so as to better translate our state’s institutional strengths into governance effectiveness, and unceasingly demonstrate the institutional strengths and powerful vitality of “China’s governance.”

The system of socialism with Chinese characteristics is like a towering tree — a rigorous and complete scientific institutional system. The trunk and branches are formed by the fundamental institutions, basic institutions, and important institutions of socialism with Chinese characteristics, which together constitute the overall framework of the state’s institutional and governance system. Drawing on practical experience, the plenary session made some new formulations on the basis of the fundamental institutions, basic institutions, and important institutions already identified by our Party. For example, it defined the basic socialist economic system as “the basic socialist economic system in which public ownership is the mainstay with multiple forms of ownership developing side by side, distribution according to work is the mainstay with multiple modes of distribution coexisting, and the socialist market economy system operates alongside these arrangements.” It explicitly put forward “the fundamental institution of upholding Marxism’s guiding position in the ideological realm.” It further elaborated on the rule-of-law system with Chinese characteristics, the administrative system with Chinese characteristics, the institutions for promoting the flourishing development of advanced socialist culture, the people’s livelihood protection system that integrates urban and rural areas, the social governance system of joint construction, joint governance, and shared benefits, the ecological civilization institutional system, the system of the Party’s absolute leadership over the people’s armed forces, the “one country, two systems” institutional system, and the Party and state oversight system. These three categories of institutions, operating at different levels and encompassing domestic affairs, foreign affairs, and national defense, as well as Party governance, state governance, and military governance, make institutional arrangements for all aspects of the Party’s and state’s undertakings. They constitute the “general program” and “general framework” of the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Using the constitution and laws to confirm and consolidate the state’s fundamental institutions, basic institutions, and important institutions, and employing state coercive power to ensure their implementation, is an important guarantee for the systematicity, normativity, coordination, and stability of the state governance system. As the times develop and reform advances, the modernization of state governance places increasingly urgent demands on a scientifically complete system of legal norms. In May 2020, the Third Session of the Thirteenth National People’s Congress passed the Civil Code of the People’s Republic of China — the first codified law in the history of the People’s Republic of China, and a major landmark achievement in the construction of the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics and the rule of law in the new era. The Civil Code both systematically integrates existing civil laws and makes revisions and improvements to address new circumstances and new problems, reflecting equal protection of rights in all areas including life and health, property security, transactional convenience, happiness in life, and personal dignity. In November, the Center convened the Conference on Comprehensively Advancing the Rule of Law, stressing the need to steadfastly follow the path of socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics and advance the modernization of the state governance system and governance capacity on the track of the rule of law. In December, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China issued the Implementation Outline for the Construction of a Rule-of-Law Society (2020–2025), pointing out that the construction of a rule-of-law society is an important component of achieving the modernization of the state governance system and governance capacity, and making arrangements for accelerating the construction of a rule-of-law society. In the same month, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China issued the Plan for the Construction of a Rule-of-Law China (2020–2025), making specific arrangements for building a complete system of legal norms, an efficient system for implementing the rule of law, a rigorous system for supervising the rule of law, a robust system for guaranteeing the rule of law, and a sound system of intra-Party regulations and institutions.

Practice is the most persuasive judge of whether a system works, is efficient, and is truly effective. In the course of our long struggle, our Party has led the people to create “two great miracles.” One is the miracle of rapid economic development. Our state has taken great strides to keep pace with the times, completing in a few decades the industrialization process that took developed countries several centuries, and leaping to become the world’s second-largest economy. Our composite national strength, techno-scientific strength, national defense strength, cultural influence, and international influence have risen significantly; the lives of the people have improved markedly; and the Chinese nation stands in the East with a completely new bearing. The other is the miracle of long-term social stability. Our state has long maintained social harmony and stability, with the people living and working in peace and contentment, and has become one of the countries with the greatest sense of security recognized by the international community. The reason these “two great miracles” could be achieved is both the inevitable result of the Party’s long and unrelenting struggle leading the people, and the inevitable result of the full exercise of the significant strengths of our state’s institutional and governance system.

Grand Celebrations of the 70th Anniversary of the Founding of the People’s Republic of China

2019 marked the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, and the Party and government held magnificent and festive celebrations.

On September 29, the Party Central Committee held a grand ceremony at the Great Hall of the People to confer state medals and state honorary titles of the People’s Republic of China. Xi Jinping conferred medals and awards on 42 recipients of state medals and state honorary titles and delivered an important speech, stressing that revering heroes produces heroes, and striving to be heroes brings forth heroes in abundance. Greatness emerges from the ordinary, and the ordinary gives rise to greatness. As long as one holds steadfast ideals and beliefs and an unrelenting spirit of struggle, and keeps one’s feet on the ground doing every ordinary thing well, every ordinary person can achieve an extraordinary life, and every ordinary job can create extraordinary accomplishments.

On the evening of September 29, a gala performance titled Strive On, Sons and Daughters of China, presented in the form of a grand musical and dance epic, was held at the Great Hall of the People to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

▶ A Brief History of the Communist Party of China

★ Parade formations at the grand rally celebrating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China

On September 30, Martyrs’ Memorial Day, a ceremony was held at the Monument to the People’s Heroes in Tiananmen Square to present flower baskets in tribute to the people’s heroes. Xi Jinping and other Party and state leaders, along with representatives from all walks of life in the capital, attended.

On the morning of October 1, a grand rally was held in Tiananmen Square to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Xi Jinping delivered an important speech from the rostrum of Tiananmen Gate, stressing that socialist China today stands tall and firm in the East, and that no force can shake the status of our great motherland, and no force can stop the advance of the Chinese people and the Chinese nation. A grand military parade followed, with 59 formations and echelons comprising nearly 15,000 officers and soldiers passing in review. 100,000 members of the public took part in a mass parade under the theme “Together Building the Chinese Dream.” That evening, a National Day celebration was held in Tiananmen Square, where Party and state leaders joined more than 60,000 people from all walks of life in Beijing in festivities.

Starting in September, the “Great Journey, Glorious Achievements — A Grand Exhibition Celebrating the 70th Anniversary of the Founding of the People’s Republic of China” was held at the Beijing Exhibition Hall. Over more than three months, the exhibition attracted 3.15 million on-site visitors, and the online exhibition hall received more than 140 million clicks.

Localities and departments across the country also organized a variety of celebratory activities and publicity and education events.

The celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China were a grand state ceremony — magnificent and dignified, orderly and harmonious, blending ritual and music. They fully showcased the glorious achievements of the 70 years since the founding of New China, powerfully demonstrated the prestige of the state and the military, greatly invigorated the national spirit, and broadly galvanized forces from all quarters. The celebrations were a great gathering of strength — with the entire Party, the entire military, and all the people of all ethnic groups across the country united as one, pressing forward toward the goal of completing the building of a Moderately Prosperous Society in all respects as the first centenary goal approached. They were a proud declaration by all the sons and daughters of China of their shared ideals, made on the journey toward realizing the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. And they were a grand appearance by the People’s Republic of China — standing tall and firm in the East as ever, and growing ever more vigorous and robust — at a time when the world is experiencing the Great Changes Unseen in a Century.

X. Advancing All Undertakings While Responding to Risks and Challenges

Integrating the Domestic and International Broader Landscapes, and Handling Well the Two Major Tasks of Development and Security

The profoundly complex changes in the domestic and international environment require us to persist in viewing and responding to various contradictions and challenges with a comprehensive, dialectical, and long-term perspective, and to adapt in a timely manner to new circumstances and new requirements. The key is to uphold the correct view of history, the correct view of the broader landscape, and the correct view of development, and to integrate the domestic and international broader landscapes. Most important and critical of all is to better integrate the strategic overall landscape of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with the broader landscape of the Great Changes Unseen in a Century. Xi Jinping has pointed out: “Leading cadres must keep two broader landscapes in mind: one is the strategic overall landscape of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and the other is the Great Changes Unseen in a Century. These are the basic starting points from which we plan our work.”

Integrating development and security, strengthening awareness of potential dangers, and maintaining vigilance in times of peace — these constitute a major principle of our Party’s governance and administration of China. After the Party’s Eighteenth National Congress, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core decided to establish the National Security Commission, put forward and implemented the Total National Security Paradigm, initially built the main framework of the national security system, formed a theoretical system for national security, improved the strategic system for national security, established a coordination mechanism for national security work, and comprehensively strengthened national security work. After the Party’s Nineteenth National Congress, faced with the complex situation of a marked increase in domestic and international risks and challenges, the Party Central Committee upheld the integration of the domestic and international broader landscapes and the integration of development and security, and united and led the people of all ethnic groups across the country to overcome difficulties and forge ahead with determination, making solid progress toward the grand goals set by the Nineteenth National Congress.

On January 5, 2018, at the opening ceremony of a seminar for newly elected members and alternate members of the Central Committee and principal leading officials at the provincial and ministerial level on studying and implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and the spirit of the Nineteenth National Congress, Xi Jinping put forward the need to “persist in three things without interruption”: to persist without interruption in upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics; to persist without interruption in advancing the new great project of Party building; and to persist without interruption in strengthening awareness of potential dangers and guarding against risks and challenges. He reviewed the historical process by which the course of the Chinese nation’s rejuvenation since modern times had been interrupted on multiple occasions, and reminded all Party comrades that the road ahead cannot possibly be smooth sailing. The more achievements we make, the more we must exercise the caution of one treading on thin ice, and the more we must maintain the vigilance of one who remains alert to danger in times of peace. We must absolutely not commit strategic or irreversible errors. He stressed that we must guard against all kinds of risks, but the focus must be on guarding against those systemic risks that could delay or interrupt the process of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

On January 21, 2019, at the opening ceremony of a special seminar for principal leading officials at the provincial and ministerial level on upholding bottom-line thinking and working hard to prevent and defuse major risks, Xi Jinping conducted a profound analysis of major risks in the realms of politics, ideology, the economy, science and technology, society, the external environment, and Party building, and put forward clear requirements. Xi Jinping stressed that, faced with the turbulent and unpredictable international situation, the complex and sensitive surrounding environment, and the arduous and heavy tasks of reform, development, and stability, we must always maintain a high degree of vigilance. We must be highly alert to “black swan” events and also guard against “gray rhino” events. We must have the initiative to prevent risks, and also have the skill to respond to and defuse risks and challenges. We must be prepared to fight the battle of preventing and resisting risks, and also be ready to fight the strategic initiative battle of turning danger into safety and crisis into opportunity. On September 3, at the opening ceremony of the training class for young and middle-aged officials at the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance) in the autumn semester of 2019, Xi Jinping further stressed that we face rare historical opportunities, but also a series of major risk tests. To successfully achieve the goals and tasks set by our Party, we must carry forward the spirit of struggle and strengthen our capacity for struggle.

Handling well the two major tasks of development and security is related to achieving the grand goal of realizing the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The Politburo meeting convened on July 30, 2020, expanded the target positioning for the high-quality development stage from the original “four betters” to “five betters” — adding “more secure” to the existing “higher quality, more efficient, fairer, and more sustainable.” In October, the Fifth Plenary Session of the Nineteenth Central Committee stressed the need to integrate the domestic and international broader landscapes, handle well the two major tasks of development and security, pay attention to preventing and defusing major risks and challenges, and achieve the unity of development quality, structure, scale, speed, efficiency, and security. The Fifth Plenary Session of the Nineteenth Central Committee was the first to incorporate the integration of development and security into the guiding ideology for our state’s economic and social development during the “Fourteenth Five-Year Plan” period, and devoted a dedicated chapter to making strategic deployments, highlighting the important position of national security in the broader landscape of the Party’s and state’s work.

Prudently Responding to Various Risks and Challenges

Upholding bottom-line thinking, strengthening awareness of potential dangers, and working hard to prevent and defuse major risks are important components of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. Xi Jinping has repeatedly stressed the need to strengthen awareness of potential dangers and guard against risks and challenges. The Party Central Committee has conducted in-depth analysis and assessment of major risks and challenges that currently and in the foreseeable future bear on national security and development and on the stability of the broader social landscape, and has put forward countermeasures. The main risks include political security risks, ideological security risks, economic development risks, techno-scientific security risks, social stability risks, ecological security risks, biosecurity risks, external environment risks, risks facing Party building, and major public health risks. In addition, emphasis has been placed on preventing and defusing risks in the realms of food security, energy security, nuclear security, military security, and other areas.

After 2018, our state’s external situation underwent profound and complex changes. In particular, the United States unilaterally and willfully provoked economic and trade friction with China, carrying out all-round containment and suppression of our state, which brought adverse effects on our state’s economic operations. The Party Central Committee paid close attention and responded prudently. After March, our state took forceful countermeasures to resolutely defend its own legitimate interests, while consistently upholding the basic position of resolving disputes through dialogue and consultation, and working to stabilize bilateral economic and trade relations. Our state declared to the world our principled position of not wanting to fight, not fearing to fight, and being compelled to fight this trade war when necessary. The countermeasures were taken to defend the state’s fair and befitting interests, to defend free trade and the multilateral system, and to defend the common interests of the peoples of all countries. This position received broad support from the people of the whole country and was widely recognized by the international community. During the COVID-19 pandemic, some politicians in the United States and other Western countries went to great lengths to “stigmatize” China, shifting responsibility for their own failures in epidemic prevention onto China and making China a “scapegoat.” We organized and conducted a clear-cut struggle in public opinion, refuting their claims with reason and evidence, exposing their lies, and letting the world see their despicable conduct and ugly faces.

In July 2018, the Politburo meeting put forward the requirement to do well the “six stabilities” — stabilizing employment, stabilizing the financial sector, stabilizing foreign trade, stabilizing foreign investment, stabilizing investment, and stabilizing expectations — so as to stabilize the macroeconomic landscape and strengthen the confidence to deal with complex situations and various challenges. In December 2018, the Central Economic Work Conference further put forward the eight-character guideline of “consolidate, enhance, elevate, and unblock,” pointing the way for further upholding supply-side structural reform as the main line without wavering and promoting high-quality development.

In June 2019, Hong Kong was engulfed in the “amendment storm,” and the practice of “one country, two systems” in Hong Kong faced unprecedented challenges. The Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core assessed the situation and made resolute decisions, firmly supporting the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the government and police force in taking a series of measures to lawfully crack down on and punish violent criminal activities, stop the violence and restore order. The “amendment storm” fully exposed the enormous institutional loopholes in Hong Kong’s safeguarding of national security. In May 2020, the Third Session of the Thirteenth National People’s Congress passed the Decision of the National People’s Congress on Establishing and Improving the Legal System and Enforcement Mechanisms for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to Safeguard National Security, authorizing the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress to formulate relevant laws to effectively prevent, stop, and punish any acts and activities of separating the state, subverting state power, organizing and carrying out terrorist activities, and other acts that seriously endanger national security, as well as activities of foreign and external forces interfering in the affairs of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. In June, the Twentieth Session of the Standing Committee of the Thirteenth National People’s Congress passed the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and included it in Annex III of the Basic Law of Hong Kong, specifying that it would be promulgated and implemented locally by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It made specific arrangements in a legalized, standardized, and clarified manner for the institutional mechanisms of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to safeguard national security. In July, in accordance with the provisions of the Hong Kong National Security Law, the Committee for Safeguarding National Security of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region were successively established. The promulgation and implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law was the most significant measure taken by the Center in handling Hong Kong affairs since the handover. It consolidated and reinforced the institutional shield for safeguarding national security in Hong Kong,

and has exerted powerful force in preventing, stopping, and punishing crimes that endanger national security.

In August 2020, the Twenty-First Session of the Standing Committee of the Thirteenth National People’s Congress made a decision clarifying that after September 30, 2020, the Sixth Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region would continue to perform its duties for no less than one year, until the term of the Seventh Legislative Council began. At the request of the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, in November, the Twenty-Third Session of the Standing Committee of the Thirteenth National People’s Congress made a decision on the question of the qualifications of members of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It established the general rule that once a Legislative Council member is lawfully determined to fail to meet the statutory requirements and conditions of upholding the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and pledging allegiance to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, that member immediately loses their qualification as a Legislative Council member. It also clarified that members of the Sixth Legislative Council whose nominations for the originally scheduled Seventh Legislative Council election were lawfully ruled invalid had already lost their qualifications as members. This further clarified the political rule that “patriots govern Hong Kong, and those who oppose China and destabilize Hong Kong are out.” In accordance with the decision of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region subsequently announced in accordance with the law that the relevant individuals had lost their qualifications as Legislative Council members, and the authority of the Constitution and the Basic Law was fully demonstrated.

To strengthen the centralized and unified leadership over work related to Hong Kong and Macao, in February 2020, the Party Central Committee decided to establish the Central Leading Group for Hong Kong and Macao Affairs, replacing the previously established Central Coordination Group for Hong Kong and Macao Affairs, and to set up an office for the leading group, merged with the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council. This was an important strategic decision made by the Party Central Committee in the face of the Great Changes Unseen in a Century and the new changes in the internal and external environment of Hong Kong and Macao. It was a major adjustment to the leadership system for Hong Kong and Macao affairs, which further strengthened the Party Central Committee’s centralized and unified leadership over Hong Kong and Macao affairs through institutional setup and institutional arrangements. It not only played an important role in promoting the transformation of the situation in Hong Kong from chaos to order, but also had a far-reaching impact on the steady and long-term practice of “one country, two systems.”

We resolutely united the broad masses of Taiwan compatriots to jointly oppose “Taiwan independence” and promote unification. The China’s National Defense in the New Era white paper published in July 2019 stated that if anyone attempts to split Taiwan from China, the Chinese military will fight at all costs to defeat such attempts and safeguard national unification. This once again demonstrated the solemn position of the Communist Party of China and the Chinese government in resolutely opposing “Taiwan independence” separatism and external interference, and clearly drew a red line that must not be crossed. After the Democratic Progressive Party continued to “govern” following the 2020 Taiwan regional elections, “Taiwan independence” separatist forces misjudged the situation and continuously provoked, vainly attempting to pursue “gradual Taiwan independence” and seeking opportunities to pursue “legal Taiwan independence.” The situation in the Taiwan Strait continued to trend toward complexity and severity, and work related to Taiwan faced numerous risks and challenges. In May 2020, a symposium marking the 15th anniversary of the implementation of the Anti-Secession Law was held in Beijing. The symposium stressed the need to resolutely thwart the “Taiwan independence” separatist scheme and resolutely defend state sovereignty and territorial integrity. In August, in response to the negative moves of certain major powers on Taiwan-related issues and the seriously erroneous signals they sent to “Taiwan independence” forces, the Eastern Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army dispatched forces from multiple services and in multiple directions in a coordinated manner, conducting consecutive realistic combat exercises in the Taiwan Strait and at its northern and southern ends, resolutely striking back against all provocations that create “Taiwan independence” and split China.

At the same time, China solidly carried out diplomacy related to Xinjiang and Tibet, refuted groundless accusations, and won the understanding and support of the majority of countries on United Nations platforms and in the international arena. We resolutely defended territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, dared to struggle and were skilled in struggle, demonstrated new resolve in defending dignity and interests, resolutely conducted diplomatic, legal, and public opinion battles, effectively deterred various schemes and acts that infringed upon our state’s territorial security, and steadfastly safeguarded our state’s sovereignty, security, and development interests, comprehensively elevating our state’s international standing and international influence.

Following the Path of Strengthening the Military with Chinese Characteristics

In October 2017, the Party’s Nineteenth National Congress made clear that the goal of strengthening the military in the new era is to build a people’s army that obeys the Party’s command, can win battles, and has an excellent conduct of work. It made new strategic arrangements, stressing the need to ensure that by 2020 mechanization is basically achieved,

that significant progress is made in informatization, and that strategic capabilities are substantially enhanced; to strive to basically achieve the modernization of national defense and the armed forces by 2035; and to fully build the people’s army into a world-class military by the middle of this century.

In October 2020, the Fifth Plenary Session of the Nineteenth Central Committee put forward the need to accelerate the modernization of national defense and the armed forces and achieve the unity of a prosperous country and a strong military. We must implement Xi Jinping’s thought on strengthening the military, implement the military strategic guideline for the new era, uphold the Party’s absolute leadership over the people’s armed forces, uphold the approach of building the military through politics, strengthening the military through reform, strengthening the military through science and technology, strengthening the military through talent, and governing the military according to law, accelerate the integrated development of mechanization, informatization, and intelligentization, comprehensively strengthen combat readiness training, enhance the strategic capacity to defend state sovereignty, security, and development interests, and ensure the achievement of the centenary goal of army building by 2027.

The Nineteenth National Congress elevated the upholding of the Party’s absolute leadership over the people’s armed forces to the status of a basic strategy for upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, wrote “the Central Military Commission implements the chairman responsibility system” into the Party Constitution, enshrining this leadership system in the Party’s fundamental law; and solemnly wrote Xi Jinping’s thought on strengthening the military into the Party Constitution, establishing the guiding status of Xi Jinping’s thought on strengthening the military in national defense and military building. In August 2018, the Central Military Commission’s conference on Party building was convened, and after the conference the Decision on Strengthening Party Building in the Military in the New Era was issued, making strategic deployments for comprehensively strengthening the Party’s leadership and Party building work in the military in the new era, and further advancing political army building in the new era. In January 2019, the Central Military Commission issued the Opinions on Comprehensively and Strictly Strengthening Troop Management. In October, the Fourth Plenary Session of the Nineteenth Central Committee made new deployments for implementing the chairman responsibility system of the Central Military Commission, further strengthening the rule-of-law-based, standardized, and proceduralized operation of the chairman responsibility system. At the same time, the plenary session put forward the need to build a military policy and institutional system with Chinese characteristics, comprehensively advance the modernization of national defense and the armed forces, and ensure the achievement of the Party’s goal of strengthening the military in the new era. In November, the Central Military Commission convened a conference on grassroots building and issued the Decision on Strengthening Grassroots Building in the Military in the New Era, establishing new standards for grassroots building by comprehensively forging grassroots units that are “hard in three respects.” As an important measure for strengthening combat readiness training, starting from January 2018 when the Central Military Commission for the first time uniformly organized a training mobilization for the entire military, Xi Jinping issued training mobilization orders to the entire military at the start of the new year for four consecutive years, establishing a clear orientation of placing great emphasis on military training. In November 2020, the Outline of Joint Operations of the People’s Liberation Army (Trial) came into effect, becoming the top-level regulation of the operational regulation system in the new era. In the same month, the Central Military Commission’s military training conference put forward the need to accelerate the building of a new military training system, accelerate the transformation and upgrading of military training, and comprehensively improve training levels and the capacity to win battles.

This effectively ensured that the Party’s absolute leadership over the military reaches directly down to the grassroots and to every officer and soldier. In November 2020, the Politburo meeting reviewed the Regulations on Political Work of the Military, requiring comprehensive and thorough implementation of the chairman responsibility system of the Central Military Commission to ensure absolute loyalty, absolute purity, and absolute reliability.

Talent is the key to building a strong military. In October 2020, the Central Military Commission issued the Decision on Accelerating the Building of a New Three-in-One Military Talent Cultivation System. The entire military actively adapted to the requirements of new situations and tasks, strengthening the cultivation of talent in joint operational command, new combat forces, high-level techno-scientific innovation, and high-caliber strategic management, and an initial situation emerged in which the creative vitality of all types of talent was unleashed in full.

Building a strong military ultimately comes down to improving the combat effectiveness of the armed forces as the fundamental goal. We must persistently focus all our thinking on fighting, and direct all our work toward fighting, ensuring that the troops can be summoned at a moment’s notice, can fight upon arrival, and will win every battle. As a measure for strengthening

Standing at a new historical starting point, faced with the profound changes in the national security environment and the demands of the era for a strong nation and a strong military, national defense and military building in the new era is oriented toward realizing the Chinese Dream and the dream of a strong military. Upholding the approach of building the military through politics, strengthening the military through reform, strengthening the military through science and technology, strengthening the military through talent, and governing the military according to law, the building of a strong military has achieved historic accomplishments, realizing the reshaping of the political ecosystem, the reshaping of the organizational form, the reshaping of the force system, and the reshaping of conduct and image. By November 2020, the military had basically achieved mechanization, and significant progress had been made in informatization. The people’s army has taken firm strides on the path of strengthening the military with Chinese characteristics.

Opening Up New Horizons in Major-Country Diplomacy with Chinese Characteristics

Since the Party’s Nineteenth National Congress, the world has seen accelerated development of multipolarity, increasingly complex realignments in international relations, profound adjustments in the international landscape, and a shift in the balance of forces toward greater equilibrium.

Faced with the rising tide of protectionism and the countercurrent of unilateral bullying, China has supported the process of globalization, upheld the free trade system, and defended the rules of multilateralism. From home-ground diplomacy to international conferences, from policy declarations to practical measures, China has continuously sent clear signals of expanding openness to the outside world, steadfastly standing on the right side of history’s advance.

The report of the Nineteenth National Congress listed upholding the promotion of building a Community of Common Destiny for Mankind as one of the basic strategies for upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, and wrote it into the newly revised Constitution of the Communist Party of China. In November 2017, the High-Level Dialogue between the Communist Party of China and World Political Parties was held in Beijing, with the theme “Building a Community of Common Destiny for Mankind, Jointly Building a Better World: The Responsibility of Political Parties.” In March 2018, the First Session of the Thirteenth National People’s Congress passed the Amendment to the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China, incorporating the content of promoting the building of a Community of Common Destiny for Mankind into the preamble, formally elevating the idea of building a Community of Common Destiny for Mankind to the level of state will. In 2018, “Community of Common Destiny for Mankind” was successively written into the outcome documents of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Beijing Summit, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Qingdao Summit, the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum Ministerial Conference, and numerous bilateral and multilateral high-level exchanges, gathering the powerful force of all parties to jointly build a Community of Common Destiny for Mankind.

At the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2018, Xi Jinping solemnly declared that “China’s door of opening up will not be closed; it will only open wider and wider.” In November 2018, the first China International Import Expo was held in Shanghai. This was the world’s first national-level expo themed on imports, and a major innovation in the history of international trade development.

The Belt and Road Initiative has now become the world’s most popular public good and the largest-scale platform for cooperation. In August 2018, Xi Jinping proposed that Belt and Road construction should shift from the “freehand brushwork” of laying out the overall plan to the “fine brushwork” of meticulous craftsmanship, transforming toward high-quality development, benefiting the peoples of countries along the route, and promoting the building of a Community of Common Destiny for Mankind. In 2019, China successfully hosted the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. In 2020, faced with the global COVID-19 pandemic, the High-Level Video Conference on Belt and Road International Cooperation reached a consensus on building a “Health Silk Road,” forming a good momentum for high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road.

In 2020, China-Europe freight trains ran 12,400 trips and transported 1.135 million TEUs, increases of 50% and 56% respectively year-on-year. The annual number of trips exceeded 10,000 for the first time, with monthly trips consistently stable at over 1,000, becoming an “iron camel caravan” helping countries along the Belt and Road fight the epidemic.

China has followed the trend of the times, promoted the global governance system toward a more just and equitable direction, and become a pillar of stability amid global turbulence.

From the G20 Leaders’ Summit to the China-France Global Governance Forum, from the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum to the BRICS Leaders’ Summit and the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations, Xi Jinping has comprehensively expounded on the core meaning and contemporary connotations of multilateralism, advocated a global governance concept of joint consultation, joint construction, and shared benefits, and raised a voice of justice for practicing multilateralism, resisting unilateralism, and opposing hegemonism. China has vigorously advocated mutual respect and equal treatment among different civilizations, appreciating the beauty of others and sharing beauty together, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and exchange, keeping pace with the times and innovative development. With China’s civilizational outlook leading the way in international thought, this has resonated strongly with all parties. China has vigorously advocated mutual respect and equal treatment among different civilizations, appreciating the beauty of others and sharing beauty together, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and exchange, keeping pace with the times and innovative development, leading international thought forward with China’s civilizational outlook and evoking strong resonance from all parties.

In September 2020, China launched the Global Initiative on Data Security, advocating that global digital governance should uphold multilateralism, balance security and development, and adhere to fairness and justice.

In September 2020, Xi Jinping announced at the United Nations General Assembly that China aims to have CO₂ emissions peak before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. This commitment reflects China’s role and responsibility as a responsible major power in environmental protection and addressing climate change.

In January 2021, at the World Economic Forum’s “Davos Agenda” dialogue, Xi Jinping called out: “Let the torch of multilateralism illuminate humanity’s path forward, and let us keep advancing toward the building of a Community of Common Destiny for Mankind!”

China is a promoter of major-power stability and cooperation. In 2019, Xi Jinping paid a historic visit to Russia, and the two heads of state jointly announced the development of a China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era, signed a joint statement on strengthening contemporary global strategic stability, and the China-Russia comprehensive strategic coordination became more solid. In 2020, bilateral goods trade between China and Russia reached US$107.77 billion, breaking the US$100 billion mark for three consecutive years. China’s share of Russia’s foreign trade further increased, and China has remained Russia’s largest trading partner for 11 consecutive years.

China-US relations attract the world’s attention and affect the interests of all countries. China-US relations experienced their most severe situation since the establishment of diplomatic ties more than 40 years ago. Faced with the bullying and provocation of anti-China forces in the United States, China conducted a struggle with reason, advantage, and restraint, steadfastly defending state sovereignty, security, and development interests, steadfastly defending the norms of international relations and international fairness and justice, and steadfastly defending the fair and befitting rights and interests of all countries in the world, especially the broad developing countries. At the same time, China maintained the stability and continuity of its policy toward the United States, handled and managed differences constructively with a firm and calm attitude, and worked to maintain the strategic stability of the international system.

The bonds of interest between China and Europe have grown closer, with strengthened coordination and cooperation, enhanced mutual trust, steadfast defense of multilateralism, and joint response to global challenges. In 2020, both sides completed negotiations on the China-EU Comprehensive Agreement on Investment as scheduled, adding new contemporary connotations to the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership. In February 2021, the China-Central and Eastern European Countries Leaders’ Summit produced nearly 90 documents on practical cooperation with a total value of nearly US$13 billion, setting a historical record.

Under the correct guidance of Xi Jinping’s diplomatic thought, China has not only maintained overall stability in its relations with major powers, but has also achieved comprehensive improvement and development in its relations with neighboring countries.

China is a builder of regional integration and development. China-ASEAN relations have entered a new stage of all-round development. In July 2020, the “China + Central Asia Five Countries” held their first foreign ministers’ meeting via video. The meeting adopted and issued the Joint Statement of the “China + Central Asia Five Countries” Foreign Ministers’ Video Conference, and the parties reached nine important points of consensus on advancing cooperation between China and Central Asian countries and promoting regional peace and development. In November, China and the ten ASEAN countries, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand formally signed the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement. This marked the official launch of the free trade area with the largest population, the largest scale of trade and economic activity, and the greatest development potential in the world today.

South-South cooperation has reached a new level. 2018 was China’s “Year of South-South Cooperation” in diplomacy. From the China-Latin America, China-Arab States, to the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, our state’s collective dialogues with developing countries achieved full coverage. In September 2018, the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Beijing Summit was successfully held. Xi Jinping put forward the “five no’s” principles: no interference in African countries’ efforts to explore development paths suited to their national conditions, no interference in African internal affairs, no imposition of China’s will on others, no attachment of political conditions to aid to Africa, and no seeking of political self-interest in investment and financing in Africa. This set a benchmark for China’s self-discipline in cooperation with Africa and demonstrated the moral standards of international development cooperation.

In January 2018, the Second Ministerial Meeting of the China-CELAC Forum issued a special statement in support of and participation in the Belt and Road Initiative, and formulated a joint action plan for priority areas of cooperation between China and Community of Latin American and Caribbean States member countries for 2019 to 2021. In 2020, the Ninth Ministerial Meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum was held. The Chinese and Arab sides gathered collective strength for solidarity in fighting the epidemic and overcoming difficulties together; demonstrated the political will of China and Arab states to support each other and share a common destiny; and mapped out the path forward for practical cooperation and common development between China and Arab states.

Under the correct guidance of Xi Jinping’s diplomatic thought, China has calmly responded to the complex and profound changes in the international situation, properly handled the new difficulties and new challenges arising therefrom, steadfastly defended national interests, deepened friendly cooperation in depth, actively demonstrated the responsibility of a major power, and striven to open up new horizons in major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics in the new era.

Fighting COVID-19 and the Great Spirit of Epidemic Prevention

At the start of 2020, a sudden COVID-19 epidemic swept across the land of China. This epidemic was the most serious major sudden public health event our state had encountered since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in terms of speed of transmission, breadth of infection, and difficulty of prevention and control. It was also the most serious infectious disease pandemic to occur globally in a century.

After the COVID-19 epidemic broke out, the Party Central Committee treated epidemic prevention and control as the top priority. Xi Jinping personally commanded and personally deployed, insisting on putting the safety of people’s lives and physical health first, and put forward the general requirements of strengthening confidence, working together, scientific prevention and control, and precise implementation of measures. Starting from the first day of the Lunar New Year, Xi Jinping successively presided over 14 meetings of the Politburo Standing Committee, 4 Politburo meetings, and multiple important Party meetings, making keen observations, bold decisions, scientific guidance, and calm responses, meticulously deploying the Battle of Wuhan and the Battle of Hubei, formulating major strategies and tactics in accordance with the evolving situation, and leading the entire Party, the entire military, and all the people of all ethnic groups across the country to swiftly launch the people’s war, total war, and war of resistance against the epidemic.

Under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee, the Chinese people weathered the storm together and united as one, carrying forward the spirit of all sides coming to the aid of those in difficulty, and building a solid line of defense against the epidemic. The broad ranks of medical workers donned white coats as armor and marched forward against the tide: 540,000 medical workers in Hubei Province and Wuhan City fought the virus at close quarters; 346 national medical teams and more than 40,000 medical workers resolutely rushed to the front lines. All sectors of society shouldered their responsibilities: state-owned enterprises and public hospitals took on the heavy burden; more than 4.6 million grassroots party organizations charged into the fray; more than 4 million community workers kept watch day and night; various private enterprises, private hospitals, charitable organizations, nursing homes, welfare institutions, and others actively contributed; the broad ranks of Party members and officials took the lead in working hard; officers and soldiers of the People’s Liberation Army, officers and soldiers of the People’s Armed Police Force, and public security

★ Medical personnel supporting Hubei carefully caring for COVID-19 patients

police officers bravely stepped forward; the broad ranks of scientific researchers worked hard to tackle key problems; millions of delivery workers braved the epidemic to rush about; 1.8 million sanitation workers rose early and worked late; journalists went deep into the front lines; and countless volunteers and ordinary people made quiet contributions. Through arduous and extraordinary efforts, our state used more than one month to initially contain the spread of the epidemic, used about two months to bring daily new domestic cases down to single digits, and used about three months to achieve decisive results in the Battle of Wuhan and the Battle of Hubei. It then went on to fight and win several battles to eliminate clustered outbreaks in local areas, achieving major strategic results in epidemic prevention and control.

The Party Central Committee promptly adjusted the overall national prevention and control strategy to “preventing importation from outside and preventing rebound from within,” promoting the shift of prevention and control work from emergency extraordinary prevention and control to normalized prevention and control. At the request of the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, under the overall coordination and command of the Center, the National Health Commission organized nucleic acid testing support teams from the mainland to assist Hong Kong in fighting the epidemic. After the epidemic in Macao came under control, the governments of Guangdong and the Macao Special Administrative Region established a mechanism for mutual recognition and interconnection of “health codes” and nucleic acid test results, and normal movement of personnel between Macao and the mainland was gradually restored. Our state was the first to develop nucleic acid detection reagent kits, and vaccine research and development was overall at the world’s leading level, with free vaccination for the entire population carried out in batches.

While facing enormous pressure in its own epidemic prevention efforts, our state consistently upheld the concept of a Community of Common Destiny for Mankind, actively carried out international and regional cooperation in epidemic prevention, and advocated building a Community of Common Health for Mankind. As of December 2020, our state had provided epidemic prevention assistance to more than 150 countries and 10 international organizations, dispatched 36 medical expert teams to 34 countries in need, and provided various countries with more than 220 billion masks, 2.25 billion protective suits, and 1.02 billion testing kits, powerfully supporting epidemic prevention and control in countries around the world.

In response to the impact of the epidemic, the Party Central Committee coordinated the advancement of epidemic prevention and control with economic and social development, and stepped up macroeconomic policy responses. On February 23, 2020, a conference was convened to coordinate the advancement of COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control with economic and social development work. Xi Jinping pointed out at the conference that we must view our state’s development with a comprehensive, dialectical, and long-term perspective, and strengthen and firm up our confidence. We must turn pressure into motivation, be good at turning crisis into opportunity, step up policy adjustments, and fully release our state’s enormous development potential and powerful momentum. On March 6, at the symposium on the decisive battle to win the fight against poverty, Xi Jinping stressed the need to coordinate epidemic prevention and control with the fight against poverty, advance the fight against poverty with greater resolve and stronger force, support the recovery of poverty-alleviation industries, prioritize support for impoverished laborers in finding employment, and do a good job of helping those who have fallen back into poverty due to the epidemic. On April 17, the Politburo meeting put forward the need to, while stepping up the “six stabilities” work, comprehensively implement the “six guarantees” tasks — guaranteeing residents’ employment, guaranteeing basic people’s livelihoods, guaranteeing market entities, guaranteeing food and energy security, guaranteeing the stability of industrial and supply chains, and guaranteeing the normal operation of grassroots governments. Doing well the “six stabilities” work and implementing the “six guarantees” tasks stabilized the basic economic landscape, won time and created conditions for getting through the difficulties, and provided an important guarantee for responding to various risks and challenges. The Party Central Committee and the State Council also formulated a series of policies to help enterprises through difficulties and benefit enterprises, introduced multiple measures to strengthen employment priority, promote investment and consumption, stabilize foreign trade and foreign investment, and stabilize industrial and supply chains, promoted the development of new business forms, promoted the orderly recovery of transportation, catering and retail, cultural tourism, and all other sectors, implemented a package of policies to support Hubei’s development, and resumed schooling in batches. Under the effect of a series of policies, China’s economic growth rate turned from negative to positive in the second quarter, continued the positive trend in the third quarter with a more robust recovery, achieved cumulative positive growth in the first three quarters, recovered ahead of the rest of the world, and became the only major world economy to achieve positive growth in 2020.

On September 8, 2020, the National Commendation Conference for the Fight Against COVID-19 was solemnly held. Xi Jinping conferred the “Medal of the Republic” on Zhong Nanshan, and conferred the state honorary title of “People’s Hero” on Zhang Boli, Zhang Dingyu, and Chen Wei, presenting each with their medal. The conference also commended advanced individuals and advanced collectives in the national fight against COVID-19, outstanding Communist Party members nationwide, and advanced grassroots party organizations nationwide. Xi Jinping ▶ A Brief History of the Communist Party of China uncertainty has markedly increased. Faced with the new contradictions and new challenges brought by the complex international environment, and the new characteristics and new requirements brought by changes in the principal contradiction in our society, the Party Central Committee has integrated the strategic overall landscape of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with the Great Changes Unseen in a Century, and has led the entire Party and the people of the whole country, with the tenacious will to “level every obstacle and forge the great path, and set out again after overcoming every hardship,” to strive to nurture new opportunities amid crises and open new horizons amid changes, continuing to advance toward the goal of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

★ On September 8, 2020, the National Commendation Conference for the Fight Against COVID-19 was solemnly held at the Great Hall of the People

At the conference, he profoundly expounded on the great spirit of epidemic prevention: putting life first, working together as a nation, sacrificing oneself for others, respecting science, and sharing a common destiny. Putting life first concentrates the expression of the Chinese people’s profound tradition of benevolence and the Communist Party of China’s value pursuit of putting the people at the center. Working together as a nation concentrates the expression of the unifying power of the Chinese people’s unity of purpose and sharing of weal and woe. Sacrificing oneself for others concentrates the expression of the tenacious will of the Chinese people to overcome all difficulties rather than be overcome by any difficulty. Respecting science concentrates the expression of the practical character of the Chinese people in seeking truth from facts and blazing new trails. Sharing a common destiny concentrates the expression of the moral responsibility of the Chinese people in working together in harmony and loving peace. Xi Jinping pointed out: “The great spirit of epidemic prevention is of a piece with the distinctive qualities and cultural genes that the Chinese nation has long cultivated. It is the inheritance and development of the spirit of patriotism, collectivism, and socialism, a vivid interpretation of the Chinese spirit, and has enriched the connotations of the national spirit and the spirit of the times.”

The COVID-19 epidemic has accelerated the evolution of the world landscape, and global instability and

XI. Completing the Building of a Moderately Prosperous Society in All Respects and Embarking on the New Journey of Comprehensively Building a Socialist Modern State

Achieving a Decisive Victory in the Fight Against Poverty

Eliminating poverty, improving people’s livelihoods, and gradually achieving common prosperity are the essential requirements of socialism with Chinese characteristics and an important historical mission of the Communist Party of China. Xi Jinping has stressed: “For completing the building of a Moderately Prosperous Society in all respects and achieving the first centenary goal, the complete lifting of all rural poor people out of poverty is a landmark indicator.” “History has fully proven that the country belongs to the people, and the people are the country. Whether the people’s hearts are with us or against us is a matter of life and death for the Party.” The Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, upholding the people-centered development philosophy, placed the fight against poverty in an important position in the governance and administration of China, elevated it to the political height of completing the building of a Moderately Prosperous Society in all respects and achieving the first centenary goal, gave full play to the political strengths of Party leadership and our state’s socialist system, adopted many major measures that are original and distinctive, and organized and implemented the largest-scale and most intensive fight against poverty in human history. In October 2017, the Nineteenth National Congress issued a mobilization order to the entire Party and the people of the whole country to resolutely win the fight against poverty. In June 2018, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council formulated the Guiding Opinions on Winning the Three-Year Battle Against Poverty. In March 2019, Xi Jinping called on the whole country at the National Two Sessions to “deploy the best forces, face difficulties head-on, work earnestly and practically, and implement precise measures,” sounding the bugle call to win the fight against poverty. In October, the Fourth Plenary Session of the Nineteenth Central Committee put forward the need to “resolutely win the fight against poverty, consolidate the results of poverty alleviation, and establish a long-term mechanism for addressing relative poverty.”

Xi Jinping attached great importance to eliminating poverty, visiting all 14 contiguous areas of extreme poverty across the country, and presiding over 7 poverty alleviation symposiums in Shaanxi, Guizhou, Ningxia, Shanxi, Sichuan, and other places. In March 2020, at a critical moment in the fight against COVID-19, Xi Jinping attended the symposium on the decisive battle to win the fight against poverty and delivered an important speech, powerfully mobilizing the forces of the entire Party, the whole country, and all of society to ensure the final victory in the fight against poverty. A working mechanism was established with the Center providing overall coordination, provinces bearing overall responsibility, and cities, counties, and townships implementing the work. The responsibility system of the top Party and government leaders bearing overall responsibility was strengthened, with Party secretaries at all five levels taking charge of poverty alleviation. During the poverty alleviation period, the Party and government principal officials of impoverished counties were kept stable. Across the country, more than 3 million officials from county-level and above agencies and state-owned enterprises and institutions were cumulatively dispatched to participate in village-based assistance, forming a “three-in-one” grand poverty alleviation pattern of “targeted poverty alleviation, sector-based poverty alleviation, and social poverty alleviation.” Under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee, all of society actively participated, the broad ranks of Party members played their vanguard and exemplary role, and targeted poverty alleviation and targeted poverty reduction were carried out, helping the truly poor, truly helping the poor, and truly lifting people out of poverty. Emphasis was placed on combining poverty alleviation with the strengthening of will and the strengthening of intellect, deepening the implementation of east-west poverty alleviation cooperation, and focusing on completing the poverty alleviation tasks in deeply impoverished areas. In 2020, this fight against poverty, which mobilized the full strength of the entire Party and the whole country, achieved a decisive victory. November 23 was an extraordinary day that will go down in history: the last 9 impoverished counties in our state achieved poverty exit. After 8 years of sustained struggle, all 832 counties across the country were lifted out of poverty, all 128,000 impoverished villages were removed from the list, and nearly 100 million impoverished people were lifted out of poverty, eliminating absolute poverty and regional overall poverty. On February 25, 2021, the National Summary and Commendation Conference for the Fight Against Poverty was held, and Xi Jinping solemnly declared at the conference: Our state’s fight against poverty has achieved complete victory. This is the great glory of the Chinese people, the great glory of the Communist Party of China, and the great glory of the Chinese nation!

The historically resolving of the problem of absolute poverty that has plagued the Chinese nation for thousands of years is a landmark achievement in completing the building of a Moderately Prosperous Society in all respects. The achievement of this accomplishment embodies the wisdom and hard work of the entire Party and the people of all ethnic groups across the country; it was achieved through the solid and earnest efforts of the broad ranks of officials and the masses, and demonstrates the political strengths of Communist Party of China leadership and our state’s socialist system. Lifting the poverty label is not the end point, but the starting point of a new life and new struggle. The Party Central Committee has made clear that for impoverished counties, impoverished villages, and impoverished households that have already been lifted out of poverty during the poverty alleviation period, relevant policies should be maintained for a period of time, ensuring that lifting the label does not mean lifting responsibility, lifting the label does not mean lifting policies, lifting the label does not mean lifting assistance, and lifting the label does not mean lifting oversight, effectively preventing people from falling back into poverty and the emergence of new impoverished populations. After the poverty label was lifted, localities and departments successively introduced follow-up policies, promoting the smooth transition of the poverty reduction strategy and work system, and solidly advancing the effective convergence of consolidating and expanding the results of the fight against poverty with the rural revitalization strategy.

Winning the fight against poverty has laid a solid foundation for achieving the first centenary goal, strengthened our Party’s foundation of governance, and consolidated the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Going hungry and living in hardship — these problems that have plagued the Chinese people for thousands of years have been fundamentally resolved, greatly enhancing the people’s sense of gain, happiness, and security.

Winning the fight against poverty has made a historic contribution to the global cause of poverty reduction and provided Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions for global poverty reduction governance. Western developed countries have not been able to completely eliminate absolute poverty even after several hundred years, while our state has historically resolved this problem in just a few decades, achieving the poverty reduction goals set by the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development 10 years ahead of schedule, and leading the way in the global cause of poverty reduction. This great feat will be recorded in the annals of human social development, powerfully proving to the world the superiority of Communist Party of China leadership and the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Achieving Great Historic Accomplishments in Completing the Building of a Moderately Prosperous Society in All Respects

Since the strategic vision of a moderately prosperous society was put forward at the beginning of reform and opening up, the Communist Party of China has consistently taken the people’s aspiration for a better life as its goal of struggle, with generation after generation persisting in and carrying on this effort. Since the Party’s Eighteenth National Congress, and especially during the “Thirteenth Five-Year Plan” period, faced with the complex international situation, the arduous and heavy tasks of domestic reform, development, and stability, and especially the severe impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, never forgetting its original aspiration and keeping its mission firmly in mind, united and led the entire Party and the people of all ethnic groups across the country to forge ahead with determination and blaze new trails, working energetically to advance all aspects of the Party’s and state’s undertakings. Our state’s economic strength, techno-scientific strength, composite national strength, and the level of people’s lives have all leaped to a new and higher level, and great historic accomplishments have been achieved in completing the building of a Moderately Prosperous Society in all respects.

Economic strength has risen substantially, and the economic structure has been continuously optimized. In 2020, gross domestic product reached 101.6 trillion yuan, with its share of the world economy estimated at around 17%, firmly holding the world’s second position. Per capita gross national income (GNI) exceeded US$10,000, reaching the level of upper-middle-income countries by World Bank standards. From 2015 to 2020, grain output was stable at over 650 million tons for six consecutive years; the added value of manufacturing has ranked first in the world for many years; and the output of more than 220 industrial products ranks first in the world. From 2013 to 2019, our state’s average annual contribution rate to world economic growth was close to 30%, making it the locomotive of world economic growth. Total retail sales of consumer goods approached the scale of 40 trillion yuan, and the contribution rate of consumption to economic growth further increased. Investment in key areas such as high-technology industries, agriculture, and social sectors continued to grow at a relatively fast pace. Equipment manufacturing and high-technology industries grew rapidly; the digital economy and platform economy flourished; and the tertiary sector became a new engine of economic growth. The four major regional zones of east, central, west, and northeast developed in a coordinated manner; major regional strategies such as coordinated development of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta, ★ Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge The ecological environment has improved significantly. Environmental issues are a key factor in whether the completion of the building of a Moderately Prosperous Society in all respects can win the recognition of the people. The Nineteenth National Congress designated the battle against pollution as one of the three critical battles for completing the building of a Moderately Prosperous Society in all respects. In May 2018, the National Conference on Ecological and Environmental Protection made deployments for resolutely fighting the battle against pollution. In June, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council issued the Opinions on Comprehensively Strengthening Ecological and Environmental Protection and Resolutely Fighting the Battle Against Pollution, and the battles to defend blue skies, clear waters, and clean soil were launched in full. In 2020, the proportion of days with good air quality in prefecture-level and above cities nationwide was 87.0%, up 5.8 percentage points from 2015; the average PM2.5 concentration was 33 micrograms per cubic meter, down 28.3% from 2015. In 2020, the proportion of national surface water with good quality (Class I–III) was 83.4%, up 17.4 percentage points from 2015, and the main stream of the Yangtze River reached Class II water quality along its entire length for the first time. The energy consumption structure has been continuously optimized. In 2019, the proportion of clean energy consumption such as natural gas, hydropower, wind power, and nuclear power in total energy consumption exceeded 23%, up more than 5 percentage points from 2015; the proportion of non-fossil energy in total energy consumption reached 15.3%; and energy consumption per unit of GDP fell 13.1% compared with 2015. China has become the world’s largest country in the utilization of new energy and renewable energy.

and ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin were accelerated in implementation. New-type urbanization advanced steadily; by the end of 2019, the urbanization rate of permanent residents reached 60.6%. Infrastructure has become increasingly complete, with high-speed railways, expressways, installed power generation capacity, and the scale of internet infrastructure all ranking first in the world. At the same time, our state is also the world’s largest goods trading country and the largest foreign exchange reserve country.

The role of techno-scientific innovation has become increasingly prominent. R&D investment has continued to expand. In 2020, our state’s research and development (R&D) expenditure was 2,442.6 billion yuan, an increase of 1,025.6 billion yuan over 2015, firmly holding the world’s second position; the intensity of R&D investment reached 2.24%, up 0.18 percentage points from 2015, reaching the level of moderately developed countries; and the contribution rate of scientific and technological progress reached 60.2%. A large number of landmark achievements have been made in some basic and frontier fields, and in certain fields the leap from “following” to “running alongside” and “leading” has been achieved. Intellectual property output ranks among the world’s top, and in 2019 the number of patent applications filed through the Patent Cooperation Treaty route leaped to first in the world. In 2020, our state’s innovation index ranked fourteenth in the world. The level of education has leaped to the upper-middle tier globally. The average years of education of the working-age population increased from 7.18 years in 2000 to 10.72 years in 2019; basic education has been consolidated and developed; and higher education has entered the stage of popularization.

Reform and opening up has continued to deepen. Comprehensive deepening of reform has achieved major breakthroughs, with historic transformations, systemic reshaping, and overall restructuring achieved in certain fields. The rule-of-law system for property rights protection has been accelerated and improved, and reform of market-based allocation of factors of production has continued to deepen. The reform system for state-owned assets and state-owned enterprises has been basically formed, and various forms of non-public ownership economies including private enterprises have developed in a healthy manner. The reform of streamlining administration, delegating power, improving regulation, and optimizing services has achieved significant results; during the “Thirteenth Five-Year Plan” period, cumulative new tax and fee reductions reached approximately 7.6 trillion yuan; and the global ranking of the business environment improved from 78th in 2017 to 31st in 2019. Opening up has continued to expand, with “bringing in” and “going out” coordinated and advanced; the pre-establishment national treatment plus negative list management system for foreign investment access has been fully implemented; the negative list has been substantially reduced; and our state’s overall tariff level has been reduced to 7.5%. The joint construction of the Belt and Road has yielded fruitful results. As of the end of January 2021, our state had signed 205 documents on joint construction of the Belt and Road cooperation with 140 countries and 31 international organizations. The stock of outward investment grew from US$500 billion in 2012 to US$2.2 trillion in 2019, ranking third globally.

The level of people’s lives has improved significantly. In 2020, the per capita disposable income of residents nationwide reached 32,189 yuan, an actual increase of 31.3% over 2015, with an average annual increase of 5.6% from 2016 to 2020, faster than the growth rate of per capita GDP over the same period. The quality of residents’ lives has improved significantly: consumption has grown relatively rapidly; food, clothing, and daily necessities are in ample supply; household appliances have become universally available; and automobiles have rapidly entered ordinary households. In 2020, the Engel coefficient of residents nationwide was 30.2%, down 12 percentage points from 2000. The average life expectancy of residents increased from 35 years in 1949 to 77.3 years in 2019. The world’s largest social security system has been built: as of the end of December 2020, the number of people enrolled in basic old-age insurance, unemployment insurance, and work-related injury insurance nationwide reached 999 million, 217 million, and 268 million respectively; basic medical insurance covered more than 1.3 billion people; the number of social security card holders exceeded 1.3 billion, covering 94.6% of the population. Residents’ living conditions have improved significantly: in 2020, the per capita housing floor area of urban and rural residents reached 39.9 square meters and 49.6 square meters respectively.

Cultural undertakings and cultural industries have flourished. Public cultural service facilities have been popularized at an accelerated pace. By the end of 2019, the number of public libraries and museums nationwide reached 3,196 and 5,132 respectively; the comprehensive population coverage rate of television programs reached 99.4%; and 1,536 counties (cities, banners) across the country had built integrated media centers, with a coverage rate of nearly 82%, and mainstream news and public opinion positions have been continuously strengthened and expanded. The cultural industry has developed rapidly. In 2019, the added value of cultural and related industries reached 4,436.3 billion yuan, accounting for 4.5% of GDP. The national fitness strategy has been deeply implemented, and the public service system for national fitness has become more complete. Nearly 400 million people regularly participate in physical exercise,

By the end of 2019, there were an average of 25.3 sports venues per 10,000 people, and the per capita sports venue area reached 2.08 square meters. Cultural soft power has become increasingly prominent, Core Socialist Values have taken deep root in people’s hearts, and the influence of Chinese culture has continued to expand.

By the centenary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, to complete the building of a higher-level Moderately Prosperous Society benefiting over a billion people — this was the goal of struggle put forward by our Party after entering the 21st century, on the basis of having basically built a moderately prosperous society, and was a solemn promise made to the people and to history. From the Nineteenth National Congress to 2020 was the decisive period for completing the building of a Moderately Prosperous Society in all respects. The Party Central Committee put forward the need to focus on addressing key areas, filling gaps, and shoring up weaknesses, and to resolutely fight the three critical battles of preventing and defusing major risks, targeted poverty alleviation, and pollution prevention and control, so that the completion of the building of a Moderately Prosperous Society in all respects would win the recognition of the people and stand the test of history. Through sustained effort, decisive progress was made on the key tasks of the three critical battles.

Completing the building of a Moderately Prosperous Society in all respects has realized the aspiration of the Chinese nation over thousands of years. Whether in the era of backward agrarian civilization or in the modern era of poverty and weakness, a moderately prosperous life

★ Beijing Daxing International Airport

was for ordinary people only an unattainable dream. Only under the leadership of the Communist Party of China could this dream be realized. From the day of its founding, the Communist Party of China has steadfastly shouldered the banner of striving for the happiness of the people and the rejuvenation of the nation. Through the sustained struggle of generation after generation, the dream of a moderately prosperous society in all respects has finally come true. The achievement of this goal has elevated our state’s development and the level of people’s lives to a new and higher level.

Completing the building of a Moderately Prosperous Society in all respects is a crucial step toward the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The “moderately prosperous dream” is a phased goal of the Chinese Dream; without the realization of a moderately prosperous society in all respects, national rejuvenation would be out of the question. Completing the building of a Moderately Prosperous Society in all respects on schedule marks the successful completion of the first centenary goal, lays a solid foundation for achieving the second centenary goal, and is of great significance in the history of Chinese national civilization, achieving a new leap from lagging far behind the times to taking great strides to keep pace with the times.

Completing the building of a Moderately Prosperous Society in all respects is a great contribution to human society. It has greatly elevated the overall level of human social development, and socialist China stands in the East with an even more magnificent bearing. According to International Monetary Fund statistics, in 2019 a total of 69 countries and regions had per capita GDP exceeding US$10,000, including China’s population of more than 1.4 billion, totaling approximately 2.8 billion people. China’s completion of the building of a Moderately Prosperous Society in all respects has nearly doubled the number of people in the world with per capita GDP exceeding US$10,000, fully demonstrating the powerful vitality and great superiority of the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics. The theory and practice of completing the building of a Moderately Prosperous Society in all respects has deepened understanding and comprehension of the essence of socialism, opened up new horizons for socialist development, and caused scientific socialism to radiate powerful vitality in 21st-century China. The successful exploration of completing the building of a Moderately Prosperous Society in all respects has expanded the paths for developing countries toward modernization, providing a completely new choice for those countries and nations in the world that hope to accelerate development while maintaining their own independence, and contributing Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions to solving human problems.

Grasping the New Development Stage, Implementing the New Development Concept, and Building the New Development Pattern

With the completion of the goals and tasks of the “Thirteenth Five-Year Plan” and the imminent victory in completing the building of a Moderately Prosperous Society in all respects, the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation has taken a major new step forward, marking our state’s entry into a new stage of development. Entering the new development stage is a great leap in the historical process of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and has milestone significance in our state’s development process.

The Proposals of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China for Formulating the Fourteenth Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development and the Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035, passed by the Fifth Plenary Session of the Nineteenth Central Committee, clarified the long-range goal of basically achieving socialist modernization by 2035, clarified the guiding ideology, basic principles, and main goals for economic and social development during the “Fourteenth Five-Year Plan” period, expounded on the key tasks of economic and social development and reform and opening up during the “Fourteenth Five-Year Plan” period, and made the strategic choice to accelerate the building of a New Development Pattern with the domestic circulation as the mainstay and the domestic and international dual circulations mutually reinforcing each other. The Proposals are a programmatic document for embarking on the new journey of comprehensively building a socialist modern state and marching toward the second centenary goal, and are an action guide for our state’s economic and social development over the next five years and beyond.

On January 11, 2021, in his speech at the opening ceremony of a special seminar for principal leading officials at the provincial and ministerial level on studying and implementing the spirit of the Fifth Plenary Session of the Nineteenth Central Committee, Xi Jinping conducted an in-depth exposition of a series of major issues in our state’s economic and social development. Xi Jinping’s important speech profoundly answered the major questions of what development stage our state is in, what kind of development to achieve, and how to develop; conducted a scientific analysis of the main basis and goal requirements for our state’s entry into the new development stage; put forward new requirements for deeply implementing the New Development Concept; put forward the main direction of attack for accelerating the building of the New Development Pattern; and conducted a profound exposition of strengthening the Party’s comprehensive leadership over socialist modernization construction.

★ The venue of the Fifth Plenary Session of the Nineteenth Central Committee

Accurately grasping the new development stage. Our state is standing at a new historical starting point: the first centenary goal of completing the building of a Moderately Prosperous Society in all respects has been achieved on schedule, and we have entered the new development stage of comprehensively building a socialist modern state. The new development stage is the stage of achieving the second centenary goal and advancing the great cause of national rejuvenation to new heights. It is a stage within the Initial Stage of Socialism, and at the same time a stage that, having accumulated over decades, now stands at a new starting point. It is a new stage in which our Party leads the people to welcome the historic leap from standing up, to growing prosperous, to becoming strong. Comprehensively building a socialist modern state and basically achieving socialist modernization are both requirements of our state’s development in the Initial Stage of Socialism and requirements for our state’s socialism to advance from the initial stage to a higher stage.

Comprehensively implementing the New Development Concept. Development in the new development stage must completely, accurately, and comprehensively implement the New Development Concept of innovation, coordination, green development, openness, and sharing, and achieve high-quality development. The New Development Concept is a systematic theoretical system that answers a series of theoretical and practical questions about the purpose, driving force, mode, and path of development, and clarifies the major political questions of the Communist Party of China’s political stance, value orientation, development model, and development path regarding development. We must take the New Development Concept as the baton and traffic light, running it through the entire process and all fields of development, effectively transforming the mode of development, promoting quality transformation, efficiency transformation, and driving force transformation, and achieving development that is of higher quality, more efficient, fairer, more sustainable, and more secure. We must pay greater attention to the issue of common prosperity. The Fifth Plenary Session of the Nineteenth Central Committee put forward the goal of “achieving more notable and substantive progress in common prosperity for all the people,” with particular emphasis on “solidly promoting common prosperity” — this was the first time in the history of Party plenary sessions. We must always take meeting the people’s new expectations for a better life as the starting point and foothold of development, and in the process of achieving modernization, continuously and progressively resolve the issue of common prosperity. We must consciously and proactively address issues of regional disparities, urban-rural disparities, and income disparities, persist in protecting and improving people’s livelihoods in the course of development, coordinate the work of employment, income distribution, education, social security, medical care, housing, elderly care, and child care in all respects, pay greater attention to tilting toward rural areas, grassroots, and less developed regions, and toward people in difficulty, promote social fairness and justice, and let the fruits of development benefit all the people more and more equitably.

Accelerating the building of the New Development Pattern. Building the New Development Pattern is an active choice to adapt to the changes in our state’s stage of economic development, a path choice for our state’s economic modernization, a major strategic task related to the overall landscape of our state’s development, and a major strategy for opening new horizons amid changes and sculpting new advantages for comprehensively building a socialist modern state. In April 2020, at the Seventh Meeting of the Central Financial and Economic Affairs Commission of the Nineteenth Central Committee, Xi Jinping put forward the need to build a New Development Pattern with the domestic circulation as the mainstay and the domestic and international dual circulations mutually reinforcing each other. The Fifth Plenary Session of the Nineteenth Central Committee further made comprehensive deployments for building the New Development Pattern. This is a strategic layout and preemptive move for grasping the initiative in future development, a major historical task to be vigorously promoted and completed in the new development stage, and also a major measure for implementing the New Development Concept. Building the New Development Pattern is an open domestic and international dual circulation, not a closed domestic single circulation. By giving play to the potential of domestic demand, we should better connect the domestic and international markets, use the domestic large circulation to attract global resource factors, better utilize both domestic and international markets and both types of resources, improve the capacity to allocate resources globally, better strive for strategic initiative in open development, and form new advantages in participating in international economic cooperation and competition. Building the New Development Pattern is based on the domestic large circulation on the foundation of a unified national market, not each locality running its own small circulation. The key to building the New Development Pattern lies in the unobstructed flow of economic circulation, and its most essential characteristic is achieving a high level of self-reliance and self-improvement.

Entering the new development stage, implementing the New Development Concept, and building the New Development Pattern are determined by the theoretical logic, historical logic, and practical logic of our state’s economic and social development, and the three are closely interrelated. Entering the new development stage clarifies the historical position of our state’s development; implementing the New Development Concept clarifies the guiding principles for our state’s modernization construction; and building the New Development Pattern clarifies the path choice for our state’s economic modernization. Grasping the new development stage is the practical basis for implementing the New Development Concept and building the New Development Pattern; implementing the New Development Concept provides an action guide for grasping the new development stage and building the New Development Pattern; and building the New Development Pattern is the strategic choice for responding to the opportunities and challenges of the new development stage and implementing the New Development Concept.

Striving to Win New Victories in Comprehensively Building a Socialist Modern State

Building a socialist modern state has always been the goal of struggle of the Party and the state. In 2020, with the completion of the building of a Moderately Prosperous Society in all respects, the connotation of the “Four-Pronged Comprehensive” strategic layout evolved to “comprehensively building a socialist modern state, comprehensively deepening reform, comprehensively advancing the rule of law, and comprehensively and strictly governing the Party.” 2021 is the centenary of the Party’s founding and also the opening year of the “Fourteenth Five-Year Plan.” Our Party will lead the people to seize the momentum and embark on the new journey of comprehensively building a socialist modern state.

By 2035, our state will basically achieve socialist modernization. By then, our state’s economic strength, techno-scientific strength, and composite national strength will have risen substantially; the total economic output and per capita income of urban and rural residents will have reached a new and higher level; major breakthroughs will have been achieved in key core technologies, and our state will have entered the ranks of leading innovative countries; new-type industrialization, informatization, urbanization, and agricultural modernization will have been basically achieved, and a modern economic system will have been built; the modernization of the state governance system and governance capacity will have been basically achieved, the rights of the people to equal participation and equal development will be fully guaranteed, and a law-based state, law-based government, and law-based society will have been basically built; a culturally strong state, educationally strong state, talent-strong state, sports-strong state, and Healthy China will have been built, the quality of citizens and the level of social civilization will have reached new heights, and the state’s cultural soft power will have been significantly enhanced; green modes of production and life will have been widely formed, carbon emissions will have stabilized and declined after reaching their peak, the ecological environment will have fundamentally improved, and the goal of building a Beautiful China will have been basically achieved; a new pattern of opening up will have been formed, and new advantages in participating in international economic cooperation and competition will have been significantly enhanced; per capita GDP will have reached the level of moderately developed countries, the middle-income group will have expanded significantly, basic public services will have been equalized, and the gap in development between urban and rural areas and regions and the gap in residents’ living standards will have narrowed significantly; the construction of a Safe China will have reached a higher level, and the modernization of national defense and the armed forces will have been basically achieved; people’s lives will be even better, and more notable and substantive progress will have been made in the all-round development of the individual and common prosperity for all the people.

By the middle of this century, our state will have built a prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious, and beautiful socialist modern power. By then, our state’s material civilization, political civilization, spiritual civilization, social civilization, and ecological civilization will have been comprehensively elevated; the modernization of the state governance system and governance capacity will have been achieved; our state will have become a country with leading composite national strength and international influence; common prosperity for all the people will have been basically achieved; the people of our state will enjoy a happier and more prosperous life; and the Chinese nation will stand among the nations of the world with an even more vigorous bearing.

Realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is a relay race that must be run baton by baton, with each generation running a good leg for the next. Everything has already begun, and everything is far from over. Standing at the historical confluence of the “two centenaries,” the new journey of comprehensively building a socialist modern state has been victoriously launched. On the new journey, no matter how turbulent the clouds or how fierce the winds and waves, our Party will always uphold the people-centered approach, forever preserve its original aspiration and keep its mission firmly in mind, and with rock-solid confidence, a sense of urgency to seize every moment, and indomitable perseverance, advance step by step the unprecedented great cause, creating new and greater miracles that will make the world look at us with new eyes.

Conclusion

结 束 语

The founding of the Communist Party of China in 1921 was a world-shaking event in Chinese history. From that point on, the long-suffering Chinese people began to take their destiny into their own hands, and the struggle for national independence, the liberation of the people, and the prosperity of the state and the happiness of the people had a backbone and a guide.

From the moment of its founding, the Communist Party of China set the realization of communism as the Party’s highest ideal and ultimate goal, unhesitatingly shouldered the original aspiration and mission of striving for the happiness of the Chinese people and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, united and led the Chinese people in an arduous and extraordinary struggle, and composed a magnificent epic that moves heaven and earth.

During the period of the New Democratic Revolution, faced with the three great mountains of imperialism, feudalism, and bureaucratic capitalism, the Chinese Communists with Comrade Mao Zedong as their principal representative combined the basic principles of Marxism-Leninism with the concrete practice of the Chinese revolution, created Mao Zedong Thought, united and led the Chinese people in 28 years of bloody struggle, successfully blazed the Chinese revolutionary path of encircling the cities from the countryside and seizing power through armed force, defeated Japanese imperialism, overthrew the reactionary rule of the Kuomintang, completed the New Democratic Revolution, and established the People’s Republic of China. This thoroughly ended the history of old China as a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society, thoroughly ended the situation of old China as a sheet of loose sand, thoroughly abolished the unequal treaties imposed on China by the great powers and all the privileges of imperialism in China, and achieved the great leap of China from thousands of years of feudal autocratic politics to people’s democracy.

During the period of socialist revolution and construction, the Chinese Communists with Comrade Mao Zedong as their principal representative united and led the entire Party and the people of all ethnic groups across the country to complete the socialist revolution, establish the basic socialist system, advance socialist construction, and complete the most extensive and profound social transformation in the history of the Chinese nation. This laid the fundamental political prerequisites and institutional foundations for all development and progress in contemporary China, and provided valuable experience, theoretical preparation, and a material foundation for pioneering socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new historical period.

After the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee, the Chinese Communists with Comrade Deng Xiaoping as their principal representative united and led the entire Party and the people of all ethnic groups across the country to profoundly summarize the positive and negative experiences since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, draw on the historical experience of world socialism, created Deng Xiaoping Theory, emancipated the mind, sought truth from facts, made the historic decision to shift the focus of the Party’s and state’s work to economic construction and implement reform and opening up, explicitly put forward the path of building socialism with Chinese characteristics in our own way, profoundly revealed the essence of socialism, established the basic line for the Initial Stage of Socialism, scientifically answered a series of basic questions about building socialism with Chinese characteristics, formulated a development strategy of taking three steps to basically achieve socialist modernization by the middle of the 21st century, and successfully pioneered socialism with Chinese characteristics.

After the Fourth Plenary Session of the Thirteenth Central Committee, the Chinese Communists with Comrade Jiang Zemin as their principal representative united and led the entire Party and the people of all ethnic groups across the country to uphold the Party’s basic theory and basic line, deepened understanding of what socialism is and how to build it and what kind of party to build and how to build it, formed the important thought of the “Three Represents,” and in the face of the severe test of a highly complex domestic and international situation and serious setbacks in world socialism, defended socialism with Chinese characteristics, established the reform goal and basic framework of the socialist market economy system, established the basic economic system and distribution system of the Initial Stage of Socialism, pioneered a new landscape of comprehensive reform and opening up, advanced the new great project of Party building, and successfully advanced socialism with Chinese characteristics into the 21st century.

▶ A Brief History of the Communist Party of China

After the Sixteenth National Congress, the Chinese Communists with Comrade Hu Jintao as their principal representative united and led the entire Party and the people of all ethnic groups across the country to advance practical innovation, theoretical innovation, and institutional innovation in the process of comprehensively building a moderately prosperous society, profoundly understood and answered the major questions of what kind of development to achieve and how to develop under the new situation, formed the Scientific Outlook on Development, seized the important Period of Strategic Opportunity, concentrated on construction and wholeheartedly pursued development, stressed upholding people-centered, comprehensive, coordinated, and sustainable development, put forward the building of a socialist harmonious society, worked hard to protect and improve people’s livelihoods, promoted social fairness and justice, promoted the building of a harmonious world, advanced the building of the Party’s governing capacity and advanced nature, and successfully upheld and developed socialism with Chinese characteristics under the new situation.

Since the Eighteenth National Congress, the Chinese Communists with Comrade Xi Jinping as their principal representative have united and led the entire Party and the people of all ethnic groups across the country to coordinate the great struggle, great project, great cause, and great dream, systematically answered from the combination of theory and practice the major question of the times of what kind of socialism with Chinese characteristics to uphold and develop in the new era and how to uphold and develop it, created Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, coordinated the advancement of the “Five-in-One” overall layout, coordinated the advancement of the “Four-Pronged Comprehensive” strategic layout, strengthened the Party’s comprehensive leadership, upheld and improved the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, advanced the modernization of the state governance system and governance capacity, worked hard to enhance the people’s sense of gain, happiness, and security, resolved many problems that had long been desired to be resolved but had not been, accomplished many major things that had been desired to be accomplished but had not been, promoted historic transformations and historic achievements in the Party’s and state’s undertakings, and brought about unprecedented changes in the face of the Party, the state, the people, the military, and the Chinese nation. The Chinese nation, which has endured so much hardship since modern times, has welcomed the great leap from standing up, to growing prosperous, to becoming strong, and has welcomed the bright prospect of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

The hundred-year history of the Communist Party of China is a history of unrelenting struggle, a history of ideological exploration, and a history of self-building. These hundred years are a hundred years of steadfastly practicing the original aspiration and mission, a hundred years of blazing new trails and laying foundations, and a hundred years of creating glory and opening up the future. Looking back on a hundred years of history and looking forward to a bright tomorrow, the most important thing is to firmly hold confidence in the path, theory, system, and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics. By the centenary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, the first centenary goal of completing the building of a Moderately Prosperous Society in all respects has been achieved; and by the centenary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the second centenary goal of building a prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious, and beautiful socialist modern power will certainly also be achieved.

A hundred years old, yet in the prime of youth; a hundred years on, still pressing forward through wind and rain. From the world-shaking founding of the Party, to the earth-transforming founding of New China, to the heaven-and-earth-overturning reform and opening up, we have traversed ten thousand mountains and rivers, creating a glorious history that the Chinese people can be proud of. On the new journey of comprehensively building a socialist modern state, the entire Party and the people of all ethnic groups across the country must unite closely around the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, take Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as the guide, hold high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics, never forget the original aspiration and keep the mission firmly in mind, strengthen the “Four Consciousnesses,” firm up the “Four Confidences,” achieve the “Two Upholds,” comprehensively implement the Party’s basic theory, basic line, and basic strategy, face difficulties head-on, forge ahead with enterprise, and strive unceasingly for the realization of the second centenary goal and the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation!

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A Brief History of the Communist Party of China / compiled by the Writing Group for A Brief History of the Communist Party of China. — Beijing: People’s Publishing House; CPC History Publishing House, February 2021.

ISBN 978－7－01－023203－4

I. ①Brief… II. ①CPC… III. ①Communist Party of China — Party History — Study Reference Materials IV. ① D239

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A Brief History of the Communist Party of China

中国共产党简史

ZHONGGUO GONGCHANDANG JIANSHI

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A Brief History of the
Communist Party of China

中国共产党
简史

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[1] The “four forms” of oversight and discipline enforcement refer to: regularly carrying out criticism and self-criticism and conducting interviews and written inquiries, making “flushing faces and breaking into sweats” the norm; making minor party disciplinary punishments and organizational adjustments the majority of disciplinary actions; making serious party disciplinary punishments and major position adjustments a minority; and making the filing and investigation of serious disciplinary violations involving suspected crimes an extreme minority.

[1] 监督执纪”四种形态”，是指经常开展批评和自我批评、约谈函询，让”红红脸、出出汗”成为常态；党纪轻处分、组织调整的成为违纪处理的大多数；党纪重处分、重大职务调整的成为少数；严重违纪涉嫌违法立案审查的成为极少数。

[2] The “Three Beliefs” refers to the hope that Hong Kong compatriots will believe in themselves, believe in Hong Kong, and believe in the state.

[2] “三个相信”，即希望香港同胞相信自己、相信香港、相信国家。

[3] The “Four Leads” refers to the hope that representatives of all sectors of Hong Kong society will take the lead in supporting the Chief Executive and the new Special Administrative Region government in governing according to law, take the lead in fostering unity, take the lead in caring for young people, and take the lead in promoting exchanges and cooperation between Hong Kong and the mainland.

[3] “四个带头”，即希望香港社会各界代表人士带头支持行政长官和新一届特别行政区政府依法施政、带头搞好团结、带头关心青年、带头推动香港同内地交流合作。

[4] The “Four Persistences” refers to: always accurately grasping the relationship between “One Country” and “Two Systems”; always acting in accordance with the Constitution and the Basic Law; always focusing on development as the primary task; and always maintaining a harmonious and stable social environment.

[4] “四个始终”，即始终准确把握”一国”和”两制”的关系、始终依照宪法和基本法办事、始终聚焦发展这个第一要务、始终维护和谐稳定的社会环境。

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