Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, July 1 — On the afternoon of June 30, the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) held its sixth collective study session on opening up new vistas for the Sinicization of Marxism in the new era. General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Xi Jinping, presiding over the study session, stressed that the significant task of opening up new vistas for the Sinicization of Marxism in the new era is a solemn historical responsibility of the Chinese communists of our time. Based on the summation of historical experience, the report of the 20th National Congress of the CPC proposed and expounded the scientific methods for advancing theoretical innovation, such as "two integrations" and "six must upholds," providing a fundamental guideline for continuing to advance the Party's theoretical innovation, which we must uphold and apply well.
Li Wentang, vice president of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance), gave a lecture on this issue and offered suggestions. Comrades of the Political Bureau listened attentively to the lecture and engaged in discussions.
Xi Jinping delivered an important speech after listening to the lecture and discussion. He pointed out that, reviewing the Party's century-long struggle, the reason why our Party has been able to achieve major accomplishments in the revolutionary, construction, and reform periods, and why it has been able to lead the people to accomplish arduous tasks that other political forces in China could not, lies fundamentally in its grasp of Marxist scientific theory and its continuous advancement of theoretical innovation in conjunction with new realities. This has yielded major theoretical achievements such as Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the important thought of Three Represents, the Scientific Outlook on Development, and Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. We have always adhered to emancipating the mind, seeking truth from facts, keeping pace with the times, and seeking truth and being pragmatic, allowing Marxism to radiate powerful vitality in China and enabling the Party to master powerful truth.
Xi Jinping stressed that the major proposition of the Sinicization of Marxism in the new era itself dictates that we must never abandon the soul of Marxism, and we must never abandon the roots of excellent traditional Chinese culture. Upholding this soul and these roots is the foundation and prerequisite for theoretical innovation. Theoretical innovation must speak new words, but it cannot abandon our ancestors; to forget one's origins is to sever the soul and roots, ultimately leading to the subversive mistake of losing the soul and roots. We must unswervingly uphold Marxism as the fundamental principle for establishing and governing the Party and the country, and we must unswervingly persist in developing Marxism rooted in the history and culture of our country and nation. We must firmly maintain historical confidence and cultural confidence, and we must adhere to the principle of "learning from the past to serve the present" and "making innovations while drawing on the past." Guided by Marxism, we must comprehensively excavate the treasure trove of Chinese civilization spanning five thousand years, activate the vital factors in excellent traditional Chinese culture with Marxism and imbue them with new contemporary connotations, and more deeply integrate the great spirit and rich wisdom of the Chinese nation into Marxism. We must effectively integrate the essence of Marxist thought with the essence of excellent traditional Chinese culture, creating a new theoretical advantage and continuously scaling new ideological heights. We must broaden our theoretical horizons, learn from and draw on all the excellent achievements of human civilization with an open mind that embraces all rivers and seas, and draw on excellent ideological and cultural resources from the "sum total of human knowledge" to innovate and develop the Party's theory, forming a theoretical pattern and atmosphere that is inclusive and eclectic.
Xi Jinping pointed out that we must promptly and scientifically answer new questions of the times. The times are the mother of thought, and practice is the source of theory. All epoch-making theories are products that meet the needs of the times. Theories used to observe, grasp, and lead the times must reflect the voice of the times, must never be divorced from the practice of their time, and must continuously summarize practical experience and condense it into the ideological essence of the times. Our advancement of theoretical innovation is theoretical innovation based on practice, not empty speculation in ivory towers. We must persist in discovering and developing truth in practice, and use practice to realize and test truth. In the context of the accelerated evolution and deep interaction of the "two overall situations," human society faces many common problems that urgently need to be solved. China's reform, development, stability, domestic and foreign affairs, national defense, and governance of the Party, the country, and the military all face a series of new major issues. The questions of China, the world, the people, and the times pose new challenges to us that are more complex and difficult than in the past, urgently requiring us to submit answers from the combination of theory and practice. We must firmly establish a grand historical perspective, grasp the development context and correct direction of world history with a broader vision and a longer-term perspective, understand the general logic and trends of China's social development and human social development, grasp the historical evolution and practical requirements of Chinese-style modernization, and deepen our understanding of the laws governing the promotion of high-quality development and the construction of a new development pattern in the context of the new round of technological revolution, the global economic development pattern, and the stage characteristics of China's development. We must deepen our understanding of the laws governing the strategic thinking of the Party's self-revolution in the comparison of the destinies of Marxist parties in the world and the real tests faced by our Party's long-term governance. We must comprehensively and systematically put forward scientific concepts and effective countermeasures to solve practical problems, allowing contemporary Chinese Marxism and 21st-century Marxism to demonstrate even more powerful and persuasive truth.
Xi Jinping stressed that promoting the systematization and theorization of theory is an inherent requirement and an important approach to theoretical innovation. The reason why Marxism has had a profound impact lies in its profound theoretical revelation of the truth of human social development and its complete systematization that demonstrates the scientific nature of its theory. The development of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is a process of continuous enrichment and expansion, and continuous systematization and theorization. The project of Marxist theoretical research and construction must continuously deepen theoretical research and interpretation, focusing on the research and interpretation of the principled theoretical achievements in the new concepts and propositions put forward by our Party, grasping their internal interconnections, and educating and guiding the entire Party and the entire country to better learn and grasp the theoretical system of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.
Xi Jinping pointed out that we must pay attention to drawing wisdom for theoretical innovation from the creativity of the people. Marxism is a theory that speaks for the people and on behalf of the people; it was created to change the destiny of the people and has been enriched and developed in the practice of the people's pursuit of liberation. The creative practice of the people is an inexhaustible source of theoretical innovation for Marxism. As creators of history, the people are not only creators of material wealth but also creators of spiritual wealth. The achievements of the Sinicization of Marxism in the new era are all the crystallization of the practical experience and collective wisdom of the Party and the people. Whether it is Mao Zedong Thought, the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, or Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, all stem from the wisdom, exploration, and creativity of the people. Continuing to advance the Party's theoretical innovation must take the mass line; we must never work behind closed doors, engage in empty talk, or indulge in empty speculation. We must respect the pioneering spirit of the people, pay attention to summarizing fresh experiences from the creative practice of the people, raising them to rational understanding, and extracting new theoretical achievements. We must strive to make the Party's innovative theories deeply rooted in the hearts of hundreds of millions of people, becoming a theory that is down-to-earth, gathers the wisdom of the people, follows the will of the people, and wins the support of the people.
