Xi Jinping Thought

General Secretary of the Chinese Communist PartyXi Jinpingfor whom the political thought is named.

Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era
Simplified Chinese	Tập Cận Bình tân thời đại Trung Quốc đặc sắc xã hội chủ nghĩa tư tưởng
Traditional Chinese	Tập Cận Bình tân thời đại Trung Quốc đặc sắc xã hội chủ nghĩa tư tưởng
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Xí Jìnpíng xīn shídài Zhōngguó tè sắc shèhuì zhǔyì sīxiǎng Bopomofo ㄒㄧˊ ㄐㄧㄣˋ ㄆㄧㄥˊ ㄒㄧㄣ ㄕˊ ㄉㄞˋ ㄓㄨㄥ ㄍㄨㄛˊ ㄊㄜˋ ㄙㄜˋ ㄕㄜˋ ㄏㄨㄟˋ ㄓㄨˇ ㄧˋ ㄙ ㄒㄧㄤˊ Wade–Giles Hsi2Chin4-p'ing2hsin1shih2-tai4Chung1-kuo2t'e4-se4she4-hui4chu3-i4ssu1-hsiang3 IPA [ɕǐ tɕîn.pʰǐŋ ɕín ʂɻ̩̌.tâɪ ʈʂʊ́ŋ.kwǒ tʰɤ̂.sɤ̂ ʂ]

A billboard advertising Xi Jinping Thought inShenzhen,Guangdongwith the symbol of theChinese Communist Party.

Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era,commonly abbreviated outside China asXi Jinping Thought,or more recently,Xi'ismis an ideological doctrine created duringGeneral SecretaryXi Jinping'sleadershipof theChinese Communist Party(CCP) that combinesChinese Marxismandnational rejuvenation.According to the CCP, Xi Jinping Thought "builds on and further enriches" previous party ideologies and has also been called as the "Marxism of contemporary China and of the 21st century".The theory's main elements are summarized in the ten affirmations, the fourteen commitments, and the thirteen areas of achievements.

It was first officially mentioned at the19th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Partyin 2017, in which it was incorporated into theConstitution of the Chinese Communist Party,leading to a further elevation of Xi's status in the CCP. At the first session of the13th National People's Congresson 11 March 2018, the preamble of theConstitution of the People's Republic of Chinawas amended to mention Xi Jinping Thought.

History and development

"Xi Jinping Thought on socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era" was formally launched at the19th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Partyhaving gradually been developed since 2012, when Xi becameGeneral Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party.Some news sources have stated that Xi helped create this ideology together with his close advisor, then director of theCentral Policy Research OfficeWang Huning.The first indications of Xi's platform had come out in a speech titled "Some Questions on Maintaining and Developing Socialism with Chinese Characteristics" given to the newly elected Central Committee on 5 January 2013, and was later published by Central Documents Press and the journalQiushi.

Nomenclature

In communist party discourse, Xi Jinping Thought is referred to as "Xi Jinping Thought on socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era," or Xi Jinping Thought on a specific field, such asXi Jinping Thought on diplomacy.The first public usage ofXi Jinping sixiang( "Xi Jinping Thought" ) came in 2017 whenLiu Mingfuand Wang Zhongyuan published a book by that name.As of at least early 2024, the communist party does not use "Xi Jinping Thought" in official discourses.In English, "Xi Jinping Thought" is the most common usage, with others including Xi Thought.

Socialism with Chinese characteristics

Main article:Socialism with Chinese characteristics

Much of Xi Jinping Thought comes from Xi's 2013 speech delivered at the18th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party,delivered a month after he became the CCP General Secretary.Beginning his speech, Xi said:

"First of all: Socialism with Chinese characteristics is socialism, not any other “ism.” The guiding principles ofscientific socialismthus cannot be abandoned. Our Party has always emphasized adherence to the basic principles of scientific socialism, but adapted to the particular conditions of China. This means that socialism with Chinese characteristics issocialism,not some other doctrine... It wasMarxism-LeninismandMao Zedong Thoughtthat guided theChinese peopleout of the long night and established aNew China,and it was socialism with Chinese characteristics that led to the rapid development of China. "

According to Xi, "the consolidation and development of the socialist system will require its own long period of history... it will require the tireless struggle of generations, up to ten generations."On the relationship withcapitalistnations, Xi said, "Marx andEngels' analysis of the basic contradictions in capitalist society is not outdated, nor is the historical materialist view that capitalism is bound to die out and socialism is bound to win. "Xi also stated: "The fundamental reason why some of our comrades have weak ideals and faltering beliefs is that their views lack a firm grounding inhistorical materialism."

Xi showed great interest in why the Soviet Uniondissolved,and how to avoid that failure in China:

Why did the Soviet Union disintegrate? Why did theCommunist Party of the Soviet Unionfall from power? An important reason was that the struggle in the field of ideology was extremely intense, completely negating the history of the Soviet Union, negating the history of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, negatingLenin,negatingStalin,creatinghistorical nihilismand confused thinking. Party organs at all levels had lost their functions, the military was no longer under Party leadership. In the end, the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, a great party, was scattered, the Soviet Union, a great socialist country, disintegrated. This is a cautionary tale!

The concepts behind Xi Jinping Thought were elaborated in Xi'sThe Governance of Chinabook series, published by theForeign Languages Pressfor an international audience. Volume one was published in September 2014, followed by volume two in November 2017,followed by volume three in June 2020,followed by volume four in July 2022.Xi has praisedKarl Marxas "the greatest thinker of modern times" whose teachings enlightened theworking classesof the world and has called upon party cadres to adopt Marxist revolutionary principles as a "way of life".

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 a scientific socialism rooted in China’s soil, one that reflects the aspirations of the Chinese people, and one that is adapted to the conditions of progress in our times.It is the only wayto comprehensively build a prosperous society, accelerate socialist modernization and realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

— Xi Jinping, "Uphold and Develop Socialism with Chinese Characteristics", January 5th, 2013,

Speech at the 19th Congress

Xi first used the phrase "Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era" in his speech delivered on the opening day of the 19th Party Congress in October 2017. ThePolitburo Standing Committee(top decision-making body) then prepended "Xi Jinping" to the phrase, in their review of his speech.The Congress then affirmed Xi's speech as a guiding political and militaryideology of the Chinese Communist Partyand approved its incorporation into the constitution of the party,with unanimous support in ashow of hands.

The incorporation made Xi the third Chinese leader (afterMao ZedongandDeng Xiaoping) to have their names incorporated into the list of fundamental doctrines of the CCP. This demonstrated that Xi was more influential than his two predecessors as General Secretary (Hu JintaoandJiang Zemin). Xi promised to make China strong, propelling the country into a "new era".

In subsequent official party documentation and pronouncements by Xi's colleagues, the thought has been said to be a continuation of previous party ideologues, and it "builds on and further enriches" Marxism–Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought,Deng Xiaoping Theory,"the important thought of the Three Represents"and theScientific Outlook on Developmentas part of a series of guiding ideologies that embody "Marxism adapted to Chinese conditions".

Further developments

In 2021, the19th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Partyapproved of ahistorical resolution,which declared Xi Jinping Thought "a new breakthrough in the Sinicization of Marxism."

Content

Xi Jinping Thought is summarized into the 10 affirmations (Mười cái minh xác), the 14 commitments (Mười bốn cái kiên trì), and the 13 areas of achievements (Mười ba cái phương diện thành tựu).

Ten affirmations

During his speech to the 19th CCP National Congress, Xi Jinping introduced the "eight affirmations" (Tám minh xác), which later developed to the "ten affirmations" with the addition of the 7th and 10th points during the Sixth Plenum of the 19th Central Committee in 2021.

Fourteen commitments

1. Ensuring Communist Party of China leadership over all forms of work in China.
2. The Communist Party of China should take a people-centric approach for the public interest.
3. The continuation of "comprehensive deepening of reforms".
4. Adopting new science-based ideas for "innovative, coordinated, green, open and shared development".
5. Following "socialism with Chinese characteristics"with" people as the masters of the country ".
6. Governing China with the Rule of Law.
7. "Practisesocialist core values",includingMarxism–Leninismand socialism with Chinese characteristics.
8. "Improving people's livelihood and well-being is the primary goal of development".
9. Coexist well with nature with "energy conservation and environmental protection" policies and "contribute to global ecological safety".
10. Strengthen thenational security of China.
11. The Communist Party of China should have "absolute leadership over" China'sPeople's Liberation Army.
12. Promoting theone country, two systemssystem forHong KongandMacauwith a future of "completenational reunification"and to follow theOne-China principleand1992 ConsensusforTaiwan.
13. Establish a common destiny between the Chinese people and other peoples around the world with a "peaceful international environment".
14. Improve party discipline in the Communist Party of China

Thirteen achievements

1. In upholding the Party's overall leadership
2. In comprehensively and strictly governing the party
3. In economic construction
4. In comprehensively deepening reform and opening up
5. In political construction
6. In comprehensively governing the country according the law
7. In cultural constructions
8. In social construction
9. In the construction of ecological civilization
10. In national defense and army building
11. In safeguarding national security
12. In adhering to one country, two systems and promoting reunification of the motherland
13. in diplomatic work

Other

Xi Jinping Thought seeks to reinvigorate themass line.

In economic matters, Xi Jinping Thought highlights the historical importance ofstate-owned enterprises:

[W]ithout the important material foundation that state-owned enterprises have laid for China's development over a long period of time, without the major innovations and key core technologies achieved by state-owned enterprises, and without state-owned enterprises' long-term commitment to a large number of social responsibilities, there would be no economic independence and national security for China, no continuous improvement in people's lives, and no socialist China standing tall in the East of the world.

Influence and reception

Finding cultural expressions for Xi Jinping Thought has been a priority. On 27 November 2017, more than 100 of China's top filmmakers, actors and pop stars were gathered for a day inHangzhouto study the report of the 19th Party Congress featuring Xi Jinping Thought.

Content from Xi's 2017 speech is used in public messages, described as being 'pervasive' by a Beijing correspondent forTheNew York Times.A poster featuring the slogan "Chinese Dream"comes from the speech, where the phrase is used 31 times.In July 2018, the carriages of a train inChangchun Rail Transitwere decked out in red and dozens of Xi's quotes to celebrate the 97th anniversary of Chinese Communist Party. The train was described as a "highly condensed spiritual manual" of Xi Jinping Thought by the local government.In January 2019,Alibaba Groupreleased an app calledXuexi Qiangguofor studying Xi Jinping Thought.In May 2024, the China Cyberspace Research Institute, which is under theCyberspace Administration of China,announced alarge language modelwhosetraining dataincludes Xi Jinping Thought.

In education

On 25 October 2017,Renmin Universityestablished a Xi Jinping Thought research center, the first of its kind.By December 2017, 10 such research centers or institutes were approved and, by March 2018, all were in operation.Several dozen were opened by the end of 2018, and degree programs and online modules on Xi Jinping Thought were developed.On 20 July 2020, theChina Institute of International Studiesopened the "Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Foreign Affairs".

Academics such asJiang Shigongwent on to write expositions of Xi Jinping Thought.In December 2019,Fudan Universityadded content concerning the inculcation of teachers and students in Xi Jinping Thought into its charter, leading to protests aboutacademic freedomamong the students.

In mid-2021, theMinistry of Educationannounced that Xi Jinping Thought would be taught to Chinese students beginning at the primary school level.

In June 2023, the Institute of China and Contemporary Asia (ICCA) at theRussian Academy of Sciencesopened the Modern Ideology of China Research Laboratory, the first research center dedicated to Xi Jinping Thought outside China.The ICCA director Kirill Babaev said that the institute aimed to conduct an "in-depth analysis of the ideas and concepts that make up the foundation of the modern Chinese state" and said that the institute would focus on "five areas of modern Chinese ideology – economic policy, internal policy and lawmaking, foreign policy and international relations, defence and security, and ecology and society".

See also

• Xi Jinping's cult of personality
• Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy

Further reading

• Hu, Angang; Yan, Yilong; Tang, Xiao; Liu, Shenglong (2021)."2050 China: Becoming A Great Modern Socialist Country".Understanding Xi Jinping's Governance.Singapore: Springer.doi:10.1007/978-981-15-9833-3.ISBN978-981-15-9832-6.ISSN2662-7426.S2CID230608867.

External links

• Xi Jinping's Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New eraArchived20 October 2018 at theWayback Machine.A course on edX by Tsinghua University