In the report of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Supreme Leader clearly pointed out: "Socialism with Chinese characteristics is the theme of all theories and practices of the Party since the reform and opening up." "The whole Party should enhance its road confidence, theoretical self-confidence, institutional self-confidence and cultural self-confidence more consciously, and never take the old road of being closed and rigid, nor take the evil road of changing its flag, maintain its political strength, persist in prospering the country through hard work, and always adhere to and develop Socialism with Chinese characteristics." These important expositions are concise and in fact contain five concepts: Socialism with Chinese characteristics, Socialism with Chinese characteristics Road, Socialism with Chinese characteristics Theory System, Socialism with Chinese characteristics System and Socialism with Chinese characteristics Culture. A correct understanding of the scientific connotations of these five concepts is of great significance for us to thoroughly study and implement the Supreme Leader’s Socialism with Chinese characteristics Thought in the new era and win the great victory of Socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era.
Socialism with Chinese characteristics is a great banner that our party has always held high.
As early as November 1920, Comrade Mao Zedong vividly pointed out: "Doctrine is like a flag. When the flag is erected, everyone has hope and knows where to go." Socialism with Chinese characteristics is such a flag as Comrade Mao Zedong said. In the report of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Supreme Leader pointed out that the theme of the congress is: Do not forget your initiative mind, keep in mind the mission, hold high the great banner of Socialism with Chinese characteristics, win the decisive battle to build a well-off society in an all-round way, win the great victory of Socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, and make unremitting efforts to realize the Chinese dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The emphasis on "holding high the great banner of Socialism with Chinese characteristics" in the theme of the conference shows that Socialism with Chinese characteristics is a great banner that our party has always held high.
Socialism with Chinese characteristics is mainly composed of the following parts: First, the guiding ideology of our party, namely, Marxism–Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, Theory of Three Represents, Scientific Outlook on Development, and Socialism with Chinese characteristics Thought of the Supreme Leader in the New Era; The second is Socialism with Chinese characteristics Road; Third, Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s theoretical system; The fourth is the Socialism with Chinese characteristics system; Fifth, Socialism with Chinese characteristics culture. What needs to be emphasized here is that the guiding ideology of our Party and Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s theoretical system are different concepts with both connections and differences. Our party’s guiding ideology includes Marxism–Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought, while Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s theoretical system does not include Marxism–Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought, but it is in the same strain with Marxism–Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought and insists on development.
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the CPC Central Committee with the Supreme Leader as the core has scientifically grasped the development trend of today’s world and contemporary China, complied with practical requirements and people’s wishes, made great achievements in all aspects, and promoted historic changes in the cause of the party and the state. The achievements in the past five years are all-round and groundbreaking, and the changes in the past five years are deep-seated and fundamental. This fully shows that it is completely correct for our Party to hold high the great banner of Socialism with Chinese characteristics and uphold and develop Socialism with Chinese characteristics. Our firm belief in the "four self-confidences" is essentially our firm confidence in Socialism with Chinese characteristics.
Socialism with Chinese characteristics Road is the only way to realize socialist modernization and create a better life for the people.
Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s road is not only reflected in adhering to economic construction as the center, but also in comprehensively promoting economic construction, political construction, cultural construction, social construction, ecological civilization construction and other aspects. It is the only way to realize socialist modernization and create a better life for the people. It should be pointed out that in a society, economy is the foundation, which is not only the foundation of political superstructure, but also the foundation of cultural superstructure. This determines that adhering to the road of Socialism with Chinese characteristics means adhering to the road of economic development in Socialism with Chinese characteristics. Of course, the road of economic development is first embodied in the political superstructure and a certain economic system, which can be called as it should be; However, the actual situation of this economic system in the economic field belongs to the category of economic foundation, which can be called reality. The road of Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s economic development is reflected in the implementation of the "should be" economic system in the real economic field, mainly in the actual situation of ownership and distribution relations and interpersonal relations. In the primary stage of socialism, to adhere to the Socialism with Chinese characteristics road, we must adhere to the principle of public ownership as the main body and the common development of various forms of ownership, actively and steadily solve the problem of excessive gap between wealth possession and income distribution, and constantly move towards common prosperity. Only by unswervingly adhering to the basic economic system in the primary stage of socialism can we fundamentally reflect the socialist nature of our country and the fundamental interests of the overwhelming majority of the people, and our party, country and nation will have a bright future.
At present, people often mention the "China Road". Broadly speaking, the "China Road" can include China’s revolution, construction and reform and opening up; In a narrow sense, "China Road" refers to Socialism with Chinese characteristics Road. At present, the international community is paying more and more attention to the road of China, and its recognition is getting higher and higher. The "China model" and "China road" are being hotly debated at home and abroad. The formulation of "China Model" gives people a sense of solidification when it is completed and no longer develops. In fact, China’s current development mode is changing, and it cannot be said that it has become a solidified development model. Second, it is suspected of promotion or even expansion. Therefore, it is not appropriate to simply use the "China model" to summarize the Socialism with Chinese characteristics road, but to use the "China road".
Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s theoretical system is the correct theory to guide the party and the people to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s theoretical system is a scientific theoretical system including Deng Xiaoping Theory, Theory of Three Represents, Scientific Outlook on Development and the Supreme Leader’s New Era Socialism with Chinese characteristics Thought. This theoretical system was gradually formed and developed by our Party by combining the universal truth of Marxism–Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought with the new reality and new characteristics of the times in China’s reform and opening up. Just as Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought developed Marxism in many important aspects, so they were singled out from Marxism, so Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s theoretical system also developed Marxism–Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought in many important aspects, so they were singled out.
It should also be pointed out that there is a close relationship between Mao Zedong Thought and Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s theoretical system. Comrade Deng Xiaoping once said, "After the Third Plenary Session, we just restored the correct things of Comrade Mao Zedong, that is, accurately and completely studied and applied Mao Zedong Thought. The basic points are still those. In many ways, we still do what Comrade Mao Zedong has put forward but hasn’t done, correct what he opposed wrong, and do what he hasn’t done well. We will still do this for a long time to come. Of course, we have also developed and will continue to develop. " This illustrates the relationship between Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s theoretical system and Mao Zedong Thought, which is in the same strain and keeps pace with the times.
Comrade Supreme Leader pointed out in the report of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China: "After long-term efforts, Socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era, which is a new historical orientation for China’s development." The Supreme Leader’s Socialism with Chinese characteristics Thought in the new era is the latest achievement in adapting to this new era, the inheritance and development of Marxism–Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, Theory of Three Represents and Scientific Outlook on Development, the crystallization of the practical experience and collective wisdom of the Party and the people, an important part of Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s theoretical system, and an action guide for the whole party and people to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. We must persist in it for a long time and continue to develop it.
Socialism with Chinese characteristics system is the fundamental institutional guarantee for the development and progress of contemporary China.
Socialism with Chinese characteristics system is a brand-new social system that was established and formed after the founding of New China and gradually enriched and improved during the reform and opening up period. It is the fundamental institutional guarantee for the development and progress of contemporary China, which embodies the nature, characteristics and advantages of Socialism with Chinese characteristics. It is a set of interconnected and interrelated institutional systems formed in various fields such as economy, politics, culture, society and ecological civilization in the process of promoting the self-improvement and development of the socialist system. The Socialism with Chinese characteristics system insists on organically combining the basic political system, the basic political system with the basic economic system, various institutional mechanisms and other specific systems, and on organically unifying the party’s leadership, the people being the masters of the country and governing the country according to law, thus providing an effective institutional guarantee for the cause development of Socialism with Chinese characteristics.
The Socialism with Chinese characteristics system embodies the organic unity of our country’s state system and political system. The socialist system is the fundamental system of our country. Under this fundamental system, there are the people’s congress system, the multi-party cooperation and political consultation system led by the Communist Party of China (CPC), the regional ethnic autonomy system and the grassroots mass autonomy system. There is a basic economic system in the primary stage of socialism in China with public ownership as the main body and multiple ownership economies developing together, and a distribution system with distribution according to work as the main body and multiple modes of distribution coexisting; Socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics; There are corresponding economic system, political system, cultural system, social system, ecological civilization system and other specific systems.
To strengthen institutional confidence, we must adhere to the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Comrade Supreme Leader pointed out in the report of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China: "The most essential feature of Socialism with Chinese characteristics is the Communist Party of China (CPC)’s leadership, the greatest advantage of the Socialism with Chinese characteristics system is the Communist Party of China (CPC)’s leadership, and the Party is the highest political leadership". In the process of upholding and developing Socialism with Chinese characteristics, why do we repeatedly emphasize upholding the Communist Party of China (CPC)’s leadership? First, upholding the party’s leadership is the necessity of China’s historical development and the choice of the people; Second, adhere to the party’s leadership from the party’s purpose is to serve the people wholeheartedly; Third, our Party is the strong leading core of Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s cause, and it is in the position of commanding the overall situation and coordinating all parties. At present, there is a view that the success of the revolution requires the leadership of the party. In the period of construction, especially in the period of reform, as long as there is a sound political system and the rule of law is adhered to, the people can be the masters of the country. This is a great misunderstanding. The history of socialist development in the world proves that upholding the leadership of the Party is not only the primary condition and universal law for seizing and mastering state power, but also the primary condition and universal law for socialist construction and reform.
Socialism with Chinese characteristics culture is a powerful spiritual force that inspires the whole party and people of all nationalities to forge ahead courageously.
Culture is the soul of a country and a nation. Socialism with Chinese characteristics culture can be said to be mainly composed of the following parts: first, the theoretical system of Marxism–Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought and Socialism with Chinese characteristics; Second, the revolutionary culture and advanced socialist culture created by the party leading the people in revolution, construction and reform; Third, the excellent Chinese traditional culture nurtured by the Chinese nation’s 5,000-year history of civilization; The fourth is the excellent traditional culture of all countries and nationalities in the world that China has actively borrowed from. These parts are not juxtaposed. The theoretical system of Marxism–Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought and Socialism with Chinese characteristics is the soul of Socialism with Chinese characteristics culture, the revolutionary culture and advanced socialist culture created by the Party leading the people are the main contents of Socialism with Chinese characteristics culture, the excellent traditional Chinese culture is the rich fertile soil of Socialism with Chinese characteristics culture, and the excellent traditional cultures of all countries and nationalities in the world actively borrowed from it are the beneficial nourishment of Socialism with Chinese characteristics culture. Cultural self-confidence is more basic, broader and deeper self-confidence. We must persist in taking Marxism as the guidance, carry forward the socialist core values, carry forward the national spirit with patriotism as the core and the spirit of the times with reform and innovation as the core, and constantly enhance the spiritual strength of the whole party and the people of all ethnic groups throughout the country.
The above five aspects are closely linked, interdependent and inseparable. Socialism with Chinese characteristics, as a great banner held high by our Party, is in charge, which stipulates the fundamental nature and direction of road, theory, system and culture. Road is the way to achieve, theoretical system is the guide to action, system is the fundamental guarantee, and culture is the profound foundation, which are unified in the great cause of Socialism with Chinese characteristics.
(The author is Li Shenming, deputy director of the Internal Affairs Judicial Committee of the National People’s Congress and consultant of the New Era Socialism with Chinese characteristics Thought Research Center, the supreme leader of the China Academy of Social Sciences)
