MBAS IN MARXISM

The following are excerpts from Chinese President Xi Jinping’s speech this week to mark the 40th anniversary of economic and political reforms proposed in December 1978 by former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping. The text is transcribed from the audio of a Chinese government translator using a government television feed. The excerpts are taken from various passages throughout the 85-minute speech.

(Over the last 40 years China’s leaders) forged a deep understanding of and answered major questions, including what kind of development to pursue and how to pursue it in the new situation, thus forming the scientific outlook on development. They seized the important period of strategic opportunity and practical, theoretical and institution explorations in the process of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects.

By putting people first, and calling for comprehensive, balanced and sustainable development, Chinese Communists made the overall plan for building socialism with Chinese characteristics, centered around improving people’s wellbeing and promoting social fairness, building a harmonious world and strengthening the Party’s governance capacity — thus successfully upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristic, from a new historical starting point.

We must uphold Marxism as our guiding ideology and explore theoretical innovations based on practice. Innovation is the lifeline of reform and opening up.

We must strengthen institution-building and social governance to promote social fairness and justice … We must strengthen institution-building on ecological conservation and implement the strictest possible system for environmental protection.

We must continue to take development as the top priority and enhance our composite national strength.

The development we pursue must be sound and of high quality and strive for sustainable and healthy social progress.

We must fully apply the vision of innovative, co-ordinated, green and open development for all.

We must take resolute steps to meet three tough challenges, namely forestalling and diffusing major risks, carrying out targeted quality alleviation, preventing and controlling pollution guided by the principle that innovation is the primary driver and that talent is our most important resource.

We must implement the innovation-driven development strategy, improve our national innovation system, and accelerate homegrown innovation in key and critical technologies to foster new engines for economic growth and social progress.

We must enhance ecological conservation, in keeping with the thinking that a good environment is the most valuable asset and follow a greener model of development and way of life so that our great motherland will become more beautiful and our people will live in an environment of blue skies, green mountains and clear waters.

We Chinese communists are duty-bound to develop Marxism in the 21st century and adapt it to the Chinese context. This is our historic mission.