Inclusion of Xi thought will enrich Constitution
The second plenary session of the 19th Communist Party of China Central Committee has proposed to incorporate Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era into the Constitution, which reflects democracy and consensus building. The proposal is based on the common wish of the whole Party and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups, and embodies a high degree of unity between the Party’s views and people’s will, which will be of great practical and far-reaching historical significance in consolidating the common ideological foundation of the Party and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups to realize the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and establish socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era.
Internal requirement of constitutional development
China’s Constitution, as the fundamental law of the State, is a set of principles for governance, and embodies the wishes of the Party and the people. Since its enactment, the extant Constitution has played a very important role in the country’s reform and opening-up, its socialist modernization drive, and the Party’s administration of State affairs.
A series of systems, principles and rules established and a slew of significant policies adopted by the Constitution reflect the common will and fundamental interests of the Chinese people of all ethnic groups. They have served as a fundamental legal guarantee for the Chinese nation and people to face and overcome all kinds of difficulties and risks, and consistently march along the socialist path with Chinese characteristics. The enormous achievements made by China in all fields of development since the launch of the reform and openingup were made possible by the guarantees provided by the Constitution.
Since the birth of the first Constitution in 1954, China has been trying to improve the rule of law through practices. After the 1982 Constitution was enacted, the National People’s Congress, China’s top legislature, under the leadership of the CPC Central Committee and on the basis of the practices and development facilitated by the reform and opening-up and the country’s socialist modernization, made necessary and important revisions to some of its specific clauses and contents in 1988, 1993, 1999 and 2004, and passed 31 constitutional amendments, with the main purpose of elevating the great achievements and valuable experiences of the Party and Chinese people to the Constitution.
In the constitutional amendment passed by the second plenary session of the 9th NPC on March 15, 1999, the Deng Xiaoping Theory was written into the Constitution, and in the constitutional amendment made by the second plenary session of the 10th NPC on March 14, 2004, the Theory of Three Represents was added to the Constitution. Both offer important guidance for China’s reform and opening-up, and its socialist modernization drive. The practice of timely confirmation of the Party’s guiding ideology through constitutional revision has promoted a high degree of unity between the Party’s proposals, the will of the State and people’s wishes, and advanced the Party’s and the nation’s cause.
This is a successful example of the Party’s governance of the nation since the reform and opening-up, as well as an inherent requirement for the advancement of the Constitution.
Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, the CPC Central Committee with Xi Jinping as the core has put forward a series of new concepts on some significant issues of State governance, such as what kind of socialism with Chinese characteristics China should develop in the new era, and how China should adhere to and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics, and advanced Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, which promotes historic changes and development, in order to further the cause of the Party and nation, and build socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era.
Xi’s thought, the latest development of Marxism in China, is the crystallization of the collective wisdom of the Party and Chinese people through practices, and the guideline for them to realize the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Its political, theoretical and practical significance has been fully proved through practice and appreciated by the entire Party and Chinese people.
The 19th Party Congress in 2017 decided to amend the Constitution to make Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era a CPC guiding thought, so as to help the Party advance with the times.
The confirmation of Xi’s thought as the guiding principle of the country’s political and social development by incorporating it into the Constitution will greatly help consolidate the common ideological basis for the Party and Chinese people of all ethnic groups to jointly struggle to establish socialism with Chinese characteristics.
At the same time, it will help improve and develop the Constitution, and better safeguard constitutional unity, dignity and authority, and allow the Constitution to play a greater role in the country’s political and social development.
Xi’s thought will inspire people to realize national rejuvenation
Compared with the constitutions of other countries, the Chinese Constitution has specific stipulations and requirements when it comes to the country’s fundamental task, development path, national goals, and economic, political, cultural, social and ecological civilization construction, as well as other development causes. This is an important factor why China’s Constitution can promote national development, ensure people’s well-being and better life, and help realize the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, both in theory and practice, answers the basic questions on socialism with Chinese characteristics by making clear its overall goals and tasks, strategic layouts and steps, development direction and model, driving force of development, and political guarantee.
Based on the new practices, it also makes theoretical analysis of and offers policy guidance to China’s economic, political, legal, scientific and technological, cultural and educational, development, as well as people’s livelihoods, ethnic, religious and social groups, ecological civilization, national security, the principle of “one country, two systems”, national reunification, diplomatic issues and Party building. It is therefore of great guiding significance to the development of the Party’s and nation’s cause.
Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era makes clear China’s adherence to and development of socialism with Chinese characteristics, with the overall task being the realization of China’s socialist modernization and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and the building of China into a prosperous, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious and beautiful socialist power by the middle of this century. It also makes clear that China’s principal contradiction is the one between people’s ever-growing needs for a better life and unbalanced and inadequate development, and that the country must adhere to people-centric development and continuously promote allround development to realize their common prosperity.
It makes clear, too, that while developing socialism with Chinese characteristics, China must stick to the “five-sphere integrated plan” and “four-pronged comprehensive” strategy, and should have confidence in its development road, theory, system and culture, and the general goal of its deepening reform should be to improve and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics and push for modernization of the country’s governance system and government capability.
It also states that the major country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics is to promote a new type of international relations and build a community of shared future for humankind, and that the defining feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics is the leadership of the Party while stressing the important status of the Party’s political construction.
Besides, it emphasizes that adherence to and development of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era means China must adhere to the Party’s leadership in all aspects, adopt a peoplecentric approach, comprehensively deepen reform, follow the new development concept, ensure lawbased governance and make efforts to make sure the people run the country, adhere to the core socialist values, safeguard and improve people’s livelihoods through development, take steps to make sure there is harmonious coexistence between man and nature, pursue a holistic approach to national security, uphold the Party’s absolute leadership over the armed forces, follow the “one country, two systems” principle, work for national reunification, and build a community of shared future for humankind.
The Party, too, should be strictly governed in an all-round way.
These efforts embody organic unity between the country’s guiding ideology and its program of action, and serve as a fundamental principle for the Party to lead the Chinese people toward building a moderately well-off society in all aspects , embark on a new journey to build a socialist, modernized nation and realize the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation.
The creativity, cohesion and fighting capability of a nation depend on its ideological unity and solidarity. The “action guide” of a country should be scientific if it wants to realize modernization.
In today’s China, only socialism with Chinese characteristics can unite all the Chinese people, and only the latest achievement of Sinicization of Marxism can provide the right direction for China’s reform and opening-up and socialist modernization. The inclusion of Xi’s thought in the Constitution will make the concept a law of the State, the fundamental task of the country, the core of the leadership, and China’s guiding ideology, development road, and basic policy.
This is of particular significance to the efforts of the Party and Chinese people of all ethnic groups to thoroughly implement the spirit of the 19th Party Congress, unite their ideologies with Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, rally power for significant strategic deployments as espoused by the Party, and to build a moderately well-off society by 2020, basically realize socialist modernization by 2035 and develop the country into a socialist modernized power by the middle of this century.
Consolidating Party’s ruling status
Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era says the essential nature and biggest advantage of socialism with Chinese characteristics is the leadership of the Party and its role as the highest force for political leadership. It emphasizes that the Party exercises overall leadership in all endeavors across the country. This is the basic strategy to adhere to and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era.
To adhere to the Party’s leadership in all aspects, we should first adhere to the Party’s ideological leadership. Chairman Mao Zedong said: “Grasping ideological leadership is the first of all leaderships.” If the Party wants to lead and unite Chinese people of all ethnic groups to realize the lofty communist ideals and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics, it must translate its guiding ideology into the legal procedures, and firmly grasp its ideological leadership over various undertakings.
China’s Constitution confirms the ruling status of the Party and validates the Party’s core status in coordinating the stances and interests of various parties in the State power structure, which is the fundamental legal basis of the CPC as the longterm ruling party in the country. Since the 18th Party Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping has made it clear that the country’s governance should be according to the law, first of all, according to the Constitution. The inclusion of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era in the Constitution will make it the constitutional basis for State governance and thus further consolidate the Party’s ruling status.
The proposed amendment to the Constitution will help the Party and Chinese people of all ethnic groups to consciously maintain Xi’s core status not only in the Party’s Central Committee but also in the entire Party. It will be of vital importance and far-reaching significance to the Party’s efforts to advance various causes of the country and improve the rule of law and State governance in accordance with the law.
Chinese people of all ethnic groups, all State organs and armed forces, all political parties and social organizations, all enterprises and institutions, and all urban and rural self-governing organizations must accept and respect the Constitution as a fundamental code of conduct and should undertake their respective responsibilities to safeguard the dignity of the fundamental statute and guarantee its implementation.
The incorporation of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era into the Constitution will make it the common will of all Chinese people, ensuring the people follow it as the fundamental principle in all fields and consolidate the Party’s all-inclusive leadership in the country.