Xi Jinping Thought

Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era,[1][2] commonly abbreviated outside China as Xi Jinping Thought or Xi'ism,[note 1][6][7][8] is an ideological doctrine created during General Secretary Xi Jinping's leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) that combines Chinese Marxism and national 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".[9] It consists of 14-point fundamental principles, which were announced together with Xi Jinping Thought.

Picture of General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Xi Jinping after who the ideology is named after.
General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Xi Jinping for whom the political thought is named.

Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism
with Chinese Characteristics
for a New Era
Simplified Chinese习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想
Traditional Chinese習近平新時代中國特色社會主義思想
A billboard advertising Xi Jinping Thought in Shenzhen, Guangdong with the symbol of the Chinese Communist Party.
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It was first officially mentioned at the 19th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party in 2017, in which it was incorporated into the Constitution of the Chinese Communist Party,[5] leading to a further elevation of Xi's status in the CCP. At the first session of the 13th National People's Congress on 11 March 2018, the preamble of the Constitution of the People's Republic of China was amended to mention Xi Jinping Thought.

History and development

The first official mention of the term was at the 19th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party having gradually been developed since 2012, when Xi became General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (China's paramount leader).[10] Some news sources have stated that Xi helped create this ideology together with his close advisor Wang Huning.[11][12] 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 journal Qiushi.[13][14]

Socialism with Chinese characteristics
Main article: Socialism with Chinese characteristics

Much of Xi Jinping Thought comes from Xi's 2013 speech, delivered a month after he became the CCP General Secretary.[14] Beginning his speech, Xi said:

"First of all: Socialism with Chinese characteristics is socialism, not any other “ism.” The guiding principles of scientific socialism thus 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 is socialism, not some other doctrine... It was Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought that guided the Chinese people out of the long night and established a New China, and it was socialism with Chinese characteristics that led to the rapid development of China."[15]

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."[14] On the relationship with capitalist nations, Xi said, "Marx and Engels' 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."[14] 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 in historical materialism."[16]

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

Why did the Soviet Union disintegrate? Why did the Communist Party of the Soviet Union fall 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, negating Lenin, negating Stalin, creating historical nihilism and 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![13]

The concepts behind Xi Jinping Thought were elaborated in Xi's The Governance of China book series, published by the Foreign Languages Press for an international audience. Volume one was published in September 2014, followed by volume two in November 2017,[17] followed by volume three in June 2020,[18] followed by volume four in July 2022.[19] Xi has praised Karl Marx as "the greatest thinker of modern times" whose teachings enlightened the working classes of the world and has called upon party cadres to adopt Marxist revolutionary principles as a "way of life".[20]

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. The Politburo Standing Committee (top decision-making body) then prepended "Xi Jinping" to the phrase, in their review of his speech.[21] The Congress then affirmed Xi's speech as a guiding political and military ideology of the Chinese Communist Party[21] and approved its incorporation into the constitution of the party,[22][23] with unanimous support in a show of hands.[24]

The incorporation made Xi the third Chinese leader (after Mao Zedong and Deng 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 Jintao and Jiang Zemin). Xi promised to make China strong, propelling the country into a "new era".[25]

Further developments

In 2021, the 19th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party approved of a historical resolution, which declared Xi Jinping Thought "a new breakthrough in the Sinicization of Marxism."[26]

Content

Xi Jinping Thought consists of a 14-point basic policy as follows:[27][28]

  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. "Practise socialist core values", including Marxism–Leninism and 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 the national security of China.
  11. The Communist Party of China should have "absolute leadership over" China's People's Liberation Army.
  12. Promoting the one country, two systems system for Hong Kong and Macau with a future of "complete national reunification" and to follow the One-China principle and 1992 Consensus for Taiwan.
  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

In economic matters, Xi Jinping thought highlights the historical importance of state-owned enterprises:[29]: 217 

[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.

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 the Scientific Outlook on Development as part of a series of guiding ideologies that embody "Marxism adapted to Chinese conditions".[21]

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 in Hangzhou to study the report of the 19th Party Congress featuring Xi Jinping Thought.[30]

Content from Xi's 2017 speech is used in public messages, described as being 'pervasive' by a Beijing correspondent for The New York Times.[31] A poster featuring the slogan "Chinese Dream" comes from the speech, where the phrase is used 31 times.[32][33] In July 2018, the carriages of a train in Changchun Subway were 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.[34] In January 2019, Alibaba Group released an app called Xuexi Qiangguo for studying Xi Jinping Thought.[35]

In June 2023, the Institute of China and Contemporary Asia (ICCA) at the Russian Academy of Sciences opened the Modern Ideology of China Research Laboratory, the first research center dedicated to Xi Jinping Thought outside China.[36] 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".[36]

In education

By the end of 2017, dozens of Chinese universities had established research institutes for Xi Jinping Thought, applying Xi's stated principle of bringing the thought into all aspects of daily life.[37] Academics such as Jiang Shigong went on to write expositions of Xi Jinping Thought.[38] In December 2019, Fudan University added content concerning the inculcation of teachers and students in Xi Jinping Thought into its charter, leading to protests about academic freedom among the students.[39][40]

In mid-2021, the Ministry of Education announced that Xi Jinping Thought would be taught to Chinese students beginning at the primary school level.[41]

See also

Notes
  1. Sometimes also referred to or spelled as Xi Thought,[3][4] Xism, or Xi Jinpingism.[5]

References
  1. Xiang, Bo, ed. (17 March 2018). "Backgrounder: Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era". Xinhua News Agency. Archived from the original on 17 November 2022. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  2. Buckley, Chris (26 February 2018). "Xi Jinping Thought Explained: A New Ideology for a New Era". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 31 October 2022. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  3. "China's Netizens Push Back on 'Xi Thought'". Voice of America. Archived from the original on 1 August 2019. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  4. 江巍. "Courseware on Xi thought launched". China Daily. Archived from the original on 1 August 2019. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  5. Miller, Alice (11 September 2017). "Xi Jinping And The Party's "Guiding Ideology"". China Leadership Monitor. Hoover Institution. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 September 2017.
  6. Phillips, Tom (27 October 2017). "Xi Jinping Thought to be taught in China's universities". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 22 November 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  7. Buckley, Chris (24 October 2017). "China Enshrines 'Xi Jinping Thought,' Elevating Leader to Mao-Like Status". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 22 November 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  8. "Russia launches lab to study Xi Jinping ideology". Politico. 22 June 2023. Archived from the original on 26 June 2023. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  9. "(CPC Congress) Full text of resolution on Party Constitution amendment-Xinhua". Xinhua News Agency. 22 October 2022. Archived from the original on 22 October 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  10. "China's 'Chairman of Everything': Behind Xi Jinping's Many Titles". The New York Times. 25 October 2017. Archived from the original on 26 October 2017. Mr. Xi's most important title is general secretary, the most powerful position in the Communist Party. In China's one-party system, this ranking gives him virtually unchecked authority over the government.
  11. Perlez, Jane (13 November 2017). "Behind the Scenes, Communist Strategist Presses China's Rise". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 23 February 2020. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  12. "The meaning of the man behind China's ideology, The meaning of the man behind China's ideology". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Archived from the original on 15 October 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  13. "30 Years After Tiananmen: Memory in the Era of Xi Jinping". Journal of Democracy. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  14. Greer, Tanner (31 May 2019). "Xi Jinping in Translation: China's Guiding Ideology". Palladium Magazine. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  15. Jinping, Xi (11 April 2022). "Regarding the Construction of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics (2013)". Redsails.org. Archived from the original on 11 April 2022.
  16. Roa, Carlos (4 June 2019). "On the Anniversary of Tiananmen Square, What Is Xi Jinping Thinking?". The National Interest. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  17. "Second volume of Xi's book on governance published". Xinhua News Agency. Archived from the original on 6 December 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  18. "Xi Focus: Third volume of "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China" published". Xinhua. Archived from the original on 2 July 2020.
  19. "Fourth volume of "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China" published-Xinhua". 12 August 2022. Archived from the original on 12 August 2022. Retrieved 18 June 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  20. "China's Xi: Karl Marx a tool to 'win the future'". Deutsche Welle. 4 May 2018. Archived from the original on 2 June 2018.
  21. Zhang, Ling (18 October 2017). "CPC creates Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era". Xinhua. Archived from the original on 18 October 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  22. Phillips, Tom (24 October 2017). "Xi Jinping becomes most powerful leader since Mao with China's change to constitution". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 24 October 2017. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  23. "Xi presents new CPC central leadership, roadmap for next 5 years". Xinhua. 24 October 2017. Archived from the original on 25 October 2017. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  24. "Xi Jinping asks party congress if anyone opposes...Xi Jinping". BBC News. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  25. Buckley, Chris (25 October 2017). "China Enshrines 'Xi Jinping Thought,' Elevating Leader to Mao-Like Status". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  26. Wo-Lap Lam, Willy (23 March 2023). "Xi Jinping Thought and The End of (Chinese) History". Jamestown Foundation. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
  27. Goh, Sui Noi (18 October 2017). "19th Party Congress: Xi Jinping outlines new thought on socialism with Chinese traits". Straits Times. Archived from the original on 26 October 2017. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  28. "His own words: The 14 principles of 'Xi Jinping Thought'". BBC Monitoring. Archived from the original on 28 October 2017. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  29. Marquis, Christopher; Qiao, Kunyuan (2022). Mao and markets the communist roots of Chinese enterprise. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-26883-6. OCLC 1348572572.
  30. "China sends its top actors and directors back to socialism school". The Washington Post. 1 December 2017. Archived from the original on 7 December 2017.
  31. Hernández, Javier C. (28 January 2018). "The Propaganda I See on My Morning Commute (Published 2018)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  32. Fewsmith, Joseph. "Xi Jinping's Fast Start" (PDF). China Leadership Monitor. Hoover Institute. 41.
  33. "Full text of Xi Jinping's report at 19th CPC National Congress". China Daily. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  34. Gan, Nectar (3 July 2018). "All aboard the propaganda express for Xi Jinping's 'New Era'". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 3 July 2018. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  35. Linder, A. (14 February 2019). "China's hottest app is all about making users study Xi Jinping Thought". shanghaiist. Archived from the original on 12 November 2019. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  36. Liu, Zhen (2 July 2023). "Russia opens research centre on Xi Jinping's ideology, the first outside China". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  37. "Chinese universities start 'Xi Thought' institutes". AFP. 30 October 2017. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017.
  38. Backer, Larry Catá (June 2018). "Reflections on Jiang Shigong on 'Philosophy and History: Interpreting the "Xi Jinping Era" through Xi's Report to the Nineteenth National Congress of the CCP'" (PDF). Working Papers. Coalition for Peace and Ethics. pp. 1–2. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 July 2019. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
  39. "Students protest at Shanghai's Fudan University". Asia Times. 19 December 2019. Retrieved 19 December 2019. A video circulating this week showed students at Shanghai's Fudan University singing the school song – which extols "academic independence and freedom of thought" – in an apparent protest.{...}Besides removing "freedom of thought," the ministry adds to the charter "arming the minds of teachers and students with Xi Jinping's new era of socialist ideology with Chinese characteristics." It also obliges faculty and students to adhere to "core socialist values" and build a "harmonious" campus environment – a code phrase for the elimination of anti-government sentiment.
  40. "Fùdàn dàxué zhāngchéng shānchú sīxiǎng zìyóu xuéshēng chàng xiàogē kàngyì yāoqiú xuéshù dúlì [yǐng] fùdàn dàxué zhāngchéng shānchú sīxiǎng zìyóu xuéshēng chàng xiàogē kàngyì yāoqiú xuéshù dúlì [yǐng]" 復旦大學章程刪除思想自由 學生唱校歌抗議要求學術獨立[影] [Freedom of thought was deleted from Fudan University’s constitution, students sang the school song and protested for academic independence]. Central News Agency (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 18 December 2019. Archived from the original on 18 December 2019. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  41. "China to add 'Xi Jinping Thought' to national curriculum". Reuters. 25 August 2021.

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