The Second Historical Leap in the Sinicization of Marxism

After the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh CPC Central Committee, the CPC, on the basis of summing up the historical experience of both positive and negative aspects of China's socialist construction and studying the international situation, combined the basic principles of Marxism with China's reform practice and the characteristics of the times and formed theoretical results which are proved by practice to be the correct theoretical principles and experience summary about building, consolidating and developing socialism in China. It is relative to the first historical leap of CPC’s combining the basic principles of Marxism with the reality of the Chinese revolution. Its achievements are manifested in three aspects: The path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics and the socialist system with Chinese characteristics. The theoretical result of the second historical leap of the Sinicization of Marxism is the scientific theoretical system consisting of Deng Xiaoping Theory, the Theory of Three Represents, the Scientific Outlook on Development, the latest guiding principles and thoughts embodied in General Secretary Xi Jinping’s major speeches and governance of China since the 18th CPC National Congress, so forth.

In 1978, the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh CPC Central Committee resolutely ceased the obsession with class struggle and shifted the work focus of the Party and the country to the economic development, thus realizing a great turning point of profound significance in the history of the Party since the founding of New China. The Reform and Opening-up ushered in the second historical leap of the Sinicization of Marxism.

The Party’s second generation of central collective leadership with Deng Xiaoping at its core has explored the fundamental and overall issue of "what socialism is and how it should be built" in practice on the basis of scientifically judging the transformation of the theme of the times to peace and development and summarizing the historical experience of both positive and negative aspects of socialist construction at home and abroad and the fresh experience formed by Reform and Opening-up. In 1982, Deng Xiaoping made the important proposition of "building socialism with Chinese characteristics" at the 12th CPC National Congress and proposed a series of pioneering ideas. In the 13th CPC National Congress in 1987, the theory of the primary stage of socialism was systematically elaborated, the Party’s basic line in this primary stage formulated, and a series of scientific theoretical viewpoints on socialist construction since the Reform and Opening-up summarized, which formed the outline of "the theory of building socialism with Chinese characteristics". At the beginning of 1992, Deng Xiaoping issued the south tour talk, in which he expounded in depth a series of major issues such as the essence of socialism, the relationship between socialism and market economy, and the "Three Favorables" criterion, thus pushing the Reform and Opening-up to a new historical stage. In the 14th CPC National Congress in 1992, a series of creative ideas in this regard were reduced to "the theory of building socialism with Chinese characteristics". In 1997, the Party formally adopted the concept of "Deng Xiaoping Theory" in its 15th National Congress and incorporated it into the Party Constitution as its guiding ideology. Deng Xiaoping Theory was the first to provide a systematic preliminary answer to a series of basic questions about how to build socialism and how to consolidate and develop it in a country like China with relatively backward economy and culture. It is the pioneering work of the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the drastic changes in Eastern Europe and the disintegration of the Soviet Union caused serious political turmoil in China. Facing the grim and complicated situation at home and abroad, the Party’s third generation of central collective leadership with Jiang Zemin at the core defended socialism with Chinese characteristics and promoted it in the 21st century across the board. In this process, the important thought of "Three Represents" was gradually formed. The important thought of “Three Represents” consists of a series of interconnected and coherent new ideas, perspectives and judgments which further answer what socialism is and how it should be built and creatively answer what kind of Party should be built and how it should be built. It has enriched and developed the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics. In the 16th CPC National Congress, the important thought of “Three Represents” was written into the Party Constitution, indicating that the Party’s guiding ideology keeps pace with the times once again.

In the 21st century, the socialist construction with Chinese characteristics displays new features. The CPC Central Committee with Hu Jintao as General Secretary has summarized China's development practice, accurately grasped the world development trend, drawn lessons from foreign development experiences, emphasized the people-oriented, comprehensive, coordinated and sustainable development, and proposed the construction of a socialist harmonious society and the acceleration of the ecological civilization construction, which helps form the overall layout of socialism with Chinese characteristics and creatively answers “what kind of development should be achieved and how we should achieve it”. It thus follows that the scientific outlook on development has been formed and socialism with Chinese characteristics adhered to and developed at a new historical starting point. In the 18th CPC National Congress, the Scientific Outlook on Development was included into the Party’s guiding ideology that has to be adhered to in the long term and written into the Party Constitution.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era. In response to the fundamental questions of what kind of socialism with Chinese characteristics the new era requires us to uphold and develop and how we should go about doing it, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has been guided by Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the important thought of “Three Represents” and the Scientific Outlook on Development. In answering these questions, it has continued to free the mind, seek truth from facts and apply a realistic and pragmatic approach. It has pooled the wisdom of the whole Party, grasped the general trend of the times and responded to practical requirements. It has strove to promote the overall plan of seeking economic, political, cultural, social and ecological progress, implement the Four-Pronged Comprehensive Strategy and uphold five development concepts, thus giving shape to Xi Jinping’s socialist thought with Chinese characteristics in the new era. In this process, the Sinicization of Marxism has been pushed forward, the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics enriched and developed, the understanding of the laws that underlie governance by a Communist Party, the development of socialism, and the evolution of human society deepened, and a powerful scientific theoretical guidance for building a well-off society in an all-round way and accelerating socialist modernization under the new historical conditions is provided.

The second historical leap of the Sinicization of Marxism is still underway, and the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics will further be enriched and developed.