--By Chang Hua, Ambassador of China to Iran

The 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) convened its sixth plenary session from November 8 to 11, 2021. It was stressed at the session that the CPC has established Comrade Xi Jinping’s core position on the Party Central Committee and in the CPC as a whole, and established the guiding role of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. This “two-establishments” reflects the common will of the CPC, the armed forces, and Chinese people of all ethnic groups, and is of decisive significance for advancing the cause of the CPC and the country in the new era and for driving forward the historic process of national rejuvenation.

Historical process and evolution in thinking are always interacting. The trend of the times creates great leaders who in turn inspire the times they live in. As an old Chinese saying goes, a giant ship needs only one man to steer. For China, if a major party with more than 95 million members and a major country with 56 ethnic groups and a population of more than 1.4 billion do not have a core and guiding thought, it will become weak and achieve nothing. Only with a core and guiding thought can the whole party be firmly united, and then the people of all ethnic groups in the country can be closely united to form a majestic force with one heart and one mind. General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Xi Jinping has demonstrated deep feelings for the people, outstanding political wisdom and a strong sense of mission to lead the whole party and the people to uphold great historical initiative, usher in a new era of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics, and prompt historic achievements in the cause of the CPC and the country.

Under the firm leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, the Chinese people have taken advantage of the system for mobilizing the resources nationwide for its purpose to make great achievements in the development of various fields. China is now the world’s second largest economy, the largest industrial nation, and the largest trader in goods. Its contribution to world economic growth has reached 30%, its GDP per capita has crossed the threshold of 10,000 US dollars, and its medium-income group has exceeded 400 million, which is the largest in the world. A complete victory has been secured in the fight against poverty, lifting nearly 100 million impoverished rural residents out of poverty. The living standards of Chinese people have been continuously improved, with average life expectancy rising from 35 years in 1949 to 77.3 years. Great developments of scientific and technological innovation have been realized, such as Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST), Quantum Experiments at Space Scale (QUESS), BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) and China Railway High-speed (CRH). Ecological governance has achieved significant results, making desert and barren hills into lucid waters and lush mountains. The Chinese nation has achieved the tremendous transformation from standing up and growing prosperous to becoming strong.

A party with scientific theory has the power of truth. The fundamental reason why the CPC has been able to accomplish enormous tasks over the past century that were inconceivable for any other political force in China, is its commitment to adapting the basic tenets of Marxism to China’s specific realities and its fine traditional culture, advancing theoretical innovation and using new theory to guide new practice. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, General Secretary Xi Jinping has been thoroughly reviewing the situation of the times, grasping the pulse of the times and leading the trend of the times to put forward a series of original strategic thoughts and innovative ideas and establish Xi Jinping thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. Based on the characteristics of the times, this important thought uses Marxism to grasp the historical context and the general trend of the world, and scientifically answers the major questions of the times: what kind of socialism with Chinese characteristics we should uphold and develop in this new era, what kind of great modern socialist country we should build, and what kind of Marxist party exercising long-term governance we should develop, as well as how we should go about achieving these tasks. From “the CPC is the highest force for political leadership” to whole-process people’s democracy, from the new development philosophy to a uniquely Chinese path to modernization, from Belt and Road Initiative to a Community of Shared Future for Mankind, Xi Jinping thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era represents a new breakthrough in adapting Marxism to the Chinese context, and provides guidance for advancing national rejuvenation.

Practice since the 18th National Congress of the CPC has fully proved that the “two establishments” fits to the Chinese context, leads to great success and thus is proved to be the right choice of history. China has found a development path that suits itself. China does not “import” foreign models nor “export” Chinese models. It expects and respects the people of all countries to find a path of independent development, unswervingly follow its own approach and achieve its own continuous development.