Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivers an important speech at a working conference on the education campaign on the study and implementation of the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era in Beijing, capital of China, April 3, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

A conference on the theoretical study program about the study and implementation of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era was held on Monday in Beijing. President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), attended the conference and made an important speech.

In his speech, Xi stressed that the great goals of building China into a stronger country and realizing national rejuvenation are inspiring and stimulating us to forge ahead. Our generation of Communists have been entrusted with glorious missions and important responsibilities. We need to take this theoretical study program as an opportunity to equip all Party members with the Party's new theories, further advance their understanding of Marxism, and improve the Party's ability to govern and lead, so as to enhance cohesion and pool strengths to forge ahead with enterprise and fortitude on the new journey and strive in unity to build a modern socialist country in all respects and advance the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts.

Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Ding Xuexiang, Li Xi, all members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, and Vice President Han Zheng attended the conference. Cai Qi, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the Central Leading Group for the Theoretical Study Program on the Study and Implementation of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, made concluding remarks.

Xi pointed out that the Party-wide theoretical study program on the study and implementation of the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era with the focus on officials at and above the county and director level is a major initiative to implement the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress. It is of great significance for the Party to achieve unity in thinking, solve prominent problems within the Party, always maintain close ties with the people, and advance the cause of the Party and the country. The study program should yield concrete results in the in-depth study and implementation of the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, guide Party members and officials to affirm and consolidate their convictions and continue to improve their capacity for political judgment, thinking, and implementation. The study program is meant to guide Party members and officials to become more conscious of the need to maintain political integrity, think in big-picture terms, follow the leadership core, and keep in alignment with the central Party leadership, stay confident in the path, theory, system, and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics, uphold Comrade Xi Jinping's core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and uphold the Central Committee's authority and its centralized, unified leadership, and closely follow the Party Central Committee in thinking, political stance, and action. In doing so, they can focus their ingenuity and energy on the same goal and come together as a mighty force to forge the Party into "a piece of steel" that is invincible. All Party members and officials need to be educated and guided to study the Thought and put what they have learned into action, foster a correct outlook on power, performance and career, enhance their sense of responsibility and mission, and constantly improve their ability to promote high-quality development, serve the people, and forestall and defuse risks. They need to be guided to strengthen the courage and ability to carry on fight, forge ahead with determination, take on responsibilities and demonstrate enterprise in their work. Efforts need to be made to educate and guide Party organizations at all levels, all Party members and officials to have a problem-oriented mindset so as to identify shortcomings and deficiencies and know what to do with them. They need to be guided to have regular political "health checks" through intra-Party activities, thereby "sweep off the dust", rectify misdeeds, and solve prominent problems of impurity in thinking and organization in the Party. They need to be guided to comprehensively advance the Party's capacity to purify, improve, renew, and excel itself. This will ensure that our Party always retains its vigor and vitality, and remains the strong leadership core in building socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Xi stressed that it is important to meet the general requirement for this study program, that is to "learn the Thought, strengthen Party consciousness, attach importance to practice and make new achievements." It is imperative to fully study and understand the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, comprehensively and systematically grasp its basic viewpoints, and scientific system, as well as its worldview and methodology. It is also a must to uphold and put to good use the stances, viewpoints and methods running through it, and constantly boost all Party members' political, ideological, theoretical and emotional identification with the Party's new theories. In this way, we will be able to master the essentials of Marxism and consciously use the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to guide our work. We must consciously transform ourselves with the Thought, have a good command of its requirements for maintaining firm ideals and convictions, raising our ideological level and enhancing our Party consciousness, and forever preserve the political character of Communists. We must be more purposeful in practicing the Thought of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and use it to transform the world and promote the development of our cause. We should use it to observe, understand and steer the trends of the times and to actively identify, respond to and steer changes. We should use it to solve various problems in economic and social development and Party building, to forestall and defuse major risks and to make new progress and breakthroughs in promoting modernization through a Chinese path. We should draw wisdom and strength from the Thought to forge ahead and master the management, thinking and work methods running through it. It is important to continue to improve the capacity for fulfilling duties, make concerted efforts to promote development, work ceaselessly to ensure implementation, do one's work well to make contributions and strive to yield results that can stand the test of time and the people.

Xi pointed out that the fundamental task of this theoretical study program is to apply what we have learned in practice, act on our beliefs and turn the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era into a powerful force for strengthening ideals, enhancing Party consciousness, guiding practice, and advancing our work. In this way, the entire Party will be unified in thinking, firm in will, coordinated in actions and inspired in fighting, and concrete results will be achieved in forging inner strength, gaining wisdom, improving Party conduct and motivating actions through the program. It is important to enhance cohesion and forging the Party's soul so as to bolster the foundation, to educate and guide all Party members and officials through the program to consolidate their belief in Marxism, conviction in socialism with Chinese characteristics, and confidence in realizing the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and to carry forward the great founding spirit of the Party. To do so, it is imperative that we never forget our original aspiration and founding mission, that we always stay modest, prudent, and hard-working, that we have the courage and ability to carry on our fight, and that we keep the roots of our convictions healthy and strong, and absorb the mental nutrients we need to maintain the right line in our thinking.

Characters must be tempered and loyalty intensified. All the Party members and officials must be guided and educated to build up political characters, so that they will keep following the banner, the will and the mission of the Party. They must remain loyal to the Party, the people and Marxism, love the Party sincerely, concern themselves about the Party at all times, firmly protect it and do their utmost to promote it. Solid work must be done in a responsible manner to advance development. All Party members and officials should be guided to bear in mind the country's most fundamental interests, focus on the Party's central task in the new era on the new journey, do solid work, strive for concrete results and solve problems, and meet obstacles and difficulties head on, so as to fulfill their duties for the Party and the people with a strong sense of responsibility and commitment, to make greater efforts for new progress in promoting high-quality development, and harness the indomitable fighting spirit to open up new horizons for the development of the Party's cause. The Party's purpose must be applied to deliver for the people. All the Party members and officials should be educated and guided to firmly maintain a people-centered philosophy of development, do whatever they should for the people and rely on the people in everything they do, consciously seek the people's opinions on the work of the government and know about what the people need, always breathe the same air as the people, share the same future with the people, stay truly connected to the people, work hard to solve the most pressing difficulties of immediate concern to the people, and ensure that work on improving people's livelihood, warming the cockles of their hearts and respecting their will is done to their greatest satisfaction, so as to let the people has a stronger sense of fulfillment, happiness and security. Duties should be performed in a clean and honest manner to foster new trend. All the Party members and officials should be educated and guided to have stronger awareness of disciplines and rules, and continue to rectify pointless formalities, bureaucratism, hedonism, and extravagance, placing the rectification of pointless formalities and bureaucratism in an even more prominent position. They should also exercise power in a just and fair manner, in accordance with the law and for the interests of the people, never abuse the power in their hands, build a clean work relationship among colleagues, and between ranking officials and their subordinates, and draw a clear demarcation line between government departments and business people, so as to play a good role in guiding, creating and safeguarding a good political atmosphere within the Party and a good social tendency as well.

Xi emphasized that this study program is not divided into stages or links, but integrates theoretical study, investigations and researches, promotion of development, and inspection and rectification, and thereby advance it with a holistic approach. It is a must to read the original works and articles and fully understand the principles, reflect on what we have learned and develop an in-depth understanding of them, and comprehensively learn and understand the scientific system, the essence and the practical requirements of the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, so as to digest it thoroughly. In accordance with the work plan of the CPC Central Committee on carrying out investigations and researches throughout the whole Party, Party members and officials, especially leading officials at all levels, should be organized to go to rural areas, communities, enterprises, hospitals, schools, new economic organizations, new social organizations and other grassroots units, to sort out problems and difficulties and use the Party's new theories to study new situations and solve new problems. We should focus on high-quality development, the primary task of building a modern socialist country in all respects, strengthen theoretical study to guide work on development, deepen investigations and researches to promote the solution of development problems, and integrate study, investigations and researches into the accomplishment of the tasks deployed at the 20th CPC National Congress, to test the results of the study program with the new achievements in promoting high-quality development. We should make sure that study, checking, inspection and rectification are carried out at the same time, and rectification of misdeeds must be conducted throughout the process, so that the people can feel we are solving problems for them. The central Party and government departments should do a good job in the education of officials during this study program.

Xi pointed out that this study program is a major event concerning the overall situation, the task is heavy with high requirements, and we have no time to lose. The Party committees (Party member groups) at all levels should shoulder the main responsibility, and plan, organize and implement the study program well. The major leaders of Party committees (leading Party members groups) should earnestly fulfill their duties as the first person responsible, plan personally, command in front, and supervise and guide the study program. The CPC Central Committee will dispatch guiding groups to supervise and guide the implementation of the theoretical study program. The Party committees of provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, and leading Party members groups (Party committees) of competent authorities shall dispatch circular guiding groups to strengthen the supervision and guidance of the study program in their respective regions, departments and units. All regions, departments and units must focus on the central task and serve the overall interests of the country, combining the theoretical study program with the implementation of the CPC Central Committee's decisions and plans, and with the core task of their respective regions, departments and units. They must work on and push forward both combinations to motivate Party members and officials to transform their enthusiasm for learning and work into a powerful driving force for overcoming difficulties and making progress.

Cai Qi said in his concluding speech that General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech, from the strategic height of the overall development of the Party and the country on the new journey in the new era, profoundly expounded the significance, the target and requirements of the theoretical study program, made comprehensive arrangements for various tasks of the program, and provided a fundamental guideline for the whole Party to carry out the program. It is a Marxist and programmatic document that must be earnestly studied, comprehended and fully implemented in the entire Party. We must comprehensively boost the theoretical studies, enhance cohesion and forge the Party's soul with Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, educate and guide Party members and officials to acquire a deeper understanding of the decisive significance of the establishment of both Comrade Xi Jinping's core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and the guiding role of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, boost their consciousness of the need to maintain political integrity, think in big-picture terms, follow the leadership core, and keep in alignment with the central Party leadership, stay confident in the path, the theory, the system, and the culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics, firmly uphold Comrade Xi Jinping's core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and uphold the Central Committee's authority and its centralized, unified leadership. Efforts must be made to conduct inspections and researches and apply the Party's new theories in studying new situations, solving new problems and obtaining new experiences. It is imperative to rectify misdeeds throughout the study program, and to have a problem-oriented mindset to discover problems, seek solutions through study to the problems detected, and make rectifications. It is imperative to make new progress in promoting high-quality development through hard work. The Party's "mass line" in the new era must be followed to make the theoretical study program open and inclusive, so as to address the pressing concerns of the people and deliver real benefits to the people. Leading officials must perform their duties well and strengthen supervision and guidance to make sure that all tasks of the study program are achieved as expected.

Members of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, members of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, vice chairpersons of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress who are CPC members, state councilors, president of the Supreme People's Court, procurator-general of the Supreme People's Procuratorate, vice chairpersons of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference who are CPC members and members of the CMC attended the conference.

The conference was held as a teleconference, with the attendance of members of the Central Leading Group for the Theoretical Study Program on the Study and Implementation of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, leaders of all provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the central government, sub-provincial cities and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, leading officials in charge of central Party and government departments, people's organizations, financial institutions under central administration and relevant departments in enterprises, universities and the military, all chiefs and deputy chiefs of Central Steering Groups on the study program.