Qu Qingshan: Gain a Deeper Understanding of the Significance of the Work of the Past Five Years and the Great Changes of in the First Decade of the New Era

The five years since the 19th National Party Congress and the 10 years since the new era have been extremely unusual and extraordinary. You cannot appreciate the difficulty of a task until you have done it yourself—we have found our cause challenging.

In the past five years, we have worked to strengthen overall Party leadership and the centralized and unified leadership of the Central Committee. Based on the new development stage, we have applied the new development philosophy and worked to create a new pattern of development to promote high-quality development. We have pursued reform at a steady pace, made solid progress in developing whole-process people’s democracy, and advanced law-based governance across all fields of endeavor. We have actively developed advanced socialist culture. We have ensured and improved public wellbeing as a matter of priority and pooled resources to wage a critical battle against poverty. We have made a big push to enhance ecological conservation. We have worked with firm resolve to safeguard national security, fended off and defused major risks, and ensured social stability. We have devoted great energy to modernizing our national defense and the armed forces. We have conducted major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics on all fronts. And we have made sweeping efforts to advance the great new project of strengthening the Party. In responding to the sudden outbreak of Covid-19 in particular, we have launched an all-out people’s war to stop the spread of the virus and made tremendously encouraging achievements in both epidemic response and economic and social development. In the face of turbulent developments in Hong Kong, we have enacted and put into effect the Law on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Thanks to these moves, order has been restored in Hong Kong, marking a major turn for the better in the region. In response to separatist activities aimed at Taiwan independence and gross provocations of external interference in Taiwan affairs, we have resolutely fought against separatism and countered interference, strengthening our strategic initiative for China’s complete reunification. Confronted with drastic changes in the international landscape, especially external attempts to blackmail, contain, blockade, and exert maximum pressure on China, we have maintained firm strategic resolve, shown a fighting spirit and a firm determination to never yield to coercive power. Throughout these endeavors, we have safeguarded China’s dignity and core interests and kept ourselves well-positioned for pursuing development and ensuring security. Over the past five years, our Party has rallied the people and led them in solving a great number of longstanding problems, securing many accomplishments that hold major future significance, and achieving impressive advances in the cause of the Party and the country.

After the 18th National Party Congress, we were faced with a difficult and complex situation and the daunting task of reform and development. The situation at that time was that great achievements had been secured in reform, opening up, and socialist modernization, and notable advances had been made in the great new project of strengthening the Party. At the same time, however, there were a number of prominent issues and problems, some of which had been building for years and others which were just emerging. In the face of these acute problems and challenges, which undermined the Party’s long-term governance, the security and stability of the country, and the wellbeing of the people, the Party Central Committee fully assessed the situation, made resolute decisions, and took firm steps. Under its leadership, the entire Party, the military, and the Chinese people were brought together. We rolled up our sleeves and got down to work, forging ahead with resolve to carry out a great struggle with many new features of our times. The past decade marked three major events of great immediate importance and profound historical significance for the cause of the Party and the people: We embraced the centenary of the CPC; we ushered in a new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics; and we eradicated absolute poverty and completed a moderately prosperous society in all respects, thus completing the First Centenary Goal. Over the past decade, we have stayed committed to Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the Theory of Three Represents, and the Scientific Outlook on Development, and we have fully implemented the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as well as the Party’s basic line and basic policy. We have adopted a number of strategic measures, developed a range of transformative practices, and made a series of breakthroughs and landmark advances. We have brought about a historic rise in China’s economic strength. China’s GDP has grown from 54 trillion yuan to 114 trillion yuan to account for 18.5 percent of the world economy. China’s per capita GDP has risen from 39,800 yuan to 81,000 yuan. The number of permanent urban residents has grown to account for 64.7 percent of the population. We have built the largest education, social security, and healthcare systems in the world. These achievements have allowed us to bring 1.04 billion people under the coverage of basic old-age insurance, and ensure basic medical insurance for 95 percent of the population. China’s life expectancy has reached 78.2 years. We have won the largest battle against poverty in human history. A total of 832 impoverished counties and close to 100 million poor rural residents have been lifted out of poverty. We have, once and for all, resolved the problem of absolute poverty in China. We have withstood risks, challenges, and trials in the political, economic, ideological, and natural domains. Over the past decade, we have been in unchartered waters, faced an arduous task and confronted with major barriers to overcome. Nevertheless, the Party has led the people in overcoming difficulties and forging ahead, making it possible to make historic achievements and bring about historic changes in the cause of the Party and the country, and make China embark on a new journey of building modern socialist country on all fronts.

The great transformation over the past 10 years of the new era marks a milestone in the history of the Party, of the People’s Republic of China, of reform and opening up, of the development of socialism, and of the development of the Chinese nation. If we take a broad historical perspective and examine it in the context of the more than 40 years of history of reform and opening up, the more than 70 years of history of the People’s Republic of China, the more than 100 years of history of the CPC, the more than 500 years of history of the development of socialism, and the more than 5,000 years of history of the development of the Chinese nation, its significance as a milestone will be further highlighted, mainly in the following four aspects: First, the CPC has tempered itself through revolution and grown stronger, which is the significance for the CPC. Second, the Chinese people are filled with a stronger sense of history and initiative, which is the significance for the Chinese people. Third, the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is now on an irreversible historical course, which is the significance for the Chinese nation. Fourth, scientific socialism is brimming with renewed vitality in 21st-century China, which is the significance for scientific socialism.

The great changes of the 10 years of the new era are profound, fundamental, all-around and groundbreaking. They are reflected in all aspects of reform, development and stability, domestic affairs, foreign affairs and national defense, and governance of the Party and the country and the military. The most fundamental reason why we have been able to achieve these historic achievements and made these historic changes lies in the facts that General Secretary Xi Jinping is at the helm at the core of the Party Central Committee and of the Party as a whole and that Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era guides us effectively. The Two Upholds are of decisive significance to the development of the Party and the country’s cause in the new era and to the historical process of advancing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Source from Qu Qingshan, "Gain a Deeper Understanding of the Guiding Principles from the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China", China Discipline Inspection and Supervision Daily, November 3, 2022, p. 5.

Translated by theorychina.com.cn