Symposium hosted to mark Deng Xiaoping's 120th birth anniversary

The Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee held a symposium on the morning of Aug. 22 at the Great Hall of the People to commemorate the 120th birth anniversary of Comrade Deng Xiaoping. Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), delivered an important speech.

Xi emphasized that Comrade Deng Xiaoping is recognized by the entire Party, the military, and the people of all ethnic groups across the country as an outstanding leader with high prestige, a great Marxist, a great proletarian revolutionary, statesman, military strategist, diplomat, and a long-tested communist fighter.

Deng was the core of the second generation of the Party's central collective leadership, the chief architect of China's socialist reform, opening up and modernization, the trailblazer of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and the principal creator of Deng Xiaoping Theory.

He made significant contributions to world peace and development as a great internationalist. Deng made outstanding contributions to the Party, the people, the country, the nation, and the world. Deng's achievements have been immortalized in history and will always inspire future generations.

The symposium was attended by members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Ding Xuexiang, and Li Xi, as well as Vice President Han Zheng. The symposium was presided over by Cai Qi, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

Former Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Deng Xiaoping. Credit:CGTN.

In his speech, Xi noted that Comrade Deng Xiaoping's life was a glorious, fighting and extraordinary one. Deng made outstanding contributions to the Party-led causes of national independence and people's liberation, and to the founding of the People's Republic of China. He carried out highly effective work in establishing the socialist system and advancing socialist construction.

After the end of the Cultural Revolution, as the core of the second generation of the Party's central collective leadership, Deng led the Party and the people in achieving a historic shift, drove a new leap forward in adapting Marxism to the Chinese context, broke new ground in socialist modernization, set a right path for realizing China's complete reunification, firmly upheld the splendid banner of socialism, and successfully initiated socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Xi emphasized that Deng's historical achievements are comprehensive and groundbreaking, with profound and lasting impact on both China and the world. Deng's lifelong journey of struggle fully demonstrated his unwavering commitment to the lofty ideals of communism and the belief in socialism with Chinese characteristics, his deep love for the people, his adherence to the principle of seeking truth from facts, his political courage in continuous innovation, his far-sighted strategic thinking, and his broad-mindedness and selflessness. We will forever remember his great historical achievements and forever revere his noble revolutionary conduct.

Xi highlighted that the most important intellectual legacy left to us by Comrade Deng Xiaoping is Deng Xiaoping Theory, which he primarily developed. Deng Xiaoping Theory represents a significant milestone in the process of adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times. As we embark on a new journey of the new era, we must continue to thoroughly study and apply Deng Xiaoping Theory, fully and accurately grasp its scientific essence and core principles.

This involves both adhering to the major conclusions, fundamental viewpoints, and correct propositions Deng Xiaoping made based on his understanding of the laws of socialism, and correctly grasping the theory's core and essence in light of changing circumstances to solve contemporary problems. This ensures our unwavering commitment to truth and our consistent application of theory in practice.

We must always uphold Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the Theory of Three Represents, and the Scientific Outlook on Development, and fully implement the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. It is essential to steadfastly maintain Marxism as our guiding principle and China's fine traditional culture as our foundation, and learn from and absorb the outstanding achievements of human civilization.

By continuously exploring truth and addressing the practical issues in advancing Chinese modernization, we can profoundly answer the questions posed by China, the world, the people, and the times. This will further advance the adaptation of Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times, allowing the Marxism of contemporary China and of the 21st century to shine with even greater brilliance.

Xi emphasized that the best way to honor Comrade Deng Xiaoping is to continue advancing the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics that he initiated. We must focus on the central task of building a great country and national rejuvenation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization, carrying forward the legacy and striving for progress. It is essential to uphold fundamental principles and break new ground, further deepen reforms comprehensively, and continuously provide robust momentum and institutional guarantees for Chinese modernization.

We must prioritize high-quality development as the primary task, fully, accurately, and comprehensively implement the new development philosophy, and advance the coordinated implementation of the Five-Sphere Integrated Plan and the Four-Pronged Comprehensive Strategy. We must move faster to build a modernized economy, work toward greater self-reliance in the science and technology sector, vigorously develop advanced socialist culture, and boost material and cultural-ethical advancement and harmony between humanity and nature.

We must adhere to the principle of putting people first, develop whole-process people's democracy, build a higher level of the rule of law in China, and ensure that development is accompanied by the safeguarding and improvement of people's livelihoods, thus making substantial progress toward common prosperity for all. We should also promote high-standard opening up to the outside world, steadily expand institutional openness, boost high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative, and balance openness with security to safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests.

We must unswervingly advance the full and rigorous self-governance of the Party, improve the system for Party self-discipline, and resolutely win the tough and protracted battle against corruption. This ensures that the Party will never change its nature, its conviction, or its character, and it is always the firm core leadership guiding the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Xi noted that realizing China's complete reunification has long been the aspiration of Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping and other members of the older generation of revolutionaries, a common will of Chinese people both at home and overseas, and an unstoppable historical trend. We should fully, faithfully, and resolutely implement the policy of "one country, two systems," under which the people of Hong Kong administer Hong Kong and the people of Macao administer Macao, both with a high degree of autonomy. We should support and promote the further integration of Hong Kong and Macao into the country's overall development, enabling them to achieve better development. We should resolutely implement the Party's overall policy framework for resolving the Taiwan question in the new era, adhere to the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus, promote the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations, and oppose "Taiwan independence" to safeguard China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, Xi said.

The bronze statue of Deng Xiaoping is pictured on the hilltop of the Lianhua Hill Park in Futian District of Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, Aug. 20, 2024. Xinhua/Hong Zehua)

Xi stressed that China has always been a staunch force for world peace. We should always uphold peace, development, cooperation and mutual benefit, advance the building of a human community with a shared future, and champion humanity's shared values. We should implement the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative, take an active role in the reform and development of the global governance system, and create new opportunities for the world with new progress in advancing Chinese modernization, Xi said.

While presiding over the meeting, Cai Qi said that General Secretary Xi's important speech profoundly reviewed the glorious, fighting, and great life of Comrade Deng Xiaoping. Xi's speech lauded the great historical achievements of Deng in leading the CPC and the Chinese people to usher in the new period of reform and opening up, and socialist modernization, in initiating socialism with Chinese characteristics, and in establishing Deng Xiaoping Theory.

Xi's speech emphasized the need to faithfully study and apply Deng Xiaoping Theory, to learn from Deng's noble revolutionary demeanor, and to carry forward the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics that Deng initiated. The speech is insightful, profound, and of political, ideological and theoretical significance. It is of great importance to guiding the Party to uphold and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics under new conditions in the new era. We should earnestly study, grasp, and thoroughly implement Xi's speech, and jointly strive to build a strong country and realize national rejuvenation on all fronts through Chinese modernization.

At the symposium, Qu Qingshan, president of the Institute of Party History and Literature of the CPC Central Committee, Miao Hua, a member of the CMC and director of the Political Work Department of the CMC, and Wang Xiaohui, secretary of the Sichuan Provincial Committee of the CPC, delivered speeches in turn.

Members of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee in Beijing, members of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, as well as relevant leading officials from the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, the State Council, the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and the CMC attended the symposium.

Also in attendance were leading officials from relevant central authorities, the Beijing municipal government and the Sichuan Provincial Committee of the CPC, representatives of central committees of non-CPC parties, the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, and personages without party affiliation, relatives of Deng Xiaoping, his former staff and representatives from his hometown, and participants of a national academic seminar to commemorate the 120th birth anniversary of Deng Xiaoping.

(Xinhua News Agency)