Summary: The article reports that President Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized the importance of safe production, calling for a firm commitment to the concept of safe development and the protection of people's lives and property. It highlights the critical role of electric power safety in supporting China's modernization, energy security, and the construction of an energy-strong nation. The piece outlines new challenges to power system safety, including structural shifts in the grid, increased hydropower construction complexity, and extreme weather events. It concludes by stressing the need for political leadership, legal enforcement, technological innovation, and a safety culture to ensure stable power supply and prevent major accidents. No mention is made of the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: The article reports that the 20th CPC Fourth Plenum and the 2025 Government Work Report have prioritized building a strong domestic market and expanding domestic demand through a more proactive fiscal policy, as part of the "15th Five-Year Plan." It notes that China faces both insufficient effective demand and fiscal "tight balance," requiring improved coordination between consumption and investment, as well as between fiscal and monetary policies. The piece emphasizes that fiscal expansion should focus on structural optimization, debt sustainability, and transforming financial liquidity into real economic activity. Key measures include reforming government debt management, enhancing central-local fiscal relations, and accelerating fund utilization to avoid deflationary risks. No mention is made of the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: The article highlights Xi Jinping's reiterated emphasis on workplace safety as a matter of people's livelihoods and national stability, quoting his call for "extreme responsibility" and "constant vigilance." It attributes recent major accidents to lax corporate responsibility, superficial inspections, and weak enforcement, urging a systemic overhaul. The piece calls for detailed risk identification, closed-loop management, and strict accountability under the "three musts" framework. It stresses that safety is a collective, long-term duty for all levels of government, enterprises, and society. No mention is made of the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: The article calls for unwavering confidence and continued efforts to build a community with a shared future for mankind amidst accelerating global transformations and turbulence. It emphasizes the need to uphold peace, development, cooperation, and win-win outcomes while promoting the common values of humanity. The piece advocates for a new type of international relations and the implementation of global development, security, civilization, and governance initiatives. No specific official or accompanying figures are mentioned. The article does not address the United States or U.S.-China relations.
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Summary: The article analyzes the intensifying global competition for strategic minerals, driven by the US and other Western powers prioritizing supply chain security over economic efficiency. It notes the US expanded its critical minerals list to 60 in 2025 and elevated supply chain resilience in its National Security Strategy, while the EU similarly broadened its list and set domestic sourcing targets. The US and allies are forming exclusive blocs like the Minerals Security Partnership and the Lobito Corridor to divert resources from traditional trade routes, exacerbating market fragmentation. Rising resource nationalism, including export restrictions by countries like Indonesia and Zimbabwe, is causing price volatility and supply disruptions, with ripple effects on downstream industries and global inflation. The piece warns that US-led sanctions and “friend-shoring” policies are undermining multilateral trade rules, while future trends such as technology substitution and deep-sea mining may reshape the geopolitical landscape of resource competition.
Summary: President Xi Jinping has emphasized the importance of international city diplomacy as a vital component of China's major-country diplomacy, promoting subnational exchanges to achieve resource sharing and mutual benefits. The article highlights city diplomacy's unique advantages in addressing global governance challenges, such as climate change and digital governance, by translating international consensus into local actions. It notes that by June 2026, China has established 3,172 sister-city relationships with 153 countries, showcasing achievements like Shanghai's "Shanghai Award" for sustainable urban development and Beijing's Global Digital Economy City Alliance. However, it acknowledges challenges including lack of systematic planning, weak international coordination, and insufficient global voice. The article calls for deeper integration of city diplomacy into national strategy, enhancing China's urban diplomacy matrix to boost its influence in global governance reforms.
Summary: The article analyzes Cuba’s universal free healthcare system, highlighting its achievements in health equity despite limited resources, with health spending at 19.98% of GDP in 2023 and 24% of the 2025 budget allocated to public health. It traces the system’s evolution from post-1959 nationalization to a prevention-focused, tiered model centered on family doctors, with all facilities state-owned and nearly all costs covered. The summary emphasizes that the U.S. embargo since 1960 has caused severe shortages of medicines, equipment, and supplies, delaying over 100,000 surgeries and blocking international medical cooperation. It also cites economic weakness and rigid bureaucracy as internal strains, including chronic underfunding and the emigration of over 25,000 doctors since 2010. Ultimately, Cuba’s model proves health equity is possible in poor countries, but its long-term survival is threatened by the embargo, fiscal limits, and institutional inefficiencies.
Summary: The article elaborates on Xi Jinping’s emphasis on “tempering strong Party spirit” as a lifelong task for Party officials, situating it within his “Fourteen Perseverances” framework as a bridge between theory and practice. Xi is cited stressing that Party spirit is fundamentally a matter of standpoint, requiring officials to always prioritize the interests of the Party and the people over personal gain. He underscores that loyalty to both the Party and the people is the ultimate measure of strong Party spirit, and calls for integrating “truth power” with “personality power” in decision-making and action. The piece also recalls Xi’s earlier work on local planning and his advocacy of the “Youyu spirit” as exemplars of responsible, long-term governance. It concludes by framing self-cultivation through ongoing study, organizational life, and practical experience as essential to maintaining Party spirit.
Summary: The article outlines Xi Jinping's thought on Party building, emphasizing that strengthening Party spirit is a lifelong task for Party members, defined as the concentrated expression of the interests of the vast majority of the Chinese people. It traces the Communist Party of China's historical emphasis on Party spirit from 1941 onward, highlighting Xi's assertion that "seeking truth from facts is the greatest Party spirit" and that the fundamental measure of Party spirit is the distinction between public and private interests. Xi stresses that Party spirit does not naturally improve with seniority or promotion, requiring continuous self-cultivation and theoretical grounding in Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. The article calls on Party officials to uphold people-centered principles and lifelong Party spirit to safeguard the Party's long-term stability. No mention is made of the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: At the celebration of the CPC’s 105th founding anniversary, General Secretary Xi Jinping outlined six exceptional qualities that distinguish the party from other political forces: steadfast pursuit of truth, deep rooting among the people, assumption of historical missions, alignment with developmental trends, courage to struggle, and continuous self-strengthening. These qualities, he said, span party governance, party-building, and national rejuvenation, and constitute the historical genes of the world’s largest governing party as well as the key to its sustained Marxist political character and vitality. The article presents these six traits as an interconnected whole that explains “why the CPC can” and underpins its long-term governance.
Summary: The article details how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has historically prioritized philosophy and social sciences, laying organizational and institutional foundations after 1949. It describes the establishment of academic groups and the inclusion of social scientists in the new political consultative conference, with Zhou Enlai and others overseeing these efforts. Key policies were enshrined in the 1949 Common Program, promoting Marxist-based research, while a unified leadership structure was built around the Chinese Academy of Sciences and its later Philosophy and Social Sciences Department. The article also outlines the creation of research institutes and disciplinary systems, culminating in the 1956–1967 Philosophy and Social Sciences Planning Draft. Although the plan was never fully implemented, it marked a pioneering step in guiding China's social science development. No mention is made of the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: The article details the early establishment of the Chinese Communist Party's disciplinary inspection system during the 1925-1926 Canton-Hong Kong strike, led by Guangdong District Party Secretary Chen Yanian. It describes how the Guangdong District Supervision Committee implemented a multi-layered oversight system combining institutional, specialized, and public supervision, investigating cases such as Pu Chengde's embezzlement of party dues and Tan Huaze's corruption. Chen Yanian personally held Organizational Department head Mu Qing accountable for negligence in the Pu case, demonstrating strict accountability. Lin Weimin, the Supervision Committee secretary, prosecuted his former superior Tan Huaze for graft, leading to his removal and imprisonment. The article notes these practices provided foundational experience for the Fifth Party Congress's creation of the Central Supervision Committee in 1927.
Summary: In September 2019, Xi Jinping addressed a training class for young and middle-aged cadres at the Central Party School, stating that leading officials must "serve as both commanders and fighters" by embracing responsibility and tackling difficulties. He emphasized that commanders provide strategic direction while fighters execute on the ground, warning against the pitfalls of being either a detached "armchair general" or a reckless "brute." Xi underscored the necessity of political acuity to align struggles with Party leadership and socialist system, and stressed that theoretical grounding in Party innovation is the foundation for effective command and combat. He called for strategic foresight and tactical flexibility in navigating complex risks, and urged officials to lead from the front in difficult situations, embodying the spirit of "follow me." The article concludes by framing this dual role as essential for advancing Chinese modernization.
Summary: In his 2021 speech to the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Xi Jinping emphasized that implementing an innovation-driven development strategy requires urgently removing institutional obstacles, particularly to counter escalating external containment and "bottleneck" issues in core technologies—an implicit reference to U.S.-China technological competition. He called for systemic reforms including establishing a "quality, performance, and contribution"-oriented evaluation system, reducing direct government intervention in project management, and implementing open competition mechanisms like "揭榜挂帅" (posting challenges for open bids). The speech outlined a comprehensive framework for integrating science and technology reforms into China's broader reform agenda, aiming to build a foundational system that supports comprehensive innovation and achieves high-level technological self-reliance. The article did not specify any officials accompanying Xi at the event.
Summary: The article analyzes the Chinese leadership's prioritization of building a strong domestic market and expanding domestic demand, as highlighted in the 20th CPC Fourth Plenary Session and the 2025 Government Work Report. It identifies the dual challenge of insufficient effective demand and fiscal "tight balance," with constrained local government revenues and slow consumption recovery. The piece advocates for a systematic approach balancing consumption and investment, development and security, and coordinating fiscal with monetary policy. Key recommendations include reforming government debt management, enhancing fiscal-monetary policy synergy, and deepening fiscal and tax system reforms. The author is the president of the Central University of Finance and Economics.
Summary: General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that education, science, and talent are fundamental strategic supports for Chinese-style modernization, calling for deeper integration of these three pillars. The article, authored by the deputy secretary of the Beijing Municipal Education Work Committee, argues for comprehensive reforms in education, school operation, management, and guarantee mechanisms to address issues like fragmented policies and evaluation systems. It stresses the need to break administrative barriers and align discipline, research, and talent planning with national strategic needs. No direct reference to the United States or U.S.-China relations is made in the article.
Summary: The article reports on President Xi Jinping’s emphasis on protecting China’s immovable cultural relics, citing his calls to “let cultural relics speak” and to make them “come alive” through digitalization and public engagement. Xi stressed the need for systematic research to unlock the historical and civilizational value of over 760,000 sites, many of which remain underutilized. He advocated leveraging AR/VR, cloud platforms, and multimedia to transform static sites into immersive experiences. The article also notes Xi’s directive to convert cultural resources into economic and social benefits, urging integrated tourism and creative industries. No U.S. references or accompanying officials were mentioned.
Summary: The article reflects on Confucius’ “nine reflections” for the cultivated person, drawn from the Analects, and applies them to the digital age. It explains each virtue—clear seeing and hearing, warm demeanor, respectful bearing, honest speech, devoted work, asking when in doubt, considering consequences when angry, and righteousness before gain—as guidance for navigating information overload, social interaction, professional ethics, emotional control, and temptation. Drawing on classical stories such as Zou Ji, Yan Hui, and Han Kang, it argues these principles remain relevant for personal integrity and social harmony. The piece emphasizes that technology should not erode moral character, and that self-cultivation is a personal choice. No mention is made of the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: The article details the U.S. decision to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, emphasizing President Truman’s approval after military and civilian advisors, including Secretary of War Stimson, argued it would shorten the war and reduce American casualties. A key factor was the desire to demonstrate U.S. nuclear capability to the Soviet Union, shaping postwar influence, as Truman noted the need to prioritize “national long-term interests” over humanitarian concerns. The Manhattan Project, authorized by Roosevelt, was accelerated by fears of Nazi Germany and the high cost of Pacific island campaigns. Despite scientists’ appeals against use, the Interim Committee selected targets, excluding Kyoto due to its cultural significance. The article concludes that Japan’s surrender resulted primarily from China’s 14-year resistance and Allied efforts, with the atomic bombs and Soviet entry accelerating but not determining the outcome.
Summary: Jin Fu, accompanied by his aide Chen Huang, developed a comprehensive water management system at the Qingkou junction of the Yellow, Huai, and Grand Canal rivers, integrating dikes, sluices, and diversion channels to separate the Yellow River from the canal and enhance sediment control. His approach, framed as treating the river systems as a unified whole, was endorsed by the Kangxi Emperor as a model for state governance of waterways. Subsequent officials, including Zhang Penghe and Gao Bin, maintained and refined Jin Fu’s methods, sustaining canal transport and flood control for over a century. The article presents Jin Fu’s legacy as a historical example of how centralized state capacity can mobilize resources to manage complex natural challenges and ensure political-economic stability. No mention is made of the United States or U.S.-China relations.
Summary: President Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized the importance of work safety, urging a firm commitment to a safe development philosophy to protect people's lives and property. The article highlights the critical need to secure the electric power safety底线 (bottom line) as a fundamental support for China's modernization, energy security, and institutional advantages. It outlines new challenges from the rapid transformation of the power system, including increased renewable penetration, hydropower development, and extreme weather events. The piece calls for strengthened political leadership, legal enforcement, preventive measures, technological innovation, and safety culture to prevent major accidents. No mention is made of the United States or U.S.-China relations.
By: 国家能源局党组书记、局长王宏志
General Secretary Xi Jinping attaches great importance to production safety work, emphasizing the need to firmly establish the concept of safe development and effectively protect the safety of people's lives and property. In recent days, General Secretary Xi Jinping has issued multiple important instructions, demanding that the string of production safety be kept taut at all times, that various risks and hidden dangers be thoroughly investigated and rectified, and that major and extraordinarily serious accidents be resolutely prevented and curbed. We must consciously unify our thinking and actions with the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, do a more solid and effective job in electric power safety production, and hold the bottom line of electric power safety for the construction of a strong energy nation.
Deeply understand the great significance of holding the bottom line of electric power safety
Energy and electric power safety concerns the overall situation of economic and social development. The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China clearly proposed accelerating the construction of a new energy system and building a strong energy nation. During the "15th Five-Year Plan" period and for some time to come, China's electric power system will undergo profound changes, and holding the bottom line of electric power safety is of great significance.
Holding the bottom line of electric power safety is an inherent requirement for advancing Chinese-style modernization. Chinese-style modernization involves a huge population scale and arduous development tasks. Coordinating various major tasks such as industrial upgrading, livelihood security, green development, and urban-rural construction places unprecedented high standards and hard requirements on the stability, reliability, and sustainability of electric power supply. Safe and reliable electric power guarantee is an indispensable basic support for modernization construction. During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, China's average annual electricity consumption growth rate was 6.6%. In 2025, the全社会用电量 (total social electricity consumption) exceeded 10 trillion kilowatt-hours, more than twice the annual electricity consumption of the United States, and exceeded the sum of the annual electricity consumption of the four economies of the European Union, Russia, India, and Japan. With the deepening advancement of new-type industrialization, informatization, urbanization, and agricultural modernization, China's electric power demand will continue to rigidly grow. In particular, the development of emerging industries such as artificial intelligence will drive rapid growth in computing infrastructure electricity demand. It is imperative to resolutely ensure the safe and stable supply of electric power, providing strong support for promoting high-quality development and developing new quality productive forces.
Holding the bottom line of electric power safety is an important support for accelerating the construction of a strong energy nation. Sustained, stable, and reliable electric power supply is the solid confidence for building a strong energy nation. Currently, China's electrification rate is among the highest in the world. It is estimated that by 2060, the proportion of non-fossil energy consumption will reach about 80%, and the core position of electric power in the new energy system will become more prominent. With the accelerated construction of the new-type power system, the complexity of power grid operation under the multi-interaction pattern of source-grid-load-storage (源网荷储) continues to increase, and various risks and hidden dangers are intertwined and superimposed. This requires us to firmly guard the electric power safety gateway, stabilize the basic foundation of energy supply, and escort high-quality energy development with high-level electric power safety.
Holding the bottom line of electric power safety is a concrete manifestation of demonstrating China's institutional advantages. For a long time, the electric power industry has always adhered to "putting people first, putting life first" (人民至上、生命至上), firmly established the concept of safe development, vigorously promoted reform and development in the field of electric power safety production, focused on strengthening the main responsibility of electric power enterprises for safety production, fully implemented the dual prevention mechanism of risk分级管控 (graded control) and hidden danger investigation and management, continuously improved the safety governance system, and enhanced safety governance capabilities. During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, in the face of large-scale centralized grid connection of new energy, massive access of distributed energy and new-type energy-using facilities, and high levels of major risk engineering operations, the safety management level of China's electric power system has been continuously improved. The number of electric power personal injury accidents and deaths has generally declined and remained at a low level, with an average five-year decrease of over 34% and 42%. There have been no cross-city large-scale blackout incidents, and no incidents such as dam collapse or dam overtopping at hydropower stations that have had a major social impact, providing strong and reliable electric power guarantee for social development and livelihood security.
Accurately grasp the new situation and new challenges facing electric power safety production at present
China's energy development has entered a period of overlap between high-speed development and deep transformation. The structure and form of the electric power system are undergoing profound changes. System operation safety risks are increasing. The safety situation from extreme natural disasters remains severe. Safety risks in electric power construction and operation and maintenance are becoming more prominent. Electric power safety production faces new situations and new challenges.
Adjustment of the electric power system structure, prominent pressure on stable operation. In the process of accelerating the construction of the new-type power system, power sources, power grids, and loads are undergoing profound changes, which have a far-reaching impact on power grid operation. In terms of power sources, the green and low-carbon power supply pattern is accelerating. Since the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, the proportion of installed new energy capacity has increased from 24.3% to 47.3%, and the proportion of new energy power generation in total social electricity consumption has increased from 9.7% to 22.2%. It is estimated that by 2030, the proportion of installed wind and solar power capacity will exceed 50%, becoming the main body of installed power capacity. A high proportion of new energy penetration will evolve into a new normal. New operating conditions such as deep peak regulation of coal-fired units test the safe operation capability of units and the grid-connection performance of equipment. Changes in the power source structure have brought about a significant increase in the fluctuation and uncertainty of power system power flow, and the characteristics of low inertia, low damping, and weak support will become more obvious. In terms of power grids, the coupling between sending and receiving ends, AC and DC, and high-voltage and low-voltage grids of the large power grid has become closer. The grid structure is shifting from "main grid dominant, distribution grid auxiliary" to coordinated main-distribution-microgrids, and the power grid operation mode is becoming more complex and changeable. In terms of loads, various new types of load entities continue to emerge. Loads are transforming from pure consumption type to production-consumption type. A large number of distributed photovoltaics are connected to 110 kV and below power grids. The source-grid-load-storage active interaction characteristics of the distribution grid are obvious, and the difficulty of load grid-connection safety management is increasing.
Deepening advancement of hydropower development, increasing difficulty in construction and operation and maintenance. Most hydropower projects have characteristics such as high dams, high altitudes, high slopes, high seismic intensity, high water heads, and deep overburden layers. Large underground works, large-flow flood discharge, high-velocity flow energy dissipation, and large-capacity generator sets are common. Technical difficulties such as the unpredictability of strong earthquakes, the reliability and durability of high-slope treatment technology, the stability of mechanical properties of building materials in cold and high-altitude areas, and the reliability of foundation treatment technology for deep overburden layers pose severe challenges to the construction quality and full life cycle operation safety of the project, and place higher demands on the technical professionalism and management standardization of engineering construction and operation and maintenance. In particular, pumped storage hydropower stations have high water heads, complex underground works, cramped construction site layouts, and insufficient historical flood data, placing higher demands on engineering construction and flood control management. It is estimated that the number of newly registered and filed dams during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period will double compared to the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, with the total number on record exceeding 900, and the proportion of pumped storage hydropower station dams will increase from the current 13.8% to about 30%. At the same time, the operating time of dams continues to increase. The number of hydropower station dams with an operating time exceeding 50 years will continue to rise. It is estimated that during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, this number will increase from the current 58 to 74. Policy and technical reserves related to safety assessment, renovation and upgrading, and decommissioning and disposal of old dams urgently need to be improved.
Increasing pressure on engineering construction, prominent risks from new-type entities. During the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, electric power engineering construction will maintain high-intensity investment. Projects such as offshore wind power, pumped storage, cross-regional transmission, and wind-solar base projects will be intensively implemented. High-risk operations such as blasting excavation, high-slope construction, and large equipment hoisting will remain at high levels. Many projects are located in areas with harsh natural conditions such as high altitudes, Gobi deserts, and the on-site construction environment is complex and changeable. The simultaneous advancement of large-scale projects leads to the dispersion and thinning of construction resources. Construction and supervision capabilities are insufficient. Existing control measures are difficult to fully adapt to the needs of large-scale, widely distributed engineering construction. There are still weak links in the intrinsic safety construction of engineering. At the same time, the investment entities participating in electric power engineering construction and operation management are becoming more diverse. The investment entities of national pumped storage hydropower stations under construction have broken through the traditional pattern, showing a diversification trend. New situations and problems such as the lack of experience, weak technical strength, and unfamiliarity with industry requirements of the new engineering owners and hydropower station operation and management units are prominent.
Frequent occurrence of extreme weather, disaster prevention capabilities need improvement. Against the background of global warming, China's extreme disaster weather also shows characteristics of multiple points, wide coverage, concurrent occurrence, and repeated occurrence. Extreme, sudden, and highly disastrous weather is becoming more and more frequent, and often exceeds historical cognition and defense standards, posing great challenges to electric power facilities. Changes in climate characteristics such as the continuous increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme high temperatures, the fluctuation and enhancement of typhoon average intensity, the northward shift of the rain belt, and the northward expansion of the ice coating belt have continuously increased the pressure of flood control, waterlogging prevention, and ice prevention in northern regions. Accelerated melting of mountain glaciers, earthquakes, and other factors threaten the safety of hydropower station dams.
Take real and tough measures to do a solid job in electric power safety production
Adhere to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, deeply implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the plenary sessions of the 20th Central Committee, earnestly implement the deployments of the Fourth Plenary Session, firmly establish the concept of safe development, consolidate safety in development, seek development in safety, strengthen bottom-line thinking, resolutely prevent and curb the occurrence of major and extraordinarily serious production safety accidents, resolutely prevent and curb the occurrence of major and extraordinarily serious electric power safety accidents, resolutely prevent and curb the occurrence of dam collapse and dam overtopping accidents, resolutely hold the bottom line of electric power safety, and make every effort to ensure the safe and stable operation of the electric power system and reliable supply of electric power.
Adhere to political leadership, hold the safety bottom line with iron-clad responsibility. Electric power safety concerns the national economy and people's livelihood, and is a "major matter of the state" (国之大者) that must not be ignored for a moment. Party leadership must be comprehensively, systematically, and integrally implemented in all aspects and the entire process of electric power safety. Closely integrating with the study and education on establishing and practicing the correct view of political achievements, deeply implement General Secretary Xi Jinping's important expositions on establishing and practicing the correct view of political achievements, fully implement the Party Central Committee's decisions and deployments on coordinating development and safety, and resolutely rectify the wrong tendency of "emphasizing development over safety, emphasizing visible achievements over hidden concerns, and emphasizing remediation over prevention." Coordinate development and safety, strengthen the adequacy of the safety planning and operation of the new-type power system, coordinate all elements of source, grid, load, and storage and all stages of planning, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and emergency response, take the actual effect of safety governance as a hard indicator for testing the performance of duties, and provide strong political guarantees and organizational guarantees for preventing and curbing major accidents.
Adhere to putting people first, strict laws and strong governance, strengthen disciplinary enforcement and accountability. Deeply implement General Secretary Xi Jinping's important expositions on putting people first and putting life first, always place people's life safety at the highest position, always place the people's ability to use electricity and use it well at the forefront, and hold the safety bottom line. Comprehensively consolidate safety production responsibilities at all levels, tighten the chain of responsibility, transmit pressure layer by layer, ensure that responsibilities are implemented without hanging in the air, and execution is without deviation. Continuously increase the intensity of electric power safety supervision and law enforcement, adhere to taking real and tough measures, investigate thoroughly to the end, and for those with inadequate responsibility implementation, lack of prevention and control measures, and dereliction of duty, pursue accountability strictly and never tolerate. Improve the safety governance system, do a good job in revising the "Electric Power Law of the People's Republic of China" and the "Regulations on Emergency Response and Investigation and Handling of Electric Power Safety Accidents," vigorously promote the connection between administrative and criminal procedures, and for acts that touch the safety bottom line and are suspected of crimes, resolutely pursue criminal liability according to law, resolutely put an end to substituting fines for management and substituting fines for criminal punishment, truly achieve accountability for one case, warning for one area, and deterrence for one side.
Adhere to prevention beforehand, improve the intrinsic safety level of electric power. Build a multi-level safety technical standard system, improve standards in multiple links such as planning, design, construction, and operation, orderly promote the transformation of necessary recommended standards into mandatory standards, quickly make up for the shortcomings in production safety standards, and effectively respond to complex safety situations such as large power grid safety, network safety, and extreme weather. Improve the closed-loop management mechanism for the entire cycle of electric power construction, achieve dynamic control of construction quality, and strengthen the simultaneous design, simultaneous construction, and simultaneous acceptance of safety facilities with the main project. Improve and perfect the working mechanism for risk分级管控 (graded control) and hidden danger investigation and management, treat major hidden dangers as accidents, continuously strengthen the upgraded supervision and responsibility reverse investigation of major hidden dangers, achieve active risk reduction, hidden danger identification, accident prevention, and safety assurance.
Adhere to science and technology for safety, cultivate new quality productive forces for electric power safety. The electric power system is a technology-intensive infrastructure. Artificial intelligence is an important engine for building a strong energy nation and developing new quality productive forces in energy. Promote the deep integration of artificial intelligence and electric power safety production, focus on the three major points of precise early warning, equipment research, and construction method innovation, tackle key technologies such as safe operation decision-making, equipment fault prediction, human factor risk identification, and intelligent perception of major disasters, promote the unmannedization of dangerous processes and mechanization of complex environment operations, continuously promote technological iteration, equipment upgrade, and model innovation in the field of electric power safety, accelerate the empowerment of "AI+" electric power safety scenarios, and promote the deep integration of technological innovation into the entire chain of electric power safety production.
Adhere to building the foundation with culture, consolidate the foundation and nurture safety concepts with culture. Safety production culture is a long-term measure to consolidate the foundation of electric power safety production and improve the intrinsic safety level. Closely follow the national "Safety Production Month" deployment, deeply study and implement General Secretary Xi Jinping's important expositions on production safety, use months to promote years, use culture to educate people, and promote safety concepts to enter the mind and heart. Use thought to cast the soul and consolidate the foundation, regularly carry out safety warning education, legal publicity, and risk education, guide cadres and employees to firmly establish bottom-line thinking and extreme thinking, resolutely rectify paralysis and lax mentality, and tighten the "master switch" of production safety from the ideological root. Innovate the carriers and methods of safety publicity and education, deeply cultivate the front line of teams and groups, and promote safety concepts to transform into the ideological consciousness and action consciousness of all staff. Use institutional rigidity to shape behavior, adhere to managing people by system and managing matters by standards, refine post safety duty specifications, compact and consolidate the safety responsibility of all staff, put hidden danger investigation and rectification at the forefront, practice emergency response capabilities in peacetime, and promote the implementation of safety system regulations in detail, normalization, and long-term effectiveness.
Return to TopBy: 马海涛
The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China designated "building a strong domestic market and accelerating the construction of a new development pattern" as a key task for the "Fifteenth Five-Year Plan" period. This year's Government Work Report lists "striving to build a strong domestic market" as the primary task, clearly stating the need to "continue implementing a more proactive fiscal policy." The government budget report also lists "supporting the construction of a strong domestic market" as the primary support direction of fiscal policy. This series of deployments indicates that expanding domestic demand has become an important focus of current macro policy, and fiscal policy, as an important tool connecting demand expansion, structural adjustment, and transformation of development drivers, needs to play a more active role in promoting smooth economic circulation and enhancing endogenous development momentum.
The coexistence of insufficient effective demand and a fiscal "tight balance" places higher demands on fiscal expansion of domestic demand
At present, China's economic operation is generally stable, but the coexistence of insufficient effective demand and a fiscal "tight balance" has become an important factor constraining the sustained economic recovery and improvement. On the one hand, the recovery of household consumption is relatively slow, enterprise investment motivation is insufficient, and there are still blockages in the transmission of financial resources to the real economy. On the other hand, pressure on fiscal revenue growth, regional fiscal capacity divergence, and increasing fiscal pressure at the grassroots level impose certain fiscal constraints on the expansion of domestic demand through fiscal policy.
Insufficient effective demand remains prominent, and both the recovery of real demand and the financial transmission mechanism need improvement. From the perspective of consumption demand, the potential of household consumption has not been fully released, and the transformation of income growth into consumption growth still needs to be strengthened. On the one hand, changes in the income structure of residents have a certain impact on consumption expansion. At different income group levels, in recent years, the income growth rate of rural residents has been relatively fast, but the income growth of urban middle- and high-income groups, which support consumption upgrading, has slowed. On the other hand, the propensity of residents to consume is still in the process of recovery. The growth rate of per capita consumption expenditure of national residents is lower than the growth rate of disposable income, indicating that residents' precautionary saving propensity remains strong, and income growth has not yet been fully transformed into actual consumption demand. From the perspective of investment demand, in the first half of 2026, national fixed asset investment fell by 5.7% year-on-year, and the decline in private investment was larger than the overall investment level, reflecting that business entity confidence and investment demand still need to recover. From the perspective of financial transmission, the current insufficient demand is not simply manifested as insufficient capital supply, but rather as insufficient matching efficiency between financial resources and the needs of the real economy. Although the liquidity of the financial system is generally ample and market interest rates remain low, there is still a large gap between the growth rates of broad money (M2) and narrow money (M1). Some funds have not yet been effectively transformed into enterprise investment and household consumption, and there are still blockages in the transmission of monetary policy to the real economy.
The fiscal "tight balance" situation continues, and the ability of fiscal policy to expand domestic demand faces constraints on available fiscal resources. From the revenue side, as the economy enters a new normal, the growth rate of fiscal revenue has generally tended to slow. At the same time, the adjustment of the real estate market has had a significant impact on local governments' land transfer income. Land transfer income has continued to decline, and the ability of local fiscal revenue to increase has been somewhat weakened. Although from January to May this year, the national general public budget revenue increased by 4.0% year-on-year, showing a recovery growth trend and reaching a relatively high level for the same period in the past three years, from a regional perspective, there is still significant divergence in fiscal recovery. Some regions, affected by factors such as industrial base, tax source structure, and real estate adjustment, still have relatively slow growth in fiscal revenue, and the space for fiscal revenue increase is limited. From the expenditure side, demand for fiscal expenditure continues to grow, and the contradiction between revenue and expenditure is intensifying. On the one hand, macro-control tasks such as stabilizing growth and promoting transformation require continued fiscal发力; key areas such as technological innovation and industrial upgrading still need increased fiscal support. On the other hand, rigid expenditures such as livelihood guarantees and basic public services continue to increase, and the structural pressure on fiscal expenditure is rising. From the perspective of government levels, fiscal pressure shows a characteristic of increasing incrementally from top to bottom. Local governments, especially grassroots governments, bear more responsibility for public services and policy implementation. Some grassroots governments face greater pressure from debt principal and interest repayment and "three guarantees" (三保) (ensuring basic livelihood, ensuring wages, and ensuring operation) expenditures. Fiscal funds are more used to ensure basic operation and fulfill established responsibilities, squeezing the fiscal space available for expanding domestic demand and promoting development, which to a certain extent restricts the full play of the effect of a more proactive fiscal policy.
Basic principles that fiscal expansion of domestic demand should follow
Fiscal expansion of domestic demand needs to adhere to systematic thinking and dialectical reasoning, correctly handle the relationships between consumption and investment, development and security, and fiscal policy and monetary policy, and continuously enhance the scientific nature, coordination, and effectiveness of macro-control.
Coordinate the relationship between consumption and investment to enhance the driving force of domestic demand growth. Consumption is the ultimate demand for economic growth and an important foundation for expanding domestic demand. Investment is also an important support for forming supply capacity, improving development conditions, and promoting consumption expansion. At present, the problem of "strong supply, weak demand" facing China's economy does not mean that consumption should replace investment, but rather that more attention should be paid to optimizing the investment structure. Overcapacity is not a short-term phenomenon but a structural problem accompanying industrial structure adjustment in the long-term development process. Especially during the stage of transforming old and new growth drivers, the driving force of economic growth is shifting from relying mainly on traditional industries and creation of low- and middle-income jobs in the past, to relying more on cultivating new industries, new business forms, and new models, as well as the formation of middle- and high-income jobs. In this process, the growth of new drivers requires a large amount of upfront investment, requiring effective guidance of financial resources, social capital, and fiscal funds. The deep-seated reasons for insufficient household consumption are not only issues of consumption willingness and consumption capacity, but also related to structural contradictions such as the slowdown in income growth for some groups and insufficient supply of middle- and high-income jobs. Therefore, expanding domestic demand cannot simply choose between consumption and investment, but should insist on coordinated发力 from both supply and demand sides. The 2025 Central Economic Work Conference clearly stated, "promote investment to stop falling and stabilize," and "effectively stimulate the vitality of private investment." Fiscal policy should be oriented towards improving investment efficiency, promoting a virtuous cycle in which investment drives consumption and consumption promotes investment, and continuously enhance the sustained driving force of domestic demand growth.
Coordinate the relationship between development and security to clarify the functional nature of fiscal policy. From the perspective of fiscal operation laws, fiscal revenue has a strong pro-cyclical characteristic, while fiscal expenditure usually undertakes counter-cyclical adjustment functions. During a stage of insufficient aggregate demand, in order to stabilize growth, ensure livelihood, and support transformation and development, the expansion of fiscal deficits and the phased rise in debt ratios are consistent with the laws of macroeconomic operation. At present, some discussions on fiscal risks are more influenced by the traditional concept of balanced fiscal management, paying more attention to static indicators such as the scale of fiscal revenue and expenditure, deficit ratio, and debt ratio, while paying insufficient attention to the function of fiscal policy in promoting economic growth, improving employment, and enhancing long-term development capacity. Fiscal policy, as the foundation and important pillar of national governance, has a core role not simply to achieve bookkeeping balance between revenue and expenditure, but to improve the efficiency of economic operation and enhance the resilience of economic development through the functions of resource allocation, income distribution, and macro-control. Therefore, when evaluating the effect of fiscal policy, more attention should be paid to the actual impact of fiscal revenue and expenditure arrangements on economic operation, that is, whether it can increase potential output and promote full employment while maintaining price stability. At the same time, emphasizing the functionality of fiscal policy does not mean ignoring risk constraints. Fiscal expansion needs to focus on optimizing expenditure structure, improving the efficiency of fund use, and perfecting debt management mechanisms, to prevent ineffective investment and low-efficiency expenditure.
Coordinate the relationship between fiscal policy and monetary policy to enhance the synergy of macro policies. Fiscal policy and monetary policy are two important pillars of the macroeconomic governance system. The former focuses on structural optimization, while the latter focuses on aggregate adjustment. However, in an environment of insufficient aggregate demand and low interest rates, the transmission mechanism of monetary policy may be constrained by the effective lower bound, and it is prone to the phenomenon of "loose money, tight credit," where the liquidity released by monetary policy settles within the financial system and is not transformed into real sector demand. Against this background, it is necessary to pay more attention to the coordination and cooperation between fiscal policy and monetary policy, and give play to the bridging role of fiscal policy in connecting financial resources and the real economy. By issuing government bonds to effectively absorb relatively settled liquidity in the financial system, and transforming it into real demand through channels such as public investment, industrial support, and livelihood guarantees, forming physical workload. Moreover, in the current situation where market liquidity is relatively ample and private investment willingness is weak, fiscal investment will not simply crowd out private investment; on the contrary, it can play a guiding and driving role for social investment by stabilizing market expectations and cultivating new growth drivers.
Key directions for fiscal expansion of domestic demand
In order to better play the important role of fiscal policy in expanding domestic demand and stabilizing growth, the policy system should be continuously improved around three key areas: government debt management, fiscal-monetary policy coordination, and fiscal and tax system reform, continuously enhancing the effectiveness of macro-control and the efficiency of fiscal resource allocation, providing a solid guarantee for the sustained economic recovery and improvement and high-quality development.
Accelerate the construction of a long-term government debt management mechanism compatible with high-quality development. First, change the concept of treating government debt merely as a source of deficit risk, clarify the functional positioning of government debt, and maintain necessary levels of fiscal deficit, total debt size, and total expenditure. Second, optimize the central-local debt structure and strengthen central target management. At present, the overall debt burden of local governments in China is significantly higher than that of the central government, and the central finance still has relatively large room for borrowing and deficit expansion. Using central government bonds to replace part of local government debt will help reduce the debt repayment pressure on local governments and promote their freeing up more fiscal resources for ensuring livelihood and promoting development. The central level needs to strengthen overall management of the arrangement and use of new central bond funds, and establish a central bond fund allocation and assessment mechanism linked to macroeconomic development goals. Third, insist on resolving debt through development and developing while resolving debt. Debt resolution is essentially about returning debt to a reasonable level. It cannot be about resolving debt for the sake of resolving debt; debt resolution should go hand in hand with economic development. If excessive accountability pressure is applied and projects are hastily terminated or contracts cancelled to prioritize debt repayment, it may lead to arrears in project payments and wages, affecting the expectations of business entities, thereby constraining the recovery of domestic demand and economic growth.
Strengthen the coordination of fiscal policy and monetary policy. First, monetary policy needs to provide stable liquidity support for government bond issuance. Fiscal expansion is usually accompanied by an increase in the scale of government bond issuance. Without reasonable liquidity coordination, it can easily cause disturbances to market capital supply and demand and interest rate levels, affecting the implementation effect of fiscal policy. Coordination and cooperation between fiscal policy and monetary policy in policy objectives, implementation rhythm, and policy tools should be strengthened to maintain reasonable and ample liquidity, guide the smooth operation of market interest rates, and ensure the smooth issuance of government bonds and the efficient use of fiscal funds. Second, accelerate the use of funds and the progress of project construction after bond issuance. If the use of bond funds is slow after they are in place, and funds settle in treasury accounts, they cannot be promptly transformed into effective demand, which will weaken the role of proactive fiscal policy in stabilizing prices and expanding demand, and may even exacerbate deflation risks. After the issuance of government bonds is completed, it is more critical to accelerate the landing of funds and the progress of project construction, promptly transmit funds and liquidity to the real economy, and promote bond funds to form physical workload and effective investment as soon as possible.
Further deepen fiscal and tax system reform in key areas. First, deeply advance zero-based budgeting (零基预算) reform. In response to current problems such as rigidification of expenditure in some areas and insufficient flexibility in project adjustment, the coverage scope of zero-based budgeting reform should be further expanded, promoting the transformation of budget preparation from "base management" to "policy goal orientation." Based on departmental responsibilities, policy goals, expenditure standards, and implementation effects, systematically evaluate existing expenditure items, clean up and integrate overlapping and duplicate projects, and reduce low-efficiency, ineffective, and long-term low-execution-rate fund arrangements. Second, improve the fiscal relationship between the central and local governments. Appropriately strengthen central government responsibilities and central fiscal expenditure responsibilities, increase the proportion of equalization transfer payments, and enhance local governments' ability to统筹 allocate fiscal resources. At the same time, steadily advance the backward shift of the consumption tax collection link and improve the revenue sharing mechanism, perfect the local tax system, and cultivate stable and sustainable local tax sources.
(The author is President of the Central University of Finance and Economics)
Return to TopBy: 王小蕾
Production safety is a major matter concerning people's livelihoods, involving the safety of people's lives and property, and bearing on the overall situation of reform, development, and stability. General Secretary Xi Jinping has stressed, "We must work on production safety with a spirit of extreme responsibility toward the people," and "Production safety must sound the alarm unceasingly, pay constant attention and never relent, and there must be no room for laxity." These important expositions profoundly clarify the extreme importance of production safety; they are an inevitable requirement for adhering to the people-centered development philosophy, and also an important guarantee for advancing Chinese-style modernization. Ensuring production safety is not a temporary measure but a long-term endeavor; the safety string must always be kept taut and cannot be loosened for even an instant. This is both a reverence for the lives and property of the people and a responsibility for high-quality development.
Calamities often accumulate from the small and subtle; if the mind relaxes by one inch, hidden dangers will expand by one foot. Since the beginning of this year, multiple major production safety accidents have occurred domestically, causing severe casualties and property losses. The succession of accidents is by no means accidental. These tragedies collectively expose the crux of problems such as the "suspension" of enterprises' main responsibilities, the "going through the motions" of hazard investigation and rectification, safety training that has become mere formality, lagging laws and regulations, and "lenient, lax, and weak" grassroots supervision and law enforcement. Tracing back to the root causes, every one of them points to fluke mentality and paralysis deep in the mind — the string of production safety has not truly been kept taut at all times. Production safety has no "safe folder"; complacency and negligence are the greatest hidden dangers. We must firmly establish bottom-line thinking and extreme thinking, and with a sense of responsibility of always being concerned (时时放心不下), drive the formation of a capacity for action where everything is handled with confidence (事事心中有底).
Seeing various risks before they sprout and resolving them before they occur is the key measure for production safety. Better to guard ten times and be empty than to fail to guard even once. We must deeply investigate and rectify all types of risks and hazards, and earnestly grasp and refine production safety measures. Focus on the word "comprehensive": fully map out key industries and fields such as hazardous chemicals, mining, construction, and transportation; rigorously inspect weak links such as the nine small venues (九小场所); leave no blind spots or dead corners; precisely compile lists of various risks and hazards, so that we have a clear picture in mind and a clear account in hand. Focus on the word "detailed": safety management must not be overly general or lumped together; we must use embroidery-like effort (绣花功夫 - xiù huā gōng fū, "embroidery effort," meticulous and painstaking work) to implement every measure down to every post and every link, and be adept at discovering deep-seated risks from details such as abnormal phenomena and nascent problems. Focus on the word "substantial": establish a closed-loop management of the entire process of "discovery—assignment—rectification—acceptance—case closure"; for every hazard found during investigation, specify the responsible person, rectification measures, and completion deadline; implement list-based management and case-closure-based rectification; resolutely put an end to the vicious cycle of "inspect but not cure, cure but not eradicate." Focus on the word "strict": for major accident hazards, dare to wield the sword, form a strong deterrent through strict law enforcement, and decisively take measures such as suspending production, ceasing operations, and evacuating personnel, resolutely preventing "operating with illness" and averting major disasters.
Production safety is a systematic project; it requires full participation, joint management, and persistent effort. There are no bystanders in safety; everyone is a responsible person. Party committees and governments at all levels must place production safety in an important position; all departments and units must integrate production safety into the entire chain and every link of their business work, regarding it as a duty within their scope, not an "extra burden." Establish and improve the full-staff production safety responsibility system, truly implement the requirement of three managements three musts (三管三必须) — that those who manage the industry must manage safety, those who manage business must manage safety, and those who manage production and operation must manage safety — build a responsibility network that extends horizontally to the edges and vertically to the bottom, achieve shared responsibility and collaborative governance, and construct a systematic and overarching production safety framework. Enterprises, as the main bodies responsible for production safety, must fulfill their primary responsibilities in accordance with the law, increase safety investment, strengthen safety training, and improve emergency plans. Regulatory departments must dare to take responsibility, enforce the law strictly, strengthen production safety supervision, adopt zero tolerance toward illegal and non-compliant behaviors, and further improve the production safety law enforcement system. All sectors of society must actively participate in supervision, and effectively safeguard the safety of people's lives and property.
Life is weightier than Mount Tai; safety cannot be forfeited. The first year of the 15th Five-Year Plan (十五五) has already passed its midpoint. The more we are at an important time node when the blueprint is unfolding, the more we must tighten the string of safety first deep in our very souls. With the sober awareness that grasping development is achievement, and grasping safety is also achievement, we must seal every loophole, guard every pass, go all out to ensure production safety, and escort the high-quality development of the economy and society.
Return to TopTo strengthen confidence and continue the struggle, we must persistently promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind (人类命运共同体). As the century-long transformation (百年变局) accelerates its evolution, the world has entered a new period of turbulence and transformation, and humanity once again stands at a crossroads of where to go. On the new journey, we must follow the aspirations of the people and the general trend, hold high the banner of peace, development, cooperation, and mutual benefit, promote the common values of all humanity, promote the building of a new type of international relations, promote the implementation of the Global Development Initiative (全球发展倡议), the Global Security Initiative (全球安全倡议), the Global Civilization Initiative (全球文明倡议), and the Global Governance Initiative (全球治理倡议), and inject more positive energy into world peace and development.
Return to TopBy: 李华姣
Currently, the world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century, with a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation accelerating. Energy transition and digital deployment have significantly increased dependence on strategic mineral resources. The global strategic mineral resources industrial chain and supply chain are rapidly shifting from prioritizing economic efficiency to prioritizing security and controllability. The competition surrounding resource control, processing capacity, transportation corridors, and pricing power is becoming increasingly fierce, profoundly impacting global industrial transformation and the geopolitical landscape.
Competition among multiple parties is intensifying
The list of strategic minerals is continuously expanding, and their strategic position is at an all-time high. For a long time, the United States and Western countries have mainly focused critical minerals on resources serving frontier technologies such as semiconductors and aerospace. In recent years, this strategic focus has significantly broadened and expanded. In November 2025, the U.S. Geological Survey released the latest version of its critical minerals list, expanding the number of minerals from 50 in 2022 to 60. Minerals such as copper, silver, silicon, phosphate, and metallurgical coal, which are involved in energy transition, agricultural security, basic industry, and other fields, were included for the first time. The new National Security Strategy released in December 2025 further prioritized maintaining secure and reliable supply chains and access to critical materials, elevating the importance of basic industrial raw materials to the level of national security in top-level design. This indicates that great-power competition is no longer just a contest of cutting-edge technologies such as chips and algorithms, but also a race for existing stocks of basic raw materials and a contest of supply guarantee capabilities. The European Union established a critical raw materials list system in 2011, updated every three years, and it has also shown a continuous trend of expansion, rising from 11 types in the first edition to 34 types in the fifth edition in 2023, and further selecting 17 types as the most critical strategic raw materials for focused monitoring and deployment.
Supply chain campization is accelerating, and minilateral mechanisms are deepening. To systematically support the new critical minerals strategy, the United States and Western countries are actively building exclusive supply chain systems. The EU's Critical Raw Materials Act explicitly requires achieving targets of 10% domestic extraction, 40% domestic processing, and 25% recycling of strategic raw materials by 2030, partially deeply binding resource security to industrial sovereignty. The United States, Canada, and other countries have established minilateral circles of friends such as the Minerals Security Partnership, the Sustainable Critical Minerals Alliance, and the Critical Minerals Resilience and Production Alliance for the entire process of the critical minerals industrial chain, attempting to build a closed-loop critical minerals supply chain based on security, trust, and political alliances. This has initially taken shape as a functionally complementary framework, covering resource countries such as Australia and Canada, technology countries such as Japan and South Korea, and major consumer countries such as the United States and EU member states. At the same time, infrastructure projects such as the Lobito Corridor, led by the United States and the EU, are accelerating, attempting to forcibly redirect resources such as copper, cobalt, and nickel from central African countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia from traditional trade flows to the US and European markets. Minilateral mechanisms override existing multilateral trade and investment rules, exacerbating the fragmentation of the global minerals market.
Resource countries are frequently introducing restrictive policies, and resource nationalism is escalating. Stimulated by both great-power competition and a sharp increase in resource demand, mineral resource countries are no longer content to merely serve as sources of raw materials. They have intensively introduced control measures such as production limits, quota management, export controls, and tax increases. For example, in 2025, the DRC tightened cobalt export quotas, Vietnam banned the export of rare earth raw ore; in February 2026, Zimbabwe announced the suspension of lithium raw ore and lithium concentrate exports, and in March 2026, Indonesia cut nickel mining quotas by up to 40%. Through a series of policies, resource countries aim to convert resource advantages into capital for their own industrialization and geopolitical leverage. By increasing royalty fees, technology transfer, and joint venture factory construction, they strengthen the state's participation in the resource sector, promote the transformation of the mining industry, and increase national control and revenue.
Multiple risks are overlapping
The risk of supply chain decoupling and disruption is intensifying, and the efficiency of global resource allocation has significantly declined. The introduction of the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act and others has implemented supply chain penetration filtering targeting specific competitors, signaling the end of the era of free trade in the global mining market. The critical minerals supply chain is rapidly splitting into two major systems: inside the camp and outside the camp. Companies are forced to restructure equity, adjust layouts, and see compliance costs rise sharply in order to meet downstream customers' subsidy eligibility and supply chain access requirements. The World Bank predicts that the regional restructuring of global supply chains could increase costs in the electronics industry by 15% to 20%. More seriously, the sanctions imposed by the United States and Western countries on Russia and others, and military strikes on Iran, have escalated from financial sanctions to military enforcement, greatly increasing the physical disruption risk and transportation costs of global commodity trade. The efficiency of global resource allocation has been severely eroded.
The risks of sharp price fluctuations and inflation transmission overlap, putting significant pressure on downstream industries. Policies such as export bans and quota controls by mineral resource countries directly reduce global resource supply, causing substantial volatility in strategic mineral prices. For example, after the DRC implemented cobalt export restrictions in 2025, cobalt benchmark prices rose by over 160% cumulatively, global refined cobalt production fell by about 20% that year, creating a supply gap of over 82,000 tons. Rising resource prices further transmit to downstream industries, increasing production costs in new energy, consumer electronics, and other sectors, and spreading to end-consumer markets. Multiple organizations, including the International Energy Agency, predict that with the development of electric vehicles and power grid construction, global supply of critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, and copper will experience shortages by 2030. The control policies of resource countries will further widen the supply gap. Against the backdrop of sharply rising energy prices, further increases in mineral product prices exacerbate global inflationary pressure, posing severe challenges to the macroeconomic stability of various countries.
The fragmentation of governance rules and the spread of protectionism are impacting the multilateral trading system. The United States and Western countries are attempting to replace market rules with political alliance standards and substitute global division of labor with friend-shoring, exacerbating the fragmentation of international economic and trade rules. For example, on November 2, 2022, Canada's Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, under the national security review provisions of the Canada Investment Act, directly ordered three Chinese companies to divest from critical mineral investments. Meanwhile, the control policies of mineral resource countries are distinctly unilateralist and protectionist, disrupting normal international trade rules and easily triggering trade and investment disputes and international arbitration. In 2025, the Guinean government suddenly revoked dozens of mining licenses without consulting relevant parties, prompting an Emirati bauxite miner to file arbitration seeking up to $28.9 billion under a bilateral investment treaty. Such policies are likely to induce more countries to follow suit, forming a protectionist policy linkage, and will also seriously impact the global multilateral trade and investment system.
A historic turning point
Technological substitution and recycling will reshape the resource supply and demand landscape. On one hand, breakthroughs in materials science will accelerate technological substitution of critical minerals. The commercialization process of new energy storage technologies such as cobalt-free batteries, sodium-ion batteries, and solid-state batteries will reduce the intensity of dependence on specific resources like lithium, cobalt, and nickel. On the other hand, the circular economy and urban mining development will become important supplements to resource supply. As global electric vehicles, wind turbines, and photovoltaic equipment enter a peak retirement period, the scale of recycling of spent power batteries and rare earth permanent magnets will rapidly expand. Some countries have incorporated recycling targets into their national strategies, and the mining of primary minerals and the recovery of recycled resources will form a dual-track parallel supply pattern.
Deep-sea mining and space resource development will become new frontiers for expanding resource supply. Deep earth, deep sea, and deep space will become the three major primary mineral resource guarantee systems. Negotiations by the International Seabed Authority on deep-sea mining regulations have entered a critical phase. Although environmental disputes and regulatory differences still exist, some countries and companies have accelerated technology reserves and exploration deployment. Meanwhile, the legal framework and technological pathways for space resource development are also being rapidly explored. The United States, Luxembourg, and other countries have enacted domestic legislation to provide legal protection for space mining. Commercial space companies' plans for lunar and asteroid resource exploration are gradually moving from concept to practice. Although large-scale development of deep-sea and space resources still faces multiple constraints such as technology, cost, and environment, their strategic significance has gained broad consensus. In the future, they will become new frontiers for great-power resource competition, profoundly changing the geographical landscape of global resource supply.
Global mineral resource governance will accelerate toward multi-stakeholder governance amid intense competition. The situation in which a single country or camp dominates global mineral pricing power and flows is unsustainable. Resource countries enhance their collective bargaining power through mechanisms such as resource cartels; consumer countries improve their level of autonomy and controllability through technological innovation and recycling; technology countries maintain their influence through standard-setting and capital exports. The dynamic balance among the three forces will push the governance structure toward a more diverse and inclusive direction. At the same time, the competition for the formulation of green rules such as environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards, carbon footprint accounting, and supply chain due diligence will become more intense. Resource-demanding countries like the EU attempt to link environmental and social governance standards to supply chain access, constructing green barriers; resource countries emphasize the right to development and resource sovereignty, opposing the use of environmental standards as trade protection tools. The trade-off between security and efficiency, the competition between openness and protection, and the balance between development and sustainability will run through the development process of this field for a long time. Only by adhering to open cooperation, mutual benefit, and win-win, and promoting the construction of a more fair and reasonable global resource governance system, can we seize the initiative amid changes, achieve win-win outcomes in competition, and provide a solid resource guarantee for the sustainable development of the global economy.
Return to TopBy: 张力
As the once-in-a-century transformations accelerate and the international landscape undergoes deep adjustment, the role of city diplomacy in global governance and international exchanges is becoming increasingly prominent. General Secretary Xi Jinping attaches great importance to city diplomacy, emphasizing the need to vigorously carry out China’s international sister-city work, promote exchanges between Chinese and foreign local governments, and advance the realization of resource sharing, complementary advantages, and win-win cooperation. City diplomacy is an important component of major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics, and is the extension and powerful supplement of overall national diplomacy at the local level. City diplomacy focuses on non-sovereign, practical matters such as urban governance, economic and trade exchanges, people-to-people and cultural exchanges, scientific and technological cooperation, and livelihood security. By conducting exchanges and cooperation and promoting people-to-people bonds, it serves as an important pivot and key foundation for implementing global governance initiatives and advancing global governance innovation.
City diplomacy possesses the unique advantages of strong practicality, high flexibility, and broad coverage, continuously injecting robust momentum into global governance innovation. First, it can precisely align with the practical scenarios of grassroots governance, promoting the implementation and effectiveness of global governance concepts. Currently, global issues such as climate change, public health security, emerging technology governance, sustainable development, and environmental protection must ultimately be addressed in urban governance practice. As the core carrier of modern society’s operation and public governance, cities are the key arenas for resolving global governance difficulties, and can transform innovative global governance concepts and international consensus into feasible and specific measures. City diplomacy plays a role in connecting local collaborative governance among cities across countries, effectively solving the real-world problem of global governance being “hot at the top, cold at the grassroots, and difficult to implement.” Second, it can break through the limitations of geopolitical games and open up innovative pathways for multilateral governance. As a form of diplomacy under the framework of overall national diplomacy, city diplomacy possesses the advantage of flexible communication, takes development and governance as its core orientation, and relies on various platforms such as sister cities, international multilateral city organizations, and global city forums to carry out point-to-point exchanges and cooperation and implement targeted governance actions. Through rich and diverse communication and connection models, it broadly gathers governance consensus from all sides and enhances the effectiveness of multilateral collaboration. Third, it can bring multiple actors into participation in global governance, boosting the democratization process of global governance. City diplomacy can fully activate local governments, business entities, university think tanks, social organizations, and other forces, building a multi-level, three-dimensional, and networked pattern of collaborative governance. It conforms to the development trend of diversified and democratized global governance, enriching and perfecting the theoretical connotation and practical form of the global governance concept of extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits.
In recent years, China’s city diplomacy, based on the overall layout of major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics in the new era, has promoted practical cooperation, actively integrated into the global governance system, and formed a series of landmark achievements in long-term practice, constructing a distinctive practical paradigm of Chinese city diplomacy. In the area of international sister-city exchanges, a network of international sister cities spanning all five continents and covering all types of economies has been formed, consolidating the foundation for global governance cooperation. Relying on regular sister-city exchange mechanisms, it has continuously deepened economic and trade connectivity, cultural integration, and governance mutual learning, becoming an important bond for realizing people-to-people bonds among nations and practicing the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind. As of June 2026, China has established 3,172 pairs of sister-city relationships with 153 countries across five continents. In promoting global sustainable development, China’s city diplomacy brand has demonstrated its influence, contributing Chinese solutions to global urban governance. For example, Shanghai has deeply participated in UN-Habitat’s global urban governance cooperation, took the lead in establishing the Global Sustainable City Award, the "Shanghai Award," creating an international collaboration window for cities to share governance models and development experiences, and selecting outstanding cities that solve urban development challenges through innovative measures. Facing frontier issues in global digital governance, it has established multilateral cooperation mechanisms to promote global digital technology innovation and urban digital governance transformation. Beijing has hosted the Global Digital Economy Conference, jointly initiated with over 40 international cities the establishment of the Global Digital Economy City Alliance, and continuously improved the global digital governance system through exchanges and mutual learning, creating an inclusive, friendly, and secure digital development environment.
While fully affirming these achievements, it must also be clearly recognized that there are still some challenges in China’s city diplomacy’s contribution to global governance innovation. Some local city diplomacy lacks systematic planning, and issues of homogenization and formalization still exist; international collaborative coordination mechanisms still need improvement, and a closed-loop system for resource integration, experience sharing, and achievement transformation has not yet been fully formed; the level of city internationalization is insufficient, and the right to speak and influence in participating in global governance dialogue and international rule-making is relatively weak. It is necessary to specifically break down various constraining factors, improve long-term development mechanisms, and continuously enhance the capacity and level of city diplomacy to empower global governance innovation.
Promote the deep integration of city diplomacy into the overall national diplomacy landscape. Under the overall deployment of major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics, implement the core concepts of global governance initiatives, and continuously improve the working pattern of city diplomacy with central coordination, local implementation, and multi-party collaboration. Closely follow the overall national development strategy, align with local development goals, systematically optimize the national layout of city diplomacy, encourage developed cities in the eastern coastal regions to leverage their strengths in areas such as scientific innovation, finance, digital economy, and green low-carbon development to deeply participate in high-end discussions and rule-setting on global governance issues, helping China enhance its voice in global governance in emerging fields; support central, western, and border cities to leverage their geographical advantages to deepen connectivity, joint livelihood building, and shared security with cities in neighboring countries, consolidating the popular and social foundations for good-neighborly friendship. Improve mechanisms for summarizing city diplomacy practices and transforming achievements, systematically compile vivid experiences and distinctive cooperation forms from city diplomacy across regions, enrich global governance solutions with transnational local cooperation practices, and continuously enhance the practical leadership and agenda-setting power of global governance.
Build a Chinese city diplomacy matrix that empowers global governance. Focus on the transformation trends and common governance challenges of the global governance system, leverage the practical advantages of China’s urban governance modernization, and expand high-quality, distinctive, and targeted international cooperation. Continuously strengthen city diplomacy platforms such as the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) – International Sister Cities, regularly release the development achievements of Chinese urban governance, and systematically introduce China’s mature experience in building smart cities, resilient cities, low-carbon cities, and livable cities. Focus on key global issues such as green transformation, public health, digital governance, and livelihood improvement, build special collaborative platforms between Chinese and foreign cities, and promote mutual learning and two-way flow of governance concepts, advanced technologies, and professional talents. Deeply serve high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, rely on the network of cities along the route, and regularly carry out pairing and joint construction, talent exchange, technology sharing, and project cooperation, achieving complementary advantages, jointly resolving development bottlenecks, consolidating the development synergy of the Global South, and strengthening the practical foundation of global multilateral governance.
Enhance the comprehensive capacity of city diplomacy to empower global governance innovation. Accelerate the improvement of a multi-party collaborative working mechanism with government guidance, think tank support, and social participation, and maximize the activation of various resource elements of city diplomacy. Support universities and research institutes to leverage their research expertise, establish think tank platforms for city diplomacy and global governance, and provide professional support for local international exchanges and cooperation in areas such as policy analysis, rule interpretation, program design, and risk prevention. Strengthen the building of a talent pool for city diplomacy, and regularly cultivate composite foreign affairs personnel with international vision, professional competence, and practical skills. Improve long-term cross-border cooperation mechanisms, build regular consultation platforms between international cities, and form a complete closed loop for precise resource matching and transformation of cooperation achievements. Deepen docking and collaboration with authoritative international organizations such as United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), support domestic cities to participate comprehensively in global urban governance issue dialogue, standard co-building, and project cooperation, achieving a leap for China’s city diplomacy from practical participation to rule co-building and innovation leadership, and continuously promote the global governance system to develop in a more just, equitable, balanced, and inclusive direction.
By: 韩晗
In the global landscape of public health development, inclusive healthcare and resource sufficiency are often deeply bound together; most high-standard universal healthcare systems rely on strong economic strength as support. Cuba, as a developing country that has long faced external blockade and has limited economic resources, has relied on sustained and stable public health investment to build a universal healthcare system with broad coverage and strong equity, with multiple health indicators on par with developed countries. Data show that in 2023, Cuba's health care expenditure accounted for 19.98% of GDP; in the 2025 national budget, 24% of funds are directed to the public health sector; there are 9 doctors per 1,000 people; and key indicators such as average life expectancy remain firmly among the top ranks in the world.
However, this universally recognized healthcare system has, since its very birth, been deeply mired in the dual predicament of resource scarcity and a harsh external environment. Before the victory of the Cuban Revolution in 1959, Cuba's medical resources were extremely unevenly distributed; high-quality resources were highly concentrated in the capital, and the vast rural areas basically had no formal medical and health services. In the early days after the revolutionary victory, a large number of pro-American physicians emigrated, and the number of practicing physicians nationwide dropped sharply from more than 6,300 to fewer than 3,000. Since 1960, the United States has implemented a comprehensive unilateral embargo, severing the supply chains of medicines and medical equipment and causing a large-scale resurgence of various infectious diseases. It was precisely under the special background of overlapping 内忧外患 (nèi yōu wài huàn - "internal worries and external threats," domestic trouble compounded by external pressure) that the Cuban government pushed for the comprehensive nationalization of the medical industry and established the development direction of free universal healthcare.
Looking back over the course of Cuba's medical development, it can be divided into the following key stages. From 1959 to 1974 was the foundation-laying stage of system reconstruction. Taking medical nationalization as the reform direction, Cuba focused on consolidating the grassroots medical foundation, rapidly cultivating domestic medical personnel through customized accelerated medical training, continuously sending medical and nursing forces to remote rural villages, and gradually filling the long-standing vacuum in rural medical care. From 1975 to 1983, it entered the stage of standardized system building. Cuba gradually built a three-tier integrated diagnosis and treatment architecture at the municipal, provincial, and national levels, rationalized the operating mechanisms of hierarchical diagnosis and treatment and step-by-step referral, and set up a nationwide overall framework of medical services with clear tiers, linkage, and interconnection. From 1984 to 1989, it focused on the stage of pushing services down to the grassroots. The country comprehensively implemented the localized family doctor system nationwide, bringing medical services deep into communities and close to every household, clearly specifying and refining the service rights and responsibilities of grassroots medical and nursing staff; each family doctor was fixedly connected with about 120 households of residents, consolidating the grassroots defense line of universal health. From 1990 to the present is the critical stage of holding fast and improving quality. Impacted by the collapse of the Soviet Union, Cuba's economy suffered a heavy blow and its development fell into a trough. In the extreme predicament of material shortages and fiscal strain, the country has held the bottom line of free universal healthcare and strived to maintain the stable operation of the entire public health system.
After more than 60 years of development, Cuba has gradually forged a highly distinctive medical operating mechanism adapted to its own national conditions, which mainly presents the following characteristics.
First, universal benefit for all, realizing undifferentiated free guarantees. Cuba is one of the very few countries in the world today that has truly realized fully free medical care "from the cradle to the grave." Whether urban residents or rural residents, whether employed or unemployed, all are exempt from registration fees, examination fees, medicine fees, surgery fees, hospitalization fees, and meal fees when seeking treatment. The national medical network covers all municipalities and communities; in 2019, registered physicians exceeded 100,000, and the density of physicians per 1,000 people surpassed that of the vast majority of developed countries. The 2017 National Budget Law stipulates that the share of health expenditure must be increased year by year; in 2025, the public health budget reached 76.756 billion pesos, accounting for 21% of budgeted activity expenditure. This kind of inclusive coverage has thoroughly eliminated the institutional root of poverty caused by illness.
Second, prevention-oriented, building a grassroots hierarchical diagnosis and treatment system. The family doctor system is the key support of the Cuban medical model. After its establishment in 1984, each family doctor is paired with one nurse and is responsible for the health management of about 120 families. Doctors live next to community clinics, respond to needs 24 hours a day, and regularly conduct household assessments, follow up on chronic disease patients, and carry out health education. Chronic disease patients receive a systematic assessment every three months; the national immunization program covers 17 vaccines, 10 of which are produced domestically. Patients must have their "first consultation in the community," and after the initial diagnosis by the family doctor, they are referred upward level by level. With an annual per capita expenditure of about US$600 (less than one-twentieth of that of the United States), this model has achieved core indicators such as life expectancy and infant mortality that are better than those of the United States, and it has been hailed by the World Health Organization as a "model of public health for developing countries."
Third, nationwide coordination, implementing a wholly public governance model. All of Cuba's medical institutions are state-owned; there are no private clinics or private hospitals. The Ministry of Public Health exercises unified management over national resource planning, personnel deployment, budget allocation, pharmaceutical production, and quality supervision; 89% of medical expenditure is borne by government finance, the highest proportion in Latin America. From medical education to pharmaceutical R&D, from data centers to cold-chain logistics, everything is incorporated into unified national planning and mandatory allocation. This highly concentrated architecture ensures that limited resources are allocated according to health needs rather than ability to pay, maximizing the guarantee of equity.
It should be noted that although outstanding achievements have been made in equity and public health outcomes, constrained by multiple real-world challenges, Cuba's universal healthcare has long faced severe development difficulties.
First, the long-term external blockade has created difficulties in material supply. The U.S. blockade lasting more than 60 years has led to a severe shortage of foreign exchange in Cuba; about 69% of the medicines needed nationwide cannot be stably supplied, and shortages of routine medicines have become the norm. The fuel blockade has caused frequent interruptions in electricity supply nationwide, and hospital backup generators are likewise short of fuel. Basic consumables such as surgical gauze, syringes, and anesthetics are available only intermittently; key equipment such as CT scanners and dialysis machines has been out of operation for long periods because of a lack of spare parts. According to a United Nations report, more than 100,000 surgeries nationwide have been postponed indefinitely due to material shortages alone; chronic kidney disease patients have been forced to reduce the frequency of treatment because of insufficient dialysis consumables. The blockade has also seriously hindered Cuba's participation in global pharmaceutical R&D cooperation, and the introduction of new technologies has almost come to a standstill.
Second, the weak economic foundation has led to difficulties in fiscal guarantee. Cuba's economy has long grown slowly, and its foreign exchange income is highly dependent on tourism, nickel mining, and remittances, making it severely buffeted by international markets and epidemics. Although the government tries its best to maintain a high proportion of health investment, total fiscal revenue is limited, and the ever-widening deficit has made the "free lunch" 难以为继 (nán yǐ wéi jì - "hard to continue," unable to be sustained). Pharmaceutical imports alone cost hundreds of millions of dollars every year, severely squeezing productive funds such as industrial and agricultural investment and infrastructure renewal, forming a predicament of "welfare squeezing out development." Once international oil prices rise or remittances decrease, the medical budget faces hard compression.
Third, rigid institutions and mechanisms have produced difficulties in internal momentum. Highly nationalized management and management by administrative command have caused medical institutions to lack internal incentives for cost control and efficiency improvement; the problem of redundant personnel is prominent, and waste and misappropriation of materials 屡禁不止 (lǚ jìn bù zhǐ - "banned repeatedly but not stopped," persisting despite repeated prohibition). When converted into U.S. dollars, doctors' monthly salaries are only US$30–50, and coupled with arduous working conditions, this has led to a massive outflow of talent. Since 2010, more than 25,000 doctors have emigrated, and most of those lost are young and middle-aged backbone personnel, further weakening service quality. The three-tier referral process is rigid, patients' waiting times are too long, and doctor-patient conflicts occur from time to time. These internal problems, interwoven with external pressures, have made Cuba's universal healthcare face the most severe sustainability challenge since its establishment.
Although Cuba's universal healthcare system has proven to the world that "health equity" is not unattainable in countries with limited resources, the continued operation of this model relies heavily on a highly centralized system, high fiscal investment, and a relatively closed environment. When the external blockade intensifies, the economy continues to slump, and talent keeps flowing away, the fragility of this model is 暴露无遗 (bào lù wú yí - "exposed without anything left hidden," fully laid bare). The future of Cuba's healthcare requires both deepening its own reforms and improving efficiency, and it urgently needs the international community to break the blockade and provide space for cooperation. Cuba's practical path of exploring medical construction in light of its national conditions has both accumulated experience for developing countries in advancing inclusive healthcare construction and left a realistic warning worthy of prudent examination.
Return to TopBy: 张海涛
"Persisting in forging a strong party spirit" is a lifelong task for Party members and cadres. The scientific connotations of the "fourteen insistences" (十四个坚持) of Xi Jinping's Party building thought (习近平党建思想) are logically presented as a "general-specific-general" structure; from the fifth insistence to the thirteenth insistence, they unfold mainly around the overall layout of Party building. Among them, "persisting in forging a strong party spirit" is positioned after ideological development and before organizational development. This positional arrangement reveals that "persisting in forging a strong party spirit" plays a 承前启后 (chéng qián qǐ hòu - "inherit the past and open up the future," to serve as a link between the preceding and the following) role from theory to practice, from thought to action, encompassing both knowledge and action. Forging party spirit is both an ideological tempering for Party members and cadres and requires rectifying oneself and acting forcefully in practical action.
The party spirit of a Marxist political party is the unity of class nature and people's nature.
Party spirit is the concrete characteristic manifested by the Party's nature in individual Party members; it is the advanced nature and purity embodied by Party members in concrete practical activities. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "What determines how a person is is moral conduct; what determines how a Party member is is party spirit." Party spirit is the cornerstone for Party members and cadres to establish themselves, establish their careers, establish their words, and establish their virtue.
The party spirit of a Marxist political party is the high-degree unity of class nature and people's nature. Lenin once emphasized: "Strict party spirit is the accompanying phenomenon and product of the highly developed class struggle. Conversely, in order to carry out open and extensive class struggle, strict party spirit must be developed." This shows that Marxist political parties declare their own class attributes with 旗帜鲜明 (qí zhì xiān míng - "banners and flags are bright and clear," to take a clear-cut stand). At the same time, Lenin also pointed out that "upholding party spirit is principled and is for the interests of the broad masses," which further shows that the party spirit pursued by Marxist political parties concerns the fundamental interests of the masses and that speaking of party spirit cannot be divorced from people's nature. The Communist Party of China is a Marxist political party that wholeheartedly serves the people, represents the fundamental interests of the broadest masses of the Chinese people, and comes from the people and exists for the people. From the essence of our Party, party spirit and people's nature have always been consistent and unified. In this regard, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "To uphold party spirit is to uphold people's nature; to uphold people's nature is to uphold party spirit. Party spirit resides within people's nature; there is no party spirit divorced from people's nature, nor is there people's nature divorced from party spirit." Therefore, separating party spirit from people's nature, setting them in opposition, or fragmenting them is erroneous in theory and harmful in practice.
The party spirit of a Marxist political party is the unity of class nature and people's nature, which requires Party members and cadres to always be loyal to the Party and loyal to the people. Mao Zedong pointed out in his report to the Seventh National Congress in 1945: "Party spirit is a common nature, a universal nature, a nature that every person in the whole Party possesses"; "unified action, unified opinion, and collectivism constitute party spirit." Commonality, discipline, and organization constitute the basic requirements of party spirit at the level of class attributes; Party members must be responsible to the Party and loyal to the Party. In this regard, General Secretary Xi Jinping especially emphasized: "The Party Constitution clearly stipulates that Communist Party members must be 'honest and loyal to the Party and consistent in words and deeds.' This is not only a political requirement for every Party member, but also a party spirit principle that every leading cadre must follow." Emphasizing people's nature also requires Party members and cadres to be responsible to the people and loyal to the people. General Secretary Xi Jinping clearly pointed out: "How leading cadres treat the masses is a fundamental question of standpoint, a question of worldview, and a question of party spirit." "The people's aspiration for a better life is our goal of struggle" is the unremitting pursuit of Chinese Communists in upholding the people as supreme and people's livelihood as paramount; "offend a thousand or a hundred people, yet never fail 1.4 billion" is the solemn declaration of Chinese Communists in adhering to everything for the people and daring to take responsibility.
Whether one can be loyal to the Party and loyal to the people is the fundamental yardstick for testing whether party spirit is strong.
To achieve "loyalty to the Party and loyalty to the people" is not abstract but concrete. This is embodied in the daily behavior and concrete practice of Party members and cadres. On the two most basic questions of "how to think" and "how to act," one must always stand on the standpoint of the Party and the people and realize 知行合一 (zhī xíng hé yī - "knowledge and action are one," the unity of knowing and doing). General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "At bottom, party spirit is a question of standpoint. Communists, whether thinking about problems, conducting research, or making decisions and handling affairs, must all stand on the standpoint of the Party and the people and must not put personal interests first. This is the party spirit principle of Communists." How does one stand on the standpoint of the Party and the people? On the one hand, there is the question of "how to think" for Party members and cadres: in the process of "thinking about problems and conducting research," they must always uphold the scientific spirit and act according to the laws; on the other hand, there is the question of "how to act" for Party members and cadres: in the process of "making decisions and handling affairs," they must dare to take responsibility and make achievements. Whether "how to think" or "how to act," one must not put one's own interests first — this is precisely the "party spirit principle of Communists" that General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly mentioned.
"Thinking about problems and conducting research" requires upholding the scientific spirit and following the laws of development; this is the embodiment of the "power of truth" of Party members and cadres. "Making decisions and handling affairs" requires daring to take responsibility and making achievements; this is the embodiment of the "power of personality" of Party members and cadres. Deng Xiaoping pointed out: "When Communists do their work, they rely first on the power of truth and second on the power of personality." General Secretary Xi Jinping also emphasized that "our Party, as the ruling Marxist party, must not only have a strong power of truth, but also a strong power of personality" and "guide cadres at all levels, especially political cadres, to unify the power of truth and the power of personality." The "Notice on Studying and Implementing Xi Jinping's Party Building Thought" (《关于学习贯彻习近平党建思想的通知》) issued by the Central Party Building Work Leading Group (中央党的建设工作领导小组) on June 18, 2026, also clearly requires that "one must consciously comprehend the power of truth and the power of personality from it, and enhance political identification, ideological identification, theoretical identification, and emotional identification."
实事求是 (shí shì qiú shì - "seek truth from actual facts," to proceed from reality and seek truth) is the greatest party spirit. How to achieve seeking truth from facts? One must gather the majestic power of truth and personality in "how to think" and "how to act." General Secretary Xi Jinping once wrote in the article "Miscellaneous Talks on Governance" (《从政杂谈》): "Before making a decision, first listen to the wind from eight directions, heed all kinds of opinions, deeply understand the essence of the problem at hand, find out its laws, deliberate, and then decide." Comrade Xi Jinping, then a member of the Standing Committee of the Xiamen Municipal Party Committee and vice mayor, led the formulation of the "1985–2000 Xiamen Economic and Social Development Strategy"; he frankly said: "Faced with such an arduous research task, our theoretical knowledge and work experience are clearly quite insufficient. For this reason, the special team must study hard and dare to explore." He personally led the team to Beijing to visit and consult experts, achieving the setting of the topic and the completion of the outline, planning before acting. "After the political line is determined, cadres are the decisive factor." Whether one can bravely shoulder heavy burdens, charge at the front, and dare to confront tough problems in the face of difficulties is the direct standard for testing cadres' party spirit and ideals and beliefs in the peaceful construction period of prolonged peace. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized on this: "Responsibility and achievement are one; not acting is not taking responsibility, and making achievements requires taking responsibility. Doing things always carries risks; how can there be so many things under heaven that are 四平八稳 (sì píng bā wěn - "four even, eight stable," stable and risk-free) and smooth-sailing? Precisely because there is risk, responsibility is needed." Doing things requires boldness; being an official requires responsibility. From putting full effort into promoting the construction of Fuzhou Changle Airport to taking the lead nationwide in planning and promoting the reform of the collective forest rights system, all vividly embody General Secretary Xi Jinping's responsible action in truly grasping and solidly doing. The "Youyu Spirit" (右玉精神) repeatedly emphasized by General Secretary Xi Jinping even more clearly demonstrates the character of responsibility and action that advances against difficulties, works hard and struggles, persists over a long time to achieve success, and benefits the long term. For decades, Youyu drew one blueprint to the end and worked term after term; with astonishing perseverance, it turned a 不毛之地 (bù máo zhī dì - "a land where nothing grows," barren wasteland) into a "green oasis beyond the Great Wall." When choosing the strategy of "planting trees," the decision-makers of Youyu at that time were not thinking of the "conspicuous achievements" that would pave the way for personal promotion or add weight to their own advancement, but anchored themselves to the ideal and belief of "serving as an official for one term and benefiting one region." In the end, they wrote their political achievements on the mountains and rivers and imprinted them in the hearts of the common people.
Strengthening party spirit cultivation is the only way to forge a strong party spirit.
Party spirit is the end; party spirit cultivation is the method and path for forging a strong party spirit. Strengthening party spirit depends on genuine cultivation and tempering. On October 14, 1938, Mao Zedong explicitly put forward "our Party's Marxist-Leninist cultivation" in the report "On the New Stage" (《论新阶段》) delivered at the enlarged Sixth Plenary Session of the Sixth Central Committee of the Party. In July 1939, Liu Shaoqi, in a public lecture at the Yan'an Marxism-Leninism Institute, was relatively early in clearly using the concept of party spirit cultivation and explicitly put forward the concrete contents of Communist Party members' party spirit cultivation. At the same time, Mao Zedong gave this article high praise, holding that it was a good article that advocated healthy atmosphere, opposed evil atmosphere, and should be published promptly. In response to the various new thoughts that emerged in the early period of reform and opening up and the substantial increase in the number of Party members, in order to prevent Party members from failing to withstand tests in the complicated, multifarious, and diverse pluralistic value environment, and to maintain the purity and advanced nature of Communist Party members, Deng Xiaoping put forward clear requirements for Party members' ideological cultivation and work-style cultivation at the Second Plenary Session of the Twelfth Central Committee on October 12, 1983: party spirit should be strengthened through ideological education, so that "Party members serve the people and do not seek personal gain." In his speech at the opening ceremony of the 2009 spring semester of the Central Party School, General Secretary Xi Jinping put forward five major party spirit cultivations, namely theoretical cultivation, political cultivation, moral cultivation, discipline cultivation, and work-style cultivation. On June 30, 2025, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out at the 21st collective study session of the Political Bureau of the 20th Central Committee: "Regarding the party spirit of Communists, the Party Constitution, the norms, and other documents all have clear provisions; the focus is on firming up ideals and convictions, casting loyalty to the Party, deeply cultivating feelings for the people, purifying moral character, and maintaining integrity and honesty." These important statements all provide fundamental behavioral guidelines for our understanding and recognition of party spirit cultivation and party spirit tempering, and point out the direction forward.
"Lifelong task" is a clear definition of the theoretical character of "forging a strong party spirit" and also reveals two important characteristics of party spirit cultivation. On the one hand, forging party spirit is not a matter of one morning or one evening, nor is it 一蹴而就 (yī cù ér jiù - "to accomplish in a single step," to succeed at the first attempt); it requires both starting from normalized development and demanding that Party members and cadres remain 矢志不渝 (shǐ zhì bù yú - "to vow the will never to change," to remain unwavering) and persist for the long term; party spirit cultivation values "constancy." On the other hand, party spirit forging, as a "task," is a "required course" for Party members and cadres.
Strengthening party spirit cultivation requires regular cultivation and regular refinement, regular comprehension and regular advancement, truly achieving "live to old age, study to old age, cultivate to old age." First, pay attention to one's own 修身养性 (xiū shēn yǎng xìng - "cultivate the person and nourish the nature," to cultivate oneself morally), achieving broad-mindedness and lofty aspirations; one must understand great virtue, uphold public virtue, and be strict in private virtue. Second, focus on continuous tempering in inner-party political life: strictly implement the "Three Meetings and One Lesson" (三会一课) system, seriously and earnestly carry out criticism and self-criticism, conduct regular heart-to-heart talks, so that the political nature, principled nature, and militant nature of inner-party political life continuously strengthen, making the "furnace fire" of inner-party organizational life blaze and the "smelting furnace" of Party members' party spirit forging grow hot. Third, focus on continuously elevating one's own understanding in concrete practice. Party spirit forging is also a spiraling upward process; there will be relapses, encounters with slackness, and facing of challenges. Precisely for this reason, maintaining the advanced nature and purity of individual Party members is not a matter of 一劳永逸 (yī láo yǒng yì - "one labor, eternal ease," to be done once and last forever): being advanced in the past does not mean being advanced now, and being advanced now does not mean being advanced in the future. One must persist in combining the study of theory with party spirit tempering; while studying and applying theory to transform the objective world, one must make great efforts to transform the subjective world, and always maintain the advanced nature of Communist Party members.
"The tree planter must cultivate the roots; the virtue planter must nourish the heart." Every Party member and cadre must regularly cultivate and refine the Communists' "study of the mind" (心学), draw the power of faith from the Party's ideals and beliefs, nature and purpose, work-style requirements, and discipline and rules, find the gaps in party spirit, calibrate the direction of advance, and nourish and motivate themselves with the spiritual genealogy of Chinese Communists, truly achieving belief for a lifetime, adherence for a lifetime, and practice for a lifetime.
Return to TopBy: 吴荣生
Xi Jinping's thought on Party building clearly puts forward that persisting in tempering a strong Party spirit (党性) is the lifelong subject of Party members and cadres. The Party spirit of Chinese Communists is the highest and most concentrated expression of the interests of the broadest masses of the Chinese people, and is the concrete characteristics of the Party's nature manifested in individual Party members, namely the political, ideological, organizational, and work-style advanced nature and purity manifested in concrete practical activities.
Our Party has always attached importance to the issue of Party spirit, and tempering a strong Party spirit is a fine tradition of the Communist Party of China. On July 1, 1941, the "Decision of the CPC Central Committee on Strengthening Party Spirit" (中共中央关于增强党性的决定) clearly proposed that the whole Party should strengthen Party spirit tempering, subordinate individual interests to the interests of the whole Party, and enable the whole Party to unify its will, unify its action, and unify its discipline; the core purpose was to safeguard the Party's unity through strengthening Party spirit. After the founding of New China, our Party continuously strengthened Party spirit education to guard against the negative sentiments and the danger of corruption and degeneration that might arise after the victory of the revolution. In the new period of reform and opening up and socialist modernization, striving to forever preserve the Party's advanced nature and purity, our Party proposed that Communist Party members should use Party spirit to resist the negative factors in market activities. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has adhered to problem orientation; the series of new ideas, new viewpoints, and new conclusions put forward around Party spirit, Party spirit cultivation, and Party spirit tempering comprehensively and systematically expounds the Party spirit view of Chinese Communists in the new era, providing fundamental guidance for the whole Party to continuously strengthen Party spirit cultivation in the new era.
Party spirit, in the final analysis, is a question of standpoint; the fundamental yardstick for measuring the strength of Party spirit is the two characters "public" and "private." Only with a strong Party spirit and the discarding of selfish thoughts and distracting ideas can one always think about problems from the standpoint of the Party and the people, can one make scientific decisions in accordance with objective laws, and can one ensure that the view of political achievements does not go astray. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that 实事求是 (shí shì qiú shì - "seek truth from facts," to proceed from reality and seek truth) is the greatest Party spirit. Adhering to proceeding from reality and seeking truth from facts is not only a question of ways of thinking, but also a question of whether Party spirit is strong. In the face of the "four major tests" (四大考验) and "four dangers" (四种危险) that the Party has long faced, Party spirit is the cornerstone for Party members and cadres to establish themselves, establish their careers, establish their words, and establish their virtue. If there were no solid Party spirit principles and Party spirit standpoints, our contingent of Party members and cadres might be penetrated ideologically and corrupted through exchanges of interests, leading to "the fortress being breached from within."
Both history and reality show that cadres' Party spirit cultivation and moral level will not naturally improve with the growth of their Party standing and length of service, nor will they naturally improve with promotion in position; it is necessary to strengthen self-cultivation, self-restraint, and self-transformation. Strengthening Party spirit is by no means an achievement of 一蹴而就 (yī cù ér jiù - "succeed with one kick," to accomplish in a single stroke), and all the more requires the strength of 持之以恒 (chí zhī yǐ héng - "hold it with constancy," to persevere unremittingly), relying on genuine, concrete cultivation and tempering.
The political attribute is the first attribute of a political party, and political cultivation is the primary content of Party members' and cadres' Party spirit cultivation, determining the actual effect of Party spirit cultivation. Only by continuously strengthening political cultivation can Party members and cadres further deepen their understanding of the Party's political construction and enhance their consciousness and firmness in advancing the Party's political construction. Political firmness originates from theoretical clarity, and firmness in Party spirit likewise cannot be separated from theoretical firmness. Persisting in arming the mind, rallying hearts, and forging the soul with the Party's innovative theory is the fundamental task of the Party's ideological construction, and is also the necessary act of Party members and cadres to temper a strong Party spirit through 身体力行 (shēn tǐ lì xíng - "personally embody and vigorously practice," to practice earnestly in one's own conduct). Party spirit education is a required course for Communists to 修身养性 (xiū shēn yǎng xìng - "cultivate the person and nurture the nature," to cultivate one's moral character), and is the fundamental path for cultivating Party spirit, tempering Party spirit, and upholding Party spirit. Truly learn, fully comprehend, and practically apply Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era (学懂弄通做实), adhere to the integration of learning, thinking, and application and the unity of knowledge, belief, and action (学思用贯通、知信行统一), and effectively transform the Party's innovative theory into a powerful force of truth for tempering Party spirit. Seriously study the Party Constitution and strictly observe the Party Constitution, taking the study, observance, and implementation of the Party Constitution, Party regulations, and Party discipline as important content of Party spirit cultivation. When Party spirit cultivation is sound and Party spirit is strong, the observance of the Party Constitution, Party regulations, and Party discipline will be more conscious.
Party spirit cultivation has no endpoint. On the new journey, the broad masses of Party members and cadres adhere to a people-centered approach, always keep the "country's major affairs" (国之大者) in mind and hold the "people's concerns" (民之关切) at heart, and, with a Party spirit made staunch through lifelong tempering, hone their original aspiration and mission, shoulder the responsibilities of the era, and lay a solid foundation for the Party's cause to 行稳致远 (xíng wěn zhì yuǎn - "walk steadily and reach far," to make steady progress toward long-term goals).
Return to TopBy: 唐皇凤
Looking back on the 波澜壮阔 (bōlán zhuàngkuò - "surging and magnificent," grand and sweeping) course of struggle spanning over a hundred years, "Why the Communist Party of China can" has always been a question of strengthening the party and a question of the era running through the history of the Party, the history of New China, the history of reform and opening up, and the history of socialist development. At the conference celebrating the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping summarized and generalized the six incomparably excellent traits that the Communist Party of China possesses relative to other political parties and political forces, deeply revealing the historical genes of the world's largest ruling party with significant global influence, as well as the key code for the Party to forever maintain the political essence of a Marxist political party and always be full of vitality. These excellent traits run through the entire process of managing and governing the Party, revitalizing and strengthening the Party, and strengthening the country and rejuvenation, centrally demonstrating the Party's nature, purpose, value pursuit, and spiritual character, and constitute the distinct identifiers that distinguish the Communist Party of China from other political parties and political forces.
Resolve to pursue truth, always grasp the direction of advance. "The more clearly one knows, the more firmly one acts." The Communist Party of China is a typical Marxist mission-oriented political party, always guided by the scientific theory of Marxism. Marxism reveals the laws of development of human society, points out the general trend and general direction of human social development, occupies the high ground of truth and morality, and is not only the guiding ideology for establishing the Party and the state, revitalizing the Party and strengthening the country, but also the theoretical cornerstone for generating the Party's excellent traits. For a Marxist political party, the advanced nature of theory is the primary and concentrated manifestation of its overall advanced nature. "Resolve to pursue truth, always grasp the direction of advance" is placed in the primary position among the Party's six excellent traits, deeply revealing the internal logic of the century-old major party that remains true to its original aspiration despite storms and tests, and remains steadfast in its course. Countless people of lofty ideals in modern China searched 上下求索 (shàng xià qiú suǒ - "search high and low," to explore diligently) for the path to national independence, people's liberation, and modernization, but all failed successively. The root cause was the lack of effective guidance of scientific theory. From the day of its founding, the Communist Party of China has clearly written Marxism on its own banner, taking the pursuit of truth, the revelation of truth, and the practice of truth as the fundamental principle for establishing, revitalizing, and strengthening the Party. For over a hundred years, the Party has not treated Marxism as a rigid dogma, but has continuously opened up new realms of sinicization and modernization of Marxism in the great practice of the "two combinations" (两个结合), ensuring the truthfulness and effectiveness of the Party's innovative theory. From establishing Mao Zedong Thought to open the correct revolutionary path, to forming the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics to scientifically answer the basic questions of socialist modernization, to establishing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to provide fundamental guidance and action guide for strengthening the country and national rejuvenation, the Party has always, in exploring, testing, and developing truth, scientifically answered the questions of China, the questions of the world, the questions of the people, and the questions of the era, explored the benign operating trajectory of Chinese-style modernization, and ensured that economic and social development always advances along the correct political direction. This excellent trait of always arming the whole Party, educating the people, and guiding practice with scientific theory ensures that the cause of the Party and the people cuts through waves and sails steadily forward amid 乱云飞渡 (luàn yún fēi dù - "troubled clouds fly across," chaotic and dangerous situation), 劈波斩浪 (pī bō zhǎn làng - "cut waves and chop waves," to cleave through waves), and 行稳致远 (xíng wěn zhì yuǎn - "walk steadily and go far," to advance steadily and reach far).
Deeply rooted among the people, always possessing a solid foundation. "The people are the foundation of the state; when the foundation is firm, the state is tranquil." The people's standpoint is the fundamental political standpoint of a Marxist political party, the people's character is the fundamental attribute of a Marxist political party, and it is even more the clearest political essence of the Communist Party of China. "Deeply rooted among the people, always possessing a solid foundation" – this excellent trait scientifically elucidates the essential stipulation of "what our Party is and what it wants to do." Our Party has never represented the interests of any interest groups, power groups, or privileged strata; all of the Party's struggles are ultimately for the benefit of the people. From the "small carts" of the Huaihai Campaign and the "small boats" of the Crossing-the-Yangtze Campaign, to the continuous struggle of millions of poverty alleviation cadres in the new era and the historic elimination of absolute poverty, the Party consciously practices the fundamental purpose of serving the people wholeheartedly. This sincere feeling of taking the people's aspiration for a better life as the goal of struggle confirms that the people are the greatest confidence for the Party's governance. On the new journey, the whole Party must adhere to putting the people first, adhere to the people-centered development thought, ask the people about their needs, ask the people for advice, ask the people about results, establish a correct view of political achievements, and do good deeds and practical things that touch the hearts of the masses. All Communists must remember that "the country is the people, and the people are the country," practice the Party's mass line in the new era, innovate and develop the "Fengqiao experience" (枫桥经验) of the new era, take the satisfaction of the masses as the fundamental criterion for evaluating work effectiveness, improve various systems for governing for the people and governing by relying on the people, and continuously strengthen the Party's class foundation and mass foundation for long-term governance, so that the Party will have a 坚如磐石 (jiān rú pán shí - "as solid as a rock," rock-solid) social foundation and an 无坚不摧 (wú jiān bù cuī - "nothing hard cannot be destroyed," all-conquering) mighty force.
Boldly assume historical missions, always master strategic initiative. "One who does not plan for the whole situation is insufficient to plan for a single area." Daring to take responsibility and mastering initiative is the political essence of Communists that says 舍我其谁 (shě wǒ qí shuí - "if not me, then who," having a sense of responsibility and daring). This excellent trait vividly depicts the historical consciousness and strategic initiative of a mission-oriented political party. From the moment of its founding, the Communist Party of China established seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation as its original aspiration and mission. This original aspiration and mission is not only a concentrated expression of the Party's nature, purpose, ideals, beliefs, and goals, but also the fundamental driving force that inspires Communists to continuously advance. At different historical stages, generations of Communists, cherishing the lofty ideal of communism, firmly shoulder the heavy responsibility entrusted by history and the people on their shoulders, are adept at unifying planning for affairs and planning for trends, planning for the present and planning for the future, and are willing to sacrifice and dedicate themselves to seeking human liberation. From overthrowing the "three big mountains" (三座大山) to establish New China, to establishing the basic system of socialism; from making the historic choice of reform and opening up, to proposing the "two centenary goals" (两个一百年) in the new era and implementing a series of "five-year plans" (五年规划), the Party has always been able to keenly adapt to changes in the principal social contradiction and scientifically determine the central task. This ability to adhere to the unity of long-term goals and phased goals, and to precisely connect grand narratives with specific tasks, ensures that the Party can formulate and implement correct lines, principles, and policies at every critical crossroads of historical development, firmly grasp the leadership and initiative of the cause's development, and mastering strategic initiative in the process of bravely undertaking missions has also become an excellent trait and significant advantage of the Party.
Conform to the trend of development, always stay at the forefront of the times. "He who discerns the situation is wise; he who rides the situation wins." Conforming to the trend of development and always staying at the forefront of the times is a concentrated manifestation of the advanced nature of a Marxist political party. This excellent trait profoundly demonstrates the Communist Party of China's broad global vision and deep strategic insight. The Party upholds a high degree of historical consciousness, clearly grasps China's national conditions and the themes of the times, and insists on planning the future within the coordinate system of "China's governance" and "world changes." Facing the major transformation not seen in a hundred years in the world, the Party does not 因循守旧 (yīn xún shǒu jiù - "follow the beaten track and keep old ways," conservative and rigid), nor does it 刻舟求剑 (kè zhōu qiú jiàn - "make a mark on the boat to find the sword," take measures inappropriate to changing circumstances), but rather actively identifies changes, responds to changes, and seeks changes, and sharply pioneers and innovates. From conforming to the era theme of peace and development, to grasping the general trend of economic globalization, to coordinating the two major matters of development and security, coordinating the two overall situations of domestic and international, proposing the joint construction of the "Belt and Road Initiative" (一带一路), building a "new development pattern" (新发展格局), and a "community with a shared future for mankind" (人类命运共同体), the Party has always effectively controlled the historical trend of modernization development, promoted all work to reflect the characteristics of the times, grasp the laws, and be full of creativity, and stay at the forefront of the times with scientific strategic foresight and predictability, creating the Chinese miracle of rapid economic development, long-term social stability, and the century-old major party forever maintaining vitality.
Dare and be good at struggle, always maintain confidence in victory. "Hardship reveals courage and perseverance; refinement yields jade perfection." Great undertakings inevitably entail great struggle. "Dare and be good at struggle, always maintain confidence in victory" profoundly reveals the fundamental method of a Marxist political party to understand and transform the world. The Communist Party of China was born in hardship, grew in struggle, and tempered its character and quality of not fearing strong enemies or risks. Daring to struggle emphasizes political stance and bottom-line thinking, the spirit of drawing the sword when facing major issues of principle, and the backbone and courage of "not believing in evil, not fearing ghosts, and not being a soft bone" when facing extreme pressures such as external hegemonic suppression and "strangling" of core technologies. Being good at struggle emphasizes strategic wisdom and practical artistry, requiring us to accurately grasp changes in the principal social contradiction, and in the complex interest games and deep-water zone reforms, adhere to a high degree of unity of principle and flexibility, cultivate opportunities amid crises, and open up new situations amid changes. The confidence in victory that runs through it comes from the guidance of the scientific truth of Marxism, from the institutional advantages of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and from the heartfelt support of hundreds of millions of people. It is precisely by relying on this struggle character of "still firm after thousands of grindings and blows" that the Party can lead the giant ship of rejuvenation to cross all 惊涛骇浪 (jīng tāo hài làng - "frightening waves and terrifying surges," perilous situations) and continuously move from victory to new victory.
Focus on strengthening oneself, always full of vitality. "He who overcomes others is powerful." Forging iron requires being hard oneself; a strong political party is forged in the process of continuously strengthening itself. Self-reform is the distinct political character and greatest advantage of a Marxist political party. "Focus on strengthening oneself, always full of vitality" – this excellent trait vividly reflects the Party's profound grasp of the law of long-term governance, and finds the genetic code for the Party to strengthen its own construction and always be full of vitality under conditions of long-term governance. Facing the repeated tests of long-term governance, reform and opening up, the market economy, and the external environment, the Party has always been adept at examining itself by the requirements of the development of the times, alerting itself with a strong sense of urgency, and improving itself with a spirit of self-perfection. A mature and finalized modern political party must have a set of mature self-correction and self-repair mechanisms within it. Party building is not an abstract and empty slogan; it must be concretely implemented in all fields, links, and the entire process of managing and governing the Party and governing the country, ensuring that the political advantages of Party leadership are transformed into tangible governance effectiveness. The excellent trait of "focusing on strengthening oneself" profoundly answers the major question of "why our Party can and how it can govern long-term," and further deepens the basic principles of Marxist party building in theory, promotes the deep coupling of Party leadership, Party building, and the modernization of the national governance system in practice, and provides a Chinese solution for the construction of human political party civilization.
These six aspects are not separate from each other, but form an internally interconnected organic whole. Pursuing truth solves the problem of the direction of advance; being rooted among the people solves the problem of political stance; bravely undertaking missions solves the problem of endogenous driving force; conforming to the trend solves the problem of the Party's advanced nature; daring to struggle solves the problem of spiritual will; strengthening oneself solves the problem of vitality. Together, they serve the continuous improvement of the Marxist ruling party's comprehensive leadership ability and the sustained stability of its long-term ruling position, together constituting the deep logic of why the Communist Party of China can.
Return to TopBy: 储著武
The Communist Party of China has always attached great importance to philosophy and social sciences, emphasizing that the important role of philosophy and social sciences in serving national development, promoting ideological transformation, and advancing academic progress must be brought into full play. The early period after the founding of New China was also the initial stage of the development of contemporary Chinese philosophy and social sciences. During this period, the Party and the state strengthened leadership over the work of philosophy and social sciences, promoting their development through improving organizational structures, establishing rules and regulations, and formulating plans, thereby laying a solid foundation for the subsequent flourishing development of China's philosophy and social sciences.
Building organizational and institutional foundations
The development of philosophy and social sciences in New China is inextricably linked to the development of philosophy and social sciences led by the Party during the New Democratic Revolution. In particular, after the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China issued the May Day Slogan (五一口号) on April 30, 1948, the Communist Party of China, together with social science workers, negotiated the founding of the state, building the organizational and institutional foundations for the development of social sciences in New China.
First, new social science academic organizations were established. During the consultations on founding the state, the Party and national social science workers decided to re-establish a new national academic organization of social science workers on the basis of the China Academic Workers Association, which had been founded on March 31, 1946, and to designate it as one of the participating units of the new Political Consultative Conference, thereby pioneering the political consultation and participation in political affairs by social science workers. On June 19, 1949, the Regulations on the Units and Their Representative Quotas for Participation in the New Political Consultative Conference adopted at the first plenary session of the Preparatory Committee of the New Political Consultative Conference clearly stipulated that among the "group representatives" there was the "national social science workers." On June 21, the second meeting of the Standing Committee of the Preparatory Committee of the New Political Consultative Conference was held, deciding that the preparatory and facilitation work for the social science organization would be the responsibility of Zhou Enlai, Guo Moruo, and Shen Junru (沈钧儒). On July 14, the Preparatory Meeting of the All-China Conference of Representatives of Social Science Workers (中华全国社会科学工作者代表会议筹备会) was convened, electing 15 formal representatives to participate in the new Political Consultative Conference: Chen Boda (陈伯达), Chen Shaoyu (陈绍禹), Fan Wenlan (范文澜), Xie Juezai (谢觉哉), Deng Chumin (邓初民), Wang Xuewen (王学文), Ai Siqi (艾思奇), He Sijing (何思敬), Jian Bozan (翦伯赞), Hou Wailu (侯外庐), Zhang Zhirang (张志让), Yan Baohang (阎宝航), Qian Duansheng (钱端升), Fan Hong (樊弘), and Wu Juenong (吴觉农); and two alternate representatives: Li Mu'an (李木庵) and Hu Sheng (胡绳). Zhou Enlai pointed out at the meeting: "We must develop the social sciences in China... Expand the organization, mobilize more forces to participate, and engage in social science research and cooperation." In addition to selecting representatives for the new Political Consultative Conference, this meeting also decided to prepare for the establishment of a national organization of social science workers—the All-China Social Science Workers Association (中华全国社会科学工作者协会)—but this was not realized later for some reasons. Around the time of the Preparatory Meeting of the All-China Conference of Representatives of Social Science Workers, five major specialized academic organizations were also successively prepared and established in the field of philosophy and social sciences in China: the New Law Research Association (Chen Shaoyu as director, Xie Juezai and Shi Liang as deputy directors), the New History Research Association (Guo Moruo as chair, Wu Yuzhang and Fan Wenlan as vice chairs), the New Philosophy Research Association (Li Da as chair, Ai Siqi and Zheng Xin as vice chairs), the New Economics Research Association (Chen Boda as director, Ma Yinchu, Du Shousu, and Xue Muqiao as deputy directors), and the New Political Science Research Association (Lin Boqu as director, Lu Dingyi, Zhang Xiruo, Wang Kunlun, and Gao Chongmin as deputy directors). The Communist Party of China led the establishment of new social science academic organizations, uniting social science workers nationwide and laying the organizational foundation for the development of social sciences in New China.
Second, policies for the development of social sciences in New China were formulated. On September 29, 1949, Article 44 of the Common Program (共同纲领) of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, adopted at the first plenary session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, stipulated: "Promote the use of scientific historical viewpoints to study and interpret history, economics, politics, culture, and international affairs. Reward outstanding social science works." This article may seem unremarkable, but it was truly difficult at the time, pioneering the formulation of social science policies in New China. For example, "promote the use of scientific historical viewpoints" emphasized "uniting all those engaged in social science research and activities on the basis of Marxism-Leninism," striving to improve the unity and united front of social science workers nationwide, and raising the banner of historical materialism high in China's social science field. Article 44 of the Common Program was a provision specifically concerning social science development policy, laying the institutional foundation for the development of social sciences in New China.
Advancing the construction of the philosophy and social sciences system
After the founding of New China, the Communist Party of China led the vast number of philosophy and social science workers to advance the construction of the New China philosophy and social sciences system from multiple levels.
From the perspective of the leadership system, New China constructed a unified scientific leadership system. On September 27, 1949, the Organic Law of the Central People's Government adopted at the first plenary session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference stipulated the establishment of the "Academy of Sciences," to be guided by the Cultural and Educational Committee of the Government Administration Council, and entrusted the Academy of Sciences with the responsibility of leading and managing national scientific work (including both natural sciences and social sciences). After the founding of New China, the Chinese Academy of Sciences made efforts in leading national scientific work, establishing specialized committees for various disciplines, including a modern history group, a history and archaeology group, a language and writing group, and a socio-economic group. On November 19, 1953, in order to strengthen the Party's leadership over scientific work, the Party Group of the Chinese Academy of Sciences reported to the Party Central Committee, proposing improvements to the scientific leadership structure and methods, and indicating that the Chinese Academy of Sciences should "find ways to strengthen the forces in the social sciences." On March 8, 1954, the Party Central Committee issued an important instruction on the report of the Academy's Party Group, stating: "To build China into a socialist country with highly developed production and highly prosperous culture, there must be the development of both natural sciences and social sciences." This important instruction of the Party Central Committee highlighted the importance of social sciences and provided important guidance for their development. In September 1954, after the first session of the First National People's Congress was convened, the Chinese Academy of Sciences became a specialized scientific research institution, no longer possessing administrative functions. In June 1955, the Chinese Academy of Sciences established the Department of Philosophy and Social Sciences (中国科学院哲学社会科学部), which not only strengthened the academic leadership of the Chinese Academy of Sciences over the various social science research institutes but also paid attention to organizing and uniting the national philosophy and social sciences research forces. On March 14, 1956, the State Council established the Scientific Planning Commission, responsible for the planning of natural sciences and social sciences, but in practice it was mainly responsible for formulating the science and technology development plan at that time, while the philosophy and social sciences development plan was handled by the Propaganda Department of the CPC Central Committee and the Department of Philosophy and Social Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Although the Party and the state established a unified scientific leadership system, due to the relatively backward development of scientific endeavors and lack of experience, the unified scientific leadership system was often in a state of change and adjustment. With the completion of the Twelve-Year Science and Technology Development Plan in 1956, philosophy and social sciences gradually separated from the unified scientific leadership system, forming a philosophy and social sciences leadership system in which the Propaganda Department of the CPC Central Committee was responsible for ideological leadership and the Department of Philosophy and Social Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences was responsible for professional affairs.
From the perspective of the research system, New China constructed a social science research system at different levels. After the founding of New China, the Party led the vast number of philosophy and social science workers to construct a social science research system at different levels. In terms of social science research institutions, the Chinese Academy of Sciences established the first batch of New China social science research institutes on the basis of institutions such as the former Academia Sinica and Peiping Academy, namely the Institute of Modern History (Director Fan Wenlan), the Institute of Social Research (Director Tao Menghe, renamed the Institute of Economics in 1953), the Institute of Archaeology (Director Zheng Zhenduo), and the Institute of Linguistics (Director Luo Changpei). After the Chinese Academy of Sciences established the Department of Philosophy and Social Sciences, it further strengthened academic leadership over the various social science research institutes. By 1956, the institutes under the Department of Philosophy and Social Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences mainly included: the Institute of Economics, the Institute of Linguistics, the Institute of Archaeology, the First, Second, and Third Institutes of History, the Institute of Philosophy, the Institute of Literature, and the Institute of Minority Languages. In terms of higher education institutions, some schools attached importance to social science research and specifically established social science research institutions. For example, Renmin University of China held scientific symposiums since 1951, Xiamen University established the Institute of Economics (1950) and the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (1956), etc. During this period, China's philosophy and social sciences research system mainly consisted of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and university social science research institutions. Among them, the various institutes of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the subsequently established Department of Philosophy and Social Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences were the center of national philosophy and social sciences research, while university social science research institutions were an important aspect of philosophy and social sciences research.
From the perspective of the disciplinary system, New China adjusted and reformed the disciplinary structure of philosophy and social sciences in a timely manner. Before the founding of New China, the Communist Party of China organized the establishment of national social science academic organizations, with the main disciplines being philosophy, economics, history, law, and political science. After the founding of New China, the research institutions initially established by the Chinese Academy of Sciences covered disciplines such as history, archaeology, economics, sociology, and linguistics. In 1952, the Ministry of Education adjusted the faculties and departments of higher education institutions in accordance with the idea of "developing specialized colleges, reorganizing and strengthening comprehensive universities." Among them, comprehensive universities established departments in the arts and sciences, while others set up specialized colleges such as finance and economics, political science and law, teacher training, and foreign languages. By the end of 1956, when the initial draft of the Twelve-Year Philosophy and Social Sciences Plan was completed, a disciplinary structure gradually formed encompassing philosophy, economics, law, international issues, history, archaeology, minority studies, education, linguistics, literature, art, history of Chinese natural science and technology, archival science, library science, museology, journalism, etc., basically establishing the foundational framework of the contemporary Chinese philosophy and social sciences disciplinary system.
Formulating the philosophy and social sciences development plan
After the founding of New China, the Party and the state attached great importance to the planned development of philosophy and social sciences. In June 1955, at its inaugural meeting, the Department of Philosophy and Social Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences proposed "to conduct philosophy and social science research work in a planned manner." In 1956, while formulating the Twelve-Year Science and Technology Development Plan, the Party and the state also organized the formulation of a Twelve-Year Philosophy and Social Sciences Plan, namely the draft of the 1956-1967 Philosophy and Social Sciences Plan (initial draft) (1956—1967哲学社会科学规划草案（初稿）).
At the end of 1955, in order to complete the formulation of the Twelve-Year Philosophy and Social Sciences Plan, the Propaganda Department of the CPC Central Committee decided to establish a "Nine-Person Group for Studying and Formulating the Twelve-Year Plan for the Development of Philosophy and Social Sciences," composed of Zhou Yang (周扬), Hu Sheng, Zhang Jiafu (张稼夫), Pan Zinian (潘梓年), Yang Xiufeng (杨秀峰), Qian Junrui (钱俊瑞), Dong Chuncai (董纯才), Yang Xianzhen (杨献珍), Yu Guangyuan (于光远), etc., with Zhou Yang, Deputy Minister of the Propaganda Department, as the responsible person. On December 27, the Nine-Person Group held its first meeting, deciding to set up 11 subgroups according to disciplines and issues to work separately, with each subgroup proposing development plans, research projects, and tasks for training personnel for its respective discipline. On January 31, 1956, the State Council held a mobilization meeting for formulating the science development plan, setting requirements for the formulation work of the philosophy and social sciences development plan. From February 1956 onwards, the formulation work of the Twelve-Year Philosophy and Social Sciences Plan was intensified. After more than four months of effort, by June 1956, the draft of the 1956-1967 Philosophy and Social Sciences Plan (initial draft) was completed.
The draft of the 1956-1967 Philosophy and Social Sciences Plan (initial draft) stipulated that the overall task of research work in various disciplines of philosophy and social sciences in China was "to use Marxism-Leninism to study the practical problems and theoretical issues in China's socialist construction, to study and summarize the historical experience of China's revolution, and to study China's history"; the content mainly consisted of four parts, namely "Explanation," "Important Issues and Important Works of Each Discipline," "Several Important Tasks," and "Training of Cadres and Establishment of Research Institutions." After the initial draft of the Twelve-Year Philosophy and Social Sciences Plan was completed, the Propaganda Department solicited opinions from provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions, and after multiple revisions, formed the Outline of the Twelve-Year Philosophy and Social Sciences Plan (Draft) (1956—1967哲学社会科学规划纲要（草案）). In March 1957, the Office of the Scientific Planning Commission of the State Council distributed the draft of the Twelve-Year Philosophy and Social Sciences Plan to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, various industrial departments, various higher education institutions, and the people's committees of provinces and municipalities. In June 1957, the Scientific Planning Commission of the State Council held its fourth enlarged meeting, approving the draft of the Twelve-Year Philosophy and Social Sciences Plan in principle. In March 1958, the Scientific Planning Commission of the State Council held its fifth meeting, formally adopting the Outline of the Twelve-Year Philosophy and Social Sciences Plan (Draft).
Although the Twelve-Year Philosophy and Social Sciences Plan was not implemented in research practice later, as the first medium- and long-term philosophy and social sciences development plan formulated by the Party and the state, it has pioneering significance in the history of contemporary Chinese philosophy and social sciences development, providing direction guidance and blueprint mapping for philosophy and social sciences researchers at that time.
Return to TopBy: 杨扬
In April 1927, the Fifth National Congress of the Party elected the Central Supervisory Committee (中央监察委员会). As early as 1925, before the establishment of the Central Supervisory Committee, under the leadership of Chen Yannian (陈延年), then secretary of the Guangdong District Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, the first local disciplinary inspection body of the Chinese Communist Party — the Supervisory Committee of the Guangdong District Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (中共广东区委监察委员会) — was born in Guangzhou. In the more than two years that followed, this young supervisory body, amid the revolutionary torrent of the Canton-Hong Kong Strike (省港大罢工), groped its way toward a set of multiple oversight systems, investigated and dealt with a series of major discipline-violation cases such as staff members absconding with Party membership dues and senior cadres degenerating and changing their nature (tuìhuà biànzhì - "degenerate and change quality"), and made early explorations for the Party's discipline construction.
Multiple oversight systems in the Canton-Hong Kong Strike
The Canton-Hong Kong Strike was the largest testing ground for institutional innovation by the Supervisory Committee of the Guangdong District Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. From June 1925 to October 1926, more than 200,000 workers in Hong Kong and Guangdong, under the leadership of the Guangdong District Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, held a strike lasting 16 months to support the May 30th Movement and oppose the brutal slaughter by British imperialism. After the strike began, Hong Kong strike workers returned to Guangzhou one after another, and the scale of the strike rapidly expanded. The strike raised as much as 4.9 million yuan in funds, which concerned the basic livelihood and struggle needs of 250,000 workers. During this period, practical issues such as managing the strike workers' "life-sustaining money" (yǎngmìng qián), preventing power from breeding corruption, and establishing a leading body that was fair, honest, and trusted by the workers directly bore on the success or failure of the strike and also tested the young Communist Party's capacity for self-supervision in a complex revolutionary environment.
In order to strengthen leadership over the strike struggle and ensure standardized use of funds, the Guangdong District Committee Supervisory Committee established a multiple oversight system that combined the supervision of power organs, supervision by specialized institutions, and supervision by mass public opinion. In July 1925, the Regulations of the Canton-Hong Kong Strike Committee initially stipulated that "one representative may be elected per 100 persons." In March 1926, the Organizational Law of the Canton-Hong Kong Strike Workers' Congress changed this to one representative elected per 50 workers, with increases for more than 50, and less than 50 could elect one representative. Regardless of whether strike workers had a union organization, they all had the right to vote and stand for election. Through democratic election, the Canton-Hong Kong Strike Workers' Congress (省港罢工工人代表大会) was established as the highest deliberative body, with more than 800 representatives. Worker representatives accepted the entrustment of the masses, brought the opinions and demands of the masses to the congress, and after the meeting brought the congress's decisions back to report to the masses. Any appointment or removal of the main responsible persons of the Strike Committee, major policies related to the strike struggle, and various matters of reform and establishment had to be submitted to the congress for discussion and adoption, and then implemented by the Strike Committee. When the congress was held, all departments of the Strike Committee had to send personnel to attend, report on work, answer inquiries, and accept representatives' opinions. The Strike Committee also frequently called on strike workers to exercise a master-of-the-house spirit, actively supervise all departments of the Strike Committee, and expose and eliminate hidden dirt. During the congress sessions, all strike workers could attend and observe. After the Strike Workers' Congress held its first meeting on July 15, 1925, it was held every other day, and later the congress met at least once a week to discuss and decide major issues in the strike. By the end of March 1926, the Strike Workers' Congress had held a total of 100 sessions and adopted 283 resolutions, covering internal organization, strike policy, support for the unification of Guangdong and the peasant-worker revolutionary movements in various places, and relations with the international trade union movement.
The Strike Workers' Congress also, through election, produced the Strike Committee as the highest executive organ, which set up numerous institutions such as the Secretariat, the Administrative Bureau, the Finance Committee, the Audit Bureau, the Adjudication Office, the Legislative Bureau, and the Picket Corps. Among them, the Finance Committee was responsible for fundraising and fund safekeeping, and was personally headed by Su Zhaozheng (苏兆征), chairman of the Strike Committee. Su Zhaozheng personally signed for every donation, frequently inquired about strike fund expenditures, and regularly reported the financial situation to the Canton-Hong Kong Strike Workers' Congress. The Audit Bureau was responsible for auditing each item of income and expenditure. On March 29, 1926, the Strike Committee published the Organizational Law of the Audit Bureau, stipulating that the Audit Bureau was directly subordinate to the Strike Committee, was composed of 11 members, had the power to audit all routine expenses of every organ, and had to submit daily summary reports of audited figures and documents. If the audit uncovered embezzlement or irregularities, it had to promptly report to the Strike Committee for investigation and handling. The Adjudication Office was responsible for punishing violations of discipline, regulations, and acts that sabotaged the strike. The Adjudication Office Case-Handling Regulations published in November 1925 listed 27 kinds of acts that must be punished, one third of which were related to embezzlement and malfeasance, including embezzling public funds, intercepting and retaining property, stealing and selling public property and securities, extorting money, etc. The Legislative Bureau was responsible for drafting proposed regulations and decrees, which were promulgated and implemented after discussion and adoption by the Workers' Congress. The characteristic of this set of institutional design lay in its realization of whole-process governance; each link was not isolated. Specifically, after the Audit Bureau discovered financial problems, the Adjudication Office would immediately intervene to investigate; the handling results of the Adjudication Office had to be submitted to the Workers' Congress for deliberation, and all financial accounts were opened to the workers for mass supervision. This kind of institutional design could effectively prevent the risk of any institution or individual breeding corruption due to excessive power.
As the Party's disciplinary supervision force, the Guangdong District Committee Supervisory Committee played an important leading role within this system. After its establishment, during the Canton-Hong Kong Strike, its main work included organizing the Workers' Picket Corps to maintain normal order in the Canton-Hong Kong Strike and supervise the use of funds. To ensure the effective implementation of the economic blockade, the Strike Committee established a workers' armed picket corps of more than 2,000 people, stationed at various ports along the Guangdong coast. Each detachment of the picket corps was stationed at key port locations. To prevent individual members from using their positions for personal gain, in March 1926, the Worker's Road Special Issue (工人之路特号) publicly published the punishment regulations for the picket corps, which explicitly listed the theft and sale of goods and the interception of public funds as serious crimes. Workers could raise issues through the Workers' Congress, and the audit results of the Audit Bureau also had to be promptly announced to the workers. This kind of open and transparent institutional arrangement meant that any attempt to touch strike funds would face enormous disciplinary and legal risks.
"Dual investigation of one case" (一案双查) in the case of Pu Chengde absconding with Party membership dues
In 1925, after the Canton-Hong Kong Strike began, there was a clerk named Pu Chengde (蒲成德) in the Organization Department of the Guangdong District Committee who absconded with 3,000 yuan of Party membership dues. This was a huge sum at the time, equivalent to the daily living expenses of several thousand strike workers. The nature of this matter was vile; it was not only a serious economic crime but also a severe betrayal of trust in the Party organization, enough to shake the confidence and reliance of Party members and the masses in the Party organization.
At this time, the Canton-Hong Kong Strike was in a critical phase, having already lasted nearly a year, requiring 70,000 to 80,000 yuan daily to maintain the basic livelihood of 250,000 strike workers. The occurrence of this case exposed management loopholes in the Party organization during the rapid expansion of Party membership. Before the Canton-Hong Kong Strike, Guangdong had only slightly more than 400 Party members; by September 1926, the number had grown to more than 5,000. The rapid expansion of the Party membership made issues such as the management of Party membership dues and cadre supervision increasingly prominent. The Pu Chengde case occurred precisely against this background; it was not merely an individual discipline violation case but also reflected the universal challenges faced by Party organization building during the Canton-Hong Kong Strike. Therefore, the Guangdong District Committee's handling of this case did not focus solely on recovering the stolen money and punishing the fugitive but took it as an important opportunity to test and strengthen the entire disciplinary supervision system.
After the case occurred, the Guangdong District Committee attached great importance to it. Chen Yannian, then secretary of the Guangdong District Committee, did not simply view this case as a matter of personal character, nor did he stop at pursuing the fugitive; instead, he immediately focused the investigation on Mu Qing (穆青), then head of the Organization Department of the Guangdong District Committee, who bore direct leadership and supervisory responsibility over the Organization Department clerks. Chen Yannian and Mu Qing had studied together at the Communist University of the Toilers of the East in Moscow and shared a deep schoolmate friendship. Under these circumstances, Chen Yannian did not evade responsibility because of their old friendship. He issued a serious criticism of Mu Qing, pointing out that as head of the Organization Department he had failed to supervise the clerk and had been derelict in safeguarding Party membership dues. Mu Qing subsequently made a profound self-criticism and received Party disciplinary punishment. At the same time, the Guangdong District Committee Supervisory Committee also launched a pursuit of the fugitive Pu Chengde, recovered the Party membership dues, and brought him to justice (shéng zhī yǐ fǎ - "subject to legal sanction"). During this period, the Guangdong District Committee adhered to strict requirements in discipline construction, and also expelled from the Party senior cadres such as Chen Gongbo (陈公博), who refused to obey the organization's arrangement to go study in Moscow, and Zhou Fohai (周佛海), who repeatedly failed to attend Party organizational life without reason. The handling of the Pu Chengde case had a great impact among the strike workers. It conveyed a clear signal to all strike workers: regardless of who was involved, regardless of the amount, the Party organization would investigate disciplinary and illegal acts thoroughly and never tolerate them (yī chá dào dǐ, jué bù gū xī). The investigation and handling of this case echoed the Strike Committee's overall work during the strike period of adopting 46 resolutions on removals, investigations, and punishment of corrupt practices, and 80 resolutions on rectifying discipline, together constituting the complete practice of disciplinary supervision during the Canton-Hong Kong Strike.
The test of human sentiment and Party discipline in the Tan Huaze case
Tan Huaze (谭华泽) had once served as chairman of the Hong Kong Seamen's Union and was an old friend and former superior of Lin Weimin (林伟民), secretary of the Guangdong District Committee Supervisory Committee. Among Hong Kong seamen, Tan Huaze enjoyed relatively high prestige and had made contributions in the workers' movement. During the Canton-Hong Kong Strike, he served as director of the Strike Committee's Adjudication Office, holding the power of punishment. However, during his tenure, Tan Huaze gradually degenerated and changed his nature (tuìhuà biànzhì - "degenerate and change quality"), using his position to openly engage in malpractices for selfish ends (yíng sī wǔ bì - "engage in fraud and corruption"), accept bribes, and connive at smuggling. This kind of behavior of using power for personal gain (yǐ quán móu sī - "use power to seek private gain") severely undermined strike discipline, damaged the credibility of the Strike Committee, and also caused a bad influence among the workers.
Faced with his former superior and old acquaintance, Lin Weimin did not tolerate or make concessions (gū xī qiān jiù - "overly lenient and accommodating"). Together with Su Zhaozheng and others, he resolutely submitted Tan Huaze to the Strike Workers' Congress for investigation and liquidation. The Strike Committee sent personnel to investigate, obtained evidence, and then publicly handled the case. After deliberation, the Workers' Congress found the facts of Tan Huaze's disciplinary violations clear and the nature serious, and decided to remove him from his post as director of the Adjudication Office and have him detained. Because dereliction of duty by the picket corps military justice office allowed an imprisoned offender to escape from jail, the Workers' Congress, in addition to "punishing the duty personnel according to regulations" (àn lǜ chéng jiè), also gave the director of the military justice office a serious demerit punishment. The picket corps captain and director of the reception department, Liang Ziguang (梁子光), who used his position to embezzle public funds and extort bribes, was also publicly tried and sentenced after investigation. This case went through the complete process of audit discovery, case filing and investigation by the Adjudication Office, and deliberation and decision by the Workers' Congress, constituting the complete operation of the early Chinese Communist Party's supervision system.
The practice of discipline construction in the Canton-Hong Kong Strike accumulated valuable experience for the Party's later disciplinary inspection work. In April 1927, the Fifth National Congress of the Party elected the Central Supervisory Committee (中央监察委员会). The early explorations of the Guangdong District Committee Supervisory Committee became an important historical reference for the establishment of the Central Supervisory Committee.
Return to TopBy: 彭冰冰
In September 2019, at the opening ceremony of the training program for young and middle-aged cadres at the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance), General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, "Leading cadres, no matter in which post or what position they hold, must be courageous in taking responsibility, tackle tough challenges, and serve both as a commander and as a fighter."
A commander's role lies in 运筹帷幄 (yùn chóu wéi wò - "plan strategies within a tent," strategic planning), deploying troops, and solving the overall problem of "where to go and how to fight"; a fighter's role lies in 冲锋陷阵 (chōng fēng xiàn zhèn - "charge forward into battle arrays," charging into enemy lines), capturing fortresses, and solving the implementation problem of "how to do it and how to win." General Secretary Xi Jinping uses "serve both as a commander and as a fighter" as a vivid metaphor for the role positioning of leading cadres in the new era. "Commanding" and "fighting" are not a simple superposition of roles, but a deep integration of knowledge and action, planning and doing. If one only acts as a commander but not as a fighter, it is easy to degenerate into a "hands-off boss" who only takes charge but does not go on an expedition, falling into the emptiness of 纸上谈兵 (zhǐ shàng tán bīng - "discuss military tactics on paper," armchair strategy). If one only acts as a fighter but not as a commander, it is easy to become a "reckless man" who only lowers his head to pull the cart but does not look up at the road, falling into the erroneous zone of blind brute force. The confidence of command must be tested in the gunfire of battle; the effectiveness of fighting must be exerted under the overall planning of command. Only by organically combining the two can one lead by example and forge an iron army capable of fighting tough battles.
Serving both as a commander and as a fighter requires, first and foremost, sharpening the political eye and grasping the direction of struggle. The struggle of Chinese Communists has never been mere brute courage; the general direction is to uphold the leadership of the Party and the socialist system unwaveringly. Command that oversees the overall situation must be good at seeing problems from a political perspective, discerning the "mast," steering the "compass," seeing through the essence amidst complex and diverse appearances, and ensuring the team does not lose its way; fighting on the frontline must have hard bones and sufficient confidence, yielding not an inch on matters of principle, and daring to draw the sword in the face of major tests. Whatever risks and challenges arise that endanger the Party's leadership and the socialist system, endanger our country's core interests and the fundamental interests of the people, as long as they come, they must be resolutely fought.
Serving both as a commander and as a fighter requires the deepest confidence from the arming of scientific theory. Only with theoretical clarity can one be politically steadfast and have strength when engaging in struggle. Whether it is "commanding" through strategic planning or "fighting" by charging forward, one cannot do without the guidance of scientific theory. Leading cadres, first and foremost, must study thoroughly, understand fully, and implement practically the Party's innovative theory, and master the Marxist stance, viewpoint, and method. Only by transforming the Party's innovative theory into a clear theoretical consciousness, and into a "battle map" for solving difficult problems, can one 拨云见日 (bō yún jiàn rì - "dispel the clouds to see the sun," see through confusion to clarity) amidst complex and changeable struggles, can one command with 游刃有余 (yóu rèn yǒu yú - "move the knife with ample room," handle with ease) and fight with precision and strength.
Struggle is an art that emphasizes the right timing; one must not only dare to struggle, but also be good at struggling. Serving both as a commander and as a fighter requires, at its core, the coordination of strategic anticipation and tactical flexibility. Currently, China's development is in a period where strategic opportunities coexist with risks and challenges, and uncertain and unpredictable factors are increasing. This requires commanders to possess the acumen to 见微知著 (jiàn wēi zhī zhù - "see the small to know the great," perceive from the slightest beginnings). "The wise prevent calamity before it sprouts; the sagacious plan for danger before it comes." There must be scientific anticipation of potential risks, to play the preemptive move and fight the initiative battle, and never wait until the fire is at the eyebrows to put it out. In specific battles and confrontations, however, one must pay attention to strategy and methods, grasp the principal contradiction and the principal aspect of the contradiction. Struggle is not to attack on all fronts and create enemies everywhere, but to be justified, beneficial, and measured. When it is time to strike, use overwhelming force like thunder and lightning; when it is time to maneuver, be flexible and agile; unite all forces that can be united — this is mature wisdom in struggle.
A knife must be sharpened on the stone; a person must be tempered in affairs. Serving both as a commander and as a fighter requires the most direct touchstone: whether one can shout "Follow me!" at the critical moment. In reality, some leading cadres are accustomed to listening to reports and issuing instructions in their offices and taking a detour when encountering contradictions — this is a major taboo in work style. Command that never touches the soil is bound to be a castle in the air. The more difficult and contradictory the place, the more leading cadres need to step forward. Leading cadres taking the lead to jump into the "deep-water zone" and wade through the "muddy road" — this is the most resounding mobilization order. Taking the initiative to plunge into various struggles, daring to draw the sword in the face of major issues of principle, facing difficulties head-on amidst conflicts and confrontations — this not only finds the crux of the problem, but also ignites the struggle fervor of the broad masses of cadres and the people, forging true gold through major struggles.
On the "main battlefield" of advancing Chinese-style modernization, leading cadres must bear in mind the earnest exhortations, in their respective posts, serve both as commanders who see the overall situation clearly and as fighters who tackle tough challenges, and in the responsibility of "Follow me!" march forward on the new journey, striving to create new historical brilliance.
Return to TopBy: 李军辉
“Advancing the Reform of the Science and Technology System to Form a Basic System Supporting Comprehensive Innovation” is a part of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speech delivered on May 28, 2021, at the 20th Academician Conference of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (中国科学院), the 15th Academician Conference of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (中国工程院), and the 10th National Congress of the China Association for Science and Technology (中国科协), and is included in the second volume of On Persisting in Comprehensively Deepening Reform (《论坚持全面深化改革》).
This important document stands at the key juncture of the historical convergence of the Two Centenary Goals (两个一百年) and, centering on the main thread of advancing the reform of the science and technology system, profoundly answers the major questions of why to reform, what to reform, and how to reform. It is an important document for advancing the modernization of the science and technology governance system and governance capacity in the new era, and provides the basic guidance and action guide for perfecting the national innovation system, accelerating the construction of a powerful science and technology country, and achieving high-level self-reliance and self-strengthening in science and technology.
The most urgent task in implementing the innovation-driven development strategy is to remove institutional and systemic obstacles.
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping has always placed scientific and technological innovation at the core of the overall national development, and the reform of the science and technology system is a key measure to achieve innovation-driven development. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “The most fundamental thing in implementing the innovation-driven development strategy is to enhance the capacity for independent innovation; the most urgent thing is to remove institutional and systemic obstacles, to the greatest extent possible liberate and stimulate the enormous potential contained in science and technology as the primary productive force.” Without breakthroughs in systems and mechanisms, scientific and technological innovation can hardly proceed steadily and achieve long-term goals (行稳致远, xíng wěn zhì yuǎn – “to proceed steadily and achieve distant goals,” meaning to make steady progress toward long-term objectives).
Advancing the reform of the science and technology system is both compelled by the situation and driven by problems. Looking globally, the technological revolution and major-power games are intertwined, and external containment and suppression of China are constantly escalating; the “bottleneck” (卡脖子, kǎ bózi) problem of key core technologies has become a hurdle that must be crossed. Looking domestically, the science and technology field still has problems such as low efficiency of the innovation system, scattered and duplicative resources, a multitude of titles (帽子, màozi – “hats,” referring to various academic and professional titles and honors), low input-output benefits, and poor transformation of achievements. The root cause lies in institutional and systemic obstacles. To solve these problems, both technical breakthroughs and institutional breakthroughs are needed.
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the reform of the science and technology system has undergone an evolution from breaking the ground to deepening, and from partial to systemic. In 2013, the Party Central Committee proposed “deepening the reform of the science and technology system and enhancing the vitality of scientific and technological innovation”; in 2015, the Implementation Plan for Deepening the Reform of the Science and Technology System was issued, deploying 143 reform tasks; in 2016, it was clarified that “scientific and technological innovation and institutional innovation should work together coordinatively, with both wheels turning simultaneously”; in 2018, it was proposed to “comprehensively deepen the reform of the science and technology system and enhance the efficiency of the innovation system”; until 2021, this important document for the first time proposed “advancing the reform of the science and technology system to form a basic system supporting comprehensive innovation,” taking comprehensive innovation as the explicit goal of the science and technology system reform, marking a new height in our Party’s understanding of the laws of scientific and technological innovation and the laws of science and technology governance. This important exposition combines the new characteristics of marketization and globalization and has been creatively developed, achieving a theoretical leap from single policy adjustment to institutional system construction, and from decentralized policy implementation to systemic integration. It deeply integrates the reform of the science and technology system into the overall plan of comprehensively deepening reform, clarifies the boundary between government and market in the allocation of innovation resources, gives the reform of the science and technology system a clear target direction and a systematic construction blueprint, and lays a solid theoretical and policy foundation for continuing to deepen the reform of the science and technology system and enhancing the overall efficiency of the national innovation system.
Reshaping the Entire Chain of Scientific Research Management with a Systemic Approach
This important document has a very clear problem orientation, does not avoid contradictions, directly points to deep-rooted ills and stubborn diseases (沉疴顽疾, chén kē wán jí – “lingering ailments and stubborn diseases,” meaning chronic and deep-seated problems) in scientific research management such as scattered resources, distorted evaluation, and cumbersome management, and proposes a series of reform measures that are 动真碰硬 (dòng zhēn pèng yìng – “to take real action and tackle the toughest,” meaning to act resolutely and confront difficulties head-on).
In terms of the evaluation system, it clarifies the reform measures of “breaking and establishing simultaneously” (破立并举, pò lì bìng jǔ – “to break the old and establish the new simultaneously”). General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that we must adhere to the evaluation orientation centered on “quality, performance, and contribution,” with specific deployments in both dimensions of “project evaluation” and “personnel evaluation.” In project evaluation, it requires establishing and improving an evaluation system that conforms to the laws of scientific research activities, and in particular proposes establishing an evaluation mechanism for non-consensus science and technology projects. This means institutionalized tolerance space is given to research that is original but not favored in the initial stage. In personnel evaluation, it is necessary not only to “break the ‘four onlys’” (破四唯, pò sì wéi – “break the ‘four onlys’: only papers, only titles, only academic degrees, only awards”) but also to “establish new standards,” accelerating the establishment of a science and technology talent evaluation system oriented toward innovation value, capability, and contribution. In July 2026, General Secretary Xi Jinping again emphasized in his speech at the National Science and Technology Awards Conference, the Academician Conferences of the Two Academies, and the 11th National Congress of the China Association for Science and Technology the need to accelerate the breaking of the “four onlys,” that evaluation indicator weights must not be vague or even 本末倒置 (běn mò dào zhì – “to put the roots and branches upside down,” meaning to reverse the order of primary and secondary), and that a “one-size-fits-all” (一刀切) or “mixed pot” (一锅煮) approach must not be used, and pointed out the need to continuously deepen the governance of “titles” (帽子) in the science and education circles. This fully demonstrates that the reform of the evaluation system is both a tough battle and a protracted one.
In terms of management functions, it proposes a reform method that is good at doing “subtraction” (减法). General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: “The reform of science and technology management cannot only do ‘addition’; it must be good at doing ‘subtraction.’” In response to problems such as excessive administrative intervention and heavy bureaucratic burdens that researchers have long complained about, relevant departments are required to “reduce direct intervention such as allocating funds, distributing materials, and designating projects,” and instead strengthen planning and policy guidance. This is not only an adjustment of working methods but also an important transformation of science and technology management functions—from “managing projects” to “managing the ecosystem,” from “referee” to “service provider.” Giving scientists greater decision-making power over technical routes and greater authority to use funds, freeing researchers from cumbersome and unnecessary institutional and systemic constraints, is a respect for the laws of scientific research and the greatest activation of scientists’ creativity.
In terms of organizational models, it comprehensively implements systems such as “openly select the best candidates to take on key tasks” (揭榜挂帅, jiē bǎng guà shuài – “to post a challenge and appoint a leader,” a system where tasks are publicly announced and capable individuals step up to lead) and “horse racing” (赛马, sài mǎ – “horse racing,” a competitive selection mechanism). “Innovation does not ask about background; heroes do not ask about origin.” The “openly select the best candidates to take on key tasks” system can be traced back to the 2016 Symposium on Cybersecurity and Informatization Work, where General Secretary Xi Jinping first proposed “we can explore the approach of openly selecting the best candidates to take on key tasks, posting the needed key core technology projects as challenges, and regardless of background, whoever has the ability can take on the challenge.” The core of these systems lies in “truth”: study real problems, form real and solid challenges; truly study problems, and let leading talents who want to do things, can do things, and can accomplish things take the lead. The supporting implementation of the technical chief responsible system, the lump-sum funding system, and the credit commitment system aims to break the invisible steps of 论资排辈 (lùn zī pái bèi – “to consider seniority in ranking,” meaning to promote based on seniority) and establish a competition mechanism based on equal opportunity and ability. This not only greatly motivates all kinds of scientific research forces and researchers with genuine talent but also establishes a clear orientation in society that values actual performance.
Building a Solid Foundation for Innovation Through Institutional and Systemic Reform
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “The situation urges us forward, and also forces us forward. We must seize the historical opportunity, meet the challenges of the times, and accelerate the advancement of high-level self-reliance and self-strengthening in science and technology.” To implement and carry out General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions on the reform of the science and technology system, we must put forward more and more practical measures, and build a solid foundation for innovation with tangible reform results.
First, drive innovation through reform and strengthen institutional and systemic guarantees. Improve the system of the Party Central Committee’s unified leadership over science and technology work, and perfect the new nationwide system for mobilizing resources (新型举国体制). Party committees and governments at all levels must earnestly place the reform of the science and technology system in a prominent position and transform the functions of science and technology management. Improve the science and technology plan management system that conforms to the laws of scientific research, and establish a policy support chain covering the entire cycle of “basic research—applied research—transformation of achievements.” In particular, implement the lump-sum funding system and the credit commitment system, give research institutions more autonomy, and ensure that the dividends of reform are truly transmitted to the front line of scientific research. At the same time, establish and improve a reform fault-tolerance and error-correction mechanism, encourage grassroots units to explore boldly, and create a good atmosphere that is conducive to daring to reform and being good at reform.
Second, promote the integrated development of education, science and technology, and talent, and build an innovation ecosystem with international competitiveness. Scientific and technological innovation relies on talent, and talent cultivation relies on education. Education, science and technology, and talent are inherently consistent and support each other. We must resolutely overcome the 顽瘴痼疾 (wán zhàng gù jí – “persistent and deep-rooted diseases”) of prioritizing only scores, only advancement to higher education, only diplomas, only papers, and only titles, and accelerate the establishment of a science and technology talent evaluation system oriented toward innovation value, capability, and contribution. For researchers engaged in basic, frontier, and public-interest research, we should support scientific research institutions in exploring and trying out more flexible salary systems to ensure that they can “sit on a cold bench” (坐得住冷板凳, zuò de zhù lěng bǎn dèng – “to be willing to endure hardship and obscurity,” meaning to persevere in less glamorous but important work). At the same time, seize the window period of global talent flow, improve the policy for introducing foreign experts, and gather talent from all over the world to use.
Third, deepen international exchange and cooperation, and achieve self-reliance and self-strengthening through open cooperation. Independent innovation is not 闭门造车 (bì mén zào chē – “to build a car behind closed doors,” meaning to work behind closed doors and disregard reality). The more we face blockade and suppression, the more we must plan innovation with a global perspective. We should actively integrate into the global innovation network, deepen international scientific and technological exchange and cooperation, and carry out joint research on global issues such as climate change, energy, and the environment. Deeply participate in global science and technology governance, enhance our voice and influence in international rule-making, and improve our independent innovation capability through open cooperation.
Fourth, adhere to the deep integration of science and technology with industry, and clear the channels for the transformation of achievements. The low conversion rate of scientific and technological achievements is largely due to the institutional and systemic barriers in the chain of scientific and technological innovation, where the “first kilometer” of basic research and the “last kilometer” of achievement transformation are not well connected. To solve this predicament, we need to build good intermediate platforms, layout concept verification centers and pilot-scale platforms, and cross the “valley of death” from the laboratory to the production line. Create diversified application scenarios to promote the iterative upgrading of autonomous technology products; break down the barriers to the flow of factors among universities, institutes, and enterprises, and guide financial capital to invest early, invest small, invest long-term, and invest in hard technology.
Fifth, play the role of the rule of law in guaranteeing, and consolidate the foundation of basic institutions. To form a basic system supporting comprehensive innovation, it is necessary to strengthen the guarantee of the rule of law. We must continuously improve the system of science and technology laws and regulations, thoroughly implement the Law on Scientific and Technological Progress, the Patent Law, and their implementing regulations, strengthen the legal protection of intellectual property rights, make full and good use of the punitive damages system, and make infringers pay a heavy price.
Return to TopBy: 马海涛
The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China set "building a strong domestic market and accelerating the building of a new development pattern" as a key task for the "15th Five-Year Plan" period. This year's government work report lists "striving to build a strong domestic market" as the primary task and makes clear the need to "continue implementing a more proactive fiscal policy." The government budget report also takes "supporting the building of a strong domestic market" as the primary support direction of fiscal policy. This series of arrangements shows that expanding domestic demand has become an important focus of current macroeconomic policy, and fiscal policy, as an important tool connecting demand expansion, structural adjustment, and the conversion of growth drivers, needs to play a more active role in promoting smooth economic circulation and strengthening the endogenous driving forces of development.
Insufficient effective demand coexists with fiscal "tight balance," and fiscal expansion of domestic demand faces higher requirements
At present, China's economy is generally stable in operation, but insufficient effective demand coexisting with fiscal "tight balance" has become an important factor constraining the sustained recovery and improvement of the economy. On the one hand, household consumption recovery is relatively slow, enterprise investment momentum is insufficient, and blockages still exist in the transmission of financial resources to the real economy. On the other hand, fiscal revenue growth is under pressure, regional fiscal capacity is diverging, and pressure on primary-level finances is increasing, so fiscal expansion of domestic demand faces certain constraints in available fiscal resources.
Insufficient effective demand remains prominent, and both the recovery of real demand and the financial transmission mechanism need improvement. Viewed from consumption demand, household consumption potential has not yet been fully released, and the conversion of income growth into consumption growth still needs to be strengthened. On the one hand, changes in the income structure of residents have a certain impact on consumption expansion. At the level of different income groups, in recent years, rural residents' income has grown at a relatively fast rate, but the income growth of urban middle- and high-income groups that support consumption upgrading has slowed somewhat. On the other hand, residents' propensity to consume is still in the process of recovery; the growth rate of per capita consumption expenditure of national residents is lower than the growth rate of disposable income, indicating that residents' precautionary saving propensity remains relatively strong and that income growth has not yet been fully converted into actual consumption demand. Viewed from investment demand, in the first half of 2026, national fixed asset investment fell 5.7% year on year, and the decline in private investment was greater than the overall investment level, reflecting that the confidence and investment demand of market entities still need to recover. Viewed from financial transmission, the current insufficiency of demand is not simply manifested as insufficient fund supply, but more as insufficient matching efficiency between financial resources and the demand of the real economy. Although liquidity in the financial system is generally ample and market interest rates remain at low levels, a relatively large gap still exists between the growth rates of broad money (M2) and narrow money (M1); some funds have not yet been effectively converted into enterprise investment and household consumption, and blockages still exist in the transmission of monetary policy to the real economy.
The fiscal "tight balance" situation continues, and the capacity for fiscal expansion of domestic demand faces constraints from available fiscal resources. Viewed from the revenue side, as the economy enters the new normal, fiscal revenue growth has generally tended to slow. At the same time, the adjustment of the real estate market has had a relatively large impact on local governments' land transfer revenue; land transfer revenue has continued to decline, and local governments' capacity to increase fiscal revenue has been weakened to a certain extent. Although from January to May this year, national general public budget revenue grew 4.0% year on year, showing a recovery growth trend and reaching a relatively high level for the same period in the past three years, from a regional perspective, there is still obvious divergence in fiscal recovery. In some regions, affected by factors such as industrial foundation, tax source structure, and real estate adjustment, fiscal revenue growth is still relatively slow, and the space for increasing fiscal revenue is limited. Viewed from the expenditure side, fiscal expenditure demand continues to grow, and the contradiction between revenue and expenditure is constantly intensifying. On the one hand, macro-control tasks such as stabilizing growth and promoting transformation require sustained fiscal effort, and key areas such as scientific and technological innovation and industrial upgrading still need increased fiscal support. On the other hand, rigid expenditures such as livelihood security and basic public services continue to increase, and the structural pressure on fiscal expenditure is constantly rising. Viewed from the level of government, fiscal pressure shows the characteristic of increasing layer by layer from top to bottom. Local governments, especially primary-level governments, bear more responsibilities for public services and policy implementation; some primary-level governments face relatively great pressure from debt principal and interest repayment and "three guarantees" (三保) expenditure. Fiscal funds are used more to ensure basic operation and fulfill established duties, and the fiscal space available for expanding domestic demand and promoting development is squeezed, which to a certain extent restricts the full play of the effects of a more proactive fiscal policy.
Basic principles to be grasped in fiscal expansion of domestic demand
Fiscal expansion of domestic demand requires adhering to a systems perspective and dialectical thinking, correctly handling the relationships between consumption and investment, development and security, and fiscal policy and monetary policy, and continuously enhancing the scientific nature, coordination, and effectiveness of macro-control.
Properly coordinate the relationship between consumption and investment to strengthen the momentum of domestic demand growth. Consumption is the final demand of economic growth and an important foundation for expanding domestic demand; investment is likewise an important support for forming supply capacity, improving development conditions, and promoting the expansion of consumption. The current problem of "strong supply, weak demand" facing China's economy does not mean that consumption should replace investment; rather, more attention should be paid to optimizing the investment structure. Overcapacity is not a short-term phenomenon, but a structural problem that emerges alongside industrial structure adjustment in the course of long-term development. Especially in the stage of conversion between old and new growth drivers, the driving force of economic growth is shifting from relying mainly on traditional industries and the creation of middle- and low-income employment positions in the past, to relying more on the cultivation of new industries, new business forms, and new models, as well as the formation of middle- and high-income employment positions. In this process, the growth of new growth drivers requires large amounts of upfront investment and effective guidance of financial resources, social capital, and fiscal funds. The deep-seated causes of insufficient household consumption lie not only in the issues of consumption willingness and consumption capacity, but are also related to structural contradictions such as the slowdown of income growth for some groups and the insufficient supply of middle- and high-income employment positions. Therefore, expanding domestic demand cannot simply involve a choice between consumption and investment; rather, it should adhere to coordinated efforts on both the supply and demand sides. The 2025 Central Economic Work Conference clearly proposed to "promote investment to stop falling and return to stability" and to "effectively stimulate the vitality of private investment." Fiscal policy should be oriented toward improving investment efficiency, promote the formation of a virtuous cycle in which investment drives consumption and consumption promotes investment, and continuously strengthen the sustained momentum of domestic demand growth.
Properly coordinate the relationship between development and security to clarify the functional nature of fiscal policy. Viewed from the laws of fiscal operation, fiscal revenue has a relatively strong procyclical character, while fiscal expenditure usually undertakes a countercyclical adjustment function. In the stage of insufficient aggregate demand, for the sake of stabilizing growth, safeguarding livelihoods, and supporting transformation and development, the expansion of fiscal deficits and the phased rise of debt ratios conform to the laws of macroeconomic operation. At present, some discussions on fiscal risk are more influenced by the traditional concept of balanced finance, paying more attention to static indicators such as the scale of fiscal revenue and expenditure, the deficit ratio, and the debt ratio, while paying insufficient attention to the functions of fiscal policy in promoting economic growth, improving employment, and enhancing long-term development capacity. As the foundation and important pillar of national governance, the core role of fiscal policy is not simply to achieve book balance between revenue and expenditure, but to improve the efficiency of economic operation and strengthen the resilience of economic development through the functions of resource allocation, income distribution, and macro-control. Therefore, in evaluating the effects of fiscal policy, more attention should be paid to the actual impact of fiscal revenue and expenditure arrangements on economic operation — that is, whether it can raise potential output and promote full employment on the basis of maintaining price stability. At the same time, emphasizing the functionality of fiscal policy does not mean ignoring risk constraints. Fiscal expansion needs to focus on optimizing expenditure structure, improving the efficiency of fund use, and perfecting debt management mechanisms, so as to prevent ineffective investment and low-efficiency expenditure.
Properly coordinate the relationship between fiscal policy and monetary policy to strengthen the synergy of macro policies. Fiscal policy and monetary policy are two important pillars of the macroeconomic governance system; the former focuses on structural optimization, while the latter emphasizes aggregate adjustment. However, in an environment of insufficient aggregate demand and low interest rates, the transmission mechanism of monetary policy may be constrained by the effective lower bound, and the phenomenon of "easy money, tight credit" is prone to appear — that is, the liquidity released by monetary policy settles within the financial system and fails to be converted into demand from the real sector. Against this background, greater attention needs to be paid to the coordination and cooperation between fiscal policy and monetary policy, and fiscal policy should play a bridging role in connecting financial resources with the real economy. By issuing government bonds, the relatively settled liquidity in the financial system can be effectively absorbed and converted into actual demand through channels such as public investment, industrial support, and livelihood security, forming physical workload. Moreover, under the current circumstances of relatively ample market liquidity and weak willingness for private investment, fiscal investment will not simply crowd out private investment; on the contrary, it can play a guiding and driving role for social investment by stabilizing market expectations and cultivating new growth drivers.
Key directions for fiscal expansion of domestic demand
In order to better play the important role of fiscal policy in expanding domestic demand and stabilizing growth, the policy system should be continuously improved around three key areas — government debt management, coordination between fiscal and monetary policy, and fiscal and tax system reform — so as to continuously enhance the effectiveness of macro-control and the efficiency of fiscal resource allocation, and provide a solid guarantee for the sustained recovery and improvement of the economy and high-quality development.
Accelerate the establishment of a long-term mechanism for government debt management compatible with high-quality development. First, change the concept of treating government debt merely as a source of deficit risk, clarify the functional positioning of government debt, and maintain the necessary fiscal deficit, total debt scale, and total expenditure volume. Second, optimize the debt structure between the central and local governments and strengthen central target management. At present, the overall debt burden of local governments in China is obviously higher than that of the central government, and the central government still has relatively large space for borrowing and deficit expansion. Replacing part of local government debt through the issuance of central government bonds helps reduce the debt repayment pressure of local governments and enables them to free up more fiscal resources for safeguarding livelihoods and promoting development. At the central level, it is necessary to strengthen overall planning and management of the arrangement and use of newly issued central government bond funds, and establish a distribution and assessment mechanism for central government bond funds that is linked with macroeconomic development goals. Third, adhere to resolving debt in development and promoting development in debt resolution. Debt resolution is essentially a matter of bringing debt back to a reasonable level; one cannot resolve debt for the sake of resolving debt, and debt resolution should proceed 齐头并进 (qí tóu bìng jìn - "with heads level, advance together," to proceed side by side at the same pace) with economic development. If excessive accountability pressure is imposed and hasty measures such as suspending projects or terminating contracts are taken to prioritize debt repayment, this may trigger arrears in project payments and wages, affect the expectations of market entities, and thereby constrain the recovery of domestic demand and economic growth.
Strengthen coordination between fiscal policy and monetary policy. First, monetary policy needs to provide stable liquidity support for the issuance of government bonds. Fiscal expansion is usually accompanied by an increase in the scale of government bond issuance; if there is a lack of reasonable liquidity coordination, it is easy to cause disturbances to market fund supply and demand and interest rate levels, affecting the implementation effect of fiscal policy. Coordination and cooperation between fiscal policy and monetary policy in policy goals, implementation pace, and policy tools should be strengthened; liquidity should be kept reasonably ample; market interest rates should be guided to operate smoothly; and the smooth issuance of government bonds and the efficient use of fiscal funds should be ensured. Second, accelerate the pace of fund use and project construction after bond issuance. If bond funds are used slowly after being in place and the funds settle in treasury accounts, it will be difficult to convert them into effective demand in a timely manner, which will weaken the role of proactive fiscal policy in stabilizing prices and expanding demand, and may even aggravate deflationary risks. After the issuance of government bonds is completed, what is more critical is to accelerate the landing of funds and the pace of project construction, transmit funds and liquidity to the real economy in a timely manner, and promote bond funds to form physical workload and effective investment as soon as possible.
Further deepen fiscal and tax system reform in key areas. First, promote zero-based budget reform in depth. In response to current problems such as rigidified expenditure in some areas and insufficient flexibility in project adjustment, the coverage of zero-based budget reform should be further expanded, and budget compilation should be promoted to shift from "base-number management" to "policy-goal orientation." Centering on departmental responsibilities, policy goals, expenditure standards, and implementation effects, systematic evaluation should be conducted on existing expenditure items; overlapping and duplicative projects should be cleaned up and consolidated; and fund arrangements that are low-efficiency, ineffective, or have a long-term low execution rate should be compressed. Second, improve the fiscal relationship between the central and local governments. Moderately strengthen central authority over affairs and central fiscal expenditure responsibilities, raise the proportion of equalization transfer payments, and enhance the ability of localities to coordinate and allocate fiscal resources. At the same time, steadily advance the backward shift of the consumption tax collection link and improve the revenue-sharing mechanism, perfect the local tax system, and cultivate stable and sustainable local tax sources.
(The author is the president of Central University of Finance and Economics (中央财经大学).)
Return to TopBy: 于成文
Education, science and technology, and talent are the foundational and strategic supports for Chinese-style modernization. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that on the new journey of the new era, we must deeply grasp the demands of Chinese-style modernization for education, science and technology, and talent, strengthen the supporting role of education for science and technology and talent, and further form a lively situation where 人才辈出 (rén cái bèi chū - "talents emerge in large numbers"), 人尽其才 (rén jìn qí cái - "each person fully uses their talent"), and 才尽其用 (cái jìn qí yòng - "talents are fully utilized"). This fully reflects the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core's accurate grasp of the process of Chinese-style modernization and the laws of building a strong country, and its profound insight into the nature and laws of innovation. It is not only an objective requirement for advancing Chinese-style modernization and high-quality development, but also provides the fundamental guidance for deepening comprehensive education reform to support the integrated development of education, science and technology, and talent.
Deepen reforms in the method of nurturing talent. Reforms in the method of nurturing talent concern the quality of independent cultivation of talent, and concern high-level self-reliance and self-strengthening in science and technology. China has the world's largest education system, a massive talent reserve, and continuously growing R&D investment, but problems such as the "bottleneck" in key core technologies and weak basic research are prominent. It is necessary to continuously deepen the integration of industry and education, and the convergence of science and education, explore new models for cultivating top-tier innovative talent, and provide talent support for effectively enhancing basic research and original innovation capabilities. First, around frontier fields such as artificial intelligence, integrated circuits, life sciences, new energy, and quantum technology, we should gather resources from central and local governments, science and education, and industry and education, explore new mechanisms and models for independent cultivation of innovative talent beyond the conventional, integrate forces from multiple departments including education, science and technology, talent, and industry, coordinate the implementation of the 拔尖计划 (bájiān jìhuà - "Top-Notch Plan"), 强基计划 (qiángjī jìhuà - "Strong Foundation Plan"), and 英才计划 (yīngcái jìhuà - "Elite Plan"), improve the integrated bachelor-master-doctor training model, and cultivate more top-notch innovative talents in basic disciplines. Second, promote the construction of advanced research institutes, build new platforms and mechanisms for universities to systematically serve local high-quality development, take serving the needs of local leading industries as the orientation, organize local universities, leading enterprises, and universities or disciplines from other provinces with advantages to carry out collaborative co-construction, and explore new models for joint talent cultivation. Finally, deeply implement the National Education Digitalization Strategic Action, adhere to education-oriented, quality-first, application-oriented, and intelligent for good, accelerate the integration of intelligent technology with all elements of education, throughout the entire process, and across all scenarios, improve the systems for safety, ethics, and integrity in the use of artificial intelligence, strengthen the service and management of artificial intelligence, and effectively lead the transformation of nurturing models, research paradigms, and governance methods.
Deepen reforms in school-running models. Since the new century, China's higher education has achieved leapfrog development. In 2002, the gross enrollment rate reached 15%, entering the massification stage from elite education. In 2019, the gross enrollment rate exceeded 50% for the first time, moving from massification to universalization. Along with this, problems such as a thousand schools with one face, being big and comprehensive, and homogenization have emerged. Economic and social development actually demands diverse types of schools and talents. Among universities, both "all-round players" and "single-event champions" are needed. First, we should promote the reform and development of universities by category, according to basic school-running orientations such as research-oriented, application-oriented, and skill-oriented, distinguishing the basic directions of comprehensive and specialized, highlight the key points and core elements for different types of universities, guide universities to position themselves reasonably, develop connotatively, and run with their own characteristics, and resolutely avoid labeling, identity solidification, and measuring all universities with one yardstick. Second, we should accelerate the construction of world-class universities and advantageous disciplines with Chinese characteristics, promote a new round of 双一流 (Shuāng Yīliú - "Double First-Class") construction, autonomously and scientifically determine the standards for "Double First-Class", transform the essential requirements, connotative features, and target tasks of Chinese-style modernization into the requirements for "Double First-Class" construction, and guide universities to shift from the "small logic" of their own development to the "big logic" of serving national development. Steadily and solidly promote the expansion of undergraduate enrollment in "Double First-Class" universities, and expand the supply of high-quality higher education resources through multiple channels. Third, we should accelerate the establishment of a discipline and major setting adjustment mechanism driven by scientific and technological development and national strategic needs, solve problems such as the lagging forward-looking layout of disciplines and majors, reliance on traditional paths of construction, rigid and solidified development models, and weak integration with industry and science and education, systematically analyze the development trends and gaps of various talents in our country, lay out and build national interdisciplinary science centers, enhance the capacity to supply original innovation through breakthroughs in frontier interdisciplinary fields, increase the intensity of setting up majors on demand in emerging industries and future industries such as artificial intelligence, biomedicine, new materials, and new energy, and strive to optimize the professional structure and talent cultivation structure that adapt to the new development pattern.
Deepen reforms in management systems. The Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China made important deployments regarding building a system and mechanism that supports comprehensive innovation and promoting the integrated reform of the systems and mechanisms of education, science and technology, and talent as a whole. As far as the management system is concerned, because education, science and technology, and talent belong to different functional departments, the systems and mechanisms have the drawback of fragmentation. The three lack unified planning, resource coordination, and talent flow, leading to problems such as the disconnect between talent cultivation and industrial needs, poor transformation of scientific research results, fragmentation of the innovation chain, and low innovation efficiency. There is an urgent need to promote the integrated development of education, science and technology, and talent, break down barriers, coordinate resources, and exert synergistic force, to achieve the interconnection of the education chain, talent chain, innovation chain, and industrial chain, providing core support for Chinese-style modernization. We should improve the unified leadership of the Party committee and the cross-departmental coordination mechanism, as the central body for deliberation and decision-making on the integrated development of education, science and technology, and talent, coordinate the powers and responsibilities of departments such as development and reform, education, science and technology, human resources and social security, and industry and information technology, break down the administrative barriers of separate governance of education, science and technology, and talent, coordinate the formulation of medium- and long-term plans for education, science and technology, and talent, achieve effective alignment of discipline layout, scientific research layout, and talent layout, and truly ensure that the three have consistent goals and move forward in the same direction.
Deepen reforms in guarantee mechanisms. The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China pointed out that we should establish and improve a coordination mechanism for integrated advancement, strengthen planning connection, policy coordination, resource coordination, and evaluation linkage. Currently, under the traditional system, the evaluation factors that affect the integration of education, science and technology, and talent are mainly the "isolation of the evaluation system" and "inconsistent goals". Education evaluation has long been constrained by "only hats, only entrance exams", science and technology evaluation falls into the predicament of "only papers, only awards", and industry and market evaluation adheres to the concept of "only profits, only market share". To change this situation, it is necessary to highlight the evaluation orientation of innovation capability, quality, effectiveness, and contribution, make it the common value pursuit and evaluation standard for the three, and encourage each subject, in the process of pursuing their own interest maximization, to naturally align their behavioral trajectory with the system goal of "integration of education, science and technology, and talent". Among them, on the education side, universities must resolutely break the drawbacks of only scores, only entrance exams, only diplomas, only papers, and only hats, focusing on assessing original innovation achievements, the effectiveness of technology transformation, the scale and quality of urgently needed innovative talents for industry, and the results of cultivating talents for the Party and the country. On the science and technology side, scientific research evaluation should balance the original value of basic research and the industrial landing effectiveness of applied research, take breakthrough achievements, patent transformation, and industry solutions as core indicators, and at the same time, make the investment in participating in collaborative education a prerequisite for obtaining government policy support. On the talent side, it is necessary to change the evaluation mechanism of "only papers, only titles, only degrees, only awards", establish differentiated evaluation standards for classified talents, with research-type talents emphasizing innovation achievements, skill-type talents emphasizing practical ability, and application-type talents emphasizing industrial contribution.
In addition, we should strengthen the unified allocation of resources such as human resources, funds, materials, information, and knowledge, especially coordinate fiscal education funds, scientific research funds, and special talent funds, tilt them towards basic research, industry-education integration platforms, and the cultivation of urgently needed talents in key fields, and change the fragmented investment model where education funds are only used for running schools and scientific research funds are only used for projects. Platform resources should be strengthened for co-construction and sharing; national laboratories, science centers, university laboratories, scientific research institute instruments and equipment, and enterprise pilot-scale platforms should be opened and shared to the outside world as much as possible, serving both the cultivation of talents in universities and supporting enterprise technology research and development, avoiding duplication and waste. Give full play to the decisive role of the market in resource allocation, encourage enterprises and social capital to invest, use methods such as jointly building educational institutions, scientific research platforms, and jointly cultivating talents to connect with industrial capital and promote the integrated development of education, science and technology, and talent.
Education is the source of talent supply, science and technology is the carrier of innovation practice, and talent is the core dynamic element; the three are 环环相扣 (huán huán xiāng kòu - "interlinked like rings"). Scientific and technological innovation relies on talent, talent cultivation relies on education. Without the "slow variable" of education, there will be no "fast breakthrough" in science and technology and talent. Education should further play a leading and foundational supporting role, drive scientific and technological innovation through education upgrading, replace traditional factor dependence with talent dividends, achieve a positive interaction between independent scientific and technological innovation and independent talent cultivation, and contribute educational strength to comprehensively advancing the building of a strong country and the great cause of national rejuvenation through Chinese-style modernization. (The author is the Deputy Secretary of the Education Working Committee of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (北京市委教育工委))
Return to TopBy: 刘文纪
Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has attached great importance to the protection of immovable cultural relics. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that "historical and cultural heritage carries the genes and bloodline of the Chinese nation," emphasized "improving the protection mechanism for immovable cultural relics," and demanded "continuously strengthening the inheritance and utilization of cultural and natural heritage so that it radiates new vitality and shines with new brilliance in the new era." These important expositions have pointed the way forward, provided fundamental guidance, and injected strong impetus for us to do the relevant work well.
Our country possesses more than 760,000 immovable cultural relics, covering categories such as ancient sites, ancient tombs, ancient buildings, cave temples and stone carvings, and modern and contemporary important historical sites and representative buildings. They are large in quantity, complete in types, widely distributed, and distinct in characteristics, making our country a veritable major country of cultural relic resources. Strengthening the protection and revitalization of immovable cultural relics is both an important pathway for promoting the creative transformation and innovative development of fine traditional Chinese culture and an inevitable requirement for enriching the people's spiritual world and strengthening their spiritual strength. It is of great significance for promoting cultural prosperity and building a culturally strong country.
Cultural relics are congealed time, carrying living history. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized, "Let cultural relics speak, let history speak, let culture speak." The key to realizing "three speakings" lies in the in-depth excavation and systematic interpretation of the value of cultural relics. Looking at the national situation, the majority of low-level immovable cultural relics currently remain at the stage of registration and basic protection. Systematic research on the core values they embody—such as the outstanding characteristics of Chinese civilization, the historical context of exchanges, interactions, and integration among various ethnic groups, the evolution of national governance, and scientific, technological, and cultural achievements—is insufficient. There are relatively few research results with academic depth, and cultural products with mass communication capacity are even scarcer. A large number of cultural relics are in the awkward situation of "having something to see but nothing to say." Local people "hold a treasure but do not recognize it," and tourists from elsewhere "look for a long time but cannot understand it." There is still a layer of "window paper" that needs to be pierced between cultural relics and easily acceptable cultural information.
To make silent cultural relics "speak," there is an urgent need for systematic and in-depth professional research, so that academic achievements can uphold the inheritance of civilization. It is necessary to break down disciplinary barriers, assemble national and local professional research teams involving archaeologists, historians, cultural scholars, intangible cultural heritage inheritors, and other forces, and systematically excavate and interpret the civilizational codes, historical stories, and contemporary values behind various types of cultural relics, so that sleeping cultural relics can "come alive." It is necessary to focus on the outstanding characteristics of Chinese civilization carried by immovable cultural relics, and thoroughly comb through their historical threads in civilizational inheritance, ethnic integration, national unification, commercial exchange, and scientific and technological progress. Multi-dimensional research should be conducted not only on core resources of national cultural parks (国家文化公园) such as the Great Wall, the Grand Canal, the Yellow River, and the Yangtze River, and on large-scale sites such as Erlitou (二里头), Yinxu (殷墟), and Sanxingdui (三星堆), but also on scattered relics such as ancient villages, old dwellings, and ancient post roads spread across the vast countryside, so that every historical vestige tells its own story. Attention should be paid to organically integrating research results into the education of Party members and cadres, ideological and political education for youth, national education, and grassroots lecture systems, transforming abstruse academic language into stories that the masses can understand and spread. Using an all-media communication matrix to present the history of cultural relics to ordinary people, every immovable cultural relic should become a book worth reading well and a vivid lesson.
General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized the need to "let cultural relics collected in museums, heritage displayed on the vast land, and characters written in ancient books all come alive." Immovable cultural relics cannot always be viewed from behind fences and through glass. Only by opening their doors and entering people's lives can they truly "come alive." Currently, the prominent problem facing the display and dissemination of immovable cultural relics is the single form and backward means. Especially for many low-level cultural relics, "a signboard and a brief introduction" are the standard. Digital protection coverage is narrow, the depth of application is insufficient, and a large number of ancient sites, ancient buildings, ancient tombs, and other resources remain in a state of "static protection, closed management." Many relatively mature immersive and interactive experience designs have not been widely applied. How to make immovable cultural relics "move" has become a compulsory question for cultural relic work in the new era.
The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China proposed "promoting the integration of culture and technology, and advancing the digital empowerment and information transformation of cultural construction." The newly revised Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Cultural Relics stipulates that "the state strengthens the construction of cultural relic protection information, encourages digital work on cultural relic protection, and promotes the digital collection, display, and utilization of cultural relic resources." These top-level designs have pointed out the direction of effort and technical paths for the revitalization and utilization of cultural relics. In our work, on one hand, we must accelerate cultural relics' "riding the cloud and touching the internet," and thoroughly implement the national digital protection project for immovable cultural relics. Comprehensive 3D scanning, precise modeling, digital restoration, and other work should be carried out for important remains such as national key cultural relic protection units and world cultural heritage sites, granting cultural relics an eternal digital life. Efforts should be made to build a national "Digital Cultural Relic Resource Platform" (数字文物资源平台), constructing a digital map of Chinese cultural relics that allows "one network to view all" (一网通览), breaking down departmental and regional barriers, and achieving the integration and sharing of data resources. On the other hand, we must promote the "expansion of channels and innovation of forms" for dissemination. Widely utilize AR/VR intelligent interpretation, cloud roaming, online exhibitions, and other digital products to break through geographical and temporal boundaries, transforming heavy historical heritage into "experience fields" that people can step into, especially giving cultural relics in remote areas or those not yet graded the opportunity to enter public view. Support local governments to transform cultural relic stories into diverse products such as documentaries, short videos, micro-dramas, and animations based on regional characteristic cultures, and popularize them widely through public cultural services and online all-media communication, better turning distant historical cultural relics into tangible immersion and concrete experience.
General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized, "Excavate the multiple values of cultural relics and cultural heritage, and disseminate more value symbols and cultural products that carry Chinese culture and the Chinese spirit." Cultural relics are cultural resources, and moreover, development resources. But resources do not automatically become advantages; even a "rich mine" fears not being mined. Currently, in many places, high-quality cultural relic resources have not been effectively transformed into development advantages and public well-being. The problems of "having resources but no products, having remains but no routes, having culture but no business formats" still exist. How to solve the transformation challenge, turning cultural relic resources from "sleeping rich mines" into "real income," achieving mutual promotion and win-win between protection and development, is a question of the times that must be answered well. Protection and development have never been an either-or choice; they are an open question of mutual empowerment and mutual reinforcement (相得益彰 — xiāng dé yì zhāng, "each shining more brightly in the other's company," mutual enhancement). The key lies in identifying the path and concretizing measures based on local conditions. First, consolidate the foundation. Focus on the core needs of tourists, improve the supporting service facilities of cultural relic scenic spots, make up for shortcomings in cultural tourism services, continuously optimize the cultural tourism environment, and enhance tourists' travel experience. Relying on national cultural parks and linear cultural heritage, use key points to drive non-key points, 串珠成链 (chuàn zhū chéng liàn - "string beads into a chain," linking scattered elements into a coherent whole), use lines to bring along areas; organically connect the various cultural relic remains scattered across the vast land, creating cultural relic tourism corridors with clear themes, prominent features, and suitability for both travel and reading. Second, cultivate strong industries. Adapt to local conditions to cultivate cultural relic-themed homestays, distinctive cultural and creative products, study tour bases, and other industries; develop cultural products that match the endowment of cultural resources, folk characteristics, and market demand; so that tourists can enter, understand, stay, and take away. Third, optimize business formats. Based on distinctive advantages, create a batch of cultural and creative products and IP brands with distinct characteristics and wide influence; build integrated online and offline production and sales channels; create more consumption scenarios with broad driving effect and high visibility; so that tourists "travel to a city because of a piece of history," effectively turning "traffic" into "retention" and "viral fame" into "lasting popularity."
(The author is the Director of the Research Institute of Culture and History of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (内蒙古自治区文史研究馆).)
Return to TopBy: 戴和圣
The superior man has nine reflections (九思), which come from the Analects, Ji Shi chapter. They are the nine rules set by Confucius for the superior man to cultivate virtue and establish moral character. Specifically, they include: When seeing, think of clarity; when hearing, think of acuteness; when expressing countenance, think of warmth; when appearing in manner, think of respect; when speaking, think of loyalty; when conducting affairs, think of reverence; when in doubt, think of inquiry; when angered, think of consequences; when seeing gain, think of righteousness. These vividly explain the essential points of daily self-cultivation and embody the Confucian profound reflection and pursuit of personal perfection. In the digital-intelligent age, the “nine reflections” still have mirroring significance for cultivating people’s inner character, regulating people’s external words and deeds, and fostering good social customs.
When seeing, think of clarity; when hearing, think of acuteness: The way of discernment and cognition in the flood of information. “The ears and eyes are to the body; the ears are in charge of hearing and the eyes are in charge of seeing.” Not everything heard is trustworthy, and even what is seen may not be true. Zou Ji (邹忌) of Qi often heard “Xu Gong (徐公) is not as handsome as you,” until he saw Xu Gong in person, “stared at him closely, and considered himself not as good,” then looked at himself in the mirror, and felt the gap even greater. Matters heard must be examined carefully, 去伪存真 (qù wěi cún zhēn – “remove falsehood and preserve truth,” to discard the false and retain the true). “If one hears and examines, it is fortune; if one hears but does not examine, it is better not to hear.” The proverb says “What is heard is empty, what is seen is real,” but sometimes the eyes are also deceived. Confucius witnessed Yan Hui (颜回) cooking rice and “snatched some from the steamer and ate it,” and suspected him of stealing food. Later he learned it was because dust had fallen into the pot, and Yan Hui, unable to bear wasting it, ate the dirty rice. He could not help sighing, “What I trusted was my eyes, yet my eyes are still not trustworthy.” Both “see the white” and “see the black”; both “hear the positive” and “hear the negative” — only then can one understand the truth and grasp the actual situation. Only by seeing more and hearing more, using both eyes and ears, can one peel away the surface to see the inside, see through phenomena to reach the essence, and attain the realm of “clarity” and “acuteness.” The acquisition of information is not only sensory reception, but also digital literacy, and moreover the tempering of the mind. Only with openness and inclusiveness, and adhering to rigorous and scientific methods, can one make correct judgments.
When expressing countenance, think of warmth; when appearing in manner, think of respect: The common code of social interaction. In dealing with others, attitude is crucial. A warm expression and a respectful demeanor bring each other closer, win trust, and gain support. “When expressing countenance, think of warmth” requires that, whether in favorable or adverse circumstances, one be calm and composed, with gentle words like a spring breeze brushing the face. Kindness and goodwill are not flattery and fawning, but treating others with sincerity and kindness, giving people a sense of closeness and comfort. “By moving one’s countenance and manner, one keeps far from violence and rudeness; by rectifying one’s expression, one draws near to trustworthiness; by moderating one’s speech and tone, one keeps far from vulgarity and perversity.” Correcting one’s own demeanor makes it easier to convince others and establish good interpersonal relationships. “When appearing in manner, think of respect” emphasizes that one should not differentiate between high and low, noble and base, and should not create distinctions of closeness and distance. In this way, it is not to bow and scrape, but to be 不卑不亢 (bù bēi bù kàng – “neither humble nor arrogant,” neither servile nor overbearing), neither haughty nor arrogant, and to treat others with an egalitarian attitude. “Respect produces solemnity; compliance produces order; clarity produces wisdom; acuteness produces counsel; sagacity produces sagehood.” A solemn countenance, measured conduct, sincerity in dealing with others, humility and deference, valuing others, respecting others. The world esteems the gentlemanly and benevolent demeanor of “warmth, kindness, respect, frugality, and deference,” regarding it as the basic virtue of dealing with people and handling affairs. In daily life, presenting oneself with a gentle and kind expression and a humble and respectful manner is both respect for others and self-cultivation, guiding us to walk steadily and go far in the network of relationships interwoven with the virtual and the real.
When speaking, think of loyalty; when conducting affairs, think of reverence: The proper meaning of the spirit of devotion to work. “Words must be trustworthy, actions must be resolute.” Being trustworthy in speech, resolute in action, and possessing a high degree of devotion to work—this is the proper meaning of social custom. “When speaking, think of loyalty” clarifies the modern significance of honest expression, requiring speech to be sincere and faithful. “The superior man is open and magnanimous; the petty man is always worried and anxious.” The superior man matches words with deeds and has an open heart; the petty man often harbors ulterior motives and is inconsistent in words and deeds. Honesty is the foundation of establishing oneself and the key to governance; “if the people have no trust, they cannot stand.” Han Kang (韩康), a famous scholar of the Eastern Han Dynasty, was praised by the world for “never bargaining with his words.” Bai Juyi (白居易) sighed, “Illness adds to the bitter chanting of Zhuang Xi (庄舄), poverty owes many medicine debts to Han Kang.” Loyalty, forgiveness, magnanimity, not plotting selfish desires, acting with ease and freedom—attain the state of no worry, no perplexity, no fear. “When conducting affairs, think of reverence” emphasizes being dedicated and responsible in work. “The superior man is reverent and without fault, respectful and polite to others; within the four seas, all are brothers.” Among people, there are only differences in division of labor, not differences in high and low; regardless of whether matters are big or small, important or urgent, one should harbor reverence in the heart and do one’s utmost. True “reverence in work” means being full of enthusiasm and taking initiative; this can not only reduce mistakes but also cultivate reliability and accumulate credit value. The technological revolution reshapes professional cognition. Under the “double-edged sword” of technology, competition in all industries intensifies. Only by being honest and trustworthy in words, and pragmatic and serious in actions, can one gain the first opportunity and initiative.
When in doubt, think of inquiry; when angered, think of consequences: The wisdom for solving confusion and anger. The highest wisdom of humanity is constant questioning. Doubt is the starting point of exploration; questioning is the key to acquiring knowledge. “When in doubt, think of inquiry” embodies the wisdom of seeking truth through questioning and emphasizes learning methods. “To know when you know, and to know when you do not know—that is wisdom.” Human knowledge is limited; when you don’t understand, ask, and seek advice with an open mind. Confucius was fond of learning and good at asking. “When the Master entered the Grand Temple (太庙), he asked about everything.” He advocated “Learn extensively, inquire carefully, ponder prudently, discern clearly, and practice earnestly,” regarding “asking” as the key to learning. “Learn extensively and be steadfast in purpose; inquire earnestly and reflect on what is near at hand.” Questioning and reflection are closely linked. Only by questioning in connection with reality and aiming the arrow at the target (有的放矢 – yǒu dì fàng shǐ, “shoot the arrow at the target,” do something with a clear purpose) can one solve difficult problems and truly benefit. “When angered, think of consequences” manifests the art of emotion management, emphasizing 宁静致远 (níng jìng zhì yuǎn – “tranquility reaches far,” serenity leads to far-reaching goals). When angry and resentful, think more about possible adverse consequences to avoid losing control of behavior. When encountering matters, stay calm, restrain impulsiveness, think thrice before acting, and often one can 化险为夷 (huà xiǎn wéi yí – “turn danger into safety,” turn crisis into safety), and 海阔天空 (hǎi kuò tiān kōng – “vast sea and sky,” boundless possibilities). Rationality is not about blindly yielding, but about distinguishing right from wrong and seeing the essence clearly. Only with thorough understanding can one be 心平气和 (xīn píng qì hé – “heart calm, breath harmonious,” calm and composed), and even when facing arguments, can one calmly and gently resolve conflicts. If there is doubt, then ask—that is the way of scholarship; if encountering matters, stay calm—then one can handle them with ease. Not only understand how to resolve doubts and dispel questions, continuously gaining new knowledge; but also be able to control emotions, maintain inner peace, and even after weathering storms, remain gentle and steadfast.
When seeing gain, think of righteousness: The true meaning of gain and loss before the temptation of profit. “When seeing gain, think of righteousness” warns people to deeply consider when facing gain. “The superior man takes righteousness as his substance.” Righteousness before profit, abandoning profit for righteousness, manifests the essence of having a way in choosing and discarding. Confucius regarded “gain” as one of the “three cautions” (三戒)—“be cautious about gain”—admonishing people not to be 贪得无厌 (tān dé wú yàn – “greedy for gain without end,” insatiably greedy), but to seek gain in a peaceful manner. Confucius adhered to “Riches and honors acquired by unrighteousness are like floating clouds to me,” emphasized “If it is not obtained by the proper way, do not accept it,” and held the principle of “If it cannot be sought, follow what I love.” He always refused unrighteous gain, 不劳而获 (bù láo ér huò – “reap without sowing,” get something for nothing), did not have rash thoughts, did not covet, kept himself clean and pure (洁身自好 – jié shēn zì hào, “cleanse oneself and like oneself,” maintain integrity), and focused on correct matters. Chinese people have always revered “righteousness,” emphasized the propriety and reasonableness of “gain,” and pursued being worthy of it, having peace of mind, and being indifferent to gain and loss. As the saying goes, “I daily examine myself on three points.” When facing interests, benefits, or rewards, one should take morality as the criterion and integrity as the baseline, and reflect often on whether one’s receipt is proper. In secular life, we often consider our own desires, weigh morality, do not covet gains that run counter to morality and human feelings, do not engage in actions that violate values and ethics, uphold the nobility and tranquility of the heart, and achieve a win-win between personal value pursuit and social harmony and progress.
“The superior man is strict in his thoughts, and these nine aspects constrain him; indeed, none of his words and deeds can escape them.” These “nine reflections” remind us never to forget spiritual realm while pursuing material interests, and to maintain noble moral sentiments while enjoying intelligent technology. “Above, not ashamed before Heaven; below, not ashamed before men.” Whether one cultivates or not, whether one gains or not, all depend on oneself.
Return to TopBy: 姚百慧
In the summer of 1945, after 14 years of arduous resistance by Chinese military and civilians, Japan was suffering repeated defeats on the Eastern battlefield. On August 6 and 9, the United States dropped two atomic bombs codenamed "Little Boy" and "Fat Man" on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. This first nuclear strike in the history of human warfare hastened Japan's surrender. Declassified archives and the recollections of those involved have revealed the decision-making process behind the first and, to date, only use of nuclear weapons in actual combat.
Launching the Manhattan Project
Shortly after the full-scale outbreak of World War II in Europe, due to fears that Nazi Germany might be the first to acquire nuclear weapons with immense destructive power, on the advice of scientists such as Einstein, U.S. President Roosevelt decided to develop the atomic bomb. In October 1941, the United States established a "Top Policy Group" composed of the President, Vice President, Secretary of War, Army Chief of Staff, and Chairman of the National Defense Research Committee, to assume overall responsibility for the work on the atomic bomb. In August 1942, the project to develop the atomic bomb was called the "Manhattan Project," in which scientists from the United States, Britain, and other European countries who had fled to the United States secretly participated.
On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, the largest U.S. naval base in the Pacific, destroying over 20 U.S. warships and 311 aircraft and killing or wounding more than 3,600 U.S. servicemen. On December 8, the United States, abandoning its previous policy of appeasement, formally declared war on Japan, and the Pacific War erupted. The Battle of Midway in June 1942 changed the strategic situation in the Pacific theater from U.S. defense and Japanese offense to the opposite. The Battle of Guadalcanal, which ended in February 1943, inflicted the Japanese Army's first major defeat since the outbreak of the Pacific War. Thereafter, U.S. forces advanced by "island hopping" through the Pacific islands, gradually closing in on the Japanese home islands, but every victory cost a great deal of time, materiel, and the lives of many soldiers. For example, in the 1945 battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa, although U.S. forces killed 21,000 and 94,000 Japanese soldiers respectively, they themselves suffered 23,000 and 39,100 casualties. The enormous sacrifices and harsh realities of the Pacific War further accelerated the pace of the U.S. atomic bomb project and also gave rise to the idea of using the atomic bomb against Japan to bring the war to a swift end.
On September 18, 1944, Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Churchill reached the Hyde Park Memorandum, the first article of which stated: "When the 'bomb' is finally ready, it might perhaps be used against the Japanese, and this bombing would be repeated until they surrender." On November 6, Roosevelt stated that there were more terrible and destructive weapons to help the United States end the war early, "These deathlike silent missiles, perhaps launched from airplanes, or from ships at sea, or from deep wells in the United States, no coastal defense works, however 坚不可摧 (jiān bù kě cuī - 'firm and indestructible,' unbreachable), could provide any protection against them." This was the only time Roosevelt publicly mentioned how such a bomb would be used to 一劳永逸 (yī láo yǒng yì - 'one effort, eternal ease,' once and for all) end the suffering of war.
Roosevelt entrusted the Manhattan Project to the War Department, with Secretary of War Stimson directly responsible. As early as May 1943, Stimson had discussed targets for dropping on Japan at a meeting of the Manhattan Project's Military Policy Committee. Participants believed that the best targets for the atomic bomb were the Japanese city of Kyoto and the Japanese warships assembled at Truk Lagoon. Their reasons for choosing Japan as the first target included, besides battlefield pressures, the belief that Japan, unlike Germany, would not be able to extract technical secrets from the bombing.
Support for Using the Atomic Bomb Against Japan Based on Long-Term Interests
In April 1945, Roosevelt died. At that time, because of the extreme secrecy surrounding the atomic bomb's development, the incoming President Truman knew almost nothing about the atomic bomb work. Stimson submitted a memorandum to Truman reporting on the atomic bomb project, stressing that dropping the atomic bomb on Japan could greatly shorten the war. Truman quickly took up the "baton" of the decision to drop the bomb on Japan, and at Stimson's suggestion, he established an "Interim Committee" to specifically study issues related to the use of nuclear weapons.
On May 31, 1945, at a meeting of the Interim Committee, scientific adviser Lawrence proposed demonstrating the atomic bomb's explosion to induce Japan's surrender, but this was rejected. Some opponents thought the bomb might be a dud, rendering the demonstration ineffective; some thought the Japanese might transfer U.S. prisoners of war into the blast zone or shoot down the bombing aircraft; and some thought the deterrent effect of the new weapon would be greatly diminished after a demonstration. Thereafter, the Interim Committee conducted extensive discussions on bombing targets and possible effects, finally reaching three conclusions: the atomic bomb should be used against Japan as soon as possible; the target should be selected as a military factory surrounded by large numbers of workers' residences; and no advance warning should be given to Japan before the bombing.
The members of the Interim Committee also agreed on four best bombing targets: Kyoto, Hiroshima, Kokura, and Niigata. They believed that an attack on these cities would produce a profound psychological shock to Japan and weaken its will to resist. Stimson vetoed Kyoto, arguing that Kyoto was Japan's cultural center and that bombing it would not be conducive to the post-war restoration of U.S.-Japan relations nor to winning Japan over in the possible post-war confrontation with the Soviet Union. Nagasaki thus replaced Kyoto on the target list.
During this period, many scientists tried to prevent the U.S. government from using nuclear weapons, but failed. On June 11, scientists from the Metallurgical Laboratory at the University of Chicago submitted the Franck Report. Seven leading scientists, headed by Franck, jointly signed it, recommending careful consideration of using the atomic bomb against Japan, arguing that such an attack "would cause worldwide fear and hatred, as well as condemnation by domestic public opinion." They suggested dropping the bomb on an island or desert as a demonstration of deterrence. In addition, 70 scientists involved in the Manhattan Project signed a petition also pleading with Truman not to use the atomic bomb against Japan. However, neither the Franck Report nor the 70-person petition was endorsed by the Interim Committee or senior U.S. leaders.
In fact, Truman and most senior U.S. leaders supported using the atomic bomb against Japan. They believed that, from the perspective of short-term war needs, the atomic bomb could force Japan to surrender early and reduce U.S. casualties. And from the perspective of the long-term interests of the United States, dropping the atomic bomb on Japan before the war ended would demonstrate that the United States possessed this powerful new weapon, forcing the Soviet Union to make greater concessions to the United States in post-war international order and benefit distribution. Truman stated bluntly: "Such questions should be resolved, but not with too much regard for humanitarian principles; rather, more consideration should be given to the long-term interests of the nation."
Successful Atomic Bomb Test and Secret Rivalry between the U.S. and the Soviet Union
With the surrender of Nazi Germany in May 1945, how to effectively curb the political influence of the Soviet Union on the post-war world order and maintain a strategic advantage over the Soviet Union after the war became an important consideration in the U.S. decision to use the atomic bomb against Japan. On June 6, Stimson reported the Interim Committee's recommendations to Truman: keep the atomic bomb plan secret until the bombing of Japan; the attack should be carried out as soon as possible, without any warning. Truman and Stimson reached a consensus: if the Soviet Union asked about nuclear weapons at the upcoming Potsdam Conference, the President would adopt a delaying tactic; and technical information could be used as a bargaining chip to win concessions from the Soviet Union.
On July 16, the United States successfully detonated the world's first atomic bomb in the desert of New Mexico. On July 17, the leaders of the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union met at Potsdam, Germany, primarily to discuss arrangements for the post-war treatment of Germany and the resolution of post-war European issues, and to secure the Soviet Union's early entry into the war against Japan. Having just arrived in Potsdam, Truman soon received the report of the successful atomic bomb detonation, which greatly enhanced the U.S. bargaining position at the Potsdam Conference. After the outbreak of the Pacific War, in view of the 负隅顽抗 (fù yú wán kàng - 'rely on a corner and stubbornly resist,' to put up a desperate struggle) of the Japanese forces, some senior U.S. military leaders had already considered the idea of having Soviet forces join the war to reduce U.S. casualties. At the Yalta Conference, the United States had even sacrificed Chinese interests to secure the Soviet Union's agreement to enter the war against Japan three months after the end of the war in Europe. But after the United States successfully tested the atomic bomb, Stimson told Truman that Army Chief of Staff Marshall believed it was no longer necessary to seek Soviet help to end the war.
After the formal Potsdam Conference session ended on July 24, Truman walked directly up to Stalin without his interpreter and vaguely told him that the United States had developed a "new weapon of unusually great destructive force." Stalin showed no particular interest, coolly saying he was glad to hear it and hoped the United States would use it well against the Japanese. In fact, as early as the fall of 1941, Soviet intelligence agencies had begun to acquire intelligence on the U.S. atomic bomb project. After Truman spoke, Stalin immediately secretly instructed his country to accelerate its own atomic bomb development. From the construction of an atomic reactor in 1946 to the successful test of its first atomic bomb in August 1949, the Soviet Union took less than three years. The U.S. attempt to pressure the Soviet Union with its possession of atomic bomb technology, forcing it to make concessions on post-war time arrangements, did not succeed as intended.
Final Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb on Japan
On July 24, Stimson reported to Truman on the latest progress of the bombing: the uranium bomb might be ready as early as August 1, and certainly by August 10 at the latest; the plutonium bomb would be ready on August 6. All that remained was Truman's final approval and a decision, based on weather conditions, which of the four target cities to bomb first. Truman wrote in his diary: "Fallen on our shoulders is an extremely heavy responsibility." At that time, four options were available: first, continue conventional bombing of Japanese cities; second, launch a direct invasion of the Japanese home islands; third, conduct a demonstration atomic bomb test on an uninhabited island; fourth, drop the atomic bomb on a populated Japanese city. In previous policy discussions, options other than the fourth had already been ruled out. On July 25, Truman made the final decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan.
Immediately thereafter, an order drafted by Manhattan Project director Groves, approved by Truman, and specifically issued by Stimson and Marshall, was sent out. It ordered the 509th Composite Group of the Army Air Forces to attack Hiroshima, Kokura, Niigata, or Nagasaki (in that order of priority) as soon as weather permitted after August 3. Subsequent atomic bomb attacks required no further authorization. As soon as a new atomic bomb was manufactured, it was to be dropped immediately on a target city in Japan. Which city would be bombed first ultimately depended on which city had no cloud cover on the day of the attack. At this time, Colonel Tibbets' 509th Group was ready; they had previously dropped dummy bombs called "pumpkins" on Japanese targets, both for practice and to accustom the Japanese to small numbers of B-29 bombers flying over their airspace.
On July 26, China, the United States, and Britain jointly issued the Potsdam Declaration, demanding Japan's immediate and unconditional surrender, and warning that if Japan refused to surrender, it would not only "result in the complete destruction of the Japanese armed forces" but also "the inevitable and complete devastation of the Japanese homeland." In response, the Japanese government took a hard line of ignoring and publicly rejecting it. On the same day, the uranium bomb "Little Boy" (without its nuclear components) was transported to Tinian Island by the U.S. cruiser USS Indianapolis. Soon after, five C-54 transport planes delivered the bomb's final nuclear components. On the morning of August 6, the U.S. B-29 bomber "Enola Gay" dropped the world's first atomic bomb used in actual combat over the city of Hiroshima, Japan. The evil Japanese militarism swallowed the bitter fruits of war it had brewed itself. On August 8, 1945, the Soviet Union formally declared war on Japan. On August 9, Mao Zedong issued a statement titled "The Final Battle Against the Japanese Invaders," calling on all anti-Japanese forces to launch a full-scale counteroffensive. On August 15, Emperor Hirohito of Japan, in a radio broadcast, formally announced Japan's acceptance of the Potsdam Declaration and unconditional surrender.
It should be recognized that Japan's defeat and surrender were the inevitable outcome of the Chinese people's united resistance and protracted war, as well as the combined struggle of all anti-fascist nations and peoples of the world. The U.S. dropping of atomic bombs on Japan and the Soviet declaration of war against Japan objectively accelerated the process of Japan's defeat and surrender. But what truly determined Japan's defeat and surrender was the Chinese people's 不畏强暴 (bù wèi qiáng bào - 'not fear the strong and violent,' defying brute force) and 浴血奋战 (yù xuè fèn zhàn - 'bathed in blood, fighting hard,' bloody struggle) over 14 long years, and the 同仇敌忾 (tóng chóu dí kài - 'share a common hatred for the enemy,' united in shared indignation against the foe) and joint fighting of all anti-fascist nations and peoples worldwide. The aggressive war launched by Japanese militarism, which was against humanity and the tide of history, was bound to recoil upon itself, and it fundamentally sealed its own historical fate of defeat.
(The author is Deputy Dean of the School of History, Capital Normal University (首都师范大学).)
Return to TopBy: 毕鲁瑶
The Yellow River is a defining symbol of the Chinese nation and Chinese culture. Over the long course of Chinese history, the Yellow River, with its enormous sediment load, shaped the vast North China Plain, yet because of its natural riverine character of "being prone to siltation, prone to breaching, prone to shifting" (善淤、善决、善徙), the fertile lands of its middle and lower reaches frequently suffered river disasters. In the second year of the Jianyan era of the Southern Song (1128), the Yellow River burst and flowed southeast; the high-sediment-load Yellow River water occupied the old course of the Si River below Xuzhou and the old course of the Huai River below Huaiyin, forcing the Huai River, which had originally flowed independently into the sea with a free-flowing tail channel, to converge with the Yellow River in what is now northern Jiangsu.
From the Yuan dynasty onward, with the state taking Beijing as its political center and the Jiangnan region as its economic heartland, the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal (京杭大运河) emerged, "cutting off bends to straighten the course" on the basis of the Sui-Tang Grand Canal and linking north and south. This artificial waterway, which transported millions of bushels of tribute grain annually, crossed the Yellow River and the Huai River at Qingkou (清口), where the two rivers converged. The tranquility of the Yellow River was tied to the smooth flow of the canal, and the smooth flow of the canal was in turn tied to the functioning of the state's political economy. "Governing the river is the means of governing the canal" (治河即所以治漕) thus became the dynastic policy of the Ming and Qing.
In the fifteenth year of the Kangxi reign (1676), both the Yellow and Huai Rivers rose; multiple breaches occurred on both banks of the Yellow River and on the dikes of Hongze Lake (洪泽湖), and several counties in the Huai-Yang region were flooded. The river channel in the Qingkou area, originally three to four zhang deep, had silted up to a depth of only two to three chi, and canal transportation was nearly cut off. In the sixteenth year of Kangxi (1677), Jin Fu (靳辅) was promoted from Governor of Anhui to Director-General of River Affairs (河道总督). Over the following ten-plus years, he constructed a water management system that coordinated the three rivers — the Yellow, Huai, and the Canal. This system ensured the river's tranquility and the smooth passage of the canal, reflecting the traditional state's capacity for integration and institutional resilience in confronting complex natural challenges.
Since the reopening of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal in the ninth year of the Yongle era of the Ming (1411), the area where the Yellow, Huai, and Canal converged became the key point for the state's river management and canal transport. In this region, Yellow River floods could breach and destroy the canal route, and Yellow River sediment could also silt up the canal. During the Wanli era of the Ming, the renowned river official Pan Jixun (潘季驯) oversaw the construction and reinforcement of the Gao Family Weir (高家堰) on the eastern shore of Hongze Lake, using a series of hydraulic works — sluice gates, weirs, dikes, and channels — to store clear water and scour the Yellow River (蓄清刷黄), thereby keeping the canal open. However, with the chaos of war at the end of the Ming, the works fell into disrepair, and the canal was beset by numerous problems.
After Jin Fu assumed overall responsibility for river affairs, he together with his staff member Chen Huang (陈潢) thoroughly surveyed the river conditions of the Yellow, Huai, and Canal, consulted the remaining regulations from Pan Jixun's river management, and then submitted eight memorials in succession, putting forward the proposition that "the way of river management must necessarily examine the overall situation, treating the river channel and the canal channel as one body, integrating them from head to tail and governing them together." The core of his water management philosophy was: first, to harmonize the relationship between the Yellow River and the Huai River; second, to reconstruct sections of the canal to achieve separation of the Yellow River and the canal.
In harmonizing the relationship between the Yellow and Huai Rivers, Jin Fu perfected various projects for "storing clear water to scour the Yellow River" (蓄清刷黄) and "reducing the Yellow River to assist the clear water" (减黄助清). He first organized forces to plug all breaches on the Gao Family Weir, raising, thickening, and extending the dike, and on the lake-facing side created sloping revetments to reduce wave impact. Next, he excavated diversion channels at the outlet of Hongze Lake — Zhangfukou (张福口), Shuaijiazhuang (帅家庄), Peijiachang (裴家场) and others — to guide the Huai River's flow to concentrate at Qingkou and scour the Yellow River's silt. Subsequently, he built six spillway weirs on the Gao Family Weir dike, including Zhouqiao (周桥) and Gaoliangjian (高良涧). In normal times, the weirs were closed to store water and raise Hongze Lake's water level to scour the Yellow River and aid the canal; during flood season, they were opened to discharge floodwater and relieve pressure on the dike. Even more far-sighted was the strategy Jin Fu proposed of "reducing the Yellow River to assist the clear water." Jin Fu built multiple spillway sluice gates and weirs on the south bank of the Yellow River at Xuzhou and Suining; when the Yellow River rose sharply, they diverted the flood flow into lakes along the route, where it was clarified naturally before flowing into Hongze Lake. This measure both reduced the flood peak pressure of the Yellow River's main current and supplemented Hongze Lake with a source of clear water, enhancing the capacity of clear water to scour the Yellow River.
In achieving separation of the Yellow River and the canal, Jin Fu took the lead in excavating the Middle Canal project (中运河工程). Previously, the Grand Canal in northern Jiangsu had long relied on the Yellow River for part of its course; tribute boats had to sail upstream on the Yellow River, suffering from siltation and the danger of capsizing in wind and waves. In the twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth years of the Kangxi reign (1686–1687), Jin Fu oversaw the excavation of the Middle Canal, drawing water from Luoma Lake (骆马湖) and passing through Suqian, Siyang, and other places to Zhongzhuang (仲庄) in Qinghe County, where it crossed the Yellow River. Tribute boats thereby avoided 180 li of danger on the Yellow River, achieving separation of the Yellow River and the canal and greatly ensuring the safety of canal transport. The Qing-era poet Wang Shizhen (王士桢) praised it, saying: "Once the Middle Canal was completed, it curbed the Yellow River's force, relieved the disasters of seven counties, and the tribute boats raised their sails as if passing over a pillow and mat. Commentators say that the Middle Canal project was a benefit to the state for a hundred generations."
From plugging the breaches in the Gao Family Weir and building high dikes to digging diversion channels, from constructing spillway weirs to excavating the Middle Canal, Jin Fu's water management practice integrated the links of storing the Huai River, scouring the Yellow River, opening the canal, and reducing floods. Ultimately, with Qingkou as the hub, he built a systemic project of dikes, sluice gates, weirs, and diversion channels.
In the Qing dynasty, river affairs and canal transport were regarded as great state policies. At the beginning of the Kangxi Emperor's personal rule, he wrote the words "Three Feudatories, River Affairs, Canal Transport" (三藩、河务、漕运) on a pillar in the palace, pondering them day and night. In the thirty-eighth year of Kangxi (1699), on a southern inspection tour, the Kangxi Emperor saw that Qingkou was silted and that Hongze Lake's outlet was blocked; he ordered that Qingkou be dredged, and that the Gao Family Weir and canal dikes be reinforced. Thereafter he repeatedly mentioned Jin Fu, saying: "When Jin Fu served as Director-General of Rivers, river affairs were always well managed" and "When Jin Fu governed the river, the river channel was very good." The Qianlong Emperor also said, "Among the matters of the southern tours, nothing is greater than river works" and praised Jin Fu's river management measures. It is evident that the river management system Jin Fu established had a certain model significance.
Jin Fu's river management projects and measures were inherited and developed by his successors. From the thirty-ninth to the forty-first year of Kangxi (1700–1702), Director-General of Rivers Zhang Penghe (张鹏翮) rebuilt the "Six Weirs of Gaojia Weir" into three rolling stone weirs, raising the weir crests to form overflow weir structures, greatly reducing unnecessary water discharge and effectively enhancing Hongze Lake's water storage capacity; at the same time, he increased the four existing diversion channels to seven, with the channel mouths over a hundred zhang wide, further developing the flood control, canal preservation, and canal transport support functions of the Qingkou water control hub. In the first year of the Qianlong reign (1736), Director-General of the Southern Rivers Gao Bin (高斌) proposed opening the channel of the Maochengpu (毛城铺) spillway into Hongze Lake, following Jin Fu's strategy of "diverting the Yellow River to assist the Huai River." The Qianlong Emperor approved, noting that this was "built by the former River Minister Jin Fu in the seventeenth year of Kangxi upon a memorial; the water diverted by it returns to Hongze Lake to help the clear water scour the Yellow River. For sixty years, the rivers up and down and the people's livelihood have all benefited from it," and he regarded it as a project to restore the old system. In the eleventh year of the Jiaqing reign (1806), floodwaters struck the Gao Family Weir; the river official Tiebao (铁保) and others used sloping revetments for bank protection and repair, explicitly stating that the technical origin was "the sloping revetments that the River Minister Jin Fu once used to protect the dike and support the Huai River." In the thirteenth year of Jiaqing (1808), Grand Academician Changling (长龄) proposed repairing the two stone sluice gates for reducing the Yellow River and aiding the canal that Jin Fu had built, in order to cope with the situation of a strong Yellow River and a weak Huai River.
Over the more than one hundred years from Kangxi to Jiaqing, Jin Fu's river management practice can be regarded as a classic example of the state's river management philosophy, technology, and institutions. Relying on state coordination and investment, Jin Fu's governance framework centered on Qingkou, linking the Yellow, Huai, and Canal, evolved from emergency measures to cope with floods and maintain water transport into a replicable and sustainable governance mechanism, ensuring the tranquility of the great river and the smooth operation of canal transport during the early and middle Qing period.
With Qingkou as the hub, Jin Fu considered the Yellow, Huai, and Canal together, constructing sluice gates and weirs, dredging and repairing channels, so that river management projects were tightly linked with canal transport guarantee, people's livelihood stability, and financial resource allocation. At the same time, he established institutional designs for stationing river soldiers, opening and closing sluice gates and weirs, and managing funds. After Jin Fu, river officials such as Zhang Penghe and Gao Bin continued and perfected the water management system, moving the governance of the Yellow, Huai, and Canal from coping with river disasters to proactive management that coordinated water-sediment relationships, upstream and downstream, left and right banks, and main streams and tributaries, reaching a new height in traditional Chinese state water management capacity.
The water management system constructed by Jin Fu embodies the profound wisdom of traditional Chinese state governance. On the one hand, the effectiveness of water management depended on state policies and strategies. In the early and middle Qing period, the state attached importance to river affairs and canal transport, ensuring policy continuity in the governance of the Yellow, Huai, and Canal for over a hundred years. On the other hand, water management practice in turn tempered the state's capacity for mobilization and integration. The sustained investment of huge amounts of funds, the deployment of labor from multiple provinces, and the smooth transfer of tribute grain from the Jiangnan region effectively integrated the economic resources of the prosperous areas into the state's governance framework, demonstrating the traditional state's outstanding ability to achieve political and economic integration through large-scale water conservancy projects.
Jin Fu's water management philosophy and practice illustrate that the effectiveness of water management is tied to the state's governance capacity, and that the tranquility of the great river cannot be separated from strategic attention and investment at the state level. Today, under the goal of making the Yellow River a river of benefit to the people, the concepts of integrated governance of the Yellow, Huai, and Canal left by Jin Fu, along with the Qingkou water control hub, constitute not only an important water conservancy technical heritage but also a historical treasure concerning how to harness a complex environment with strong governance capacity, and how to use water management activities to ensure the stability and development of politics, economy, and society.
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General Secretary Xi Jinping places high importance on work safety, emphasizing the need to firmly establish a safe development concept and effectively protect the safety of people’s lives and property. Recently, General Secretary Xi Jinping has given many important instructions, demanding that the string of production safety be kept taut at all times, deeply investigate and rectify various risks and hazards, and resolutely prevent and curb the occurrence of major and extraordinarily serious accidents. We must consciously unify our thoughts and actions with the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, and do a more solid and effective job in electric power work safety, to hold the bottom line of electric power safety for the construction of an energy power.
Deeply understand the great significance of holding the bottom line of electric power safety
Energy and electric power safety concerns the overall situation of economic and social development. The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (党的二十届四中全会) clearly proposed accelerating the construction of a new-type energy system and building an energy power. During the 15th Five-Year Plan period (十五五) and the coming period, China’s electric power system will undergo profound changes, and holding the bottom line of electric power safety is of great significance.
Holding the bottom line of electric power safety is an inherent requirement for advancing Chinese-style modernization. Chinese-style modernization has a huge population scale and heavy development tasks; coordinating the various major tasks of industrial upgrading, people’s livelihood security, green development, and urban-rural construction places unprecedented high standards and hard requirements on the stability, reliability, and continuity of electric power supply. Safe and reliable electric power guarantee is a basic support that modernization cannot do without for even a moment. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (十四五), China’s average annual growth rate of electricity consumption was 6.6%; in 2025, total societal electricity consumption exceeded 10 trillion kilowatt-hours, equivalent to more than twice the annual electricity consumption of the United States and exceeding the total annual electricity consumption of the four economies of the European Union, Russia, India, and Japan. With the in-depth advancement of new industrialization, informatization, urbanization, and agricultural modernization, China’s electric power demand will continue to maintain rigid growth, especially the development of emerging industries such as artificial intelligence, which will drive the rapid growth of electricity demand for computing power infrastructure. The safe and stable supply of electric power must be resolutely guaranteed to provide strong support for promoting high-quality development and developing new quality productive forces (新质生产力).
Holding the bottom line of electric power safety is an important support for accelerating the construction of an energy power. Continuously stable and reliable electric power supply is the solid confidence of energy power construction. At present, China’s electrification rate ranks among the top in the world. It is estimated that by 2060, the proportion of non-fossil energy consumption will reach about 80%, and the core position of electric power in the new-type energy system will become more prominent. With the accelerated construction of a new-type electric power system, under the pattern of source-grid-load-storage (源网荷储) multi-interaction, the complexity of grid operation continues to increase, and various types of risks and hazards are intertwined and superimposed. This requires us to firmly hold the electric power safety checkpoint, stabilize the basic plate of energy supply, and protect high-quality energy development with high-level electric power safety.
Holding the bottom line of electric power safety is a concrete manifestation of demonstrating the superiority of our system. For a long time, the electric power industry has always adhered to “people first, life first,” firmly established a safe development concept, vigorously promoted reform and development in the field of electric power work safety, focused on strengthening the primary responsibility of electric power enterprises for work safety, fully implemented the dual prevention mechanism of risk classification control and hazard investigation and treatment, continuously improved the safety governance system, and enhanced safety governance capabilities. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, facing the situation of large-scale concentrated grid connection of new energy, large-scale access of distributed energy and new-type energy-consuming facilities, and high-level operation of major hazardous engineering operations, China’s electric power system safety management level continued to improve. The number of electric power personal injury accidents and fatalities generally decreased and remained at a low level, with average annual declines of over 34% and 42% over five years. There were no cross-city large-scale blackout incidents, and no incidents that caused major social impact such as dam collapse or dam overtopping at hydropower stations, providing strong and reliable electric power guarantee for social development and people’s livelihood security.
Precisely grasp the new situations and new challenges currently facing electric power work safety
China’s energy development has entered a period of superposition of high-speed development and deep transformation. The structure and form of the electric power system are undergoing profound changes. System operation safety risks have increased, extreme natural disasters and other safety situations remain severe, the safety risks of electric power construction, operation and maintenance are more prominent, and electric power work safety faces new situations and new challenges.
Adjustment of electric power system structure, pressure on stable operation becomes prominent. In the process of accelerating the construction of a new-type electric power system, power sources, grids, and loads are undergoing profound changes, exerting far-reaching impacts on grid operation. In terms of power sources, the green and low-carbon electric power supply pattern is accelerating construction. Since the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the proportion of installed new energy capacity has risen from 24.3% to 47.3%, and the proportion of new energy power generation in total societal electricity consumption has risen from 9.7% to 22.2%. It is estimated that by 2030, the installed proportion of wind and solar power will exceed 50%, becoming the main body of installed power capacity, and a high proportion of new energy penetration will evolve into a new normal. New operating conditions such as deep peak regulation of coal-fired units test the safe operation capability of units and the grid-connected performance of equipment. Changes in power source structure have brought a substantial increase in the volatility and uncertainty of power system power flow, and the characteristics of low inertia, low damping, and weak support will become increasingly apparent. In terms of grids, the coupling between sending and receiving ends of large power grids, AC and DC, high-voltage and low-voltage grids is becoming closer. The grid structure is shifting from “main grid leading, distribution grid auxiliary” to coordinated main, distribution, and micro grids, and grid operation modes are becoming more complex and variable. In terms of loads, various new-type load entities continue to emerge, loads are transforming from pure consumption type to production-consumption type, a large number of distributed photovoltaics are connected to 110 kV and below grids, the source-grid-load-storage active interaction characteristics of distribution networks are obvious, and the difficulty of load grid-connected safety management increases.
In-depth advancement of hydropower development, increased difficulty in construction, operation and maintenance. Most hydropower projects have characteristics such as high dams, high altitudes, high slopes, high seismic intensity, high water heads, and deep overburden layers. Large underground works, large-flow flood discharge, high-speed flow energy dissipation, and large-capacity generator sets are common. Technical challenges such as the unpredictability of strong earthquakes, the reliability and durability of high-slope treatment technology, the stability of mechanical properties of building materials in high-cold and high-altitude areas, and the reliability of foundation treatment technology for deep overburden layers pose severe challenges to project construction quality and full-lifecycle operation safety, putting forward higher requirements for the technical professionalism and management standardization of project construction and operation maintenance. In particular, pumped-storage power stations have high water heads, complex underground works, cramped construction site layouts, and insufficient historical flood data, placing higher demands on project construction and flood control management. It is estimated that the number of newly registered and filed dams during the 15th Five-Year Plan period will double compared to the 14th Five-Year Plan period, with the total number on the register exceeding 900, and the proportion of pumped-storage power station dams will rise from the current 13.8% to about 30%. At the same time, dam operation time continues to increase, the number of hydropower station dams in operation for over 50 years will continue to rise, and it is estimated that during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, the number will increase from the current 58 to 74. Related policies and technical reserves for safety assessment, renovation and upgrading, and decommissioning disposal of old dams urgently need improvement.
Intensified pressure on project construction, prominent risks of new-type entities. During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, electric power project construction will maintain high-intensity investment. Offshore wind power, pumped storage, cross-regional power transmission, wind-solar base projects will be concentrated and implemented. High-risk operations such as blasting excavation, high-slope construction, and large-scale equipment hoisting will remain at high levels. Many projects are located in high-altitude, Gobi desert and other areas with harsh natural conditions, and the on-site construction environment is complex and variable. The simultaneous advancement of large-scale projects causes scattered and diluted construction resources, insufficient construction and supervision forces, existing control measures cannot fully adapt to the needs of large-scale, wide-distribution project construction, and there are still weak links in the intrinsic safety construction of projects. At the same time, the investment entities participating in electric power project construction, operation and management are more diversified. The investment entities of pumped-storage power stations under construction nationwide have broken through the traditional pattern, showing a trend of diversification. New situations and problems such as lack of experience, weak technical strength, and unfamiliarity with industry requirements of new project owners and hydropower station operation management units are prominent.
Frequent and concurrent extreme weather, disaster prevention capability needs improvement. Against the background of global warming, China’s extreme disaster weather also shows the characteristics of many points, wide areas, concurrent occurrence, and repeated occurrence. Extreme, sudden, and high-disaster weather is becoming more frequent, often exceeding historical cognition and defense standards, posing great challenges to electric power facilities. Climate characteristic changes such as the continuous increase in frequency and intensity of extreme high temperatures, fluctuating increase in average intensity of typhoons, northward shift of rain belts, and northward expansion of ice-covered areas have caused continuous increase in pressure for flood prevention, waterlogging prevention, and ice prevention in northern regions. Accelerated melting of mountain glaciers, earthquakes, etc. threaten the safety of hydropower station dams.
Take real action and tackle hard problems to do a solid job in electric power work safety
Adhere to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, deeply implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the plenary sessions of the 20th Central Committee, conscientiously implement the deployments of the Fourth Plenary Session, firmly establish a safe development concept, consolidate safety in development, seek development in safety, strengthen bottom-line thinking, resolutely prevent and curb the occurrence of major and extraordinarily serious production safety accidents, resolutely prevent and curb the occurrence of major and extraordinarily serious electric power safety accidents, resolutely prevent and curb the occurrence of dam collapse and dam overtopping accidents, resolutely hold the bottom line of electric power safety, and make every effort to ensure the safe and stable operation of the electric power system and reliable electric power supply.
Adhere to political guidance, hold the safety bottom line with iron responsibility. Electric power safety concerns the national economy and people’s livelihood; it is a “great matter of the nation” that must not be ignored for even a moment. We must implement the Party’s leadership comprehensively, systematically, and holistically in all aspects and the entire process of electric power safety. Closely combine with the study and education on establishing and practicing a correct view of performance, deeply implement General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important discourses on establishing and practicing a correct view of performance, fully implement the Party Central Committee’s decisions and deployments on coordinating development and safety, and resolutely rectify the erroneous tendency of “valuing development over safety, valuing visible achievements over hidden dangers, valuing aftermath over prevention.” Coordinate development and safety, strengthen the adequacy of safety planning and operation of the new-type electric power system, coordinate the various elements of source, grid, load, and storage and the various stages of planning, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and emergency response, take the actual effect of safety governance as a hard index to test the performance of duties, and provide a strong political guarantee and organizational guarantee for preventing and curbing major accidents.
Adhere to people first, strict laws and strong governance, strengthen discipline enforcement and accountability. Deeply implement General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important discourses on people first and life first, always put the safety of people’s lives in the highest position, always put the people’s access to and good use of electricity first, and hold the safety bottom line. Fully consolidate safety production responsibilities at all levels, tighten the chain of responsibility, transmit pressure layer by layer, ensure that responsibilities are implemented without suspension and execution without deviation. Continuously increase the intensity of electric power safety supervision and law enforcement, insist on taking real action and tackling hard problems, investigate thoroughly, and strictly pursue accountability without leniency for those who fail to implement responsibilities, lack prevention and control measures, or neglect their duties in performing supervision. Improve the safety governance system, do a good job in revising the Electric Power Law of the People’s Republic of China (《中华人民共和国电力法》) and the Regulations on Emergency Response and Investigation and Handling of Electric Power Safety Accidents (《电力安全事故应急处置和调查处理条例》), vigorously promote the connection between administrative law enforcement and criminal justice, resolutely pursue criminal liability according to law for acts that touch the safety bottom line and are suspected of violating the law or committing crimes, resolutely put an end to substituting fines for management or substituting fines for criminal punishment, truly achieve accountability for one case, warning for a region, and deterrence for a wider area.
Adhere to prevention before the event, enhance the intrinsic safety level of electric power. Build a multi-level safety technical standard system, improve standards in multiple links such as planning, design, construction, and operation, orderly promote the transformation of necessary recommendatory standards into mandatory standards, quickly fill the shortcomings of work safety standards, and effectively respond to complex safety situations such as large power grid safety, network safety, and extreme weather. Improve the full-cycle closed-loop management mechanism for electric power construction, achieve dynamic control of construction quality, strengthen the simultaneous design, simultaneous construction, and simultaneous acceptance of safety facilities and main projects. Improve and perfect the working mechanism for risk classification control and hazard investigation and treatment, treat major hazards as accidents, continuously strengthen the upgrading and supervision of major hazards and backward investigation of responsibility, and achieve active reduction of risks, identification of hazards, curbing of accidents, and guarantee of safety.
Adhere to science and technology for safety, cultivate new quality productive forces in electric power safety. The electric power system is a technology-intensive infrastructure. Artificial intelligence is an important engine for building an energy power and developing new quality productive forces in energy. Promote the deep integration of artificial intelligence and electric power work safety, focus on the three major priorities of precise early warning, equipment research, and method innovation, tackle key technologies such as safety operation decision-making, equipment fault prediction, human factor risk identification, and intelligent perception of major disasters, promote unmanned hazardous processes and mechanization of operations in complex environments, continuously promote technology iteration, equipment upgrading, and model innovation in the field of electric power safety, accelerate the empowerment of “artificial intelligence +” electric power safety scenarios, and promote deep integration of scientific and technological innovation into the entire chain of electric power work safety.
Adhere to culture as foundation, consolidate the foundation and moisten safety, root safety concepts deeply. Safety production culture is a long-term measure to consolidate the foundation of electric power work safety and enhance the level of intrinsic safety. Closely adhere to the national “Safety Production Month” deployment, deeply study and implement General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important discourses on work safety, use the month to promote the year, use culture to transform people, and promote safety concepts to enter the mind and heart. Use thought to cast the soul and consolidate the foundation, carry out regular safety warning education, legal publicity, and risk education, guide cadres and workers to firmly establish bottom-line thinking and extreme thinking, resolutely correct the mindset of numbness and relaxation, and from the ideological root, tighten the “master switch” of work safety. Innovate safety propaganda and education carrier methods, go deep into the front line of posts and teams, promote safety concepts to be transformed into the ideological consciousness and action consciousness of all personnel. Use institutional rigidity to shape patterns, adhere to managing people with systems and managing affairs with standards, refine safety duty performance norms for positions, compact and solidify all personnel’s safety responsibilities, put hazard investigation and rectification first, train emergency capabilities in peacetime, and promote the implementation of safety system regulations in detail, with normal and long-term effects.
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