In an ideologically barren landscape of opportunistic and anti-people politics, where leadership is largely reduced to protecting the interests of crony capitalism and its modes of governance in the name of fictitious individual freedom and supercilious democracy, the ideas of Chinese President Comrade Xi Jinping offer hope in a world marked by imperialist wars, religious conflicts, and deepening capitalist economic and social crises.
Xi Jinping’s ideological contributions not only deepen socialism in China but also provide politically enriching strategies relevant to working-class struggles seeking to develop socialist alternatives beyond China’s borders.
Xi Jinping’s concept of the “Road to National Rejuvenation” fundamentally opposes the narrow ethno-nationalism of Westphalian nation-states, where national interests are shaped by capitalist classes. Such systems generate contradictions between nations, manufacturing military, economic, and political crises while promoting a culture of crony capitalism in which the interests of the national bourgeoisie override those of the working masses. In contrast, Xi Jinping Thought emphasizes linking China’s national interests with those of other nations in order to build solidarity and address the most pressing global challenges. Therefore, Xi Jinping Thought is not merely an abstract form of internationalism but is grounded in the interconnected realities and struggles faced by working people across the world.
Xi Jinping’s thought on socialism with Chinese characteristics is not a narrow nationalist vision rooted solely in the “Chinese Dream” for China and the Chinese people. Xi argues that “socialism with Chinese characteristics is the dialectical unity of the theoretical logic of scientific socialism and the historical logic of China’s social development. It is a scientific socialism rooted in China’s soil, one that reflects the aspirations of the Chinese people, and one that is adapted to the conditions of progress in our times. It is the only way to comprehensively build a prosperous society, accelerate socialist modernization, and realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.” His ideas not only enrich socialism but also develop Leninist insights, particularly the principle that “concrete analysis of concrete conditions is the living essence of dialectics,” within the Chinese context.
This approach demonstrates how socialist theory can be adapted to diverse local, regional, and national conditions while maintaining international working-class solidarity beyond national boundaries. Xi’s thought also emphasizes that the “consolidation and development of the socialist system will require its own long period of history… it will require the tireless struggle of generations, up to ten generations.” Socialism and its revolutionary upsurge cannot be built in a single day; rather, they are the result of collective and sustained efforts by working people striving for their own emancipation.
Theoretically, Xi Jinping Thought helps us understand the contradictions and continuities of history. There is no escape from history or historical reality. While acknowledging and lamenting the failures of the socialist experiment in the Soviet Union, Xi’s thought provides a framework to analyze the reasons behind its disintegration. Xi cautions working people against the depoliticized historical nihilism that emerged within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, which led to its ideological failure to uphold the values and achievements of the socialist revolution.
Xi argues that working people, their revolutionary parties, and their cadres must adopt Marxist revolutionary principles as a “way of life.” His Ten Affirmations represent political masterstrokes in socialist ideological praxis, offering guidance for a continuous revolution aimed at safeguarding the interests of the working people and building a socialist state that genuinely serves the masses. Similarly, Xi’s Fourteen Commitments are crucial for constructing a working-class party composed of ideologically committed cadres capable of upholding the interests of the people, peace, and the planet while advancing a prosperous society. These ideals are further reinforced through Xi’s “Six Musts,” which articulate harmonious principles for cultivating socialist values and fostering responsible global citizenship both within and beyond China. Xi emphasizes the pursuit of truth, science, history, and dialectics as essential to defending the interests of those at the bottom of society. Xi Jinping Thought also reaffirms the mass line advocated by Mao Zedong, emphasizing the need to serve, represent, and uphold the interests and values of the working masses.
In the name of critiquing China and its development, Eurocentric scholars and capitalist ruling-class scholarship often promote falsehoods, misunderstandings, and ideologically driven propaganda aimed at undermining China and its modernization processes. State-owned enterprises in China are frequently labeled as examples of “state capitalism.” However, in reality, there is no such thing as state capitalism in China, as capitalists do not control the Chinese state or government. Instead, workers’ democracy guides the Communist Party of China, the Chinese state, the government, and public policy.
Xi Jinping has rightly argued that state-owned enterprises are central to laying the material foundation of China’s development. As he notes, “without the major innovations and key core technologies achieved by state-owned enterprises, and without their long-term commitment to bearing extensive social responsibilities, there would be no economic independence or national security for China, no continuous improvement in people’s livelihoods, and no socialist China standing tall in the East of the world.” Socialist China today stands not only tall in the East but also as a significant force on the global stage. China thus offers hope to working people and their struggles across the world by demonstrating a path of development rooted in socialism, sovereignty, and collective advancement.
Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign represents a masterclass in good governance grounded in truth. Truth, in this context, “means focusing on the nature of things, speaking frankly, and following the truth. This is an important embodiment of a leading official’s commitment to truth-seeking, justice, devotion to the public interest, and uprightness. Moreover, the premise of telling the truth is to listen to the truth.” These principles form the foundation of governance and justice that seek to “enable the people to see that justice is served” in China today.
Xi Jinping’s economic thought is grounded in the principle that “common prosperity is an essential requirement of socialism and a key feature of Chinese-style modernization. Common prosperity is for all, encompassing affluence in both material and spiritual life, but it is neither for a small minority nor based on uniform egalitarianism.” His political praxis is rooted in democratic ideals based on Mao’s mass line, emphasizing that “a party and its authority rest on winning the hearts and minds of the people. What the public opposes and hates, we must address and resolve… As material and cultural needs grow, demands for democracy, the rule of law, fairness and justice, security, and a better environment are also increasing each day.” These principles are central to empowering the people and deepening democracy in China. At the same time, they hold broader significance for strengthening working-class movements worldwide in the struggle to build socialism.
Xi Jinping encapsulates the future of socialism by affirming that “China's success proves that socialism is not dead; it is thriving. Just imagine this: had socialism failed in China, had our Communist Party collapsed like the party in the Soviet Union, then global socialism would have lapsed into a long dark age, and communism—like Karl Marx once said—would have remained a haunting specter lingering in limbo.” In this sense, Xi Jinping’s thought on culture, society, politics, the economy, and ecology revolves around the task of building socialism under all forms of adverse conditions. His ideas underscore the importance of constructing a strong socialist party, a socialist state, and a revolutionary system of governance capable of upholding the interests of working people and ensuring that their rights and aspirations are protected and advanced. Xi Jinping Thought thus develops and advances Marxist, Leninist, and Maoist political praxis for socialist transformation in China and beyond its borders. Xi consistently calls for continuous reform in response to changing historical and material conditions in order to uphold the ideals of socialism and reaffirm its relevance for the emancipation of working people from the bondage of capitalism and its illusory “American Dream.”
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*London Metropolitan University, UK
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