Page 3 - CONSTITUTION OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF CHINA

Republic, emancipated the mind, and sought truth from facts. They shifted the focus of the
whole Party’s work onto economic development and introduced reform and opening up,
thereby ushering in a new era of development in socialism; they gradually formulated the
line, principles, and policies for building socialism with Chinese characteristics, brought
clarity to basic questions on building, consolidating, and developing socialism in China,
and thus established Deng Xiaoping Theory. Deng Xiaoping Theory is the product of
combining Marxism-Leninism’s basic tenets with practice in contemporary China and the
particular features of the era; it is a continuation and development of Mao Zedong Thought
under new historical conditions; it represents a new stage for the development of Marxism
in China; it is the Marxism of contemporary China and a crystallization of the collective
wisdom of the Communist Party of China; and it guides the continuous progression of
China’s socialist modernization.
After the Fourth Plenary Session of the 13th Central Committee of the Communist
Party of China, Chinese Communists, with Comrade Jiang Zemin as their chief
representative, through developing socialism with Chinese characteristics in practice,
deepened their understanding of what socialism is and how to build it, and what kind of
party to build and how to build it, and gathered valuable new experience in governing the
Party and the country, thus forming the Theory of Three Represents. The Theory of Three
Represents, which is a continuation and development of Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong
Thought, and Deng Xiaoping Theory, reflects new demands that the developments and
changes in today’s world and in China have placed on the Party and the government in
their work. A powerful theoretical tool for strengthening and improving Party building and
promoting the self-improvement and development of China’s socialism, it is a
crystallization of the collective wisdom of the Communist Party of China and a guiding
ideology that the Party must uphold in the long term. Always ensuring the Theory of Three
Represents is practiced is the foundation of the Party’s own development, the cornerstone
of governance by the Party, and the source of the Party’s strength.
After the Party’s 16th National Congress, Chinese Communists, with Comrade Hu
Jintao as their chief representative, continued to take Deng Xiaoping Theory and the Theory
of Three Represents as their guide. On the basis of the new demands of development they
forged a deep understanding of and answered major questions, including what kind of
development to pursue and how to pursue it in a new situation, thus forming the Scientific
Outlook on Development, which puts people first and calls for comprehensive, balanced,
and sustainable development. The Scientific Outlook on Development is a scientific theory
that continues in congruence with Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng
Xiaoping Theory, and the Theory of Three Represents, while advancing with the times. It
fully embodies the Marxist worldview and methodology on development and represents a
major achievement in adapting Marxism to the Chinese context. It is a crystallization of the
collective wisdom of the Communist Party of China and a guiding ideology that must be
upheld long term in developing socialism with Chinese characteristics.
Since the Party’s 18th National Congress, Chinese Communists, with Comrade Xi
Jinping as their chief representative, in response to contemporary developments and by
integrating theory with practice, have systematically addressed the major question of our
times—what kind of socialism with Chinese characteristics the new era requires us to
uphold and develop and how we should uphold and develop it, thus giving shape to Xi

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