II. Keywords in the titles of CPC National Congress reports

The 12th CPC National Congress was held in Beijing in September 1982, a time when the autumn air was fresh. The Great Hall of the People was filled with delegates attending the meeting.

Shouldering the great trust of the CPC and Chinese people, Deng Xiaoping delivered the opening speech. After reviewing the historical paths that had been taken by the CPC, Deng Xiaoping solemnly declared to the participating representatives, to over 39 million Party members, to hundreds of millions of people across the country, and to the outside world that, “By combining the universal truth of Marxism with China’s practical needs, China needs to choose its own development path and build socialism with Chinese characteristics. This is the the basic conclusion we have drawn by reviewing our historical experience over a long period.” This opening speech became the preface to the third volume of Selected works of Deng Xiaoping; and this basic conclusion became the guiding principle over the ensuing decades for China to develop and make new progress. It is true that times are totally different now, but Deng Xiaoping’s basic conclusion remains unchanged.

By taking a close look at the official documents of the CPC National Congresses since refom and opening up, we can make an important discovery: that one key expression – socialism with Chinese characteristics – appeared in the titles of the official reports of the National Party Congress, from the 13th CPC National Congress in 1987 to the the 19th CPC National Congress in 2017.

The title of the official report of the 13th CPC National Congress was: March on the Path of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics.

The title of the official report of the 14th CPC National Congress was: Accelerating the Reform, the Opening to the Outside World and the Drive for Modernization, so as to Achieve Greater Successes in Building Socialism with Chinese Characteristics.

The title of the official report of the 15th CPC National Congress was: Hold High the Great Banner of Deng Xiaoping Theory for an All-Round Advancement of the Cause of Building Socialism with Chinese Characteristics into the 21st Century.

The title of the official report of the 16th CPC National Congress was: Build a Well-Off Society in an All-Round Way and Create a New Situation in Building Socialism with Chinese Characteristics.

The title of the official report of the 17th CPC National Congress was: Hold High the Great Banner of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics and Strive for New Victories in Building a Moderately Prosperous Society in All Respects.

The title of the official report of the 18th CPC National Congress was: Firmly March on the Path of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics and Strive to Complete the Building of a Moderately Prosperous Society in All Respects.

The title of the official report of the 19th CPC National Congress was: Secure a Decisive Victory in Building a Moderately Prosperous Society in All Respects and Strive for the Great Success of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.

All this indicates clearly that the focus of each CPC National Congress was on socialism with Chinese characteristics. Without having to read these reports, we can see the significance of “socialism with Chinese characteristics” by simply scanning the titles.

The Communist Party of China is the ruling party of the People’s Republic of China, and its National Congress is the highest power organ of the CPC. The strategies formulated at the National Congress will have a profound influence on the overall development of China, and play a guiding role in designing other development strategies for China. Socialism with Chinese characteristics has been placed in a key position at the National Congress; one cannot over-emphasize its authoritative and instructive nature and its strategic importance.

Socialism with Chinese characteristics has held different connotations at different times and stages; that is why the titles of these official reports were all carefully worded. For example:

At the 12th CPC National Congress, Deng Xiaoping first proposed the idea to “follow China’s own development path” and “build socialism with Chinese characteristics”, therefore the title for the official report of the 13th CPC National Congress was: March on the Path of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics.

Prior to the 14th CPC National Congress, Deng Xiaoping delivered a series of important speeches during his Southern Tour; and to reflect the spirit of Southern Tour Talks by Deng Xiaoping, the title for the official report of the 14th CPC National Congress was: Accelerating the Reform, the Opening to the Outside World and the Drive for Modernization, so as to Achieve Greater Successes in Building Socialism with Chinese Characteristics.

The 15th CPC National Congress was convened at a time when a new millennium began, that is why the title for the official report of the 15th CPC National Congress was: Hold High the Great Banner of Deng Xiaoping Theory for an All-Round Advancement of the Cause of Building Socialism with Chinese Characteristics into the 21st Century.

The 16th CPC National Congress was convened at a time when the 21st century had already begun, so the task was to create a new situation in building socialism with Chinese characteristics.

The 17th CPC National Congress identified socialism with Chinese characteristics as a great banner, and therefore the title for the official report of the 17th CPC National Congress was: Hold High the Great Banner of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics and Strive for New Victories in Building a Moderately Prosperous Society in All Respects.

To dispel doubt, the 18th CPC National Congress once again expressed China’s determination – to firmly march on the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. As it was mentioned in the official report of the 17th CPC National Congress to “strive for new victories in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects”, the 18th CPC National Congress changed the last part of the title of the official report into “complete the building of a doderately prosperous society in all respects”.

At all CPC National Congresses, “socialism with Chinese characteristics” was highlighted repeatedly; and when reading carefully of the wording, we can tell that the concept of socialism with Chinese characteristics, a logically rigorous concept, has been coherently defined, with different layers of the concept being clarified progressively. Each stage of development has specific requirements and targets.

Prior to the opening of the 19th CPC National Congress in 2017, I wondered about the title and wording that would be used for the meeting. I waited patiently, but I was certain that based on past experience, this congress would surely have chosen a scientific, profound and carefully-worded title.

The result came out. Socialism with Chinese characteristics continued to appear in the title of the official report of the 19th CPC National Congress; however “socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era”was mentioned for the first time. It was indeed an eye-catching title that succeeded in attracting people’s attention.

The titles for the official reports of the different CPC National Congresses show that since reform and opening up, China and the CPC have chosen a path that fulfills the historical development needs of China, and socialism with Chinese characteristics has been set as the principal line of the CPC. China’s success can largely be attributed to the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics; and its achievements prove the value of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

The 17th CPC National Congress concluded, “To sum up, the fundamental reason behind all our achievements and progress since the reform and opening up policy was introduced is that we have blazed a path of socialism with Chinese characteristics and established a system of theories of socialism with Chinese characteristics.” The 17th CPC National Congress added a new term called “socialist system with Chinese characteristics”, while the 17th CPC National Congress further added a new term called “socialist culture with Chinese characteristics”.

It has been confirmed by the CPC that, after 90 years of hard work, creation and experience, the Party and the people should cherish, and build on achievements such as the development path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, theories of socialism with Chinese characteristics, socialist system with Chinese characteristics and socialist culture with Chinese characteristics.

Therefore the most fundamental development strategy since the reform and opening-up policy was introduced in China is socialism with Chinese characteristics; and the key to the China Miracle is socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Chinese President Xi Jinping pointed out: The glorious situation and great achievements of socialism in China since reform and opening up have amply proved that socialism with Chinese characteristics is deeply rooted in the Chinese land, conforms to China’s national conditions, and has a strong vitality. In contemporary China, only socialism with Chinese characteristics can develop China, benefit the people and revitalize the Chinese nation.