Document to help boost confidence in socialism with Chinese characteristics

The key resolution being reviewed by the central leadership of the Communist Party of China at a plenary session this week will be a crucial political document that could chart the Party's direction for the next few decades, analysts said.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, delivered a work report at the Sixth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the CPC, which opened on Monday and will last until Thursday.

He also explained to the plenum a draft resolution on the major achievements and historical experiences of the Party's 100 years of endeavors.

The plenary session comes after the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, the Party's core leadership, held meetings in August and last month to set the agenda and the tone for this week's meeting.

The resolution, a touchstone document that will be only the third of its kind in the Party's 100-year history, marks the Party's efforts to draw on its historical experiences and lay out the road map for the future at a new historical starting point for the nation, said Han Qiang, dean of the School of Marxism at Beijing Foreign Studies University.

"The adoption of the third historic resolution will help the Party see goals and a clearer course of action going forward," he said. "It will also help the Party and the nation to shore up their confidence in the theories, paths, system and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics."

The historic resolution will serve as a shield for the Party and people against historical nihilism and enhance the Party's capacity to guard against unhealthy ideological trends, he said.

The resolution will also be significant for the nation to seize the period of strategic opportunity as it faces unprecedentedly complicated external environments, he added.

Such a summary of major achievements and historical experiences is instrumental to resolutely uphold the authority and central unified leadership of the Party's Central Committee and ensure that the whole Party can march forward in unison, according to a statement released after the Political Bureau meeting in August.

Looking back on the Party's history is also important in terms of moving forward with the CPC's self-reform, improving its fighting capacity and ability to respond to risks and challenges, and forever maintaining the Party's vitality and vigor, according to the statement.

Qu Qingshan, head of the Institute of Party History and Literature of the CPC Central Committee, wrote in a signed article this month that the Party's two previous resolutions on historical issues, respectively adopted in 1945 and 1981, had unified the thoughts of the Party at key critical junctures, strengthened Party unity and offered a key guarantee to the success of the Party.

The drafting of these two documents was led respectively by late leaders Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping, and they were both produced at key historic junctures, paving the way for the unity of the Party and laying out paths for the future, he wrote.

The timing of the resolution also bears similarity to the two previous documents. With the Party scheduled to hold its 20th National Congress next year, the significance of the resolution could be greater, analysts said.

Wang Feng, an associate professor on the history of the CPC at the School of Marxism of Beijing Normal University, said the resolution would be a significant move for the world's largest political party to interpret key historical narratives at a critical historical juncture.

The CPC, after having reached the first centenary goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, has now embarked on a new journey of developing China into a strong socialist nation before the middle of the century.

The resolution, which could lay out the Party's stance on its past, present and future, "will be of strong historical, theoretical and realistic significance for the CPC to master the patterns of historical developments, win over the initiative for future development and increase its international power of discourse", he said.

While looking at the Party's key achievements and experiences, the resolution is expected to reveal patterns of history that the Party must follow in the new era, he added.

The Political Bureau meeting in October highlighted the need to keep exercising full and rigorous governance over the Party and continuing to maintain close ties with the people.

The Party must always be ready to protect against potential dangers in peacetime, continue to move forward with Party building and unite the nation in fighting relentlessly for the goal of people living a better life, said a summary of the meeting.

Some analysts have also emphasized the pivotal role of the resolution in passing on China's solutions and experiences to other nations and offering a powerful response to those who seek to undermine the legitimacy of the CPC and defame the path of China's development.

Xi has, on many occasions, underscored that China's growth will offer greater opportunities to the world.

"The resolution will surely be a key document for the global community to learn about the Party and for the Party to make its voices and proposals heard globally," said Han from Beijing Foreign Studies University.