Xi Jinping：The Governance of China III Comprehensive Vision and Creative Ideas

By HUSSEIN ISMAIL

THE third volume of Xi Jinping： The Governance of China was published on June 30， 2020. It comes after the first volume of the magnificent work that covers the period from November 15， 2012 to June 13， 2014， and the second volume that covers the period from August 18， 2014 to September 29， 2017. The third volume of Xi Jinping： The Governance of China contains a compilation of 92 of the presidents spoken and written works， including reports， addresses， talks， speeches， written instructions， and letters from October 18， 2017 to January 13， 2020.

This book was jointly compiled by the State Council Information Office， the Institute of Party History and Literature of the CPC Central Committee， and China International Publishing Group （CIPG）.

A report of Chinas Xinhua News Agency on June 30， 2020， said， “In the practices of leading and promoting governance in the new era since the 19th CPC National Congress， Xi has made a series of important expositions and put forward many major concepts and ideas， further enriching and developing the Partys theoretical innovations. The third volume records the practices of the CPC Central Committee， with Xi at the core， in uniting and leading the whole Party and Chinese people， of all ethnic groups， to make new and major progresses in various undertakings of the Party and country since the 19th CPC National Congress.”

It is an authoritative work that fully and systematically reflects Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. The new volume is expected to help the international community better understand the main contents of his thought， the CPC， Marxism， and socialism with Chinese characteristics， the report said.

The third volume covers a period of great significance that witnessed many major events in China and worldwide. During that period， China celebrated the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Peoples Republic of China， and held the fourth plenary session of the 19th Central Committee of CPC， the first and second China International Import Expos （CIIE）， the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation， the eighth ministerial meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum （CASCF）， the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation （FOCAC）， the Hangzhou Summit of the G20， and other domestic and international events. On these occasions， on his inspection tours， Party meetings， and work conferences in China， and during his foreign visits and participation in activities outside China， President Xi delivered speeches that reflect Chinas vision and his thoughts on various issues that concern China and the world. It is a compass that shows the direction of China in the future.

Those who are interested in Chinese affairs have been reading and writing about “socialism with Chinese characteristics” for decades. Xi， in this work， provides a comprehensive explanation of “socialism with Chinese characteristics” in terms of its historical roots， development， interaction， and influence on Chinese society. In a speech delivered at the first plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee， on October 25， 2017， Xi said， “The Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and its basic principles have come neither from thin air nor subjective assumptions. They are the results of the rigorous theoretical quest of the Party and the Chinese people since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012， based on our Partys innovation in theory and practice since the founding of the PRC in 1949 and particularly since the launch of reform and opening-up in 1978. They therefore represent a crystallization of the creative wisdom of our Party and the people. As the saying goes， ‘Forever green the tree of life.”

The people are the top priority of the CPC and the Chinese government， and this is reflected in all the work they have carried out. On the 70th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights， on December 10， 2018， Xi said， “The ultimate human right is that people can lead a happy life. Since the first day of its founding in 1921， the CPC has fully committed itself to the wellbeing of the Chinese people and human development.”

Young people occupy an important place in Xis thinking and strategy. In a speech he delivered at the centenary of the May 4th Movement， on April 30， 2019， he said， “Youth are the most active and energetic element among all forces in society. You are the hope and future of our country. Today in the most promising period of the Chinese nation， young Chinese are endowed with rare opportunities to achieve things， and the mission to shoulder great responsibilities. In this new era， you should continue to carry forward the spirit of the May 4th Movement and take on your mission to realize national rejuvenation. You should meet the expectations of our Party and our people， be worthy of the trust of the nation， and live up to the demands of this great era.”

The third volume reflects Xis insight into the field of international relations and global developments in the new era. In a speech at the Central Conference on Foreign Affairs， on June 22， 2018， he said， “We need to adopt a historical and holistic approach to assessing international developments and choose the right approach to Chinas role. A historical approach is to observe the unfolding international developments from a historical perspective. We need to review the past and learn lessons from history so as to gain a keen understanding of the underlying trends of the future. A holistic approach is to look beyond individual phenomena or specifics to capture the essence of developments and see the broader picture. We must focus on the main problems and their key features， so as not to get disoriented or pursue minor interest to the neglect of fundamental ones in a fluid and ever-changing world. The right approach to Chinas role is to be cool-headed in analyzing global developments. We should view Chinas role in the context of its relations with the rest of the world so as to clearly define its position and role in an evolving international landscape， and adopt a foreign policy that befits Chinas role. Our country is now in its best period of development since the advent of modern times； and the world is undergoing momentous changes unseen in a century. Both trends are growing and impacting each other. These develop- ments are conducive to conducting our foreign affairs for now and in the years to come.”

In his speech at the opening ceremony of the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation， on April 26， 2019， Xi said， “We need to build bridges for exchanges and mutual learning among cultures， expand cooperation in education， science， culture， sports， tourism， health， and archeology， and strengthen exchanges between parliaments， political parties， NGOs， women， young people， and people with disabilities in order to facilitate multifaceted people-to-people exchanges.”

Emphasizing Chinas peaceful policy， Xi said in his speech at the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2018， “No matter how much progress China has made， it will not threaten anyone， attempt to overturn the existing international system， or seek spheres of influence. China will stay as determined as ever to build world peace， contribute to global prosperity， and uphold the international order.”

Explaining Chinas vision of the global economy， Xi said in his speech at the opening ceremony of the first session of the China International Import Expo on November 5， 2018， “History tells us that openness and cooperation are major driving forces behind dynamic international economy and trade. The current situation calls for openness and cooperation to foster steady global recovery. Looking ahead， openness and cooperation will remain essential for continued human progress. A great vision， simple and pure， requires credible actions. Given the profound shifts in the international economic landscape， the vision for a better world for all creates a call for countries to act with greater courage and actively champion openness and cooperation in order to secure shared development.”

The third volume of Xi Jinping： The Governance of China highlights Xis broad vision， deep knowledge， solid wisdom， and great experience in managing the affairs of the country， as well as his extensive international vision and accurate understanding of international politics， the role of his country in it and the relationship between China and the world.