Xi Jinping: Keep the Larger Picture in Mind, Grasp General Trends, Look Towards Great Matters, Do Propaganda and Ideological Work Even Better

Liu Yunshan Attends Meeting and Gives Speech

The Nationwide Propaganda and Ideology Work Conference was convened on the 19th and 20th in Beijing. The CCP Central Committee General Secretary, State President and Central Military Commission Chairman Xi Jinping attended the conferences and made an important speech. He stressed that propaganda and ideology work must absolutely make revolving around the centre and serving the larger picture into a fundamental duty, keep the larger picture in mind, grasp general trends, look towards great matters, look for correct entry points and focus points for work, ensure that plans adapt to trends, actions adapt to trends, and trends are seized as opportunities to act.

The CCP Central Committee Politburo Central Committee member and Central Committee Secretariat Secretary Liu Yunshan attended the meeting and gave a speech.

In his speech, Xi Jinping stressed that economic construction is the Party’s central work and ideological work is an extremely important work of the Party. Since the 3rd Plenum of the 11th Party Congress, our Party has persisted in putting economic construction central from beginning to end, has concentrated its energy on improving economic construction and improving the people’s lives. As long as no fundamental changes occur in domestic and foreign general trends, persistence in taking economic construction as central cannot and should not change. This is the a requirement of persisting in the basic Party line of not wavering for 100 years, and is a basic requirement to resolve all problems in China at present. At the same time, only if material civilization construction and spiritual civilization construction are done well, both the country’s material strength and spiritual strength strengthens, and both the material lives and spiritual lives of the people of all ethnicities in the entire country improve, can the undertaking of Socialism with Chinese characteristics be smoothly pushed forward.

Xi Jinping pointed out that propaganda and ideology work must consolidate the guiding position of Marxism in the ideological area, and consolidate the common ideological basis of the united struggle of the entire Party and the people in the entire country. Party members and cadres must firmly believe in Marxism and Communism, earnestly, soberly and untiringly strive to realize the basic programme of the Party in the present phase, solidly do all work matters well, and gain excellent achievements with our baton in this “relay race”. Leading cadres and especially higher-level cadres must make grasping the basic theories of Marxism into their special skill, honestly and comprehensively study Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought and especially Deng Xiaoping Theory, the important “Three Represents” thought and the scientific development view. Party Schools, cadre academies, Academies of Social Science, colleges and universities, theoretical study centres, etc. must all make Marxism into compulsory courses, and become important battlegrounds for the study, research and propaganda of Marxism. New cadres and young cadres must especially grasp theoretical study well, and through firm and unwavering study, master the use of Marxist standpoints, viewpoints and methods to observe and resolve problems, and strengthen theoretical conviction.

Xi Jinping pointed out that we must deeply launch propaganda and education on Socialism with Chinese characteristics, and unite and concentrate the people of all ethnicities in the entire country under the banner of Socialism with Chinese characteristics. We must strengthen the construction of the Socialist core value system, vigorously foster and practice the Socialist core value system, raise citizens’ moral quality comprehensively, and foster good customs of knowing honour and disgrace, stressing righteousness, making contributions and stimulating harmony.

Xi Jinping stressed that the Party nature and the people’s nature have always been consistent and united. The core of persisting in the Party nature is persisting in the correct political orientation, standing firmly on political standpoints, firmly propagating the Party’s theories, line, principles and policies, firmly propagating the Centre’s major work deployments, firmly propagating the Centre’s major analyses and judgements of trends, resolutely maintaining a high level of consistency with the Party Centre, and firmly safeguarding the authority of the Centre. All propaganda and ideology departments and work units, and all Party members and cadres on the propaganda and ideology front must persist in the principle of the Party nature with clear banners flying. Persisting in the Party nature means making realizing, safeguarding and developing the fundamental interests of the broadest popular masses into starting points and stopover points, persisting in taking the masses as the core and people as the core. We must establish a work orientation with the people at the centre, integrate serving the masses with educating and guiding the masses, integrate satisfying demands with raising cultivation, propagate and report on the popular masses’ magnificent struggle and fervent lives more, propagate and report on the advanced models and moving achievements emerging from among the popular masses more, enrich the people’s spiritual world, strengthen the people’s spiritual strength and satisfy the people’s spiritual needs.

Xi Jinping pointed out that persisting in unity, stability, encouragement and putting positive propaganda first is an important policy that must be respected in propaganda and ideology work. We are currently engaged in a magnificent struggle that has many new historical characteristics, the challenges and difficulties we face are unprecedented, we must persist in consolidating and expanding mainstream ideology and public opinion, carry forward the main melody, disseminate positive energy, and arouse string forces for social unity and progress. The crux is that we must raise quality and levels, grasp well times, extents and effects, strengthen attractiveness and infectiousness, let the masses love to listen and love to view, engender sympathetic resonance, fully give rein to the function of positive propaganda in encouraging the people and inspiring the people. On issues pertaining to cardinal matters of right and wrong or political principles, we must strengthen initiative, take initiative in our own hands, fight battles of initiative, and assist cadres and masses in drawing clear lines between right and wrong, and clarifying blurred understandings.

Xi Jinping stressed that, during long-term practice, our Party’s propaganda and ideology work has accumulated extremely rich experiences. These experiences were not easily gained, and are quite precious, it is important to abide by them in doing work in the future well, we must absolutely earnestly summarize them and persist in them for a long time, and incessantly enrich and develop them in practice. “The enlightened one changes with the times, the knowledgeable one governs in step with circumstances.” In innovating propaganda and ideology work, it is important to grasp conceptual innovation, method innovation and grass roots work innovation, strive to open new work pastures through new leaps in ideological understanding, vigorously explore new measures and new methods benefiting the analysis and explanation of difficulties in work, and put the emphasis on innovation on the grass roots level. We must continue to promote cultural structural reform, promote the comprehensive flourishing of cultural undertakings and the rapid development of cultural industries, and construct a strong Socialist cultural country.

Xi Jinping pointed out that, when doing propaganda and ideology work under conditions of complete opening up to the outside world, one important task is guiding the people to understand the present China and deal with the external world in an even more complete and objective manner. When propagating and elucidating Chinese characteristics, we must make clear the historical traditions, accumulated culture and basic national conditions of all countries and nations are different, and their development path therefore also inevitably has its own characteristics; we must make clear that Chinese culture has accumulated the most profound spiritual pursuits of the Chinese nation, which are abundant nourishments that multiply endlessly, develop and expand among the Chinese nation; we must make clear that China’s excellent traditional culture is the prominent superiority of the Chinese nation, and is our most profound cultural soft power, we must make clear that Socialism with Chinese characteristics is rooted in the soil of Chinese culture, reflects the aspirations of the Chinese people, suited to the development and progress requirements of China and of the times, and has profound historical origins and a broad basis in reality. The Chinese people have created the long-standing and well-established Chinese culture, the Chinese nation will also certainly be able to create new glories for Chinese culture. Unique cultural traditions, a unique historical fate and unique basic national conditions have decreed that we must inevitable march a development path with out own characteristics. In respect to our country’s traditional culture and foreign things, we must persist in letting the old serve the new, letting the foreign serve the Chinese, discarding the dregs and picking the excellent, discarding the false and retaining the true, and using things for ourselves after scientific picking and choosing.

Xi Jinping stressed that, we must strengthen propaganda and reporting on developments and changes in global trends, on new events and new situations occurring globally, and on new thoughts, new viewpoints and new knowledge emerging in all countries, in order to benefit our vigorous learning from the beneficial results of the creativity of human civilization. We must meticulously do foreign propaganda work well, innovate foreign propaganda methods, strive to forge new concepts, new categories and new expressions circulating between China and the outside world, tell the Chinese story well and spread the Chinese voice well.

Xi Jinping pointed out that propaganda and ideology departments bear an extremely important ask, they have the responsibility, the duty and the obligation to defend the land. The work of propaganda and ideology departments must be strengthened, which means that first and foremost, leading cadres must be strengthened and leadership ranks must be strengthened. All levels’ propaganda department leading comrades must strengthen study, strengthen practice and truly become experts and old hands that convince people.

Xi Jinping stressed that, to do propaganda and ideology work well, the entire Party must take matters to hand. Al levels’ Party Committees must shoulder political responsibilities and leadership responsibilities, strengthen their analysis and decision-making on major questions in the propaganda and ideology area and their comprehensive guidance on major strategic tasks, incessantly raise their capacity and level of leading propaganda and ideology work. We must establish great propaganda work concepts, mobilize all fronts and all departments to work together, and even more closely integrate ideological work with administrative management, sector management and social management in all areas.

In his speech, Liu Yunshan pointed out that the important speech of General Secretary Xi Jinping stood on the height of the overall work of the Party and the State, deeply elaborated a number of major theoretical issues and real issues concerning long-term developments in propaganda and ideology work, further clarified the orientation, objectives, focus tasks and basic guidelines for future work. We must deeply study, understand and completely implement it, and unify thoughts and actions around the spirit of the speech.

Liu Yunshan said that, to do propaganda, ideology and culture work well under new circumstances, we must deeply implement the spirit of the 18th Party Congress and of the series of important speeches by General Secretary Xi Jinping, revolve around persisting in the Chinese path, carry forward Chinese spirits, concentrate Chinese strengths, fully give rein to the functions of ideological guidance, public opinion promotion, spiritual encouragement and cultural support, to guide the broad cadres and masses to struggle for the realization of the “Two Centuries” struggle objective and the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. We must fix eyes upon strengthening ideals and convictions, deeply launch propaganda and education on Socialism with Chinese characteristics and the Chinese dream, guide people in strengthening self-confidence about the path, self-confidence about theory and self-confidence about the system; realistically implement well the basic tasks of revolving around the Centre and serving the larger picture, firmly grasp the correct public opinion orientation, unify reflecting the Party’s standpoints with reflecting the people’s voices, and concentrate positive energy to stimulate reform and opening up and safeguard social stability; deeply stimulate the construction of the Socialist core value system, incessantly cultivate our spiritual garden, and strengthen the cohesion and centripetal force of the entire nation; continue to deepen cultural structural reform, accelerate the pace of cultural development, strive to foster cultural superiority, expand cultural forces and increase national and cultural soft power. All levels’ Party Committees must realistically strengthen leadership over propaganda, ideology and culture work, and satisfactorily implement the requirements that the Party manages propaganda and the Party manages ideology with a strong sense of responsibility and a spirit of taking on work. The propaganda, ideology and culture front must push forward work with a spirit of reform and innovation, strengthen their initiative, grasp discourse power, strive to grasp the grass roots, lay the foundations, and strive to transform work styles, rectify study styles and improve writing stiles, construct a line of high-quality propaganda, ideology and culture teams, and strive to initiate a new work situation for propaganda, ideology and culture work.

CCP Central Committee Politburo member and Central Propaganda Department director Liu Qibao indicated in his summarizing speech that we must deeply launch propaganda and education on Socialism with Chinese characteristics and the Chinese Dream, strengthen ideological guidance and management, consolidate and develop healthy and upward mainstream public opinion, foster and practice the Socialist core value system, vigorously and solidly stimulate cultural reform and development, promote cultural marching out, raise cultural soft power, incessantly consolidate the guiding position of Marxism in the ideological area, and consolidate a common ideological base for the united struggle of the entire Party and the people in the entire country. The propaganda, ideology and culture front must act according to principles, dare to be enterprising, reform and innovate, be modest, industrious, and make real efforts, build strong teams, and initiate a new work picture with a spirit of enthusiasm and drive.

A number of CCP Central Committee Politburo members and Secretariat secretaries in Beijing attended the conference.

This Conference reviewed and summarized propaganda, ideology and cultural work since the 17th Party Congress, researched and deployed new efforts to initiate a new work picture for propaganda, ideology and culture from a new historical starting point. The Central Propaganda and Ideology Work Leading Small Group, all provincial, regional, municipal Party Committee Propaganda Department directors, as well as those from the Xinjiang Production-Construction Corps as well as vice-provincial level cities, responsible comrades from relevant Central and State organs’ ministries and commissions, and relevant people’s organizations managing propaganda work, main responsible comrades from Central work units in the propaganda and culture system, main responsible comrades from the General Political Department Propaganda Department and the Military Police Political Department, and others participated in the meeting.

Xinhuanet, 20 August, Beijing, Xu Jingyue, Hua Chunyu

 

习近平：胸怀大局把握大势着眼大事 把宣传思想工作做更好

刘云山出席会议并讲话

全国宣传思想工作会议19日至20日在北京召开。中共中央总书记、国家主席、中央军委主席习近平出席会议并发表重要讲话。他强调，宣传思想工作一定要把围绕中心、服务大局作为基本职责，胸怀大局、把握大势、着眼大事，找准工作切入点和着力点，做到因势而谋、应势而动、顺势而为。

中共中央政治局常委、中央书记处书记刘云山出席会议并讲话。

习近平在讲话中强调，经济建设是党的中心工作，意识形态工作是党的一项极端重要的工作。党的十一届三中全会以来，我们党始终坚持以经济建设为中心，集中精力把经济建设搞上去、把人民生活搞上去。只要国内外大势没有发生根本变化，坚持以经济建设为中心就不能也不应该改变。这是坚持党的基本路线100年不动摇的根本要求，也是解决当代中国一切问题的根本要求。同时，只有物质文明建设和精神文明建设都搞好，国家物质力量和精神力量都增强，全国各族人民物质生活和精神生活都改善，中国特色社会主义事业才能顺利向前推进。

习近平指出，宣传思想工作就是要巩固马克思主义在意识形态领域的指导地位，巩固全党全国人民团结奋斗的共同思想基础。党员、干部要坚定马克思主义、共产主义信仰，脚踏实地为实现党在现阶段的基本纲领而不懈努力，扎扎实实做好每一项工作，取得“接力赛”中我们这一棒的优异成绩。领导干部特别是高级干部要把系统掌握马克思主义基本理论作为看家本领，老老实实、原原本本学习马克思列宁主义、毛泽东思想特别是邓小平理论、“三个代表”重要思想、科学发展观。党校、干部学院、社会科学院、高校、理论学习中心组等都要把马克思主义作为必修课，成为马克思主义学习、研究、宣传的重要阵地。新干部、年轻干部尤其要抓好理论学习，通过坚持不懈学习，学会运用马克思主义立场、观点、方法观察和解决问题，坚定理想信念。

习近平指出，要深入开展中国特色社会主义宣传教育，把全国各族人民团结和凝聚在中国特色社会主义伟大旗帜之下。要加强社会主义核心价值体系建设，积极培育和践行社会主义核心价值观，全面提高公民道德素质，培育知荣辱、讲正气、作奉献、促和谐的良好风尚。

习近平强调，党性和人民性从来都是一致的、统一的。坚持党性，核心就是坚持正确政治方向，站稳政治立场，坚定宣传党的理论和路线方针政策，坚定宣传中央重大工作部署，坚定宣传中央关于形势的重大分析判断，坚决同党中央保持高度一致，坚决维护中央权威。所有宣传思想部门和单位，所有宣传思想战线上的党员、干部都要旗帜鲜明坚持党性原则。坚持人民性，就是要把实现好、维护好、发展好最广大人民根本利益作为出发点和落脚点，坚持以民为本、以人为本。要树立以人民为中心的工作导向，把服务群众同教育引导群众结合起来，把满足需求同提高素养结合起来，多宣传报道人民群众的伟大奋斗和火热生活，多宣传报道人民群众中涌现出来的先进典型和感人事迹，丰富人民精神世界，增强人民精神力量，满足人民精神需求。

习近平指出，坚持团结稳定鼓劲、正面宣传为主，是宣传思想工作必须遵循的重要方针。我们正在进行具有许多新的历史特点的伟大斗争，面临的挑战和困难前所未有，必须坚持巩固壮大主流思想舆论，弘扬主旋律，传播正能量，激发全社会团结奋进的强大力量。关键是要提高质量和水平，把握好时、度、效，增强吸引力和感染力，让群众爱听爱看、产生共鸣，充分发挥正面宣传鼓舞人、激励人的作用。在事关大是大非和政治原则问题上，必须增强主动性、掌握主动权、打好主动仗，帮助干部群众划清是非界限、澄清模糊认识。

习近平强调，在长期实践中，我们党的宣传思想工作积累了十分丰富的经验。这些经验来之不易、弥足珍贵，是做好今后工作的重要遵循，一定要认真总结、长期坚持，并在实践中不断丰富和发展。“明者因时而变，知者随事而制。”宣传思想工作创新，重点要抓好理念创新、手段创新、基层工作创新，努力以思想认识新飞跃打开工作新局面，积极探索有利于破解工作难题的新举措新办法，把创新的重心放在基层一线。要继续推进文化体制改革，推动文化事业全面繁荣和文化产业快速发展、建设社会主义文化强国。
习近平指出，在全面对外开放的条件下做宣传思想工作，一项重要任务是引导人们更加全面客观地认识当代中国、看待外部世界。宣传阐释中国特色，要讲清楚每个国家和民族的历史传统、文化积淀、基本国情不同，其发展道路必然有着自己的特色；讲清楚中华文化积淀着中华民族最深沉的精神追求，是中华民族生生不息、发展壮大的丰厚滋养；讲清楚中华优秀传统文化是中华民族的突出优势，是我们最深厚的文化软实力；讲清楚中国特色社会主义植根于中华文化沃土、反映中国人民意愿、适应中国和时代发展进步要求，有着深厚历史渊源和广泛现实基础。中华民族创造了源远流长的中华文化，中华民族也一定能够创造出中华文化新的辉煌。独特的文化传统，独特的历史命运，独特的基本国情，注定了我们必然要走适合自己特点的发展道路。对我国传统文化，对国外的东西，要坚持古为今用、洋为中用，去粗取精、去伪存真，经过科学的扬弃后使之为我所用。

习近平强调，对世界形势发展变化，对世界上出现的新事物新情况，对各国出现的新思想新观点新知识，我们要加强宣传报道，以利于积极借鉴人类文明创造的有益成果。要精心做好对外宣传工作，创新对外宣传方式，着力打造融通中外的新概念新范畴新表述，讲好中国故事，传播好中国声音。

习近平指出，宣传思想部门承担着十分重要的职责，必须守土有责、守土负责、守土尽责。宣传思想部门工作要强起来，首先是领导干部要强起来，班子要强起来。各级宣传部门领导同志要加强学习、加强实践，真正成为让人信服的行家里手。

习近平强调，做好宣传思想工作必须全党动手。各级党委要负起政治责任和领导责任，加强对宣传思想领域重大问题的分析研判和重大战略性任务的统筹指导，不断提高领导宣传思想工作能力和水平。要树立大宣传的工作理念，动员各条战线各个部门一起来做，把宣传思想工作同各个领域的行政管理、行业管理、社会管理更加紧密地结合起来。

刘云山在讲话中指出，习近平总书记重要讲话站在党和国家全局高度，深刻阐述了事关宣传思想工作长远发展的一系列重大理论问题和现实问题，进一步明确了今后工作的方向目标、重点任务和基本遵循。要深入学习领会、全面贯彻落实，切实把思想和行动统一到讲话精神上来。

刘云山说，做好新形势下宣传思想文化工作，要深入贯彻党的十八大精神和习近平总书记一系列重要讲话，围绕坚持中国道路、弘扬中国精神、凝聚中国力量，充分发挥思想引领、舆论推动、精神激励和文化支撑作用，引导广大干部群众为实现“两个一百年”奋斗目标和中华民族伟大复兴的中国梦而奋斗。要着眼坚定理想信念，深入开展中国特色社会主义和中国梦的宣传教育，引导人们增强道路自信、理论自信、制度自信；切实履行好围绕中心、服务大局的基本职责，牢牢把握正确舆论导向，把体现党的主张与反映人民心声统一起来，凝聚促进改革发展、维护社会稳定的正能量；深入推进社会主义核心价值体系建设，不断培植我们的精神家园，增强全民族的凝聚力向心力；继续深化文化体制改革，加快文化发展步伐，着力培育文化优势，壮大文化力量，提升国家文化软实力。各级党委要切实加强对宣传思想文化工作的领导，以强烈责任感和担当精神把党管宣传、党管意识形态的要求落到实处。宣传思想文化战线要以改革创新的精神推进工作，增强主动性、掌握话语权，注重抓基层、打基础，着力转作风、正学风、改文风，建设一支高素质的宣传思想文化队伍，努力开创宣传思想文化工作新局面。

中共中央政治局委员、中央宣传部部长刘奇葆在总结讲话中表示，要深入开展中国特色社会主义和中国梦宣传教育，加强意识形态的引导和管理，巩固发展健康向上的主流舆论，培育和践行社会主义核心价值观，积极稳妥推进文化改革发展，推动文化走出去、提高文化软实力，不断巩固马克思主义在意识形态领域的指导地位，巩固全党全国人民团结奋斗的共同思想基础。宣传思想文化战线要有守有为、敢于担当、改革创新、虚功实做、建强队伍，以奋发有为的精神状态开创工作新局面。

部分在京中共中央政治局委员、书记处书记出席会议。

这次会议回顾总结了党的十七大以来的宣传思想文化工作，研究部署在新的历史起点上努力开创宣传思想文化工作新局面。中央宣传思想工作领导小组成员，各省区市、新疆生产建设兵团以及副省级城市党委宣传部部长，中央和国家机关有关部委、有关人民团体分管宣传工作的负责同志，中央宣传文化系统各单位主要负责同志，总政治部宣传部、武警部队政治部主要负责同志等参加会议。（新华网北京8月20日电 记者徐京跃华春雨）