Clear guidance, effective execution

The Communist Party of China is leading the nation toward realizing the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation

China’s extraordinary journey toward national rejuvenation reflects the Communist Party of China’s enduring commitment to the country, the Chinese nation and its people. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Xi Jinping has articulated the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation and led the CPC in steady steps to turn that great vision into reality, making the national rejuvenation a historical inevitability.

Ideas illuminate the path forward. Throughout its history, the CPC has attached great importance to theoretical innovation, consistently using an evolving body of Marxist theory to guide practice. Entering the new era, the convergence of the national rejuvenation strategy and profound changes in the international landscape has raised a series of major questions that require new theoretical answers from the CPC. This has culminated in the development of  Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, a body of thought that offers new perspectives, concepts and strategies across a wide range of areas, including reform, development and social stability, domestic governance, diplomacy and national defense, and the governance of the country, the Party and the military. It provides a strategic plan and comprehensive implementation framework for advancing China’s modernization and national rejuvenation, answering the questions of not only how to understand today’s challenges but also how to address them. Guided by this scientific theory, the CPC has united the Chinese people behind a shared vision and common purpose, bringing the Chinese nation closer than ever to realizing its rejuvenation while enabling China to stand on the world stage with unprecedented confidence.

The path determines future. For a country that was once economically underdeveloped and culturally marginalized, achieving national rejuvenation has been both an inspiring aspiration and a daunting challenge. After enduring countless hardships, the CPC independently blazed a new path of Chinese modernization. Xi has further deepened the understanding of Chinese modernization by defining its distinctive characteristics, essential requirements and guiding principles, making the vision clearer, more systematic and more practical.

Over the past decade, through a series of strategic initiatives, transformative reforms, major breakthroughs and landmark achievements, the CPC has propelled China’s national rejuvenation steadily forward. The country has eradicated extreme poverty, completed the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects on schedule and successfully navigated major risks and challenges to achieve rapid economic growth while maintaining long-term social stability. The Chinese economy has expanded from just over 50 trillion yuan ($7.38 trillion) in 2012 to more than 140 trillion yuan in 2025. Hundreds of millions of Chinese people have realized their aspirations for a better life, while the country itself has undergone a historic transformation. These accomplishments provide compelling evidence that Chinese modernization is capable of realizing China’s goal of building a great country and advancing national rejuvenation. Today, the benefits of modernization extend to the entire population, and China’s level of modernization has surpassed expectations.

The Chinese dream is not an abstract aspiration but a carefully designed blueprint. Realizing it requires both strategic vision and effective execution. Having successfully completed the first phase of modernization, the CPC remains committed to a long-term strategic vision, laying out a two-stage plan for completing modernization. The goal is to basically realize socialist modernization by 2035 and build China into a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious and beautiful by the middle of this century. To support this long-term vision, the CPC has continuously refined its strategic framework. It has implemented the Five-Sphere Integrated Plan and the Four-Pronged Comprehensive Strategy, while advancing major national initiatives, including the innovation-driven development strategy, the workforce development strategy and the rural revitalization strategy. Together, these coordinated and integrated efforts provide strong support for advancing Chinese modernization.

At the same time, China has pursued a series of five-year plans, translating long-term strategic objectives into phased goals and ensuring that key priorities are addressed at the appropriate stages of development. From the launch of the first Five-Year Plan (1953-57) to the current 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), this planning system has continued uninterrupted for more than seven decades. As one foreign leader remarked to Xi, one of China’s greatest strengths lies in its ability to consistently formulate long-term plans and achieve the goals it sets. Indeed, few countries have maintained such a sustained record of strategic planning with comparable effectiveness. This year marks the beginning of the 15th Five-Year Plan period. Guided by shared objectives, the CPC and the Chinese people are working together to lay a strong foundation for the steady progress.

Institutions provide the fundamental foundation for national governance and constitute one of a country’s greatest strengths. Sustaining the vitality of socialism requires continuous reform and innovation to ensure that institutions continue to evolve, mature and become more fully developed. In line with China’s modernization process, the CPC has made institutional development its priority. Combining institutional innovation with institutional restructuring, the CPC began reforms to tackle the issues of greatest concern to the public and the most significant obstacles to economic and social development and has achieved success in removing institutional barriers, establishing foundational systems and bringing about systemic and transformative changes across a wide range of sectors. The scope, depth and impact of these reforms are unprecedented.

Ultimately, the value of any institutional system must be judged by its effectiveness in practice. The CPC has integrated the goal of improving and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics with the modernization of China’s governance system and governance capacity. This ensures that institutions function effectively in practice and that institutional strengths are translated into governance effectiveness, achieving a balance between flexibility and effective regulation. China’s governance system, particularly its ability to mobilize resources and coordinate efforts to accomplish major national objectives, provides institutional advantages that are demonstrated in practice. Looking ahead, China will continue deepening reform, further improve and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics, and write new chapters in both institutional development and national governance.

As Xi has emphasized, the Chinese dream is about peace, development, cooperation and win-win results and is connected to the beautiful dreams of people in other countries. The CPC has consistently regarded making greater contributions to humanity as an integral part of its mission. It acts on the belief that if political parties around the world work together and shoulder their shared historical responsibilities, they can turn aspirations into reality, translate vision into action and build a brighter future for humanity.

The author is the executive vice-president of the Party School of the Communist Party of China Central Committee (National Academy of Governance).

The author contributed this article to China Watch, a think tank powered by China Daily. The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

Contact the editor at editor@chinawatch.cn.