During a 2019 state visit to Italy, Xi Jinping was asked what it feels like to be elected the Chinese president. "An enormous responsibility," he answered.
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said he would be selfless and determined to devote himself to serving the Chinese people and the country's development.
"I am ready to give up the self, and live up to people's expectations," he said.
Serving the people was exactly the main mission of the Party when it was founded in 1921.
The original aspiration
"The original aspiration and the mission of Chinese communists is to seek happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation," Xi reiterated.
Today, China is witnessing profound changes. The CPC's commitment to "staying true to the mission" has transformed China from an impoverished and isolated country into the world's second-largest economy.
But what is more telling of the Chinese society is that its macroeconomic achievements have also been translated into the well-being of its people. As of 2020, basic medical insurance covers more than 1.3 billion people and nearly 1 billion people hold basic endowment insurance.
"To stay true to our original aspiration and founding mission and to continuously work hard is the only way to keep the CPC forever vigorous," Xi said.
As the CPC marks its centenary anniversary in 2021, Xi has underscored the importance of the Party's faith and wisdom, as well as how its more than 90 million members have been central to China's great developmental leaps. As a result, a drive urging all Party members to learn the Party's history was launched in February.
"Our Party's history is a history of continuously adapting Marxism to the country's circumstances," Xi said, calling for educating and guiding the whole Party to learn from its "extraordinary" past to understand how Marxism has profoundly changed China and the world.
Conquering challenges
Over the past 100 years, the CPC has undergone a persistent, self-driven evolution where well-developed theories have emerged to sinicize Marxism. From "Mao Zedong Thought" and "Deng Xiaoping Theory" to "Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era," these gems of wisdom have guided China to forge a unique path.
"A political party should have faith. For the CPC, this refers to the faith in Marxism, communism and socialism with Chinese characteristics," Xi said.
But there has been no shortage of challenges accompanying the Party's growth. Practicing formality for formality's sake and bureaucracy are the two most prominent issues that the CPC has been trying to tackle. The call to preserve the CPC's founding mission is a reminder to Party members to reject these acts.
In today's society, Party officials inevitably face various types of temptation, which not only provide a breeding ground for corruption but also promote an environment rife with empty words, instead of real action. Falling into these traps would most certainly deviate Party officials from staying true to the Party's founding mission. For them, how to properly use their power is key to ensuring they see their mission through.
Xi has led major efforts in combating these reprehensible practices. He has stressed the necessity of fighting resolutely against any risks and challenges that endanger the Party's leadership, the socialist system and the country's sovereignty, security and development interests.
To weed out bad behavior, China's top anti-graft body has clarified what constitutes practicing formality for formality's sake and bureaucracy. Meanwhile, the people have also been asked to join the process and help oversee Party members, particularly officials. Wrongdoers are subject to disciplinary action such as being expelled from the CPC or, in more severe cases, removed from their posts and tried for corruption.
In recent years, the rejection of formality for formality's sake and bureaucracy has resonated with the Chinese society. This is exemplified in TV shows where public officials who behave in this way are mocked. Specific actions have also been taken to avoid these ills at the height of the COVID-19 outbreak in the country. Behind the recurring emphasis on the subject is the consensus that such acts are neither conducive to government work nor acceptable by the public.
On top of conquering these challenges, another priority of the CPC is to further push for self-evolution. The key to delivering this, as Xi puts it, is in leadership organs and leading officials setting the course and leading by example.
"Leadership organs are important bodies in state governance and leading officials, small in number but holding key positions in state and Party undertakings, are like weather vanes for the whole Party and society," Xi said.