The CCP Central Committee Politburo conducted its ninth collective study session on forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation (铸牢中华民族共同体意识) on the afternoon of October 27. While presiding over the study session, Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CCP Central Committee, emphasized that the purpose of forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation is to guide people of all ethnic groups to firmly establish the concept of a community that stands together in good and bad times, shares honor and disgrace, shares life and death, and shares a common destiny. It is necessary to fully implement the deployments of the 20th Party Congress, accurately grasp the characteristics of the new stage in the Party’s ethnic work, regard the forging of a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation as the main line of the Party’s ethnic work and all work in ethnic minority regions, constantly strengthen and improve the Party’s ethnic work, solidly promote the progress of the cause of ethnic unity, and promote the high-quality development of the party’s ethnic work in the new era.

Comrade Wang Yanzhong, Director of the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, explained the issue and proposed suggestions regarding the work. Comrades from the CCP Politburo listened carefully to the explanation and held a discussion.

After listening to the explanation and discussion, Xi Jinping delivered an important speech. He pointed out that, since ancient times, people of all the ethnic groups of China have together created the splendor of Chinese civilization and forged the great Chinese nation. Our Party has always attached great importance to ethnic issues and ethnic work, and correctly handled ethnic relations. Since the 18th Party Congress, our Party has emphasized the concepts of the big family of the Chinese nation, the community of the Chinese nation, forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation, and promoting the construction of the community of the Chinese nation. The Party has clearly proposed that forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation should be the main line of the Party’s ethnic work in the new era and the main line of all work in ethnic areas, further expanded the correct path to address ethnic issues with Chinese characteristics, formed the Party’s important thoughts on strengthening and improving ethnic work, and opened up new horizons for adapting Marxist ethnic theory to the times. The Party’s ethnic work has made new historic achievements.

Xi Jinping emphasized that after the 20th Party Congress, people of all ethnic groups across the country have embarked on a new journey to comprehensively promote the construction of a great power (强国建设) and the great cause of national rejuvenation through Chinese-style modernization. As such, the Party’s ethnic work is facing new situations and tasks. In building a modernized socialist superpower in an all-round way, no ethnic group can be left behind. We must vigorously promote the common unity and struggle of all ethnic groups and gather together an immense strength for the construction of a great power and national rejuvenation. We must comprehensively realize the common prosperity and development of all ethnic groups and allow people of all ethnic groups to share the great glory of building a great power and national rejuvenation.

Xi Jinping pointed out that to forge a sense of community for the Chinese nation, it is necessary to build a scientific and complete theoretical system of the community of the Chinese nation. Based on the long history of the Chinese nation, we must combine Marxist ethnic theory with the specific reality of China and its excellent traditional culture, follow the historical logic and theoretical logic of the development of the Chinese nation, and scientifically reveal the reason, theory, and philosophy of the formation and development of the Chinese nation. We must optimize the layout of academic disciplines, strengthen discipline construction, identify the correct research directions, deepen the research on major basic issues related to the community of the Chinese nation, and accelerate the formation of independent Chinese systems of historical materials, discourse, and theory as regards the community of the Chinese nation. We must focus on stimulating the enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity of a wide range of experts and scholars, strengthen the training of young experts and scholars, provide them with good direction and build platforms and create opportunities for them, encourage them to study diligently and accumulate knowledge in order to make breakthroughs, and push them to create original theoretical results that take Chinese history as their basis, interpret Chinese practices, and answer Chinese questions.

Xi Jinping emphasized that we must focus on building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation and continuously construct a shared spiritual home for the Chinese nation. We must conform to the general development trend of the Chinese nation from history to the future, from tradition to modernity, and from diversity to unity, deeply understand and grasp the outstanding characteristics of Chinese civilization, and continue to build a shared spiritual home for the Chinese nation at the new historical starting point, and lay a solid spiritual and cultural foundation for building a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation. We must strengthen education on the Party’s theories, lines, principles, and policies for people of all ethnic groups, strengthen publicity and education on the history of the Party, the history of New China, the history of reform and opening up, the history of socialist development, and the history of the development of the Chinese nation, unite hearts and souls with common ideals and beliefs, and deeply cultivate and practice the core socialist values. We must deeply implement the red gene inheritance (红色基因传承) project, vigorously promote the national spirit with patriotism as its core and the spirit of the times with reform and innovation as its core, continuously enhance the sense of identity and pride in the Chinese nation, and inspire the spirit of people of all ethnic groups to forge ahead on a new journey and make contributions to a new era. We must implement the project of the inheritance and development of China’s excellent traditional culture, study and mine the excellent genes and value for the present times of Chinese traditional culture, promote the creative transformation and innovative development of China’s excellent traditional culture, foster a thriving advanced socialist culture, construct and use an expressive system for Chinese cultural characteristics, Chinese national spirit, and Chinese national image, and constantly enhance the Chinese cultural identity of people of all ethnic groups. We must comprehensively promote and popularize the common national spoken and written language, comprehensively promote the use of nationally compiled teaching materials, and promote the interconnection of souls and destinies through shared language.

Xi Jinping pointed out that it is necessary to promote extensive exchanges, communication, and integration among all ethnic groups and promote Chinese-style modernization through the great unity of the Chinese nation. The process of building a great power and rejuvenating the nation must be a process of extensive exchanges, communication, and integration among all ethnic groups. It must be a process of unity in struggle and common prosperity and development of all ethnic groups. We must hold high the banner of the great unity of the Chinese nation and regard encouraging all ethnic groups to work together to build China into a modernized socialist country in an all-round way as an important task of the Party’s ethnic work in the new journey. We must promote the mobility and integrated living of the populations of all ethnic groups, build a mutually embedded social structure and community environment, create social conditions that allow people of all ethnic groups to live and learn together, build and share together, and work and play together, and continue to deepen the work of creating and advancing ethnic unity. We must take improving people’s livelihood and uniting people’s hearts as the starting point and goal of the economic and social development of ethnic minority areas, promote the integration of ethnic minority areas into the new development pattern and achieve high-quality development, continuously improve the capabilities and levels of public service guarantees, and promote the equitable enjoyment of development results by the people of all ethnic groups. We must uphold and improve the system of regional ethnic autonomy, improve the system of ethnic policies, laws, and regulations, and promote the modernization of the ethnic affairs governance systems and governance capabilities.

Xi Jinping emphasized the need to tell the story of the Chinese nation well and vigorously promote the consciousness of the community of the Chinese nation. We must vigorously publicize the history of the Chinese nation, the theory of the community of the Chinese nation, the historic achievements of the Party’s ethnic work in the new era, and the beautiful vision of the Chinese nation working together with people from all over the world to build a community with a shared future for mankind. We must innovate the communication methods for ethnic-related propaganda, enrich the content communicated, broaden the communication channels, properly tell the story of the community of the Chinese nation, make it clear that the leadership of the CCP and the socialist system are a reliable guarantee for the common development and progress of all ethnic groups in our country, make it clear that the Chinese nation is a community with a shared future that has strong identity and cohesion, and make it clear that the correct path of addressing ethnic issues with Chinese characteristics has obvious advantages. We must actively promote exchanges and interactions between Chinese and foreign academic circles and civil society groups.

Xi Jinping emphasized that forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation and promoting high-quality development in the Party’s ethnic work in the new era are the common tasks of the whole Party and the people of all ethnic groups in the country. Party committees and governments at all levels must adhere to the correct path of addressing ethnic issues with Chinese characteristics, conscientiously implement the Party’s various principles and policies on ethnic work, and promptly study and solve major issues related to ethnic work in their regions and units. Leading cadres at all levels must thoroughly study and implement the Party’s important thoughts on strengthening and improving ethnic work, improve their ability to do a good job in ethnic work, and make their due contributions to promoting progress in the cause of ethnic unity.