On November 15, the Central Party School of the Communist Party of China (National Academy of Governance) held an opening ceremony for the second seminar of the fall semester of 2023. The ceremony was watched by participants from the China Executive Leadership Academy Pudong, China Executive Leadership Academy Jinggangshan, and China Executive Leadership Academy Yan’an through a video conference system. Chen Xi, President (Dean) of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance), attended the ceremony and delivered a speech, emphasizing the importance of strengthening unity and fostering the ideological foundation of the Party through Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. He stressed the need to engage in in-depth study and implementation of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture while keeping the nation’s fundamental interests in mind. Chen Xi also highlighted the significance of reinforcing our sense of mission and responsibility as we strive for progress, in order to make greater contributions to the comprehensive promotion of national rejuvenation and the construction of a strong nation.

Chen Xi emphasized that Xi Jinping Thought on Culture represents a theoretical culmination of the Party’s practical experience in cultural development during the new era. It serves to enrich and advance Marxist cultural theory, forming an integral component of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. This cultural thought provides a potent ideological tool and a scientific guide as we carry out activities such as ideological dissemination and cultural propagation and assume new cultural missions in the new era. Furthermore, it contributes Chinese wisdom to the creation of a novel form of human civilization and the progress of global civilization. Government leaders are expected to possess a profound understanding of the pivotal importance of establishing Xi Jinping’s core position on the Party Central Committee and within the Party as a whole and the guiding role of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. It is crucial for them to steadfastly uphold General Secretary Xi Jinping’s core position on the Party Central Committee and within the Party as a whole, as well as to firmly support the authority of the Party Central Committee and its centralized, unified leadership. Leaders should strive to comprehensively and systematically deepen their understanding of the profound meaning and practical requirements of this significant thought, and prioritize personal cultivation through culture and the nurturing of virtuous values. They should conscientiously convert their acquired knowledge into practical outcomes by wholeheartedly implementing the Central Committee’s decisions and directives on cultural development. They also should strive to showcase a fresh and dynamic spirit, as well as tangible achievements, in their endeavors to construct a culturally strong socialist country and cultivate a modern civilization for the Chinese nation.

Members of CELAP’s executive committee, along with all participants, faculty and staff, attended the opening ceremony at CELAP, one of the branch venues. After the ceremony, the Theoretical Study Group of CELAP’s Academic Affairs Committee commenced the meticulous examination of Comrade Chen Xi’s speech.