CHINA-INTERNAL: LEADERSHIP
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On July 19, 2017, China's authoritative official news agency Xinhua published an article by Chinese State Councilor and Director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Leading Group Yang Jiechi titled "Study and Implement General Secretary Xi Jinping's Thought on Diplomacy in a Deep-going Way and Keep Writing New Chapters of Major-Country Diplomacy with Distinctive Chinese Features." In the article Yang Jiechi wrote that since the 18th Party Congress "the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has, with great foresight and a comprehensive perspective", reflected on the general development trend of China and the whole world. Stating that it has been inspired by the two centenary goals (namely to finish building a moderately prosperous society in all respects by the centenary of the CPC in 2021 and to turn China into a modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced and harmonious by the centenary of the People's Republic of China in 2049) and the Chinese dream of national renewal, it said the CCP CC "has broken new ground in both diplomatic theory and practice while maintaining consistency and continuity of China's foreign policy". It said "General Secretary Xi Jinping's thought on diplomacy represents the CCP CC new governing philosophy and strategy" and is an "integral part of the theories of socialism with distinctive Chinese features". He described it as "a vision that ... will have extremely important and far-reaching significance in steering China's endeavor to keep pace with the times and make new progress in external work". He added "At a time when China's relations with the rest of the world are undergoing profound changes and the Chinese nation has entered a crucial stage of achieving renewal, General Secretary Xi Jinping's thought on diplomacy addresses new issues facing China's diplomacy with a Marxist position, viewpoints and approaches". Yang Jiechi observed "General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out in explicit terms that we are closer than ever to the center of the global stage, that we are closer than ever to fulfilling the Chinese dream of national renewal and that we are more confident and able than ever to realize this goal". General Secretary Xi Jinping has stressed "we will stay committed to peaceful development, resolutely uphold sovereignty, security and development interests and preserve and extend the major period of strategic opportunity for China's development so as to pave the way for achieving the two centenary goals and fulfilling the Chinese dream of national renewal".
(Comment: It is significant that Yang Jiechi has referred a few times in the article to "Xi Jinping Thought", indicating that this formulation could be incorporated in the Party Constitution to be amended at the upcoming 19th Party Congress)
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