The fourth party plenum in Beijing on October 20-23, 2014 will convene for the first time under President Xi Jinping to debate major political and ideological issues. The theme for the plenum is the rule of law and judicial reform. Two leading party publications, namely the Party's theoretical journal 'Qiushi' (Seeking Truth) and the leading publication of the Central Party School 'Study Times', are debating late leader Chairman Mao Zedong’s class struggle theory. Analysts say this debate reflects the ideological dilemma that the Party has been struggling with since China began its capitalistic market reform 35 years ago.

 

The eight questions are:

 

i) A contradiction between the tenet of market economics and the principles of socialism;

 

ii) The need to reflect on Marxism from the Soviet era;

 

iii) A needed conclusion on the class struggle theory;

 

iv) The theory on modernised governance of state affairs;

 

v) How to interpret the decision that allowed market forces to play a decisive role in the distribution of resources;

 

vi) The workability of a market economy under a centralised government;

 

vii) How Marxism and traditional Chinese culture can coexist; and

 

viii) How to propagate socialist core values.