The People's Daily (July 3) published an article by Politburo member Yang Jiechi captioned "Continuing a hundred years of glory, creating a chapter of the times: Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy Guides the Party's Foreign Affairs Work to Achieve Brilliant Achievements". Yang Jiechi said Xi Jinping's diplomatic thoughts point the way forward for diplomatic and foreign affairs in the new era.  He described "Xi Jinping’s thought on diplomacy is an important part of Xi Jinping’s thought on socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era. It is a major theoretical crystallization of the combination of the basic principles of Marxism and the practice of major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics. The concentrated expression in the field of foreign affairs, it is the fundamental follow and action guide for China's foreign work in the new era. Xi Jinping’s diplomatic thought takes "ten persistence" as its core essence, clarifies the historical mission, general goals, and a series of guidelines and principles that must be adhered to in China's foreign work in the new era, and profoundly reveals the essential requirements and internal laws of major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics in the new era". He also said General Secretary Xi Jinping strategizes, personally" and has made major historic contributions to the comprehensive opening of a new era of major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics". He also said "General Secretary Xi Jinping put forward the major initiatives of the "Silk Road Economic Belt" and the "21st Century Maritime Silk Road" in 2013" and claimed that in the past eight years, "the "Belt and Road" has changed from an initiative to a reality, from "freehand brushwork" to "fine brushwork".  China has successfully hosted two "Belt and Road" international cooperation summit forums and it "has become a popular international public product" with 140 countries and 32 international organizations joining the "Belt and Road" family.