Page 23 - Hold High the Great Banner of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics and Strive in Unity to Build a Modern Socialist Country in All Respects

journey ahead, we must firmly adhere to the following major principles.

—Upholding and strengthening the Party’s overall leadership. We must
resolutely uphold the Party Central Committee’s authority and its centralized,
unified leadership and see that Party leadership is exercised in all aspects and
every stage of the endeavors of the Party and the country. This will ensure
that our Party always remains the pillar that the Chinese people can lean on
in times of difficulty, that our socialist modernization advances along the

right path, and that we have the political cohesion and confidence in our
development to inspire the people to strive in unity. It will see us forming a
mighty force to overcome all difficulties with one heart and one mind.
—Following the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. We must

continue to pursue economic development as our central task, uphold the
Four Cardinal Principles, remain committed to reform and opening up, and
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stay independent and self-reliant. We must keep to our path and not sway in
our commitment. We must not return to the isolation and rigidity of the past,
or veer off course by changing our nature or abandoning our system. We
must develop our country and our nation with our own strength, and we
must maintain a firm grasp on the future of China’s development and
progress.

—Applying a people-centered development philosophy. We must protect the
people’s fundamental interests, improve their wellbeing, and work tirelessly
to ensure that development is for the people and by the people and that its
fruits are shared by the people. We must do a better job of seeing that the
gains of modernization benefit all our people fairly.

—Remaining committed to deepening reform and opening up. We must
intensify efforts to advance reform and explore new ground, and we must
remain steadfast in expanding opening up. We must work hard to remove
deep-seated institutional barriers so as to fully tap into the strengths of
socialism with Chinese characteristics and continuously imbue our socialist
modernization endeavors with fresh dynamism and vitality. We must do

better in translating our country’s institutional strengths into effective
governance.
—Carrying forward our fighting spirit. We must foster a firmer sense of
purpose, fortitude, and self-belief in the whole Party and the Chinese people

so that we cannot be swayed by fallacies, deterred by intimidation, or cowed
by pressure. We must meet obstacles and difficulties head on, ensure both
development and security, and dig deep to surmount the difficulties and

1 The Four Cardinal Principles are keeping to the path of socialism, upholding the people’s
democratic dictatorship, upholding the leadership of the Communist Party of China, and upholding
Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought.
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