Xi Jinping thoughts

There is a revolution going on inside China which will, sooner or later, affect the whole world for better or for worse. “Xi Jinping Thoughts with Chinese Characteristics” is now mandatory or required study in all Chinese schools, from basic education to graduate school levels.

Xi Jinping has been granted the right to run for president for as many terms as he wants. “Xi Jinping Thoughts” could be the ruling ideology in China for the next one or two decades.This also marks the end of the Deng Xiaoping era. There are marked differences between the two theories.

The original title of these new policies was “Xi Jinping Thoughts on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a new Era.” It was first officially mentioned in 2017 but now it has been incorporated in the Chinese Constitution.

The break with the Deng Xiaoping Theory which is credited for China’s current prosperity is very clear. In fact, if we read Xi Jinping’s speeches espousing his thoughts, some of it signals a return to the Mao Zedong era.

Xi argues that it is “…Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong  thought that guided the Chinese people out of the darkness of that long night and established a New China…the consolidation and development of the socialist system will require its own long period…it will require the tireless struggle of generations, up to ten generations.”

There are 14 basic points which are supposed to summarize the framework of socialism with Chinese characteristics. After reading through these 14 points, most of it sounds like propaganda. For example, one of the 14 points is: “Promoting the one country, two systems for Hong Kong and Macau with a future of complete national reunification and to follow the One China and 1992 Consensus for Taiwan.” In Communist propaganda it is important to read between the lines.

There are three points that aroused my interest.

First it says “Ensuring Communist Party leadership over all forms of work in China.” What happens to entrepreneurship and the arts? How thorough will this Party takeover be implemented? Will there be Party people in every organization, no matter how small? This is what happened during Mao Zedong’s time.

Second, it says “Practice socialist core values including Marxism, communism and socialism.” If this is again a repetition of Marx’s theory of historical materialism, the utopian end is a classless society without any form of capitalism.

Third, it says “Establish a common destiny between the Chinese people and other people around the world with a peaceful international environment.” This kind of talk is the message of imperialists. The question is who decides this so-called common destiny?

The one aspect of “Xi Jingping Thoughts” that could prove attractive especially to the youth is the call for Common Prosperity. This call seeks to end the wide wealth gap between the rich and the poor.

“Common Prosperity” or the narrowing of the wealth gap is not new. It is also being advocated by other institutions aside from the Chinese Communist Party. The Catholic Church, under Pope Francis, has been preaching this for the past several years. Other popes have done the same through their encyclicals which together compose “Catholic Social Teachings.” I recently wrote a column on “Wealth inequality is the real crisis.”

In the 1950s this was a principal message of Mao Zedong. Deng Xiaoping, however, said that it was allowed for some people and even regions to get rich first in order to speed up economic growth, although the goal should still be common prosperity.

If Xi Jinping is able to eliminate wealth inequality in China, this would be a siren call to people, especially in the poor countries around the world.

The final direction of the Xi Jinping Thoughts is still not clear to me. Like many observers I will keep track of it because I know this will eventually affect the whole world.

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De La Salle University is the lone Philippine private university in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings for four straight years. DLSU maintains its standing as one of the leading universities in the world with its inclusion in the 2022 edition of THE University rankings.

The lone private university in the country to be ranked for four straight years, DLSU stays within the expanded final bracket of 1,200 plus. THE ranks more than 1,500 institutions or roughly six percent of over 26,000 higher education institutions (HEIs) in the world. These rankings list only research-intensive institutions with research-based input and output metrics accounting for 65 percent of the overall institutional scores.

The University of the Philippines-Diliman, a government owned institution, is the only other Philippine university included among the top 1,500 institutions in THE world university ranking.

Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation Dr. Raymond Tan said that DLSU’s consistent inclusion in the rankings shows the university’s resolve to remain as a leading source for research and development in the country.

He said: “We focus on our research priorities, continuously collaborating with our local and international partners, to develop innovative and sustainable ways to mitigate the impact of COVID-19.”

DLSU president Bernard Oca FSC expressed his message of gratitude and support to the faculty, students and personnel for this achievement. He said: “Thank you for a job well done. May you remain steadfast in the face of enormous challenges as we pursue our Lasallian mission to transform lives and our nation through education.”

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Write Things sessions for writers of all ages: Sept. 11: Community Class for young writers, 2-3:30 p.m. with Ambeth Ocampo; Sept. 18, 2-3 p.m. Young Writers’ Hangouts with Nikki Alfar; Sept. 25: Memoir writing for adults, 2-3:30 p.m. with Susan Lara.

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