CPC shows its confidence in Xi's thought for new era

Besides the examining of the Party's road map for the country and electing a new Central Committee and its Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the 19th Communist Party of China National Congress concluded with a high-profile amendment to its Constitution that is nothing short of historic.

The closing ceremony of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China is held in Beijing October 24, 2017.[Photo/Xinhua]

Historic since it features the all-round inscription of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, the Party's new thinking on governance.

All-round in that it does not simply juxtapose Xi's thought with the CPC's ideological guidelines to date — Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the Theory of Three Represents, and the Scientific Outlook on Development.

Literally all the phrases defining Xi's perspective on governance — from the CPC's self-regulation to absolute control over the military and "all undertakings", to the Belt and Road Initiative and his proposal for countries to build a community of shared future for all mankind — have found their way into the CPC Constitution in the most comprehensive amendment it has seen in decades.

As was obvious from the Tuesday morning vote, this is the result of unanimous intraparty endorsement, a reflection of the proud achievements the Party has accomplished over the past five years. Particularly so because the Party's leadership, with Xi at its core, has sustained the popular belief that the country is on the right development path amid the global economic woes.

Not that this country has been immune to the undesirable. The recognition of an economic new normal, for one, signaled that the era of consecutive double-digit growth was over and gone. Xi's inauguration of the New Era, too, is also based on a cool-headed acknowledgement of the changed, and changing, conditions for the country's pursuit of rejuvenation.

What has made the CPC confident, however, is China continues outperforming most of the rest of the world in spite of all the challenges.

The CPC Constitution's all-round embracing of Xi's thought reflects the high degree of consensus the Party has built around its leadership core. That is a hallmark not only of intraparty unity, but more importantly of the shared conviction that its approach to both development and governance is the correct one.

Given Xi's — and now officially the Party's — aspiration for a community of shared future for all mankind, there is no reason for the country to be "assertive" on the global stage as some in the West are speculating. But the CPC certainly will be more steadfast in sticking to its own approach, which it is more ready than ever to share with the rest of the world.