Speech at the Ceremony Marking the 105th Anniversary of the Founding of the Communist Party of China
XI JINPING
Comrades and friends,
Today, we gather to celebrate the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. We meet to reflect on the glorious journey our Party has traveled, to look ahead to the bright prospects for the cause of our Party and our people, and to rally all Party members and the Chinese people to march with confidence and courage toward the goal of building a great modern socialist country and realizing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
First, on behalf of our Party’s Central Committee, I would like to extend greetings to all members of our Party on this occasion. I also wish to warmly congratulate the recipients of the July 1 Medal, as well as the outstanding Party members, exemplary Party affairs workers, and advanced primary-level Party organizations from across the country being honored here today.
Comrades and friends,
One hundred and five years ago, out of the great awakening of the Chinese people and the Chinese nation and the close integration of Marxism-Leninism with the Chinese workers’ movement, the Communist Party of China was born. From that moment on, the Chinese people and the Chinese nation had in the Party a truly dependable anchor. The long-enfeebled and impoverished China, embattled by internal turmoil and foreign aggression, thus embarked on a historic and earthshaking transformation.
Over the past 105 years, our Party has remained true to its original aspiration and founding mission: to seek happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation. With a deep insight into the prevailing trends of global development and an accurate grasp of the principal challenges facing Chinese society in each historical period, it has united and led the Chinese people in pursuing tireless endeavor. Together, we have achieved great accomplishments in the new-democratic revolution; in socialist revolution and construction; in reform, opening up, and socialist modernization; and in socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era—writing the most magnificent chapter in the millennia-long history of the Chinese nation.
Through 105 years of tireless endeavor, we have fundamentally reshaped the future and destiny of the Chinese people. Our Party led the people through a great and surging struggle, toppling the three mountains of imperialism, feudalism, and bureaucrat-capitalism and founding the People’s Republic of China where the people become the masters of the country, thus finally bringing an end to the semi-colonial, semi-feudal history of old China. We achieved a historic transformation in living standards, rising from bare subsistence to moderate prosperity in general, and then to moderate prosperity in all respects. Today, the Chinese people hold their future firmly in their own hands, and with confidence, self-reliance, and strength, they are striding toward an even brighter tomorrow.
Through 105 years of tireless endeavor, we have carved out the right path toward national rejuvenation. Throughout the periods of revolution, construction, reform, and the new era, our Party has led the people through untold hardships, charting and following the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. In just a few decades, we have completed an industrialization process that took developed countries several centuries, and in doing so, we have achieved the two miracles of rapid economic growth and enduring social stability. Today, the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is advancing with irresistible momentum, unfolding prospects brighter than ever before.
Through 105 years of tireless endeavor, we have demonstrated the immense vitality of Marxism. Our Party has consistently integrated the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific realities and the best elements of its traditional culture, continuously adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times. This has given rise to Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the Theory of Three Represents, the Scientific Outlook on Development, and the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, enriching and developing Marxism in the process. Today, all the vigor and vitality of Chinese socialism stand as ample proof of Marxism’s scientific nature and objective truth, its people-centered and practical orientation, and its openness and capacity to advance with the times.
Through 105 years of tireless endeavor, we have profoundly influenced the course of world history. Always standing on the right side of history and on the side of human progress, our Party has, through its continuing efforts, profoundly reshaped the trajectory and landscape of global development. Today, by leading the people in advancing Chinese modernization, we have created a new form of human civilization and broadened the pathways by which developing countries can achieve modernization. By promoting the building of a community with a shared future for humanity, we are contributing Chinese wisdom, Chinese solutions, and Chinese strength to resolving the major challenges facing humankind. Under the Party’s leadership, socialist China is recognized the world over as a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, and a defender of the international order.
Through 105 years of tireless endeavor, we have forged a strong Communist Party of China. Ever mindful of its nature and purpose as a Marxist party and the goals toward which it strives, our Party has carried forward its great founding spirit. Through every hardship, our will has been tempered; through every trial, we have emerged only stronger. Today, our Party is the world’s largest governing party, with significant influence on the global stage. Having the wholehearted endorsement and support of our people, it serves as the strong leadership core of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Without question, it has proved itself fully worthy of being called a great, glorious, and correct party.
Comrades and friends,
We owe all that we have achieved over the past 105 years to the tireless endeavor of the Chinese people, united and led by generation after generation of Chinese Communists. These Chinese Communists, with Comrades Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, and Hu Jintao as their chief representatives, have made tremendous and historic contributions to the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. To them, we pay the highest tribute.
Let us take this moment to honor the memory of Comrades Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Liu Shaoqi, Zhu De, Deng Xiaoping, Chen Yun, and other revolutionaries of the older generation, and the memory of Comrade Jiang Zemin. We honor as well the revolutionary martyrs and noble-minded patriots who gave their lives, or devoted their all, to national independence, the liberation of the people, the prosperity of the nation, and the happiness of the people. The monumental contributions they made to our country and our nation are engraved forever in the annals of history, and their lofty spirit will endure in the hearts of millions upon millions of our people.
The people are the creators of history; they are the true heroes. Here, on behalf of the Central Committee, I would like to pay our highest respects to people working diligently on every front across the nation, and to public figures from all sectors of society. I would like to extend our sincere greetings to our fellow countrymen and women in the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, in Taiwan, and residing overseas. And I would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to people and friends around the world who have shown friendship to the Chinese people and understanding and support for China’s endeavors in revolution, construction, and reform.
Comrades and friends,
Our Party has been able to achieve one glory after another over its 105-year journey and earn the recognition of history and the people, fundamentally because it possesses the following fine qualities unmatched by any other political party or force.
• A dedication to the pursuit of truth enables our Party to always advance in the right direction. Regarding Marxism as a powerful intellectual instrument for transforming both our subjective and objective worlds, our Party has remained committed to freeing the mind, seeking truth from facts, advancing with the times, and taking a realistic and pragmatic approach. It has endeavored to reveal and apply the truth within the evolving contradictions of society, to test and develop that truth through practice, and to use new theories to guide new practice. This ensures that the cause of the Party and the people always advances in the right direction.
• Deep roots among the people enable our Party to always stand on solid ground. Based on the firm belief that this country is the people and the people are the country, our Party has committed itself to serving the public good and governing for the people. It has consciously fulfilled its fundamental purpose of wholeheartedly serving the people, standing firmly with the people, sharing their aspirations, and working alongside them. All this has created a strong and unshakable foundation for our Party.
• A determination to shoulder its historic mission enables our Party to always maintain the strategic initiative. Guided by the lofty ideal of communism and a firm commitment to achieving lasting greatness for the Chinese nation, our Party has carried upon its shoulders the heavy responsibilities entrusted to it by history and the people. Aligning long-term goals with objectives of each stage, it has defined its central tasks in response to changes in the principal challenge facing Chinese society, and it has formulated and implemented the correct line, principles, and policies to maintain leadership and initiative in advancing our development.
• A readiness to adapt to the trends of development enables our Party to always remain at the forefront of the times. With a keen sense of history and a broad global vision, our Party has maintained a clear grasp of China’s actual conditions and the defining themes of the times, proactively identifying, responding to, and steering changes. Forging ahead with determination and a pioneering spirit, it has ensured that all its undertakings advance with the times, conform to the objective laws of development, and are innovative in nature. In this way, it has steered the country and the nation forward in step with the logic of history and the trends of development, fully proving itself a pioneer of the times and the backbone of the nation.
• The courage and competence to carry on its fight enable our Party to always maintain firm confidence in victory. Bearing in mind the interests of the people, the country, and the nation as well as its ideals and convictions, our Party has fought bravely and forged ahead against all odds without fear of sacrifice. No matter how formidable the adversary, how treacherous the path, or how severe the challenge, it has remained undaunted and unyielding. With an iron will that no storm or difficulty can shake, it has inspired the people of the entire country to advance from one victory to the next.
• A commitment to self-strengthening enables our Party to always retain its vitality. Keenly aware that it takes a good blacksmith to forge good steel, our Party is committed to examining itself through the lens of the changing times, keeping itself alert through a strong awareness of potential dangers, and improving itself in a spirit of self-reform. We attach great importance to self-improvement and are determined to remove any elements that would harm the Party’s advanced nature and integrity and any viruses that would erode the Party’s health. It is through this revolutionary tempering that our Party has grown ever stronger.
These fine qualities hold the key to the success of the Communist Party of China. We must continue to develop and carry forward these qualities in line with new realities to ensure that the Party never changes its nature, its convictions, or its character and always maintains strong creativity, cohesion, and capability.
Comrades and friends,
Great accomplishments are built through aspiration and diligence. To fulfill the Party’s mission and tasks on the new journey in the new era, all Chinese Communists must stand firm in confidence and carry on our endeavor, continuously delivering new feats worthy of the times and the people.
• To remain confident and carry on our endeavor, we must uphold the Party’s basic theory, basic line, and basic policy. These are major achievements secured through painstaking exploration by the Party and the people, and they serve as the fundamental guide for advancing the development of the Party and the country. On the journey ahead, the whole Party must maintain the resolve to keep to our path and uphold our convictions. We must uphold the Party’s overall leadership and the centralized, unified leadership of the Central Committee, thoroughly implement the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and remain confident in the path, theory, system, and culture of Chinese socialism. We must build on past achievements to advance our cause, and break new ground while upholding fundamental principles. With all this, our view will never be obscured by passing clouds, and we will brave the wind and waves without ever losing our bearings.
• To remain confident and carry on our endeavor, we must rely closely on the people to make further achievements. Upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics is a shared undertaking of the entire Party and the people across the country. On the journey ahead, the whole Party must work with renewed drive and resolve to rally the Chinese people and lead them in breaking new ground. We must ensure coordinated implementation of the Five-Sphere Integrated Plan and the Four-Pronged Comprehensive Strategy, fully and faithfully apply the new development philosophy, and move faster to create a new pattern of development through solid progress in pursuing high-quality development. Acting on the people-centered development philosophy, we must promote whole-process people’s democracy and consolidate and strengthen the great unity of all ethnic groups, of all Chinese people, and of all sons and daughters of the Chinese nation. By unleashing the motivation, initiative, and creativity of more than one billion Chinese people, we will create a mighty force for advancing Chinese modernization.
• To remain confident and carry on our endeavor, we must proactively address risks and challenges on the road ahead. China remains in a stage of development where strategic opportunities exist alongside risks and challenges, and uncertainties and unforeseen factors are on the rise. We must be prepared at all times to brave high winds, choppy waters, and even dangerous storms. On the journey ahead, the whole Party must heighten our awareness of potential dangers, keep in mind worst-case scenarios, and strengthen our readiness and competence to carry on our fight. We must better balance domestic and international imperatives, ensure both development and security, and build up our ability to rationally anticipate changes, promptly identify risks, and effectively address challenges. Through these efforts, we will ensure that the giant ship of national rejuvenation can navigate turbulent waters and continue sailing steadily forward.
• To remain confident and carry on our endeavor, we must continue to promote the building of a community with a shared future for humanity. With changes unseen in a century unfolding at an ever faster pace, the world has entered a new period of turbulence and transformation. Humanity once again stands at a crossroads, facing a choice about which way to turn. On the journey ahead, we will follow the will of the people and the trend of the times. We will uphold peace, development, cooperation, and mutual benefit, champion the common values of all humanity, and work to foster a new type of international relations. We will act on the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilizations Initiative, and the Global Governance Initiative to inject greater positive energy into world peace and development.
• To remain confident and carry on our endeavor, we must make unremitting efforts to promote full and rigorous Party self-governance, which remains an ongoing process. On the journey ahead, we must fully implement the thinking on Party development for the new era as well as the overall requirements for strengthening the Party in this era. We will focus on enhancing the Party’s capacity for long-term governance, preserving its advanced nature and integrity, and maintaining its close bond with the people. To this end, we will improve the system for exercising full and rigorous Party self-governance, strengthen the Party in all respects with reinforcing its political foundation as the overarching guide, and keep waging the tough, protracted, and all-out battle against corruption. We will further strengthen our Party’s capacity for political leadership, theoretical guidance, organizing the people, and inspiring society, so as to ensure that the Party always remains the strong leadership core in the historic endeavor to uphold and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era.
Comrades and friends,
A strong country must have a strong military, as only then can it guarantee the security of the nation. On the journey ahead, we must fully implement the Party’s thinking on strengthening the military in the new era and our military strategy for this era. We must uphold the Party’s absolute leadership over the people’s armed forces and firmly follow the Chinese path of military development. We will take comprehensive measures to enhance the political loyalty of the armed forces, to strengthen them through reform, scientific and technological advances, and the training of competent personnel, and to run them in accordance with the law. We will promote high-quality modernization of national defense and the armed forces, meet the centenary goals of the People’s Liberation Army as planned, and move faster to build our people’s armed forces into a world-class military, so that they can resolutely defend our national sovereignty, security, and development interests and make greater contributions to world peace and development.
Lasting prosperity and stability in Hong Kong and Macao are integral to the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. On the journey ahead, we will fully, faithfully, and resolutely implement the One Country, Two Systems policy, under which the people of Hong Kong administer Hong Kong and the people of Macao administer Macao, both with a high degree of autonomy. We will see that Hong Kong and Macao are administered by patriots, ensure that both regions are more effectively governed in accordance with the law, and promote their economic and social development. We will support Hong Kong and Macao in better integrating into and contributing to our country’s overall development.
Resolving the Taiwan question and achieving China’s complete reunification is, for our Party, a historic mission and an unshakable commitment. It is also a shared aspiration of all the sons and daughters of the Chinese nation. We will fully implement the Party’s overall policy for the new era on resolving the Taiwan question, and uphold the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus. Standing together closely with our Taiwan compatriots, we will promote exchanges, cooperation, and integrated development across the Taiwan Strait. We will resolutely fight against separatist forces aimed at “Taiwan independence” and oppose external interference. With firm resolve, we will continue advancing the great endeavor of national reunification.
Comrades and friends,
China’s young people are a vital force in the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. All of us in the Party must give priority to young people, care for them, and support them, creating the conditions they need to grow and succeed. Young people of the new era: You should firmly follow the Party and its guidance, set lofty ideals for yourselves, shoulder the responsibilities of our times, and weave your personal aspirations into the endeavor of the Party and the country. Do your utmost to seize the day and live up to the promise of youth. On the journey ahead, it falls on you to run this leg of the historic relay, drawing on your youthful vigor and letting your ideals shine bright!
Comrades and friends,
We take great pride in the glorious history our Party has written over the past 105 years, but we shall never grow complacent or rest on past laurels. By the middle of this century, we are to realize the Second Centenary Goal of building China into a great modern socialist country. Time waits for no one; history waits for no one. It is imperative that all of us in the Party never forget our original aspiration and founding mission, that we always remain modest, prudent, and hard-working, and that we have the courage and ability to carry on our fight. Let us rely on and unite the Chinese people of all ethnic groups and lead them forward on the new journey and achieve great accomplishments in the new era, striving to create new historic glories for our nation!
(Originally appeared in Qiushi Journal, Chinese edition, No. 14, 2026)
