Editor's note: This 100-episode podcast explains how China works. Exploring Xi Jinping Thought and how the Chinese president's approach has shaped the governance of China, the podcast recounts the country's growth story to help you truly understand its success and challenges.

Reform and opening-up in the new era has new content and new features, one of which is that reform attaches greater importance to the improvement of systems. Compared with the past, reform now aims to solve deep-seated problems of our systems and mechanisms, and this sets higher requirements for top-level design. It becomes more imperative to pursue reform in a systematic, holistic, and coordinated way, and to establish frameworks of systems and institutions. When we plan to further reform in the new era, we must focus on upholding and improving socialism with Chinese characteristics and modernizing the state governance system and capacity, with a deep understanding of the requirements for further development and the trends of the times.

To achieve this, we will continue to reform systems and mechanisms in all sectors and areas, and ensure that our systems become more mature and better defined.

Upholding and improving socialism with Chinese characteristics and modernizing the state governance system and capacity will guarantee that we can seize the initiative in addressing risks and challenges. "If a dynasty cannot continue to rise, it will fall; if a country cannot improve its governance, the state order will deteriorate." 

The world today is undergoing a scale of change unseen in a century, and the international situation is becoming increasingly variable and complex. We are confronted with formidable tasks in reform, development, social stability, domestic and foreign affairs, national defense, and the governance of the Party, the country and the military. 

We are facing greater risks and challenges than ever before. Some risks and challenges are domestic, some are external; some relate to the economy and society, some come from Mother Nature. In order to resolve them, we must uphold and improve socialism with Chinese characteristics and modernize our state governance system and capacity, and give full play to the strengths of our systems.

(Source: Extract from the third volume of "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China")

This episode is presented by Ning Yan.