Xi Jinping said what we now face is the "contradiction between unbalanced and inadequate development and the people's ever-growing needs for a better life. But he also stressed China is still in the initial stage of socialism. This new definition is a departure from what the Party has been giving the country since 1981, that China's main social contradiction is between the growing material and spiritual needs of the people, and the backward social production. The original Party definition says this contradiction will run through the entire initial stage of socialism. But I would say, despite the words, this is not an essential departure in meaning, but rather a more concrete description of China's current social contradictions. For example, today people's needs are not only material, they have needs in other aspects, like justice and eco-civilization, as the General Secretary mentioned in his Four Comprehensives Theory. The country still needs a long time to complete the initial stage of socialism. I think Xi's New Era is a more pragmatic approach in dealing with domestic challenges.

 

Han Bin, you've been covered the previous four party congresses. What new messages do you take away from this one? What do you think makes this congress a milestone?

 

Yes, I've seen the CPC's transitions of power and the transitions of thoughts, throughout two decades. I can feel the CPC advancing with the times, though there were times it faced difficulties. Every congress has a historic mission and leaves a legacy that changes China dramatically. For example, Deng Xiaoping's Black or White Cat Theory broke barriers, Jiang Zemin's Three Represents Theory irreversibly transformed the formation of the Party, and Hu Jintao's Scientific Outlook on Development shifted the growth model. To me, Xi Jinping's Thoughts of Governance is a sharp transition from looking inward to looking outward, giving greater importance to China's role on the world stage, along with pragmatic approaches in dealing with challenges at home. The report is a political statement, a banner for morale and confidence. Not much is said on economic and political reforms. The details on reform usually come in the plenary sessions after the congress. Back to you.