As the bell marking the 2026 Chinese New Year rings in the first year of the 15th Five-Year Plan period (FYP, 2026–30), a new stage begins for the high-quality development of the CPC’s innovative theories and their closer alignment with national strategic priorities. Serving as both the guiding framework for national development and the intellectual compass for addressing complex challenges, the Party’s innovative theories remain central to research in philosophy and the social sciences in China. During the Spring Festival, CSST interviewed several scholars to explore emerging directions, key tasks, and evolving missions for advancing research on the Party’s innovative theories in the years ahead.

Integrating research with national strategy

Scholars widely agree that the core task facing current research is to move theoretical inquiry beyond academic circles and into practice, progressing from abstract interpretation toward substantive empowerment.

“The policy entry points in the recommendations for the 15th FYP are more targeted and actionable than ever before,” said Qin Xuan, director of the Academy of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era at Renmin University of China. This shift signals more than a one-way process of theory informing policy. It calls for systematically embedding the worldview and methodology of the Party’s innovative theories into major strategic deployments—such as high-quality development, modernization of the national governance system, and common prosperity—thereby fostering a virtuous cycle in which theory guides policy and policy, in turn, enriches theory.

“Amidst profound changes unseen in a century, Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era particularly highlights its historic mission of forging a new path to modernization and building a community with a shared future for humanity,” remarked Song Chaolong, vice dean of the School of Marxism at Peking University.

Song noted that Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era systematically charts a new path that transcends financial capitalist models of modernization through the socialist market economy, offering a robust institutional reference for late-developing countries and for the broader vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity.

Scholars regard the theory of Chinese modernization as the principal thread linking the Party’s innovative theories with the practice of the 15th FYP. Kang Xiaoqiang, a professor from the Department of Scientific Socialism at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee (National Academy of Governance), emphasized that the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee centered its strategic planning on the theme of “Chinese modernization.” He urged theorists to deepen their understanding of this theme and strengthen its systematic exposition, elucidating the internal logic and practical force of this major achievement in contemporary scientific socialism.

Embracing technological change with innovation

The rapid iteration of new technologies—including artificial intelligence (AI), big data, and knowledge graphs—is reshaping patterns of social production, modes of living, and even human existence. At the same time, it is transforming both the methods and thematic focus of research on the Party’s innovative theories. Lin Qing, a professor from the School of Marxism at Fudan University, argued that such changes require research not only to address material concerns such as high-quality development, but also to attend to the comprehensive development of individuals under new technological conditions.

Han Qiang, a professor from the School of Marxism at Beijing Foreign Studies University, explained that digital and intelligent technologies are now deeply empowering Party building across four major domains. In theoretical research, databases and AI tools enable intelligent literature mining and frontier tracking. In Party member education, precise profiling and ubiquitous application scenarios enhance educational effectiveness. In Party affairs, interconnected data sharing promotes greater administrative efficiency, allowing data to circulate in place of repeated procedural travel. In anti-corruption efforts, big data comparison supports intelligent clue discovery and the efficient consolidation of evidence.

Strengthening systematic research, interpretation

Research on the Party’s innovative theories has already produced substantial results. The question now is how to address deeper structural challenges on this foundation—a concern widely shared across academic circles.

Qin identified four major structural challenges confronting current research. One is the need to move beyond Western-centric paradigms by drawing on Chinese culture and China’s developmental path to construct an independent knowledge system capable of explaining China and interpreting the world. Another lies in establishing an effective two-way channel that links theoretical innovation with national strategies while addressing practical obstacles. A third involves distilling China’s experiences into Chinese principles and elevating “Chinese governance” into a coherent body of “Chinese theory.” The fourth concerns adapting to the digital era and responding to complex contemporary issues through broader multidisciplinary perspectives.

Looking ahead, several scholars emphasized that advancing systematic and theoretically rigorous research on the Party’s innovative theories remains the fundamental direction for deepening inquiry. Kang underscored that systematization expands breadth, while theoretical exploration deepens analysis; both are unified in the elucidation of fundamental theoretical achievements. The construction of a coherent theoretical system, he added, begins with the refinement of original concepts.

Chen Songyou, executive director of the Institute of the History of the CPC and Party Building at Jiangnan University, proposed extracting distinctive academic concepts from rich practical experience, particularly in relation to major themes such as Chinese modernization and new quality productive forces. He also stressed the importance of refining scholarly language by translating academic concepts into accessible public discourse. At the same time, developing new concepts and expressions that are readily understood by the international community will enable Chinese scholarship to contribute more effectively to addressing global challenges.

Scholars concur that research on the Party’s innovative theories can fully shoulder its contemporary mission only by aligning with national strategic needs, seizing the opportunities presented by technological transformation, and focusing squarely on overcoming development shortcomings.