Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, stressed the importance of upholding and strengthening the overall leadership of the Party and exercising full and rigorous Party self-governance in the spirit of self-reform. Numerous foreign scholars who specialize in studying China have praised this approach, noting that a deep understanding of the CPC is essential to truly comprehend China. Jean-Numa Ducange, a professor of contemporary history at the Rouen-Normandie University in France, shared his view on the CPC’s history, the significance of its self-reform, and achievements of Chinese modernization, in an exclusive interview with CSST.

Instructive history of CPC

Ducange said that the CPC has a unique and exceptional history. Indeed, various communist political parties have existed all over the world since the Russian Revolution of 1917, and the circumstances have varied greatly from country to country. But the particularity of the CPC is to have contributed considerably to the development of its country. This history is rich and instructive.

The great surprise came from the development of China and the consolidation of the power of the CPC where many in Europe had bet on its collapse, Ducange continued. However, the dialectical approach teaches us that the world is full of contradictions and that we must grasp them at all times in order to move forward. Otherwise, the prognosis may turn out to be wrong. For example, many believed China’s opening up and socialist market economy would inevitably lead to a political system similar to those in Europe and America. This view was widely propagated until the late 1990s.

“We can see how this type of logic does not work,” Ducange said. So far, China has been able to manage its contradictions, whatever one thinks of them. Going forward, the existing balances must be re-evaluated in light of the new challenges of the 21st century, including major issues such as ecology and digital technology, while still adhering to the original spirit of Marxism that has enabled China to emerge from its underdeveloped state.

Ducange believes that one of China’s strengths is its ability to resist dogmatism. For a long time, communists and socialists thought that planning and the nearly complete nationalization of the economy were the only solutions to development. This was certainly a diagnostic error that did not sufficiently take into account certain beneficial effects of the market.

Another strong element in the history of the CPC has been its fundamental capacity to embody the Chinese nation and then its development, Ducange added.

Implications of CPC’s self-reform

According to Ducange, Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is emerging as a collective reflection that aims to identify and address China’s problems. This approach, which acknowledges and addresses contradictions, is essential. The Soviet system, on the other hand, ultimately failed due to a prolonged period of self-satisfaction, in which its achievements were glorified without sufficient critical examination of its problems. Many governments today also tend to be overly

content with their actions, without subjecting them to rigorous scrutiny.

“Reform” and “revolution” have been elements of the socialist vocabulary since the 19th century. They refer to a diversity of possible political models. The “Sinicization of Marxism” is an episode in the development of these specificities, among the many national paths to socialism. What can Chinese Marxism mean for the world socialist movement? Ducange noted that many people in Europe believe it to be a purely ideological legacy of the past with no connection to practice. “I believe that the matter is more complex. Especially what happens in China can directly interfere with issues affecting other countries as well,” he said.

Significance of Chinese modernization

China poses an essential question to Europeans and Chinese alike: how does socialism enable modernization? In very different contexts, the history of modernization in Europe and China owes much to socialism and Marxism. Of course, while socialism has taken various forms in different contexts, it may still be possible to trace a common history of their development, Ducange said.

“It seems to me that for many developing countries, the achievements of the CPC are very valuable, showing that one can go from an underdeveloped country to a relatively prosperous and very important country on the international scene,” Ducange said.

“The specific role of the Party and Marxism in this success is for me important components and can therefore provide reflections to many political parties and countries in the world, including Europe. It is impossible to ignore the fact that it is one of the countries where poverty has been reduced the most in recent decades. I consider today that a good part of the evolution of the world is inseparable from the evolution of China,” Ducange said.