Deeply Understanding “Upholding the Party’s Leadership Is the Most Essential Feature of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics”

The National Forum on Party Building Work, convened in June 2026, explicitly put forward Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building and placed “upholding the Party’s leadership is the most essential feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics” at the head of the “Fourteen Upholds” of Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building. General Secretary Xi Jinping has profoundly pointed out: “Socialism with Chinese characteristics has many features and characteristics, but the most essential feature is upholding the leadership of the Communist Party of China.” “Upholding and strengthening the Party’s overall leadership bears on the future and destiny of the Party and the country; all our undertakings are built on this foundation and are rooted in this most essential feature and greatest strength.” This major thesis, “upholding the Party’s leadership is the most essential feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics,” is grounded in the basic principles of scientific socialism, enriches and develops the Marxist theory of Party building, profoundly reveals the internally unified relationship between the leadership of the Communist Party of China and the great cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and provides the fundamental guidance for us to uphold and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics in the New Era and to advance the great new project of Party building in the New Era.

2026年6月召开的全国党建工作座谈会明确提出习近平党建思想，并把“坚持党的领导是中国特色社会主义最本质的特征”排在习近平党建思想“十四个坚持”的首位。习近平总书记深刻指出：“中国特色社会主义有很多特点和特征，但最本质的特征是坚持中国共产党领导。”“坚持和加强党的全面领导，关系党和国家前途命运，我们的全部事业都建立在这个基础之上，都根植于这个最本质特征和最大优势。”“坚持党的领导是中国特色社会主义最本质的特征”这一重大论断，立足科学社会主义基本原则，丰富发展了马克思主义建党学说，深刻揭示了中国共产党的领导与中国特色社会主义伟大事业的内在统一关系，为我们在新时代坚持和发展中国特色社会主义、推进新时代党的建设新的伟大工程提供了根本遵循。

1. Scientifically Grasping the “Features” and “Most Essential Feature” of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics

1 科学把握中国特色社会主义的“特征”与“本质特征”

From the perspective of Marxist philosophy, essence and feature are in a dialectically unified relationship. Essence is the internal determinacy that distinguishes one thing from others, deciding the nature and direction of development of a thing; features are the external manifestations of essence and an important avenue through which people come to know the essence of a thing. Essence determines features. Socialism with Chinese characteristics, as a scientific social formation, has its many features all unfolded around the essence of socialism with Chinese characteristics. General Secretary Xi Jinping points out, “Socialism with Chinese characteristics is socialism, not some other ism.” The intrinsic requirements of scientific socialism directly determine that socialism with Chinese characteristics upholds many features, such as taking public ownership as the mainstay, upholding law-based governance, upholding common prosperity, upholding a people-centered approach, and upholding the harmonious coexistence of humanity and nature. Among these features, the Party’s leadership is the most essential feature, commanding all other features; all other features are determined by the Party’s leadership, and are formed, developed, function, and manifest their strengths under the Party’s leadership. The Party’s leadership runs through the entire process and all aspects of the construction of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Without the Party’s leadership, the other features of socialism with Chinese characteristics would lose their fundamental support and would deviate from the socialist direction.

从马克思主义哲学视角来看，本质与特征是辩证统一的关系。本质是一事物区别于其他事物的内在规定性，决定事物的性质和发展方向；特征是本质的外在表现，是人们认识事物本质的重要途径。本质决定特征，中国特色社会主义作为一种科学的社会形态，其诸多特征都是围绕中国特色社会主义的本质展开的。习近平总书记指出，“中国特色社会主义是社会主义而不是其他什么主义”。科学社会主义的内在要求，直接决定了中国特色社会主义坚持公有制为主体、坚持依法治国、坚持共同富裕、坚持以人民为中心、坚持人与自然和谐共生等诸多特征。在这些特征中，党的领导是最本质的特征，统领其他所有特征，其他特征都是由党的领导所决定的，都是在党的领导下形成发展、发挥作用、彰显优势的。党的领导贯穿中国特色社会主义建设的全过程、各方面，没有党的领导，中国特色社会主义的其他特征就失去了根本依托，就会偏离社会主义方向。

The major thesis “upholding the Party’s leadership is the most essential feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics” has far-reaching significance. At the theoretical level, it enriches and develops the Marxist doctrine on the leadership of the proletarian party, deepens the understanding of scientific socialism, and provides solid theoretical support for upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics in the New Era. At the practical level, it provides the fundamental political guarantee for the development of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, ensuring that national development has the correct direction, powerful impetus, and solid safeguards, and enabling socialism with Chinese characteristics to maintain its vitality and dynamism under complex and volatile domestic and international circumstances. At the value level, it manifests the political superiority of socialism with Chinese characteristics, capable of rallying the mighty strength of the people of all ethnic groups across the country to advance courageously toward the lofty ideal of communism and the common ideal of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and to realize national prosperity and strength, national rejuvenation, and the people’s happiness.

“坚持党的领导是中国特色社会主义最本质的特征”这一重大论断具有深远意义。从理论层面看，它丰富和发展了马克思主义关于无产阶级政党领导的学说，深化了对科学社会主义的认识，为新时代坚持和发展中国特色社会主义提供了坚实理论支撑；从实践层面看，它为中国特色社会主义事业发展提供了根本政治保证，确保国家发展有正确方向、强大动力、坚实保障，让中国特色社会主义在复杂多变的国内外形势下始终保持生机活力；从价值层面看，它彰显了中国特色社会主义的政治优势，能够凝聚起全国各族人民的磅礴力量，向着共产主义远大理想和中国特色社会主义共同理想的目标奋勇前进，实现国家富强、民族振兴、人民幸福。

2. The Party’s Leadership Determines the Nature, Direction, and Destiny of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics

2 党的领导决定中国特色社会主义的性质、方向和命运

Marxism holds that large-scale socialized production inevitably leads to the transformation of the means of production into social property, laying the material foundation for the advent of socialism, and at the same time inevitably impels the proletariat to form a political party, providing the political guarantee for the realization of socialism. To achieve its own emancipation and the emancipation of humanity, the proletariat must establish its own party, overthrow bourgeois rule through the leadership of the party, establish the dictatorship of the proletariat, and ultimately realize communism. The leadership of the proletarian party is one of the core tenets of scientific socialism. As the practice and development of scientific socialism in contemporary China, socialism with Chinese characteristics must inevitably follow the basic principles of scientific socialism and uphold the leadership of the proletarian party. The Communist Party of China is the leading core of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics and the concrete embodiment of the basic principles of scientific socialism in socialist China.

马克思主义认为，社会化大生产必然导致生产资料转变为社会所有，为社会主义的到来奠定物质基础，同时也必然推动无产阶级结成政党，为社会主义的实现提供政治保证。无产阶级要实现自身的解放和人类的解放，必须建立自己的政党，通过政党的领导推翻资产阶级统治，建立无产阶级专政，最终实现共产主义。无产阶级政党领导是科学社会主义的核心要义之一。中国特色社会主义作为科学社会主义在当代中国的实践和发展，必然要遵循科学社会主义基本原则，坚持无产阶级政党的领导。中国共产党是中国特色社会主义事业的领导核心，是科学社会主义基本原则在社会主义中国的具体体现。

The 105 years of theory and practice of the Communist Party of China have fully proven that the Communist Party of China, as the strong leading core of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, is the initiator, guide, and driver of the great cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and that upholding the Party’s leadership is the fundamental guarantee that socialism with Chinese characteristics will never change its color or degenerate. Upholding the Party’s leadership is the most essential feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics; it is the inevitable choice of history and the people, and is determined by the Party’s own original aspiration and founding mission, its value pursuit, and its governing capacity.

中国共产党105年的理论和实践充分证明，中国共产党作为中国特色社会主义事业的坚强领导核心，是中国特色社会主义伟大事业的开创者、引领者、推动者，坚持党的领导是中国特色社会主义永不变色、永不变质的根本保证。坚持党的领导是中国特色社会主义最本质的特征，是历史和人民的必然选择，是由党自身的初心使命、价值追求和执政能力决定的。

Since its founding, the Communist Party of China has taken seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation as its original aspiration and founding mission, taken the realization of communism as its highest ideal and ultimate goal, and adhered to the nature and purpose of a proletarian party. The Communist Party of China has always possessed a strong sense of historical responsibility and accountability, basing itself on China’s actual conditions, grasping the laws of history, leading the people to solve difficulties in development and meet challenges in progress, and guiding the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics forward in the correct direction. This sense of mission and historical consciousness cannot be replaced by any other political force.

中国共产党自成立之日起，就把为中国人民谋幸福、为中华民族谋复兴作为自己的初心使命，把实现共产主义作为最高理想和最终目标，坚守无产阶级政党的性质和宗旨。中国共产党始终具有强烈的历史担当和责任意识，立足中国实际，把握历史规律，带领人民破解发展中的难题、应对前进中的挑战，引领中国特色社会主义事业朝着正确方向前进。这种使命担当和历史自觉，是其他任何政治力量都无法替代的。

The Communist Party of China has always adhered to a people-centered development philosophy, has always represented the fundamental interests of the overwhelming majority of the people, and has no special interests of its own. In the great practice of revolution, construction, reform, and the New Era, the Party has always been heart-to-heart with the people, breathing the same air and sharing the same fate, winning the support and endorsement of the masses. This deep mass base allows the Party’s leadership to take deep root among the people, becoming the source of strength for the development of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and also gives the Party’s leadership, as the most essential feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics, an unshakable foundation in the people’s hearts.

中国共产党始终坚持以人民为中心的发展思想，始终代表最广大人民的根本利益，没有自己特殊的利益。在革命、建设、改革和新时代的伟大实践中，党始终与人民心连心、同呼吸、共命运，赢得了人民群众的拥护和支持。这种深厚的群众基础，让党的领导深深扎根于人民之中，成为中国特色社会主义事业发展的力量源泉，也使党的领导成为中国特色社会主义最本质的特征拥有了不可动摇的民心根基。

The Communist Party of China possesses the governing capacity to take overall command of the overall situation and coordinate all parties. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, our Party has coordinated the advancement of the Five-Sphere Integrated Plan and the Four-Pronged Comprehensive Strategy, coordinated the interests of all parties, concentrated resources to accomplish major tasks, and rallied a powerful joint force to advance the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics. At the same time, it has continuously advanced comprehensive and strict governance of the Party, always maintained its advanced nature and purity, adapted to the requirements of the development of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the New Era, and continuously raised the level of modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity, providing solid capacity support for the Party’s leadership.

中国共产党具有总揽全局、协调各方的执政能力。党的十八大以来，我们党统筹推进“五位一体”总体布局、协调推进“四个全面”战略布局，统筹协调各方面利益关系，集中力量办大事，凝聚起推进中国特色社会主义事业的强大合力。同时，不断推进全面从严治党，始终保持先进性和纯洁性，适应新时代中国特色社会主义发展的要求，不断提升国家治理体系和治理能力现代化水平，为党的领导提供坚实能力支撑。

3. Ensuring That the Party Always Remains the Strong Leading Core of the Cause of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics

3 确保党始终成为中国特色社会主义事业的坚强领导核心

Upholding the Party’s leadership is the most essential feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics. This major thesis not only has profound theoretical connotations but also has a distinct practical orientation. To uphold and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics in the New Era, the most fundamental thing is to uphold and strengthen the Party’s overall leadership, to implement the Party’s leadership in all aspects and the entire process of economic and social development, to ensure that the Party always remains the people’s most reliable pillar of strength, and to ensure that the Party always remains the strong leading core of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

坚持党的领导是中国特色社会主义最本质的特征，这一重大论断不仅具有深刻的理论内涵，更具有鲜明的实践指向。新时代坚持和发展中国特色社会主义，最根本的就是坚持和加强党的全面领导，把党的领导落实到经济社会发展各方面全过程，确保党始终成为人民最可靠的主心骨，确保党始终成为中国特色社会主义事业的坚强领导核心。

Resolutely safeguard the authority of the Party Central Committee and its centralized, unified leadership. The Party Central Committee is the brain and the core; the power to decide the major policies of the Party and the state lies with the Party Central Committee. Upholding the centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee is the highest political principle, and strengthening and safeguarding the centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee is the common political responsibility of the entire Party; at no time and under no circumstances can this be ambiguous or wavered. On the new journey, facing the complex and severe international environment and the arduous and heavy tasks of domestic reform, development, and stability, ensuring the unity and centralized unity of the Party is of utmost importance, and safeguarding the authority of the Party Central Committee is of utmost importance. It is necessary to deeply comprehend the decisive significance of the Two Establishments, strengthen the Four Consciousnesses, fortify the Four Confidences, and achieve the Two Upholds, continuously improve political judgment, political comprehension, and political execution ability, consciously maintain a high degree of alignment with the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core in thought, politics, and action, strictly observe political discipline and political rules, and ensure that the entire Party is unified in thought, will, and action, providing a strong political guarantee for advancing the building of a strong country and the great cause of national rejuvenation.

坚决维护党中央权威和集中统一领导。党中央是大脑和中枢，党和国家大政方针的决定权在党中央。坚持党中央集中统一领导是最高政治原则，加强和维护党中央集中统一领导是全党共同的政治责任，任何时候任何情况下都不能含糊、不能动摇。新征程上，面对复杂严峻的国际环境和艰巨繁重的国内改革发展稳定任务，保证党的团结和集中统一至关重要，维护党中央权威至关重要。必须深刻领悟“两个确立”的决定性意义，增强“四个意识”、坚定“四个自信”、做到“两个维护”，不断提高政治判断力、政治领悟力、政治执行力，自觉在思想上政治上行动上同以习近平同志为核心的党中央保持高度一致，严格遵守政治纪律和政治规矩，确保全党统一思想、统一意志、统一行动，为推进强国建设、民族复兴伟业提供坚强政治保证。

Improve the system for the Party's comprehensive leadership. The Party's leadership is comprehensive, systematic, and holistic, covering the entire process and all fields of the development of the Party and the state. Only by relying on a scientific and complete system can it be ensured that the Party's leadership is not absent, not overstepping, and not misplaced. To this end, the systems and mechanisms for the Party's leadership over major work should be improved, and the implementation mechanism for the major decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee should be perfected, ensuring that all decisions and deployments take root and bear fruit [1]1 "Take root and bear fruit" (落地生根、开花结果) is a four-character idiom used figuratively to mean that policies or ideas are effectively implemented and produce positive results.; in light of the characteristics of economic, political, cultural, social, and ecological civilization construction, as well as national defense and military modernization, diplomacy, and Party building, the systems and mechanisms for the Party's leadership over work in various fields should be improved; the leadership position of Party organizations within organizations at the same level should be strengthened, leadership powers and responsibilities should be clarified, and the organic integration of the Party's organizational system with the national governance system should be promoted. Through continuously improving and perfecting the institutional system, the Party's leadership system should become the fundamental leadership system of the national governance system, ensuring that the Party always oversees the overall situation and coordinates all parties [2]2 "Oversees the overall situation and coordinates all parties" (总揽全局、协调各方) is a standard formulation describing the Party's leadership role in the national governance system..

健全党的全面领导制度。党的领导是全面的、系统的、整体的，涵盖党和国家事业发展全过程、各领域，唯有依靠科学完备的制度，才能确保党的领导不缺位、不越位、不错位。为此，应健全党对重大工作的领导体制机制，完善党中央重大决策部署落实机制，确保各项决策部署落地生根、开花结果；针对经济、政治、文化、社会、生态文明建设及国防和军队现代化、外交、党的建设等领域特点，健全党领导各领域工作的体制机制；强化党的组织在同级组织中的领导地位，明确领导权责，推动党的组织体系与国家治理体系有机衔接。通过持续健全完善制度体系，使党的领导制度成为国家治理体系的根本领导制度，确保党始终总揽全局、协调各方。

Courageously advance self-revolution. To forge iron, one must be strong oneself [3]3 "To forge iron, one must be oneself strong" (打铁必须自身硬) is a common Chinese saying used by the CPC to emphasize that the Party must first strengthen itself to lead effectively.. The Party's political leadership, ideological guidance, mass organization, and social appeal originate from its advanced nature and purity, and from its capacity for self-purification, self-improvement, self-renovation, and self-enhancement. To uphold and strengthen the Party's comprehensive leadership in the New Era, self-revolution must be placed in a prominent position, using self-revolution to resolve development difficulties and forever maintain vitality and vigor. Persistently and unremittingly advance comprehensive and strict governance of the Party, adhere unwaveringly to the main tone of strictness, and permeate the requirements of strictness throughout all aspects and the entire process of Party building; guide Party members and cadres to establish a correct outlook on political performance, do more practical things that lay the foundation, benefit the long term, and improve people's livelihoods, and oppose false political performance; integratively advance the mechanisms for ensuring that officials dare not, cannot, and do not want to be corrupt [4]4 "Dare not, cannot, and do not want to be corrupt" (不敢腐、不能腐、不想腐) is a standard formulation in the CPC's anti-corruption strategy, referring respectively to deterrence, institutional prevention, and ideological cultivation., eliminate factors that harm the Party's advanced nature and purity, temper a contingent of Party members and cadres who are loyal, clean, and responsible, ensure that the Party does not change its nature, its color, or its flavor [5]5 "Does not change its nature, its color, or its flavor" (不变质、不变色、不变味) is a metaphorical expression used by the CPC to emphasize maintaining its fundamental character and purity., resolutely win the tough and protracted battle against corruption, and lay a solid foundation for upholding the Party's comprehensive leadership.

勇于推进自我革命。打铁必须自身硬，党的政治领导力、思想引领力、群众组织力、社会号召力源于其先进性和纯洁性，源于自我净化、自我完善、自我革新、自我提高的能力。新时代坚持和加强党的全面领导，必须把自我革命摆在突出位置，以自我革命破解发展难题、永葆生机活力。持之以恒推进全面从严治党，坚持严的主基调不动摇，把严的要求贯穿党的建设各方面和全过程；引导党员干部树立正确政绩观，多做打基础、利长远、惠民生的实事，反对虚假政绩；一体推进不敢腐、不能腐、不想腐，清除损害党的先进性和纯洁性的因素，锤炼忠诚干净担当的党员干部队伍，确保党不变质、不变色、不变味，坚决打赢反腐败斗争攻坚战持久战，为坚持党的全面领导筑牢根基。

Gather the mighty force for building a strong country and achieving national rejuvenation. The Party's foundation, lifeline, and strength lie in the people; its powerful leadership capacity must ultimately be transformed into a strong resultant force that unites and leads the people forward courageously. It is necessary to always adhere to the people-centered development philosophy, unify the Party's leadership with respect for the principal position of the people, combine the Party's correct propositions with the fundamental interests of the people, ensure that the line, principles, and policies reflect the people's will and safeguard the people's rights and interests, and win the people's heartfelt support. Adhere to the principal position of the people, respect the people's pioneering spirit, and stimulate the initiative, creativity, and activity of all the people; adhere to great unity and great solidarity, build social consensus, balance the interests of all parties, coordinate inter-group relations, maximize the unity of forces that can be united, and form a vibrant situation of unity of purpose; adhere to the mass line, maintain close ties with the masses, solve the urgent, difficult, and anxious problems of the masses, and enhance the people's sense of gain, happiness, and security. Under the Party's comprehensive leadership, unite hundreds of millions of people to provide an inexhaustible driving force for the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation.

凝聚起强国建设、民族复兴的磅礴力量。党的根基、血脉、力量在人民，强大的领导能力最终要转化为团结带领人民奋勇前进的强大合力。必须始终坚持以人民为中心的发展思想，将党的领导与尊重人民主体地位相统一，把党的正确主张与人民根本利益相结合，使路线方针政策反映人民意愿、保障人民权益，赢得人民衷心拥护。坚持人民主体地位，尊重人民群众首创精神，激发全体人民的积极性、主动性、创造性；坚持大团结大联合，凝聚社会共识，兼顾各方利益，协调群体关系，最大限度团结可团结的力量，形成同心同德的生动局面；坚持群众路线，密切联系群众，解决群众急难愁盼问题，增强群众获得感、幸福感、安全感。在党的全面领导下，团结亿万人民，为强国建设、民族复兴伟业提供不竭动力。

Upholding the Party's leadership is the most essential feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics, embodying the will of the entire Party and the will of the state, and reflecting the fundamental interests of the broad masses of the people. On the new journey, studying and implementing Xi Jinping's Thought on Party building [6]6 "Xi Jinping's Thought on Party building" (习近平党建思想) refers to Xi Jinping's theoretical contributions on strengthening and reforming the Communist Party of China. requires firmly grasping that upholding the Party's leadership is the most essential feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics, always adhering unwaveringly to the principle that the Communist Party of China is the highest political leadership force, and continuously writing the magnificent chapter of socialism with Chinese characteristics for a New Era.

坚持党的领导是中国特色社会主义最本质的特征，体现了全党的意志和国家的意志，反映了广大人民的根本利益。新征程上学习贯彻习近平党建思想，就要牢牢把握坚持党的领导是中国特色社会主义最本质的特征，始终坚持中国共产党是最高政治领导力量不动摇，不断书写新时代中国特色社会主义壮丽篇章。

(Author: Gong Yun, Researcher at the Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; Director of the Research Center for Xi Jinping's Economic Thought, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences)

（作者：龚 云，系中国社会科学院习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想研究中心研究员、中国社会科学院习近平经济思想研究中心主任）