An Admirable Volume

The second volume of Xi Jinping： The Governance of China was unveiled in nine languages in London on April 11 during the London Book Fair. Jiang Jianguo， Minister of the State Council Information Office， spoke at the launch ceremony. An edited excerpt of the speech follows：

I am very pleased to be in London to host together with all of you the launch ceremony for the multilingual versions of the second volume of Xi Jinping： The Governance of China during the London Book Fair， the most important spring event of the global publishing industry. On behalf of the State Council Information Office of China， I warmly welcome the friends who are here to attend the event， and express my heartfelt thanks to various circles who have made great efforts in the preparatory work for today. I would like to extend my particular thanks to Prince Andrew， Duke of York， an old friend of the Chinese people， for your atten- dance at todays launch， especially given your tight schedule.

The second volume of Xi Jinping： The Governance of China has been jointly compiled by Chinas State Council Information Offi ce and the China International Publishing Group， containing 99 speeches， talks， instructions and congratulatory messages made by President Xi Jinping from August 18， 2014， to September 29， 2017， as well as 29 photographs. In September 2014， the first volume of Xi Jinping： The Governance of China was published， receiving wide attention and praise from both Chinese and foreign readers. The first and second volumes of the book， which represent a holistic entity， constitute the main content and the basic structure of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.

To my knowledge， quite a few foreign friends are studying Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era， in an effort to understand Xis thought and find clues on where the thought， which has already been written into Chinas Constitution and the Constitution of the Communist Party of China （CPC）， will lead the worlds most populous nation. What the CPC has done， as President Xi promised， is to seek happiness for the people， national rejuvenation and greater harmony for the world. With such knowledge and perception， we can acquire the key to the ideological trea- sure trove that is Xi Jinping： The Governance of China.

Wisdom on governance

The essence of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is mainly refl ected in the following aspects.

First， it is a thought rooted in fertile humanistic soil and has a profound humanistic and historical background. Xi Jinping： The Governance of China moves people because it is full of profound humanistic feeling as well as historical and cultural gems. President Xi likes absorbing ideological wisdom on state governance from Chinas traditional culture and philosophies such as “man is an integral part of nature，” “harmony but not sameness，” and “governing a big country is like cooking a small fish.” Being good at grasping the development direction of contemporary China from the Chinese nations pursuit of peace， amity and harmony， President Xi has drawn references from other civilizations， combined the Partys missions with the countrys future and the nations fate， and made integrated analyses of the countrys past， present and future. Therefore， it is not diffi cult to understand where todays China under the leadership of President Xi came from and where it is heading after one reads Xi Jinping： The Governance of China.

Second， it is a thought built on a peoplecentric stance. It upholds the dominant status of the people， respects the peoples innovative spirit and consistently speaks for the people. The basic emotional impression harbored in Xi Jinping： The Governance of China is the warm feeling for all people. We can see throughout the book phrases and sentences that touch the heart， such as“we should create a better life for ordinary people，” “we should take the path of common prosperity， no single person should be left behind on our road to building a well-off society，” and “peoples pursuit of a better life is the goal of our struggle.”

These all demonstrate the fundamental value orientation of the CPCs governance of China. Under such ideological guidance， a large number of measures benefiting people have been taken since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012， lifting more than 60 million people out of poverty and creating more than 13 million new urban jobs annually. The income of urban and rural residents has grown faster than the countrys economy over the past few years， and peoples sense of gain， happiness and security has improved greatly. Therefore， it is not diffi cult to understand why President Xi has become a leader genuinely supported by the people after reading the book.

Third， it is a thought that takes aim at the future of mankind. The current world is at a crossroads of development， and many countries and people are asking “What is wrong with the world？” and “Where is the world going？” President Xi， a great statesman with broad vision and strategic thinking， has put forward a series of new concepts concerning the future and fate of mankind in a clear-cut manner， and contributed Chinese solutions to addressing the issues facing mankind and to building a beautiful world. He has presented to the rest of the world Chinese proposals on building a new type of international relations and constructing a community with a shared future for mankind， as well as expounding Chinas perspectives on security， development， interests， globalization and global governance.

People all over the world live under the same blue sky and own the same earth， and thus they should live like members of the same family. We should have an open mind and understand each other. We should seek common ground while shelving our differences and work together to build a community with a shared future for mankind. Therefore， it is not diffi cult to understand why President Xi as the leader of a big country harbors sagacious thinking and unique views on the future development of mankind if one reads the book.

Goals in a new era

Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era will lead socialism with Chinese characteristics as it enters a new era， opening a new chapter for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and drawing a new picture for Chinas strengthened integration with the world. According to the arrangement of the 19th CPC National Congress and President Xis keynote speech delivered to the opening of the Boao Forum for Asia （BFA）， China will continue to make unremitting efforts in the following areas：

First， China will pursue high-quality development.

The economy of China has shifted from a stage of high-speed growth to that of high-quality development， which marks an epochal change. In 2017， Chinas economic growth reached 6.9 percent， higher than expected， with its total economic output exceeding 82 trillion yuan （$13 trillion）. Such an outshining economic performance has caused some international organizations to rate China as the worlds “best-performing major economy of the year.” This is an achievement that is impressive not only on the surface but also in substance， showing that the Chinese economy has taken an important step toward high-quality development. Adhering to new development concepts and continuously pursuing good and steady progress will be the main theme of Chinas economic development. Chinas economy will continuously act as a major stabilizer and ballast of the world economy.

Second， China will promote more energetic innovation.

China takes innovation as the driving force for its development. As a strategic supporter for the construction of a modern economic system， China adheres to the development of an innovation-driven and energetic growth model. China has achieved a series of innovative developments in recent years， from manned spaceflight and deep-sea exploration to quantum communications and large aircraft. Internet Plus has extensively been applied to all walks of life and the innovative economy represented by high-speed trains， mobile payment， bikesharing and e-commerce are leading the current trend. In less than 10 years， the number of patents granted to Chinese companies in the United States has increased tenfold. The innovation-driven model is reshaping Chinas economic landscape， which will not only inject a powerful impetus into Chinas development， but also help explore new ways for the world economy to pick up steam.

Third， China will promote more in-depth reforms.

Over the past five years， the Chinese Government has rolled out more than 1，200 reform measures and a number of new and bigger reform tasks were once again deployed at the 19th CPC National Congress. The program laid out by authorities recently on reforming Party and government institutions is aimed at promoting the modernization of Chinas national governance with a view to continuously improving its governance system and mechanism through the scientif ic installation of institutions. This will allow the market to play a decisive role in resource distribution， as the government refines its role and peoples ever-growing desire for better lives is satisfied. This year marks the 40th anniversary of Chinas reform and opening up and China believes the best way to celebrate the milestone is to make new progress on the road of reform and opening up in the spirit of “cutting a path through the mountain and building a bridge across the river.”

Fourth， China will advance higher-level opening up.

China adheres to the basic state policy of opening up， and will open wider to the outside world for domestic economic construction， further expand market access and create a more attractive investment environment. It will strengthen protection of intellectual property rights and take initiatives to expand imports so as to share opportunities and interests with other countries and realize win-win cooperation in the process of expanding Chinas opening up. China will continue to vigorously advance the Belt and Road Initiative， pursue synergy with other countries development strategies， uphold the principle of extensive consultation， joint contribution and shared benefi ts， and work hand in hand with the rest of the world to weave a new historic tapestry of common development. In his speech at the opening of the BFA Annual Conference 2018， President Xi clearly told the world that the door of Chinas opening up will not close， but will only open wider. Chinas opening up is sure to achieve all-new levels of success.

A good book is like a good friend， as the British proverb goes. People always need a good book. I believe that Xi Jinping： The Governance of China is a good book that everyone can expect.