Li@State Council Meeting - Xi's Qiushi Article - 10 Clears: The Principal Contradiction - Detailing Xi Jinping's Economic Thought - Food Security - Zhang Xiaolian on Two Establishments & Xi & Mao
Here are the stories and pieces that I found noteworthy from the Wednesday, February 16, 2022, edition of the People’s Daily.
Page 1: Li Keqiang is the first PSC member to appear in public since the Olympics diplomatic rush. He chaired a State Council meeting yesterday. The report informs that Li heard a report on the handling of suggestions from deputies to the National People's Congress and proposals from members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in 2021.
Xinhua English reports:
“Last year, offices and departments under the State Council handled 8,666 suggestions from NPC deputies and 5,718 proposals submitted by CPPCC members, accounting for 96.4 percent and 93.4 percent of the total numbers of suggestions and proposals respectively, according to the meeting. The meeting pointed out that relevant departments adopted more than 4,300 pieces of advice and subsequently introduced over 1,600 policy measures.”
Some key takeaways from the report:
The government will step up income tax reductions and exemptions in the industrial and service sectors, prolong tax deferrals for small, medium and micro-sized manufacturing firms, and expand the scope of tax and fee cuts.
Financial services for enterprises should be improved, with the central bank providing incentive funds for expanding inclusive loans to small businesses, the meeting said, calling for an increase in mid- and long-term loans to manufacturers and a reduction in the financing costs of businesses.
Efforts will be made to shore up weak links in the industrial and supply chains of the manufacturing sector, speed up the construction of new infrastructure and ensure the adoption of carbon-cutting technologies within key sectors.
Regarding the catering, retail, tourism and transport sectors, which have faced particular difficulties, the country will increase support for them in the form of tax reductions and deferred premium payments. The aim here is to promote stable employment and consumption recovery.
The country should stabilize the prices of bulk commodities, ensure food and energy security, and increase the coal supply to safeguard power usage in both production and daily life.
Next, there’s a report about Xi’s article on adhering to the path of socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics in Qiushi. My colleague Swayamsiddha Samal has translated the full Qiushi article, and I’ve highlighted the key points that I thought were relevant in bold. You can download the PDF below to go through the text.
Third, there’s a long piece, which is the first in a series on the theme of seeking progress while maintaining stability. Today’s article is about agriculture and food security. I struggled with this article. It felt very disjointed. But here are the key themes that are discussed:
Focus on higher-quality seeds
Stabilise grain, corn, expand production of soybeans and oil crops; maintain cultivable area
Increase policy support for grain production and stabilise the area dedicated to for grain production
Modernization of agriculture and rural areas is indispensable to building a modern country
Some excerpts that I thought were useful to note:
Ensuring the supply of primary products and maintaining stability while seeking progress is a major strategic issue. Since the 18th Party Congress, China's agricultural production has maintained steady progress and improved. Last year, China’s total grain output reached 1.3657 trillion jin. The domestic grain production has remained at over 1.3 trillion jin for seven consecutive years. The supply of agricultural products has been sufficient, and the reform and development of agriculture and rural areas has achieved remarkable results, which played an important role in opening up new situations, responding to emergencies and stabilising the overall situation. 稳字当头、稳中求进，保障好初级产品供给是一个重大战略性问题。党的十八大以来，我国农业生产保持稳中有进、稳中向优、稳中向好。去年全国粮食总产量达到13657亿斤，连续多年站稳1.3万亿斤台阶，农产品供应充足，农业农村改革发展取得显著成效，对开新局、应变局、稳大局发挥了重要作用.
“At present and in the future, the main direction of China’s agricultural development is to promote agricultural supply-side structural reform and improve the comprehensive benefits and competitiveness of agriculture. General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed: ‘We must adjust the economic structure in a down-to-earth manner, expand the planting of soybeans and oilseeds and focus on measurable results’.” 推进农业供给侧结构性改革，提高农业综合效益和竞争力，是当前和今后一个时期我国农业发展的主要方向。习近平总书记强调：“要实打实地调整结构，扩种大豆和油料，见到可考核的成效.”
This is where the piece focuses on seeds, comparing seeds to semiconductors. It says:
“Seeds are the ‘chips’ of modern agriculture…This year, Hebei Province will implement the seed industry revitalization project, focus on 16 new varieties’ cultivation research, and deploy and construct 14 seed industry clusters.” 种子，是现代农业的“芯片”...今年，河北省将实施种业振兴工程，开展16项新品种培育攻关，布局建设14个种业集群.
Another message that the piece underscores is that “Basic self-sufficiency in grain must be guaranteed at all times and ensure the absolute security of food rations.” 任何时候都要保障谷物基本自给、口粮绝对安全. Pan Wenbo, who heads the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs plantation department, argues that “to stabilize food rations, we should stabilize the two major crops of rice and wheat…To stabilize corn, it is necessary to increase corn yield and consolidate and increase production capacity.”
Page 2: Much of the page is dedicated to the third commentary on the 10 Clears, which are described as key components of Xi Jinping Thought. The history resolution informs us that the third point is:
“The principal contradiction facing Chinese society in the new era is that between unbalanced and inadequate development and the people’s ever-growing needs for a better life, and the Party must therefore remain committed to a people-centered philosophy of development, develop whole-process people’s democracy, and make more notable and substantive progress toward achieving well-rounded human development and common prosperity for all.”
I thought this explanation below by Jean Christopher Mittelstaedt is a very good way of looking at these pieces:
The article begins by focussing on the idea of the people. It says: “The country is the people, and the people are the country.” 江山就是人民, 人民就是江山.
It adds that making people’s lives better and happier is the ‘国之大者’ in General Secretary Xi Jinping’s mind. 让人民生活幸福是习近平总书记心中的“国之大者”. Ergo, the piece says, he has pushed for focus on high-quality development. This then leads to the change in the principal contradiction. “The transformation of the principal contradiction defines the characteristics of the new era, which calls for new changes.” 社会主要矛盾转化标注新时代的特征，也呼唤新变革.
Some explanation is offered below for this shift:
“Entering the new era, China’s comprehensive national strength has significantly increased and China is the world’s second-largest economy after decades of sustained and rapid development since reform and opening up. At the same time, China’s development remains unbalanced and inadequate. The quality and efficiency of development are still not high, our capacity for innovation is not strong, the real economy needs to be improved, environmental protection has a long way to go, there are still many shortcomings in the field of people's livelihood, there are still weaknesses in social governance, and poverty alleviation remains an arduous task. From ‘high-speed growth’ to ‘high-quality development’, from ‘food and clothing’ to ‘high-quality life’, we need to focus on the changes in China’s national strength and people’s needs, and achieve a profound change from ‘whether there is enough’ to ‘whether it is good’. This is a rich expansion of the development connotation, focusing on ‘people's growing needs for a better life’ - From food and clothing to a moderately prosperous society in all respects, the people not only have higher requirements for material and cultural life, but also have growing demands for democracy, rule of law, equity, justice, security and the environment.” 进入新时代，经过改革开放后几十年持续快速发展，我国综合国力显著增强，稳居世界第二大经济体。同时，我国发展不平衡不充分的问题仍然突出：发展质量和效益还不高，创新能力不够强，实体经济水平有待提高，生态环境保护任重道远，民生领域还有不少短板，社会治理还有弱项，脱贫攻坚任务艰巨……从“高速增长”到“高质量发展”，从“衣食无忧”到“高品质生活”，要聚焦国情国力、人民需求变化，实现从“有没有”到“好不好”的深刻转变. 这是对发展内涵的丰富扩展，聚焦“人民日益增长的美好生活需要”—— 从解决温饱到全面小康，人民群众不仅对物质文化生活提出更高要求，而且对民主、法治、公平、正义、安全、环境等方面的要求也日益增长.
After this, the piece talks about the Civil Code. It begins with an example of a case in Guangzhou where a child was injured by a bottle thrown by someone from the 35th floor of a tower. The folks who threw the bottle were ordered to pay 90,000 yuan for medical and nursing expenses. This was the first case that was concluded in Guangzhou after the official implementation of the Civil Code…the Civil Code has continuously strengthened the protection of civil rights and made economic and social operations more law-based. 2021年1月4日，广州市越秀区人民法院公开开庭审理一起高空抛物损害责任纠纷案，判决从35楼扔下矿泉水瓶导致老人受伤的孩子家长赔偿医药费、护理费等共计9万多元。这是民法典正式施行后广州首个宣判的案件。治理“城市上空之痛”；坚决制止网络暴力……作为新时代人民权利的“宣言书”，民法典实施以来，不断加强公民权利保护，让经济社会运行更加有章可循.
This is also interesting:
“Impartial administration of justice is the last line of defence to safeguard social fairness and justice. ‘100-1 = 0’- ‘The negative impact of one misjudged case is enough to destroy the good image accumulated by ninety-nine impartial judges. One in ten thousand errors in law enforcement and justice will do 100 percent harm to the parties involved.’ This ‘rule of law formula’ put forward by General Secretary Xi Jinping will rouse even the most apathetic 振聋发聩.” – 公正司法，是维护社会公平正义的最后一道防线。“100-1=0”——“一个错案的负面影响足以摧毁九十九个公正裁判积累起来的良好形象。执法司法中万分之一的失误，对当事人就是百分之百的伤害。”习近平总书记提出的这一“法治公式”，振聋发聩.
From here, the piece pivots to talk about other key areas:
General Secretary Xi Jinping has responded to people’s expectations: better education, more stable jobs, more satisfactory income, more reliable social security, higher level of medical and health services, more comfortable living conditions and a more beautiful environment...Deployed and deepened the reform of education system; comprehensively strengthened measures to stabilise employment; clarified the major policy and action program of building a healthy China; called for adherence to the principle of ‘housing is not for speculation’, and sped up the establishment of a housing system that focuses on providing housing through multiple sources, supports housing supply through multiple channels, and encourages both rental and purchase; promoted green development mode and lifestyle...习近平总书记回应人民的期盼：有更好的教育、更稳定的工作、更满意的收入、更可靠的社会保障、更高水平的医疗卫生服务、更舒适的居住条件、更优美的环境……部署深化教育体制改革；全面强化稳就业举措；明确建设健康中国的大政方针和行动纲领；坚持“房住不炒”，加快建立多主体供给、多渠道保障、租购并举的住房制度；推动形成绿色发展方式和生活方式……党的十八大以来，一项项为民举措，诠释着宗旨本色.
The piece then talks about people-centred development philosophy and China’s economic development, COVID-19 management and the principle of “supremacy of life,” the notion of whole-process democracy. The latter talks about comments and suggestions received and incorporated in the legislative process. Of course, when we get something about whole-process democracy, we get the quote about democracy not being an ornament, and Xi’s quote that “the idea of people-centred development is not an abstract or esoteric concept. It should not remain in words or thoughts. It should be reflected in all aspects of economic and social development.” 习近平总书记指出：“以人民为中心的发展思想，不是一个抽象的、玄奥的概念，不能只停留在口头上、止步于思想环节，而要体现在经济社会发展各个环节.”
The next bit basically emphasises that there are no trivial matters when it comes to livelihood issues – so from clean winter heating in the north to garbage sorting, treatment and recycling of livestock and poultry waste, improving the service quality of nursing homes, regulating the rental housing market, curbing real estate bubbles, and strengthening supervision over food safety…It talks about basic public services in areas of the greatest concern to the people, such as education, medical care, elderly care and housing, and ensuring stable supply of grain, cooking oil, meat, eggs, milk, fruits and vegetables. It also informs that “per capita GDP exceeded $12,000, resulting in China having the world’s largest middle-income population. The enrolment rate of compulsory education is close to 100%; Basic medical insurance covers more than 1.35 billion people, and basic old-age insurance covers more than 1 billion people... A picture of people’s happy life is unfolding in China in the new era.” 人均GDP超过1.2万美元，形成世界最大规模中等收入群体；义务教育入学率接近100%；基本医疗保险覆盖超过13.5亿人，基本养老保险覆盖超过10亿人……一幅人民幸福生活的画卷，正在新时代中国徐徐铺展.
The final chunk of the article talks about the goal of common prosperity. Here, we get the example of the development of Maoyang Township in Zhejiang as the epitome of the commitment to high-quality development and common prosperity. Another example cited is of people enjoying more winter sports in the country. All of these are examples of all-round development of human beings. Of course, the piece says that such development has material and spiritual dimensions.
“General Secretary Xi Jinping has attached great importance to it (cultural/spiritual development), made systematic plans for, and personally promoted cultural development; he has insisted on leading cultural development through core socialist values, constantly ensuring that the diverse, multi-level and multi-faceted spiritual and cultural needs of the masses are met…” 习近平总书记高度重视、系统部署、亲自推动，坚持以社会主义核心价值观引领文化建设，不断满足群众多样化、多层次、多方面精神文化需求，让人们的精神世界更加充盈饱满.
Page 3: A couple of reports to note. First, there’s a feature piece on China’s agriculture diplomacy/exchanges in the global south. Second, a Chinese naval fleet tasked with delivering relief supplies to Tonga arrived in the country’s capital Nuku'alofa on Tuesday. More than 1,400 tonnes of supplies were delivered including mobile houses, tractors, generators, pumps, water purifiers, emergency food and epidemic prevention equipment.
Page 4: Just one story to note. The General Office of the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee convened a meeting on Tuesday to brief some national lawmakers on the work of the NPC Standing Committee and prepare for the annual legislative session due to open on March 5. Yang Zhenwu, secretary-general of the NPC Standing Committee, introduced the preliminary agenda of the top legislature for 2022, which will see 41 drafts deliberated and 32 oversight tasks carried out. Yang called on the attendant lawmakers to conduct in-depth research and prepare well for the upcoming session.
In the PD report, we learn that Yang said: In 2021, under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, the NPC Standing Committee thoroughly studied and implemented Xi Jinping Thought on the rule of law and General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important thoughts on upholding and improving the system of people’s congresses, fully implemented the guiding principles of the 19th Party Congress and its plenary sessions, conscientiously completed all tasks assigned by the 4th Session of the 13th National People's Congress, and achieved new progress and new results in all aspects of work. 杨振武表示，2021年，全国人大常委会以习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想为指导，深入学习贯彻习近平法治思想和习近平总书记关于坚持和完善人民代表大会制度的重要思想，全面贯彻落实党的十九大和十九届历次全会精神，认真完成十三届全国人大四次会议部署的各项任务，各方面工作都取得了新进展新成效.
For the upcoming session, he said that the Standing Committee of the NPC “will thoroughly study and implement the spirit of the Sixth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee and the spirit of the central conference on work related to people’s congresses, carry forward the spirit of party building, strengthen the ‘four consciousnesses’, strengthen the ‘four self-confidences’ and achieve the ‘two safeguards’; Implement the Constitution in an all-round way, take the opportunity of commemorating the 40th anniversary of the implementation of the current Constitution, and sum up the great achievements and valuable experience in the implementation of the Constitution; Continue to improve the socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics…” 杨振武介绍了全国人大常委会2022年工作初步安排。他说，全国人大常委会将深入学习贯彻党的十九届六中全会精神和中央人大工作会议精神，弘扬伟大建党精神，增强“四个意识”、坚定“四个自信”、做到“两个维护”；全面贯彻实施宪法，以纪念现行宪法实施40周年为契机，总结宪法实施中的重大成就和宝贵经验；继续完善中国特色社会主义法律体系，初步安排继续审议和初次审议41件法律案；用好宪法赋予人大的监督权，初步安排了32个监督项目；充分发挥人大代表作用，丰富代表联系人民群众的内容和形式。认真做好十三届全国人大五次会议准备工作。希望各位代表提前研读相关议案，围绕议题和工作实际深入开展调研，精心准备议案建议；会议期间认真参加审议，共同营造良好会风，确保大会圆满顺利.
Page 9: On the theory page, the lead piece is by the newly-established research center on Xi Jinping’s economic thought. This center is under the NDRC. The piece says that Xi Jinping’s economic thought is a “major theoretical achievement that came into being by applying the basic principles of Marxism to guide China’s economic development practice.” This thought “points out the correct direction and provides a fundamental guide for doing a good job in economic work in the new era, and must be adhered to and fully implemented for a long time.” 习近平新时代中国特色社会主义经济思想是习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想的重要组成部分，是运用马克思主义基本原理指导我国经济发展实践形成的重大理论成果，为做好新时代经济工作指明了正确方向、提供了根本遵循，必须长期坚持、全面落实.
The first part of the piece talks about the significance of Xi Jinping’s economic thought. This includes profuse praise for Xi, as someone who has demonstrated “the profound insight, keen judgement and theoretical creativity of a Marxist politician, thinker and strategist” and pondered over and “scientifically answered a series of important theoretical and practical issues related to economic development in the new era in response to the changes of the times.” The thought was first expounded at the December 2017 CEWC, the piece tells us; and it is the “latest achievement of socialist political economy with Chinese characteristics, and a very valuable spiritual wealth of the Party and the country.”
The next two paragraphs tell us that this thought applies the “basic principles of Marxism, adheres to the combination of theory and practice, the unity of epistemology and methodology, is focused on the new era and new situation, and has been formed and developed through the interaction between theoretical and practical innovation, while constantly promoting the sinicization and modernization of Marxist political economy…it has thereby made original contributions to enriching and developing socialist political economy with Chinese characteristics.”
In addition, this thought was formed under the historical conditions of socialism with Chinese characteristics entering a new era, changes in the principal contradiction, a new normal stage of economic development, and a profound churn in the world in the form of the changes unseen in a century…“It is a powerful ideological weapon to guide the high quality development of China's economy. If we thoroughly study and implement Xi Jinping Thought on Economic Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and use it to guide China's economic development, we will be able to successfully cope with all kinds of risks and challenges and ensure that the giant wheel of China's economy will break through waves and make steady progress.”
习近平新时代中国特色社会主义经济思想运用马克思主义基本原理，坚持理论与实践相结合、认识论和方法论相统一，聚焦新时代新形势新情况，在理论创新与实践创新的良性互动中形成和发展，不断推进马克思主义政治经济学中国化时代化，形成了富有中国特色、中国风格、中国气派的理论体系，深化了我们党对经济社会发展规律的认识，对丰富和发展中国特色社会主义政治经济学作出了原创性贡献，书写了马克思主义政治经济学新篇章。习近平新时代中国特色社会主义经济思想是在中国特色社会主义进入新时代、我国社会主要矛盾发生新变化、经济发展进入新常态新阶段、世界百年未有之大变局深度演进的历史条件下形成的，具有广阔时代背景、深厚理论渊源和坚实实践基础，蕴含着坚定的理想信念、鲜明的人民立场、宏大的全球视野，系统回答了我国经济发展的根本保证、奋斗目标、根本立场、历史方位、指导原则、主题主线、根本动力、制度基础、战略举措和工作方法等一系列重大理论和实践问题，是指引我国经济高质量发展的强大思想武器。深入学习贯彻习近平新时代中国特色社会主义经济思想，用以指导我国经济发展实践，就能成功应对各种风险挑战，推动中国经济巨轮劈波斩浪、行稳致远。
The next section talks about the key elements of this thought:
First, adhere to the party's overall leadership over economic work
Second, advance the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-style modernization: “Chinese-style modernization is the modernization with a huge population, the modernization with common prosperity for all people, the modernization with coordinated material civilization and spiritual civilization, the modernization with harmonious coexistence between man and nature, the modernization with peaceful development, Chinese characteristics and based on the reality of China. Promoting the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-style modernization can not only ensure the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation at an unstoppable pace, but can also solve many problems in the development of human society and expand the way for developing countries to modernize.” 中国式现代化是人口规模巨大的现代化，是全体人民共同富裕的现代化，是物质文明和精神文明相协调的现代化，是人与自然和谐共生的现代化，是走和平发展道路的现代化，具有中国特色、符合中国实际。以中国式现代化推进中华民族伟大复兴，不仅能确保中华民族以不可阻挡的步伐迈向伟大复兴，而且破解了人类社会发展的诸多难题，拓展了发展中国家走向现代化的途径.
Third, adhere to a people-centered development philosophy.
Fourth, adhere to the direction of reform for the socialist market economy and uphold and improve China's basic economic system: the core issue is to properly handle the relationship between the government and the market, give full play to the decisive role of the market in allocating resources, better leverage the role of the government, and better integrate efficient markets with promising governments. 坚持社会主义市场经济改革方向，核心问题是处理好政府和市场的关系，充分发挥市场在资源配置中的决定性作用，更好发挥政府作用，推动有效市场和有为政府更好结合
Fifth, understand and grasp the new development stage.
Sixth, adhere to the new development philosophy.
Seventh, accelerate the construction of a new development pattern. “The key to building a new development pattern with domestic macro-circulation as the main body and domestic and international dual-circulation promoting each other lies in the unimpeded economic circulation, and the most essential feature is to achieve a high level of self-reliance and self-improvement. We must adhere to the strategic basis of expanding domestic demand, make all links of production, distribution, circulation and consumption more dependent on the domestic market to achieve a virtuous circle, clarify the strategic direction of supply-side structural reform, and promote the dynamic balance between total supply and total demand at a higher level; With a strong domestic economic circulation system and a stable basic structure, China will enjoy a strong attraction to global factor resources, a strong competitiveness in fierce international competition and a strong driving force in global resource allocation. 构建以国内大循环为主体、国内国际双循环相互促进的新发展格局，关键在于经济循环的畅通无阻，最本质的特征是实现高水平的自立自强。必须坚持扩大内需这一战略基点，使生产、分配、流通、消费各环节更多依托国内市场实现良性循环，明确供给侧结构性改革的战略方向，促进总供给和总需求在更高水平上实现动态平衡；实行高水平对外开放，以强大的国内经济循环体系和稳固的基本盘，形成对全球要素资源的强大吸引力、在激烈国际竞争中的强大竞争力、在全球资源配置中的强大推动力。
Eighth, continue to pursue high-quality development and take supply-side structural reform as our main task
Ninth, balance development and security. “At present, China is in a period when various contradictions and risks are prone to occur. We must give high priority to preventing risks, work hard to resolve various contradictions and problems, and take the strategic initiative to turn risks into opportunities. We should attach equal importance to development and security, and achieve a positive interaction between high-quality development and high-level security.” 当前，我国处于各类矛盾和风险易发期，必须把防风险摆在突出位置，着力破解各种矛盾和问题，打好化险为夷、转危为机的战略主动仗。坚持发展和安全并重，实现高质量发展和高水平安全良性互动.
Tenth, focus on innovation-driven development and place innovation at the core of China’s modernization drive.
Eleventh, pursue opening up. “Opening to the outside world is an important driving force for China's economic and social development. Promoting reform and development through opening up is an important magic weapon for China’s development to continuously achieve new achievements.” 对外开放是推动我国经济社会发展的重要动力，以开放促改革、促发展是我国发展不断取得新成就的重要法宝.
Twelfth, adhere to correct work strategies and methods. This refers to ensuring adherence to the approaches of seeking progress while maintaining stability, having a systematic approach, improving means of economic governance, focusing on key areas, being goal-oriented and problem-oriented, etc.
The next piece on the page that I’d like to cover is this one by Zhang Xiaolian, who is a member of the National Committee of the CPPCC. Zhang talks about the significance of understanding the importance of the history resolution. Zhang talks about the two establishments and says that:
“A strong leadership core and scientific theoretical guidance are fundamental issues related to the future and destiny of the party and the country, as well as the success or failure of the cause of the party and the people.” 坚强的领导核心和科学的理论指导，是关乎党和国家前途命运、党和人民事业成败的根本性问题。He also adds: “The decisive significance of the ‘two establishments’ will be further demonstrated on the new journey towards the second centenary goal of building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects.” “两个确立”的决定性意义必将在向全面建成社会主义现代化强国的第二个百年奋斗目标进军的新征程上进一步得到彰显.
Later in the piece, Zhang does something really interesting. He calls Mao Zedong Thought as the “first historic leap in the sinicization of Marxism.” He then says that the “theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics realised a new leap in the sinicization of Marxism.” 毛泽东思想是马克思主义中国化的第一次历史性飞跃，中国特色社会主义理论体系实现了马克思主义中国化新的飞跃. And then he goes to Xi after the 18th Party Congress to say that “Xi Jinping Thought on socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era is the crystallisation of the practical experience and collective wisdom of the party and the people. It is a scientific theoretical system that is systematic and comprehensive, logically rigorous, rich in connotation and has internal unity. It marks a new height of the development of Marxism with original theoretical contributions and realises a new leap of sinicization of Marxism.” 习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想是党和人民实践经验和集体智慧的结晶，是系统全面、逻辑严密、内涵丰富、内在统一的科学理论体系，以原创性理论贡献标注了马克思主义发展的新高度，实现了马克思主义中国化新的飞跃. — Why I thought this was interesting is that essentially it’s Mao and Xi who are on the same pedestal. Deng Xiaoping’s theory is basically a faceless theoretical system.
In the final paragraph of the article, Zhang again places Xi and Mao on the same pedestal. He talks about the cave-dwelling question, arguing that while Mao answered part of that by emphasising democracy, Xi has provided a second aspect through self-revolution.
In addition to these, there’s an article by Deng Yifei from NDU on having a strategic perspective to view problems. I thought this was interesting, but I am not going into details here.