The Eighth China Social Science Frontier Forum in Guangzhou

 

With the theme “Social Transforma­tion and National Governance,” Social Science in China Press and Sun Yat-sen University co-hosted on Sept. 27.

 

Scholars in attendance said Chinese new leadership has put forward the idea of modernization of national gov­ernance, further enriching and devel­oping the Marxist theory of the state.

 

The Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the CPC put forth the following goals for advancing reform—developing the socialist system with Chinese char­acteristics, modernizing national governance systems and governance capacity.

 

Chinese Academy of Social Sci­ence president Wang Weiguang stressed in his keynote speech that in a sense, modernization of national governance systems and governance capacity is a revolution in the field of national governance, so we have to comprehensively understand its rich connotations.

 

“In terms of the choice of paths and systems, we must unswervingly adhere to the fundamental direction toward socialism with Chinese char­acteristics. In terms of the selection of institutional mechanisms and modes, we must unswervingly adhere to socialist mechanism with Chinese characteristics. In terms of building values, we must adhere to cultivating and promoting the socialist core val­ues,” Wang continued.

 

He said that he believes academ­ics in philosophy and social sciences need to come up with a number of innovative and instructive academic achievements in line with this theme while solidly enhancing the explana­tory power of academia and deep­ening socialist core value research to provide value and the cultural foundations for the modernization of national governance.

 

Many scholars also remarked that the modernization of national gover­nance systems and governance capac­ity advancement must be understood within the framework of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics, and promoting these concepts must be done on the basis of good faith in the system so that the socialist system with Chinese characteristics can be rendered more mature and stable.

 

Some scholars pointed out that China has a well-developed design at the upper echelons of power, but grassroots governance experiments are needed in order to mobilize all sections of society to participate in governance at the micro level and to let people play the principal role.

 

More than 70 representatives from nearly 50 Chinese universities and research institutions attended the meeting.

 

 

The Chinese version appeared in Chinese Social Sciences Today, No. 652, Sept.29, 2014      

The Chinese link is: http://cass.cssn.cn/yaowen/201409/t20140929_1346827.html

 

 

Translated by Yang Xue