TaiShang
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Ideological rivalry can’t be taken lightly
Global Times
A leader from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) recently said the academy has always attached high importance to ideological work and has made political principles the main subject for assessment. Last month, the CASS was accused of being "infiltrated by foreign forces."
Ideology has always been a critical topic in China. The fundamental reason is that China's overall strength is weaker than that of the West, while its political system also differs with that of the West. We face long-term pressure from ideology and politics.
Some people hold the belief that as long as Western society performs better than China's, the prevalence of Western values in China is unavoidable.
Such views are naïve from the perspective of politics and never serve as the basis for the country's policymaking. Ideology is the breaking point of the West's attempt to dissolve the unity of China. China is in a more passive position in the field of ideology than it is in other fields.
China's unique political path has brought development momentum, but it also makes the country at risk of being overthrown when it integrates with the West. Chinese society is aware of the importance of confidence, yet we do lack the resources that can sustain our confidence. When China's strength exceeds that of the US and the living conditions can match that of the West, we will not be so anxious about ideology. But if we do not act now to consolidate our ideological front, we may fail even before we have gained confidence.
Ideology is the core political resource of society. The Chinese have seen in recent years that the US is a country that places too much emphasis on ideology. Think tanks in the US will not allow a scholar that supports communism to hold important positions, and public media in Europe will not even tolerate an editor that makes balanced comments about China.
Many Chinese people endorse Western political systems. Reform and opening-up has opened China's door to the West, including its thoughts. We need to absorb Western thoughts, or China would have become restrained and rigid and would not be what it is today. However, the absorption of Western thoughts has made some Chinese people feel less confident, at least in the short term. The problem is bound to be politicized, as it will become a breakthrough point when the West competes with China. China must minimize this risk as it opens itself up.
Not only institutes of social sciences, but also universities and other organizations must attach great importance to the complexity and diversity of thoughts. Western thoughts have already dominated the ways of thinking of a certain group and even influenced their ways of pursuing self-interest. As China opens itself more and carries out further reforms, the competition for ideology will face many challenges. We should be sober-minded about this.
[Thank you to Tianxia for the original post]
Global Times
A leader from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) recently said the academy has always attached high importance to ideological work and has made political principles the main subject for assessment. Last month, the CASS was accused of being "infiltrated by foreign forces."
Ideology has always been a critical topic in China. The fundamental reason is that China's overall strength is weaker than that of the West, while its political system also differs with that of the West. We face long-term pressure from ideology and politics.
Some people hold the belief that as long as Western society performs better than China's, the prevalence of Western values in China is unavoidable.
Such views are naïve from the perspective of politics and never serve as the basis for the country's policymaking. Ideology is the breaking point of the West's attempt to dissolve the unity of China. China is in a more passive position in the field of ideology than it is in other fields.
China's unique political path has brought development momentum, but it also makes the country at risk of being overthrown when it integrates with the West. Chinese society is aware of the importance of confidence, yet we do lack the resources that can sustain our confidence. When China's strength exceeds that of the US and the living conditions can match that of the West, we will not be so anxious about ideology. But if we do not act now to consolidate our ideological front, we may fail even before we have gained confidence.
Ideology is the core political resource of society. The Chinese have seen in recent years that the US is a country that places too much emphasis on ideology. Think tanks in the US will not allow a scholar that supports communism to hold important positions, and public media in Europe will not even tolerate an editor that makes balanced comments about China.
Many Chinese people endorse Western political systems. Reform and opening-up has opened China's door to the West, including its thoughts. We need to absorb Western thoughts, or China would have become restrained and rigid and would not be what it is today. However, the absorption of Western thoughts has made some Chinese people feel less confident, at least in the short term. The problem is bound to be politicized, as it will become a breakthrough point when the West competes with China. China must minimize this risk as it opens itself up.
Not only institutes of social sciences, but also universities and other organizations must attach great importance to the complexity and diversity of thoughts. Western thoughts have already dominated the ways of thinking of a certain group and even influenced their ways of pursuing self-interest. As China opens itself more and carries out further reforms, the competition for ideology will face many challenges. We should be sober-minded about this.
[Thank you to Tianxia for the original post]
