Li Peilin, Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and President of Shanghai Academy

Since the 18^th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary, Xi Jinping, has put forward and profoundly interpreted the Chinese Dream of realizing the great national rejuvenation, stressing that to realize the Chinese Dream, we must blaze a path of own, promote the spirit of China and unite forces. The Chinese Dream of the Great Rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation by Xi Jinping has been translated and published in many foreign languages. It is a major event in foreign communication and discourse system construction of China. On behalf of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, I’d like to extend my hearty congratulations on the important achievement of the Central Compilation and Translation Bureau. Construction of the international discourse system must adhere to modern Marxism as a guide and employ Chinese academic theory and a systematic approach to interpret the practices of China and the direction of China, improve China’s experiences, and constantly generalize new concepts, categories and terms featuring a combination of theory and practice, science and openness, so as to build a discourse system with Chinese characteristics, style and air. Here are my opinions on strengthening the construction of an international discourse system.

Firstly, we must firmly hold leadership, management right and discourse power in the realm of ideology. Building an academic discourse system of our own and continuously upgrading our international discourse power immediately concerns our success in the competition of overall national strength and ideological battles and the grand rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. We must secure possession of leadership, management right and discourse power in the realm of ideology. Leadership and management right are both reliant on discourse power. As long as we have the power over discourse, we’ll control the trend of public opinion. The new central collective leadership since the 18^th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, and especially Xi Jinping, have raised a range of new theories, thoughts, ideas and statements, which lay a profound theoretical foundation for innovation of China’s discourse system.

Secondly, we must strengthen our cultural soft power and international academic discourse power. The discourse system bearing particular ideas and values is a vital part of a nation’s cultural soft power. To build China’s discourse system, we must develop new concepts and categories featuring integration of China and the world and enhance our international discourse power. During the 16^th -19^th century, the works of Chinese sages including Laozi and Confucius were translated and introduced to Europe, followed by the rise of Sinology in Europe. Many European thinkers were enlightened by Chinese academic thoughts. Even Marx assimilated useful things from Chinese thinkers. Since the founding of New China, our discourse system in philosophy and social sciences has been at a disadvantage in the world. With rapid development of the Chinese economy and improvement of China’s national power and international influence, the situation in the academic world is also changing. It’s a duty that this era has entrusted to us to carry out all-round, in-depth and multi-channel academic dialogue with all countries and regions in the world, improve China’s international discourse power and influence, strengthen soft power of Chinese culture, integrate values of modern China in international exchanges and communications, and interpret China’s road of development, tell stories of China, spread the voice of China, explain characteristics of China, and create, with China’s discourse system, an external environment conducive to peaceful development of China.

Thirdly, we must give full play to the coordination committee for the construction of the discourse system in philosophy and social sciences. The discourse system in philosophy and social sciences is an important part of the Chinese discourse system and a systematic project. It can not be completed by some unit or department independently. Instead, it requires coordination and cooperation of all departments. The coordination committee for the construction of the discourse system in philosophy and social sciences is set up with approval of the Chinese central government. We must make the best use of the coordination committee and perfect its coordination functions. We consider that the member units must hold seminars in turn to report and exchange research achievements in construction of the discourse system, run the Update of Research on Construction of the Discourse System in Philosophy and Social Sciences well, strengthen information gathering and submission, and give play to the coordination committee’s role in information communication.

In the meantime, we must continue to give full play to the demonstration and leading role of Marxist theory in the research and construction project and further strengthen policy guidance of the National Social Science Foundation in construction of the innovative discourse system. In the fields of press and publication and media publicity, we suggest that we shall perfect the public opinion supervision mechanism which is related to the discourse system, and strengthen communication and coordination with mainstream media, especially new media, so as to realize interconnection over major issues and unified display of the discourse system. To promote the discourse system construction, all units must display their respective advantages and work together to make the discourse system in philosophy and social sciences generate positive energy and effects at home and abroad.