BEIJING -- Speech at the Symposium Commemorating the 110th Anniversary of Comrade Hu Yaobang's Birth

(November 20, 2025)

By Xi Jinping

Comrades and friends,

Today, we gather here to hold a symposium commemorating the 110th anniversary of Comrade Hu Yaobang's birth.

Comrade Hu Yaobang was a time-honored and loyal communist fighter, a great proletarian revolutionary and statesman, an outstanding political worker of our army, and an exceptional leader who held important leading positions in the Party for a long time. He made indelible contributions to national independence and liberation, socialist revolution and construction, reform and opening up, and socialist modernization drive.

Comrade Hu Yaobang devoted himself to the revolution in his youth. He joined the Communist Youth League of China at the age of 14 and became a Communist Party of China (CPC) member at 18. In 1934, he participated in the Long March of the Red Army. During the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, he served successively as deputy director and director of the Organization Department of the General Political Department of the Central Military Commission. During the Liberation War, he held positions such as acting director of the political department of the Hebei-Jehol-Liaoning military command, political commissar of the 3rd and 4th Columns of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei field army, and director of the political department of the 1st corps of the North China military command. In the early days of the People's Republic of China, he served as secretary of the CPC North Sichuan regional committee and chairman of the region's administrative office as well as political commissar of the military command of North Sichuan. After 1952, he presided over the work of the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League for a long time. After 1962, he also held leading positions in Hunan and Shaanxi. In 1975, he served as the person in charge of the Party organization of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. After the end of the "Cultural Revolution," he successively held important positions such as vice president of the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, head of the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee, third secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, and secretary-general of the CPC Central Committee and concurrently head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee. From June 1981 to January 1987, he served as chairman of the CPC Central Committee and general secretary of the CPC Central Committee. From a young revolutionary fighter in the Soviet Area to a Party leader, from a wartime revolutionary fighter to a pioneer of reform and opening up, no matter which post he served or what position he held, he always maintained a selfless spirit of dedication and fearless revolutionary enthusiasm, and tirelessly contributed everything to the cause of the Party and the people.

Comrades and friends!

Comrade Hu Yaobang's life was one of brilliance, fight and devotion. Throughout his 60-year revolutionary career, he fully presented the integrity of upholding faith, dedicating himself to ideals, putting the people's interests at heart, and working for the common good. He fully demonstrated the pioneering spirit of seeking truth from facts and daring to be a trailblazer, the outstanding quality of being pragmatic and courageously taking responsibility, and the noble demeanor of being impartial, upright, honest and self-disciplined. He is always an example for us to follow.

Comrade Hu Yaobang harbored lofty aspirations and demonstrated an indomitable revolutionary will in his long-term practice of unremittingly striving for communism. We must, following his example, uphold our ideals and beliefs and remain unwaveringly loyal to the Party. Comrade Hu Yaobang stated, "Without Karl Marx's theories, we would not be where we are today." "Communism is embodied in every aspect of our daily life, and we cannot do without communism." Faced with the severe trials of the wartime environment, the hardships and obstacles during the peacetime construction, the brutal persecution he suffered during the "Cultural Revolution," and the major challenges in the new period of reform and opening up, he remained as firm as a rock in his ideals and beliefs, convictions and revolutionary will, and was unwaveringly loyal to the Party and the people.

Ideals and convictions are the spiritual pillar and political soul of communists. On the path forward, no matter how the situation changes or how complex the environment becomes, all Party members must steadfastly uphold their faith in communism, their belief in socialism with Chinese characteristics, and their confidence in realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. We must enhance our Party consciousness, actively engage in the drive for Chinese modernization, and strive tirelessly to achieve our grand ideals and shared aspirations.

Comrade Hu Yaobang emphasized proceeding from reality in all matters and made significant contributions to adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and rectifying the Party's organizational line. We must, following his example, adhere to seeking truth from facts and unswervingly pursue truth. Comrade Hu Yaobang stressed, "Marxism is a science in progress and the compass for revolution," and "a Chinese communist should be a revolutionary who is farsighted and realistic." He organized and promoted the extensive discussions on the criterion for testing truth, laying important theoretical groundwork for our Party to reestablish the ideological line of freeing minds and seeking truth from facts. He attached importance to exploring new theories in accordance with the practical needs of reform and opening up. He pointed out: "We should embrace all new thinking, inventions and practices that serve the people's interests and meet the needs of the times; we must have the courage to abandon the old conventions, stereotyped formulas, and hackneyed arguments that fail to meet the needs of our new missions and revolutionary practices." He was unselfish and dauntless, insisting on rectifying all wrongdoings, resolutely redressing wrongs suffered by those who were unjustly, falsely, and wrongly accused, and staying committed to implementing the Party's policies towards officials and intellectuals. This enabled multitudes of senior Party officials persecuted during the "Cultural Revolution" to return to their positions, and made it possible for a considerable number of officials, intellectuals, and ordinary citizens who had been wronged or persecuted to be rehabilitated.

Marxism stands as an indomitable truth, and seeking truth from facts is our Party's basic thinking, working, and leading approach. All Party members should uphold the principle that the basic tenets of Marxism must be integrated with China's specific realities and fine traditional culture, advance theoretical innovation on the basis of practical work, and ceaselessly break new ground in adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of our times. All Party members must integrate theory with practice, arm their minds with the Party's innovative theories of their own accord, and harness them to guide their practice and advance their work. They should have the courage to uphold truth and correct errors in a timely manner, so as to demonstrate the power of Marxist truth in advancing socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era.

Comrade Hu Yaobang actively championed and advanced reform and opening up, and devoted enormous energy to socialist modernization. We should follow his example by standing at the forefront of our times and forging ahead with determination to pursue reform and innovation. Comrade Hu Yaobang regarded reform as "an issue decisive to the success of our cause as a whole", stressing that "it would be impossible to advance the cause of socialism and realize socialist modernization without a series of profound reforms". He said, "The courage is required to overcome all difficulties and navigate new circumstances and problems that our predecessors had never encountered," and "all the old things hindering the development of socialist modernization must be reformed in a comprehensive, planned and step-by-step manner." He believed that rural reform should draw lessons from the mistakes of "being narrow-minded and excessively rigid" in the past, and should adopt more open approaches. He encouraged the special economic zones to "handle special matters with special approaches, handle new matters with new methods, and keep the stand unchanged while adopting entirely new approaches." He stressed that in opening up, it was necessary to utilize both domestic and foreign resources, open up both domestic and international markets, and dare to venture into broader horizons to break new ground.

Reform and opening up constitute an important instrument for the cause of the Party and the people to catch up with the times in great strides, and is also the fundamental driving force for advancing Chinese modernization. All Party members must have the courage to face all kinds of difficulties and challenges, and further deepen reforms comprehensively with a spirit of taking on tough challenges. They must uphold and improve socialism with Chinese characteristics while maintaining fundamental principles and breaking new ground, further modernize the country's system and capacity for governance, resolutely break down all institutional barriers that constrain high-quality development, constantly unleash and develop productive forces, and stimulate and enhance social vitality.

Comrade Hu Yaobang had sincere and profound affection for the people, and he did numerous practical and good deeds for developing the economy and improving people's lives as quickly as possible. We should follow his example by always concerning ourselves about the people and ensuring that benefits are shared by all. The couplet written by Comrade Hu Yaobang, which goes, "With hearts devoted to the people, no distinction is made between major and minor tasks; with benefits shared by all, no need to care too much about gaining more or less," profoundly manifested his affection for the people. He said, "Why did the Third Plenary Session of the 11th CPC Central Committee win such broad popular support? The fundamental reason lies in socialism with Chinese characteristics, which guides the people to become prosperous through their wisdom and hard work." "If the country is not prosperous and the people are not well-off, nothing else can be talked about." "As communists, we must always think for the people and enable them to become well-off as soon as possible." Throughout his life, he maintained the demeanor of the working people, regarded himself as one of the ordinary people, and sought delight and value in serving the people. He cared deeply about the production and living conditions of people in underdeveloped areas. He often traveled with a light entourage to the grassroots, listened to the people's voices, and worked to address their real concerns.

Our Party's greatest political advantage lies in its close ties with the people, and the people's support is our Party's greatest source of confidence in governance. All Party members must always bear in mind that the country is the people and the people are the country, uphold the principle of putting the people first, maintain close ties with the people, be consciously committed to the Party's fundamental purpose, and follow the Party's mass line in the new era. Through solid and persistent efforts, we must continuously enhance people's sense of gain, happiness and security, and make more notable and substantial progress toward common prosperity for all.

Comrade Hu Yaobang placed great emphasis on rectifying Party conduct and set a shining example in carrying on the Party's glorious traditions and fine conduct. We must follow his example by maintaining integrity and setting a good example in whatever we do. Comrade Hu Yaobang pointed out, "Whether Party conduct is good or not concerns the Party's ability to stand firm, to exist and to develop." "Good conduct is a silent appeal and an invisible source of spiritual strength." He required senior Party officials to set an example themselves in improving Party conduct. He detested misconduct and corruption and called on all Party members to wage a serious, persistent and resolute fight against them. He stressed: "Party members must set an example to be incorruptible." He had strict requirements for himself and his family members. Being just and upright, he worked in a democratic way, always had the big picture in mind, and remained frank and aboveboard. He explicitly and firmly upheld Party's principles, and was always on the reasonable side. He set it as a rule that no relatives should come to him for any favor or use his name for any private affairs.

How Party members behave is vital to the image of the Party, to whether the Party can have people's support, and to the future of the Party. All Party members, leading officials in particular, must keep it in mind that self-reform is a mission always in progress and so is full and rigorous Party self-governance. All Party members must persist in implementing the central Party leadership's eight-point decision on improving conduct, cultivate moral characters and be strict with themselves, and resolutely prevent and overcome privilege-seeking mindsets and practices. They must fight against misconduct and corruption, and always be clean and upright as a true communist should be, so as to make good Party and government conduct an example for the public to follow.

Comrade and Friends!

Comrade Hu Yaobang once said that the great cause of advancing socialist modernization was like climbing up Mount Tai. As long as we continuously overcome difficulties and obstacles, we would be able to surmount the thousands of steps, reach Nantianmen, then Yuhuangding, and march forward to even higher height. On the journey to build a modern socialist country in all respects and toward the Second Centenary Goal, all Party members must unite more closely around the CPC Central Committee, never forget our original aspirations and founding mission, have more confidence in the future, and take the initiative to advance all our causes in an unprecedented fighting spirit, so that we will turn into reality the long-cherished dream of revolutionaries of the older generation.