Murtaza Karshiboev. Photo: Courtesy of Karshiboev

Editor's Note:

As this year marks the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC), a national conference on Party building was held in Beijing on June 15, making arrangements for studying and implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building. The Thought reflects intrinsic connections among Party self-governance, Party strengthening and national rejuvenation. Articulated through the “Fourteen Upholds” – and comprising a series of signature major concepts, original ideas, and fundamental theoretical insights – the Thought has made major original contributions to the development of the Marxist theory of Party building, and is of great practical significance and far-reaching guiding significance for strengthening the Party and the country.

Of the “Fourteen Upholds,” the first is that upholding the Party’s leadership is the defining feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics. The book Xi Jinping: The Governance of China includes several important speeches on upholding and strengthening the leadership of the Party. In the “Speech at the Ceremony Marking the Centenary of the Communist Party of China” included in Volume IV of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China, Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed, “The leadership of the Party is the defining feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics and constitutes the greatest strength of this system. It is the foundation and lifeblood of the Party and the country, and the crux upon which the interests and wellbeing of all Chinese people depend.” 

Standing at a new historical starting point and guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building, the CPC is advancing from the “world’s largest political party” to becoming the “world’s most powerful political Party.” With unified thinking, firm resolve, coordinated action, and strong fighting strength, it will vigorously advance the great new project of Party building in the new era, thereby providing a strong political guarantee for the noble cause of building a powerful nation and achieving national rejuvenation.

In the 26th installment of the special series “Decoding the Book Xi Jinping: The Governance of China,” the Global Times (GT), along with the People’s Daily Overseas Edition, continues to invite Chinese and foreign scholars, translators of Xi’s works, practitioners with firsthand experience, and international readers to focus on the theme of Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building. Together, they deeply explore the core essence of Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building, as well as its profound practical and global significance, and jointly explore the question: “Why has the CPC remained vibrant after 105 years?”

In the 26th article of the "Translators' Voices" column, GT reporter Xia Wenxin interviewed Murtaza Karshiboev (Karshiboev), a translator from Uzbekistan who participated in the translation of the Uzbek-language edition of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China.

GT: Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building states that the CPC's leadership is the defining feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and that the centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee must be upheld. In Volume V of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that to ensure proper and procedure-based exercise of power and improve the Party's governance and leadership capacity, we must align our efforts to strengthen the Party with new developments in the Party and the country. This year marks the beginning of China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30). As an overseas scholar, why do you think the CPC places such importance on Party building? What guiding role does this play in the 15th Five-Year Plan?

Karshiboev: While working on the translation of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China, I was repeatedly reminded that all the historic victories achieved by the Chinese people in the new era are the direct result of the wise and pragmatic policies of the CPC and the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core.

I have absolutely no doubt that the 15th Five-Year Plan for China's socio-economic development will be a resounding success. I believe the monumental plan will further unite China's 1.4 billion people on their path toward realizing the Chinese Dream - the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. This journey will undoubtedly go down in history as yet another miracle performed by the Chinese people.

I recently read online about the national conference on Party building held in Beijing on June 15, 2026. The conference emphasized that Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building serves as the fundamental guideline for strengthening Party building in the new era. These are captured in the several core principles of the Thought, which deeply reveal the intrinsic link between strict Party self-governance, Party strengthening, and national rejuvenation. I am convinced that the CPC's steadfast commitment to the principles of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, coupled with its monolithic unity with the people, will continue to play a decisive role in fulfilling the objectives of the 15th Five-Year Plan. As China works to achieve the goals of the 15th Five-Year Plan, the leadership of the CPC through internal Party building will inevitably grow even stronger. 

GT: In Volume V of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized the need to "strengthen the core of our officials who can be trusted with the weighty mission of national rejuvenation, move faster to build world hubs for talent and innovation, and continue to foster model units and capable teams." In your view, how will the CPC's strong organizational capacity and high-caliber officials provide solid support for the implementation of the 15th Five-Year Plan?

Karshiboev: China's history and its rich experience over the years vividly demonstrate the paramount importance of structured, effective implementation, as well as the need for highly skilled officials - particularly those who lead by example at the grassroots level. In my view, this becomes even more critical as China embarks on the 15th Five-Year Plan.

Indeed, the CPC is a party with a glorious 105-year history. It is an organization defined by a high-level structure and formidable execution discipline, bringing together over 100 million members. I believe this very factor guarantees that China will achieve its socio-economic development goals for the upcoming five-year period.

Naturally, the CPC serves as a premier training ground for administrative officials. The fruits of the CPC's talent policy - focused on cultivating a new generation of officials capable of working effectively under socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era and navigating a rapidly transforming global landscape - will be fully on display as the key targets of the new five-year plan are put into action.

This brings me back to Xi Jinping: The Governance of China. Virtually every volume of this work devotes serious attention to continuously strengthening organizational systems, cultivating highly qualified officials capable of carrying out the great mission of national rejuvenation, and accelerating the creation of a global hub for top-tier talent and innovation. In short, the overarching message, logic, and leitmotif of this book is the art of state governance - elevating China's human capital and strengthening the societal foundation that unites the interests of the masses with those of Party organizations.

From this perspective, Xi's foresight and depth of thought are truly striking. He consistently introduces new mechanisms and tools to unlock the potential of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, especially in the development of officials. In particular, concepts such as the "Two Upholds" (resolutely upholding Comrade Xi Jinping's core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and upholding the Central Committee's authority and its centralized, unified leadership to ensure that all Party members act in unison) and the "Four Confidences" (confidence in the path, theory, system and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics) are incredibly vital in anchoring these core values in the minds of administrative personnel.

GT: The need to stay true to the Party's original aspiration and founding mission is a key component of Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building. In Volume V of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China, General Secretary Xi emphasized that we must stay true to our original aspiration, uphold the Party's ideals, convictions and principles, and continue to strive for the well-being of the Chinese people and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. In your view, how has the CPC transformed its original aspiration and founding mission into today's comprehensive and scientific governance system?

Karshiboev: I believe the concept of the "Party's original aspiration and founding mission" carries profound historical, ideological, and philosophical weight. As we know, from its very inception, the CPC defined its fundamental mission as seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation. This noble goal lies at the very heart of everything the Party does; it is what bridges the gap between the Party and the masses, ensuring their organic unity and cohesion.

It is entirely logical that the CPC has successfully translated this mission into a comprehensive, modern system of scientific state governance. More than a century of struggle, the experience gained along the way, and a systematic analysis of the successes achieved hand-in-hand with the people have naturally culminated in this unique, scientific system of governance. This system is a core component of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.

Naturally, such a scientific governance system makes the mobilization of resources and efforts to ensure the well-being of China's 1.4 billion people far more efficient, which in turn reinforces public trust. This is precisely how the CPC succeeds in tangibly improving people's satisfaction with their lives and maintaining long-term socio-economic stability.