Chinese President Xi Jinping has radically altered the country's official historical narrative, positioning himself independently from previous leaders. In his article in Foreign Policy magazine, Chinese writer and researcher Ding Yuen argued that this change signals China's entry into a new strategic orientation in the context of global competition with the US.
According to Yuen, in his speech on July 1, the 105th anniversary of the Communist Party of China, Xi divided party history into four stages: revolution, construction, reform, and the 'new era'. This classification officially separates the period that began with Xi's rise to power in 2012 from Deng Xiaoping's reform era that started in 1978.
The article notes that this distinction carries profound political significance. Recalling that the reform process was previously seen as an ongoing stage, Yuen stresses that the declaration of the 'new era' as an independent stage means the reform period has officially ended.
It is stated that the historical periodization within the Communist Party of China is closely tied to the distribution of political legitimacy. While Mao Zedong is identified with the revolution and state-building stages, the reform era is associated with Deng Xiaoping; this legacy is also shared by former leaders Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao, who deepened economic opening.
Ding Yuen argues that Xi is focused on surpassing Deng's legacy rather than competing directly with Mao. The author says, 'If Deng answered the question "How can China become rich?", Xi presents himself as the one answering "How can China become strong?"', noting that power and national security have been placed at the top of state priorities.
According to the author, the declaration of the end of the reform era does not mean that reform rhetoric has been completely abandoned. Although the Chinese leadership still puts forward plans to deepen reforms, reform has ceased to be a political value in itself or the name of a historical period, and has become a tool serving the goals of the 'new era' defined by Xi.
While the Deng-era reforms encouraged gradually freeing the economy and society from political pressure, opening up to the world, and drawing on Western experience, Xi's reforms emphasize national security, party leadership, self-reliance, and China's modernization, increasing the control of the party and state over the economy and society.
This transformation is also reflected in official discourse. Slogans such as 'emancipate the mind', 'open up to the world', and 'let some people get rich first' have been replaced by concepts like 'comprehensive leadership of the party', 'security', 'struggle', 'self-confidence', 'common prosperity', and 'the rise of the East and decline of the West'.
Ding Yuen notes that China has not abandoned the word 'reform' but has radically altered its meaning. According to him, reform, which for decades formed the basis of the ruling party's legitimacy, no longer determines China's present and future; it has become subordinate to the priorities of the 'new era'.
