Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday called on young officials to firm up their ideals, stay loyal to the Party, seek truth from facts, shoulder responsibilities, and strive to become the backbone of a society trusted by the Party and people with important tasks.
The moves come at a time when the Chines gaming industry again became a target of CPC’s iron hand as users under the age of 18 are limited to only one hour of online gaming time: on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays between 8-9 p.m. China also called for all tech giants to take on more social responsibilities and take a break from unfettered expansion.
Xi made the remarks while addressing the opening of a training session for young and middle-aged officials at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, also known as the National Academy of Governance.
The CPC has always been a political party holding lofty ideals and indomitable conviction, Xi said, adding that the ideals and conviction refer to the belief in Marxism, the great ideal of Communism and a shared ideal of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
He said staying loyal to the Party is the best demonstration of the ideals and conviction, stressing that such loyalty has a clear gauge in peaceful times — upholding the Party’s leadership and resolutely safeguarding the authority of the Party Central Committee as well as the centralized and unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee.
Stressing reality-based solutions, Xi encouraged young officials to work at the primary level to learn about both advantages and disadvantages, while absorbing both praise and criticism, so that they can gain a thorough understanding of the real situation. Xi underlined fulfilling duties and shouldering responsibilities as what gives value to officials.
Upholding principles is an important character trait of communists, and a crucial standard to evaluate an official’s competence, Xi said, adding that all Party officials should be fair and just in performing duties and leave no place for pursuing personal interests in their work.
“Communists should have character, integrity, and courage so that we’ll never be taken in by fallacies, never tremble in the face of danger, and never be spineless cowards. I want you to revere the Party, the people, the law and discipline, and always put the Party and the people at the center of your hearts,” said Xi.
The Supreme People’s Court of China declared the “996” schedule, working 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. six days a week, illegal. The decision comes after years of worker resistance against the tech industry’s burnout culture, which has manifested in actions like a GitHub project listing companies practicing “996.”
On August 17, President Xi Jinping delivered a speech calling for “common prosperity,” which caught widespread attention from the country’s ultra-rich.
“As China marches towards its second centenary goal, the focus of promoting people’s well-being should be put on boosting common prosperity to strengthen the foundation for the Party’s long-term governance.”
This week, both Tencent and Alibaba pledged to invest 100 billion yuan ($15.5 billion) in support of “common prosperity.” The purposes of their funds are similar and align neatly with Beijing’s national development goals, from growing the rural economy to improving the healthcare system.
