President Xi Jinping said history and facts have proven that Marxism is scientific and continues to have vitality today, according to a document of Xi's speech published on Wednesday.
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, delivered the speech at a symposium on Tuesday to discuss philosophy and social sciences in China.
Noting that Marxism will remain the guiding theory in philosophy and social sciences in China, Xi said the vast majority of people in philosophy and social science fields are sober-minded and firm in this stance.
However, some people lack in-depth and profound understanding of Marxism, and there are some ambiguous or even wrong perceptions in society, he said, criticizing the absence of Marxism in some philosophy and social sciences subjects.
"I have read some Western studies on Marxism. Their conclusions may not be correct, but they did well in careful reading and textual research," Xi said. "In comparison, some of our studies in this regard are far from enough."
Citing preeminent Western philosophers and literary and artistic masters such as Socrates, Aristotle, Dante and Shakespeare as well as Enlightenment thinkers Voltaire and Montesquieu, Xi said important progress in civilization cannot be achieved without forerunners in philosophy and the social sciences.
He stressed that the birth of Marxism is a great event in human intellectual history.
Xi also noted the wisdom in traditional Chinese culture.
Xi pointed out some problems in the development of philosophy and social sciences in China. "We have research in quantity but are in need of more quality work, and we have a number of experts but are in need of more masters."
He demanded that the development of philosophy and social sciences adhere to a people-oriented approach and pay attention to practical and realist issues.
He urged the establishment of a Chinese discourse system in philosophy and the social sciences.
"When it comes to analysis of China's experiences and construction of Chinese theories, we should have the best say. However, in reality, the voices of our philosophy and social sciences are still small in international society and our voices are not widely spread and heard," he said.
