Policy & RegulationAnalysis

CPC Promotes Modernization Vision to Foreign Envoys at Yan'an Briefing

A special briefing hosted by the International Department and Shaanxi officials gathers international political figures to showcase governance ideology.

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The Brief

The Communist Party of China held a special promotional briefing in Yan'an, Shaanxi province, focused on presenting the practice of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. Jointly hosted by the International Department of the CPC Central Committee and the CPC Shaanxi Provincial Committee, the event drew more than 200 foreign representatives, including party leaders from Vietnam and Mongolia. Officials used the historical revolutionary center to frame China's modernization drive around the concept of the 'two combinations,' highlighting both ideological continuity and regional economic development.

Why it matters

Bringing together over 200 political figures and experts from more than 50 countries highlights how Beijing leverages party-to-party diplomacy to project its governance model. The gathering serves as an important lens into China's international messaging strategy, showing how the leadership links core ideological formulations directly to contemporary modernization and state-led economic progress.

China context

Yan'an holds profound historical resonance for the CPC as the base where Mao Zedong consolidated authority and articulated party doctrine during the revolutionary era. By convening foreign delegates there, the party pairs the 'Yan'an spirit' with the 'two combinations'—adapting Marxism to China's concrete realities and traditional culture—to reinforce the historical and theoretical legitimacy of its ongoing governance path under Xi Jinping.

Editor's View

EDITOR'S VIEW — Analysis and inference, not factual reporting. The briefing illustrates the CPC's structured push to institutionalize party diplomacy as an external communication channel parallel to traditional state diplomacy. By using regional case studies—in this case, Shaanxi—the party attempts to translate abstract theoretical formulations like the 'two combinations' into tangible administrative and economic narratives for foreign interlocutors. Observers should note how Beijing increasingly curates multi-party forums to cultivate understanding and acceptance of China's alternative modernization framework among developing and neighboring nations.

What to watch

  • Statements or diplomatic feedback from foreign delegates, such as the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Democratic Party of Mongolia
  • Subsequent regional briefings organized by the International Department of the CPC Central Committee highlighting other provinces
  • Further party diplomacy initiatives aimed at popularizing the 'two combinations' framework abroad

Key Takeaways

  • 1The CPC Central Committee's International Department and the Shaanxi Provincial Committee held a promotional briefing in Yan'an on September 10.
  • 2More than 200 delegates from over 50 countries attended, including senior figures from Vietnam's Central Theoretical Council and Mongolia's Democratic Party.
  • 3International Department head Liu Haixing underscored the 'two combinations' introduced in July 2021 as a theoretical leap underpinning Chinese modernization.
The Communist Party of China hosted an international briefing on September 10 in Yan'an, Shaanxi province, dedicated to explaining the provincial implementation of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, according to reports by Xinhua. The thematic event was co-hosted by the International Department of the CPC Central Committee and the CPC Shaanxi Provincial Committee. Organized around the theme of the "two combinations" forging a path toward Chinese modernization, the conference used Shaanxi as a window to illustrate China's socio-economic development and governance achievements under the CPC Central Committee. According to official reports, the event drew more than 200 attendees from over 50 nations, including party leaders, think tank researchers, business executives, and media personnel. High-profile foreign attendees named in state media dispatches included Nguyen Xuan Thang, chairman of the Central Theoretical Council of the Communist Party of Vietnam, and Luvsannamsrai Tsogtogoo, leader of the Democratic Party of Mongolia. Delivering the keynote address, Liu Haixing, head of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, stated that President Xi Jinping first introduced the concept of the "two combinations" in July 2021. Liu characterized this theoretical concept—the integration of basic Marxist principles with China's specific actualities and fine traditional culture—as a theoretical milestone in exploring socialism with Chinese characteristics and a major leap in party ideology. Liu noted that the party has persistently pursued the sinicization and modernization of Marxism, advancing institutional and ideological innovation grounded in service to the people. The location of the gathering carries strong political symbolism. Yan'an served as the cradle of the party's revolutionary struggle prior to 1949, and state accounts highlighted the event as an effort to continue promoting the "Yan'an spirit." By positioning Shaanxi's modern development alongside foundational revolutionary legacy, organizers sought to present China's current modernization trajectory as both culturally rooted and practically proven to foreign political counterparts.