On November 19, the 5th Party Congress of CUEB opened at Zhuoyu Auditorium. This important Congress took place at a critical time as the country is deeply implementing the spirit of the 20th CPC National Congress and promoting the building of a leading country in education, as Beijing is launching a new journey for the development of the capital city in the new era, and implementing the strategic plan for a strong education country with the best standard, and as CUEB is consolidating education on learning  Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era  for higher quality development.

The meeting, guided by  Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era , aims to deeply implement the 20th Party Congress and the 13th Beijing Municipal Congress of the Communist Party of China, and comprehensively carry out the Party’s education policy and the strategic plan for a strong educational system. We should implement the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education, and actively serve Chinese modernization and the development of the capital in the new era. Going forward, we should follow high-quality development, take innovation and reform as the driving force, keep up the momentum and forge forward with determination, and strive in unity to accelerate the establishment of China’s first-class and worldly-renowned university of finance and economics with distinctive characteristics.

Li Yi, Deputy Secretary of Beijing Municipal Education Working Committee (BMEWC) and Director of Beijing Municipal Education Commission (BMEC), attended the meeting and delivered a speech. Wang Wenju, Secretary of the Party Committee of CUEB, gave a work report on behalf of the 4th committee of the CUEB Party committee. Wu Weixing, the Deputy Party Secretary and President of CUEB, presided over the meeting.

Other participants were as follows: Zhao Weilong, Deputy Director of the Comprehensive Division of the Seventh Supervision and Inspection Office of the Beijing Discipline Inspection Committee, Wei Xubin, Director of the Office of the Beijing Municipal Education Commission, Tan Zhenkang, Director of the First Organization Division of the work of BMEWC, Ma Boxuan, Zhang Lichuan, Wen Kui, Feng Pei, leaders of retirees, members of the last “two committees”, division-level leaders and representatives of the professors, People’s Congress at all levels, the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) members, heads of democratic parties in grassroots, members without party affiliation, representatives of Labor Union and Teacher Representative Congress and student Party members.

The atmosphere in the Auditorium was solemn yet pleasant. The Party Emblem in the center of the curtain was shining against the backdrop of the red flags. The logo of “The 5th Party Congress of CUEB” hung above the platform. The banner of “Striving in Unity to Accelerate the Establishment of China’s First-Class and World-Renowned University of Finance and Economics with Distinctive Characteristics” hung in the back of the Auditorium.

At 8 a.m., the meeting opened. Everyone stood up and sang the national anthem.

Li Yi, on behalf of BMEWC and BMEC, congratulated the Congress on its opening. He pointed out that since the 4th Party Congress, the school Party Committee has always adhered to the overall leadership of the Party and gathered strength for high-quality development. The school Party Committee has always adhered to the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education, deepened the comprehensive reform of “all-faculty, whole-process, all-round” education system, and employed the broader ideological and political education to cultivate the youth in line with the capital development. The school Party Committee has always adhered to reform and innovation and made great achievements in construction of high-level research university. The school Party Committee has always adhered to serving the overall situation and contributed wisdom and strength to the capital development in the new era.

Li Yi emphasized that the  Report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China  prioritized education, science and technology, and talent, which means we should accelerate the building of a strong educational system. We should study and implement the spirit of the 20th CPC National Congress, and adhere to General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important observations on education, especially those on building a strong educational system. In the process of the development of both China and Beijing, CUEB should play an exemplary role to maximalize advantages to create a first-class university with our own characteristics, thus writing a new chapter in the building of a strong educational system.

Li Yi put forward four hopes to the Party Committee:

• Firstly, CUEB should adhere to the Party’s overall leadership and push forward school development with high-quality Party building.

• Secondly, CUEB should focus on the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education and cultivating personnel who can shoulder the responsibilities of National Rejuvenation.

• Thirdly, CUEB should continue to serve capital development in the new era and accelerate the construction of a high-level research university.

• Fourthly, CUEB should exercise full and rigorous Party self-governance, and build a sound education system.

Wang Wenju, on behalf of the 4th Party Committee of CUEB, made a report themed “ Striving in Unity to Accelerate the Establishment of China’s First-Class and World-Renowned University of Finance and Economics with Distinctive Characteristics ”. The report consists of four parts: reviewing the work since the 4th Party Congress; striding on a new journey of high-quality development; striving to create a new situation of high-quality development; strengthening the overall leadership of the Party and leading the high-quality development of the school with high-quality Party building.

By reviewing the work in the past five years, Wang said that since the 4th Party Congress, under the strong leadership of Beijing Municipal Party Committee and the People’s Government of Beijing Municipality andwith the support of BMEWC and BMEC, CUEB Party Committee has strengthened the leadership of the Party, and has led teachers and students to uphold “Two Establishments”( i.e. establishing Comrade Xi Jinping’s core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and establishing the guiding role of  Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era ), “Four Consciousnesses”(i.e. maintain political integrity, think in big-picture terms, follow the leadership core, and keep in alignment with the central Party leadership), “Four-sphere Confidence”(i.e. confidence in the path, theory, system, and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics) and “Two Upholds”(i.e. uphold Comrade Xi Jinping’s core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and uphold the Central Committee’s authority and its centralized, unified leadership.). With a focus on the building of a high-level research university, we have promoted the overall quality of education.

All undertakings have made new achievements, with six outstanding aspects:

• Firstly, the Party’s overall leadership has been strengthened with the leadership of political construction.

• Secondly, the quality of personnel cultivation has been improved with the implementation of the fundamental task of fostering virtue in education.

• Thirdly, the core competitiveness has been strengthened with the development of discipline construction and scientific research and innovation.

• Fourthly, the contribution has been prominent in serving the country’s major strategies and serving Beijing as the Four Centers (namely, national political center, cultural center, center for international exchanges, and center for scientific discovery and technological innovation).

• Fifthly, the strategy of developing quality faculty has been effective, and the construction of high-quality professional teaching staff has made progress.

• Sixthly, the campus undertakings have been improved and benefited teachers and students, making them feel happier and safer.

Wang pointed out that CUEB is now facing fierce competition, and if we do not forge ahead, or if we are too slow, we will be thrown back by the current, which necessitates our sense of urgency, mission, and responsibility. Meanwhile, we should regard high-quality development as a necessary way to build CUEB into Beijing Municipal high-level research university and China’s first-class and world-renowned university of finance and economics with distinctive features. To promote high-quality development of CUEB, we should apply Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era  to practice. We should also bear in mind the “Six Adherence”, namely, adhere to the Party’s leadership, adhere to serving the development of the capital, adhere tofocusing on students and teachers, adhere to high-quality development, adhere to reform and innovation, and adhere to a question-oriented approach.

Wang stressed that the coming period is crucial for CUEB development, urging us to answer the important question of “What CUEB should do in the future”. The School Party Committee put forward a broad strategy to “strengthen internal strength, build external image, strengthen construction, deepen reform and improve quality” to promote high-quality development and build a high-level research university with high standard. In the future, CUEB will implement a “two-step” development strategy: first, we will make new breakthroughs in high-quality development and build CUEB into a high-level research university of finance and economics with distinctive features by 2028; second, our university will make and advance in comprehensive strength to be a domestically first-class and internationally renowned university of finance and economics by 2035.

In this vein, Wang remarked that we will also carry out the “Six Projects” of quality improvement, namely the “Breakthrough Project” in discipline construction, the “Cultivation Project”in personnel training, the “Summit Project”in scientific research, the “Leader Project”in faculty quality, the “Silk Road Project”in foreign and domestic cooperation and exchange, the “Good Governance Project”in school management and service. These efforts will help to improve core competitiveness, open new horizons in high-quality development, and better serve major national strategy and the development of the capital in the new era.

Wang emphasized that the Party and the people are the key to achieving high-quality development. We will strengthen the overall leadership of the Party and promote high-quality Party building as a lead to boost high-quality development. We should put Party building into practice in five aspects:

• First, Party building leads school running, so we need focus on building an integrated, and efficient ideological and political work system.

• Second, Party building leads reform and development, so we need focus on building a well-executed and effective organization system.

• Third, Party building leads school governance, so we need focus on building a scientific, rigorous, and efficient governance system.

• Fourth, Party building leads faculty members, so we need focuson building a morally and professionally competent, and fully practical cadre and professional development system.

• Fifth, Party building leads political system, so we need focus on building an orderly running of responsibility system of comprehensive and strict Party governance.

In reviewing the history of CUEB, Wang stated that the next five years is crucial for high-quality development. Only by working together and moving forward can we live up to the trust of founding leaders, the expectations of all CUEBers and our times!

Only diligent people can achieve success! Wang called on all CUEBers to rally more closely around the Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, stay committed to the original aspiration of cultivating personnel for the Party and the country and keep in mind the school motto---“Advocate Morality, Value Competence, Strategize National Development, and Serve the People”, demonstrating the ambition of CUEBers. With more passion and ambition, we will deeply promote  Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era  and the spirit of the 20th CPC National Congress and put into practice, so as to write a new chapter of high-quality development and contribute more to the building of a strong educational system and the development of the capital in the new era!

At the end, the audience burst into applause.

The Fourth Commission for Discipline Inspection of CUEB Party Committee submitted a written work report to the Congress. A written report on the collection, use and management of Party membership dues was also submitted to the Congress for deliberation.

Wu Weixing Presides over the meeting.

The day before the Congress, CUEB convened the meeting of conveners of the delegations of the 5th Congress of CUEB Party Committee, the meeting of the delegations, the meeting of the heads of delegations, the preparatory meeting and the first meeting of the Presidium.