Translated by Claude, edited by Sinocism.com

Source: Qiushi (求是), 2026 No. 16 | Byline: Institute of Party History and Literature of the CPC Central Committee | Original source: Xinhua | August 16, 2026

Subtitle: Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Comrade Jiang Zemin

Comrade Jiang Zemin was an outstanding leader of high prestige recognized by our Party, our army and the people of all ethnic groups of our country; a great Marxist; a great proletarian revolutionary, statesman, military strategist and diplomat; a long-tested communist fighter; an outstanding leader of the great cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics; the core of the Party's third-generation central leadership collective; and the principal founder of the important thought of the "Three Represents." On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Comrade Jiang Zemin, cherishing the memory of his great achievements and studying his lofty demeanor is of great significance for the broad ranks of Party members, cadres and the masses to unite closely around the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, to promote a good start and good beginning of the 15th Five-Year Plan, and to comprehensively advance the building of a strong country and the great cause of national rejuvenation through Chinese modernization.

江泽民同志是我党我军我国各族人民公认的享有崇高威望的卓越领导人，伟大的马克思主义者，伟大的无产阶级革命家、政治家、军事家、外交家，久经考验的共产主义战士，中国特色社会主义伟大事业的杰出领导者，党的第三代中央领导集体的核心，“三个代表”重要思想的主要创立者。在江泽民同志诞辰100周年之际，缅怀他的丰功伟绩，学习他的崇高风范，对广大党员干部群众紧密团结在以习近平同志为核心的党中央周围，推动“十五五”开好局、起好步，以中国式现代化全面推进强国建设、民族复兴伟业，具有重大意义。

Comrade Jiang Zemin's life was a glorious, fighting life. In more than 70 years of revolutionary career, he was steadfast and unwavering in his communist ideal, boundlessly loyal to the Party and the people, and unswervingly devoted to struggle for the cause of the Party and the people.

江泽民同志的一生，是光辉的战斗的一生。在70多年的革命生涯中，他对共产主义理想坚贞不渝，对党和人民无限忠诚，矢志不移为党和人民事业而奋斗。

From his youth, Comrade Jiang Zemin resolved to pursue truth, actively threw himself into the torrent of the people's revolutionary movement, and joined the Communist Party of China in April 1946. After the founding of New China, Comrade Jiang Zemin worked successively in enterprises, scientific-research units, and national ministries and commissions; in every post he was dutiful and diligent, worked arduously, dedicated his ardent youth to the cause of socialist revolution and construction, and did a great deal of pioneering work in reform and opening. In June 1985 Comrade Jiang Zemin became deputy secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee, in July became mayor of Shanghai, and in 1987 became secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee, making outstanding contributions to opening a new phase of reform, opening and socialist modernization in Shanghai.

从青少年时代起，江泽民同志就立志追求真理，积极投身人民革命运动的洪流，并于1946年4月加入中国共产党。新中国成立后，江泽民同志先后在企业、科研单位、国家部委工作，在每个岗位上他都尽职尽责、艰苦努力，把火热年华献给了社会主义革命和建设事业，在改革开放方面做了大量开拓性工作。1985年6月，江泽民同志任上海市委副书记，7月任上海市市长，1987年任上海市委书记，为开创上海改革开放和社会主义现代化建设新局面作出了突出贡献。

In June 1989, Comrade Jiang Zemin was elected member of the Standing Committee of the Central Politburo and General Secretary of the Central Committee at the Fourth Plenary Session of the 13th Central Committee, and in November of that year the Fifth Plenary Session of the 13th Central Committee decided that he would serve as Chairman of the Central Military Commission, forming the Party's third-generation central leadership collective with Comrade Jiang Zemin at its core. At the time Comrade Jiang Zemin took up the principal leadership posts of the Party and the army, our country faced the grave test of a highly complex domestic and international situation and severe setbacks in world socialism, and the development of our country's socialist cause faced unprecedentedly enormous difficulties and pressures. At this major historical juncture that would decide the future and destiny of the Party and the country, Comrade Jiang Zemin led the Party's central leadership collective, closely relied on the whole Party, the whole army and the people of all ethnic groups nationwide, adhered unequivocally to the Four Cardinal Principles, safeguarded national independence, dignity, security and stability, unwaveringly held to economic construction as the central task, persisted in reform and opening, defended the great cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and opened a new phase for our country's reform, opening and socialist modernization.

1989年6月，江泽民同志在党的十三届四中全会上当选为中央政治局常委、中央委员会总书记，同年11月党的十三届五中全会决定他为中央军事委员会主席，形成以江泽民同志为核心的党的第三代中央领导集体。江泽民同志担任党和军队主要领导职务之际，我国正面临着国内外形势十分复杂、世界社会主义出现严重曲折的严峻考验，我国社会主义事业发展面临空前巨大的困难和压力。在这个决定党和国家前途命运的重大历史关头，江泽民同志带领党的中央领导集体，紧紧依靠全党全军全国各族人民，旗帜鲜明坚持四项基本原则，维护国家独立、尊严、安全、稳定，毫不动摇坚持经济建设这个中心，坚持改革开放，捍卫了中国特色社会主义伟大事业，打开了我国改革开放和社会主义现代化建设新局面。

In the 13 years from the Fourth Plenary Session of the 13th Central Committee to the 16th Party Congress, the international situation was turbulent and ever-changing, and our country's course of reform, opening and socialist modernization was magnificent and surging. Under a highly complex international and domestic situation, Comrade Jiang Zemin led the Party's central leadership collective, held high the great banner of Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought and Deng Xiaoping Theory, adhered unwaveringly to the Party's basic line, united the whole Party and the people of all ethnic groups nationwide, seized opportunities, deepened reform, expanded opening, promoted development and maintained stability; established the Party's basic program in the primary stage of socialism; established the reform goal and basic framework of the socialist market economy system; established the basic economic system with public ownership as the mainstay and diverse ownership economies developing together, and the distribution system with distribution according to work as the mainstay and multiple modes of distribution coexisting, in the primary stage of socialism; formulated and implemented a series of principles, policies and major strategies to promote reform, development and stability; vigorously advanced reform of the economic, political, cultural and other systems; opened a new phase of comprehensive reform and opening; implemented the basic strategy of governing the country by law; adhered to the principle of "peaceful reunification and one country, two systems," achieving the smooth return of Hong Kong and Macao; adhered to an independent foreign policy of peace, opening a brand-new phase in diplomatic work; advanced the new great project of Party building; and drove socialist material, political and spiritual civilization construction and Party building to make new progress that attracted worldwide attention, successfully carrying socialism with Chinese characteristics into the 21st century.

从党的十三届四中全会到党的十六大的13年中，国际形势风云变幻，我国改革开放和社会主义现代化建设进程波澜壮阔。在国际国内十分复杂的形势下，江泽民同志带领党的中央领导集体，高举马克思列宁主义、毛泽东思想、邓小平理论伟大旗帜，坚持党的基本路线不动摇，团结全党全国各族人民，抓住机遇、深化改革、扩大开放、促进发展、保持稳定，确定了党在社会主义初级阶段的基本纲领，确立了社会主义市场经济体制的改革目标和基本框架，确立了社会主义初级阶段公有制为主体、多种所有制经济共同发展的基本经济制度和按劳分配为主体、多种分配方式并存的分配制度，制定和实施了促进改革发展稳定的一系列方针政策和重大战略，锐意推进经济体制改革、政治体制改革、文化体制改革和其他各方面改革，开创全面改革开放新局面，实施依法治国基本方略，坚持“和平统一、一国两制”的方针，实现香港、澳门顺利回归，坚持独立自主的和平外交政策，打开外交工作崭新局面，推进党的建设新的伟大工程，推动社会主义物质文明、政治文明、精神文明建设和党的建设取得举世瞩目的新进展，成功把中国特色社会主义推向21世纪。

Under the leadership of the Party's third-generation central leadership collective with Comrade Jiang Zemin at its core, we calmly handled a series of international emergencies bearing on our country's sovereignty and security, overcame difficulties and risks arising in the political and economic spheres and in the natural world — especially successfully withstanding the impact of the Asian financial crisis and overcoming the catastrophic floods of 1998 — ensuring that the ship of reform, opening and socialist modernization always broke the waves and advanced in the right direction. During his tenure as Chairman of the Central Military Commission, Comrade Jiang Zemin profoundly discerned and grasped the major changes in the domestic and international situation and the development trend of the new worldwide military revolution, put forward a series of new judgments and new measures for strengthening national defense and military modernization, and led national defense and military modernization to achieve tremendous accomplishments.

在以江泽民同志为核心的党的第三代中央领导集体领导下，我们从容应对一系列关系我国主权和安全的国际突发事件，战胜在政治、经济领域和自然界出现的困难和风险，特别是成功抵御亚洲金融危机冲击、战胜1998年特大洪涝灾害等，保证了改革开放和社会主义现代化建设的航船始终沿着正确方向破浪前进。江泽民同志担任中央军事委员会主席期间，深刻洞察和把握国内外形势的重大变化和世界新军事变革的发展趋势，对加强国防和军队现代化建设提出了一系列新论断新举措，领导国防和军队现代化建设取得了巨大成就。

Comrade Jiang Zemin persisted in emancipating the mind, seeking truth from facts, and keeping pace with the times, and centering on the theme of building socialism with Chinese characteristics, put forward a series of new ideas, new viewpoints and new judgments in all areas — reform, development and stability; internal affairs, diplomacy and national defense; and governing the Party, the country and the army — making outstanding contributions to upholding and developing the Party's basic theory, basic line, basic program and basic experience. In particular, he brought together the wisdom of the whole Party to found the important thought of the "Three Represents," further answering the questions of what socialism is and how to build socialism, creatively answering the questions of what kind of party to build and how to build it, and deepening our understanding of the laws of advancing the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics and strengthening Party building under new conditions of the times. The important thought of the "Three Represents" both upholds the basic tenets of Marxism and reflects the new requirements placed on the work of the Party and the country by the development and changes of the contemporary world and China, and with new ideas, viewpoints and judgments, inherits, enriches and develops Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought and Deng Xiaoping Theory — it is a guiding thought that the Party must uphold over the long term.

江泽民同志坚持解放思想、实事求是、与时俱进，围绕建设中国特色社会主义这个主题，在改革发展稳定、内政外交国防、治党治国治军等各方面都提出了一系列新思想新观点新论断，为坚持和发展党的基本理论、基本路线、基本纲领、基本经验作出了杰出贡献。特别是他集中全党智慧创立了“三个代表”重要思想，进一步回答了什么是社会主义、怎样建设社会主义的问题，创造性回答了建设什么样的党、怎样建设党的问题，深化了我们对新的时代条件下推进中国特色社会主义事业、加强党的建设的规律的认识。“三个代表”重要思想既坚持了马克思主义基本原理，又反映了当代世界和中国的发展变化对党和国家工作的新要求，以新的思想、观点、论断，继承、丰富、发展了马克思列宁主义、毛泽东思想、邓小平理论，是党必须长期坚持的指导思想。

After stepping down from his leadership post, Comrade Jiang Zemin resolutely upheld and supported the work of the Party Central Committee, cared about the great cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and firmly supported the building of a clean Party style and the fight against corruption. In 2006, Comrade Jiang Zemin personally presided over the editing and article-by-article review of Volumes One, Two and Three of the Selected Works of Jiang Zemin, providing important teaching material for us to continue advancing the great cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics and the new great project of Party building.

从领导岗位上退下来以后，江泽民同志坚决拥护和支持党中央工作，关心中国特色社会主义伟大事业，坚定支持党风廉政建设和反腐败斗争。2006年，江泽民同志亲自主持编辑和逐篇审定《江泽民文选》第一卷、第二卷、第三卷，为我们继续推进中国特色社会主义伟大事业和党的建设新的伟大工程提供了重要教材。