BEIJING — President Xi Jinping has underscored the importance of better fulfilling missions and tasks of the publicity and ideological work under new circumstances.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks while addressing a national conference on publicity and ideological work held in Beijing on Aug 21 and Aug 22.

He called for solid publicity and ideological work to unite the people to embrace shared ideals, convictions, values, and moral standards, thus making greater contributions to the overall situation of the Party and the state.

Xi said decisions and plans made by the CPC Central Committee since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012 are correct and that officials on the publicity and ideological front are reliable.

He asked for taking “unity of thinking and gathering strength” as the central part of publicity and ideological work.

In order to do a better publicity and ideological work under the new circumstances, Xi underlined holding high the banner of Marxism and socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Xi stressed the importance of taking a firm hold on maintaining the right tone in public communication to boost morale and raise people’s spirits in the Party and across the country.

He called for efforts to promote socialist cultural-ethical progress and cultivate and observe core socialist values to foster a new generation capable of shouldering the mission of national rejuvenation.

He also stressed adhering to the path of socialist culture with Chinese characteristics and developing a great socialist culture in China.

“We will improve our ability to engage in international communication so as to tell China’s stories well, make the voice of China heard, and present a true, multi-dimensional, and panoramic view of China to the world,” Xi said.

Developing a socialist ideology that has the ability to unite and the power to inspire the people is a strategic task for the whole Party, especially those on the publicity and ideological front, Xi noted.

Publicity and ideological work should play a key part in fostering a new generation capable of shouldering the mission of national rejuvenation, Xi said, adding that the top priority should be fostering firm faith.

People who work in the art and cultural sectors should continue to produce masterpieces that laud the Party, the motherland, the people, and the heroes, he said.

Noting that China’s traditional culture serves as the cultural foundation of the Chinese nation, Xi said that its vision, concepts, values, and moral norms not only constitute the ideological and spiritual core of Chinese but are also valuable for addressing the issues that humanity faces.

Xi also emphasized enhancing the overall Party leadership in publicity and ideological work.

Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, presided over the meeting.

Wang noted that Xi’s speech should be the guideline for the Party’s publicity and ideological work under the new circumstances.

In his closing speech at the meeting, Huang Kunming, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, pledged to thoroughly implement the important instructions given by Xi in publicity and ideological work.