Xi Jinping tells youth league to ‘dare to struggle’ and unify around the Communist Party
- President urges officials to step up education and guidance for young Chinese, saying they ‘could be confused between ideals and reality’
- In speech marking organisation’s centenary, he also calls for loyalty and says officials ‘must carry awe in your heart and set limits in your speech and behaviour’
“[You] must take the lead in daring to – and being good at – struggle, confront difficulties in the face and overcome hardships,” he said during an event in Beijing marking the youth league’s centenary on Tuesday.
“Members of the league should treat political training seriously and actively seek political progress and unify around the party,” he said. “[You] must strive to be members of the Communist Party.”
The youth league – copied from the Soviet model – serves as a “reserve force” for China’s ruling Communist Party, according to its constitution.
Members must be Chinese nationals aged between 14 and 28, though anyone appointed to an official position can remain in the youth league for longer.
It has more than 73.1 million members, according to the latest official figures. At its peak in the late 2000s, around a quarter of all Chinese nationals in the age group were youth league members.
During his speech, Xi also urged youth league officials to step up education and guidance for young Chinese.
“[They] are more easily influenced by different ideas and could inevitably be confused between ideals and reality, and different isms – between altruism and selfishness, between the small self and the bigger self,” he said.