In a context of polarized interests and opinions and in a culture that values conformity, maintaining a wholesome ideological eco-system conducive to societal solidarity and progress is a challenging task.

But it is a worthy, or, in Communist Party of China General Secretary Xi Jinping's words, "an extremely important", one for a country like China.

The Party has a tradition of accentuating ideological work. By highlighting the need to communicate Chinese realities and ideas to both domestic and international audiences, Xi has displayed impressive insight into the approach to ideological work under current conditions.

As Xi said, China needs to know, and to be known by, the rest of the world, and helping people develop unbiased understanding of their own country and the rest of the world is essential to building healthy citizenship. Xi's idea to better inform the public about "new matters and new conditions" as well as "new ideas, new theories and new knowledge" from abroad will do tremendous good to the country's own progress once carried out to the letter. Opening our minds to different perspectives will help us make informed decisions.

Throughout Xi's speech at the national conference on ideological work, there was a conspicuous emphasis on rallying public support and enhancing national solidarity through ideological work. Which will put the CPC's consensus-building capabilities to test.

The CPC has a proud history of consensus-building. The "united front", which has grown into a significant part of its organizational structure, for instance, testifies to the Party's success as a master consensus-builder. If the CPC could unite social classes with dramatically divergent interests and pursuits around its cause in the revolutionary era, there is no reason it cannot deal with such differences as how or how fast we should proceed with reforms.

Broad and polarized as the spectrum of present-day public opinions is, the differences are basically over how to evaluate the state of our society, and how to make a difference.

Even for the sole purpose of improving decision-making, the CPC may play an exemplary role in leading rational and inclusive discourse on public affairs. There is no better way to answer Xi's call for "conveying positive energy" and engaging the public.

A consensus built on rational and inclusive public discourse will prove more effective in creating solidarity.

(China Daily USA 08/22/2013 page11)