Just yesterday, CMP reported on the launch of the Research Center for Xi Jinping Economic Thought, the fourth major research center dedicated to a Xi Jinping “mini-banner” – our term for a permutation of the leader’s banner term, or qizhiyu (旗帜语), applied to a concrete policy area. Caixin and other media now report today that a fifth research center has been formally launched. The inauguration of the Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization (习近平生态文明思想研究中心) in Beijing means that all five of Xi’s most prominent mini-banners now have dedicated centers associated with them at the central level.

An announcement from the official Xinhua News Agency stressed that “Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization” (习近平生态文明思想) which deals broadly with sustainability and the environment, is “an integral part of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for the New Era,” this being the longer banner phrase, introduced into the CCP Charter in 2017, that is meant to define Xi’s legacy and consolidate his position in the leadership.

Three research centers on “Xi Thought” have been launched this year, including the Research Center for Xi Jinping Economic Thought ( (习近平经济思想研究中心) this week, located within the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), and the Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Rule of Law (习近平法治思想研究中心) on June 26, located inside the China Law Society (中国法学会), the official organization representing academic legal professionals in China. This followed the launch in July 2020 of the “Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy” (习近平外交思想研究中心) , placed within the China Institute of International Studies (CIIS), a research institute on global politics and economics directly administered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). The Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on a Strong Military, covering the mini-banner for national defense, was launched back in May 2019.

For analysis on the significance of these mini-banners, please see our post yesterday.