Analyse
The quoted statement matches verbatim the **official English translation** of Xi’s speech published by *Xinhua* and the Chinese government’s *People’s Daily*. The phrase reflects Marxist theory’s emphasis on the proletariat as the driving force of history, a core tenet Xi reiterated in the speech. Independent reports (e.g., *South China Morning Post*, *Reuters*) and academic analyses (e.g., *Journal of Contemporary China*) confirm the speech’s authenticity and its ideological consistency with Marxist-Leninist rhetoric. No credible sources dispute the attribution.
Achtergrond
The speech was delivered on **May 4, 2018**, at a high-profile event in Beijing celebrating Marx’s 200th birthday, attended by Chinese leadership and international communist parties. Xi’s remarks underscored the CCP’s commitment to Marxist ideology while framing it as adaptable to modern China’s context. The phrase ’the people are the true heroes’ (*人民才是真正的英雄*) echoes Mao Zedong’s 1949 proclamation and remains a staple in CCP discourse to legitimize its rule as representative of the masses.
Samenvatting verdict
Xi Jinping did make this statement in his 2018 speech commemorating Karl Marx’s bicentennial, aligning with Marxist doctrine on historical materialism and the role of the masses.