胡锦涛同志在十八大报告中强调，在改革开放三十多年一以贯之的接力探索中，我们坚定不移高举中国特色社会主义伟大旗帜，既不走封闭僵化的老路、也不走改旗易帜的邪路。中国特色社会主义道路，中国特色社会主义理论体系，中国特色社会主义制度，是党和人民九十多年奋斗、创造、积累的根本成就，必须倍加珍惜、始终坚持、不断发展。
Throughout the past 30-plus years of continuous exploration for reform and opening up, we have held high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics and rejected both the old and rigid closed-door policy and any attempt to abandon socialism and take an erroneous path. The path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, the system of theories of socialism with Chinese characteristics and the socialist system with Chinese characteristics are the fundamental accomplishments made by the Party and people in the course of arduous struggle over the past 90-plus years. We must cherish these accomplishments, uphold them all the time and continue to enrich them.
胡锦涛提出，建设中国特色社会主义，总依据是社会主义初级阶段，总布局是五位一体，总任务是实现社会主义现代化和中华民族伟大复兴。
In building socialism with Chinese characteristics, we base ourselves on the basic reality that China is in the primary stage of socialism. Our overall approach is to promote economic, political, cultural, social, and ecological progress, and our general task is to achieve socialist modernization and the great renewal of the Chinese nation.
