笔者曾经问基辛格博士，毛泽东主席多次在书房里接待他，有没有看到马克思主义的著作？他的回答是：“好像没有啊，满是线装书，中国的古典。”

中国人不信神，共产党人是无神论者，怎么值得信任呢？于是美国人常常喜欢用独裁、不透明、不自由、不信神、不民主、不人权、不稳定、不人道、不人性等等来形容“共产党中国”。看来，理解中国共产党是重建中美政治互信的关键。因为美国对中国的误解、误判，集中在如何认识中国共产党。中国共产党的领导被写进中华人民共和国宪法，是中国特色社会主义制度最本质的特征和最大制度优势。美方只有理解、尊重这一点才不会在台湾问题、新疆问题、国有企业、劳工权益等问题上曲解中国。

这就要克服三个重要误解。

第一个误解是将中国视为可被演变的“异类”，要让中国皈依成为西方的一员，正如成功将日本收编为西方国家，忽视了中国自古自成一体，五千年文明连续不断，不可能完全变成西方模式。但是中国已经大量学习了西方文明，传统中国发展为现代中国，并向“全球中国”迈进，正如“一带一路”、人类命运共同体所显示的。

第二个误解是认为西方与中国最大的区别就是中国共产党，忽视了中国共产党的领导是同中国传统文化的结合，是近代以来西方文明终于内化为五千年文明的结晶，正如历史上佛教终于融入中土文化，成为佛学、禅宗一样。

第三个误解是认为中国革命捡了被西方所淘汰的异端学说——马列主义。实际上马列主义已经中国化，不是他们所想象的苏联模式，即落后的俄罗斯农奴制、斯拉夫文化与共产主义革命学说相混合的怪胎，而是与五千年辉煌的中华文明相结合。

消除这三个误解，要从一百年、五百年、五千年三个维度认识中国共产党“是谁、从哪里来、到哪里去”。

一百年：中国共产党的关键词从“共产党/共产主义”转变到“中国/社会主义”，社会主义从运动、制度转变到文明，实现了中国化。令人忧虑的是，美国人越来越从意识形态和民族国家看中国，而非从历史文化角度看中国。人们也没有从学理上梳理清楚中国共产党和中国的大一统、世俗文明有什么内在关联，它如何从原来的革命党、执政党转型到治理党？

五百年：工业革命以来，西方文明盛极一时，也造化了中国。共产党领导的中国建成了世界上最大的工业体系，成为最大的工业制造国，现在还变成了最大的数字化国家。为什么出现这样一种转型，中国共产党有关和平崛起和伟大复兴的基因是什么？

五千年：中国共产党契合了中国的世俗文化，适应并维护了大一统局面，它是中国五千年文明的土壤结出的果实。中学为体，西学为用，中国共产党学习西方文明并结合中国的传统文化，真正体现了人类文明东西互鉴，开创了人类新文明。中美战略对话可围绕国内治理与全球治理的核心价值观开展，从气候变化、公共卫生、数字化等新领域探讨背后中国共产党的治理逻辑，共同实现人类公平正义。

在庆祝中国共产党诞辰一百年之际，美国人理解重塑共产党观，并籍此重塑中国观是十分有必要的。其要旨是理解“中国、共产、党”这三个关键词。

共产党已经中国化。中国化的意思就是将革命、建设与中国传统文化结合，将传统的“均贫富”、“天下大同”理想转换为全面建成小康社会和实现全面现代化。中国共产党强调以人民为中心的执政理念，可从《道德经》第四十九章找到文化基因：“圣人无常心，以百姓心为心。善者，吾善之；不善者，吾亦善之，德善。”这是中华民族伟大复兴应有之义。中国传统文化是和合文化，不是革命斗争文化。人类命运共同体就是中国共产党与中国传统文化结合的理念，不再强调无产阶级推翻资产阶级统治，而是认为资本主义与社会主义命运与共，同时与各种文化初心共鸣，比如西方基督教文化的“人人为我，我为人人”。中国共产党的合法性不是美国人理解的选举，而是历史的选择、现实的选择和人民的选择，也就是不断被历史检验。具体到官员任命是选举加选拔，正如加拿大学者贝淡宁（Daniel Bell）《贤能政治》一书所揭示的。

什么是中国？“中国是一个文明，假装成为了民族国家”。中国传统世俗文明最终实现中国共产党中国化，世俗文明不是不信仰宗教，不是不信神，而是不信单一的神（儒道释并存，是宗教还不如说是文化），尊重信神自由，也尊重不信神自由，所以才能做到实事求是，最大程度地开放包容，实现社会的公平正义。

什么是共产？不是国民党污蔑的共产共妻，也不是美国人想象的国家资本主义。其实，中国的所有制早已不是计划经济时代那么简单。关于民营经济有“56789”的说法，就是民营经济贡献了中国经济50%以上的税收、60%以上的GDP、70%以上的技术创新成果、80%以上的城镇劳动就业，还有90%以上的企业数量。因此，“共产”的概念是结合中国传统文化的共同富裕、天下为公。今天，中国实现了全面脱贫，开启全面现代化进程，这是中国共产党和习近平总书记得民心的地方。

什么是党？美国人倾向于认为中国革命捡了被西方所淘汰的异端学说——马克思主义，实际上马克思主义已经中国化了。林肯总统讲民有民治民享，为孙中山先生所吸收发展为“三民主义”。而中国共产党更进一步，强调以人民为中心，中国共产党是先锋队（吃苦在前），也是公仆（享受在后）。因此，中国共产党不是传统意义上的西方政党，更不是中国古代的政党概念，它追求人类公平正义，倡导人本主义。

美国担心中国赶超美国，这很自然。但中华民族伟大复兴的目标是什么？不是回到汉唐，也不是超越美国，而是为人类进步事业做出更大贡献，提供更好、更包容和更优惠的公共产品。从中国传统文化就不难理解，中国共产党不仅不会称霸，而是反对霸权，领导中华民族伟大复兴是为开创没有霸权的时代。群龙无首的群从个人修养而言是无为（道家）、无相（佛家），从社会形态而言即人类命运共同体的最高境界——万物并育而不相害，道并行而不相悖。秉承传统文化理念，中国共产党将反霸作为外交传统。邓小平讲过：“如果有朝一日中国要称霸世界，世界人民就有责任揭露我们，指责我们，并同中国人民一道来反对称霸的中国。”中国共产党强调人类命运共同体，告别霸权时代，这是对人类文明的重要贡献。

事实证明，把美国所面临的问题归结于中国，归结于中国共产党，解决不了美国的问题。当初特朗普总统对华发起贸易战，解决不了美国产业回流、资金回流、就业机会回流问题，反而让中国更强大。今天换种方式打压中国也解决不了美国领导权问题。反过来，中国可能是美国解决自身问题的一个伙伴，而不是造成美国问题的原因。

重建政治互信，首先要解决认识论问题。要从人类文明、中华文明史的高度理解中国共产党。中美可就中国共产党背后的中国传统文化理念和全球化核心价值观展开政治对话，累积互信，避免误判。

I once asked Dr. Henry Kissinger whether he had seen any Marxist classics in late Chairman Mao's personal library, since Mao had received him there multiple times. His answer was probably not. There were all kinds of thread-stitched books, all Chinese classics.

Since the Chinese don't believe in gods, the Chinese communists are atheists, so how can they be trusted? Thus, Americans often describe “communist China” by using such terms as “dictatorship,” “opaque,” “unfree,” “non-believers,” “undemocratic,” “no human rights,” “unstable” and “inhuman.”It seems that understanding the Communist Party of China is the key to rebuilding China-U.S. political mutual confidence, because U.S. misunderstanding and misjudgments about China are focused on how to understand the CPC. Party leadership, as inscribed in the Chinese Constitution, is the most fundamental characteristic and biggest systemic advantage of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Only when the U.S. side understands and respects this will it stop finding fault with China on such matters as Taiwan, Xinjiang, State-owned enterprises and labor rights.

Here are three important misgivings to overcome:

• Seeing China as an alien that can evolve.Some people lament the failure of the U.S. policy, begun under Richard Nixon, of engaging China. Seeing they have successfully turned Japan into a Western country, they wanted to convert China likewise, neglecting the fact that China has been a singular, independent entity since ancient times, a civilization 5,000 years old, and it is unlikely to adopt a completely Western model. But China has learned a lot from Western civilization. Traditional China has developed into a modern China and is striding toward a China that faces the world, as evident through the Belt and Road Initiative and the idea of a “community with a shared future for mankind.”

• Believing the biggest difference between China and the West lies in the CPC.Neglecting CPC leadership combines with misunderstandings of traditional Chinese culture. The assimilation of the cream of Western civilization by a 5,000-year civilization is similar to the Buddhist religion being incorporated into the culture of the central plains of China, giving rise to the theories of Buddhism and Zen.

• Believing the Chinese revolution picked up what the West had discarded as heresy: Marxism.Actually Marxism has been Sinicized and is no longer what is imagined as Soviet-style Marxism, which arose from a mixture of backward Russian serfdom, Slavic culture and theories of communist revolution. But it has been modified and integrated with the splendid Chinese civilization.

To eliminate these misgivings, the CPC must be understood in three dimensions — 100, 500 and 5,000 years.

100 years: The CPC's catchword has evolved from “Communist Party/communism” to “China/socialism,” and socialism itself has been Sinicized from the perspectives of movement, institutions and civilization.It is worrying that Americans are increasingly seeing China through the prism of ideology and nation-state, rather than from the perspective of history and culture. Nor has China fully sorted out the inherent correlation between the CPC and Chinese civilization, which favors grand unity. The CPC's logic involves “standing up,” “getting rich” and “growing strong,” as well the transformation from a revolutionary party to a ruling party and finally to a governing party.

500 years: Since the industrial revolution 500 years ago, the prosperity of Western civilization has also benefited China. The CPC-led country has built the world's largest industrial system and become the largest industrialized manufacturing base. It is now the largest digitalized country. Now is time to think about the CPC as the genesis of China's peaceful rise and great rejuvenation.

5,000 years: That the CPC has adapted well to the popular culture of China and adapted to and preserved a state of grand unity is evidence that the soil of 5,000 years of civilization has borne fruit. The CPC has learned from Western civilization and integrated it with traditional Chinese culture.Thus, China-U.S. strategic dialogue can start with the core values of domestic and global governance and then explore the CPC's governing logic in such realms as climate change, public health and digitalization. The two countries can work together for fairness and justice for mankind.

As the CPC celebrates its 100th anniversary, it is important for Americans to understand, to rebuild their outlook on the CPC and hence their outlook on China. For that there are three key words: China, communist and party.

China: The Communist Party has been localized in China. Sinicization means it has been integrated with the Chinese revolution and traditional culture, transforming the traditional ideals of eliminating wealth gaps and grand unity under heaven into today's building of a society with all-around moderate prosperity and realizing all-around modernization.Why does the CPC emphasize a people-centered governance philosophy? The cultural gene can be found in Chapter 49 of “Tao Te Ching”:“The sage has no invariable mind of his own; he makes the mind of the people his mind. To those who are good [to me], I am good; and to those who are not good [to me], I am also good — and thus [all] get to be good. To those who are sincere [with me], I am sincere; and to those who are not sincere [with me], I am also sincere; — and thus [all] get to be sincere.”Traditional Chinese culture appreciates harmony rather than revolution and struggle. A “community with a shared future for mankind” reflects the integration of the CPC's ideals with traditional Chinese culture, which no longer states proletariat overthrowing bourgeois rule but rather believes capitalism and socialism can coexist. It resonates with other cultures' appreciation of harmony, such as the Christian teaching of “one for all, all for one.”The CPC's legitimacy lies not in elections, as Americans understand; it is a choice informed by history, reality and the people. As Daniel Bell said in “The China Model: Political Meritocracy and the Limits of Democracy,” it is election plus selection when it comes to official appointments.

What is China? China is a “civilization-state, pretending to be a [nation-] state.” Traditional Chinese civilization has been transformed by the CPC, and the Chinese civilization in its popular sense doesn't equal a secular one that subscribes to no religious beliefs. It's not that the Chinese don't believe in a god but that they don't have a common god; they respect both those who believe in gods and those who don't. Which is why the CPC can seek truth in facts and demonstrate the greatest possible openness and inclusiveness to achieve social justice and fairness.

Communist: “Communist” as adjective is neither “sharing assets and wives,” as the Kuomintang once smeared it, nor the state capitalism Americans imagine. China's ownership structure is far from as simple as it was in the planned-economy era. The private sector in China contributes more than 50 percent of tax revenues, more than 60 percent of GDP, more than 70 percent of innovations and more than 80 percent of urban jobs. It accounts for more than 90 percent of all enterprises.Therefore, “communist” has incorporated the ideas of common prosperity and public good. China has just bid farewell to poverty and embarked on a journey toward all-around modernization, which is why the CPC and General Secretary Xi Jinping have won hearts.

Party: Americans tend to believe the Chinese revolution picked up what the West trashed as heresy — Marxism. Actually Marxism has been Sinicized and is no longer the Soviet model they assume it to be. Dr. Sun Yat-sen borrowed from former U.S. President Abraham Lincoln's “of the people, by the people, for the people” and developed his “three principles of the people” (nation, civil rights, people's livelihoods).The CPC has taken one step further to accentuate “in the people” (people-centered), “before the people” (pioneer, because they stand out in the face of hardship) and “after the people” (public servant), because they won't relax until the rest of society finds comfort. The CPC isn't a political party in the traditional Western sense, nor one in the traditional Chinese sense. It is seeking fairness and justice for humanity as a whole, and it advocates humanism.The CPC is continuing the religious revolution and the Western Enlightenment. From the separation of politics and religion to our present emphasis on the unity of man and nature, people first, and seeking truth from facts, it is dedicated to helping mankind get rid of superstition.

The U.S. worries China may take its place, which is only natural. How could the U.S., which absolutely does not want to be in second place, tolerate a rising China? What is the goal of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation? It is neither to return to the Han or Tang dynasties, nor to overtake the U.S. but to make greater contributions to human progress and provide public goods that are better, more inclusive and more affordable. From the perspective of traditional culture, it is not difficult to understand that the CPC will not only not seek hegemony but instead will oppose it. The CPC is spearheading the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation to open up a new era that is free of hegemony.As a Chinese diplomatic tradition, China's opposition to hegemony is also obvious in the China-U.S. Shanghai Communique of 1972. Deng Xiaoping once said, “If one day China seeks hegemony in the world, people from all over the world share the obligation to expose us, condemn us and oppose us as a hegemon along with the Chinese people.” Rather, the CPC wants to build a community with a shared future for mankind and wants to end the era of hegemony. This is an important contribution to mankind.

Facts have shown that attributing all the problems facing the U.S. to China and the CPC won't resolve the American troubles. Former U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war against China failed to bring industry, capital and jobs back to the U.S. Instead, it made China stronger.Suppressing China in a different way today won't solve the U.S. leadership problem either. China could become a partner in solving U.S. problems, rather than being blamed as the cause of trouble. Resolving basic epistemological issues is a precondition for rebuilding mutual political confidence.

The CPC should be understood from the perspective of human civilizations and, especially, Chinese civilization. China and the U.S. may carry out political dialogue on the ideas in traditional Chinese culture that support the CPC, together with the core values of globalization, to accumulate mutual trust and prevent misjudgments.