Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) Leng Rong said Wednesday that his academy would stick to Marxism for guiding academic research.

Leng Rong, former head of the Party Literature Research Center of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said at the CASS annual work meeting that Marxism is not necessarily the dogma.

Chinese social scientists need to study the real conditions of China in order to develop and enrich Marxism, Leng said.

The CASS will encourage scholars to express different viewpoints, regardless whether they are mainstream, in academic discussions, said Leng. Political discrimination would not be imposed on scholars holding unorthodox views.

Leng said than the CASS is aimed at creating a free and open-minded environment for academic discussions.

Leng said ideological disputes are still fierce in modern times. China needs to grasp the period of strategic importance in the coming two decades and rapidly develop itself.

As the top think tank for the central authorities, Leng said, the CASS should provide more policy advice to decision-makers.