Xi Jinping’s pivotal discourse on education underscores the vision of building a global leader in higher education, enriching and advancing Marxist educational theory, and marking a significant innovation in Chinese pedagogy. This vision serves as the fundamental guide for constructing a robust higher education system in China. The 2024-2035 Master Plan for Positioning China as a Global Leader in Education, promulgated on January 19, 2025, further clarifies key issues surrounding the creation of a higher education powerhouse. To achieve this goal, it is essential to expedite the development of a high-quality higher education system and implement comprehensive reforms across educational methods, institutional models, management systems, and support mechanisms. These reforms must be rooted in a student-centered approach, promote cross-border integration in institutional models, emphasize educational evaluation in management reforms, and adopt market-driven principles in support mechanisms. This new blueprint to higher education excellence reflects China’s unique national conditions and strategic priorities.