Comrades,
Now I would like to make a report to the congress on behalf of the
Fifteenth Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC).
The Sixteenth National Congress of the CPC is the first of its kind held
by our Party in the new century. It is a very important congress convened by
our Party in the new situation in which we have begun to take the third step
of the strategic plan for socialist modernization.
The theme of the congress is to hold high the great banner of Deng
Xiaoping Theory, fully act on the important thought of Three Represents,
carry forward our cause into the future, keep pace with the times, build a
well-off society in an all-round way, speed up socialist modernization and
work hard to create a new situation in building socialism with Chinese
characteristics.
As human society entered the 21st century, we started a new phase of
development for building a well-off society in an all-round way and speeding
up socialist modernization. The international situation is undergoing
profound changes. The trends toward world multipolarization and economic
globalization are developing amidst twists and turns. Science and technology
are advancing rapidly. Competition in overall national strength is becoming
increasingly fierce. Given this pressing situation, we must move forward, or
we will fall behind. Our Party must stand firm in the forefront of the times
and unite with and lead the Chinese people of all ethnic groups in
accomplishing the three major historical tasks: to propel the modernization
drive, to achieve national reunification and to safeguard world peace and
promote common development, and in bringing about the great rejuvenation of
the Chinese nation on its road to socialism with Chinese characteristics.
This is a grand mission history and the era have entrusted to our Party.
I. Work of the Past Five Years and Basic Experience of 13 Years
The five years since the Fifteenth National Congress of the CPC have been
a period in which we have held high the great banner of Deng Xiaoping Theory
and kept blazing new trails in a pioneering spirit, and a period in which we
have continued to forge ahead triumphantly on the road to socialism with
Chinese characteristics in spite of difficulties and risks.
At the Fifteenth National Congress, Deng Xiaoping Theory was established
as the Party's guiding ideology, the Party's basic program for the primary
stage of socialism was put forward, and the objectives and tasks for China's
cross-century development were specified. Acting in the spirit of the
congress, the Central Committee held seven plenary sessions at which it made
decisions and plans on such major issues as agriculture and rural work, the
reform and development of state-owned enterprises, the formulation of the
Tenth Five-Year Plan (2001-2005) and the improvement of the Party's work
style. Over the past five years, we have traversed an extraordinary course
and scored tremendous achievements in reform, development and stability,
domestic and foreign affairs and national defense and in running the Party,
state and army.
The national economy has maintained a sustained, rapid and sound
development. By pursuing the principle of stimulating domestic demand and
adopting the proactive fiscal policy and the sound monetary policy in good
time, we overcame the adverse effects the Asian financial crisis and world
economic fluctuations had on China, and maintained a relatively rapid
economic growth. The strategic adjustment of the economic structure has been
crowned with success. The position of agriculture as the foundation of the
economy has been strengthened. Traditional industries have been upgraded.
High and new technology industries and modern services have gained speed. A
large number of infrastructure projects in such areas as water conservancy,
transportation, telecommunications, energy and environmental protection have
been completed. Significant headway has been made in the large-scale
development of China's western region. Economic returns have further
improved. National revenue has kept growing. The Ninth Five-Year Plan
(1996-2000) was fulfilled and the Tenth Five-Year Plan has seen a good
start.
Reform and opening up have yielded substantial results. The socialist
market economy has taken shape initially. The public sector of the economy
has expanded and steady progress has been made in the reform of state-owned
enterprises. Self-employed or private enterprises and other non-public
sectors of the economy have developed fairly fast. The work of building up
the market system has been in full swing. The macro-control system has
improved constantly. The pace of change in government functions has been
quickened. Reform in finance, taxation, banking, distribution, housing,
government institutions and other areas has continued to deepen. The open
economy has developed swiftly. Trade in commodities and services and capital
flow have grown markedly. China's foreign exchange reserves have risen
considerably. With its accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO),
China has entered a new stage in its opening up.
Notable progress has been registered in improving socialist democracy and
spiritual civilization. Continued efforts have been made to improve
democracy and the legal system. New steps have been taken in political
restructuring. The patriotic united front has grown stronger. Further
progress has been made in the work relating to ethnic, religious and
overseas Chinese affairs. Fresh progress has been made in keeping public
order through comprehensive measures. Science, technology, education,
culture, health, sports, family planning and other undertakings have moved
ahead. The media and publicity work as well as ideological and moral
education have kept improving. The people's cultural life has become
increasingly rich and colorful.
New strides have been taken in strengthening national defense and army
building. Efforts have been redoubled to make the People's Liberation Army
more revolutionary, modernized and regularized. Our national defense
capabilities and the army's defense and combat effectiveness have further
improved. The army, the armed police and the militia have played an
important role in defending and building up our motherland.
On the whole, the people have reached a well-off standard of living. The
income of urban and rural residents has gone up steadily. The urban and
rural markets have been brisk, and there has been an ample supply of goods.
The quality of life of the residents has been on the rise, with considerable
improvement in food, clothing, housing, transport and daily necessities.
There has been marked progress in building the social security system. The
seven-year program to help 80 million people out of poverty has been in the
main fulfilled.
Fresh progress has been made in the great cause of national reunification.
The Chinese Government has resumed the exercise of sovereignty over Macao.
The principle of "one country, two systems" has been implemented and the
basic laws of Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions have been
carried out to the letter. Hong Kong and Macao enjoy social and economic
stability. Personnel, economic and cultural exchanges across the Taiwan
Straits have kept increasing. The fight against "Taiwan independence" and
other attempts to split the country has been going on in depth.
New prospects have been opened up in our external work. In light of the
developments and changes in the international situation, we have adhered to
the correct foreign policy and related principles. We have carried out both
bilateral and multilateral diplomatic activities extensively and taken an
active part in international exchanges and cooperation. China's
international standing has risen still further.
Party building has been strengthened in an all-round way. All the Party
members have steadily intensified their study of Deng Xiaoping Theory. We
have put forward and expounded the important thought of Three Represents.
Good results have been produced in the intensive education in the need to
stress study, political awareness and integrity and in the study of the
"Three Represents". An all-out endeavor has been made to build up the Party
ideologically, organizationally and in work style. Our ideological and
political work has been strengthened. New steps have been taken in the
reform of the personnel system. The endeavor to build a clean and honest
government and combat corruption has been going on in depth and yielding
fresh notable results.
Facts prove that the major policy decisions taken by the Central Committee
at and since the Fifteenth National Congress are correct and accord with the
fundamental interests of the overwhelming majority of the people. Our
achievements are the outcome of the united endeavor of the whole Party and
the people of all ethnic groups of the country. They provide a more solid
foundation for the future development of the cause of the Party and state.
We must be clearly aware that there are still quite a few difficulties and
problems in our work. The income of farmers and some urban residents has
increased only slowly. The number of the unemployed has gone up. Some people
are still badly off. Things have yet to be straightened out in the matter of
income distribution. The order of the market economy has to be further
rectified and standardized. Public order is poor in some places. Formalism,
the bureaucratic style of work, falsification, extravagance and waste are
still serious problems among some leading cadres in our Party, and
corruption is still conspicuous in some places. The Party's way of
leadership and governance does not yet entirely meet the requirements of the
new situation and new tasks. Some Party organizations are feeble and lax. We
must pay close attention to these problems and continue to take effective
measures to solve them.
Our achievements over the past five years have been scored through reform
and opening up, especially through our practice since the Fourth Plenary
Session of the Thirteenth Central Committee in 1989. These 13 years have
witnessed a highly volatile international situation and a magnificent
upsurge of China's reform, opening up and modernization. From the late 1980s
to the early 1990s, there occurred serious political disturbances in China,
drastic changes in Eastern Europe and the disintegration of the Soviet
Union. Socialism in the world suffered serious setbacks. China was faced
with unprecedented difficulties and pressure in its efforts to develop the
socialist cause. At this crucial historical juncture bearing on the destiny
of the Party and state, the Party Central Committee relied firmly on all the
comrades in the Party and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups and
unswervingly adhered to the line prevailing since the Third Plenary Session
of the Eleventh Central Committee, and thus successfully brought the overall
situation of reform and development under control and safeguarded the great
cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics. After Comrade Deng Xiaoping
made remarks on his tour of the South, the Fourteenth National Congress
decided to establish a socialist market economy as the goal of reform, thus
ushering in a new stage for reform, opening up and the modernization drive.
To develop a market economy under socialism is a great pioneering
undertaking never tried before in history. It is a historic contribution of
the Chinese Communists to the development of Marxism. It has given
expression to our Party's tremendous courage to persist in making
theoretical innovation and keeping pace with the times. The shift from the
planned economy to the socialist market economy represented a new historic
breakthrough in reform and opening up and brought about entirely new
prospects for China's economic, political and cultural progress. After the
demise of Comrade Deng Xiaoping, we held high the great banner of Deng
Xiaoping Theory and made pioneering efforts to advance the cause of
socialism with Chinese characteristics into the 21st century in an all-round
way.
Over the past 13 years, with clearly defined objectives, we worked with
one heart and one mind and scored historic achievements. In 2001, China's
GDP reached 9.5933 trillion yuan, almost tripling that of 1989, representing
an average annual increase of 9.3 percent. China came up to the sixth place
in the world in terms of economic aggregate. On the whole, the people made a
historic leap from having only adequate food and clothing to leading a
well-off life. As is universally recognized, the 13 years have been a period
in which China's overall national strength has risen by a big margin, the
people have received more tangible benefits than ever before, and China has
enjoyed long-term social stability and solidarity and had a good government
and a united people. China's influence in the world has grown notably, and
the cohesion of the nation has increased remarkably. The hard work of our
Party and people and their great achievements have attracted worldwide
attention and will surely go down as a glorious page in the annals of the
great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
A review of these 13 years shows that we have traversed a tortuous course
and that our achievements are hard won. We have responded confidently to a
series of unexpected international events bearing on China's sovereignty and
security. We have surmounted difficulties and risks arising from the
political and economic spheres and from nature. We have gone through one
trial after another and removed all kinds of obstacles, thus ensuring that
our reform, opening up and modernization drive have been forging ahead in
the correct direction like a ship braving surging waves. We have attained
these successes by relying on the correct guidance of the Party's basic
theory, line and program, on the high degree of unity and solidarity of the
Party and on the tenacious work of the whole Party and the people of all
ethnic groups around the country.
Here, on behalf of the CPC Central Committee, I wish to express our
heartfelt thanks to the people of all our ethnic groups, the democratic
parties, people's organizations and patriots from all walks of life, to our
compatriots in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Macao
Special Administrative Region and Taiwan as well as overseas Chinese, and to
our foreign friends who care about and support China's modernization drive!
The practice of the 13 years has helped us acquire a deeper understanding
of what socialism is, how to build it, and what kind of Party to build and
how to build it, and we have gained most valuable experience in this regard.
1. Uphold Deng Xiaoping Theory as our guide and constantly bring forth
theoretical innovation. Deng Xiaoping Theory is our banner, and the Party's
basic line and program are the fundamental guidelines for every field of our
work. Whatever difficulties and risks we may come up against, we must
unswervingly abide by the Party's basic theory, line and program. We should
persist in arming the entire Party membership with Marxism-Leninism, Mao
Zedong Thought and Deng Xiaoping Theory and using them to educate our
people. We should continue to emancipate our minds, seek truth from facts,
keep pace with the times and make innovations in a pioneering spirit. We
should respect the creativity of the general public and test and develop the
Party's theory, line, principles and policies in practice.
2. Keep economic development as the central task and solve problems
cropping up on our way forward through development. Development is the
fundamental principle. We must seize all opportunities to accelerate
development. Development calls for new ideas. We should stick to the
principle of expanding domestic demand and implement the strategy of
national rejuvenation through science and education and that of sustainable
development. While seeking speed, we should pay attention to structure,
quality and efficiency, and while propelling economic development, we should
take into consideration population, resources and the environment. On the
basis of economic growth, we need to promote all-round social progress,
constantly better people's lives and ensure that all the people share the
fruits of development.
3. Persevere in reform and opening up and keep improving the socialist
market economy. Reform and opening up are ways to make China powerful. We
must press ahead with the reform in all areas resolutely. The reform must be
promoted realistically, comprehensively and progressively with breakthroughs
made in key areas and emphasis placed on institutional improvement and
innovation. We should follow the orientation of reform toward the socialist
market economy and make sure that the market forces playan essential role in
the allocation of resources under the state's macroeconomic control. By both
"bringing in" and "going out", we should actively participate in
international economic and technological cooperation and competition and
open wider to the outside world.
4. Adhere to the Four Cardinal Principles (*Note 1) and develop socialist
democracy. The Four Cardinal Principles are the very foundation on which we
build our country. We must uphold leadership by the CPC and consolidate and
improve the state system-a people's democratic dictatorship and the system
of political power - the people's congresses. We should uphold and improve
the system of multiparty cooperation and political consultation led by the
Communist Party and the system of regional ethnic autonomy. We should
promote political restructuring, develop democracy, improve the legal
system, rule the country by law, build a socialist state under the rule of
law and ensure that the people exercise their rights as the masters of the
country.
5. Attach equal importance to both material and spiritual civilization and
run the country by combining the rule of law with the rule of virtue.
Socialist spiritual civilization is an important attribute of socialism with
Chinese characteristics. Basing ourselves on China's realities, we must
carry forward the fine tradition of our national culture and absorb the
achievements of foreign cultures in building socialist spiritual
civilization. We should unceasingly upgrade the ideological and ethical
standards as well as the scientific and cultural qualities of the entire
people so as to provide a strong motivation and intellectual support for the
modernization drive.
6. Ensure stability as a principle of overriding importance and balance
reform, development and stability. Stability is a prerequisite for reform
and development. We should take into full consideration the momentum of
reform, the speed of development and the sustainability of the general
public. Continued improvement of people's lives must be regarded as an
important link in balancing reform, development and stability. We should
press ahead with reform and development amidst social stability and promote
social stability through reform and development.
7. Persevere in the Party's absolute leadership over the army and take the
road of fewer but better troops with Chinese characteristics. The people's
army is a staunch pillar of the people's democratic dictatorship. It should
meet the general requirements of being qualified politically and competent
militarily and having a fine style of work, strict discipline and adequate
logistic support, with a view to enabling itself to win battles and never
degenerate, paying attention to strengthening itself through science and
technology and building itself into a more revolutionary, modernized and
regularized army. We must ensure that the army is forever loyal to the
Party, socialism, the motherland and the people.
8. Continue to unite with all forces that can be united with and increase
the cohesion of the Chinese nation. We should hold high the banners of
patriotism and socialism, strengthen the great solidarity of the people of
all ethnic groups, and consolidate and develop the broadest possible
patriotic united front. We need to strengthen our solidarity with the
democratic parties and personages without party affiliation. We should
handle well the work relating to ethnic minorities, religions and overseas
Chinese. We should adhere to the principle of "one country, two systems" and
bring into full play every positive factor in a common endeavor to
accomplish the grand cause of national reunification and the great
rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
9. Pursue the independent foreign policy of peace, safeguard world peace
and promote common development. We will, as always, attach paramount
importance to our state sovereignty and security. We will develop friendly
relations and cooperation with all other countries on the basis of the Five
Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. We will oppose hegemonism and power
politics and promote the establishment of a fair and rational new
international political and economic order. In handling international
affairs, we should observe and cope with the situation cool-headedly, adhere
to the principle of mutual respect and seek common ground while shelving
differences. We need to respect the diversity of the world, promote
democracy in international relations and strive for a peaceful international
environment and a good climate in areas around China.
10. Strengthen and improve the Party's leadership and propel the new great
project of Party building. To run the state well, we must run the Party well
first. To do this, we must be strict with the Party members. We must
maintain the Party's nature and purposes, strengthen and improve Party
building in the spirit of reform, enhance the Party's art of leadership and
governance, increase its capability of fighting corruption and guarding
against degeneration and risks and make unremitting efforts to combat
corruption. The Party must keep its flesh-and-blood ties with the people as
well as its progressiveness, purity, solidarity and unity.
The above-mentioned ten principles constitute the basic experience the
Party must follow as it leads the people in building socialism with Chinese
characteristics. This experience and the historical experience gained by the
Party since its founding can be summarized as follows: Our Party must always
represent the development trend of China's advanced productive forces, the
orientation of China's advanced culture and the fundamental interests of the
overwhelming majority of the Chinese people. They are the inexorable
requirements for maintaining and developing socialism and the logical
conclusion our Party has reached through hard exploration and great
practice.
II. Implement the Important Thought of Three Represents in an All-Round
Way
To open up new prospects for the cause of socialism with Chinese
characteristics, we must hold high the great banner of Deng Xiaoping Theory
and implement the important thought of Three Represents. As a continuation
and development of Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought and Deng Xiaoping
Theory, this important thought reflects new requirements for the work of the
Party and state arising from the changes in China and other parts of the
world today. It is a powerful theoretical weapon for strengthening and
improving Party building and promoting self-improvement and development of
socialism in China. It is the crystallization of the Party's collective
wisdom and a guiding ideology the Party must follow for a long time to come.
Persistent implementation of the "Three Represents" is the foundation for
building our Party, the cornerstone for its governance and the source of its
strength.
The important thought of Three Represents has been put forward on the
basis of a scientific judgment of the Party's historical position. Having
gone through the revolution, reconstruction and reform, our Party has
evolved from a party that led the people in fighting for state power to a
party that has led the people in exercising the power and has long remained
in power. It has developed from a party that led national reconstruction
under external blockade and a planned economy to a party that is leading
national development while the country is opening to the outside world and
developing a socialist market economy. Keeping in mind the past, present and
future of China and other parts of the world, we must accurately comprehend
the characteristics of the times and the Party's tasks, scientifically
formulate and correctly implement the Party's line, principles and policies,
and study and settle questions concerning the promotion of China's social
progress and the improvement of Party building. We should neither approach
questions out of their historical context nor lose our bearings, and we
should neither fall behind the times nor skip the stages, so as to ensure
that our cause will advance from victory to victory.
The implementation of the important thought of Three Represents is, in
essence, to keep pace with the times, maintain the Party's progressiveness
and exercise the state power in the interest of the people. All Party
members must be keenly aware of this basic requirement and become more
conscious and determined in implementing this important thought.
1. To carry out the important thought of Three Represents, the whole Party
must maintain the spirit of keeping pace with the times and blaze new trails
for the development of the Marxist theory. Upholding the Party's ideological
line, emancipating the mind, seeking truth from facts and keeping pace with
the times are decisive factors for our Party to retain its progressiveness
and enhance its creativity. Keeping pace with the times means that all the
theory and work of the Party must conform to the times, follow the law of
development and display great creativity. Whether we can persist in doing
this bears on the future and destiny of the Party and state.
Innovation sustains the progress of a nation. It is an inexhaustible
motive force for the prosperity of a country and the source of the eternal
vitality of a political party. The world is changing, China's reform,
opening up and modernization drive are advancing and our people's great
practice is progressing. All this urgently requires our Party to sum up new
experience from practice, draw on the achievements of modern human
civilization, broaden its fields of vision in theory and come up with new
theses with the courage of the theory of Marxism. Only thus can our Party's
ideology and theory guide the whole Party and the entire people forward and
inspire them to push ahead the cause of building socialism with Chinese
characteristics. Theoretical innovation based on practice precedes social
development and changes. Bringing forth new ideas in institutions, science
and technology, culture and other fields through theoretical innovation,
exploring the way forward in practice, never becoming conceited and never
slackening our effort - these are the ways of running the Party and state,
which we should follow for a long time to come.
Innovation requires emancipating our minds, seeking truth from facts and
keeping pace with the times. There is no limit to practice nor to
innovation. We will surpass our predecessors, and future generations will
certainly surpass us. This is an inexorable law governing social
advancement. We must adapt ourselves to the progress of practice and test
all things in practice. We must conscientiously free our minds from the
shackles of the outdated notions, practices and systems, from the erroneous
and dogmatic interpretations of Marxism and from the fetters of subjectivism
and metaphysics. While upholding the basic tenets of Marxism, we must add
new chapters of theory to it. While carrying forward the revolutionary
tradition, we must acquire new experience. We should be good at seeking
unity in thinking through the emancipation of our minds and guiding our new
practice with the developing Marxism.
2. To carry out the important thought of Three Represents, it is essential
for the Party to give top priority to development in governing and
rejuvenating the country and open up new prospects for the modernization
drive. A Marxist ruling party must attach great importance to the liberation
and development of the productive forces. Without development, it would be
impossible to maintain the progressiveness of the Party, give play to the
superiority of the socialist system and make the people rich and the country
strong. The progressiveness of the Party is concrete and historical, and it
must be judged by whether the Party promotes the development of the advanced
productive forces and culture in present-day China and works to safeguard
and realize the fundamental interests of the overwhelming majority of the
people. In the final analysis, it must be judged by the Party's role in
propelling history forward.
In China, a large developing country with a backward economy and culture,
where our Party is leading the people in the modernization drive, a good
solution to the problem of development has a direct bearing on the trend of
popular sentiment and the success of our cause. Shouldering the historical
responsibility to propel the Chinese society, the Party must always keep a
firm grip on development -- the top priority for its governance and
rejuvenation of the country. It must maintain its progressiveness and give
play to the superiority of the socialist system by developing the advanced
productive forces and culture and realizing the fundamental interests of the
overwhelming majority of the people, speeding up all-round social progress
and promoting the all-round development of people. So long as the Party
firmly grasps this point, it will have thoroughly understood the aspirations
of the people and the essence of the socialist modernization drive, and thus
it will be able to keep implementing the important thought of Three
Represents and consolidating its position as the ruling party and meet the
requirement of making the country strong and the people rich.
Development requires that we always concentrate on economic growth, base
ourselves on China's realities, conform to the trend of the times and
continue to explore new ways to promote the progress of the advanced
productive forces and culture. Development requires that we uphold and
deepen the reform. It requires that we do away with all notions which hinder
development, change all practices and regulations which impede it and get
rid of all the drawbacks of the systems which adversely affect it.
Development requires that we trust and rely on the people who are the motive
force for pushing forward the advance of history. We will pool the wisdom
and strength of the people of the whole country and concentrate on
construction and development.
3. To carry out the important thought of Three Represents, it is essential
to bring all positive factors into full play and bring new forces to the
great cause of rejuvenating the Chinese nation. The interests of the
overwhelming majority of the people and the initiative and creativity of the
whole society and the entire nation are always the most decisive factors for
advancing the cause of the Party and state. In the process of profound
social changes in our country and the rapid development of the cause of the
Party and state, it is vitally important to properly balance the interests
of all quarters and fully mobilize and rally all positive factors.
With the deepening of reform and opening up and economic and cultural
development, the working class in China has expanded steadily and its
quality improved. The working class, with the intellectuals as part of it,
and the farmers are always the basic forces for promoting the development of
the advanced productive forces and all-round social progress in our country.
Emerging in the process of social changes, entrepreneurs and technical
personnel employed by non-public scientific and technological enterprises,
managerial and technical staff employed by overseas-funded enterprises, the
self-employed, private entrepreneurs, employees in intermediaries,
free-lance professionals and members of other social strata are all builders
of socialism with Chinese characteristics. We should unite with the people
of all social strata who help to make the motherland prosperous and strong,
encouraging their pioneering spirit, protecting their legitimate rights and
interests and commending the outstanding ones in an effort to create a
situation in which all people are well positioned, do their best and live in
harmony.
We must respect work, knowledge, competent people and creation. This
should be an important policy of the Party and state to be conscientiously
implemented in society at large. We need to respect and protect all work
that is good for the people and society. All work that contributes to the
socialist modernization drive in China, physical or mental and simple or
complicated, is glorious and should be acknowledged and respected. All
investors at home or from overseas should be encouraged to carry out
business activities in China's development. All legitimate income, from work
or not, should be protected. It is improper to judge whether people are
politically progressive or backward simply by whether they own property or
how much property they own. But rather, we should judge them mainly by their
political awareness, state of mind and performance, by how they have
acquired and used their property, and by how they have contributed to the
cause of building socialism with Chinese characteristics through their work.
It is necessary to foster notions and form a business mechanism inconformity
with the basic economic system in the primary stage of socialism and create
a social environment in which people are encouraged to achieve something and
helped to make a success of their career, so as to unleash all the vitality
contained in work, knowledge, technology, management and capital and give
full play to all sources of social wealth for the benefit of the people.
In building socialism with Chinese characteristics, the fundamental
interests of the people of the whole country are identical, on the basis of
which concrete interest relations and internal contradictions can be
adjusted. In the formulation and implementation of the Party's principles
and policies, a basic point of departure is that we should represent the
fundamental interests of the overwhelming majority of the people, and
correctly reflect and take into account the interests of different groups of
people, enabling the whole people to advance steadily toward the goal of
common prosperity. We should protect the vitality for further growth of the
developed regions, strong industries and people who have become rich first
through hard work and lawful business operations and encouraging them to
create social wealth. More importantly, we must pay great attention to less
developed areas and the industries and people in straitened circumstances
and show concern for them. In particular, we must see to it that the people
in financial difficulties have subsistence allowances, and we must take
effective measures to help them find jobs and improve their living
conditions so that they will truly feel the warmth of our socialist society.
4. To carry out the important thought of Three Represents, it is essential
to push forward Party building in a spirit of reform and instill new
vitality in the Party. Attaching vital importance to and strengthening Party
building is a magic weapon with which our Party has grown from a small and
weak force to a large and strong one, risen in spite of setbacks and matured
gradually in surmounting difficulties. As the historical experience of the
Party over the past 80 years and more shows, the most important point is
that we must build up the Party according to its political line, central
task and general goal for building it with a view to enhancing its
creativity, cohesion and fighting capacity.
Persisting in self-examination in compliance with the requirements of the
times and pursuing self-improvement in a spirit of reform are the
fundamental guarantee that our Party will always remain a Marxist party,
will never be divorced from the people and will be full of vitality. We must
be good at both reviewing our useful experience and learning lessons from
our mistakes. We must be good at both leading the people ahead by putting
forward and implementing the correct theory and line and acquiring the
motivation for progress from the people's creations in practice and their
desire for development. We must be good at both understanding and changing
the objective world and organizing and guiding cadres and other Party
members to strengthen their efforts to change their subjective world in
practice. Bearing these requirements in mind, we must integrate adherence to
the basic tenets of Marxism with efforts for theoretical innovation,
maintenance of the fine tradition of the Party with promotion of the spirit
of the times, and consolidation of the Party's class base with expansion of
its mass base so that the Party serves as a strong core of leadership that
is consolidated ideologically, politically and organizationally and always
stands in the forefront of the times leading the people forward in
solidarity.
All in all, the important thought of Three Represents is always in a
process of development and progress. The whole Party must continue to
emancipate the mind, come up with new ideas in respect of theory and create
something new in practice. It must carry out the important thought of Three
Represents in all endeavors of the socialist modernization drive and in all
aspects of Party building so that it always advances with the times and
shares weal and woe with the people.
III. Objectives of Building a Well-off Society in an All-Round Way
Thanks to the joint efforts of the whole Party and the people of all
ethnic groups, we have attained the objectives of the first two steps of the
three-step strategy for China's modernization drive, and by and large, the
people have become well-off. This is a great victory for the socialist
system and a new milestone in the history of the development of the Chinese
nation.
We must be aware that China is in the primary stage of socialism and will
remain so for a long time to come. The well-off life we are leading is still
at a low level; it is not all-inclusive and is very uneven. The principal
contradiction in our society is still one between the ever-growing material
and cultural needs of the people and the backwardness of social production.
Our productive forces, science, technology and education are still
relatively backward, so there is still a long way to go before we achieve
industrialization and modernization. The dual structure in urban and rural
economy has not yet been changed, the gap between regions is still widening
and there are still quite a large number of impoverished people. China's
population continues to grow, the proportion of the aged is getting larger,
and the pressure on employment and social security is mounting. The
contradiction between the ecological environment and natural resources on
the one hand and economic and social development on the other is becoming
increasingly conspicuous. We still feel pressure from developed countries as
they have the upper hand in such fields as the economy, science and
technology. The economic structure and managerial systems in other fields
remain to be perfected. There are still some problems we cannot afford to
overlook in improving democracy and the legal system as well as the
ideological and ethical standards. We need to work hard over a long period
of time to consolidate and uplift our current well-off standard of living.
An overview of the situation shows that for our country, the first two
decades of the 21st century are a period of important strategic
opportunities, which we must seize tightly and which offers bright
prospects. In accordance with the development objectives up to 2010, the
centenary of the Party and that of New China, as proposed at the Fifteenth
National Congress, we need to concentrate on building a well-off society of
a higher standard in an all-round way to the benefit of well over one
billion people in this period. We will further develop the economy, improve
democracy, advance science and education, enrich culture, foster social
harmony and upgrade the texture of life for the people. The two decades of
development will serve as an inevitable connecting link for attainting the
third-step strategic objectives for our modernization drive as well as a key
stage for improving the socialist market economy and opening wider to the
outside world. Building on what is achieved at this stage and continuing to
work for several more decades, we will have in the main accomplished the
modernization program and turned China into a strong, prosperous, democratic
and culturally advanced socialist country by the middle of this century.
The objectives of building a well-off society in an all-round way are as
follows:
-- On the basis of optimized structure and better economic returns,
efforts will be made to quadruple the GDP of the year 2000 by 2020, and
China's overall national strength and international competitiveness will
increase markedly. We will in the main achieve industrialization and
establish a full-fledged socialist market economy and a more open and viable
economic system. The proportion of urban population will go up considerably
and the trend of widening differences between industry and agriculture,
between urban and rural areas and between regions will be reversed step by
step. We will have a fairly sound social security system. There will be a
higher rate of employment. People will have more family property and lead a
more prosperous life.
-- Socialist democracy and the legal system will be further improved. The
basic principle of ruling the country by law will be implemented completely.
The political, economic and cultural rights and interests of the people will
be respected and guaranteed in real earnest. Democracy at the grassroots
level will be better practiced. People will enjoy a sound public order and
live and work in peace and contentment.
-- The ideological and ethical standards, the scientific and cultural
qualities, and the health of the whole people will be enhanced notably. A
sound modern national educational system, scientific, technological and
cultural innovation systems as well as nationwide fitness and medical and
health systems will take shape. People will have access to better education.
We will make senior secondary education basically universal in the country
and eliminate illiteracy. A learning society in which all the people will
learn or even pursue life-long education will emerge to boost their
all-round development.
-- The capability of sustainable development will be steadily enhanced.
The ecological environment will be improved. The efficiency of using
resources will be increased significantly. We will enhance harmony between
man and nature to push the whole society onto a path to civilized
development featuring the growth of production, an affluent life and a sound
ecosystem.
The objectives set at this congress for building a well-off society in an
all-round way are objectives of comprehensive economic, political and
cultural development of socialism with Chinese characteristics, objectives
well geared to the efforts to speed up modernization. They tally with the
national conditions, the realities of the modernization drive and the
people's aspirations. They are of great significance. In order to attain the
Party's objectives for the new stage in the new century, it is imperative to
come up with new ideas for development, make new breakthroughs in reform,
break new ground in opening up and take new moves in all fields of endeavor.
All localities and departments must proceed from their actual conditions and
take effective measures to attain the objectives. Places where conditions
permit may develop faster and take the lead in accomplishing modernization
by and large on the basis of building a well-off society in an all-round
way. We are sure that after attaining the objectives of building a well-off
society in an all-round way, our motherland will become stronger and more
prosperous, the people will live a better and happier life, and socialism
with Chinese characteristics will further demonstrate its great
superiority.
IV. Economic Development and Restructuring
In building a well-off society in an all-round way, it is of vital
importance to take economic development as the central task and keep
releasing and developing the productive forces. In light of the new trends
in the economy, science and technology of the world and the requirements of
our national economic development in the new period, we should undertake the
following main tasks for economic development and reform in the first two
decades of this century: to improve the socialist market economy, promote
strategic adjustment of the economic structure, basically accomplish
industrialization, energetically apply IT, accelerate modernization,
maintain a sustained, rapid and sound development of the national economy
and steadily uplift the people's living standards. In the first decade, we
will accomplish all the objectives set in the Tenth Five-Year Plan and for
the years up to 2010 so as to bring the economic aggregate, overall national
strength and the people's living standards up to a much higher level and lay
a solid foundation for even greater development in the second decade.
1. Take a new road to industrialization and implement the strategy of
rejuvenating the country through science and education and that of
sustainable development. It remains an arduous historical task in the
process of our modernization drive to accomplish industrialization. IT
application is a logical choice if industrialization and modernization of
our country are to be accelerated. It is, therefore, necessary to persist in
using IT to propel industrialization, which will, in turn, stimulate IT
application, blazing a new trail to industrialization featuring high
scientific and technological content, good economic returns, low resources
consumption, little environmental pollution and a full display of advantages
in human resources.
We must press ahead to optimize and upgrade the industrial structure so as
to bring about an industrial pattern with high and new technology industries
as the leader, basic and manufacturing industries as the kingpin and the
service industry developing in all areas. We must give priority to the
development of the information industry and apply IT in all areas of
economic and social development. We must develop high and new technology
industries to provide breakthroughs in stimulating economic growth. It is
necessary to transform traditional industries with high and new technology
and advanced adaptive technology and invigorate the equipment manufacturing
industry. We should continue to strengthen infrastructure. We should
accelerate the development of the modern service sector and raise the
proportion of the tertiary industry in the national economy. We must
correctly handle the relationships of development between the high and new
technology industries and traditional industries, between
capital-and-technology-intensive industries and labor-intensive industries
and between virtual economy and real economy.
In taking a new road to industrialization, we must give play to the
important role of science and technology as the primary productive force and
pay close attention to improving the quality and efficiency of economic
growth by relying on scientific and technological progress and raising the
qualities of labor force. We must strengthen basic research and research in
high technology, promote key technological innovation and systems
integration so that technology will develop by leaps and bounds. We must
encourage scientific and technological innovation and acquire key technology
and independent intellectual property rights in key areas and a number of
domains in frontier science and technology. We must deepen the reform of the
administration systems of science, technology and education, strengthen the
integration of science, technology and education with the economy, improve
the service system for the development of science and technology and quicken
the pace of translating research achievements into practical productive
forces. We must press ahead with the building of a national innovation
system. We must give play to the role of venture capital and develop a
mechanism of capital operation and human capital pooling for promoting
scientific and technological innovation and start-ups. We must improve the
system of intellectual property rights protection. We must give top priority
to sustainable development, adhere to the basic state policies of family
planning and environmental and resources protection, keep the birthrate low
and rationally develop and economically utilize all kinds of natural
resources. We must lose no time in solving the problem of water shortages in
some areas and build the south-to-north water diversion project. We should
promote marine development and do well in the comprehensive improvement of
land and resources. It is necessary to help the whole nation see the
importance of environmental protection and do a good job of ecological
conservation and improvement.
2. Make the rural economy flourish and speed up urbanization. A major task
for building a well-off society in an all-round way is to make overall
planning for urban and rural economic and social development, build modern
agriculture, develop the rural economy and increase the income of farmers.
We must strengthen the position of agriculture as the foundation of the
economy, carry on the restructuring of agriculture and the rural economy,
protect and raise the comprehensive grain production capacity, improve the
system for ensuring the quality of farm produce and enhance the
competitiveness of agriculture in the market. We must push forward the
industrialized operation of agriculture, better organize farmers in their
access to the market and improve the overall efficiency of agriculture. We
must develop farm produce processing industry to boost the county economy.
We must open up more rural markets and enliven the distribution of farm
produce by improving its market system.
It is an inevitable trend of industrialization and modernization for
surplus rural labor to move to non-agricultural industries and to cities and
towns. It is essential to raise the level of urbanization gradually and
persist in the coordinated development of large, medium and small cities and
small towns along the path to urbanization with Chinese characteristics. We
should develop small towns on the basis of existing county seats and of
organic towns where conditions permit, make scientific planning and a
rational layout, integrating their development with the expansion of
township and village enterprises and the rural service sector. All the
institutional and policy barriers to urbanization must be removed and the
rational and orderly flow of rural labor guided.
We must adhere to the basic rural policies of the Party and keep
stabilizing and improving the two-tier management system that integrates
unified with separate management on the basis of household contract
management. Wherever conditions permit, the transfer of the contractual
right of land can be carried out according to law and on a voluntary and
compensatory basis so as to develop scale operation step by step. We must
respect farmer households as market players and encourage innovation in the
rural management system. We must enhance the economic strength of the
collectives. We should establish and improve a commercialized rural service
system. We must invest more in agriculture, give it more support and
accelerate the progress of agricultural science and technology and the
building of rural infrastructure. We should improve financial services in
rural areas. We must continue with the reform in tax and fee in rural areas
to lighten the burdens of farmers and protect their interests.
3. Advance the development of the western region and bring about a
coordinated development of regional economies. The implementation of the
strategy for the development of the western region bears on the overall
situation of national development, the ethnic unity and the stability in
border areas. To lay a solid foundation and go ahead in a down-to-earth
manner, we must give priority to infrastructure and ecological environment
improvement and strive for breakthroughs in a decade. We must develop
industries with local advantages and propel the development of key areas. We
should develop science, technology and education and train and make the best
use of all human resources. The state should provide the western region with
greater support in such areas as investment projects, tax policies and
transfer payments, gradually build up long-term and stable sources of funds
for its development, improve the investment environment, and guide foreign
investment and domestic capital toward that region. People there should
further emancipate their minds, enhance their self-development capabilities
and explore a new path to accelerated development in reform and opening up.
The central region should redouble its efforts toward structural
adjustment, giving impetus to industrialized operation of agriculture,
transforming traditional industries, cultivating new economic growth points
and speeding up industrialization and urbanization. The eastern region
should quicken the pace of upgrading its industrial structure, develop
modern agriculture, high and new technology industries and high value-added
processing and manufacturing industries and further develop the
outward-looking economy. We should encourage the special economic zones and
the Pudong New Area in Shanghai to spearhead, among other things,
institutional innovation and greater openness. We should support the
northeastern region and other old industrial bases in accelerating their
adjustments and transformation and support cities and areas mainly engaged
in natural resources exploitation in their efforts to develop alternative
industries. We should support the old revolutionary base areas and areas
inhabited by ethnic minorities in expediting their development. The state
should give more support to main grain producing areas. The eastern, central
and western regions should strengthen economic exchanges and cooperation to
complement one another and secure common development so as to form a number
of distinctive economic zones and belts.
4. Stick to and improve the basic economic system and deepen the reform of
the state property management system. In line with the requirements of
releasing and developing the productive forces, we must uphold and improve
the basic economic system, with public ownership playing a dominant role and
diverse forms of ownership developing side by side. First, it is necessary
to consolidate and develop unswervingly the public sector of the economy.
Expansion of the state sector and its control of the lifeline of the
national economy is of crucial importance in displaying the superiority of
the socialist system and reinforcing the economic strength, national defense
capabilities and national cohesion. As an important component of the public
sector, the collective sector of the economy plays a significant role in
achieving common prosperity. Secondly, it is necessary to encourage, support
and guide the development of the non-public sectors of the economy. The
non-public sector of self-employed, private and other forms of ownership is
an important component part of the socialist market economy. They play an
important role in mobilizing the initiative of all quarters of the society
to quicken the development of the productive forces. Thirdly, we must
stimulate the development of the non-public sectors while keeping the public
sector as the dominant player, incorporating both into the process of the
socialist modernization drive instead of setting them against each other.
All sectors of the economy can very well display their respective advantages
in market competition and stimulate one another for common development.
Continuing to adjust the layout and structure of the state sector and
reform the state property management system is a major task for deepening
economic restructuring. We should give full play to the initiative of both
the central and local authorities on the precondition of upholding state
ownership. The state should make laws and regulations and establish a state
property management system under which the Central Government and local
governments perform the responsibilities of investor on behalf of the state
respectively, enjoying owner's equity, combining rights with obligations and
duties and administering assets, personnel and other affairs. The Central
Government should represent the state in performing the functions as
investor in large state-owned enterprises, infrastructure and important
natural resources that have a vital bearing on the lifeline of the national
economy and state security while local governments should represent the
state in performing the functions as investors with regard to other state
property. The Central Government and the provincial and municipal (prefectural)
governments should set up state property management organizations. We should
continue to explore systems and modes for managing state property
effectively. Governments at all levels must strictly abide by the laws and
regulations concerning the management of state property, persisting in the
separation of government functions from enterprise management and separation
of ownership from management so that enterprises can operate independently,
assume sole responsibility for their profits or losses and preserve and
increase the value of state property.
State-owned enterprises are the pillar of the national economy. We should
deepen the reform of state-owned enterprises and further explore diversified
forms for effectively realizing public ownership, especially state
ownership. We should promote institutional, technological and managerial
innovations in enterprises. Except for a tiny number of enterprises that
must be funded solely by the state, all the others should introduce the
joint-stock system to develop a mixed sector of the economy. Sources of
investment must be diversified. The controlling shares in lifeline
enterprises must be held by the state. Large and medium state-owned
enterprises must continue their reform to convert themselves into standard
companies in compliance with the requirements of the modern enterprise
system and improve their corporate governance. Monopoly industries should
carry out reforms to introduce competition mechanisms. We should form large
internationally competitive companies and enterprise groups through market
forces and policy guidance. We should give a freer rein to small and medium
state-owned enterprises to invigorate themselves. We should deepen the
reform of collective enterprises and give more support and help to the
growth of the various forms of the collective sector of the economy.
We must give full scope to the important role of the non-public sector of
self-employed, private and other forms of ownership of the economy in
stimulating economic growth, creating more jobs and activating the market.
We should expand the areas for the market access of domestic nongovernmental
capital and adopt measures with regard to investment, financing, taxation,
land use, foreign trade and other aspects to carry out fair competition. We
should strengthen the supervision and administration of the non-public
sectors according to law to promote their sound development. We should
improve the legal system for protecting private property.
5. Improve the modern market system and tighten and improve macroeconomic
control. We should give a fuller play to the basic role of the market in the
allocation of resources and build up a unified, open, competitive and
orderly modern market system. We should go ahead with reform, opening up,
stability and development of the capital market. We should develop markets
for property rights, land, labor and technology and create an environment
for the equal use of production factors by market players. We must deepen
the reform of the distribution system and introduce modern ways of
distribution. We must rectify and standardize the order of the market
economy and establish a social credit system compatible with a modern market
economy. We must get rid of trade monopolies and regional blockades to allow
free movement of goods and production factors on markets around the country.
We must improve the government functions of economic regulation, market
supervision, social administration and public services, and reduce and
standardize administrative procedures for examination and approval. We must
stimulate economic growth, create more jobs, stabilize prices and maintain
balance of international payments as the main macroeconomic control
objectives. Stimulating domestic demand is an essential and long-standing
factor underlying China's economic growth. We must stick to the policy of
stimulating domestic demand and implement corresponding macroeconomic
policies in light of actual needs. We must adjust the relationship between
investment and consumption to raise the proportion of consumption in GDP
gradually. We should improve the macroeconomic control system featuring the
coordination of state planning and fiscal and monetary policies to give play
to economic leverage. We should deepen the reform of the fiscal, taxation,
banking, investment and financing systems. We should improve the budgetary
decision-making and management system, step up the supervision of revenue
and expenditures and intensify tax administration. We should carry out the
reform steadily to deregulate interest rates to leave them to market forces,
optimize the allocation of financial resources, strengthen regulation and
prevent and defuse financial risks so as to provide better banking services
for economic and social development.
6. Deepen the reform of the income distribution system and improve the
social security system. Rationalizing the relations of income distribution
bears on the immediate interests of the general public and the display of
their initiative. We should adjust and standardize the relations of
distribution among the state, enterprises and individuals. We should
establish the principle that labor, capital, technology, managerial
expertise and other production factors participate in the distribution of
income in accordance with their respective contributions, thereby improving
the system under which distribution according to work is dominant and a
variety of modes of distribution coexist. We should give priority to
efficiency with due consideration to fairness, earnestly implementing the
distribution policy while advocating the spirit of devotion and guarding
against an excessive disparity in income while opposing equalitarianism. In
primary distribution, we should pay more attention to efficiency, bringing
the market forces into play and encouraging part of the people to become
rich first through honest labor and lawful operations. In redistribution, we
should pay more attention to fairness and strengthen the function of the
government in regulating income distribution to narrow the gap if it is too
wide. We should standardize the order of income distribution, properly
regulate the excessively high income of some monopoly industries and outlaw
illegal gains. Bearing in mind the objective of common prosperity, we should
try to raise the proportion of the middle-income group and increase the
income of the low-income group.
Establishing and improving a social security system compatible with the
level of economic development constitutes an important guarantee for social
stability and long-term peace and order in the country. We should stick to
and improve the basic old-age pension and medical insurance systems for
urban workers, combining socially pooled funds with personal contributions.
We should improve the systems of unemployment insurance and subsistence
allowances for urban residents. We should try various channels to raise and
accumulate social security funds. Reasonable standards for social security
benefits should be set in light of local conditions. We should develop
social relief and welfare programs in urban and rural areas. Wherever
conditions permit, we should try to establish systems of old-age pensions,
medical insurance and subsistence allowances in rural areas.
7. Do a better job in opening up by "bringing in" and "going out". In
response to the new situation of economic globalization and China's entry
into the WTO, we should take part in international economic and
technological cooperation and competition on a broader scale, in more
spheres and on a higher level, make the best use of both international and
domestic markets, optimize the allocation of resources, expand the space for
development and accelerate reform and development by opening up.
We should expand trade in goods and services. We should implement the
strategy of market diversification, bring into play our comparative
advantages, consolidate our existing markets and open new ones in an effort
to increase exports. We should sharpen the competitive edge of our goods and
services for export by ensuring good quality. We should optimize our import
mix and focus on bringing in advanced technology and key equipment. We
should deepen the reform of the system of trade and economic relations with
other countries, encouraging more enterprises to engage in foreign trade and
improving relevant taxation systems and the trade financing mechanism.
We should attract more foreign direct investment and use it more
effectively. We will open the service sector to the outside world step by
step. We will utilize medium- and long-term foreign investment in many ways,
combining it with the domestic economic restructuring and the reorganization
and transformation of state-owned enterprises and encouraging multinational
corporations to invest in agriculture and manufacturing and high and new
technology industries. We should try to bring in from overseas large numbers
of professionals and other intellectual resources in various areas. We
should improve the environment for investment, grant national treatment to
foreign investors and make relevant policies and regulations more
transparent. Implementation of the strategy of "going out" is an important
measure taken in the new stage of opening up. We should encourage and help
relatively competitive enterprises with various forms of ownership to invest
abroad in order to increase export of goods and labor services and bring
about a number of strong multinational enterprises and brand names. We
should take an active part in regional economic exchanges and cooperation.
In opening wider to the outside world, we must pay great attention to
safeguarding our national economic security.
8. Do everything possible to create more jobs and improve the people's
lives. Employment has a vital bearing on the people's livelihood. The task
of increasing employment is arduous now and will remain so for a long time
to come. It is a long-term strategy and policy of the state to expand
employment. Party committees and governments at all levels must take it as
their major obligation to improve the business environment and create more
jobs. We should open up more avenues for employment and develop
labor-intensive industries. We should give policy support to enterprises
that increase jobs or reemploy laid-off workers. We should help the general
public to change their mentality about employment, introduce flexible and
diverse forms of employment and encourage people to find jobs on their own
or become self-employed. We should improve the system of pre-job training
and employment services and raise workers' skills for new jobs. We should
strengthen employment management in accordance with law, safeguard the
legitimate rights and interests of workers, pay great attention to safety at
work and protect the safety of state property and people's life.
The fundamental goal of economic development is to uplift the living
standards and quality of life of the people. As the economy develops, we
should increase the income of urban and rural residents, expand the scope of
their consumption and optimize the consumption structure so as to meet the
people's multifarious material and cultural needs. Further efforts should be
made to develop public service facilities, better people's living
environment and expand community services in order to make life easier for
the people. We should establish a medical service and health care system
that meets the requirements of the new situation. We should improve medical
and health conditions in rural areas and the medical and health care for
urban and rural residents. We should build up various programs to help the
handicapped. We should intensify our efforts to fight poverty through
development, build on the achievements we have scored in this regard, strive
to accomplish the task of providing adequate food and clothing for the
impoverished rural population and gradually enable them to lead a well-off
life.
Accomplishing the tasks set for economic development and restructuring is
of decisive significance to accelerating our socialist modernization. So
long as the whole Party and the people of all ethnic groups work hard with
one heart and one mind, we will definitely establish a mature socialist
market economy and maintain a sustained, rapid and sound development of the
national economy at the new stage in the new century.
V. Political Development and Restructuring
Developing socialist democracy and establishing a socialist political
civilization are an important goal for building a well-off society in an
all-round way. Adhering to the Four Cardinal Principles, we must go on
steadily and surely with political restructuring, extend socialist democracy
and improve the socialist legal system in order to build a socialist country
under the rule of law and consolidate and develop the political situation
characterized by democracy, solidarity, liveliness, stability and harmony.
Our Party has always deemed it its duty to realize and develop people's
democracy. Since the beginning of reform and opening up, we have pressed on
with political restructuring and improved socialist democracy. The key to
developing socialist democracy is to combine the need to uphold the Party's
leadership and to ensure that the people are the masters of the country with
the need to rule the country by law. Leadership by the Party is the
fundamental guarantee that the people are the masters of the country and
that the country is ruled by law. The people being the masters of the
country constitutes the essential requirement of socialist democracy. Ruling
the country by law is the basic principle the Party pursues while it leads
the people in running the country. The CPC is the core of leadership for the
cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Governance by the Communist
Party means that it leads and supports the people in acting as the masters
of the country and mobilizes and organizes them on a most extensive scale to
manage state and social affairs and economic and cultural undertakings
according to law, safeguarding and realizing their fundamental interests.
The Constitution and other laws embody the unity of the Party's views and
the people's will. All organizations and individuals must act in strict
accordance with the law, and none of them are allowed to have the privilege
to overstep the Constitution and other laws.
Political restructuring is the self-improvement and development of the
socialist political system. It must help enhance the vitality of the Party
and state, demonstrate the features and advantages of the socialist system,
give full scope to the initiative and creativity of the people, safeguard
national unity, ethnic solidarity and social stability and promote economic
development and social progress. We must always proceed from our national
conditions, review our experience gained in practice and at the same time
learn from the achievements of political civilization of mankind. We should
never copy any models of the political system of the West. We must
concentrate on institutional improvement and ensure that socialist democracy
is institutionalized and standardized and has its procedures.
1. Uphold and improve the systems of socialist democracy. It is essential
to improve the systems of democracy, develop diverse forms of democracy,
expand citizens' participation in political affairs in an orderly way, and
ensure that the people go in for democratic elections and decision-making,
exercise democratic management and supervision according to law and enjoy
extensive rights and freedoms, and that human rights are respected and
guaranteed. We should uphold and improve the system of people's congresses
and ensure that the congresses and their standing committees exercise their
functions according to law and that their legislation and policy decisions
better embody the people's will. We should optimize the composition of the
standing committees. We should uphold and improve the system of multiparty
cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the Communist
Party. We should uphold the principle of "long-term coexistence, mutual
supervision, treating each other with all sincerity and sharing weal and
woe", step up our cooperation with the democratic parties and better display
the features and advantages of the Chinese socialist system of political
parties. We will ensure that the Chinese People's Political Consultative
Conference (CPPCC) plays its role in political consultation, democratic
supervision and participation in and deliberation of state affairs. We will
consolidate and develop the broadest possible patriotic united front. We
will fully implement the Party's policy toward ethnic minorities, uphold and
improve the system of regional ethnic autonomy, consolidate and enhance
socialist ethnic relations of equality, solidarity and mutual assistance and
promote common prosperity and progress for all our ethnic groups. We will
implement the Party's policy toward the freedom of religious belief, handle
religious affairs according to law, encourage the adaptability of religions
to the socialist society and uphold the principle of self-administration and
running religious affairs independently. We will conscientiously carry out
the Party's policy toward overseas Chinese affairs.
Extending democracy at the grassroots level is the groundwork for
developing socialist democracy. We will improve grassroots self-governing
organizations, their democratic management system and the system of keeping
the public informed of matters being handled, and ensure that the people
directly exercise their democratic rights according to law, manage
grassroots public affairs and programs for public good and exercise
democratic supervision over the cadres. We will improve self-governance
among villagers and foster a mechanism of their self-governance full of
vitality under the leadership of village Party organizations. We will
improve self-governance among urban residents and build new-type and
well-managed communities featuring civility and harmony. We will uphold and
improve the system of workers' conferences and other democratic management
systems in enterprises and institutions and protect the legitimate rights
and interests of workers.
2. Improve the socialist legal system. We must see to it that there are
laws to go by, the laws are observed and strictly enforced, and law-breakers
are prosecuted. To adapt to the new situation characterized by the
development of a socialist market economy, all-round social progress and
China's accession to the WTO, we will strengthen legislation and improve its
quality and will have formulated a socialist system of laws with Chinese
characteristics by the year 2010. We must see to it that all people are
equal before the law. We should tighten supervision over law enforcement,
promote the exercise of administrative functions according to law, safeguard
judicial justice and raise the level of law enforcement so that laws are
strictly implemented. We must safeguard the uniformity and sanctity of the
legal system and prevent or overcome local and departmental protectionism.
We will extend and standardize legal services and provide effective legal
aid. We should give more publicity to the legal system so that the people
are better educated in law. In particular, we will enhance the public
servants' awareness of law and their ability to perform their official
duties according to law. Party members and cadres, especially leading
cadres, should play an exemplary role in abiding by the Constitution and
other laws.
3. Reform and improve the Party's style of leadership and governance. This
is a matter of overall significance to improving socialist democracy.
Leadership by the Party mainly refers to its political, ideological and
organizational leadership. The Party exercises leadership over the state and
society by formulating major principles and policies, making suggestions on
legislation, recommending cadres for important positions, conducting
ideological publicity, giving play to the role of Party organizations and
members and persisting in exercising state power according to law. Party
committees, playing the role as the core of leadership among all other
organizations at corresponding levels, should concentrate on handling
important matters and support those organizations in assuming their
responsibilities independently and making concerted efforts in their work.
We will further reform and improve the Party's working organs and
mechanisms. Acting on the principle that the Party commands the overall
situation and coordinates the efforts of all quarters, we will standardize
relations between Party committees on the one hand and people's congresses,
governments, CPPCC committees and mass organizations on the other. We will
support people's congresses in performing their functions as organs of state
power according to law, in ensuring that the Party's views become the will
of the state and that candidates recommended by Party organizations become
leading cadres of the organs of state power through legal procedures, and in
exercising supervision over them. We will support the government in
fulfilling its legal functions and performing its official duties according
to law. We will support CPPCC committees in performing their functions by
centering on the two major subjects of unity and democracy. We will
strengthen the Party's leadership over trade unions, the Communist Youth
League organizations, women's federations and other mass organizations and
support them in working according to law and their own constitutions and
acting as a bridge between the Party and the people.
4. Reform and improve the decision-making mechanism. Correct
decision-making is an important prerequisite for success in all work. We
will improve the decision-making mechanism by which decision-makers will go
deep among the people and get to know how they are faring, reflect their
will, pool their wisdom and value their resources, putting decision-making
on a more scientific and democratic basis. Decision-making organs at all
levels should improve the rules and procedures for taking major policy
decisions, establish a system of reporting social conditions and public
opinion, a system of keeping the public informed and a system of public
hearings on major issues closely related to the interests of the people,
perfect the expert consulting system and implement a verification system and
a responsibility system in making policy decisions with a view to preventing
arbitrary decision-making.
5. Deepen administrative restructuring. We should further change the
functions of the government, improve the methods of management, introduce
e-government, uplift administrative efficiency and reduce costs so as to
form an administrative system featuring standardized behaviors, coordinated
operation, fairness and transparency, honesty and high efficiency. We should
standardize the functions and powers of the Central Government and local
authorities according to law and properly handle relations between the
departments directly under the Central Government and the local governments.
Following the principle of simplification, uniformity and efficiency and
meeting the requirements of coordination in decision-making, execution and
supervision, we will continue to promote the restructuring of government
departments, standardize their functions in a scientific manner, rationalize
their set-ups, and optimize their composition in order to delimit the
structures and sizes statutorily and solve the problems of too many levels,
overlapping functions, overstaffing, divorce between powers and
responsibilities and duplicate law enforcement. We will reform the
management system of institutions in accordance with the principle of
separating the functions of government from those of institutions.
6. Promote the reform of the judicial system. A socialist judicial system
must guarantee fairness and justice in the whole society. In accordance with
the requirements of judicial justice and strict law enforcement, we should
improve the setups of judicial organs, the delimitation of their functions
and powers and their management systems so as to form a sound judicial
system featuring clearly specified powers and responsibilities, mutual
coordination and restraint and highly efficient operation. We should
institutionally ensure that the judicial and procuratorial organs are in a
position to exercise adjudicative and procuratorial powers independently and
impartially according to law. We should improve judicial proceedings and
protect the legitimate rights and interests of citizens and legal persons.
We should solve the problem of difficult enforcement of judgments. We should
reform the working mechanisms of judicial organs and the management system
of their human, financial and material resources and gradually separate
their judicial adjudication and procuratorial work from their administrative
affairs. We will tighten supervision over the judicial work and punish
corruption in this field. We will build up a contingent of judicial
personnel who are politically steadfast and professionally competent, have a
fine style of work and enforce laws impartially.
7. Deepen the reform of the cadre and personnel system. Efforts should be
made to form a vigorous personnel mechanism under which we can gather large
numbers of talented people, put them to the best use and get them prepared
for both promotion and demotion, calling them to the service of the Party
and state. In reforming and perfecting the cadre and personnel system and
improving the system of public servants, we should focus on establishing a
sound mechanism of selection, appointment, management and supervision, with
a view to making it scientific, democratic and institutionalized. In the
matter of cadre selection and appointment, Party members and ordinary people
should have more right to know, to participate, to choose and to supervise.
With regard to leading cadres of the Party and government, it is necessary
to implement the system of fixed tenures, the system of resignation and the
system of accountability for neglect of supervisory duty or the use of the
wrong person. It is necessary to improve the system of giving cadres both
positions and ranks and establish an incentive and guarantee mechanism for
them. We should explore and improve the system of classified management of
cadres and personnel in Party and government organs, institutions and
enterprises. We should reform and improve the system of dual control over
cadres. We should break with the notions and practices of overstressing
seniority in the matter of selection and appointment, encourage the rational
flow of trained people and create a sound environment which makes it
possible for outstanding people to come to the fore in all fields.
8. Tighten the restraint on and supervision over the use of power. We
should establish a mechanism for the exercise of power featuring reasonable
structure, scientific distribution, rigorous procedures and effective
restraint so as to tighten supervision over power in terms of
decision-making, execution and other links and ensure that the power
entrusted to us by the people is truly exercised for their benefits. We
should focus on tightening supervision over leading cadres and especially
principal ones, stepping up supervision over the management and use of
human, financial and material resources. We should tighten internal
supervision of leading groups and improve the procedures for deciding on
important matters and the appointment or dismissal of cadres in important
positions. We should reform and improve the system of Party discipline
inspection and introduce and improve the system of inspection tours. We
should give play to the role of judicial, administrative supervision and
auditing organs and other functional departments. We should implement the
system under which leading cadres report in various ways on their work and
their efforts to perform their duties honestly, and improve the systems of
reporting on important matters, of making inquiries and of democratic
appraisal. We should conscientiously implement the system of making
government affairs known to the public. We should tighten organizational and
democratic supervision and give play to the supervisory function of the
media.
9. Maintain social stability. To accomplish the heavy tasks of reform and
development, we must have a harmonious and stable social climate for a long
time to come. Party committees and governments at all levels should
enthusiastically help the people solve practical problems they may confront
in their work and life. They must carry out in-depth investigations and
study, strengthen ideological and political work in light of different
cases, and employ economic, administrative and legal means to handle the
contradictions among the people properly, those involving their immediate
interests in particular, so as to maintain stability and unity. It is
essential to improve procuratorial, judicial and public security work,
cracking down on criminal activities according to law, guarding against and
punishing crimes committed by evil cult gangs and eliminating social evils
so as to ensure the safety of the lives and property of the people. We must
combine punishment and prevention, with emphasis on the latter, take
comprehensive measures to maintain law and order and improve social
management so as to keep public order. We must strengthen state security,
keeping vigilance against infiltrative, subversive and separatist activities
by hostile forces at home and abroad.
Socialist democracy enjoys strong vitality and superiority. The CPC and
the Chinese people have full confidence in the road to political development
they have chosen and will press ahead with political development under
socialism with Chinese characteristics.
VI. Cultural Development and Restructuring
To build a well-off society in an all-round way calls for major efforts to
develop socialist culture and spiritual civilization. In the present-day
world, culture is interactive with economic and political activities, and
its status and functions are becoming more and more outstanding in the
competition in overall national strength. The power of culture is deeply
rooted in the vitality, creativity and cohesion of a nation. All Party
members must fully understand the strategic significance of cultural
development and make socialist culture develop and flourish.
1. Keep the orientation of advanced culture firmly in hand. In
contemporary China, to develop advanced culture means to develop national,
scientific and popular socialist culture geared to the needs of
modernization, of the world and of the future so as to enrich people's
mental world and reinforce their mental strength. We must uphold
Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought and Deng Xiaoping Theory as our
guidelines in the realm of ideology and have the important thought of Three
Represents in command of the development of socialist culture. We must keep
to the orientation of serving the people and socialism and the principle of
letting a hundred flowers blossom and a hundred schools of thought contend
and highlight the themes of the times while encouraging diversity. We should
continue to arm people with scientific theory, provide them with correct
media guidance, imbue them with lofty ideals, and inspire them with
excellent works of literature and art. We must exert ourselves to develop
advanced culture and support healthy and useful culture, changing what is
backward and resisting what is decadent. Literary and art workers should go
deep among the masses and into the thick of life so as to contribute to the
people more works worthy of the times. The press, publishing, radio, film
and television must give correct guidance to the public, and Internet web
sites should serve as important fronts for spreading advanced culture.
Basing ourselves on the practice of reform, opening up and modernization and
keeping abreast of the latest developments in world culture, we must carry
forward the fine tradition of our national culture, draw on the strong
points of other nations and make innovations in content and form so as to
enhance the attraction and appeal of socialist culture with Chinese
characteristics.
2. Continue to carry forward and cultivate the national spirit. National
spirit is the moral kingpin on which a nation relies for survival and
development. Without an inspiring spirit and lofty character, it is
impossible for a nation to stand proudly in the family of nations. For more
than 5,000 years, the Chinese nation has evolved a great national spirit
centering on patriotism and featuring unity and solidarity, love of peace,
industry, courage and ceaseless self-improvement. This national spirit has
been enriched in light of the requirements of the times and social
development by the people under the leadership of our Party over along
period of practice. Confronted with interaction of different thoughts and
cultures in the world, we must take it as a crucial task in our cultural
development to carry forward and cultivate the national spirit and
incorporate it into our national education and the entire process of
building spiritual civilization so that the entire people are always filled
with an enterprising spirit.
3. Promote ideological and ethical progress. Ruling the country by law and
ruling the country by virtue complement each other. It is necessary to
establish a socialist ideological and ethical system compatible with the
socialist market economy and the socialist legal standard and consistent
with the traditional virtues of the Chinese nation. We must carry out
intensive publicity and education in the Party's basic theory, line and
program and in the important thought of Three Represents, and guide people
in fostering a common ideal for socialism with Chinese characteristics,
correct world outlook, views on life and values. We must carry out the
Program for Improving Civic Morality, promote patriotism and, with serving
the people at the core, collectivism as the principle and honesty as a
priority, intensify education in social and professional ethics and family
virtues and especially intensify the ideological and ethical improvement
among youth so as to guide people in their pursuit of higher ideological and
ethical standards on the basis of observing the basic code of conduct. We
must strengthen and improve ideological and political work and encourage
popular participation in building spiritual civilization.
4. Develop education and science. Education is the foundation for
scientific and technological advancement and personnel training. Playing a
vanguard role and having an overall bearing on the modernization drive,
education must be placed on our development agenda as a strategic priority.
We must carry out the Party's education policy that education should serve
socialist modernization and the people and integrate itself with productive
labor and social practice so as to train socialist builders and successors
featuring an all-round development in morality, intelligence, physique and
art. We should encourage innovation in education, deepen its reform,
optimize its structure, allocate its resources rationally, raise its quality
and management levels and promote quality-oriented education to cultivate
hundreds of millions of high-quality workers, tens of millions of
specialized personnel and a great number of top-notch innovative personnel.
We should build up the ranks of teachers and raise their professional ethics
and competence. We should continue to make nine-year compulsory education
universal across the country, intensify vocational education and training,
develop continued education and set up a system of life-long education. We
should increase input in education, give more support to rural education,
and encourage nongovernmental sectors to run schools. We should improve the
state policy and system for aiding students in straitened circumstances. We
should formulate a long-term program for scientific and technological
development. We should step up the development of infrastructure for
research. We should disseminate science and promote the scientific spirit.
We must lay equal stress on social sciences and natural sciences and give
full play to the important role of philosophy and other social sciences in
economic and social development. It is essential to create an atmosphere in
society at large favorable for respecting and promoting science, encouraging
innovation and opposing superstition and pseudo-science.
5. Develop cultural undertakings and industry. In developing cultural
undertakings and industry, it is imperative to meet the requirements of
developing advanced culture and always place social effects in the first
place. The state supports and protects public cultural undertakings and
encourages them to enhance their vigor for self-development. We must
continue to improve the policies and measures for the development of public
cultural undertakings. We must give our support to the major news media and
research institutions of social sciences of the Party and state, to the
major cultural projects and art schools and troupes that are up to national
standards and embody national characteristics, to the protection of major
cultural heritage and outstanding folk arts, and to the cultural development
in the old revolutionary base areas, areas inhabited by ethnic minorities,
remote areas, impoverished areas and the central and western regions of the
country. We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various
types of popular culture. We should promote the reform and development of
health and sports undertakings and carry on the nationwide fitness campaign
to improve the physique of the entire people. We should make the 2008
Olympics a success. Developing the cultural industry is an important avenue
to enriching socialist culture in the market economy and to meeting the
spiritual and cultural needs of the people. It is essential to improve
policies toward the cultural industry, support its development and enhance
its overall strength and competitiveness.
6. Continue to deepen cultural restructuring. It is necessary to push
forward cultural restructuring in light of the characteristics of the
development of socialist spiritual civilization and laws governing it and in
response to the needs of the growing socialist market economy. We must lose
no time in working out overall planning for cultural restructuring. We must
integrate the deepening of reform with structural adjustment and promotion
of development and straighten out the relationship between the government
and cultural enterprises and institutions. We must build up a legal system
concerning culture and intensify macro-control. We should deepen the
internal reform of cultural enterprises and institutions and gradually
establish a management system and operational mechanism favorable to
arousing the initiative of cultural workers, encouraging innovation and
bringing forth more top-notch works and more outstanding personnel. In
compliance with the principle of both enriching culture and intensifying
management, we should improve the system of markets for cultural products
and their management mechanism to create a social climate favorable for a
flourishing socialist culture.
The Chinese civilization, extensive and profound, and with a long history
behind it, has contributed tremendously to the progress of human
civilization. We will surely have a new upsurge in building socialist
culture and create an even more splendid advanced culture in the great
struggle of the Chinese people in the contemporary era.
VII. National Defense and Army Building
Strengthening our national defense is a strategic task in our
modernization drive and an important guarantee for safeguarding our national
security and unity and building a well-off society in an all-round way. We
must uphold the principle of coordinated development of national defense and
the economy and push forward the modernization of national defense and the
army on the basis of economic growth.
The army must take Mao Zedong's military thinking and Deng Xiaoping's
thinking on army building in the new period as the guide to action and fully
implement the important thought of Three Represents. It must persist in
taking the road of fewer but better troops with Chinese characteristics and
become more revolutionary, modernized and regularized in compliance with the
general requirements of being qualified politically and competent militarily
and having a fine style of work, strict discipline and adequate logistic
support and in close connection with the two historic objectives of being
capable of winning battles and never degenerating.
The army should give first priority to ideological and political
development in all its endeavors and retain the nature, quality and style of
work worthy of a people's army. The Party's absolute leadership over the
army is the eternal soul of the army. There must be no wavering in upholding
the fundamental principle and system that the Party leads the people's army.
The army must implement the military strategic principle of active defense
and raise its defense capabilities and combat effectiveness under high-tech
conditions. In response to the trend of military changes in the world, it
must carry out the strategy of building a strong army through science and
technology and improve its qualities. It should attach strategic importance
to education and training, carry on intensive science- and
technology-related military training and strengthen the building of military
academies and schools so as to bring up a large number of high-quality
military personnel of a new type. It is necessary to innovate and develop
military theories. Efforts should be made to accomplish the historical tasks
of mechanization and IT application, thereby bringing about leapfrog
development in the modernization of our army.
It is necessary to explore the characteristics and laws for running the
army under the new historical conditions and press ahead with reforms in the
building of national defense and the army. The formation and structure of
the army must be optimized and the related policies and systems should be
adjusted and improved. The army must be strict with itself and improve the
system of military rules and regulations so as to raise the level of
handling its affairs according to law. It is essential to persist in
building the army through diligence and thrift and establishing and
improving an integrated logistic support system for the three armed
services, for both military and civilian purposes and for both peacetime and
wartime. It is necessary to deepen the restructuring of defense-related
science, technology and industry, combine military efforts with civilian
support, establish and improve the mechanism of competition, appraisal,
supervision and incentives and enhance the capabilities of independent
innovation so as to speed up the development of defense-related science and
technology as well as arms and equipment. It is necessary to improve the
mobilization system for national defense, strengthen the militia and
reserves and develop strategies and tactics of the people's war under
high-tech conditions. The armed police should strive for all-round
improvement and be loyal guards of the Party and the people forever.
Party organizations and governments at all levels and the people should be
concerned with and support the building of national defense and the army.
The army should support and take an active part in national construction. We
should strengthen education in national defense to enhance the entire
people's awareness of its importance. The government and the people should
support the army and give preferential treatment to the families of
servicemen and martyrs, and the army should support the government and
cherish the people so as to consolidate the solidarity between the army and
the government and between the army and the people.
VIII. "One Country, Two Systems" and Complete National Reunification
To achieve complete reunification of the motherland is a common aspiration
of all sons and daughters of the Chinese nation both at home and abroad. We
have successfully resolved the questions of Hong Kong and Macao and are
striving for an early settlement of the question of Taiwan and for the
accomplishment of the great cause of national reunification.
The return of Hong Kong and Macao to the motherland has enriched the
concept of "one country, two systems" in both theory and practice. Facts
prove that "one country, two systems" is a correct policy and has strong
vitality. We will resolutely implement this policy and act in strict
accordance with the basic laws of Hong Kong and Macao special administrative
regions. We will render full support to the chief executives and governments
of the two regions in their work and unite with people from all walks of
life there in a joint effort to maintain and promote the prosperity,
stability and development of Hong Kong and Macao.
We will adhere to the basic principles of "peaceful reunification" and
"one country, two systems" and the eight-point proposal on developing
cross-straits relations and advancing the process of peaceful national
reunification at the present stage. We will work with our compatriots in
Taiwan to step up personnel exchanges and promote economic, cultural and
other interflows between the two sides and firmly oppose the Taiwan
separatist forces. The basic configuration and development trend of the
cross-straits relations remain unchanged. The desire of our Taiwan
compatriots for peace, stability and development is growing stronger day by
day. The splitting activities by the Taiwan separatist forces are unpopular.
Adherence to the one-China principle is the basis for the development of
cross-straits relations and the realization of peaceful reunification. There
is but one China in the world, and both the mainland and Taiwan belong to
one China. China's sovereignty and territorial integrity brook no division.
We firmly oppose all words and deeds aimed at creating "Taiwan
independence", "two Chinas" or "one China, one Taiwan". The future of Taiwan
lies in the reunification of the motherland. To conduct dialogue and hold
negotiations on peaceful reunification has been our consistent position.
Here we repeat our appeal: On the basis of the one-China principle, let us
shelve for now certain political disputes and resume the cross-straits
dialogue and negotiations as soon as possible. On the premise of the
one-China principle, all issues can be discussed. We may discuss how to end
the cross-straits hostility formally. We may also discuss the international
space in which the Taiwan region may conduct economic, cultural and social
activities compatible with its status, or discuss the political status of
the Taiwan authorities or other issues. We are willing to exchange views
with all political parties and personages of all circles in Taiwan on the
development of cross-straits relations and the promotion of peaceful
reunification.
We place our hopes on the people in Taiwan for the settlement of the
Taiwan question and the realization of the complete reunification of China.
Our compatriots in Taiwan have a glorious patriotic tradition and are an
important force in developing cross-straits relations. We fully respect
their life style and their wish to be the masters of our country. The two
sides should expand mutual contacts and exchanges and work together to carry
forward the fine tradition of the Chinese culture. As the direct links of
mail, air and shipping services, and trade across the Taiwan Straits serve
the common interests of the compatriots on both sides, there is every reason
to take practical and positive steps to promote such direct links and open
up new prospects for cross-straits economic cooperation.
"One country, two systems" is the best way for the reunification between
the two sides. After its reunification with the mainland, Taiwan may keep
its existing social system unchanged and enjoy a high degree of autonomy.
Our Taiwan compatriots may keep their way of life unchanged, and their vital
interests will be fully guaranteed. They will enjoy a lasting peace. Taiwan
may then truly rely on the mainland as its hinterland for economic growth
and thus get broad space for development. Our Taiwan compatriots may join
the people on the mainland in exercising the right to administer the country
and sharing the dignity and honor of the great motherland in the
international community.
The 23 million Taiwan compatriots are our brothers and sisters of the same
blood. No one is more eager than we are to resolve the Taiwan question
through peaceful means. We will continue to implement the basic principles
of "peaceful reunification" and "one country, two systems" and act on the
eight-point proposal. We will work in utmost sincerity and do all we can to
strive for a peaceful reunification. Our position of never undertaking to
renounce the use of force is not directed at our Taiwan compatriots. It is
aimed at the foreign forces' attempts to interfere in China's reunification
and the Taiwan separatist forces' schemes for "Taiwan independence". To
safeguard national unity bears on the fundamental interests of the Chinese
nation. We Chinese people will safeguard our state sovereignty and
territorial integrity with firm resolve. We will never allow anyone to
separate Taiwan from China in any way.
China will be reunified, and the Chinese nation will be rejuvenated. The
Taiwan question must not be allowed to drag on indefinitely. We are
convinced that with the concerted efforts of all sons and daughters of the
Chinese nation, the complete reunification of the motherland will be
achieved at an early date.
IX. The International Situation and Our External Work
Peace and development remain the themes of our era. To preserve peace and
promote development bears on the well-being of all nations and represents
the common aspirations of all peoples. It is an irresistible trend of
history. The growing trends toward world multipolarization and economic
globalization have brought with them opportunities and favorable conditions
for world peace and development. A new world war is unlikely in the
foreseeable future. It is realistic to bring about a fairly long period of
peace in the world and a favorable climate in areas around China.
However, the old international political and economic order, which is
unfair and irrational, has yet to be changed fundamentally. Uncertainties
affecting peace and development are on the rise. The elements of traditional
and non-traditional threats to security are intertwined, and the scourge of
terrorism is more acutely felt. Hegemonism and power politics have new
manifestations. Local conflicts triggered by ethnic or religious
contradictions and border or territorial disputes have cropped up from time
to time. The North-South gap is widening. The world is far from being
tranquil and mankind is faced with many grave challenges.
No matter how the international situation changes, we will, as always,
pursue the independent foreign policy of peace. The purpose of China's
foreign policy is to maintain world peace and promote common development. We
are ready to work with all nations to advance the lofty cause of world peace
and development.
We stand for going along with the historical tide and safeguarding the
common interests of mankind. We are ready to work with the international
community to boost world multipolarization, promote a harmonious coexistence
of diverse forces and maintain stability in the international community. We
will promote the development of economic globalization in a direction
conducive to common prosperity, draw on its advantages and avoid its
disadvantages so that all countries, particularly developing countries, can
benefit from the process.
We stand for establishing a new international political and economic order
that is fair and rational. Politically all countries should respect and
consult one another and should not seek to impose their will on others.
Economically they should complement one another and pursue common
development and should not create a polarization of wealth. Culturally they
should learn from one another and work for common prosperity and should not
exclude cultures of other nations. In the area of security, countries should
trust one another and work together to maintain security, foster a new
security concept featuring mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality and
coordination, and settle their disputes through dialogue and cooperation and
should not resort to the use or threat of force. We oppose all forms of
hegemonism and power politics. China will never seek hegemony and never go
in for expansion.
We stand for maintaining the diversity of the world and are in favor of
promoting democracy in international relations and diversifying development
models. Ours is a colorful world. Countries having different civilizations
and social systems and taking different roads to development should respect
one another and draw upon one another's strong points through competition
and comparison and should develop side by side by seeking common ground
while shelving differences. The affairs of each country should be left to
the people of that country to decide. World affairs should be determined by
all countries concerned through consultations on the basis of equality.
We stand for fighting against terrorism of all forms. It is imperative to
strengthen international cooperation in this regard, address both the
symptoms and root causes of terrorism, prevent and combat terrorist
activities and work hard to eliminate terrorism at root.
We will continue to improve and develop relations with the developed
countries. Proceeding from the fundamental interests of the people of all
countries concerned, we will broaden the converging points of common
interests and properly settle differences on the basis of the Five
Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, notwithstanding the differences in
social system and ideology.
We will continue to cement our friendly ties with our neighbors and
persist in building a good-neighborly relationship and partnership with
them. We will step up regional cooperation and bring our exchanges and
cooperation with our surrounding countries to a new height.
We will continue to enhance our solidarity and cooperation with other
third world countries, increase mutual understanding and trust and
strengthen mutual help and support. We will enlarge areas of cooperation and
make it more fruitful.
We will continue to take an active part in multilateral diplomatic
activities and play our role in the United Nations and other international
or regional organizations. We will support other developing countries in
their efforts to safeguard their legitimate rights and interests.
We will continue to develop exchanges and cooperation with political
parties and organizations of all countries and regions on the principles of
independence, complete equality, mutual respect and noninterference in each
other's internal affairs.
We will continue to carry out extensive people-to-people diplomacy, expand
cultural exchanges with the outside world, enhance the friendship between
peoples and propel the development of state-to-state relations.
The world is marching toward brightness and progress. The road is
tortuous, but the future is bright. The forces for peace, justice and
progress are invincible after all.
X. Strengthen and Improve Party Building
In a large multi-ethnic developing country like ours, we must spare no
efforts to strengthen and improve the Party's leadership and fully advance
the great new undertaking of Party building if we are to rally the entire
people to work heart and soul in building a well-off society in an all-round
way and speed up the socialist modernization drive.
To strengthen and improve Party building, we must hold high the great
banner of Deng Xiaoping Theory, implement the important thought of Three
Represents in a comprehensive way and ensure that the Party's line,
principles and policies fully reflect the fundamental interests of the
people and the requirements of development of our times. We must adhere to
the principle that the Party exercises self-discipline and is strict with
its members, and further address the two major historical subjects of how to
enhance the Party's art of leadership and governance and how to raise the
Party's capacity to resist corruption, prevent degeneration and withstand
risks. We must acquire an accurate understanding of social progress in
contemporary China, and reform and improve the Party's way of leadership and
governance and its leadership and working systems so that the Party will be
full of vigor and vitality in its work. We must proceed with Party building
ideologically, organizationally and in work style in parallel with
institutional improvement, not only ensuring a good performance of our
day-to-day work, but also tackling prominent issues in good time. Unyielding
efforts will be made to ensure that our Party is forever the vanguard both
of the Chinese working class and of the Chinese people and the Chinese
nation as well as the core of leadership in building socialism with Chinese
characteristics and that it always represents the development trend of
China's advanced productive forces, the orientation of China's advanced
culture and the fundamental interests of the overwhelming majority of the
Chinese people.
1. Study and implement the important thought of Three Represents
intensively and raise all Party members' level of the Marxist theory. The
rise in the Party's ideological and theoretical level is an ideological
guarantee for continued progress of the cause of our Party and state. We
must highlight the Party's ideological and theoretical building. We must
continue to arm all Party members with Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong
Thoughtand Deng Xiaoping Theory and usher in a new upsurge in the study and
implementation of the important thought of Three Represents. Party members
and cadres, particularly senior and middle-rank cadres, should take the lead
in studying and acting on the important thought of Three Represents. They
should play an exemplary role in studying diligently, using their brains,
emancipating their minds, keeping pace with the times and boldly engaging in
practice and innovation. We will carry out an intensive education among all
Party members in the history of development of Marxism and promote the
truth-seeking and pioneering spirit. We will deepen our understanding of the
laws on governance by the Communist Party, on building socialism and on
development of human society and constantly enrich and develop Marxism.
2. Build up the Party's governing capacity and improve its art of
leadership and governance. Faced with profound changes in the conditions of
governance and social environment, Party committees and leading cadres at
all levels must, in response to the requirements of the new situation and
new tasks, acquire new knowledge, accumulate new experience and develop new
abilities in practice, thus living up to the mission assigned to them and
the full trust placed on them. They must view the world with broad vision,
acquire a correct understanding of the requirements of the times and be good
at thinking on a theoretical plane and in a strategic perspective so as to
improve their ability of sizing up the situation in a scientific way. They
must act in compliance with objective and scientific laws, address promptly
the new situation and problems in reform and development, know how to seize
opportunities to accelerate development and enhance their abilities of
keeping the market economy well in hand. They must correctly understand and
handle various social contradictions, know how to balance the relations
among different interests, overcome difficulties and go on improving their
ability of coping with complicated situations. They must enhance their
awareness of law and know how to integrate the adherence to Party leadership
and the people being the masters of the country with ruling the country by
law and improve their abilities of exercising state power according to law.
They must base themselves on the overall interests of the work of the entire
Party and the whole country, firmly implement the Party's line, principles
and policies, work creatively in light of realities and keep enhancing their
ability of commanding the whole situation.
3. Adhere to and improve democratic centralism and enhance the Party's
vitality, solidarity and unity. Democratic centralism is a system that
integrates centralism on the basis of democracy with democracy under
centralized guidance. Inner-Party democracy is the life of the Party and
plays an important exemplary and leading role in people's democracy. We
should establish and improve an inner-Party democratic system that fully
reflects the will of Party members and organizations, starting with the
reform of the relevant systems and mechanisms on the basis of guaranteeing
the democratic rights of Party members and giving priority to improving the
systems of Party congresses and of Party committees. The system of Party
congresses with regular annual conferences should be tried out in more
cities and counties. We should explore ways to give play to the role of
delegates when Party congresses are not in session. In accordance with the
principle of collective leadership, democratic centralism, individual
consultations and decision by meetings, we should improve the rules of
procedure and decision-making mechanism within Party committees in order to
give fuller play to the role of plenary sessions of Party committees. We
need to reform and improve the inner-Party electoral system. We should
establish and improve inner-Party information sharing and reporting systems
and the system of soliciting opinions concerning major policy decisions. The
centralization and unity of the Party and state are where the fundamental
interests of the people of all ethnic groups lie. The whole Party and the
entire nation must maintain a high degree of unity with regard to the
guiding ideology, line, principles and policies and major questions of
principle. All Party members must consciously abide by the principle that
individual Party members are subordinate to the organization, that the
minority is subordinate to the majority, that lower Party organizations are
subordinate to the higher ones and that all the constituent organizations
and members of the Party are subordinate to its National Congress and
Central Committee. They must safeguard the authority of the Central
Committee and ensure that its decisions are carried out without fail. Party
organizations at all levels and all Party members, leading cadres in
particular, must strictly abide by Party discipline. Under no circumstances
should they be allowed to go their own ways in disregard of orders and
prohibitions.
4. Build a contingent of high-caliber leading cadres and form an energetic
and promising leadership. It is a matter of vital importance for maintaining
prolonged stability of the Party and state to build a contingent of
high-caliber leading cadres capable of assuming heavy responsibilities and
withstanding the test of trials and tribulations, and especially to train a
large number of outstanding leading cadres for the mission of running the
Party, state and army in accordance with the principle of bringing up more
revolutionary, younger, better educated and more professionally competent
cadres. We should conscientiously implement the regulations on the selection
and appointment of leading cadres and make a point of testing and
identifying cadres in the practice of reform and development so as to
promote to leading positions in good time those who are accredited with
ability, integrity and outstanding performance and enjoy popular support. We
should make greater efforts to train and select outstanding young cadres,
helping them cultivate their Party spirit, pursue theoretical study and gain
practical experience so that they will improve in all respects. We should do
a better job of training and selecting women cadres, cadres from among
ethnic minorities and non-Party cadres. We should continue to do well the
work related to retired cadres. We should turn the leading bodies of the
Party at all levels into staunch collectives that firmly implement the
important thought of Three Represents mainly by improving their qualities,
optimizing their composition, refining their work style and enhancing
solidarity. We should train more and more successors to the cause of
socialism with Chinese characteristics so that the cause of the Party and
people will be carried forward.
5. Build the Party well at the primary level, reinforce its class
foundation and expand its mass base. The primary organizations of the Party
constitute its foundation for doing all its work and building up its combat
effectiveness. They should organize, motivate and practice the
implementation of the important thought of Three Represents. We should, by
focusing on the central task and serving the overall interests, broaden the
fields of our endeavor, intensify our functions and expand the coverage of
the Party's work so as to increase the rallying power and combat
effectiveness of primary organizations. We should strengthen the building of
village-level supporting organizations which rally around village Party
organizations, and explore effective ways that will enable cadres to receive
education regularly and farmers to get long-term tangible benefits. In order
that state-owned and collective enterprises operate well, we must
persistently rely on the working class wholeheartedly, and Party
organizations in those enterprises should take an active part in the
decision-making on major issues and give full play to their role as the
political core. We should strengthen Party building in enterprises of the
non-public sectors. Party organizations in enterprises must carry out the
Party's principles and policies, and provide guidance to and supervise the
enterprises in observing the laws and regulations of the state. They should
exercise leadership over trade unions, the Communist Youth League and other
mass organizations, rally the workers around them, safeguard the legitimate
rights and interests of all quarters and stimulate the healthy development
of the enterprises. We should attach great importance to Party building in
communities, striving to bring about a new pattern in Party building in
urban communities, with the focus on serving the people. We should intensify
our efforts to establish Party organizations in mass organizations and
intermediaries. We should fully carry out Party building in Party and
government organs as well as schools, research institutions, cultural groups
and other institutions.
Party members must play their vanguard and exemplary role, foster the
lofty ideal of communism, fortify their conviction in socialism with Chinese
characteristics and work hard to realize the Party's basic program for the
current stage. We need to carry out Party-wide education to maintain the
progressiveness of Party members mainly by putting the important thought of
Three Represents into practice. We should recruit Party members mainly from
among workers, farmers, intellectuals, servicemen and cadres, thus expanding
the basic components and backbone of the Party. We should make a point of
recruiting Party members from among those in the forefront of work and
production and from among the prominent intellectuals and young people. We
should admit into the Party advanced elements of other social strata who
accept the Party's program and Constitution, work for the realization of the
Party's line and program consciously and meet the qualifications of Party
membership following a long period of test, in order to increase the
influence and rallying force of the Party in society at large. We must, in
light of the new situation, seek new mechanisms and methods for the
management of Party membership.
6. Strengthen and improve the Party's style of work and intensify the
struggle against corruption. The key to improving the Party's style of work
lies in keeping the flesh-and-blood ties between the Party and the people.
The biggest political advantage of our Party lies in its close ties with the
masses while the biggest potential danger for it as a ruling party comes
from its divorce from them. We must at all times and under all circumstances
adhere to the Party's mass line, and to the purpose of serving the people
heart and soul and regard the people's interests as the starting point and
goal of all our work. We must carry forward the fine tradition and style of
our Party, bearing in mind the fundamental principle that the Party is built
for the public and that it exercises state power for the people. We must
make effective efforts to resolve the outstanding issues in respect of the
way of thinking, study and work of our Party, its style of leadership and
its cadres' way of life and especially to prevent and overcome formalism and
bureaucracy by acting on the principle of the "eight do's" and "eight
don'ts" (*Note 2) put forward by the Party Central Committee, by resorting
to both educational and institutional means and by correctly conducting
criticism and self-criticism. Closely following the new changes in social
activities and carefully studying the new features of our mass work, we must
strengthen and improve such work throughout the process of building the
Party and political power. All Party members, primarily leading cadres at
all levels, must do mass work well in light of the new situation and, by
persuading, setting examples and providing services, unite and lead the
masses in making progress.
To combat and prevent corruption resolutely is a major political task of
the whole Party. If we do not crack down on corruption, the flesh-and-blood
ties between the Party and the people will suffer a lot and the Party will
be in danger of losing its ruling position, or possibly heading for
self-destruction. Against the background of its long-term governance and
China's opening up and development of the socialist market economy, the
Party must be on full alert against corrosion by all decadent ideas and
maintain the purity of its membership. Party committees at all levels must
fully recognize the urgency as well as the protracted nature of the fight
against corruption. They should enhance confidence, do a solid job, take a
clear-cut stand and never waver in carrying on the fight in depth. We should
work still harder to make sure that our leading cadres are clean, honest and
self-disciplined, and see to it that major corruption cases are investigated
and dealt with. Malpractices in departments and trades and services must be
corrected. We must adhere to the principle of addressing both symptoms and
root causes of corruption and taking comprehensive measures to rectify both
while devoting greater efforts gradually to tackling the latter. We must
strengthen education, develop democracy, improve the legal system, tighten
supervision, make institutional innovation and incorporate
counter-corruption in all our major policy measures so as to prevent and
tackle corruption at its source. We must uphold and improve the leadership
system and working mechanism against corruption and earnestly implement the
responsibility system for improving the Party's work style and building
clean government, in a concerted effort to prevent and punish corruption.
Leading cadres, particularly senior ones, should play an exemplary role in
exercising the power in their hands correctly. They must always be honest
and upright and take the initiative to crack down on all forms of
corruption. All corruptionists must be thoroughly investigated and punished
without leniency.
So long as all Party comrades always maintain the vigor and vitality,
dashing spirit and integrity as Communists and have the people at heart, the
foundation of our Party's governance will remain rock solid.
Comrades,
To build a well-off society in an all-round way and create a new situation
in building socialism with Chinese characteristics, it is essential, under
the firm leadership of the CPC, to develop a socialist market economy,
socialist democracy and an advanced socialist culture, keep the coordinated
development of the socialist material, political and spiritual
civilizations, and bring about the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
The CPC is deeply rooted in the Chinese nation. Since the very day of its
founding, it has been the vanguard of the Chinese working class and also of
the Chinese people and the Chinese nation, shouldering the grand mission of
realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. During the
new-democratic revolution, our Party united and led the Chinese people of
all ethnic groups in fulfilling the historic task of winning national
independence and people's liberation, thus laying the groundwork for our
great national rejuvenation. After the founding of New China, our Party
creatively completed the transition from New Democracy to socialism, the
greatest and most profound social transformation ever in China's history,
and embarked on a socialist road and the historical journey to the great
rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Since the Third Plenary Session of its
Eleventh Central Committee, our Party has found the correct road to
socialism with Chinese characteristics, injecting new and greater vitality
into our drive for national rejuvenation. Splendid prospects present
themselves before the great cause of rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
To build a well-off society in an all-round way, step up the socialist
modernization drive and make socialist China a stronger and more prosperous
country, thus contributing still more to the cause of human progress - this
is a historical mission our Party must take on with courage. The fulfillment
of this mission inevitably depends on the solidarity of the Party and that
of the Chinese people of all ethnic groups. Solidarity means strength;
solidarity means victory. After going through all the hardships and
setbacks, our Party and people have gained rich experience and become
increasingly mature. In the face of a world that is far from being tranquil
and the formidable tasks before us, all Party members must be mindful of the
potential danger and stay prepared against adversities in times of peace. We
must be keenly aware of the rigorous challenges brought about by the
ever-sharpening international competition as well as risks and difficulties
that may arise on our road ahead. We must bear in mind the overall interests
of our Party all the more deeply, cherish the solidarity all the more dearly
and safeguard stability all the more firmly.
All Party comrades and the people of all ethnic groups of the country, let
us rally closely around the Party Central Committee and work with one heart
and one mind in a joint and unyielding effort to advance the cause of
building socialism with Chinese characteristics and create a happier life
and a better future for us all!
*Note 1 - The Four Cardinal Principles are: to keep to the socialist road
and to uphold the people's democratic dictatorship, leadership by the
Communist Party, and Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought.
*Note 2 - The "eight do's" and "eight don'ts" are:
1. Emancipate the mind and seek truth from facts; do not stick to old ways
and make no progress.
2. Combine theory with practice; do not copy mechanically or take to book
worship.
3. Keep close ties with the people; do not go in for formalism and
bureaucracy.
4. Adhere to the principle of democratic centralism; do not act
arbitrarily or stay feeble and lax.
5. Abide by Party discipline; do not pursue liberalism.
6. Be honest and upright; do not abuse power for personal gains.
7. Work hard; do not indulge in hedonism.
8. Appoint people on their merits; do not resort to malpractice in
personnel placement. Enditem
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