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CPC Holds Its Fourth Plenum of the 16th Central Committee

Grand Rally Marks 50th Anniversary of NPC

Rally Marks 55th Birthday of CPPCC

 

CPC Holds Its Fourth Plenum of the 16th Central Committee

The Fourth Plenum of the 16th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) was held in Beijing from September 16 to 19.

The plenum was presided over by the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. Hu Jintao, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, delivered an important speech at the plenum.

The participants heard and discussed a work report delivered by General Secretary Hu as entrusted by the Political Bureau. At the plenum, the CPC Central Committee de liberated and adopted a resolution on improving the governance capability of the Party. Zeng Qinghong, Chinese Vice President and Member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, made explanations on the draft decision on improving the Party's ruling capabilities.

The plenum highly appreciated the work of the Political Bureau since the Third Plenum of the 16th CPC Central Committee. It held that the Political Bureau has united and led the whole Party and the people of all nationalities through-out the country in adhering to Deng Xiaoping Theory and the important thought of "Three Represents" as the guiding ideology, implementing the spirit of the 16th National Congress of the CPC and the Third Plenum Session of the 16th CPC Central Committee. It has carried out the scientific concept of development that emphasizes putting people first and comprehensive, coordinated and sustainable development, enhancing the state's micro-economic control, continuing to push forward reforms in all aspects and striving to solve out-standing contradictions and problems in the economic operation. All these have helped maintain a good momentum in economic and social development and opened a new chapter for the country's reform, opening up and modernization drive. Meanwhile, new progress has been made in developing democracy and the legal system, promoting socialist culture and building up the Party.

The plenum made a comprehensive analysis of the current situation and tasks with focus on several major issues concerning the improvement of the Party's capability of governance. All the participants agreed that to enhance the capability of the Party conforms to the requirements of the times and the people. Greater efforts must be made to enhance the Party's capability of governance, as the Party will lead the country in building a moderately affluent society, and in accomplishing the three historic tasks of advancing China's modernization, realizing the reunification of the country, maintaining world peace and promoting common development under the new internal and external situation in which both challenges and opportunities exist. This is a major strategic subject relating to failure or success of China's socialist cause, to the future fate of the Chinese nation and to the life or death for the Party and long-term stability for the state. Only by constantly handling this subject well, can we ensure that the Party serves as a leading core in the process of building socialism with Chinese characteristics.

The plenum reviewed the experience of the Party in governing the country and reached agreement that during its 55 years of governance, the Party has united and led the people of all ethnic groups in turning a disintegrated, poor and back-ward old China into a vigorously developing New China that the people enjoy initial prosperity. Through strenuous exploration and practice, the Party has accumulated experience of success in governing the country. The experience mainly includes the following aspects:

We must make sure that the Party's guiding ideology always progresses with the times, and the Party must guide new practice with developing Marxism, push forward the self-improvement of socialism to increase its vitality, always regard development as its top priority in governing the country, as well as the key to the resolution of all problems in China. The Party must stick to the principle of "seeking benefits for the public and governing for the people," and always maintain its flesh and blood links with the masses of people. The Party must always exercise its governing power in a scientific, democratic and law-abiding manner, and constantly improve its leading skills and ways of governance. The Party must build up itself with a reforming spirit, and enhance its creativity, cohesive power and combat competence. These experiences should also be taken as the major guiding principle for the Party in further enhancing its governance capability in future practice.

The plenum emphasized that to enhance the Party's capability of governance it has to adhere to Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory and the important thought of "Three Represents," which serve as the ideological guidance. The Party must implement in an all round way the basic lines, basic programs and basic experiences, always maintain its flesh-and-blood links with the masses of people, build a contingent of cadres that are highly competent, improve its leadership and work mechanism and intensify the building of its grassroots organizations and the contingent of Party members. The general goal is: Through the joint efforts of the whole Party, the CPC must always serves as a ruling Party that sticks to the principle of seeking benefits for the public and governing for the people, a ruling Party that must always exercise its governing power in a scientific, democratic and law-abiding manner, so as to lead the people of all ethnic groups to realize prosperity of the country and rejuvenation of the nation, and bring social harmony and happiness to people.

The plenum decided the major tasks for improving the Party's governing capability. Specifically, the Party should take development as the top priority in governing the country and rejuvenating the nation. It should constantly improve its ability to regulate the market economy, firmly focus all efforts on economic development, adhere to the scientific concept of development, persist in reform of the market economy, upgrade the opening-up of the country, and improve the institution and work style of the Party in directing the work in the economic field.

The Party will constantly improve its capability of developing socialist democracy by integrating the Party's leadership, the people's role as masters of the country and governance based on the rule of law. It will promote scientific and democratic decision-making, enhance restraint and supervision on the use of power, and improve the ways of leadership by the Party.

The Party will adhere to the guiding status of Marxism in the ideological field and constantly improve its capabilities in building advanced socialist culture. It will strengthen the building of Marxist theory, deepen the restructuring of cultural undertakings, firmly hold the direction of public opinion and strengthen and improve the Party's ideological and political work. It also pledges to give priority to developing education and science undertakings.

The Party has pledged Io build up a harmonious society of socialism in China, by mobilizing all kinds of active factors in the most broad and complete way, constantly enhance the innovative vitality of the whole society. It also calls for coordinating interests and relations among different circles, pushing forward the structural innovation of social administration, maintaining social stability by strengthening and improving the mass work under the new situation.

The Party will adhere to the independent foreign policy of peace and constantly improve its ability to handle international affairs, the ability to judge international situation in a scientific way and raise its level to conduct strategic mentality. It will enhance its capability of conducting exchanges with the international community and firmly safeguard state security.

The Party will focus no these tasks to constantly study new situations, solve new problems, innovate new mechanism, increase new capabilities and strengthen the Party's building.

The plenum stressed that coordinating development of national defense and economic growth and building a modem and regular army is a major strategic task of the Party and that the Party is the absolute leadership of the army. It also called for continuing the military reform with Chinese characteristics, making preparations for military fighting and strengthening the comprehensive development of the military forces.

The plenum noted that maintaining long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and Macao is a brand-new task in the Party's governance under new circumstances. It called for adherence to the principles of "one country, two systems," "Hong Kong people governing Hong Kong," "Macao people governing Macao" and a high degree of autonomy, strict observance of the basic laws of the two special administrative regions, and continuous progress in implementing the cause of "one country, two systems."

Solving the Taiwan issue and realizing complete reunification of the country is a sacred task for the Party. Based on the principle of peaceful reunification. The Party will uphold "one country, two systems" and the eight-point proposal on developing relations across the Taiwan Strait to promote peaceful reunification of the motherland, resolutely oppose and curb "Taiwan independence" separatist forces and unswervingly safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The plenum stressed that the key to improving the Party's governing capability lies in improving the Party itself. Hence the Party will advance the new great project of improving the Party in an all-round way. The plenum called for continuous efforts in arming the whole Party with Deng Xiaoping Theory and the important thought of "Three Represents" and building a contingent of cadres that are highly competent for ruling the country and handling state affairs. It calls for further building of leading groups at all levels into a strong leading collectives, consolidation and improvement of grass-roots organizations of the Party, and enhancement of the unity and vitality of the Party. It also calls for greater efforts to build a clean government and continuous crackdown on corruption.

At the plenum, the CPC Central Committee deliberated and passed a decision on accepting Comrade Jiang Zemin's resignation from the post of the CPC Central Military Com mission Chairman and a decision on adjusting and increasing new members of the CPC Central Military Commission. The plenum highly evaluated Jiang's outstanding contributions to the Party, the state and the people.

Comrade Jiang Zemin is the core of the third-generation of central collective leadership of the Party. In the 13 years from the Fourth Plenum of the 13th CPC Central Committee to the 16th CPC National Congress, and in an extremely complicated international and domestic situation, the third generation of the central collective leadership of the Party with Jiang Zemin at the core had held high the great banner of Deng Xiaoping Theory, unswervingly persisted in the Party's basic line, united and led the whole Party and the people of all ethnic groups in advancing the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics and scored great achievements through deepening reform and expanding opening up, promoting development and maintaining stability.

In the past 15 years when Jiang served as the Chairman of the Central Military Commission, he had grasped the military development trends in the world and enriched the thoughts of Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping on army building by creating a new thought on national defense and army building. Under Jiang's leadership, China's national defense and military modernization have achieved tremendous success. Comrade Jiang persists in the ideological line of Marxism, respects practice and masses of people, founded the important thought of "Three Represents" by pooling the wisdom of the whole Party.

The important thought of "Three Represents" is the success of practicing Marxism in China, as well as the fundamental guideline of China in building a relatively affluent society in an all-round way, and must be implemented in China's socialist modernization drive and in Party building.

The plenum decided that Hu Jintao assume the Chairman of the Central Military Commission after Jiang Zemin's resignation, believing that the change in the chairmanship is conducive to upholding the fundamental principle and system of the Party's absolute leadership over the army, and to promoting the army's revolutionization, modernization and regularization.

The plenum approved Xu Caihon to be Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, and added Chen Bengde, Qiao Qingchen, Zhang Dingfa and Jing Zhiyuan to the Central Military-Commission as new members.

In accordance with the Party Constitution, the plenum also decided to make Ashat Kerimbay and Wang Zhengwei, previously alternate members of the CPC Central Committee, full members of the committee.

The plenum also decided to expel Tian Fengshan, former Minister of Land and Resources, from the Party Central Committee and from the CPC after hearing and approving a report of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection regarding Tian's corruption charges.

The plenum called on all Party members to rally closer around the Party Central Committee with Comrade Hu Jintao as General Secretary and make unswerving efforts for the building of a relatively well off society in an all-round way and for the realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

 

Grand Rally Marks 50th Anniversary of NPC

A grand rally to mark the 50th anniversary of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, was held on September 15, 2004, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. More than 3,500 representatives from all walks of life attended the rally. General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Chinese President Hu Jintao delivered an important speech.

President Hu described the people's congress system as China's basic political system, a great invention integrating the basic principles of Marxism with China's actual conditions, a natural choice for China's social development in modern times, and an important achievement in the long-term struggle of the Chinese people of all ethnic groups under the leadership of the CPC. The people's congress system represents the common interests and aspirations of the Chinese people of all ethnic groups, said Hu.

"We should take Marxism, Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory and the important thought of the 'Three Represents' as our ideological guidance, persist in supporting the leadership role of the CPC, and safeguard the people's status as the country's masters in the course of building socialist democratic politics and socialist modernization, and rule the country by law. We should keep the people's congress system in light of the times, further build up socialist democracy and the legal system, implement the principle of ruling the country by law in an all-round way, and guarantee the people's interests and rights in political, economic and cultural aspects in real earnest," said President Hu.

Reviewing the half-century history of the people's congress system, President Hu said that the people's congress system has mobilized the people to contribute to socialist construction as the masters of the country and ensured the coordinated and effective performance of the state organs for maintaining the unity of the state and of all the nationalities of the Chinese people. The 50-year practice of this system shows that the peoples' congress system fits China's special conditions by embodying China's socialist characteristics and representing the Chinese people's right as the masters of the country, and is the best way for the Party to fully carry forward a democratic working style and follow the mass line of the people, and is closely bound up with the fate of the state and the people. It has ensured that the destiny of the nation and the country are held in the hands of the people of all ethnic groups. It guarantees that the state and the people will be able to withstand various storms, over-come all kinds of difficulties, stick to the socialist road, build a moderately affluent society in an all-round way, and realize the grand goal of rejuvenating the nation, said President Hu.

He also stressed that persisting in and improving the people's congress system is part of the work of developing socialist democratic politics and building socialist political civilization, and is the responsibility of the whole Party and society. All Party members, workers and staff of state organs, and the people of all ethnic groups should enhance their consciousness to firmly adhere to and improve the people's congress system. To this end, efforts should be made in the following aspects:

First, we must fully carry out democracy to guarantee the status of the people as the masters of the country. For this end, work should be done to further optimize the democratic system, develop various democratic forms, and ensure that citizens can participate in politics and state affairs, as well as economic and cultural activities within the scope of the law.

Second, we should stick to the principle of ruling the country by law and accelerating the pace of building a socialist country bound by laws. We should strictly follow the Constitution while governing the country and exercising power. Efforts should be made to promote the reform of the judicial system, and enforce the law in a strict, civilized and just way.

Third, efforts should be made to improve the Party's governance capability, to raise the level of leadership and governance. In light of the principle of giving priority to the overall situation and coordinating the relations of various aspects, we should scientifically regulate the relationship between the Party committees and people's congresses at all levels, support the people's congresses in their functions, rule the country by law, and act within the scope of the Constitution.

President Hu Jintao stressed that the NPC and its standing committee should seriously function and exercise its powers as authorized by the Constitution, and keep close contacts with the masses. Work must be done to intensify legislative work, strengthen the supervisory work of the people's congresses, ensure closer contact between the people's congresses at all levels and the people, and enable the deputies to the people's congresses at all levels to play their role better, so as to optimize the people's congress system and enhance its ability to exercise its functions and powers.

President Hu Jintao also noted, at the end of his speech, that developing socialist democratic politics and building socialist political civilization are parts of China's great undertaking of building a socialist country with Chinese characteristics. Sticking to and developing people's democracy under the socialist system is the only way to enable the hundreds of millions of Chinese people to hold their fate in their own hands and to call forth their creativity in the course of building the country. It is also the only way to realize national affluence, the people's happiness and long-term social stability. It is the only way to unite the sons and daughters of China both at home and abroad, and rejuvenate the Chinese nation. It is also the only way for the Communist Party of China to keep flesh-and-blood ties with the masses of the people and maintain the Party's Marxist nature and working style forever, said President Hu.

The people's congress system is a striking characteristic of China's socialist democratic politics. We must cherish the 50 years of experience of building the people's congress system, taking both China's actual conditions and the new situation into account, sticking to the road of political development with Chinese characteristics, and pushing socialist democracy to a new level, the president concluded.

Wu Bangguo, Member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Chairman of the NPC Standing Committee presided over the rally. Wu said that President Hu Jintao's speech had reviewed the splendid course of the formation and development of the people's congress system, and systematically summed up the great achievements scored over the past 50 years. President Hu Jintao also affirmed the historical status of the people's congress system in building people's democratic politics, and elaborated on the cardinal principle of the people's congress system--combining the leadership of the Party and the status of the people as the masters of the country. President Hu's speech, said Wu, also put forward the requirements for the National People's Congress's work in the new situation and is of great significance for developing socialist democratic politics, building socialist political civilization, and persisting in and optimizing the people's congress system. It is necessary for us to understand and implement the speech in a down to earth manner, Wu concluded.

 

Rally Marks 55th Birthday of CPPCC

On September 21,2004, more than 700 people from all walks of life got together in Beijing to celebrate the 55th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). President Hu Jintao delivered a speech at the rally.

President Hu, also General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission, said building a moderately prosperous society in an all round way and accelerating the construction of socialist modernization under the leadership of the CPC are the grant undertakings of the Chinese people, which need joint efforts of the people of all ethnic groups.

"Mobilizing, organizing, and uniting all ethnic groups and patriots to strive for the grant goal of national rejuvenation in the new century is a major task facing us and the grant mission of the CPPCC," said the president.

"We should hold high the banner of Deng Xiaoping Theory and the important thought of the 'Three Represents' advance the CPPCC cause, further develop the most broad-based patriotic united front, stick to the system of the CPC-led, multi-party cooperation and unite all social forces to build the affluent society in an all-round way and realize the magnificent goal of rejuvenating the Chinese nation."

Hu stressed that the formation of the CPPCC is a great invention by the CPC in combining Marxism and Leninism with China's conditions, and a huge achievement of cooperation between the CPC and other democratic parties, various major non-government organizations and personages from various circles.

Reviewing the history of CPPCC, President Hu noted that the CPPCC convened its first national meeting on September 21, 1949, just days before the People's Republic of China was founded. He said the CPPCC, growing up in the same pace with PRC, with the people of the whole country, has contributed to the nation's affluence, people's happiness and the unity of the country over the past 55 years.

The president described the rich experiences of the CPPCC accumulated in the past 55 years, saying that the experiences will provide the CPPCC with important enlightenment for its further development. He called on the CPPCC to give full scope tn its broad-based patriotic united front, better play its role in accomplishing China's political system under the leadership of the CPC, based on multi-party cooperation and political consultation, and promote the cooperation between the Party and democratic parties and non-party affiliated personages.

The president urged the CPPCC to make better use of its important form of carrying forward socialist democracy in the country's political life, and constantly develop socialist democratic politics and promote socialist political civilization.

He asked the top political advisory body to adhere to Deng Xiaoping Theory and the important thought of "Three Represents" and to be creative in its undertakings.

He asked the CPPCC to work in strict compliance with the requirement of centering round economic construction, servicing the overall situation and uniting various parties and further enlarging the patriotic united front.

The president called for advancing construction of the system, standardization and procedure of political consultation, democratic supervision and participation in and discussion of the government and political affairs.

President Hu also noted that enhancing the CPC leadership to make the CPPCC better play its role in national political life is a part of the Party's efforts to improve its governance capability. The Party committees at all levels should support the work of the political consultative organizations at the same level.

Jia Qinglin, Chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, presided over the rally. He said that President Hu highly spoke of the great achievements made by the CPPCC. He said the speech is of great significance in promoting the socialist construction with Chinese characteristics and rejuvenating the Chinese nation.