The following is the full text of the Resolution of the 16th
National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on the
Amendment to the Constitution of the CPC, adopted by the 16th CPC
National Congress on November 14, 2002:
The 16th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC)
has examined and unanimously adopted the amendment to the
Constitution of the Communist Party of China proposed by the 15th
CPC Central Committee and decided that it shall come into force as
from the date of its adoption.
The Congress unanimously agrees to make it clear in the
Constitution that the Communist Party of China is the vanguard both
of the Chinese working class and of the Chinese people and the
Chinese nation as well as the core of leadership for the cause of
socialism with Chinese characteristics and that it 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. The
realization of communism is the highest ideal and ultimate goal of
the Party. The Congress holds that such a definition of the Party's
nature accords with the history and realities of our Party and
conforms to the requirements of the times. It can help bring into
play all Party members' enthusiasm, initiative and creativity to
the broadest possible extent and enable the Party to unite with and
lead the people in a joint effort to build socialism with Chinese
characteristics. The Congress calls on all Party comrades to deepen
their understanding of the fact that the development and
improvement of the socialist system is a long historical process,
persist in integrating the basic tenets of Marxism-Leninism with
the concrete practice of China, and keep with great confidence to
the road to socialism with Chinese characteristics.
The Congress holds that since the Fourth Plenary Session of the
13th CPC Central Committee, the Chinese Communists, with Comrade
Jiang Zemin as their chief representative, have acquired through
the practice of building socialism with Chinese characteristics a
deeper understanding of what socialism is, how to build it and what
kind of a party to build and how to build it, accumulated new
valuable experience in running the Party and state and formed the
important thought of Three Represents.
The Congress unanimously agrees to make it clear in the
Constitution that the Communist Party of China takes
Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory and the
important thought of Three Represents as its guide to action and
that the important thought of Three Represents is a guiding
ideology that the Party must uphold for a long time to come. Such a
provision is of great and far-reaching significance for ensuring
unity in thinking and action of the Party and for enabling our
Party to 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.
The Congress agrees that to incorporate into the Constitution the
idea of building a well-off society in an all-round way, which is
an objective set by the current Congress, is of great significance
to the work of the Party. It can help mobilize the whole Party to
seize tightly the first two decades of the 21st century, which are
a period of important strategic opportunities, focus on reform,
opening up and the socialist modernization drive and work to bring
about an all-round development of the socialist market economy,
socialist democracy and advanced socialist culture.
The Congress maintains that the following are significant
achievements our Party has scored in its practice of building
socialism with Chinese characteristics: to uphold and improve the
basic economic system with public ownership playing a dominant role
and diverse forms of ownership developing side by side; keep and
improve the system of distribution under which distribution
according to work is dominant and a variety of modes of
distribution coexist; uphold and improve the socialist market
economy; implement the strategy of rejuvenation of the nation
through science and education and that of sustainable development;
promote a coordinated development of the socialist material,
political and spiritual civilizations; rule the country according
to law and build a socialist country under the rule of law; and
combine the rule of law with rule of virtue. To include all this in
the Constitution can help all Party comrades to implement the
Party's line, principles and policies more consciously and more
firmly, and better lead the people in creating a new situation in
building socialism with Chinese characteristics.
The Congress holds that it is conducive to reinforcing the Party's
class foundation and expanding its mass base, and thus enhancing
the Party's rallying power and influence in society at large to
make it clear in the Constitution that any Chinese worker, farmer,
member of the armed forces, intellectual or any advanced element of
other social strata who has reached the age of eighteen and who
accepts the Party's program and Constitution and is willing to join
and work actively in one of the Party organizations, carry out the
Party's decisions and pay membership dues regularly may apply for
membership in the CPC.
The Congress believes that it is very important for an all-round
advancement of the great new undertaking of Party building to set
clearer requirements in the Constitution in respect of Party
building and the Party leadership, the duties to be fulfilled by
Party members, the basic rules of procedure and decision-making
mechanism within Party committees, the building of primary Party
organizations, the essential qualifications of Party leading cadres
at all levels, the main tasks of Party discipline inspection
organs, and the status and tasks of leading Party members' groups
in light of the new situation and new tasks of the Party and on the
basis of new experience in Party building in recent years.
The Congress urges Party organizations at all levels and all Party
members to earnestly study and firmly abide by the Party
Constitution, fully strengthen and improve Party building
ideologically, organizationally and in its style of work, enhance
the Party's art of leadership and governance, strengthen their
capacity to resist corruption and degeneration and withstand risks,
and further enhance the Party's creativity, cohesion and combat
effectiveness so that our Party will always maintain its strong
vitality throughout the great course of building socialism with
Chinese characteristics.
(Xinhua News Agency November 14, 2002)