To enhance the governance capability of the Communist Party of
China (CPC) is vital to China's socialist cause, the Chinese nation
and the CPC itself, says the CPC Central Committee in a communique
issued Sunday at the close of its four-day plenum.
Only by constantly improving its governing capability can the
Party remain to be the core of leadership in the historic mission
of building socialism with Chinese characteristics, says the
communique.
A total of 194 full members and 152 alternate members of the
Committee attended the Fourth Plenary Session of the 16th CPC
Central Committee, which opened in Beijing Thursday.
The plenum was presided over by the Central Committee's
Political Bureau. 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
Hu as entrusted by the Political Bureau.
The Central Committee also deliberated and adopted a resolution
on improving the governance capability of the Party.
The plenum highly appreciated the work of the Political Bureau
since the Third Plenum of the 16th CPC Central Committee.
The plenum held that under the leadership of the Political
Bureau, the whole Party and people throughout the country have
maintained 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 communique says.
The plenum made a comprehensive analysis of the current
situation and tasks and focused 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,
it says.
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, says the communique.
The plenum reviewed the experience of the Party in governing the
country and reached agreement that during it 55 years of
governance, the Party has united and led the people of all ethnic
groups in turning a disintegrated, poor and backward old China into
a vigorously developing New China with the people enjoying initial
prosperity, which has scored achievements that have caught the
attention of the world.
The communique says that through strenuous exploration and
practice, the Party has accumulated experience of success in
governing the country.
The experience includes: The Party must keep pace with the times
and guide new practice with developing Marxism, push forward the
self-improvement of socialism to increase its vitality, take
development as the top priority and the key to resolving all
problems in China; the Party must always maintain the
flesh-and-blood ties between itself and the people; the Party must
constantly improve its leadership and governance by taking a
scientific, democratic and law-based approach; and the Party must
build up itself through reform, and enhance its creativity,
cohesive power and combat competence.
According to the communique, the plenum emphasized that to
improve 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 Central Committee has decided the major tasks for improving
the Party's governing capability. The Party should take development
as the top priority in governing the country and rejuvenating the
nation, it should constantly improve its running of the socialist
market economy, firmly focus all efforts on economic development,
keep to a scientific approach to development, persist in reform of
the socialist 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 reform and improve the ways of leadership by the
Party.
Adhering to coordinated development of national defense and
economic growth and building a modern and regular army is a major
strategic task of the Party's governance, the communique says.
The Central Committee stressed the Party's absolute leadership
over the military and 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 subject in the
Party's governance of the country 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 special administrative regions, and
continuous progress in implementing the cause of "one country, two
systems".
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Solving the Taiwan issue and realizing complete reunification of
the country is a sacred task for the Party, the communique says.
The Party will implement the basic principle of "peaceful
reunification; one country, two systems" and the eight-point
proposal on developing relations across the Taiwan Strait and
promoting peaceful reunification of the country in the present
stage, and push forward the great cause of the reunification of the
country. It will resolutely oppose and curb "Taiwan independence"
separatist forces and unswervingly safeguard national sovereignty
and territorial integrity.
The key to improving the Party's governing capability lies in
improving the Party itself. The Party will advance the new great
project of improving the Party in an all-round way, with the
emphasis on enhancing the Party's governing capability, the
communique says.
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 highly competent in
administering state affairs.
The plenum also called for greater efforts to improve the CPC
members' conduct and build a clean government and continuous
crackdown on corruption.
The plenum decided that Hu Jintao assume the Central Military
Commission (CMC) chairmanship after Jiang Zemin's resignation.
The communique says that the change in the chairmanship "is
conducive to upholding the fundamental principle and institution of
the Party's absolute leadership over the military, and to promoting
the military's revolutionization, modernization and
regularization."
The communique notes that the plenum highly evaluated Jiang
Zemin's "outstanding contributions to the Party, the state and the
people."
"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 communique
says, the third-generation of central collective leadership of the
Party with Jiang Zemin at the core had led the Party and the people
in advancing the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics
and scoring great achievements.
In the past 15 years when he served as the CMC chairman, the
communique says, Jiang had "grasped the development trends of new
military reforms in the world with his great insight" and had
enriched the thoughts of Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping on army
building and "founded the Jiang Zemin thought on national defense
and army building."
Under Jiang's leadership, China's national defense and military
modernization have achieved tremendous success, it says.
The communique also praises Jiang for founding the Important
Thought of "Three Represents" by pooling the wisdom of the whole
Party.
The Important Thought of Three Represents is the latest outcome
of the localization of Marxism in China, as well as the fundamental
guideline for building a relatively affluent society in an
all-round way, says the communique, and it "must be implemented in
all areas of China's socialist modernization drive and be reflected
in all aspects of Party building."
The plenum called on all Party members to rally around the CPC
Central Committee with Hu Jintao as the general secretary to strive
for the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
(Xinhua News Agency September 20, 2004)