A spokesman with the secretariat of the 18th Communist Party of China (CPC) National Congress said on Sunday that promoting ecological progress improves the overall planning for building socialism with Chinese characteristics.

The 18th CPC National Congress, which concluded on Wednesday, passed an amendment to the Party Constitution into which a new paragraph on promoting socialist ecological progress is added.

With the revision, the overall planning for building socialism with Chinese characteristics now has five major parts: developing socialist market economy, promoting socialist democracy, developing advanced socialist culture, building harmonious socialist society and promoting ecological progress.

The report to the 18th CPC National Congress delivered by Hu Jintao said that the Party will "work hard to build a beautiful country, and achieve lasting and sustainable development of the Chinese nation."

The spokesman said that promoting ecological progress is an important achievement by the Party in further understanding the nature and relations between human and the nature, as well as a requirement for realizing scientific development.

With regard to the other four parts of the overall planning for the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, the amendment also added new content.

For developing socialist market economy, the amended Party Constitution added, "It is dedicated to promoting harmonized development of industrialization, IT application, urbanization and agricultural modernization."

Such a revision will help all Party members better understand the key tasks of the reform and opening up and the modernization construction under new circumstances, the spokesman said.

For promoting socialist democracy, new statements are added on making people's democracy more extensive, fuller in scope and sounder in practice, and on improving socialist system of laws with Chinese characteristics.

The Party will keep to the socialist path of pursuing political development with Chinese characteristics, carry out political structural reform actively but prudently, steadily develop socialist democracy, promote law-based governance, and build a socialist country based on the rule of law, the spokesman said.

Statements on developing strong socialist culture in China and strengthening core socialist values are added to the Constitution.

The spokesman said these additions will guide all Party members to adhere to the goal of advancing socialist culture, deepen their awareness of and confidence in the Chinese culture, vigorously develop cultural programs and industries, strengthen the nation's cultural power, and promote development and enrichment of socialist culture.

For building harmonious socialist society, the Constitution has new statements on enabling all the people to share more fruits of development in a more equitable way and making innovations in social management.

The spokesman said these additions will help ensure and improve the people's wellbeing, and equip them with enthusiasm, initiative and creativity in advancing the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

The additions will also help improve social management and establish a socialist system of social management with Chinese characteristics in response to changing conditions, and foster a dynamic environment in which everyone contributes to social harmony and benefits from a harmonious society, he said. Endi