The Second Session of the 10th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), a broad-based national advisory body, Friday passed a package of amendments to its charter.

The amendments include 22 major changes in four aspects concerning the CPPCC guiding theory, representations of China's basic political system and the CPPCC's nature and function, the requirements, rights and obligations of CPPCC members, and improvement of the CPPCC system and procedures to perform its duties.

Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory and the important thought of "Three Represents," was written into the CPPCC charter as the CPPCC guiding theory. The guiding theory of the CPPCC was not defined at previous CPPCC charters.

Also incorporated into the amended CPPCC charter are the expressions: "builders of the socialist cause"; "promoting a coordinated development of socialist material and political civilization, and social ethical and cultural civilization"; "consolidating and developing the public-ownership economy, and encouraging, supporting and guiding the growth of the non-public sector economy"; and "making concerted efforts for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation".

The system of multi-party cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) is written in the revised charter is a basic political system in China, along with "unity and democracy are the two major themes of the CPPCC."

The amended CPPCC charter includes a clear-cut definition of the requirements, rights, obligations of CPPCC members, such as loving the motherland, supporting CPC leadership and socialist cause, safeguarding unity among various ethnic groups and national reunification, and abiding by the Constitution and law.

The system and procedures for the CPPCC to perform duties have been improved and standardized.

(Xinhua News Agency March 12, 2004)