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".
   
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)