CPC congress marks progress
National party’s meeting to set milestones for future growth
BEI J ING: The 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), to be convened in Beijing, is set to become a new milestone in national rejuvenation.
The meeting on Wednesday provides the Party an opportunity to declare which policies it upholds and which path it will take in the next five years before the next congress, according to experts.
Its rise along its own path while drawing points from many countries over the past five years shows constant improvement.
This is shown not only in stable growth and productive restructuring, but also a larger role in global governance that has accompanied China’s major-country diplomacy, its active participation in multilateral mechanisms and the Belt and Road Initiative.
The path, termed “socialism with Chinese characteristics”, is by no means a vague concept.
It is a pragmatic path that has been adhered to and enriched by different generations of leadership since 1978, when the Third Plenary Session of the 11th CPC Central Committee convened in Beijing.
That session addressed the historical issues left by the “cultural revolution” (1966-76), ushering in a new era of reform and opening-up.
The meetings are of vital importance to good governance in China. They represent paradigm shifts in the operation of the country and influence people’s lives.
A recent example is the 18th CPC National Congress five years ago, which prioritised clean governance, innovative growth, green development and national confidence.
The 19th CPC National Congress, which comes at a decisive moment in the construction of a well-off society by 2020, is expected to chalk up new guidelines, if not action plans, along the path.
The meeting’s results will directly concern three problems deciding China’s future: the driving force and innovative power of social development; the balance, harmony and stability of social development; and good governance of society and the country, Party School of the CPC Central Committee administration committee member Han Qingxiang writes in People’s Daily.
Han said the meeting, while a Party gathering, will inject new vitality into Chinese society.
This will be seen in better solutions to problems in education, caring for the elderly, housing, medical care and income distribution.
It also will be seen in advancing good governance by improving its efficiency and abilities in solving problems.
Li Lin, director of the institute of law at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said rule of law will top the agenda list of the congress, and is a “profound revolution” in the realm of governance.
He said the Party will deepen the rule of law to modernise its governance system.
It will send a clear message showing the Party’s resolve in advancing the rule of law, Li said.
China’s political system will be further strengthened by the meeting, Yuan Tinghua, Central Institute of Socialism former deputy, said in People’s Daily.
Experience has shown the complexity of China’s modernisation requires a political system and its capacity for uniting different forces towards common goal.
China’s political party system has just that ability, Yuan said.
Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, has reiterated the necessity for Party members to understand the “largest practical national conditions”.
This could be summarised in the following points: China has remained and will remain in the primary stage of socialism; the main social conflict remains the gap between needs and production; and China has been and will continue to be the largest developing country.
Tao Wenzhao, a professor of politics at Renmin University of China, said these national conditions are the starting points for policy making, keeping decision makers clear-headed and preventing China drifting from its path.
“The meeting, the last of its kind before 2020, will mark the start of the final sprint before accomplishing the goal of realising a well-off society.” — China Daily/Asia News Network